I love a challenge, especially when it’s structured. Definitely when it’s structured. That’s why NaBloPoMo, National Blog Posting Month, seemed like just the ticket to get me more organized and regular about posting here. The rules are simple: commit to uploading a post a day, including weekends and holidays, for every day in November. You can also cross post on the official site, but it’s not mandatory. Since my posts tend to be the length of New Yorker essays, this may force me into mixing it up with some posts that are short and pithy.
Let’s just hope this resolution doesn’t play out the way my “getting in shape” resolution has been. Back in August, I signed up for the Las Vegas Marathon*, December 7th. The thinking was that, with an event planned (and paid for), I’d take training seriously. Here it is November 1st and my training has gone all to Hell. I was logging at least 5 miles every other day, with longer sessions on weekends. Then grapes happened and happened and happened. And here it is November 1 and I’ve been off the exercise bandwagon for six weeks now.
I’ve been reading a lot of novels by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende, two authors who are often associated with “Magical Realism“. In a nutshell, Magical Realism is a style of literature that blends a traditional narrative with elements of fantasy. Say for instance, you think you are reading a family saga and suddenly one of the characters turns into a bird and flies away.
I think subconsciously, I may have been hoping Magical Realism would find it’s way to my life. I’d think about training and SUDDENLY I’d complete a marathon. I’d decide to take my blog seriously and SUDDENLY I’d master HTML, redesign it, have an organizing posting schedule and millions of fans.
Oscar sez: "Too late to test the water. Just jump in!"
Maybe it’s because I’m not Latin American, but Magical Realism doesn’t seem to have happened in my life so far.
But something better. I hadn’t signed up for the division of the Las Vegas Marathon where you run as Elvis. If I don’t get the lard off, I may be mistaken for The King, anyway.
Andy sez: "As long as you're making resolutions, why don't you order those bottles so we can get our lavender oil to market."
*In the interest of full disclosure, the division I signed up for in the Vegas Marathon is the WALKING division.
