Nanowrimo and Thanksgiving

Every November there are two things I know I can count on: the start of Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month--which is actually International, and not just National) and Thanksgiving.

Now I cannot claim to be one of those Nanowrimo veterans who've participated from the word "go". I first found out about it in 2003 when Rebecca, a fellow SWGer (although she is in New Mexico for the time being) told me about it. Back then, I didn't have time to participate. I was teaching close to 40 hours/week and barely had much time for myself, much less trying to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. But I signed up in 2004, participated and was one day late hitting the 50,000+ word deadline. On 1 December, I managed to complete my 51,500 word manuscript, which I have now decided to revise and see if I can do anything with.

I'd planned on participating in 2005 but I'd just started a new job with loads of papers to grade, and it didn't leave me with a great deal of free time. I spent the entire month of November grading student essays and hardly any time writing.

This year, however, I have a better plan. My students' first draft of their argumentation essay isn't due until the first week of November--and I will not be collecting it. They will complete a peer review workshop. I won't see a draft of the paper until the second or third week of November, which--hopefully--will give me enough time to get a headstart on my Nanowrimo novel.

The only thing that could possibly throw me a little off course is my intense longing to be in the States for Thanksgiving. I have not been Stateside for Turkey Day since 1994. I moved to Sweden in 1995 and have come home for such occasions as Christmas, my dad being admitted into a nursing home after multiple strokes and my brother's wedding/my grandmother's funeral. Last Christmas wasn't so great--on Christmas Day, I was debilitated with the migraine from hell and was out of commission most of the day. Plus, it's not so wonderful to feel so awful--I couldn't open my eyes because they were so sensitive to light, and my ears ached because any sound that was too loud made me feel like my head would explode just like in Scanners--and suddenly have my sister screaming at her daughter over something that, in the long run, was not very important.

I was nauseous all day, thanks to the migraine. I didn't get out of bed until close to 4PM. Even then, I didn't want to get dressed, because I was afraid that something would trigger the migraine again. But I was lucky--the evil migraine dissipated, and I was able to sit down to dinner with my family without anything triggering another attack.

Anyway, now I am thinking I should go home for Turkey Day. It's not necessarily the best planning: my students will be planning to hand in their portfolios and I will be away for ten days (if I book the tickets). But I really really really miss my mom and my nieces. I miss my crazy brother--and there's even a smidgen of me that misses my sister. But I am also just homesick, period. I know it will not be the Utopian Thanksgiving memory I have in my head (which probably never existed in the first place) but I just want to be in the US again, even if it is only for ten days, and listen to Philadelphians bitching and moaning about whatever it is they usually bitch and moan about.

I want to eat a cheesesteak the day after Thanksgiving, take a long walk, go to Reading Terminal and buy some cookies for my mom's and my evening snack, buy some new flannel pyjamas for my husband (especially since I can never find good quality flannel pyjamas in Sweden, despite how effin' cold it is hereduring the winter!) and maybe indulge in my favorite extravagances: books and shoes.

I know if I come for Christmas I will have more time, but this year I am actually looking forward to a calm, Swedish Christmas.

So I will I have to budget my time well. I want to complete Nanowrimo on time and manage to spend Turkey Day in Philly. Let's keep our fingers crossed that I manage to do both. :-)