The View Up Here

Stress. A friend of mine and I had a conversation last night about "good" stress vs. "bad" stress vs. "you" stress. We established that this "you" stress is a bunch of bullshit. Stress is either "good" (a job interview, learning how to surf, going to the gym at the end of a long day, starting a new story, etc.) or "bad" (you burn the dinner, your dog is run over, you find someone else's panties in your bed, etc.). I recognize that some events are not bad in and of themselves; rather, how we perceive them and how they impact our subconscious mind are actually what causes the bad stress. Nevertheless, the result is the same. Bad stress makes you sick. It weakens your immune system, it depletes your adrenal system, it causes muscle pain, headaches, lack of sleep, etc. It makes you a Grumpus Maximus. It is bad. That's why it's called bad stress . At work, I've noticed more bad stress amidst our staff due to a c...

Yes, Spring really is on its way. Yesterday, in the parking lot of Wegman's, I could hear the joy of little green roots under the earth, their tiny voices welling up even through the blacktop. Despite the chill and damp of melting snow, I could feel a difference in the air. Something...promising, coming, anticipating. I suppose my few moments of communing with the thaw-in-progress could also have been powered by the fact that I finished the first draft of On The Other Side yesterday . 87 pages of screenplay. Done. Now for revisions, of course, but I already have notes from my writing group, so I know what I need to do from this point. I just need the space to do it. I'm also bolstered by the fact that I just nabbed a free lance writing assignment at Cornell University, which is a wonderful addition to my portfolio as well as my bank account. Ah, the life of a free lance writer, eh? I really want to nail this assignment so that others will follow in the near future. All in all...

Please read my post about my adventures at Planet Fitness! File Under P for Poise and Power

My dear readers, unless you are on the Left Coast, you have been touched in some way by the winds of ice and raging snow delivered unto us by Saruman. I, for once, am not complaining, because I get a snow day, which means I am home writing and playing with the cat. Not a bad way to spend a deep-freeze Wednesday in February. Speaking of which, apparently the rodent is predicting an early spring. What do y'all think about that? Because we're out of January, I am starting to feel the pulse of life again. Feb. 1 was Imbolc , the feast of Brigid, that ancient pagan date that confers to the deepest underground roots and springs the movement of spring. Yes, the snow is up to our hips, but under the layers of ice and frost and frozen top soil, life is happening!