Well, That’s One

Photo by Uitbundig on Unsplash

We’ve come to the end of the first month of the year. No, that’s not the least bit profound.

It’s just a measurement of time.

Speaking of which, it was a long month. It feels a little like January the seventy-tooth.

Still, we’re about to flip the page on the calendar and it’s a good time to assess how we’re doing.

I’ve written a lot about clearing stuff out. Mainly my home office. And about saying no to the many things that want to take my time.

That’s a work in progress. I missed, or will be missing, two auditions for upcoming shows which happen to be among my favorites. I plan to see them from the audience.

I’ve been accepting the fact that I need to spend more time on the writing and art.

I’m being flexible (one of my three words), and making adjustments.

I’m also working to be creative (word two) with my writing and art.

Finally, on the three word list, I remain concerned, but am guarding against becoming so concerned I go off on a tangent and waste my time tilting against the windmills of my mind.

I am nothing, if not skilled in cross mixing cultural references.

I digress.

The playoff games over last weekend determined that the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs will play in Super Bowl LVIII on February 11th.

I’m not a fan of either team. I’m also not influenced by Taylor Swift.

Calm down. I don’t dislike her or her boyfriend. I’m just not a fan. Your opinion and musical tastes may vary, and that’s just fine.

I haven’t really cared about a Super Bowl in years.

I’m a former Washington Redskins fan. I lost interest in their bad years, and then they had to go and change their name. Unnecessary if you ask me (and a lot of Native Americans), but whatever. I just can’t get behind the Commanders.

To be completely honest, the only football team I care about these days is Virginia Tech. And I’ll always smile when I hear that the Giles Spartans have won.

The last time I really cared about the Super Bowl was in 1994 in Atlanta. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills.

I was in the audience cheering for the Bills. Mainly because I was also there working for Jack Kemp, a former Bills player, a former Congressman, and, at that point in time, a potential candidate for President.

In the end, Jack decided not to run and ended up two years later being the Vice Presidential candidate when Bob Dole was the nominee. We all know how that went.

We lost Jack to cancer several years back. I still miss him. I still feel the honor that it was to have worked for him, even briefly.

The last time San Francisco and Kansas City played in the Super Bowl was 2020.

Then the world shut down.

Then we had to choose between Donald Trump and Joe Biden for the White House.

Y’all. What are we doing?

This movie wasn’t good the first time.

Despite Negative Reviews, ‘Trump Vs. Biden’ Renewed For Second Season
The Babylon Bee
U.S. — Though its first season was branded a massive disappointment by viewers and critics alike, Trump Vs. Biden has shockingly been renewed for a second season.

We could fix this.

Of course we won’t.

We have eleven months left in the year.  Use them wisely.

 

Available on Amazon.

Now What? a.k.a. You Should be Writing

You have heard of obsessions, when a man is haunted day and night, say, by the idea of the moon or something? Well, I’ve got my moon. Day and night I am obsessed by the same persistent thought; I must write, I must write, I must write. . . . No sooner have I finished one story than I am somehow compelled to write another, then a third, after a third a fourth. I write without stopping, except to change horses like a post chaise. I have no choice.

Trigorin in The Seagull by Anton Chekhov

Russian playwright and short story writer, Anton Chekhov, was born on this day in 1860 (died 1904).

True story: Trigorin was not distracted by the Internet.

I spent a good portion of last week talking about the reorganization of my home office.

It is, mostly, complete. Mostly.

There’s still a lot of extra paperwork around and there needs to be an ongoing purge of stuff.

But the room is rearranged and functional.

Perfect for writing.

Right?

I have long said, as have other writers, that the ideal environment for writing does not exist.

Sure, I’ve dreamed of taking the iPad to the coffee shop and cranking out the next great American novel. But that’s just a romanticized idea that may or may not ever happen.

I’ve set the office up to have a place to write, a place to read, and a place to work on art projects. The honest truth is that I’ve spent more time over the last week drawing while binging some television and Best Picture movies.

I’m a writer who draws. Or an artist (drawer?) who writes.

I can no longer blame the condition of my office for keeping me from doing either of those things.

Still, if you want to meet for coffee, hit me up.

My Ranking (so far) of the Best Picture Movies.

Killers of the Flower Moon
The Holdovers
Maestro
Barbie

I still need to see:

American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

 

Available on Amazon.