Whaddya Think?

For you eagle eyed readers I changed my layout and color scheme. This may mean the end of my masthead photos because I think it makes the heading look a little strange. But I like changing it on a monthly basis and sharing some cool images I find with you all. I really want some opinions on this. What do you think? And go!

All A-twitter

I may be about two years behind (as many people have so kindly pointed out to me) but I finally joined Twitter. I have a few reasons for caving in and doing it- one of them being feeling left out of something and another because it can help me in a project I'm working on. More on that to come in the following months. In the meantime I feel like my mom asking to be shown how to program a microwave. So if you're on Twitter, follow me- @belleshpgrl.

Cheated of My Wonderland

I changed my masthead. Finally. Unfortunately the temperature is not befitting the snowy image I selected for this month. High of 50 today. And it sucks. I've been robbed of my winter. We had one snow storm and I took a photo of the view outside my window. It was lovely. For you who can't see my masthead, here's the image I used:

Sigh. I miss winter and it's not technically over yet.

A Fresh Start?

Today is the last day of November and that means the end of the daily posting. Last year felt easier. Maybe it's because I had only been blogging for a few months and had some stuff bottled up. Who knows? I know I can write about whatever I want to write about but that's not really true. I can't really write about my family because they are easily offended, not that any of them read this anyway. I also find it hard to write about my dreams or aspirations because I'm afraid if I don't follow through I've let more than myself down. Instead of owning my "failures" and talking about them, I want to hide from them. Like one of my first posts was about how I was doing a push-up challenge with some coworkers. I totally let that fall by the wayside and never followed up on it on the blog. Though only one person at work involved in the challenge kept up with it, not finishing it because I sent it out to cyberspace made me feel more accountable. And that's scarier for some reason.

But I'm not going to let that matter anymore. I think I'm going to put myself out there and see what comes of it. It's been said that your dreams can never really come true until you write them down. From here on out I'm going to write what I want to write. I'm not going to censor myself but I'm not going to write anything that I can't say to someones face. People have really appreciated some of my more honest and open posts. I'm not going to get revolutionary or say crazy things or write something heart stopping tomorrow. I'm just going to let myself feel free. I need to feel unfettered somewhere. Why not here? A place of my own making? Well, here I go.

Not Reaching for the Stars, Reaching for Branches

I'm really searching for topics here so I used my writing prompt Plinky. I haven't used it lately because I haven't seen a lot of prompts that I like. It's all user generated prompts so I should start submitting topics that I would want to answer. It's a great website so I regret not using it for so long. I think it's been months since I've signed in. Anyway, I'm telling you all this for the blogging challenge. I did post original material today, just from a website that facilitates writing. So to cover my bum, I'm writing all this fascinating information. So... Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm an Asshole

Dear That's Just Wonky,

I'm so sorry I've neglected you so much for the past month. Who knew unemployment could be so time consuming? I ache for quiet time alone for weeks at a time but when faced with an unknown length of loneliness I panic. I didn't want to wallow so I made sure I was busy. Luckily I still had the part-time job that called me in for some day hours and my free-lance writing assignments to give me some structure. You can check out a post that has Mike's name on it but I wrote it and took all the pictures and here's one that has my name on it, though I wrote it before I was canned.

I was also away on a pre-planned vacation in the Adirondacks for five days. Every year I treat the trip like a fitness spa. I swam a total of 2 miles on the lake, ran a total of eleven miles, and biked a total of twenty. I loved every minute of it. It really helped me feel prepared for the triathlon that I have in two weeks. The road was pretty much the terrain I needed to train on so I'm feeling very strong this year. I'm also slowly building up my mileage each run for the half-marathon. Running in the mountains was great because the air is clearer and the roads aren't as bumpy as Albany's sidewalks. But for all the time I spent outside I didn't get much sun. The air was too cold and the wind was too fierce for sunbathing but perfect for flying my kite. Mike and I tried to fly a kite for thirty minutes before I gave up on it and tried the other kite in the kit. It turns out the first kite we were using wasn't even made with all its parts. We were flying a kite with no skeleton and no rudder. I looked pretty stupid for a while there. I want my money back.

The Monday after we came back, which was last Monday, from the wonderful mountains I started a new job. It's a job in theatre and I couldn't be more excited. As my friend Karen put it, I started my career on Monday. It was a crazy, stressful week but I've already been doing the kind of work I've always wanted to do. I am just beside myself. It's only up from here.

My softball team has also been busy with make-up games and kicking ass in the play-offs. I was second base for two games last week and I haven't played that position in two years. But! I made two outs, stopped a hard hit and scored a run on my own hitting and base running. It was a pretty exciting few weeks in the Colt .45 nation.

I know these are all just excuses but believe me, I've missed you too. I've been thinking about you constantly but every time I was in front of a computer more urgent things would require my attention, like finding a job and looking at porn. One day, I was in front of my computer for five hours, sitting in my triathlon suit, because I was just going to check my email before I worked out but the next thing I know I applied to three jobs and organized some important data. Not to mentioned getting my wonderful job offer. That whole time wearing what amounts to be an adult onesie.

So never fear Wonky. I'm back. And I won't neglect you like that again. I promise.

Love,
Katherine
xxoo

Did Anyone Notice?

I finally got around to changing my masthead over the weekend. I try to change the image each month though I know not everyone notices. The image is always one that I've taken myself of something that I've done or seen or find particularly striking. This month is from the top of Mount Greylock after the hike of tremendous proportion. The storm that was coming was on the other side of the mountain, behind us, and this was the view with which we were blessed.

Last month's image was of tulips that were planted in a traffic island a few blocks from my apartment. I made people wait at a traffic light while I took the picture from my driver's side door. I kept it up for two months because tulip season doesn't last long enough, if you ask me, and it was too pretty for me to take away. I figured it was time to change it. I hope you like this month's and I hope you like all the others I take.

I Can't Come to the Blog Right Now

I am going on a special vacation for a week. So special Mike will be in a perpetual rum induced haze. You see, this trip is with my mother and her man-friend. That's why it's special. Check out the archives. I'll make it up to you.

Keeping It Real, Keeping It Fresh

There are some things I'm going to be trying with the blog. One of them is Plinky. I've been resistant to Twitter because I still just don't know about it (but I'm afraid curiosity is going to kill my cat eventually. There are some people I'd like to follow. I'll let you know.) Instead I thought this newer site Plinky would be really fun to try. Plinky started in January and it's a website of prompts that people question. Some of the answers others submit can be really thought provoking and some can be really mundane- just like anything else in this vast Internet. I'm trying it out to challenge myself to think differently. So far it's pretty neat. So you'll be seeing some shorter posts- but frequently- and you'll know why. But I'm not going to use Plinky in lieu of writing real posts, don't you worry your pretty little heads about it.

I'm All Alone Out Here!

Alright. I didn't start this blog for other people, I started for myself, but I write this blog thinking someone would read it. I was shocked at how many comments I had so soon. But those comments have completely dried up! So here I am, shamelessly, asking someone, anyone, to let me know that this craptastic blog is being read by friendly eyes. Please? I don't care if you write something like "donkey balls" and "bananahammock!" Just something!

I Have No Idea

Today I am at a loss for something to write. But I have to write something because of a blog challenge I am participating in where we have to blog every day for a month. So, in order to complete the task I'm writing a cop-out post about the challenge. Tomorrow I'll be able to write about the Twilight saga, if I could only pinpoint how I feel about it exactly- it's so love/hate, and movie because I will be DONE with it. My hands will be washed of the phenomenon. Until the second movie comes out and then I will be all over it like a cheap suit.

So yeah. NaBloPoMo. National Blog Posting Month. I think I've been doing a pretty good job of varying my posts. Mike said that before the month was out I would be writing nothing but "I love my cat. My cat is my best friend. Guess how many times she puked this month." Or "I'm so quirky that when I was a kid I wore knickers with my leotard. And you could see the dancing bears through the fabric on my ass." Well, Michael. In case you haven't noticed, I've only written one post about Fluffy and that was because SHE's quirky. Maybe we're soul mates. Gosh. I love my cat.

I Don't Even Need to Know Your Name

A lot of bloggers have gotten book deals these days. Most of the books are memoirs. I am a little surprised by that because these bloggers aren't particularly famous people, they're just like me- someone who enjoys writing and decided to put it up on the Internet to share with others. Don't get me wrong, the bloggers whose websites I frequent with book deals deserve them. I love checking out their sites every day to either laugh with them, hurt with them, or see myself in them. These blogs are blogs I can relate to because the authors are genuine and heartfelt.

A blogger I read often, Deus Ex Malcontent, commented about how after posting his Hurricane Andrew experience, sales in his memoir spiked. That got me thinking. Why would a particular blog post send people to buy a book by an ordinary (though very intelligent and interesting) Joe? Then I read the story and it answered my question. Wanting the memoir isn't so much about the person, it's about someone who writes captivatingly about things that any of us can experience. Does it make his life less interesting because he's not famous? No. If anything, it's part of the book's appeal. (It goes to mention that he survived a brain tumor and got fired from his job at CNN over his blog- also very interesting.)

I am much more interested in people like me. I don't care what those kids on The Hills go through. I'll never relate to those sh*theads. I'd rather read about Dooce's dog Chuck or about Sweet Juniper's farmer's market haul. Or better yet, check out Jana's daily photo. There are so many other blogs in my cache that are just great. These bloggers share something of themselves and let me into their lives. I don't know them and they don't know me. But I do know that I'm not alone.

Wonky is a Real Word

I've been wanting to write a blog for a while now and I always knew that I wanted to incorporate "wonky" into the title. Mike told me the word didn't exist and that I just made it up. I am flattered he thinks I am that creative with the English language and I have been known to make words up but! "wonky" is not one of them.

won·ky /ˈwɒŋki/ [wong-kee]
–adjective, -ki·er, -ki·est.
1.British Slang.
a.shaky, groggy, or unsteady.
b.unreliable; not trustworthy.
2.Slang. stupid; boring; unattractive.

...

It seems I made up the meaning of "wonky." I am none of those things (therapy is paying off! I am so unshaky!), nor is this blog. I mean with naming this blog "Just a Little Wonky" that I can be a little outside of the box. And not in the "let's come up with a mind-blowing ad campaign that's never been done before" way. I mean in the "I sometimes follow the beat of my own drummer." A very bad drummer. Definitely not David Bowie's drummer.

And I like me that way.