This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Belly Up to the Blog Buffet (#IWSG & #BOTB Results)


When I get too much on my plate I wonder if it would look bad to take some back to the buffet?   Maybe not such a great metaphor for my post today, but I do have a full plate so let me get started.



Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog


       The co-hosts for the March 7 posting of the IWSG are Mary Aalgaard, Bish Denham, Jennifer Hawes, Diane Burton, and Gwen Gardner!



March 7 question - How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal/ finish a story?

       I can't say that I've done much celebrating for achieving any writing goals since there hasn't been that much to celebrate.  Tonight I'll celebrate finishing this post by going to bed--to bed far earlier than normal.  

        The writing finishes I have of late are finishing blog posts and usually my celebration doesn't amount to much more than thinking up another post, reading, watching television, or something that I can do by myself since no one else feels celebratory when I've finished composing a post.  

          Then there is the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.   That's a fairly sizable writing endeavor that is a relief to finish.  But as with the other blog posts, when I'm done there are no fireworks or parties or anything like that.  No, it's just business as usual in the world of blogging.  

         And speaking of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge...


         It's coming soon!    Did you see where the list is now open?   You've still got a few weeks to decide if you are still mulling over whether or not to participate.  Maybe seeing the colorful A to Z badge (once again created by the talented Jeremy Hawkins) starting to appear on other blogs will get you fired up.  We'd love to have you join us again or for the first time.  You can find the sign up list here.  

Battle of the Bands Results


       
        Often when I've reached the winner's announcement I'm ready to forget the song that's been in my mind in order to move on to the next one.  This month not so much.  The song "I Believe in You" from How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying is still running in my brain and I could keep it going for a while longer.  However short of using the song again in my next Battle I'll settle for watching the film in the next couple of weeks and start focusing on the Battle that is to come next week.

       The previous Battle was probably predictable enough.  After all it was Frank Sinatra against Bobby Darin who is no slouch of a singer.  But Sinatra is a tough name to go up against.  The venerable Chairman of the Board--Frank--carried the weight with the voters.   I greatly appreciate Sinatra's version of this song and might typically pick him in another Battle, but Bobby's pacing of the song suited me better.  I really like that cool lope of Darin's take on the song.   But the voters spoke the verdict loud and clear...


Final Vote Tally

Frank Sinatra          15 votes

Bobby Darin             7 votes


Next Battle on Thursday March 15th!

          I'll be combining my next Battle with my A to Z Theme reveal for 2018.  I hope you'll join me again then.  

           Did you sign up for A to Z?   What makes you celebrate?   What is your favorite way to relax after a day at work or some period of tension?  





41 comments:

  1. Jeremy always makes great badges.
    No surprise on the battle results.

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    1. Alex, we're fortunate to still have Jeremy's skills. I thought Bobby would do better, but Frank is the man.

      Lee

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  2. I just decided to sign up for the A-Z Challenge. It's been a few years since I did it and although I'm working now, I think I can still pull off. :)

    Elsie

    May you always have a shell in your pocket and sand in your toes 😊

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    1. Elsie, so glad to hear that you'll be joining us. I'm sure you'll at least get your posts done.

      Lee

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  3. Oh wow, what a great thing that would be if I could write a post a day for a month. I struggle with one per week.

    Argh. Man, I'd love to do that, though...

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    1. Harry, don't sell yourself short! I think you could manage a post a day for a month. You should try.

      Lee

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  4. I've thought about the a-z challenge, but after doing the NaNoWriMo daily plot guide last November, I'm gonna take a complete year off from posting every day. I noticed I was sacrificing quality (especially as the month progressed.) Posting every day taught me that I should stick to my once a week schedule.

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    1. ML, I've done NaNo twice (and failed once) and I think as far as the writing part that A to Z is a breeze. For me A to Z posting has been a good writing exercise.

      Lee

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  5. I usually unwind with Netflix at the end of a long, stressful day. The problem with that is loss of sleep, which leads to either being too tired to function the next day to the temptation to take a long nap, which takes away productivity. I think I need to go back to reading before bed. It's easier to stop.

    After participating in the A to Z for three (or is it four?) years, I'm taking this year off. I need to focus on writing a new novel and query and finished one.

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    1. Tamara, reading is a better way to go to sleep--not as stimulating studies say.

      If you change your mind about A to Z you know you can always sign up at the last minute.

      Lee

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  6. I signed up both of my blogs for the A to Z Challenge, though I still have to write the posts for my secondary blog. This year, the theme on my names blog will be much less research-heavy, and it'll allow me room to feature multiple names for each sex on each day, instead of only one male and one female name.

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    1. Carrie-Anne, you are still forging into an ambitious undertaking. Some of my posts required some research, but never quite as deep as yours appeared.

      Lee

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  7. Hi Lee - great badge for this year ... love it - Jeremy's done you and us proud. Great news re the A-Z ... always a fun and busy time - cheers Hilary

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    1. Hilary, bold colors on the badge should catch eyes.

      Lee

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  8. I've thought about A-Z Challenge but I knew I couldn't keep up. I'm barely managing Weekend Writing Warriors. LOL Have fun if you do it this year.

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    1. Diane, never say you can't do something (within practical limitations). Any blogger can do the A to Z--it's a matter of willingness to commit and see that commitment through to completion. That's why it's called "A Challenge".

      Lee

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  9. I usually unwind with Netflix or talking to my friends after a long day.

    www.ficklemillennial.com

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    1. Gina, nothing like good ol' escapism to relax.

      Lee

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  10. I thought long and hard about the A-Z this year. I really want to participate, but after reflecting the past three years that I have joined in the fun, I've decided to sit this one out. Even though my posts were pre-written before the start of each challenge year, I still experienced burnout. I've watched some good bloggers 'take a break from blogging' only to not make a full comeback. As I rely on my blog for my self-sufficiency, I simply cannot afford to risk burning out this year. I think I have finally found a schedule that works for me and I don't want to screw it up. I'll most likely drop by and visit those that are participating to cheer them on, though!

    How do I unwind after a long day? The bf stops by for dinner and then we watch movies and enjoy each others company.

    ~Mary
    Jingle Jangle Jungle

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    1. Mary, if I ever took an actual extended break from blogging I might not come back either. Now I see blogging as a matter of self-discipline and a grasping on to the writing that I should be doing.

      Lee

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  11. LEE, the Battle was certainly one-sided, but you know what? Bobby Darin still did better than I imagined he would. In addition to my vote, I figured he'd get maybe 2 or 3 more, tops.

    Just the name "Sinatra" pretty much guarantees that the other contestant is going to lose. ...Unless the other contestant is Satchmo or maybe Nat. Then you might have a real Battle on your hands.

    How about a 3-Way: Frank, Louis & Nat? That could be interesting. Which legend can bump off the other two legends? (Then again, that could be begging for a 3-way tie. There's probably no winning.)

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents 'Battle Of The Bands'

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    1. STMcC, I don't think I want to host that 3 way, but it would be interesting to see. It would depend on the song too.

      Lee

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  12. Jeremy rocks on badges! I don't know if I'll do the A to Z this year... I'm making such progress on current WIP, that I don't need distractions! Still, I'll think about it before April, which is not far off!

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    1. Lisa, think about it and jump in if you decide yes. The pool has unlimited space.

      Lee

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  13. I love the rigour and research that A-Z entails, I use it like a break from my own weekly blogging routine - go off in a totally different direction to my usual thing, it's very relaxing. I'll be joining for my 5th year. The badges are lovely - both the old and the new. Thank you and the A-Z team for the fun times in April.

    Sinatra is totally unbeatable, though I like Bobby Darin's rendition as well.

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    1. Nilanjana, always glad to see you return for the Challenge.

      Lee

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  14. Hi Lee,
    What, no celebrating after a successful A-Z challenge? Aw, there should at least be sweet tea on the porch. Can't wait to see what you do this year ;-)
    Taking something back to the buffet conjured a comical visual ;-) But I know the feeling well.

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    1. Diedre, I'm trying to conceive my theme. I'd better get busy on those posts.

      Lee

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  15. I hope you have an awesome time with the A-Z challenge!

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    1. Loni, I hope I keep having awesome times with life period.

      Lee

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  16. Anymore, completing a blog post is quite the accomplishment for me. It counts, so pat yourself on the back! I haven't done the A - Z in a couple of years. You have to be really organized and it's a lot of work. AND quite the accomplishment too. Good luck!

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    1. Gwen, sometimes I really have to push myself to crank out a post. Blogging from A to Z spurs me a bit for a couple months but then I start slowing down again. At least that's what it's come to in recent years.

      Lee

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  17. Lee,

    Yes I signed up for the A to Z challenge. I made a goof on my Twitter handle, hopefully you got my request to fix it since I didn't know how to do that. I know I closed the dialogue off too soon before it caught my eye. Silly me, right? I have 3-weeks of posts already completed and I hope to finish up next week. I'm excited and trying to keep things simple. This reduces the stress for me in the long haul. No doubt after April, I will be ready for a little down time but we'll see. I enjoy staying active in Blogosphere as long I don't feel over-extended. The way I like to unwind each evening is to have dinner and watch TV. We like to stream a TV series we're in the middle of or a show like, The Voice. It's a great way relax. There's no big celebrations on this end when I complete my writings because it's just a blog post but next month's challenge...that's a different story. :) It looks like I sided with the loser in this BoTB but it was a close race. Thanks for visiting and have a good weekend, my friend!

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    1. Cathy, even if the goof doesn't get fixed it probably won't matter that much since I don't know how many people would actually be using that info. Let me know if it didn't get changed.

      Lee

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    2. Lee,

      I just checked. My Twitter handle did get corrected. Thanks! I plan to share tweets of every blog post I visit if I don't forget and those that really rock me I'll share on Facebook. I'm nearly done with all my posts with just four to go. Then I need to go back to tie together some posts as I don't want to miss out on BoTB and WW. I'd better scat. Have a good week!

      Delete
  18. They say that down time feels best when you have tons to do. Maybe that's why I never get enough done! Ha. Good luck with the A-Z challenge. Cheers!

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    1. Adrienne, that's been the story of my life. When I was working an outside job my schedule could get so crazy.

      Lee

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  19. I try not to do early bedtimes cuz then I'm up so early. I hate mornings! I think I celebrate more blog posts than actual writing myself lately. Gotta fix that, lol.

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    1. Dolorah, well, I'm up at 5:30 AM to see my wife off to work. I'm used to that hour because that's about when I used to get up when I was working outside the home. I didn't much like early mornings when I was a younger "party guy" if I was that much of such a thing. But when I'm in the morning and seeing the sunrise it can be pretty awesome.

      Lee

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  20. I celebrate with cake and coffee and, if there is room, ice cream ;)

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    1. OE, I'm down for that though maybe I'll skip some of the caffeine.

      Lee

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I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

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If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

Lee