Once again, I’m actually aswarm with ideas for the blog, but cannot think of one that seems more important than the others. So here they all are. Enjoy!
Art: I have started to paint. Something about the mindset that I can get into when drawing or painting at some level seems recuperative. I find that I can deal with stress better, sleep better and in general, feel at peace with things after I’ve finished. I’m not exactly sure what my style is, though. I’m still trying to identify that.
While practicing for her presentation for work, Micki mentioned that she expected me to be painting ‘pretty’ things, and not just doing weird swirlies. I, too, want to paint pretty things, but at that moment, I was really trying to get a feel for the different colors and trying to get acquainted with the media. However, while I was fiddling, and she was reciting, I found that I actually took in most of what she was saying, and it made perfect sense. Kudos to her for a really great presentation, but I also think that the painting, even if it was just ‘playing’ helped me to concentrate and remember what she presented. I guess that explains why many of my school notebooks are chock full of doodles.
In the meantime, check out my friend’s art, and purchase a print. He’s quite the artist. http://www.redbubble.com/people/modonnellart
Faith: I was always taught, and have always believed that your faith is between you and your god. I’ve always hoped that any activity that I undertook as a service to my own faith would not be misinterpreted as an assumption that others didn’t have faith. I also do not uphold the flawed concept that another’s faith isn’t as good as mine. God is revealed in many ways, and its small-minded of me to assume that it would be the same revealing for me as for someone else. It would be even more incredibly small-minded to assume that my experience is better or more correct.
I’m deeply offended by other people’s need to evangelize to me. I really cannot bring myself to care what anyone thinks about me, or my faith. I know that this may sound equally offensive, but it’s not anyone’s business. In our family, we discuss faith, but we never condemn it. If you believe in Odin and Thor, I’m happy that you have found something that works for you. If Buddhism is your foundation, then I am very glad and hope you are on the path to enlightenment. If you are an atheist, I commend you for having a philosophy that works for you. If you’re Muslim, I hope that Allah will bless you.
Accepting another’s faith doesn’t mean that I believe in all of these different gods, mind you. It simply means that I realize that my experience is no more or less valid than yours, and I can feel joy in knowing that you are searching for your fulfillment within your faith as am I.
Tiny Ears: Yes, I have incredibly small ears. And I spend a great deal of time with earbuds in them. When my favorite pair of very expensive skullcandy went on the fritz, I tried to replace them. Unfortunately no store in our area carried that brand anymore. So, I had to embark on the scary thrill ride of starting again.
Let me be clear. Regular earbuds that come with an iPod or other mp3 player, actually cause me physical pain. I cannot wear them in my head for long, because they hurt. Since I cannot maintain a snug fit, due to discomfort, they pop out continuously. Not to mention the poor sound from being improperly placed.
My previous pair were perfect, because they had little rubber bushings which fit seamlessly into my ears, and which created a lovely sound. They also stayed in.
My latest set, when I found them, were about one-third the price and had not one set but three sets of different sized bushings. This excited me! Of course the medium sized ones fit, and so I left those on, and once again enjoyed the enclosed world of earbuds.
Then tragedy struck. While mowing the grass the cord got hung in the mower’s handle and the buds were ripped out of my ears. I was worried that I had destroyed my precious skullcandy. What I found was that one of the bushings had fallen into the grass and was gone forever.
So, I went and switched to the larger set. I should have known. They popped out continuously. If I was chewing gum; forget it. So I tried the small sized ones. What a fit! What sound! And they don’t fall out. Ever.
Yes, there is hope for the tiny-eared people of this world who enjoy music and audiobooks via earbuds. And I have found it.
Writing Short Stories: I was offered a chance to write a short ‘scary’ story for the fall edition of our local newspaper’s magazine. Believe me, I said yes. I knew exactly what I would write about, and I even managed to get a local photographer to agree to let me use one of his photos for it.
I mean, how cool is this? My heroes, Lovecraft, Poe and Bradbury all started out this way.
I set about writing my first draft. Checking the word count, I noticed that I was way over my 800-1000 word limit. I hadn’t even really finished the story yet.
So I began a rewrite. This version had less exposition and focused more on the events that I knew were scary. I read it to my wife the published author and syndicated columnist. I trust her opinion implicitly, and after all, she’s had much more experience at this sort of thing than me.
‘It’s got no plot, honey,’ she said, lovingly. ‘Nothing happens.’
I stammered out an excuse, but upon rereading it, knew she was right.
No plot. Good grief!
How exactly could I have left out a key ingredient such as the plot? Okay, if the setting was vague, or if the characters weren’t believable, I could understand. But how did I leave out the single most important part of a good scary short story?
Now, I must rewrite the story, and this time focus on the plot. It must be developed and include a climax and revelation. And I have to do it in 800-1000 words. And it’s due in June.
Well, at least I don’t have a word limit in this blog!
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