Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Reflections of the Year, Gifts, Volunteerism and A Riddle

Today's blogs....

Blog City – Day 107

Prompt: Why is a raven like a writing desk? I love when the Mad Hatter asks Alice this question. There is no right answer. Just an opinion question.

Write a riddle. I have never written a riddle before and I doubt I could pull it off. It will take some thinking... all I can think is ones I have heard...

Okay if I do this as an opinion question I can see what others think without having an actual answer. So...

Why is a mushroom like a house?

30 Day Blogging Challenge

Volunteerism

Before I started teaching I used to spend a great deal of time in classrooms volunteering my time in special education classes. It was a great way to learn the ropes, get to know the students and have those who do the hiring know who you are when the time comes to get a position. I eventually got in as an Educational Assistant. Then I went back to school - Teacher's College. I wanted to run the show not just follow someone else's plans. I am still trying to get into my own class and I figure I am going to have to do that volunteer thing again to get a teaching position. It is very rewarding, but it is certainly nice to hold a teaching position of my own and feel part of something.

Besides, as a teacher you volunteer your own time for extra curricular activities. Even in interviews they want to know what else you bring to the table - not being very athletically inclined I have to think of other options. I have helped lead a chess group - that was fun but I don't know anything about chess - might be something I should learn. I am also willing to be the 'extra teacher' if one is needed. One school even has a mind craft group.

Welcome To My Reality - Week Twenty - Six

3. What's the best gift you've ever given, and the best you've ever received? Think of actual gifts for birthdays, special occasions, etc.

I have been blessed with many wonderful gifts and have given them as well. To determine the best one I gave... I would say a homemade book tape. I bought a book I wanted to read and a book I thought my grandmother would love to hear. Her vision was not very good anymore so I had been buying her book tapes for the past several years. This particular year I decided I would make my own and I read the story into the tape. At the end, I taped all the wonderful things I thought and felt about her. Then she would have a 'permanent' record of my voice and my love for her. Sadly it was the last Christmas gift I ever got to give her, as she pasted away the following summer. But I was glad I gave her that gift because she really did love it.

The best gift I ever received... was at Christmas - was a plane trip to Florida. My aunt and uncle have a condo in Florida. All I needed to do was get there. There provided the plane trip. My friends parents, who are friends of my aunt and uncle, gave their daughter the same gift. Together we went, rented a car and spent a week in Florida. It was one of the best trips I have ever been on!

7. It's been six months since you set your New Year's resolutions (if you set any). How are you progressing? Are you on track? What, if anything, do you need to do differently to achieve your goals for the year?

Oh, I love this prompt.

I went back to my Dear Me letter that I did at the beginning of the year "Dear Me - 2014" . I think I am doing better than okay. When I wrote the letter I did not know all Writing.com had to offer - as the year progresses I am able to add and modify things to grow as a writer and as a reviewer.

Here are a few updates for my Dear Me letter:

One thing was to write everyday - and except for a trip to Mexico that did not allow the best internet access all the time, I have done that.

Blog at least 5 times a week. I started out doing Rhonda's Welcome To My Reality managing 5 times a week most weeks. I have since added Blog City and that is six days a week - I have only missed one day, I think and I tend not to do Sundays. I have also added the 30 Day Blogging Challenge - which I completed in May and am currently doing the unofficial month of the 30 Day Blogging Challenge. So really I blog everyday.

I had initially thought I would do the Writer's Cramp at least once a month and the Muscle Stretch three times this year. I have fund that there are many contests on Writing.com so it is better to keep that option open. I signed on to I Write - June, July and August which has me write for a variety of contests and do a review each and every week for 13 weeks. I intend to complete that challenge. In the process I have sent in entries to a sonnet contest, the Daily Flash Fiction contest and Stormy's Poetry Newsletter contest. I have also put in poems to the Dream Darkscapes contest.

As far as reviews, I had lapsed for a bit but joining Dream Darkscapes team of the Game of Thrones contest - I managed to add at least 30 reviews in that month alone. That is half my anticipated goal. I am currently sitting at 168 reviews, so I am thinking it may not be impossible to get to 200 reviews by the end of the year.

I completed my poetry and short story workshops with the Paper Doll Gang and was pleased with the experience.

I have managed to read at least 5 books a month for the Monthly Reading Challenge. In fact, I have currently read 44 books so far. I intend to get to 80 by the end of the year - so I am nicely over half way.

I have done Camp NaNoWriMo in April and have signed up for July. I am rebelling - working on a previous novel and blogging and doing other shorter pieces as well.

I am currently doing 50,000 words for JuNoWriMo and am over 24,000 words at this point. Not quite halfway but not bad considering supply work has been busier and my allergies leave me whipped.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with my growth as a writer and reviewer and I have every intention of keeping it up.