It is time for me to buckle up my seatbelt for this week’s wild ride. It’s finally here…TECH WEEK! My castmates and I have five days of rehearsal left until our play opens on Friday, November 1st. At this point, I can only imagine how this week will play out since I have never experienced tech week as an actor. Right now, I am fired up and ready to perform!
There is more exciting news to announce today. Not only is November 1st the opening night of my play, but it is also the beginning of NaNoWriMo. And yesterday, I signed up to participate for the first time this November (#18 on my 19 for 2019 list). Of course, when I included this item on my list for 2019, I had no earthly idea that I would be performing in a play. I am currently in the prepping stage. I probably should have started prepping back in September with the NaNo Prep 101 Workshop. Nonetheless, I am excited and will do the best that I can to write a novel with at least 50,000 words in it by the end of November.
Another wonderful opportunity that I’m taking advantage of starts on November 4th. Deepak Chopra is offering another meditation experience called The Path of Empowerment. And, it’s free! I’m already signed up and encourage you, dear reader, to sign up as well.
As for my weight loss journey (#4 on my 19 for 2019), I have temporarily stalled this week. I have not lost any more weight, but I also have not gained any weight back. In addition, I have not been eating enough veggies which I think is contributing to bathroom issues. Thankfully, I am drinking enough water, and I am avoiding added sugar most days. I confess that I did eat a chocolate chip cookie at lunch on Fun Fair Friday and a mini chocolate pie (compliments of my mother-in-law) last night after dinner. I anticipate this week (with it being tech week) may be a challenge; however, I need to figure out another way to deal with the stress besides eating junk food.
In Other News:
#8 Read one book a month for self-improvement. This month I am reading The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today by Joel Osteen. I have always enjoyed Joel Osteen’s work whether it be a book, a podcast episode, or a televised event. I love his positivity. This book is about the way you speak about yourself and how it can determine your destiny. Even though I try hard to be upbeat and positive the majority of the time, I am guilty of allowing negative self-talk to creep into my narrative and expressing negative feelings towards certain situations or circumstances. Osteen’s message is all about the attitude and the gratitude. For me, I need to work on having more patience and eliminating the complaining while I’m waiting. I need to focus on being me and not get distracted by others. I have so much I want to see, do, and experience in the second chapter of my life. I have to truly believe my time is coming, be intentional in my pursuits, and practice gratitude for the blessings that I have received and continue to receive daily. I AM BLESSED! Those three words are the beginning of the declarations I want to make a reality.
Today is the start of a wonderful week for me, dear reader. I hope it is for you, as well. I have so much to be grateful for and so much to look forward to in the next few weeks. Heck, tomorrow, I have the day off of work and get to take my amazing friend Michelle out for lunch. I haven’t seen her in ages, and I am thrilled we get to spend some time together. Happiness!
“One voice will point out that you’ve reached your limits. You’ve gone as far as you can. You don’t have what it takes. The other voice is clear and matter-of-fact: “You are well able. You can do all things through Christ. Your best days are still out in front of you.” Now, here’s the beauty. You get to choose which voice comes to life.” ~ Joel Osteen
When I had to renew my driver’s license last year, I noticed that my original birth certificate had faded significantly. I was concerned that I would not be able to renew my license. Thankfully, it was legible enough, and my new license was issued. At that moment, I realized that if I ever applied for a passport, I would need a new birth certificate. I feared that my birth certificate would not be admissible.
This past weekend was super busy, but eventful. I attended a two-day ADR/Looping Workshop in New Orleans (details forthcoming) which was the same weekend as STA’s Homecoming Dance. Andrew attended the dance with Jazzmin, a friend from swim. Along with Andrew’s best friend Fresh and his date Chloe (also Andrew’s good friend), they drove to the Parish Hall at Holy Ghost for pictures and dinner before heading to the dance at STA. They all seemed to have a terrific time, and they looked fantastic all dressed up for the occasion. I cannot wait to see their official dance pictures.
I realize that I am probably one of the last humans on the planet that waited so long to watch Stranger Things. In my defense, I do not have much time to watch television, and there are few shows that I watch alone in real time or with Andrew. He is just as busy during the school year as I am, so coordinating our schedules to watch a couple of hours of television together can be difficult. However, we manage to squeeze in some time here and there for our favorite shows. Andrew and I had finished watching Parks and Recreation during Mardi Gras break, so we decided to start watching Stranger Things. Many of my friends, family, acquaintances, and even some of my students encouraged me to watch it since they thought it would be a show that I would really enjoy. Boy, were they right. Stranger Things is SUPER awesome! I’m obsessed with it. I absolutely LOVE that it takes place in the 1980s. The show is basically about a group of geeky kids who meet an unusual girl with special abilities around the same time that one of their friends vanishes into a mysterious place that is home to a disturbing creature. It is like the X-Files meets the Goonies. The seasons are not very long, so we blew through both of them within a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the next season does not come out until 2019. Alas, Andrew and I will just have to watch Beyond Stranger Things which delves into the secrets of the Stranger Things universe, specifically Season 2 and re-watch the two seasons prior to Season 3 premiering next year.![MC900432635[1]](https://katloyacano.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/mc9004326351.png?w=500)
Three weeks ago I assigned myself some action steps for improving my health that I wanted to complete by today. Unfortunately, I did not complete them all. I have been working quite a bit at school and helping Andrew get ready for his upcoming trip to Ireland. Instead of admonishing myself, I am praising myself for the steps that I did accomplish (week 1). After all, I do have until the end of the year to complete this goal.
It is the first day of Spring, dear reader. What an absolutely gorgeous day! I wish I could have spent the day outside in a hammock reading a book; however, I do not own a hammock, and I spent a good portion of the day working on school stuff. I did sneak a couple of chapters of a zombie book in between reading journals and creating a quiz.
The Kat Files 