Autumn and my life cycle

Here it is: my happy poem, "An Ode to Autumn". Published in a community newsletter, slightly anonymized, but who cares. It's a start.

This poem chronicles a bit my experience in Switzerland over the last 9 years. I am getting a bit nostalgic as I approach my 10th anniversary in March 2013. Here's my (nearly) line-by-line breakdown:

• dusts, heroes of summer: think of "The Rising" Bruce Springsteen
• born: yes I mean literally. Some of the best people I know are born between Sept 21 and December 21, typical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere
• boys shooting: this refers to the autumnal festival called Knabbenschiessen, loosely translated as "boys shooting" in Zürich, where I lived for 5 years. The translation is quite funny. Recently though, a young Swiss girl has entered the competition and been a great success.
• Öpfelkiechli or (Öpfel Küchli): Swiss-German dialect for these lovely deep-fried battered apple rings at the Basel Autumn Fair, or Herbstmesse, coming soon end of October. Mmmm. There's a very specific stand, and a very specific lady who makes these. I won't eat any other!
• The bells of Switzerland: there are a lot. Not just church bells. Cow and sheep (and other mountain animals) bells, sleigh bells, door bells... I love them all. Saturday evening they ring for 10 minutes. Really. OK, church bells only.
• Been listening to a lot of R.E.M. lately. Three words from the album, Green (1988). Song: "You Are The Everything". Find it, buy it. Love it!

• OK, we didn't get married in Autumn, but we did get engaged. Friends of ours got married in Autumn. 
• I guess the ol' October 1st heating rule is quite old. Must also be a Zürich thing.
• Yeah, the Dragon / drago in Italian / Draco. Read what you will into that.
• There used to be a branch of the Swiss army that wore yellow berets.
• Yeah, there's always the end of year rush to get things done, not only in Switzerland, but everywhere. Post-its are like leaves...
• Odd use of winter as a "dénouement" is a bit circular ;)

I'm making my first recipe of pumpkin-apple strudel later on today. A variation of Jamie Oliver's Pumpkin Strudel but better. ;) Can't wait!!!

Best-laid plans...

Of Mice and Men. (John Steinbeck). Lenny and George. Why did we care about these two misshapen tools? Because they were poor? Their funny way of talking? Because they had nobody and simply had to look out for each other? Their loneliness? Dreams are great, but to have this constant danger and dagger along side, definitely didn’t do George no good. But it was out of love. Love of his friend more than love of his dream. So we can only console with George, because that was the way it was always going to end up. Lenny’s life or George’s. I think George knew that at the beginning.

Well, yes, my plans ‘Gang aft agley’ -- go often askew, according to Robert Burns. But to look at the present, be now and around in awareness, instead of this silly backward eye -- that is the blessing of the mouse. Man is always fearing and guessing. That ain’t no fun!

Am I having fun then in my present? Yeah I work hard but fun?? What would make this more fun? New interesting music? New words new habits? New characters? Last week I managed to avoid the news, so I didn’t make much of the current events. Me thinks that “real world journalism” isn’t for me. I like features and themes. I like science-y things that need some thought into them, not necessarily fast reporting. I am always looking for this thread that weaves in and out like on the Giant Loom of my life.

This week I am supposed to focus on characters. I like Doctor Who. So go with it. A clock stoppage -- giant loom story with Doctor Who pieces. OK. Idea! Go! Stay with it!

at 40 weeks

This week’s plan is to work up to 1,000 words per day again. Expanding my vocab is a good idea too -- cue one speaker who uses too much 'really'...

Long long ago, in a galaxy far far away…. well, week 2 to be exact… I was doing this. So, I am only 9 months behind! Like a baby that didn’t know it was due. Ha ha ha.

OK, 9 months from now… there will be more… progress?!? I can only shoot for this, as I haven’t done my goal-setting yet. But I have some outstanding dangling items from last year that are relatively easy to do/get back into, so I will start with those goals. Then I am setting myself up for success. I like the idea of that.

So, am I fit enough to do Nanowrimo this year? Right now, it sure does not seem like it. I really want to do it this year, as so far, the whole month is already booked for 80% work (paid!) with no major travel. I think I have to start with a previous idea. I really want to work on my ‘Ravens’ but we shall see. I have to decide really by 3 November in order to have the thing work out well and not feel discouraged by the lack of progress. Perhaps this month’s practice gearing up again will put me in a good routine, that I will be more awake enough and have stretched my waking hours so that they are more creatively inclined.

October is always tough because of the daylight savings time issue. The ancient biology runes (genes) says it should be one hour behind and I should still be in bed. So, we got this cool natural light waking up lamp, that functions as an alarm clock. It also makes little birds song noises. There’s wind noise, and I think something else, or the radio. The radio would be more random I think, and so you don’t fall back asleep to the nice little birdie sounds. Although we had it quite low this morning, the cats were quite interested in the bird tweeting away in the lamp…

OK, until next week -- when we see whether we’ve made 1,000 words per day (remember, on average: perhaps on blog Tuesday, I go way over and some other days I barely can reach 75% of the goal) -- and I’ve started back on the easy goals that were cut out long ago. Looking ahead, it is really a gearing up… character developments and getting up to 2,000 words per day. Eeek!

Yes, when motivation is low, it seems like I want to slow down instead of gear up… but I have to find the motivation again… oh yes, visualize and dream. Dream of a better world. Gear up!!