Project x Project: NaNoWriMo Day 2

(I carried this plant all the way back from Virginia)

For everyone out there who feels like they're drowning in word count: you are not alone.
Today my roommate and I returned from Virginia to New York City. Our cumulative journey consisted of a 4.5 hour bus ride, a 30 minute cab ride at stomach-churning speeds, a nice Italian dinner and an hour braving the supermarket lines so that we wouldn't go hungry for the next week. All in all, we were out from 11am to 8:30pm. And I haven't worked on my NaNo yet.
I'm trying to channel both inner harmony and the energy to stay awake long enough to finish my word count. Wish me luck.

Oh, and, happy election day!

Read more about my NaNoWriMo attempts and successes.

Begin A New Regimen

I just started thinking about the word 'change' and I think that I would love to pursue a pretty radical one for my lifestyle [though it, sadly, does not have anything to do with the presidential inauguration...]
In an attempt to reprogram my schedule, I think I am going to test out going to bed at 9pm and waking up at 5am. That will give me 8 hours of sleep and 1.5 hours of time reapportioned from the night into the morning. The other measure that I will set for myself, however, is that I will not use that time for homework. I will use it for exercise, art, life, and other important measures.
Now, as with all grand changes, this strikes absolute paralyzing fear within me. I have never been a morning person and, currently, I am thinking of all the things that I won't be able to do [which isn't true at all actually because, as I am realizing, I really will just have that same hour transplanted over to the morning instead...] I can feel myself cringing inside as I mentally calculate that there will be darkness outside (which is similar to the night), that it will be cold (which is similar to the night), that no one will be awake (uh... duh?), and that I am going to die (probably not).
I have realized that the way of reprogramming myself really hasn't responded well to depriving myself of anything [such as my 'EAT LESS CRAP!' motto from resolutions - I have been falling off the ball this week and am desperately trying to claw myself back up] so reapportionment and addition seem to be the way to go.
I think that I will try and set myself on this grandiose schedule starting next week. On the weekdays (Monday through Friday) I will wake up at 5am and go to bed at 9pm. End of story. This will go on for 30 days in a test-J-to-see-if-she-can-win fashion. *grudging sigh* Let's get started.
Also, I heart my aloe vera plant; we cut off one of it's older limbs recently and the sap truly does heal dry skin quite well. My baby is the feature of today's photograph. Hooray!

Check out some more posts featuring my photography.

Life

I bought some new plants.
Since I don't really like those types of plants with flowers and whatnot, I bought an aloe vera and a moses-in-the-cradle, which now adorn my room in their pots. I'm going to try hard to keep them alive; my last aloe vera plant did pretty well until one sad day [probably overwatering instead of under] and this moses-in-the-cradle is supposed to be a hardy beast.
Anyway.
I have so far gotten half of what I want done, because I decided to take my 'goofing off' time earlier than my 'knuckle down' time. Oh well. I'm pretty good on being through stuff by when it needs to be done. I just have to work today [yes, I said it today] and get the rest through.
I spoke to my Italian penpal online, and she is just as happy that the year is over as I am. However, she gets out a week earlier than I do; all the same, she has 2 more years of high school compared to my 1. It's always interesting to hear the tales of mutual confinement within our respective educational establishments [yeah, that was the 'refinement' kicking in, I'm trying it out ya know?]
I feel like I should be writing, considering that I'm sitting here at a late hour with nothing to do, but lately I've just been getting scared to produce/scared to finish. It was one of my resolutions - to finish my stories and also to do some slam poetry - but for some reason there is fear in me. Stupid 'what if it isn't good enough?' and 'what if I don't have time?' kind of crap. I think it's because I've been phenomenally stressed out by school and everything has become this swirling mass of due dates and no-shows. I have to be more forgiving and at the same time more harsh. It's arghing.