Juliana Haygert

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Categories: Blogging, My life

Overwhelmed much?

I’m feeling overwhelmed. By everything.

I have a new house to transform into a home. My daughter has a new school and I’m still trying to figure if I’m okay with every one of their rules. I still don’t have the damned Driver’s License because DMV decided to be hard on me =P Now they are complaining about my name, because I have three last names and it doesn’t fit into their system (or any other for that matter), but what can I do? My name is the way Brazilian law tells us to have them … I’m still not writing as much as I want to. My husband want us to go out all the time and have dinner with his co-workers and their wives so we can make friends (which is good, if I didn’t want to write instead lol). I still don’t know anyone enough to let my daughter with them for a few hours so I can go to the movies and have a nice dinner alone with my hubby. Oh, and I’m supposed to cook dinner, do groceries shopping, clean the house, iron shirts (HATE ironing!) …

And there is still Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Website, Triberr, Google Reader, ROW80, Ladies Who Critique, RWA, FF&P, Savvy Authors, my lovely NA sisters and our plans … and I would love to join a local writing group so we could meet up to write and critique and just talk books and publishing …

I adore everyone—writers, readers, editors, agents, bloggers—I met online … I want to keep up with them, know what they are doing, read all their blog posts, comment, participate … but just there isn’t enough time! Oh, and I evem stopped playing games a while ago because that suck such a huge chunk of my time, and I’m staying away from Pinterest so I won’t have another thing to be addicted to.

And there is still reading. First, because I just love reading and second because writers need to read. A lot. Though I read fast, it still requires considerable time. I should also mention I have over 70 books in my kindle, waiting to be read … that’s more than I read in a year.

And exercising. Let’s not forget that. It’s my third week back in the US, things are still a mess, but I’m searching for gyms and classes. Soon, I’ll be exercising again. And there goes more of my time.

And workshops. I’m taking an online writing workshop right now. I’m a workshop whore … this one is not even half-way through and I’m already thinking about the next LOL

How, just exactly how am I supposed to keep up with it all? People, share with me, how do you keep up?

Seriously, sometimes I guess I was less worried about keeping up and knowing it all and participating in all when I wasn’t on Twitter, Facebook and Triberr and had a pretty slow blog … I also could WRITE! And only write … and I didn’t care about what was hot, what was trend, what agents wanted, and editors’ wish lists. I just wrote whatever I wanted, what I wanted to read, and nothing else. I didn’t care about queries, pitches, blurbs, nor did I spent time spying on cover reveals and excerpts from books that will soon come out …

Life was way less complicated then …

Sometimes I think I should disconnect for a while, you know. Keep out of twitter and Facebook and blog … but I would miss my online friends! And I would feel left out for not knowing what is happening on the publishing world.

How do you keep up with everything? Did you find any magic wand or wished for more time (and patience) upon a star? Do share!

(PS: this is just me venting/ranting. Don’t worry, I’m fine, and things will fall into place soon!)

Cheers,

Categories: #ROW80, My life

#ROW80 Check-in 04/08

I forgot about check-in! I only remember it because I visited Triberr and saw the other ladies’ posts!

This isn’t a check-in actually, since, as I anticipated, the first week was slow, slow. I have too many things to organize yet.

Here is my goals:

  • Organize my new home and my new schedule.
  • Participate on Crafting the Sensual Novella Workshop from April 9th to May 6th.
  • Finish revising my novel, DESTINY GIFT.
  • Start a new novel and get as far as I can with it.
  • Read 5 books each month (year total = 60).
  • Social network: blog at least once a week (not counting #ROW80 checkins), comment on blogs every other day, and tweet a little everyday.
  • Once my life is normal again (or almost), find a gym and exercise 3 times per week.

Not necessarily in this order.

Obviously, I’m stuck at the first one.

The DMV is giving us a hard time … we’re trying to get our new driver’s licenses, but the information they pass to us changes from attendant to attendant, so we’re never sure … It’s been 10 days! Finally, on Wednesday they told us we can’t transfer our Ohio licenses because we’re under Visas, and it didn’t matter that we have residents Visas. So, we have to take an 8-hour class (which isn’t available any day), then the driving test and the written test. Can you believe it? Right now—Sunday morning—my husband is at the driving school taking said class. Since we have no one to stay with our daughter, he’ll do it first, then, next weekend, I’ll do it. At least, we can drive for up to 3 months with our passport and our Brazilian driver’s licenses. However, we can’t buy new cars, which means, we’re still using the company’s van.

On the bright side of the week, I found a great daycare for our daughter. She’ll start tomorrow. Usually, most of my writing time is when she is at the daycare, but because there are too many things to be done yet, I think most of that time will be spent organizing things, at least during the next week.

And we moved to our new home on Friday. So that’s keeping me busy too—installing and organizing everything is tiring. And I think I’m not half done yet.

Guys, I can’t wait to start writing again. I’m frustrated because I’m still not writing.

Anyway … hope to have better news next week.

To check on my fellow ROWers, click here.

Have a great week, everyone!

Cheers,

Categories: My life

Totally offline …

Guys, because I’m moving back to the US this Monday (March 26th), I’ll be totally offline for the next three days or so. That means no Twitter, no blogging, no commenting on other blogs, no Facebook, no emails! I wonder how I’ll survive … hehe

And the totally offline period starts right now …

Anyway, I’ll holler when I get internet back ;)

By the way, did you realize next time we talk to each other, I’ll be living in the US again? Yay!

See you soon!

Cheers,

Categories: Me, My life, My writing

The reason I’ve been MIA lately …

Hey guys!

Perhaps you didn’t notice I’ve been MIA because I try to show up on twitter every now and then, but I do feel like I’m missing out on everything lately.

Most of you know I’m Brazilian, that I lived in the US from 2004 to 2009, came back to Brazil, and now I’m moving back to the US.

And that’s all I’ve been doing lately. Packing and organizing everything for our move in one week!.

If you guys ever moved before, you know how much work it involves. But now imagine moving to a different country!

Oh, God, I can’t even start listing all the things I’ve been doing … selling cars, looking for new temporary apartment, packing bags that will go with us on the flight, packing things that will go later through cargo, trying to sell the things we don’t want to take with us, visiting all kinds of doctors and our dentists (who knows how long it’ll take till we find a nice doctor we trust, or someone recommends), visiting family and close friends who live in other cities, planning on how to keep our Brazilian house closed but clean while we are away (we plan on selling it only after we have our greencards in hand), looking for school for our daughter, coming up with a plan of action for the first week (example: look/find new apartment, enroll kid on school, buy new cars, buy the stuff a house needs to function right away—plates, glasses, sofa, bed, TV, garbage can, cleaning supply, food, etc), get my EAD then my SSN …

And much, much more …

The worst part: I’m not writing. For over 30 days now, I’m not writing.

I’ve tried writing a few nights when things are calmer, but it’s useless. The writers out there know that, after a vacation, it’s hard to get back to writing and the first days are not that productive … well, these calmer nights weren’t productive at all.

I didn’t stop writing down the stuff that my mind brings to me, as plot twists and ideas for new novels, but there is no way I can just sit down and type for hours. No way. And it saddens me. It frustrates me. I feel like a part of me is missing. I think I’m even crankier than usual since I stopped writing.

But I need to just let it go, since I know I won’t be writing for the next 20-30 days … that’s a fact and the faster I accept it, the better I’ll live with it.

Anyway, my flight to the US is scheduled for March 26th (in one week!). Hopefully, by April 15th everything will be settled down and I’ll be writing again. Hopefully.

And then, oh my, I’ll be writing. Non-stop.

My goal for this year is to write at least 4 novels (and revise them).  Even with the 2-month-break I’m taking because of the move, I’ll do everything I can to meet that goal.

Now you know why I’ve been quiet on the blogsphere and on the twitterverse. Sorry.

I’ll see you guys soon ;)

Cheers,

Categories: #ROW80, My life, My writing

ROW80 Check-in 02/05

Hello my friends!

Here we are for another check-in.

And I’m here to report some slacking.

My hubby went into a job trip  to the US last Sunday, so every member of my family expects to be visited while he is away. Since I write full-time, I’m jobless, you see, and I have tons of free time, so it won’t matter if I do nothing for many days. What they want, of course, is to spend time with my daughter, not me lol

These past few days I’ve been hanging with my mother-in-law or my brother, his wife and his daughter—they live in the same city. Then today, Sunday, I’m going to our family house at the beach. I’ll stay there until Wednesday WITHOUT ANY INTERNET CONNECTION!

Which means: not getting much done.

 

My goals:

  • Participate of the EditPalooza workshop offered by Savvy Authors from Jan/2 to Feb/4. (I’ve been warned this is super hard work and consumes many hours of the day. Let’s see if I can keep up!)
  • Write a novel (or get as far as I can with it).
  • Read 5 books each month (year total = 60).
  • Social network: blog at least once a week (not counting #ROW80 checkins), comment on blogs every other day, and tweet a little everyday.

 

Social Media: Hard to comment on blog through the phone. Hard to keep up with twitter through the phone, but I’m trying.

EditPalooza: On Monday, 4 assignments were posted. Then 2 more on Thursday. Now that I’m on “vacation” I’m feeling overwhelmed.

Reading: Read James Scott Bell’s book last week. Even though the workshop is not done yet, I just wanted to finish the book.

Reading Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvager.

Writing: Monday, I worked on some plot and outline. Don’t know how many words I wrote, but it was quite a few. And then I got nothing else done.

 

Hope you guys are doing WAY better than me!

Wanna check on my friends ROWers? Click here and scroll down to the post check-in from today.

Cheers,

 

Note: since I’m without internet for the next few days, forgive me for not getting back to you guys right away. I’ll catch up when I’m back!

Categories: Entertainment, Me, Music, My life

Today is a Holiday …

… in the South most Brazilian state, Rio Grande do Sul (or RS).

For those trying to situate themselves, RS is where Gisele Bundchen, Alessandra Ambrosio and Carol Trentini are from.

Soccer player Ronaldinho, ex-Milan, is from RS.

Erico Verissimo, a famous writer/author, was also born from RS.

 

Map of Brazil, RS and flag of RS

 

Now, why is it a holiday you ask. Because today is Revolução Farroupilha, or War of the Ragamuffins in English.

The summary of the events is that the RS tried to gain independence from the rest of the country, but the Imperial Guards crushed the gauchos and we are still part of Brazil =P

There is a parade, with horses and torches and flags, during the day. It’s like we go back in time and honor our origins.

 

The parade

 

Gaúcho typical attire

Here in Brazil, each state has some kind of nickname for the person born there. People born in Rio de Janeiro is called Carioca, for example. In RS, we are called Gaúcho (male) an Gaúcha (female). Girls can also be called Prenda.

Prenda’s dress

Dancing. We have many typical dances.

Churrasco. That’s our Barbecue!

Chimarrão (it’s like tea. I drink this nearly every day)

 

Now, for fun, I posted two videos with dances from Rio Grande do Sul. I hope you enjoy:

 


This one is known as Chula. The guy can’t touch the wood stick or he “looses” the game.

 


Typical group dance.

 

More fun yet: there is this Gaucho comedian, called Guri de Uruguaiana. He makes fun of our own life style. He is hilarious.

Last year or so, he started a series imitating famous singers and dancers.

Here I posted the one for Michael Jackson’s Thriller, but he also has videos for Beatles, Village People, Just Bieber, etc.

 

Gauchos are really proud of who they are and where they came from.

I hope you liked this bit of info about my country and my origins.

 

Cheers,