Another month, another set of challenges and not-so-clear-cut victories. I talked at length last month about how I was partaking in activities that refilled my cup — and that continued in October. Indeed, I have felt more rested this month. I even got eight hours of sleep on a work night once, and it was seriously like magic.
I’ll say right away that I didn’t work on the novel very much, except for a few hundred words here and there, and my tablet took an unfortunate tumble, so I have had to go back to scribbling notes on real paper (oh no!). I’ll get my replacement soon. Other than that, October was what I needed it to be: full of games, friendship, productivity, and new sights (not in that order).
Feels Like Destiny
In October, I unveiled my new logo for my self-publishing imprint, Cultivates Press (you’ll also see it featured in several places on the website). Longtime readers will know that Cultivates Press has been a going concern on this blog for some time now, but I am committing to take the extra step of actually filing paperwork and making it A Real Thing. I’ve been working in and around the publishing world my entire adult life, beginning in college as an intern at a small press and continuing with my work in tiny online zines — so this feels like a good next step. For now, I’m going to focus on self-publishing my own work, but I can foresee a future where I keep the ball rolling and help others get their words out to those who may read them.
Cora the Explora Does Country Music Town
At the end of October, I visited Nashville for a conference, and what a town! Nashville exuded Vegas vibes, but in smaller doses. Broadway is much like The Strip, except much, much smaller, and with a lot more cowboy boots. (Honestly, my biggest takeaway from that week was that I needed to invest in boots.)
The conference was good, as conferences go, and I left the city with some inspiration for my day job and some deeper connections with colleagues and friends (which, in my opinion, is the main reason to go to these things). Cora enjoyed the new scenery, and I experienced a new place full of sound and energy and music.
Hunting Ghosts in the Cincinnati Night Scene
Special shoutout to my friend Sofia, a travel and food blogger who invited me to go “ghost hunting” with her downtown. She was invited out by a ghost tour company in return for a review on her blog, and I volunteered to go with her. One of my least consequential goals is that I want to one day experience paranormal activity that can’t be immediately explained away. “I want to see a ghost,” I have often said to friends and strangers. So this was an easy yes for me — spend time with friend, and possibly check off a bucket list item? Sign me up.
Sadly, I didn’t see any ghosts. But we did learn a lot about the history of that area of Cincinnati (Over the Rhine, near Music Hall) and had a beautifully clear, crisp night for it. Our tour guide was lovely, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. You can check out Sofia’s review over at Uncultured Palate!
What’s in store for November?
As I’m writing this post, I’m sitting in a hotel room on the day after my gramma’s 90th birthday party. She turned 90 in early November, and the family gathered yesterday to celebrate. The party itself was a surprise — mostly because we didn’t want her to worry about it leading up to the fact — and I think she appreciated seeing all the family members she wouldn’t normally see (since we live a couple states away).
My gramma is a remarkable woman. She lost her husband (my grandpa) long before I was born, never remarried, and has kept the family together by sheer force of will over the last several decades. Now, all the grandchildren have grown up and have families of their own — with three great-grandchildren, even! She’s sharp as a tack, only mildly hard of hearing, and doesn’t really have that many medical maladies to speak of. At 90! A true matriarch, an inspiration for me.
Throughout the day, she kept saying, “I’m just glad I’ve made it this far.” We’re glad, too.
Other November activities will include learning how to do drywall, sleeping, and reading. Oh, and working on Christmas gifts.
Outtro
Sometimes, as I write these posts, I think to myself: “It’s not that deep. It’s just a play-by-play of whatever crap you’re doing in your life.”
But . . . you know? Sometimes it is that deep. Sometimes you want to hit the bottom of the well and keep digging to the heat-rock core of the Earth. Whatever it is, it can be anything you want it to be. I can wax poetic about literally anything, because this is my space. I sometimes wait to start writing until I feel big things — and that just can’t be the case all the time, you know? A person would explode. So, maybe it is that deep, and maybe it isn’t . . . But it’s certainly in my purview if I want to catapult myself into the abyss.
I’ll probably do a review in January of how this monthly check-in series went — and perhaps there will be more deep philosophical musings there as well. Or perhaps not. I guess we’ll have to see!
Liz Cultivates 
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