All write! Let's go!!

November is here which means it's once again time to pull out the pencil and paper and attempt too get that book written! Why, you may ask? It's National Novel Writer's Month. (Pchh, as if you need to be reminded!) That's right, as of 12am this morning, NaNoWriMo has begun! This will be my 4th year participating and I will be successful. I will finish this year! 50,000 words isn't so bad. That's only about 1,700 a day. I can do it, I just know I can!

In other... well, I guess it's not news but rather stuff, here's a little fun for ya. Figure out what way the lady is spinning. The answer is between these two brakets. {She's spinning left or right! It just depends with what side of the brain you are using ;-)}

X-Mass Already?!

Ok, so Christmas isn't for another 80 some-odd days but seeing as how I'm a 'starving artist' and plan to make my gifts, I need to get started now. Before you think I'm miserly and don't believe I'm broke-as-can-be, let me put it to you this way: When you receive a gift from someone that was personally made for you (colors, design, and materials all picked for you) you know that person put some real thought into the gift. It doesn't matter if it only cost $4. It's not the price but the thought that counts. Besides, when more than half the items on todays market are not only environmentally UN-friendly, they're all exported goods made and manufactured in another country with very little or no money going to the people who actually build/make it, why would you want to buy anything other than handmade?

That all having been said, on to the list!

I currently have 9 scarfs to knit. 3 will be fashion scarfs and the rest thick, functional scarfs for cold winter days. I'm not sure if I want to use this pattern or this pattern for the fashion scarfs, though.
I would also like to make 3 braided rugs. 1 small, and two medium. These shouldn't be all that hard, despite the fact that I have never made a braided rug before, but I'm optimistic! {LINK}
I don't know what I'm going to do for 'the boys'. They're a tough one and require some major think time!

Pink for October

If you haven't noticed things have gotten a little... pink around here. That's because October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So for the month of October my personal accounts (blog, Twitter, and MySpace) as well as The Gilded Pen, have all gone pink! I've left everything the way it was (background, layout, etc) and just tinted everything pink to give it a bigger impact. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I like it.

Each year it is estimated that 200,000 woman will be diagnosed with breast cancer. If that wasn't bad enough, it is also estimated that 40,000 women will die. Many people believe that breast cancer is only associated with woman, but they would be wrong. Approximately 1,700 men are diagnosed each year and 450 will die. Wow. An approximate 40,450 people will DIE this year from breast cancer alone. That means one out of every 1,513 people will get breast cancer, while 1 out of every 7,547 people will die from it in the US alone. IN ONE YEAR!

But don't be afraid! Studies have shown that as little as 4 hours a week of physical activity (which pumps up the immune system and lowers estrogen levels) can lower your risk. Don't for get to eat a nutritious, low-fat diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables as well, which can also lower your risk of breast cancer! And the best tool for early detection for both men and women is the monthly self exam. Self examination accounts for nearly 70% of early detection which in turn accounts for a 5 year survival rate of 96%.

Read more about breast cancer awareness and join Pink for October to help spread the word! You can also download the following images and background to help spread the word.

Goals for the Week

Taking a page from Meroko and posting my goals for the week. Since I plan on keeping track of them I'm posting them here instead of to Twitter. I'm also posting them here because my list is much too long for Twitter's 140 character allowance.

So here it is, my to-do list for the week of Sep. 29th to Oct 4th (with Sunday as my back-up/catch-up day ^^)

- Drop 2 lbs.
- Write 5,000+ words for DW
- Walk 30+ mins every morning (with this cold, I doubt I'll do this one)
- Walk the river at least twice (not associated with the above goal)
- Finish Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland and The Devil Wears Tartan by Karen Ranney
- Write reviews for both of them as well as 4 others.
- Work on book covers to add to my portfolio.

A Whole Bag of Back Reading

To say my reading habits have been blown to dust would be an understatement. In the past two months I have started--and not finished--8 books. That makes this years total jump up to 13. It's getting to be very annoying. So my plan for the next month or so is to read those 13 books. There is no reason why I stopped reading them. Most of them where--are--very good books that I rather liked. But I stopped.

So expect mini reviews for the following books. So if you don't see them withing the next couple of months feel free to pressure me just a little bit.

Books I WILL read

Temptation of the Warrior by Margo Maquire {WIR Post}
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn {WIR Post}
Before I wake by Kathryn Smith {WIR Post}
Seduced by Sin by Kimberly Logan
Hidden by Eve Kenin
Eternal Pleasure by Nina Bangs
Weddings Can Be Murder by Christie Craig
Let the Night Begin by Kathryn Smith
The Edge of Desire by Stephanie Laurens
The Matchmaker of Perigord by Julia Stuart {WIR Post}
This Year's Model by Carol Alt
Seduction of a Proper Gentleman by Victoria Alexander
The Devil Wears Tartan by Karen Ranney {WIR Post}

This post will be edited in the future only to show which books I have finished