in which: I've been away because...

I've given up coffee. For now.

I'm obsessed with The Oh Hellos. Can't stop listening!

Applied for a trainer position at work ~ could be getting a promotion!!

Peanut & I are getting caught up in the show Downton Abbey. We flew through the first season in TWO days!

Book Club: we're reading With by Skye Jethani

Cleaning Lois' house after her recent move. She's off to Oklahoma at 83!

Peanut, Dori, Lisa & Me

I am

Olli

NaNoWriMo - Day 5

Almost a week in and things are not going well my friends. 

Peanut and I are leaving Wednesday for Corey & Amy's wedding and there is SO. MUCH. TO. DO.

I need Ohana worked on, I need to buy gifts, I need to help Dorothy pack a little, I need to do laundry, I need to frickin pack MYSELF, I want to have dinner with my grandparents and need to do all this in between work. 

Oh yeah. 

AND I NEED TO WRITE A BOOK!! 1700+ WORDS A DAY!!!!

I still have hope that I can get most of the way through this month. I don't plan on winning at this point, but some progress is better than having done nothing at all. 

~

Another thing is that Peepaw (my grandpa) was in the hospital all last week. He suffered a minor stroke and although he and Meemo (grandma) are back home now, he is still recovering. So I have been much concerned over that. Also, I have a house to clean - part of my living arrangement here.  

SO. MUCH.

Say a prayer for me!

I am

Olli

NaNoWriMo - Day One

NaNoWriMo is HERE!!!

Today is Day 1 and I just got through reading all this material on how I should have been planning and plotting weeks before Day 1 buuuuut... THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. 

Other than a few photos for Corey & Amy's wedding and Thanksgiving - I will mainly be keeping up with NaNoWriMo for the month of November. It is Novel Writing Month after all - although I will technically be considered a NaNoRebel, as I am not writing a Novel. 

My apologies for not being around the majority of October. There has been lots going on regarding work, Beth (who is doing GREAT by the way) and just everyday life. I will really try my hardest to update every week, since I apparently need to try and bash out 1600+ words a freaking DAY!

This is sounding harder and harder. I have to come up with 50,000 words by the end of the month!

Right now I'm also working on trying to find "writing buddies" whether it be via online or in my area. I'm not too keen on meeting those in person who I have found on the internet, but there are friends of friends who I wouldn't mind doing so. 

~

Yesterday was Halloween. It was my first year not to dress up. Meh. Next year! Peanut took us out to a pumpkin patch that was so sad looking, especially since he'd so pumped about it! 

Here is evidence:

A forlorn pumpkin remains just behind him - LOL!

We had a good laugh about it - although I pretended to be very upset since he'd basically dragged me there! I had so many other things I needed to tend to that it seemed pointless to go since he was only going for me. We had a fun night though. Talking about NaNoWriMo (of course), taking pumpkin photos, stealing candy while Dori handed it out to the neighborhood trick-or-treaters, watching New Girl and finally, I watched The Vow and ate Spamoni (my favorite ice cream) with Dori :) There was even a harvest moon!

Tis been a grand Fall so far.

~

Well, I must be off to bed. It's almost 2am... oy vay. And I have work, and coffee with a friend and WRITING! Peanut is planning to join me on this venture... we'll see how he fairs ;)

Ok... maybe now I'm a little overwhelmed.

But away we go!

I am

Olli

in which: i embark on a new chapter

Decided to clean up the ole blog. Too many colors (looks good in my room; too busy on a website) and too much going on in the margins. For now, I've given up on the Book Challenge I gave myself years ago (refer to my old blog for details). I decided that I want to read because I love books and stories, not because of some pressure to get through a list or so that people will be impressed. I'm over the silliness of it. Also, I think I was putting a little too much focus on the appearance of this whole thing, rather than the content.

Anyway, today I'm moving to a new home. I'm off to live with my good friends Buck & Dori! This Summer I have been on a mission to find an apartment. It began with looking with Alycia, to looking with her & Rin & Sam. Anyway, personally, it went from fun to frustrating to... nervous? I was still on board even with my uneasiness and concerns. I told God that my life was in His hands and that until He made it obvious that He had other plans for me, I was committed to these girls.

So a couple of weeks ago, I went to have dinner at the A's house (Buck & Dori's). We were in the living room watching Storage Wars (a favorite of Buck's... not of mine lol) and they were asking how the the search was going. I've kept them updated throughout the Summer and continually things kept changing or decisions were being made for me. And I wasn't unhappy with things, just nervous about the insecurity of them. So by the end of the night, Dori took me aside, giddy with the news, and said she and Buck had discussed it and wanted to extend me the offer of coming to live with them! I of course said YES and felt it was answer my from God. He made it clear.

RARELY ON TIME, BUT NEVER TOO LATE!!

So although I have virtually nothing packed, today I will move as much as I can and perhaps by tonight I will rest my head in a new place, with a new family... in a new chapter for Olli Odom.

I am
Olli

in which: andrew would say...

Rereading and reflecting on Blue Like Jazz this morning. I don't think I will ever grow tired of the contents within this book... 

Earlier this week, we received 4 copies of the film on DVD & Blu-Ray at work; and I was sweeping up after we closed last night, a smile crept across my face as I looked up to find that all were checked out. 

Don talks about his friends Andrew the Protester and how he doesn't believe in empty passion; that what you DO signifies what you believe, not what you say. 

Jesus said to feed the poor. Andrew understands this as we should go and directly feed the poor ourselves. So every Sunday, Andrew sets up a make shift kitchen on a sidewalk and makes breakfast for the homeless. He sits and talks with them and if they want to pray, he prays with them. 

This is beautiful.

"Andrew would say that dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something, Andrew would say, is the hard thing. Living for something extends beyond fashion, glory or recognition. We live for what we believe, Andrew would say."
-Blue Like Jazz

Father... could I know this kind of passion?

I am

Olli

in which: one can only listen to so much smacking

Well, the Leal's have been off in New Hampshire and it's been me and Shaun for the last three weeks. Watering the lawn, drinkin the good juice (coffee), and about to settle into a good movie with my love.

:)

Shaun... in usual form.

~

Took Shaun to Pet Barn and got him some treats. He picked his own of course, including carrying a rawhide to the cashier! The funnest part was seeing his watch the fish. His head darted back and forth and he kept pawing at the glass... so cute.
~
I also made a trip to the Library up the road. It's HUGE! And beautiful. Pretty remarkable actually for being in such a small town. I was looking for a book my old BSF group is going to start reading together, seeing as we still want to keep in touch over the summer. And naturally, while I was there, I happened upon a book I'd seen before called The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food and Love by Kristin Kimball. I read the prologue and bit of the first chapter and it took me almost an hour before I could tear my eyes away. However, there was an elderly black woman sitting a row over that had the unfortunate (and annoying) habit of smacking her gums periodically. It took me a minute to figure out where the noise was coming from at first but once I figured it out... lord have mercy. IT WAS THE ONLY THING I COULD FOCUS ON. I literally found myself anticipating the next smack and then wincing when it came.
Aye.
Eventually I realized that she'd stopped. Thank goodness. I picked up my phone to see what time it was and then glanced up at the woman again. There she was rifling through her purse when what should appear in her hand? A MINT. I think I literally whispered,"Oh hell no...", slammed my book shut and made a beeline for the front desk to check out. No more smacking for these ears!


I am
Olli

in which: the world needs people that come alive

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living

I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dreams
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your
fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.

If you can bear the accusation of betrayal

and not betray your own soul.

If you can be faithless

and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty

even when it is not pretty

every day.

And if you can source your own life

from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure

yours and mine

and still stand on the edge of the lake

and shout to the silver of the full moon,

"Yes."

It doesn't interest me

to know where you live or how much money you have.

I want to know if you can get up

after a night of grief and despair

weary and bruised to the bone

and do what needs to be done

to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know

or how you came to be here.

I want to know if you will stand

in the center of the fire

with me

and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom

you have studied.

I want to know what sustains you

from the inside

when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone

with yourself

and if you truly like the company you keep

in the empty moments.

© 1995 by Oriah House, From "Dreams Of Desire"

look what i found at work!

 "Fancy running into you here, Don."



I read most of it on my break and it's quite good. Written by his actual friend, Penny, even. This man is amazing.

I am
Olli

in which: you need to check this out

If you haven't read the book - I HIGHLY recommend going and picking up a copy asap. This book changed my life. I can't wait to see how the movie turns out! SO PUMPED.

I am
Olli

in which: it's not halloween, BUT...

...would you mind putting this on?

How about in support of movie you've never seen?

In support of people you've never met?

Or perhaps, in support of a message you believe in?

How is ANY of this related and why does it involve this horrendous costume?

Stay tuned my friends... this is only the beginning of the next 2 1/2 weeks of my life.

To Be Continued...

I am

Olli

in which: i need to learn to speed read

Started a new book yesterday. I don't need to be doing that though with stack I already need to finish... A sad thought occurred to me a few weeks ago that I will probably never get to read all the books I want to. As soon as I open one, five more come out that I want to dive into. It also doesn't help that I work at a bookstore. I constantly have a pen and scrap paper in my apron pocket for when I come across those gems that I remind myself to look up one day.

Shaun, like the dog above...

has obviously been a great help.

NOT.

Two & half days more of house/pet-sitting.

I am

Olli

in which: i attempt to organize my life

My life has a somewhat messy order to it. I usually know where everything is and though not everything has a compartment, my belongings all have their properly assigned home somewhere in my room. Unfortunately, the home of all my important papers, bills and pay stubs has become a giant dresser drawer. No bueno. Another problem within my lair is that it is exploding with books... I have one actual shelf and two cardboard boxes (make-shift shelves). The rest are are all in neatish piles on my desk, nightstands, a corner table and lined along my bedroom walls. That's not even including the library living in my car!

Hence, exploding.

So I've decided that one of my goals this year will be to better organize my life in one new form a month. I feel like if I can accomplish 6 out of 12 months, I will be happy. And with a limitless supply of crazed DIY online resources, this shouldn't be hard. Disorganization, we are OVER! I hope :)
Some areas I'd like to fix:

• Paper work
• Books
• Clothes
• Shoes
• Momentos
• Craft materials

{PS}
This morning a little red cardinal came and tapped on the glass of a back window in our house. "I'm hungry! Dish out the breakfast!", he demanded. To which my Peepaw gingerly responded and spread out handfuls of sunflower seeds on the terrace. I love this place.

I am
Olli