Mind Dump Monday: I Just Needed To Write Something

One of the most difficult things about blogging (for me, at least) is finding the time and motivation for it. That's definitely been the case lately.

Sometimes I can't come up with anything interesting to write about. And, while that's frustrating, I can eventually come up with something. Other times (like now), I have several ideas for posts ... I just can't seem to bring myself to sit down and work on them. Then I start to feel completely overwhelmed because I allow myself to get so far behind on anything even remotely related to blogging. And then I start to hate it.

So ... That explains my absence lately. 

I keep trying to get back into some sort of routine, but things are probably going to be very feast or famine around here for the next couple of months because fall seems to be the busiest time of year for me. Between my mom's upcoming visit, my anniversary trip with Eric (I'll talk about this a little more in a future post, but we finally booked everything!), and any random fall activities, October and November are pretty packed.

I'm going to try to get a few posts written and up this week (but no promises), so I'll go into a little more detail about what's been going on with me lately at that point. For now, I just wanted to post this as kind of a "Hey, I'm still around. I know I've been a shitty blogger lately, but I'll try to eventually get back into some sort of groove." thing.

I had to start somewhere, I guess.

Mind Dump Monday: The First of August (My Birth Month!) and Other Random Stuff

I haven't written a post like this since January, so I figured it was time to switch things up a bit and post about the random shit going on in my head right now. Why not, right?

1. I hate cleaning. Hate it. And, while I'm writing this in part because I really wanted to make more of an effort to post on my blog in the upcoming weeks, I'm also writing it because I don't feel like cleaning. If I'm working on my blog, I'm clearly too "busy" to clean. Obviously I know I can't put it off forever, but I'll put it off as long as I can.

2. I probably could have opened with something a little more interesting, but there's a reason Eric and I are deep cleaning the apartment this week: my mom is coming to visit! She'll be here for 10 days, and I've been trying to come up with some fun stuff to do while she's in town. I'm sure we'll probably just hang out sometimes (especially since it's supposed to be so hot!), but we'll also hit up some good restaurants and maybe do a little shopping or something. I took a few half days and a couple of full days off work, so we should have plenty of time together. I haven't seen her since December, so it will definitely be good to see her again.

3. Since my mom will be in town, I will probably be much slower with responses to comments and with commenting on other blogs. I'm trying to make sure I have some posts scheduled and ready during that time, and also still plan to participate in a couple of my usual link-ups (What's New With You with Kristen and Gretchen and Show Us Your Books! with Steph and Jana), but it may take me a little while to get around to commenting on other posts.

4. On a completely different note (or maybe not, since my mom and I have always said we're a little like Lorelei and Rory except for the whole getting pregnant at 16 thing), I'm ridiculously excited about the upcoming Gilmore Girls Netflix special! Gilmore Girls has been one of my all-time favorite shows since high school, and it's one of the few shows I regularly rewatch. It may sound silly, but I felt like I grew up with Rory. I could really relate to her in a lot of ways, and, since she was a year behind me in school, I was experiencing many of the same issues at the time the show aired. (A perfect example of relating to Rory: I cried for at least an hour the first time I got a B in a college class because apparently a B meant I was stupid and would never amount to anything in life. I wish I were exaggerating, but sadly I am not.)



5. I've been feeling very nostalgic lately, and many of my conversations have centered around memories from high school and college. It seems like this happens every year around this time, probably because my birthday is in August. I think there's something about becoming a year older that inspires me to remember the past (both the good and the bad).

6. I mentioned this in my last "currently" post, but I recently saw Garbage and Chris Cornell in concert! This definitely goes along with the whole nostalgia thing, and probably forced me to start thinking back on the old days a little earlier than usual. (Both shows were amazing, by the way.) I'd seen Garbage once before, way back in 1999. But Chris Cornell? That was almost 20 years in the making. I've loved him (and every band he's been associated with) since I was 12. Seeing him live was, quite literally, a dream come true. I may have cried a little. No big deal.



7. I used to dread getting older. I mean, I still wouldn't say I like it ... But I don't think I dread it the way I used to. Anyway, Steph, Kristen, and Erin have all inspired me to embrace my birth month. I'm not going to go crazy or anything (I've been spending way too much money lately and need to cut back at some point!), but I want to spend this month doing things I enjoy and treating myself now and then. When August is over, I can return my focus to saving more and spending less (especially since the only major thing I have coming up in September and October is a work trip, and I'll obviously be reimbursed for any food/transportation/lodging costs that aren't paid upfront by my company). Now I just need to figure out how I want to treat myself ...

Mind Dump Monday: My Lack of Motivation

I've really been struggling to find motivation to blog lately. One of my New Year's resolutions this year is to work on a blogging schedule and stick to it, but, as of today, I haven't managed to get my shit together enough to do that.

Although I struggle with writer's block from time to time, this is not one of those times. If nothing else, I still have to finish my New Mexico recaps (which is kind of ridiculous considering that trip was at the beginning of November!). I also have a few new recipes lined up to share. And, like most bloggers, I keep a list of post ideas that I add to on a regular basis. I could easily pull from that list at any time.

But lately I seem to be more focused on other things. I've been reading a lot, watching a lot of Law & Order: SVU on Netflix with Eric (why did they have to take away all of the early seasons?), and working out a lot. These obviously aren't bad ways to spend my time, but when I put everything blog related on the back burner more often than not, it can be a problem.

I don't like ignoring my blog. I really enjoy coming up with things to write about, sharing experiences and recipes, and connecting with other bloggers.

But sometimes I just don't feel like working on it.

I feel like I write a post like this every few months. I wish I didn't feel the need to do this, but, for whatever reason, sometimes posting about my lack of motivation or my writer's block can help. It may be because I've forced myself to sit down and get something out there ... Who knows?

Hopefully it works for me this time!

Mind Dump Monday: Christmas Travels and Other Random Stuff

I can't believe that in just a few short hours, I'll be on my way to West Virginia to spend Christmas with my family. This is the first time I've been back for Christmas since 2008!

Things I'm looking forward to about this trip include: seeing my family and friends (obviously), meeting my friend's new baby for the first time, seeing the Christmas decorations I grew up with (though I'm sure there are some new additions), slightly warmer weather (and no crazy Nebraska winds!), and my mom's potato casserole at Christmas dinner.

Since I'll be away, I probably won't be quite as quick to respond to comments or other emails this week. (Not that I'm really that quick with responses most of the time anyway.)

I've been an incredibly lazy blogger lately. I wanted to have plenty of posts scheduled for this upcoming week (including another New Mexico recap), and I don't. I'm taking my computer with me, but I don't know how much time I'll have for blogging (or if I'll even feel like posting anything while I'm away). I took my computer to New Mexico and didn't open it once, so we'll see if this trip is any different.

I didn't even share my November goal results because I didn't complete any of them, and I didn't bother making December goals because I knew I couldn't make myself stick to any specific goals this month. I usually like making and completing goals, but I just haven't been feeling it the last couple of months.

I've not only been lazy with my own blog, I've also been falling behind on reading other blogs I follow. I've tried several times to get caught up, but then I get busy with/distracted by other shit and fall behind again. I know it's not a huge deal, but I like reading blogs and I like commenting.

I'm actually really looking forward to the start of the new year. I get that I don't have to wait until January 1 to get my shit together, but let's be honest here ... I'm clearly not going to get into a healthy eating/exercise routine while I'm traveling. I'm also not going to be keeping any sort of schedule. It's just too hard to do that while I'm away from home.

I thought about making this post more interesting with pictures and/or GIFs, but I decided that was too much work. (Again, lazy blogger here.) I mostly just needed to take a minute to type some of my random thoughts out before I hop on a plane and head halfway across the country to visit my family.

Happy Holidays!

Mind Dump Monday: So, About Last Week ...

Have you ever had those days (or weeks or even months) where you just couldn't get motivated to write? You had things you wanted to say, random thoughts floating through your head searching for the perfect place to be released, and found inspiration in numerous places ... And still, every time you found a few quiet moments to sit down and write, you couldn't focus. You couldn't put those ideas into coherent sentences.

So you just didn't write.

That was me last week. 

I wanted to share pictures and thoughts about my recent trip to New Mexico, but I also couldn't get motivated to sift through the hundreds of pictures we took between my phone, Eric's phone, and our camera.

I wanted to share an old recipe that I realized I'd never bothered to post on this blog. I also wanted to update my recipe index, but, again ... No motivation. 

I wanted to actually work on some creative writing again. I've been feeling really inspired lately, and yet I have nothing to show for it. I need to stop procrastinating and just work on shit.

I wanted to find a way to express my thoughts on the things going on in the world, and the often disgusting ways in which people responded. (So disgusting, in fact, that I had to remove myself from Facebook for a while because I just couldn't deal with the hateful and bigoted comments I was seeing much too often. It really opened my eyes to the true character of many people I went to school with.) The overwhelming emotion I felt each time I attempted to put my thoughts into words prevented me from writing anything worth reading.

This week I wanted to start off with a great post, something thoughtful and interesting. And then I realized that until I got rid of the thoughts cluttering my mind, I'd have a hard time writing about the things I want to write about. 

I may make Mind Dump Monday a semi-regular thing. I don't know if I'll do it every week, but there's something to be said about throwing a bunch of the shit running through your mind out there. Sometimes these thoughts may turn into more detailed posts ... Sometimes they won't.

I always enjoy the random thoughts posts by my favorite bloggers. Steph has a great Thursday Thoughts series, Erin has been sharing her Humpday Confessions every Wednesday, and each Friday Jana discusses things going on in her life as well as sharing fun things from the internet in her This Week In ... series (just to name a few). 

So, while this may not be a weekly series, I definitely think some interesting conversations can be generated by these types of posts. Or, if nothing else, it can serve to cleanse my mind and help me focus on what I'd like to say in my next post.