Clarity

The sunset just before I began my run this evening. The sand was perfect for running and the waves kept me cool. As soon as I was tired, I jumped right in the eighty degree water. Life is so worth living. Why did I ever question that?

John Green, will you marry me? the good grammar is hot edition

Don't miss Thursday's post in which I ride flies around my life and sound smart a few times.


i could be a fly on that wall right behind John


creeper.

Fly on the wall (and the desk, the ceiling, the window, etc.)

"Follow that writing bug. For some it flies straight. For others of us the writing bug might fly like an actual fly, in 10,000 different directions, stopping, starting, changing direction... But it gets where it needs to go."

I am sharing words from my friend Robert. I think many of you are familiar with his thought provoking blog.

I think comparing myself to a fly is disturbingly perfect. I have been described as buzzing on more than one occasion by coworkers, bosses, and friends. In the blogosphere, I am often described as here, there, and everywhere. And then, poof, just like that I am gone for a while. Probably reincarnating in the pantry, above the raspberry jam.

You see, we flies only live for a few days and somehow we make it our lives to cover as much territory as possible. I have gone to school for interior design, urban planning, business, and now I am in for education. Some may boil my frequent change in direction down to the inability to commit. Others might relate it to the fear of getting in too deep. But Robert's words put it into perspective: I like to create. In order to create, I need to move around from project to project and keep things in motion. I am not sure if my ADHD aids in this or ultimately brings the demise of 90% of my projects, but it doesn't really matter. The sheer bliss I feel in the beginning of an endeavor is worth the utter collapse I feel when I drop the ball.

I shared my own wise words at Robert's the other day when I urged him to forgive himself for spending all his time on one thing while he ignored a list of many other important things. As creators, we have to forgive ourselves for choosing one thing over the other. Sometimes people get hurt and projects sit collecting dust in our minds and eventually end up in the haunted attic. But in the end, we are on a shared path where a sense of self is perhaps the most important indulgence we need.

And so, it is without further ado that I allow myself the missed opportunities that this blog may or may not have provided and grab the reins of my own life, again. Imagine me, six millimeters tall, on a fly with a harness. Because after all, I am not the fly, but I am riding the fly. The ups and downs. Life is the fly and how else can we deal with it but to go along for the ride. 

I just hope I don't throw up every time we land.

The guts for glory

Where are mine? I don't really know. 

I come up with these fantastic ideas, but the execution falls flat. It's like jumping off a cliff just to go splat. Am I not built for success?

It's not about depression. It's not about following your dreams.

It's about pushing your self. Finding your guts.

It may not be pretty or glamorous, but whoever said happiness is?

It's gritty. It's rough. It's rare.

I get temporary happiness from thunderstorms, like this one I caught a photo of on my phone last night at 9:00.

After the storm is gone, everything feels refreshed.

The post before my foray into flash fiction/short stories

Have you entered GiggleFest2010?! If not, head to Tuesday's post to submit your entry.

In other news: I am quitting writing.

Ha. Made you squint. But, I am trying something new: short stories. My CP suggested I do this since I have been struggling to get more than 250 words out a week. I love that short stories have to be quick, efficient, and if you use one wrong word the whole thing can fall apart. Another CP of mine wrote a titillating short story which was published through an online literary magazine two months ago. She is now Well into what will be a full-length novel. Watching this progression was amazing and inspiring. She knocks out over 500 words a day, sometimes over 1000. Yeah, in one day. I have done that three times in the year I've been writing.

That reminds me. I wrote my first story one year ago on Saturday! At that point writing was an unknown for me and it took the aid of Benadryl and a wasp bite to set things in motion. What I wrote was a story about a lost balloon and his quest to be reunited with his owner. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be where I am today: 22 PB WiPs, 14 MG WiP's, 10 YA WiPs, and 20 or so odds and ends related to my dream of writing (including a screenplay, go figure). 

While these numbers may seem like a lot, let's put them in perspective. Some days I look at the files and think, wow I am set for life, those are the times that the files feel like an unexplored horizon. But most days those files feel like a wall. My ADHD prevents me from focusing on just one project and by the time I buckle down it's midnight and I am falling asleep. Oddly enough the ADHD does not prevent me from successfully chatting, twittering, blogging, facebooking, youtubing, or social networking of any kind. That's because I am also an extremely visual person and social networking sites are set up to constantly change and present something new and fascinating. 

This is in stark contrast to the scene I have been writing for two weeks which keeps replaying in my mind, but I cannot capture on paper. Yo, this post is too long, especially since I am exploring short stories. Durr. Lessons learned: social networking is fun, but bad for me right now. My WiPs and concepts are clambering for my attention. I need to spend more time on schoolwork. My CPs and writer friends are the most supportive people in my life right now.

So, author-friends. Tell me 1.have you written short stories? 2.did you do well? how? or why not?

GiggleFest2010

Introducing my second contest ever!!

So here's the deal, books and I have not been getting along lately. I am reading some AMAZING books, but life sucks right now and these books are almost too deep for me, I guess. I looked back on my favorite books of the year and noticed the ones that took me a day or two to read were HILARIOUS. Forget LOL, I was ROFLing all over the place during Swim the Fly, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  Srsly, these books are near the top of my all-time faves list and that's largely due their bust a nut nature. 

The contest (the easiest one ever):

Within the comments of THIS post, leave ONE suggestion for a hilarious book. I will read these suggestions in August and chose one winner of a special gift. Yup, that's all you have to do: reco a hilarious read. Now, if someone has already listed your pick in the comments, feel free to also suggest that book and if it's the winner, I'll draw a name as the tie breaker.

Again, GiggleFest2010 = comment with recommendation of hilariousness.

You have until Tuesday, July 20 to get your suggestions in. In the event that I am unable to read them all, I am starting with the first recommendation, so I suppose that's first-come-first-served. If I have already read the book you suggest, I will refer to my Goodreads list when ranking, but if you are intent on suggesting something new, you may view the list ahead of time. Also, if someone has already listed your pick in the comments, feel free to also suggest that book and if it's the winner, I'll draw a name as the tie breaker.


Anyone confused, concerned, or super-duper-excited?!

I dedicate this to Anita

"This is why you go to college kids, so you don't end up like that guy."

El sorro, Anita, that the photo totally sucks. I had to take it right then for fear I'd never remember.

I am going to the beach on Saturday. So excited.

Ten Great Songs for the Summertime

Watermelon + vodka + a good book + a mixed tape = a great summer day

Paper Planes - M.I.A
Summer Skin - Death Cab for Cutie
Sleeping In - The Postal Service
Strawberry Swing - Coldplay
No Rain - Blind Melon
My Girl - The Temptations
Daylight - Matt and Kim
In the Summertime - Mungo Jerry
My Lady - The Moody Blues
Myriad Harbour - The New Pornographers

Also, I clearly lied about the post-post for Anita. That will be tonight or next Tues.

Holy Barry, Mother of Goth forgive me (an open letter to barry lyga)

I have not finished a book yours, Barry. The stars have not aligned. It deeply depresses me.

I purchased The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl Friday afternoon. I devoured the first fifty pages while babysitting my four year old nephew. He asked for chocolate milk six times before I even looked at him. What? Don't judge me. I was busy LMAOing while learning The Panty Algorithm. Besides, he had Anthony Bourdain to entertain him. Don't most four year old find fishing in Tahiti interesting? So, there I was laughing and I finally got up to get the neph's chocomilk and I spill my beer. On the book. Your book. The one I had purchased hours before. If it makes any difference it was AmberBock, which is my ambrosia. I was rather distraught all around. Loss of beer + soaking brand new book + now crying child (the priority) = me picking up the child, getting another beer, then cleaning up the mess. The ordeal resulted in an extra $1.50 for you because on Saturday I had to go buy another copy.

With Friday's reading time drowned in an amber brew I decided to knock out a large chunk on Saturday, since I technically needed to be done with the book by Monday, so that this post could be written and I would officially be a part of the legion of fans that love your books. Saturday came and went. Sunday was filled with unholy swearing, but no reading and, well, Monday, our supposed holiday, was the complete opposite from festive. So alas, I have not finished a book by you. I have purchased two though! Yeah, 'it's the thought that counts' so does not work in the literary world and I clearly cannot do deadlines, but this open letter of admiration has turned into an apology.

Maybe it would have been easier to be a poser and say that I have read your books...but I think you have to be attractive to be a poser. Today (Tuesday, July 6, 2010) I am going to the beach and I am FINISHING the awesomeness that is The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl.


Barry, thanks for writing something worth the rebounding efforts! I really do love the book so far and I apologize for being a lame-ass and not having finished on time.

Jonathon.


For those interested, My Post-Post for Anita will be Thursday.

Consider this my Thursday post.

Hey guys, uber-busy, as per the uge. I'll do a post-post soon, for Anita. I'll also show you my classy work uniform, again, for Anita.

Do something for me though, check out my blog Know Diversity and read Dena Daw's guest post. She writes on a book about Asperger's and she melted my heart. After you check out the blog, email me if you feel inspired to explore a topic.

Also, my good friend Marisa is having a sale/contest on her blog and it's simply darling. Ch-ch-check it out. Yo.

And of course you've signed up for WriteOnCon, so there's no need for me to tell you to do so. I'll tell you to add me as a friend there instead. I am not sure what that does, but whatevs.

FYI/FYE, I always comment on your comments, if you come back, one will be waiting J