Abandon hope all ye who enter here

This phrase seems so fitting everytime NaNo comes around. For those of you who don't know NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as NaNo stands for National Novel Writing Month where people who may or may not need to seek professional help take on the monstrous task of writing a novel in thirty days.

This year I think it's been more fitting than any other for me. Admittedly I've only done NaNo for three years, both of which were challenging in their own way, but this year week one was like pulling teeth. I barely got in my minimum word count every day and I didn't really want to participate. I wasn't having fun.

I'd decided to try to write a historical fiction, and those that know me understand just how far outisde of my comfort zone that is. I tend to write more on the science fiction/urban fantasy side of things so to be honest, I had no clue what I was doing.

I did decide to switch novels by the end of week one, but I didn't give up. I managed to write 9,000 words in two days to both hit and then surpass the word count of my previous novel. Through this experience I learned that I cannot express enough that, espeically during NaNo, you write something you're going to enjoy because your really will have a higher word count to show for it.

I am not going to abandon my historical fiction novel because I still really love the idea, but Novemeber just wasn't the time to write it. Now, I must admit that I am a VERY sore loser. I hate to lose and that's part of the reason I didn't want to continue with my historical fiction, but it was also because I wasn't having fun. NaNo is supposed to stress you out, but in a good way. You're not supposed to take yourself of your novel too seriously at this point. That's not the idea. The idea is to just get 50,000 words on the page (electronic or otherwise). You can go back and fix all your plot holes, clunky dialogue, spelling mistakes and details later. That's what December is for.

I guess my advice for November is to just keep trucking on and for the love of grated cheese have fun! <3

Happy noveling!

Molly

Haters Gonna Hate

So I was looking at videos today of fire poi and fire staff and I noticed something. There is a LOT of hate going on. I haven't noticed this with hoopers and maybe that's because all of the videos I watch are on Hoop City which has a great support system for hoopers of any level. But the comments on YouTube? I wanted to scream.

There is no respect for the art form at all from both people who have never seen someone spin before and from those people who are more advanced. Seriously you guys. Cut it out and support each other! It's driving me nuts. What is getting down on a beginner or bad mouthing someone better than you going to achieve? Nothing. It's just...ugh. It's childish and detrimental and makes me re-think picking up either of these art forms.

Seriously, where's the love?

Hoop Love

For those who don't know I've been back home from University since December so all my friends are so very far away, especially since I don't drive. The opportunities to hang and few and far between, but we managed.

This past week I got to go and stay with my suite mate Amber. We took a road trip to go an see Lani and we went out and hooped for six hours. Did you get that? Read it again. Six. Hours. I have never hooped that much in my life. And it was awesome.I can't wait to get together with them and do it again.

Slipping into a hoop is one of those things that just makes you smile. For my mom it's horses. She gets this massive grin on her face and she's happy for hours. She would spend all day with our horses if she could. For me, it's turning out to be my hoop that does that. Sure I get angry and frustrated some times and even throw my hoop, but when I get into it and the flow just starts happening, there's really nothing like it. My arms get tired and my mind wanders, but I can't put the hoop down. There's something peaceful and safe about being inside a hoop. It's like nothing can touch you. It's one of the best feelings in the world.

~

I've also discovered that I really love hooping with other people. But since hooping has yet to catch on in my little hick town there aren't many opportunities for get togethers. I'll have to start a hoop jam around here or something because hooping with other people is so much more fun than hooping alone.


To my hoop friends: I love you guys. You're all wonderful beautiful people. Hoop on.  <3

Circle of Trust

I feel like this needs to be updated. I keep falling in and out of hooping (no pun intended) but I find that when I'm sad hooping makes me happy. Even just sitting inside the hoop makes me feel safe. Am I the only one who's experienced this or is it a wide spread phenomenon? Having a hoop really feels like a relationship to me. I've heard it constantly described as such as well based on how the hoop responds to the user. You coax the hoop to move, it fights back, it listens, etc. We, as hoopers, talk about our hoops as if they're alive and maybe they are. Who knows. I just know that my hoop is my circle of trust. It never judges me and even when we get into fights we make up quickly. It's an abusive but loving relationship. -laughs- The only abuse relationship I think any of us are willing to approve of.

And I'm still whining about needing another hoop. I moved from my 38 to a 27, both of which I love, but I'm ready to have more variety. The problem is I'm short on money and since we have credit card issues, purchasing online is pretty much out of the question until we get that taken care of. So I'm stuck on the idea of buying two new children's hoops and cutting them apart, but first I have to get someone to take me to Wal-Mart, which has been more difficult than I anticipated.

Oh well, I'll have a new hoop yet.

And now for some new footage. (Old for you Miss Amber.) I just want to show off my new hoop skirt and my awesome beach footage for your viewing pleasure. 

 

 

Aside from all that I have nothing new. I'll have to fix that. I have been practicing hooping to the right which has been horribly frustrating, but I'm beginning to feel how off balance my body is because I've only been hooping to the left. I can do the corkscrew to the right now eight times out of ten, so that's some improvement. What have you been up to? Any advice on learning the same tricks in the opposite current?

15 Weeks of Hooping

Hi hoopers!

So what's new with you guys? My best friend, who, by the way, is the one who introduced me to hoop dance in the first place, challenged me and one other girl to fifteen weeks of hooping. We each take on a trick a week and hopefully by the end of the week we'll have it mastered. Sounds awesome right?

Wrong. Yes, it is totally awesome to be working on new stuff, but I hate not being able to do a trick. I wind up all angry and frustrated by the time I'm done and never want to pick up the hoop again. But I do anyway. Just not for the rest of the day.

Anyway, my trick this week comes from Babz and it is the horror of the pretzel twist. I can get half of it, but pulling the hoop off always feels so awkward. And I lost my camera. >.< So, yeah, fail right there. If I could see what I was doing I could probably change how I pull it off, but I can't. So I guess I'll just have to deal with it.

Anyone is welcome to join the 15 weeks of hooping challenge! I totally encourage it. We can all be frustrated together. 8D But hopefully by the end you'll have a whole arsenal of new tricks at your disposal.

Love in the hoop,

Molly

End of the day blues

I have had an awful day. :( Bad stuff just kept compiling on top of more bad stuff. I'm glad to finally be home and alone. Keep reading to hear my whine about said day. On Friday Martha picked me up and took me back to University where I spent the night. I had a little trouble sleeping, but other than that everything was okay. At the end of Saturday she goes to hang with the new boy toy -rolls eyes- leaving me with one of her friends who reminds me a little too much of one of my "friends" from high school that I no longer talk to. We don't get along so well. -tight smile-

I didn't mind until said friend drags me outside to wait for one of her friends because he wants to go on a cancer stick run. I'm in the middle of a brainblast for my MS and writing furiously. I ask to stay and she pouts and begs me to go with her. Being easily guilt tripped and non assertive I cave. There are SIX other people in the car. Let's get something straight. I don't like new people and I don't like loud people. I especially don't like NEW LOUD people who can't drive and constantly slam on the breaks throwing me out of my seat because I don't have a seatbelt. I am horribly uncomfortable and thankfully ignored. So, this new little obnoxious troup of ours heads over to Taco Bell. o.O I didn't know anything about this, but whatever. I keep writing.

FINALLY we head back to campus and then go back OUT again to get those cigs. When this lovely friend and I finally get back inside we realize we've been locked out of my sisters room. I'm read to kill someone at this point but feign calm like a pro. Instead we slog upstairs to said friends room where I crash on the couch after getting some more writing done. (The only up for the night is I get three full pages, front and back written for notes about my MS.) My hand is cramped and my arm is tired and sore by this point. Friend is sweet enough to get me a pillow and warm blanket while she chats with her roommate and her jerk of a boyfriend. As I'm finally drifting off to sleep the obnoxious and lewd swuitmates come in practically yelling and don't shut up for at least two hours. At least. I have no idea when they finally leave and I can get some sleep. Worst language I've ever heard in my life with some dreadful mental images to go with them. I hate people. I really do.

Hoopers, you're all awesome. Everyone else, you suck. (Try not to take that personally, I'm just really angry right now.)

I must be up at six and wake up every hour waiting for my sister to text telling us where the XXXX she is so she can let us back into the room. It's finally ten when she does. We pack up and head home. On the ride home I get all emotionally worked up about the book I'm reading where one of my favorite characters is on the brink of death. (Sounds lame, I know, but that's how I am.) I absorb the emotions of the characters like a sponge and they cling to me for hours. I can't get rid of them. Hoop practice sucked for the most part. I'm frustrated with being unable to bring the hoop from my knees to my hips, kick it up or do the kick start so that pretty much ruined the entire thing for me.

So, that was my day. How was yours? I'm all depressed right now and nursing a cup of blueberry tea and looked forward to downing a sleeping pill and conking out.

Peace out.