I found Destination DIY on Craftypod and I have literally listened to it all morning while I knit. I feel like a zen crafting goddess. A happy crafty buddha. A seriously satisfied citizen of the 21st century.

Knitting is so, sooooo relaxing to me. I do it in the car while Andrew drives, in front of the TV when I’m watching (too many) episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, in the evening instead of reading edifying tracts. I mostly knit scarves, though this year, I’m determined to knit Xmas ornaments for family members. And yes, I’m starting in July. I’ve also never planned this far ahead before, for anything.

I’m sorely tempted to make this tea cozy from Knit Simple, which is where I found the ornament pattern (in a Holiday 2007 issue), but I’ll have to dig up a teapot first:

Have to thank Rachel again…CBP was on OPT!

The 4th of July passed uneventfully on the Seacoast (my little region of New Hampshire), since it rained a bit and the fireworks in Portsmouth were postponed. Me and Andrew managed to get out for a walk at the newly converted pedestrian bridge that takes bikers and walkers around the Spaulding Turnpike. It was so hot! I’m not used to 85 degrees…

I found this list of tips on how to write a book from actual authors on Not Martha. It was a little overwhelming, but since I’m in the business of writing a book myself, I pushed through them all. Here’s the short version:

1. Stay organized.

2. Write often; if not every day, every scheduled day.

3. Just do it.

I often draw parallels between my running and my writing, and #2 and #3 apply very well to running. Getting out there and doing it is half the battle in many things in life, but motivation is more difficult when people think you’re a little crazy (“Why are you going running again?” or “Do you really think you can write a book?”).

I think the part that people often don’t mention–the flip side or counterpoint to “just doing it”–is that it’s equally important to evaluate. How well am I running? How well am I writing? Because a little evaluation can point you in a more productive direction. I’ve learned that it is, in fact, possible to run too much–the week I ran 5 miles a day 5 days in a row, I was really, really unhappy. I found I needed to split it up: 5 miles one day, 3 miles one day, sprints one day.

The thing is, I never would have learned that if I hadn’t tried running 5 miles a day. I had to get out there and do it before I could evaluate.

Sometimes it’s good to treat life, or major life tasks, like an experiment. It helps you take the things you want to do less seriously, and also, I think helps you actually meet your goals. In 12 years, I’ve managed to run dozens of races, including two 15k’s and three half-marathons.

Of course, there are some areas of life that should not be treated experimentally…for instance, please learn from my experience that an entire bowl of cookie dough is never a good thing, no matter how hungry you are.