Eye of the Tiger: Blogging Around with Rommy Week 15

That sound of howling you heard on Monday morning coming from Bucks County, PA was not the sound of White Walkers descending upon one of our scenic castles (seriously, we have a few of them). It was the noise I made when I realized how many things I had to do and how little time I had to do them. One of these things was exercise.

As I’ve mentioned here before, I am working hard at keeping up an exercise routine. Last week was a perfect storm of craziness with my birthday, my dad’s birthday, getting my son home from college, getting the house ready for Passover, putting the house back together after Passover, and NaPoWriMo. Also I have hit the Plateau of Nothingness as far as gains from exercise go. So did I blow off my routine?

Nope. I modified it, getting a little extra in on days I knew would be less intense, cutting myself a little slack on days where I felt more confused than Alice at the mad tea party. And I got my goal of 5 workouts a week in. If it’s important to me, I’m going to get it done. Writing works the same way. There were days in April it was tough to stick to even my modified NaPoWriMo schedule (yay, stomach flu). But the 15^th blackout piece gone done and here’s the 15^th expansion:

Carelessly sown seeds

need extra safeguards or else

death comes suddenly.

So I protect my passion.

I’ve seen weakness kill a dream

This blackout piece comes from the galley proof of my book,

The Trouble with Wanting, and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales.

If you've read the book, you might recognize this as Lynna's sea-glass pendant.

This poem is linked to Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads' Tuesday Platform.

And now I’ve finished up my writing goal! *happy dance* Wilkie Collins once wrote, “My hour for tea is half–past five, and my buttered toast waits for no one.” It is a little past when I normally work out, but I drop my goals for no one. Yeah, I think I can get a good half hour in.

So what’s new in your world Groovers? We can chat about exercise or just tell me how your week is going. Want to keep the conversation going on at your place? Make sure to drop the link to it somewhere in your comments.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor

Wearing Midnight: Blogging Around with Rommy Week 14

I cast-off clothing
made of other's expectations
once I learned
wearing midnight complimented wild illusion.

It is a malleable material
conforming to all the dimensions of me
that I wish to express.

"Wearing midnight complimented wild illusion."

Blackout madness continues. This page came out of "Kindred Steel", 

one of the short stories in my collection, 

The Trouble with Wanting and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales. 
Head to my Instagram for more blackout/ found poetry.

 This poem is linked to Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads' Tuesday Platform and Poets United's Poetry Pantry 478. 

Liner Notes for this Groove: I have a birthday coming up this weekend! In my travels on the internet, I've run into several articles with helpful (not) suggestions of what a mature woman my age should and should not be wearing.

To those articles, I respectfully blow a giant raspberry. 

Oh I understand that it's probably not a great idea to wear a bathing suit to a formal winter wedding, but just because I'm closer to the big 5-0 than 21, it doesn't mean I'm giving up my blue jeans and nerdy t-shirts.

Like with most things, I try to find a happy balance. Arnold Bennett once wrote, “The proper, wise balancing of one's whole life may depend upon the feasibility of a cup of tea at an unusual hour.” One must be as wise in selecting their outfit as they are in selecting the right tea for the right moment. There's a certain decorum that must be observed in the office for instance. But there's nothing to say that office-appropriate dress can't have little Captain America shields tucked away as part of the pattern, or a print inspired by the Rebel Alliance logo.

So Groovers, catch me up on what's going on with you. As always, if you'd like to continue the conversation in your cyber-residence, mention it in your comments below.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice: Q.U.E.E.N. by Janelle Monae featuring Erykah Badu

I Know Normal: Blogging Around with Rommy Week 13

Another blackout/ found poetry piece from the galley proof of my short story collection, 

The Trouble with Wanting, and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales. 

To see the whole series, follow me on Instagram.

Normal is as sturdy as a paper doll

battered about in a summer rainstorm.

Sunlight shows its patched-up edges

and moonlight reveals it for what it is.

I know normal,

but it’s already scurrying away,

the way most lies do

when confronted by truth.


This poem is linked to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads' Tuesday Platform.

Liner Notes for this Groove:  Dostoevsky once said, “I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.” I feel that way not just about tea, but also about Philadelphia's yearly Sakura festival. Rain or shine, I'm there. The gray skies may have kept away anyone who was afraid of being rained on, but I positively enjoyed myself. The light winds kept a steady sprinkle of cherry blossoms going throughout the time I was there. And patches of fog made my mind turn to things like yokai creeping around Philly.

So dear Groovers, are there any fans of rainy or overcast days out there? Or are you a fan of something a little strange or unusual? Tell me all about it on the comments section, or feel free to catch me up on your week. The floor is yours. Also, if you want to continue the conversation in your cyberhome, be sure to include that with your comments.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice: Singing in the Rain/ Umbrella mashup from Glee