Write or Die

I am trying this new writing tool, called Write or Die. The application works as a writing 'drill'. You first enter your 'Word Count' goal. You then enter the amount of time to set the 'stopwatch'. It even asks you how hard you want the drill to monitor your ability to remain focused. The most brutal setting results in DEATH! I love this concept. Let's see how well I do. I am striving to write 1,000 words within an hour. This topic will be pretty random since I am simply....thinking and typing, really fast. This is going to be a piece of cake.

Ready...Set...GO!

I've been working on my memoir today, and chose to work on the chapter, Saving Jami. Now it is time to take a break. One thing I would really like to develop is my ability to make people laugh. I have such difficulty even remembering jokes, let alone making up my own! When I read a blog that makes me laugh, I always think, "Why can't I make people laugh through my writing?"

Maybe because I write, primarily, from my life experiences. There are not many funny moments in my life; most of them are pretty heavy. I know my daughter would like to see me laugh more.

How do I bring more laughter into my life? Even when I am joyful, I am not funny. Yet, one of the more important characteristics I look for in a man is his ability to make me laugh. Hmmm....

Something happened to my screen just now when I stopped writing..it turned red. That was pretty cool. I think that was a reminder to continue typing away. You see, I had taken a SECOND to think, and it yelled at me!

I am 20% complete and have only been writing for seven minutes. Pretty good, huh? If I did this every single day, my memoir would be complete by now. My fellow writer, Karen Aldridge, has the button to this site on her blog. I am so glad I found it!

As this year comes to a close, so many people are reflecting and thinking forward into 2010. Many people are seeking lifestyle changes or transformation of some kind. It is crazy when you think about how many people are in the midst of this personal endeavor these last few days of the year. What if everyone did this throughout the year? Just think about how many people would constantly be working on themselves!

Now, we need to reflect on what we are grateful for; to give thanks to the Lord for this amazing year, even if it has been a tough one.

My screen just flashed red at me again. I guess I am not supposed to talk while I am doing this? Or maybe I just need to keep typing while I am writing....I mean talking.

Okay, so back to gratitude.

One of my pastors put this question out there tonight.. "What is your favorite memory from 2009?

I have so many! When I started thinking about them, the ones that really stood out were about my daughter, Angelica. She transitioned from junior high school to high school this year. There was so much going on for her. The excitement she felt as she prepared for her graduation from her junior high school was awesome. The last two weeks of school included preparation to join her eighth grade History teachers and classmates on a trip to the east coast.

Angelica's father did not want to send her on this trip because of her poor History grade. I looked at it a bit differently. I was blessed, financially, in 2009. This was such an incredible opportunity for Angelica, and I was driven to make sure she did not miss out. The cost of the trip was $2,000. That is a huge amount of money for a single mom to come up with for such a thing. Fortunately, the tour company accommodated us with the ability to make monthly payments toward the trip, beginning ten months early.

It was definitely strange sending my daughter on a plane, across the country. I actually tracked her flight on the internet! HA! Talk about paranoid. I was hoping Angelica would be stoked about Washington D.C., but she wasn't. She hated the humidity and was pretty miserable there. There were also several disappointments about the tours. For example, when they visited the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, all they did was gawk at the nation's largest McDonald's. What?!!!

The day her group was touring the museums, I was talking about the movie called, "Freedom Writers". The teacher, who the movie was based on, took the students to the Holocaust Museum. I questioned whether or not Angelica's group would be touring that museum.

Suddenly...actually, more like an hour later, one of our other co-workers yelled out to us. He read an online news report about a shooting at the Holocaust Museum that took place just that morning. He asked us, "Weren't you just talking about that museum?" Yes, we were! Panick set in. Now, I could not recall for certain if Angelica's group was touring that museum or not on that day.

How could I not know this. Of course I knew it was not on her itinerary. If it was, it would have been an exciting discussion between us before she left on the trip. So, that eased my mind somewhat. I did end up calling the tour company to confirm it though.

The pictures on the news showed the area all taped off with yellow crime scene tape. I was pretty freaked out. I was worried about Angelica and all the students being in the area; being exposed to all the chaos. Come to find out, they did not even see anything. According to Angelica, they were nowhere near the area and saw nothing. Thank God!

A very disturbed man walked into the museum and shot one of the security guards. The place was full of school tours. All those children had to be evacuated. Fortunately, none of the children were harmed, thanks to that courageous security guard who ended up sacrificing his life for everyone inside.

Angelica was happy to leave Washington D.C. and head up to New York. She actually wants to move there after she graduates from college. That was really the point in my sending her on the trip; I wanted her to see other parts of the country. All in all, she is happy she went. While in New York, she went to see Shrek on Broadway and took a racing boat out to the NY harbor and saw the Statue of Liberty. That, in itself, was a dream-come-true for her.

One of Angelica's fondest memories of New York was the culture and freedoms all over the streets of the city. She enjoyed the street musicians, dancers, and vendors. It would be nice to go back with her and experience it together one day. Maybe she will take me next time!