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When I'm not here, you may find me wandering the pages below. (If I'm a regular visitor to your site and I've left your link off or mislinked to you, please let me know! And likewise, if you've blogrolled me, please check that my link is updated: thisroamanticlife.blogspot.com. The extra (a) makes all the difference!)

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Body: in sickness and in health

I won't lie; this body and I have had our issues with each other for many years. Body image -- sure. Physical and mental overextension -- comes with being a Type A kind of girl. I still struggle with these things, so they show up from time to time in my writing.

More recently, illness, pure but not simple, has added itself to the mix in a multi-system sort of way. And the challenges in figuring out exactly what's gone wrong are many. As problems have revealed themselves in the last few years, beginning with reactive hypoglycemia in late 2008, I've documented them here, partly to gain a little clarity on managing complex conditions but mostly to give voice to vulnerabilities I feel but don't normally share with anyone face to face. Better out than in, they say, right? (Oh yes, humor is one way I deal.)

The links below cover the different angles I've examined (and from which I've been examined) within that experience.

Travel: neither here nor there

When the person you're married to lives two time zones away, you log a fair number of frequent flier miles. And if you blog about commuter relationships, you log quite a few posts en route too.

Since we're no longer in separate places, I blog less often from airports. But we do travel -- together now! -- which is much more fun to write about. So in addition to thoughts on our years of commuting, the links below cover the places we've been as a pair and, in some cases, the adventures that have happened on the way.

Writing: the long and short of it

Why do I do it? Good question. Maybe it's not so much that I like to write but that I have to write, even when the words refuse to stick to the page. Believe me, I've tried doing other things like majoring in biochemistry (freshman fall, many semesters ago). Within a year, I'd switched to English with a concentration in creative writing and wasn't looking back.

After graduating, I taught English for a few years and then worked as an editor, which I still do freelance. In 2007, I applied and got into an MFA program at a place I like to call Little U. on the Prairie. I finished my degree in 2011 and have been balancing tutoring and writing on my own ever since.

The following links cover the writing I've done about writing: process, content, obstacles, you name it. It's not always pretty. But some part of me loves it, even when it's hard. And this is the result.

Heart: family and friends

I'd have a hard time explaining who I am without being able to talk about the family I grew up in as well as the people I've met beyond its bounds. But even with such context, it's not easy! In the simplest terms, I'm a first-generation Asian-American who has spent most of this life caught between cultures. That, of course, doesn't even begin to describe what I mean to, but there's my first stab at the heart of it all.

That's what this group of posts is reserved for -- heart. The essential parts of my life whose influences I carry with me, for better or worse. The links below cover what I've written as I've learned how these forces work within me, for me, against me, in spite of me. They anchor me even as they change me, and they keep life interesting.

Recommended reading

What do I do when there's too much on my mind and my words won't stick to the page? I escape into someone else's thoughts. Below is a collection of books and articles that have been sources of information, inspiration, and occasional insight for my own work.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Brisk days

That's what we've been having here in the last week -- weather finally cool enough to start turning the leaves and a midterm crunch so severe that somehow I've made it to Thursday again without posting and I hardly even noticed. I should be in bed right now, but I was missing the blogosphere. So here I am. I know you've been checking back faithfully for new entries too (thank you, Sitemeter and Blogpatrol), and I appreciate the encouragement. Say hello if you haven't already! I'm very curious about who's out there.

I'm managing to stay on top of my work for teaching, and it's continuing to pay off -- my students are really taking ownership of our discussion time and developing a group dynamic that makes me so proud of them. Can't say this has been good for my sleep quota, but hopefully this weekend will help me catch up.

I did procrastinate a little last Saturday between grading and planning. If you check out the sidebar, you should be able to see a new section on photography with a slideshow sampling pictures that D and I have taken, working together and on our own. The color in the Cascades is apparently gorgeous right now, so D has been taking some field trips to scout out nice panoramic shots. The rainy season is setting in, though, so his windows of opportunity are shrinking and he's had to settle for mostly close-up work (sometimes off the side of the road -- the shots above and below happened at an intersection on his way to the gym!). Anyway, it's been nice to watch the change of season on his side of the country through the images he's been sharing.

He's also shared images of his Halloween costume, which, I have to say, is going to be terrific. Stay tuned for the unveiling within the next week! I also have something in the works from high school -- it still fits but doesn't look trashy like so many of the get-ups out there. Who knew it would come in handy again a decade later? My mother will be amused (she made it for me for a themed dance). D may also bring a second option for me when he flies in on Oct. 31, something to coordinate more with his character. Now, if we could just find a Halloween party to go to -- nothing's been announced yet, but I know the creative types I hang out with aren't the kind to let the holiday go by unfeted, especially since it'll be on a Friday.

Okay, this girl is bushed. More after I get some quality Z's.

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

Brisk days

That's what we've been having here in the last week -- weather finally cool enough to start turning the leaves and a midterm crunch so severe that somehow I've made it to Thursday again without posting and I hardly even noticed. I should be in bed right now, but I was missing the blogosphere. So here I am. I know you've been checking back faithfully for new entries too (thank you, Sitemeter and Blogpatrol), and I appreciate the encouragement. Say hello if you haven't already! I'm very curious about who's out there.

I'm managing to stay on top of my work for teaching, and it's continuing to pay off -- my students are really taking ownership of our discussion time and developing a group dynamic that makes me so proud of them. Can't say this has been good for my sleep quota, but hopefully this weekend will help me catch up.

I did procrastinate a little last Saturday between grading and planning. If you check out the sidebar, you should be able to see a new section on photography with a slideshow sampling pictures that D and I have taken, working together and on our own. The color in the Cascades is apparently gorgeous right now, so D has been taking some field trips to scout out nice panoramic shots. The rainy season is setting in, though, so his windows of opportunity are shrinking and he's had to settle for mostly close-up work (sometimes off the side of the road -- the shots above and below happened at an intersection on his way to the gym!). Anyway, it's been nice to watch the change of season on his side of the country through the images he's been sharing.

He's also shared images of his Halloween costume, which, I have to say, is going to be terrific. Stay tuned for the unveiling within the next week! I also have something in the works from high school -- it still fits but doesn't look trashy like so many of the get-ups out there. Who knew it would come in handy again a decade later? My mother will be amused (she made it for me for a themed dance). D may also bring a second option for me when he flies in on Oct. 31, something to coordinate more with his character. Now, if we could just find a Halloween party to go to -- nothing's been announced yet, but I know the creative types I hang out with aren't the kind to let the holiday go by unfeted, especially since it'll be on a Friday.

Okay, this girl is bushed. More after I get some quality Z's.

Posted by This Ro(a)mantic Life at 11:31 PM
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