J. M. Levinton

Writers, Are You Exercising?

• July 27, 2020
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We all know the benefits of working out. And almost everyone I’ve spoken with recently has bemoaned the extra poundage that showed up on the scale. It’s time to fix that.

I love to dance, and found many YouTube vids that allow me to customize my workout, moving from ballet to belly dancing to cutting loose with rock n roll. And if I get bored, I can find new vids to work out to.

But I was looking forward to hitting the archery range this summer and that’s where I hit a snag. Fortunately, there are ways to work around that. No, I didn’t set up a range inside my apartment no matter how much I was tempted. I could see things going very, very wrong. Once again, it’s YouTube to the rescue. I’ve discovered vids showing exercises for archers by using stretch bands. Not the same thing, of course, but it keeps me motivated until the world turns on safely again.

What have you been doing to stay in shape?

(In case anyone’s wondering, the archer above came from Rock Creek Metal Craft.)

See You Next Week

• July 20, 2020
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Writing and editing this week. Have a good one! 🙂

No More Gaming for Me

• July 13, 2020
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Photo by goto_

During this time when a lot of people are indoors, playing games via computer or phone is a great way to pass the hours.

Not for me. I recognize and accept that I become addicted. I don’t use that word lightly. I would play one game for hours, days, months, until I wasn’t doing anything else. Eventually I would realize that I wasn’t even enjoying the game, but I couldn’t get myself to stop. Then I’d delete it. And then another game would grab my attention. I’d convince myself that this time it would be different. I’d play just a little each day and not let it rule my life.

It would get to the point where I played a game before even getting out of bed in the morning. And play for hours until it was time to sleep.

The last game did me a favor when it began running ads I felt were horrifying. I contacted them and their response was, “Well, we use an ad agency and have no control over the ads.” I suggested they use another ad agency and they replied, “All ad agencies are the same.” Since I have friends playing games from different companies who have never seen the ads I described, I highly doubted that, but further communication with the game company showed me that they had no intention of changing. (Game companies, take note: Political ads driving lies and fear have no business popping up in the middle of a game.)

Still, they did me a favor. Their actions made it easier to delete the app. I knew I’d lose all those thousands of play time rewards (that I earned, dammit!) but did it anyway.

Within days, I completed a short story for an anthology. A story that had lain dead in the water for months because I had no brain cells left for it. I felt happier. It’s true that for a couple of weeks I kept flipping screens on my phone looking for “something.” That’s when I realized the habit I formed.

I’m okay with listening to friends enjoying their games. My writing is the best game I can play, and in turn, my friends listen to my voice rise with excitement after getting through a difficult scene.

Happy 4th Weekend!

• July 06, 2020
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