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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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For posts on frequently referenced topics, click the buttons to the right.

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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.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Last hint

I won't say what this item is since that would be almost a complete giveaway on the whole costume, but there you go.

So the thesis installment has been sent off! And it's nearly time to start dinner prep. Man, I'm tired. I'm tempted to lobby for a meal out.

With my work, I also sent a query to my advisor about moving my defense date from April to July. I found out that I have funding I can put toward the summer since I didn't use the funding when it was first offered in 2008. It would be great to have an extra few months to keep writing, as it's going well -- that would mean more time to turn this project into a substantial piece of a book manuscript. Which would be incredible. There's nothing like paid-for writing time.

I'm just nervous my advisor will say no. Every writer who teaches needs the summer to work on his or her own things, so there's a high likelihood this professor will turn me down, especially since I'm not behind schedule or truly in need of that extra time. This is what I was in a funk about on Tuesday. But maybe, maybe -- ?

I'm going to be on tenterhooks until I get an answer.
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2 comments:

Good Enough Woman said...

I think it's the wing of fly. But a very beautiful wing of a fly! I think you are going to be a very cool fly! I REALLY hope you post a photo of yourself in the costume.

And I really hope you get the extra writing time, just because.

I have signed up to do Nanowrimo, which is a little crazy since I should just be writing the dissertation, but I thought I might be able to give it a shot. When else will I have any time to try?

October 30, 2009 at 11:12 PM
This Ro(a)mantic Life said...

I promise photos, GEW! Excellent guess. I am a special kind of fly (which will become evident when you see how the wings are shaped).

No word from the advisor yet. Thanks for the good thoughts, though! My stomach is in knots. It's not a huge deal, but it would be so great if it could be worked out!

As for Nanowrimo, wow -- props to you and lots of encouragement. Excited to hear how it goes :).

October 31, 2009 at 11:51 AM

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Friday, October 30, 2009

Last hint

I won't say what this item is since that would be almost a complete giveaway on the whole costume, but there you go.

So the thesis installment has been sent off! And it's nearly time to start dinner prep. Man, I'm tired. I'm tempted to lobby for a meal out.

With my work, I also sent a query to my advisor about moving my defense date from April to July. I found out that I have funding I can put toward the summer since I didn't use the funding when it was first offered in 2008. It would be great to have an extra few months to keep writing, as it's going well -- that would mean more time to turn this project into a substantial piece of a book manuscript. Which would be incredible. There's nothing like paid-for writing time.

I'm just nervous my advisor will say no. Every writer who teaches needs the summer to work on his or her own things, so there's a high likelihood this professor will turn me down, especially since I'm not behind schedule or truly in need of that extra time. This is what I was in a funk about on Tuesday. But maybe, maybe -- ?

I'm going to be on tenterhooks until I get an answer.
Posted by This Ro(a)mantic Life at 5:58 PM
Labels: , , , ,

2 comments:

Good Enough Woman said...

I think it's the wing of fly. But a very beautiful wing of a fly! I think you are going to be a very cool fly! I REALLY hope you post a photo of yourself in the costume.

And I really hope you get the extra writing time, just because.

I have signed up to do Nanowrimo, which is a little crazy since I should just be writing the dissertation, but I thought I might be able to give it a shot. When else will I have any time to try?

October 30, 2009 at 11:12 PM
This Ro(a)mantic Life said...

I promise photos, GEW! Excellent guess. I am a special kind of fly (which will become evident when you see how the wings are shaped).

No word from the advisor yet. Thanks for the good thoughts, though! My stomach is in knots. It's not a huge deal, but it would be so great if it could be worked out!

As for Nanowrimo, wow -- props to you and lots of encouragement. Excited to hear how it goes :).

October 31, 2009 at 11:51 AM

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