Megara

I was watching "Hercules" with the boys the other day, and rather liked the saucy Megara, the love interest babe rendered in typically Disneylicious style. I'm not particularly a fan of Disney's cultural meatgrinder that digests things and spits'em out all Disneyfied, but the boys seem to enjoy'em, so I put up with seeing Disney stuff every now and then. Megara's just simply HOT. She's trouble! Boom-chicka-boom!

Wah wahhh

Something about a published novelist writing an online article whining about how hard writing is irks the fuck out of me. Any creative endeavor is all about a huge investment of energy and time. Writers write. Simple as that. Do it, and deal with it, and count yourself very fortunate that you manage to score a book deal for your troubles. So, it took you ten years to get it done? Well, so what? At least you have something tangible to show for it. I soldier on because writing is fun for me, and rather than it being hard NOT to write (alright, I write constantly, one way or another, so maybe this doesn't quite come up for me), but I understand that there's no penalty whatsoever to not writing, except the understanding that I'm not writing. It's integral to my happiness that way. I never whine about it; I just do it.

And for somebody who managed to actually see their book published? What the fuck is there to complain about? As someone who many disparate readers tell me routinely that I'm a really good writer who is also perennially rejected by editors, were I to actually find a home for one of my books, I'd do a happy, happy dance. I'd count my lucky stars. But this gal decided to whine about how long it took for her to get her work done? You know what you do to stop that? Write more. There's a certain narcissistic romance some writers engage in with the whole "Oh, if you only knew how I suffered!" kind of bullshit -- like ink-stained fingertips or a trembling hand on a sweating, aquiline brow leaving an inky smear upon it. To create is to swoon. Oh, the humanity. Give me a break.

There's no penalty for not writing. You do it because you're compelled to do it. And there are few true satisfactions in it (at least in terms of appreciation, recognition, and reward). But do it I always will, because it's just who I am. If a book takes ten years to write, maybe that's how long it took to sort out that particular story's problem. Or maybe you don't have that much to say as a writer, and it didn't inspire you. Who knows? The only cure for writing is more writing, and that can be said with any creative endeavor, and only creatives get this. Non-creatives may think it's a waste of time, or may think they can do it, but they can't (and don't and won't -- you all know who you are, you "idea havers" and so forth who have a great idea you never actually write or create). The ones who can simply do it. Ideally, you make something worthwhile, something you enjoy, and better still, something beautiful that others can appreciate, too, and still better, something others will buy from you, for fuck's sake, so you can carve out the time to do more and more of what you love. But it's really the process that drives it. That's the furnace within that stokes the creative spirit.

Maybe this writer in that article is really privately worrying that, having sold one book, one that took her a decade to write, that she's got nothing more to say. Who knows? She is right that reaching an ending is vital. Get it done, or else it's just an open wound. And please, please don't whine about it.

Ballbuster

Looks like Blockbuster Video is finally dying. This is a reasonably good piece about the demise of that chain. I'm amused that the ONION had pegged that trend years ago. I can't even remember the last time I actually went into a video store. I think when living in Indiana, The Land That Time (and Hope) Forgot. Otherwise, not since the late 90s. Just funny how retro that is. I remember the trips to the video store, scoping around for something interesting and/or amusing to watch.

I've been busy managing my post-vacation workload today, hence being somewhat quiet, although I've been trying to think of a decent name for a fiction blog, as well as thinking about life and story ideas and daydreaming in general. I really, really need to get busy and find a fresh job. Gotta get that done. It's going to be weird to remarket and repackage myself as a 40-year-old in need of a new job. Thankfully, I still have my boyish demeanor, right? Hah!

There She Goes

Hah. I've been home with the boys three hours now, and Exene already went out the door for some run-related activity (purportedly some nutrition class at the area running shoe store in the 'hood). Now, I've had the boys a week -- so, she's been away from them for eight days, basically. And, after that absence, she's barely hung with them at all (maybe 2.5 hours, max) and she's already out the door? Huh. B2 was asking me "Where'd Mommy go, Daddy?" I would just think a parent would want to be with their kids after not seeing them a week, but that's just me.

I asked B1 if he had fun on the trip, and he said he did, wished it could go on forever. 

Home

Got back around 2:30 p.m. CST, so made good time. It's frickin' HOT over here. Super hot-n-humid. Lordy!

Was bummed to see another of my short stories was rejected. Urk. I'm seriously thinking of just posting them online (just some of the short stories) and see if anybody's into them. I have to think of a good concept for such a blog. Not like there aren't enough fiction blogs out there.

Meantime, glad to be home, not driving everywhere! Something like 700 miles in two days. *yawn*

Exene's 117 lbs., now. She has an appointment with the rheumo next week.

On the Road

Heading back to Chicago today. The boys have been so good on the whole trip; they were the toast of the family gathering, as I knew they would be. It's remarkably easy for me to handle this stuff solo; Exene always sweats it, but it's cake. I admit that I've had more practice at it than she has, since I drive (and she won't drive), and I spend so much time solo with the boys (because of her absenting herself), so I know the dance. But the boys were great. It sucks, however, that I didn't give myself one more vacation day (tomorrow) -- I hate thinking I have to hustle back home, and then tomorrow morning, am back in the workplace saddle. Ah, well. I didn't want to take too many days off.

Anyway, the car did well, and I'll properly blog about last week when I'm back home. Today, it'll just be me driving all day, getting the boys home. They're looking forward to being in Chicago again. B2 was cute, saying "Where are all the buildings?" when we first got out into the country. My city boys!

I'm amused at the hotel I'm at, how it says "Hello." and "Thanks." at the door. Somehow, the period ending the sentence seems less friendly than it ought to be! I'll snap a shot before I go.

When I next blog, I'll be home. "See" you soon! ; )

More KY

Back in glorious Lexington, KY -- overnighting it before the final jaunt to Chicago tomorrow. Plenty to blog about about the trip, but I'll do so later. The boys had a blast. I enjoyed the time away, although am looking forward to being home, despite the attendant issues I face there.

Mountain Man

I'm dropping a quick line from the mountains of North Carolina. Beautiful countryside, although it rained (hard) nearly all today. There are flying squirrels and such. The boys are having a blast, are really enjoying themselves. I'm chilling out.

There are lots of little things to report, but I'll do that later, since there are a ton of people around.

KY

Here I am in Lexington, KY -- a little more than half the way to the destination in NC. Love that the hotel has computers and Net access! There's not much in Lexington beyond distilleries, it would seem. Still, I'm amused! So far, so good -- great weather, cruised through the wasteland of Indiana and through Louisville to light here. Sunny, big, puffy clouds. The boys are having a blast. I'm going to take'em swimming later (we got some dinner earlier).

Tomorrow morning, the rest of the trek, then the World Cup final and seeing my fams!

And awayyyy I go...

I'm off! The boys and me, to North Carolina!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ2Da2ozCKc

Tiki Taka

Get ready for Spain to put the Tiki Taka hurt on Holland Sunday! And savor the grooooooove.

I'm getting up early tomorrow and leaving for my trip to North Carolina. If I've got any computer access where I'm headed, I'll blog and share my adventures. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait.

I'm bringing some Faulkner and Flannery O'C to read, have some notebooks to longhand a short story, and am otherwise gonna just chill out and enjoy the trip. I'm driving a bright red Chevy Impala. VRROOOOOOOM! Lotsa room, lotsa power (need the power for the mountains I'm gonna be driving over.

I love mountains. The Appalachians are some of the world's oldest mountains. I love that, too.

Mini-Mad Men Me

Mad Men had their avatar-creator/viral marketer out again, with new toys. So, here's an updated "Mad Men" me...

I don't really have a five o'clock shadow, but I do tend to get stubbly, so I'm being fairly true to life, there.

Road Trippin'

On the eve of leaving on a weeklong trip down South, so if I'm quiet, it may be because I don't have computer access down there (although I might; we'll see). Anyway, I'll be back on the 18th.

To prep for it, I bought some road trip funsies (from Target!) for the boys -- a couple of toy cars for B2, some Iron Man activity books (tee hee!), some crayons, a Rubik's Sphere thingie for B1 (imagine concentric transparent spheres you twirl about to solve -- he should enjoy it), a couple of lil' Energizer flashlightsabers I'll decant the first night we reach North Carolina (where we're headed, incidentally), and so on. They travel really well, so it should be alright. I'm traveling nearly 700 miles, broken up into two approximately 5-hour legs, although we'll see if it shakes out that way. I'm most concerned about getting to the destination on Sunday in time to catch the World Cup final! After seeing so many matches, I can't miss the final one!

One thing I got at Target was a 2GB memory card for my old digital camera. *DROOL* Now I've got a nearly 1400-image capacity on my camera, which is a far cry greater than the 187-image capacity from my old 256MB card I used to us. 1400 images? I'm fucking SET!

So, Exene went to the latest specialist, who didn't seem too off-put by whatever's going on with her -- he seemed to think that she had gotten some kind of infection, and her immune system went haywire in its effort to go after it (that's his theory, anyway), and much of what she was experiencing was simply the aftereffects of an immune system run amok. He put her on a different steroid to address that, to, in his view, get her immune system to chill out and find its baseline again. We'll see if he's right.

She apparently was much better yesterday than the day before, as she went out with some of her McFriends for most of the day, once she was done with the doctor visits; she made it out like she'd been doing the doctor stuff all day, but that appointment was at 10 a.m., and when I got home yesterday (around 4:30 p.m.) she was only just getting home, and let something slip about going to lunch with her "friends," who'd taken her out someplace to celebrate her getting a job. Yeah, yeah. Always on somebody else's nickel, that one is. Always.

I pick up the rental car after work today, although I don't leave until tomorrow morning. I just wanted to have all of that sorted out ahead of time. The cable people are supposed to fix the line today, so hopefully that'll be up and I won't be incommunicado again tonight, which sucks. Hate not having my Internets and Cable!