Blogroll

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 sorted by date or label, see the links below.

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.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

New starts

I've been busy, as you can see. After the last month's serious shortage of happiness, I decided I needed a project to make some. So I took a really deep breath and asked D if he would teach me some basics in Photoshop and CSS. The new look here is the result!

I'd been considering a redesign since Blogger came out with its new template editor, but nothing I saw out there really felt like me. Trying on templates? Kind of a cross between clothes shopping and interior decorating. Only so much fun when things out there aren't quite your style. But the idea of coding was more than slightly intimidating -- I'd never written anything before in a language other than the ones I grew up speaking or studying in school.

Without question, I've learned TONS in the process, thanks to D. There are a few bugs that may be out of our control (functionality on Blogger's part and browser weirdness) but I'm pretty happy with the end result, especially since this was my first real attempt at such a project. I'll tweak a little more, but only to fix behind-the-scenes stuff. The diversion's been great, even fulfilling -- so, mission accomplished!

I promise an official tour very shortly (but feel free to explore on your own). For now, there are chores around the house that need some serious attention ...
Posted by at
Labels: ,

5 comments:

French Fancy... said...

Love the new look. I was so lazy when I did my new blog - I just went for the first template I saw.

Hope the health question is getting sorted out

hugs
J

October 29, 2010 at 9:45 AM
BigLittleWolf said...

Fabulous new look! (And hope you're doing better.)

October 29, 2010 at 10:18 AM
Good Enough Woman said...

Your page looks lovely! I look forward to future posts in the midst of all that loveliness.

October 29, 2010 at 12:08 PM
SuziCate said...

I like this new look! Hope all's well.

October 29, 2010 at 6:29 PM
This Ro(a)mantic Life said...

FF -- you, my dear, were in the midst of moving house! I'm glad you're still around even though you're not blogging right now. Hope the new job is still treating you well.

As for the health question, the process continues to creep along ...


BLW -- thanks. Hope you're doing better too. I'm encouraged by your latest news.


GEW -- awww, I love that word! Yay for lovely. I'm glad you like it :)


SuziCate -- thanks. All's as can be expected, which I'll take at this time.

October 30, 2010 at 6:46 PM

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Thursday, October 28, 2010

New starts

I've been busy, as you can see. After the last month's serious shortage of happiness, I decided I needed a project to make some. So I took a really deep breath and asked D if he would teach me some basics in Photoshop and CSS. The new look here is the result!

I'd been considering a redesign since Blogger came out with its new template editor, but nothing I saw out there really felt like me. Trying on templates? Kind of a cross between clothes shopping and interior decorating. Only so much fun when things out there aren't quite your style. But the idea of coding was more than slightly intimidating -- I'd never written anything before in a language other than the ones I grew up speaking or studying in school.

Without question, I've learned TONS in the process, thanks to D. There are a few bugs that may be out of our control (functionality on Blogger's part and browser weirdness) but I'm pretty happy with the end result, especially since this was my first real attempt at such a project. I'll tweak a little more, but only to fix behind-the-scenes stuff. The diversion's been great, even fulfilling -- so, mission accomplished!

I promise an official tour very shortly (but feel free to explore on your own). For now, there are chores around the house that need some serious attention ...
Posted by This Ro(a)mantic Life at 11:10 AM
Labels: ,

5 comments:

French Fancy... said...

Love the new look. I was so lazy when I did my new blog - I just went for the first template I saw.

Hope the health question is getting sorted out

hugs
J

October 29, 2010 at 9:45 AM
BigLittleWolf said...

Fabulous new look! (And hope you're doing better.)

October 29, 2010 at 10:18 AM
Good Enough Woman said...

Your page looks lovely! I look forward to future posts in the midst of all that loveliness.

October 29, 2010 at 12:08 PM
SuziCate said...

I like this new look! Hope all's well.

October 29, 2010 at 6:29 PM
This Ro(a)mantic Life said...

FF -- you, my dear, were in the midst of moving house! I'm glad you're still around even though you're not blogging right now. Hope the new job is still treating you well.

As for the health question, the process continues to creep along ...


BLW -- thanks. Hope you're doing better too. I'm encouraged by your latest news.


GEW -- awww, I love that word! Yay for lovely. I'm glad you like it :)


SuziCate -- thanks. All's as can be expected, which I'll take at this time.

October 30, 2010 at 6:46 PM

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