My sister Vicky completed her very first sprint triathlon this weekend at the Long Island Gold Coast Triathlon in North Hempstead Park. I am so proud I could burst. She completed a half mile swim in open water, a 9.8 mile bike trek, and a 3 mile run. First in her division, this was her very first competitive triathlon ever. Vick has been training hard for the past four months and there were a few times when she wanted to chuck it in and quit but she persevered and finished well. In the last leg during her run, she hit a hill with a steep incline and after the swim and the biking she felt like she had very little left in the tank. But then the thought that kept her going was that our little cousin Brandon (who passed away recently) would never be able to do this and she dug in and kept running. Her official time was 1 hour and 24 minutes!! Most of the family was there to cheer her on as she crossed the finish line. Hoorah!! I’d put up pics but she hasn’t given me permission to put any up quite yet. I’ll just have to wear her down.
Peace,
L~
All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2012 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Ed Sheeran - You Need Me, I Don't Need You
Okay, this dude is blowing up all over the place. Sheehan's got a cool vibe, so take a listen and see if you like what you hear. His album "+" came out sometime last year but I came across it looking for some music to help me out of my funk. His sound totally lifted my spirits. I know this is the long version of the actual song but I love it!! And you know what I'm like with guitar players. He's got three more videos on The Warner Sound on YouTube: "Lego House", "The A Team" and "Give Me Love." They are all softer sounds and a bit mushy...I went for the upbeat side of his music. Check him out!! Boo-Yah!!
L~
All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2012 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
I Woke Up Sideways Today
I woke up sideways today, that is too say my perspective is skewed and morose. It’s a dark, overcast day and it’s supposed to start raining any minute. Perhaps, I didn’t sleep very well. I woke up to a strange sound in my apartment. As if a swarm of locusts had invaded the living room. Or the sound of bat wings flapping against the living room walls. I might have been dreaming but it woke me straight up out of bed and I could feel a cold fear in the pit of my stomach as I went out into the living room to check. I was actually surprise when there was nothing there other than my cat Pandora sprawled out on the table. After I removed her from the table, I went back to bed and listened to the sounds of fire engines race down the street outside my window for ten minutes. *sigh * It was well after 1:30 before I finally went to sleep only to be woken up by my cat knocking the remote control off my desk and breaking it into a dozen pieces as it hit the wood floor at 5:30 in the morning. I should’ve just stayed up. Anyway, I’m in a rotten mood and despite the strong coffee I’ve had, I’ve been trying to wake up while I listen to Mozart’s opera, Don Giovianni. Dramatic much?
Anyway, I found out yesterday that I didn’t get a writing grant that I tried out for, Ergh! Chalk up another rejection letter. It would have been a substantial amount, one I could have used to allow me some time to write without having to work full time. It’s disheartening to say the least. Intellectually, I know the odds were not in my favor, I was one in 4,000+ applicants. There are folks more established, with more of a track record, hell…with more talent. Every time I get a rejection letter I just grumble and pace in front of my computer. It reminds me of that line in Brokeback Mountain, “I wish I could quit you.” Very dramatic I know. And to be clear, I don’t want to quit because of the rejection letter. I think it just brings up all my old insecurities and they flutter around me, spiral me away from the work. The work that I’ve needed to reconstruct after losing my hard drive two weeks ago. I know its par for the course but damn it to hell I really wish that hadn’t happened. I’m being abstract but not on purpose. The self-doubts double in size on days like this. I begin to question the work and how good or bad it is and whether or not I should be doing it at all. Even as I write this…I’m bubbling up with emotions because there is nothing else I’d rather be doing. But it’s so far from finished. In the two years since I’ve started working on this novel, there are other writers who have written two and three full-length novels. It’s not a race…it’s not a race…it’s not a race. But the hungry, ambitious part of me wants this project to be done so I can start on the next one.
So now I am sitting at my desk, my palms pressing into my eyeballs, trying to stop the self-pity from taking center stage. I’m frustrated. I know I promised not to whinge on this blog and for the most part, I do my best to keep a lot of this out but today is the exception to the rule. I’m on edge and I just need to rattle this out in hopes of getting back on track afterwards. I am going to spend the afternoon writing maybe, just maybe, this feeling will pass.
Peace,
L~
All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2012 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.
Anyway, I found out yesterday that I didn’t get a writing grant that I tried out for, Ergh! Chalk up another rejection letter. It would have been a substantial amount, one I could have used to allow me some time to write without having to work full time. It’s disheartening to say the least. Intellectually, I know the odds were not in my favor, I was one in 4,000+ applicants. There are folks more established, with more of a track record, hell…with more talent. Every time I get a rejection letter I just grumble and pace in front of my computer. It reminds me of that line in Brokeback Mountain, “I wish I could quit you.” Very dramatic I know. And to be clear, I don’t want to quit because of the rejection letter. I think it just brings up all my old insecurities and they flutter around me, spiral me away from the work. The work that I’ve needed to reconstruct after losing my hard drive two weeks ago. I know its par for the course but damn it to hell I really wish that hadn’t happened. I’m being abstract but not on purpose. The self-doubts double in size on days like this. I begin to question the work and how good or bad it is and whether or not I should be doing it at all. Even as I write this…I’m bubbling up with emotions because there is nothing else I’d rather be doing. But it’s so far from finished. In the two years since I’ve started working on this novel, there are other writers who have written two and three full-length novels. It’s not a race…it’s not a race…it’s not a race. But the hungry, ambitious part of me wants this project to be done so I can start on the next one.
So now I am sitting at my desk, my palms pressing into my eyeballs, trying to stop the self-pity from taking center stage. I’m frustrated. I know I promised not to whinge on this blog and for the most part, I do my best to keep a lot of this out but today is the exception to the rule. I’m on edge and I just need to rattle this out in hopes of getting back on track afterwards. I am going to spend the afternoon writing maybe, just maybe, this feeling will pass.
Peace,
L~
All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2012 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
