Topic: WC - Daily Practice
Friday 8:16am 27Oct06
Well, my vacation has now reached the long weekend stage. I've got a round table discussion and a reading to attend tonight and tomorrow is my last blast and it's done. Sunday is my recuperative day to relax and get my mind back into day job mode. At least I don't feel like the time flew by. I hate when that happens, when you want your vacation to start all over again.
I'm not even close to Nanowrimo mode and I wonder how well that will go with Mercury Retrograde. I still haven't put a title up on my profile for what novel to work on. I'm thinking maybe Dream weavers, the children's series. Something easy going. How will Arrabella fare at 10 years old with the death of her mother? Will I leave it at the subtle conflict or will I come up with a larger conflict? Of course your life changing drastically and for the worse is probably conflict enough, I guess. But that's what the first draft is all about, finding where the story wants to go. Writing the junk first and then having something to work with rather than just a blank page.
I didn't make it out to as much of the stuff as I'd planned. I only made it to one Young IFOA offering in the early morning. Listening to my body speak, I knew I had to give something up and get some sleep. Nothing worse than finishing your vacation sick. I had three social outings from going out with my friend JoJo Friday night, the two receptions Monday night (at 5:30pm and at 10pm) and I took a time out to go to a work function of which the party continued at another bar (the bar where I always meet some new people and have great conversations despite that piece of shit bartender, my loving nickname for him.) Yesterday I conked out face first for three hours unable to come to, hearing my inner voice asking, "Can you make it?" No! Not if I don't sleep.
All in all, I've been finding inspiration everywhere. Even my trip to the dentist yesterday morning was inspiring. My vacation gift (must always buy a celebratory gift) was a plug in throw that I've wanted for ages. The timing of getting my little Zelda girl was perfect because I've had so much time to spend with her and have subsequently developed a great relationship with her.
I probably won't do the Canscaip writer's conference this year because the topics don't excite me plus I just can't afford to do it and cover my foot stuff and groceries and the like. My hermit existence will probably come in any day now and with the social stuff that I've kept up for quite a while it will be a nice respite. I wasn't sure if I'd make the Giller nominees reading tomorrow night but having found out that Rawi Hage will be one of the authors (Hope he wins this and the Governor General's award) I know that I'll have to show up. Hmm! I wonder if there will be a closing night reception. No Philippe Dupuy to laugh with. I believe he's back in France now.
My feet were causing me some serious pain most of the day yesterday. Maybe a note to slow down.
But overall great gratitude for the new people I've met who have inspired me. My co-workers who made me feel missed so much that I had to see them on my vacation (how cool is that?), the Friend for being the friend, that piece of shit bartender for his ever ready hugs (I just have to ask) and the moment of just the two of us having a wee chat about nothing in particular slowing down the evening before we went to our respective homes. It really is just nice to talk to people who are interested and interesting, funny and a little bit insane. Those moments when they like Angels tell me that I'm not alone. With all the crazy things I think about my self and my life and what I deserve... we all go through that... and in my stubborn independence, to feel connected when I need the connection.
And laughter... My boss and I were killing ourselves laughing at the get together.
"Buddy, you clap really hard."
"It's just my anger."
He was dropping some one liners on me that were knocking me over. And of course there was the prerequisite teasing sessions where by he must tell everyone about this guy who is apparently in love with me. My thing is to make the motions that I'm going to kiss my boss in order to make him stop. It doesn't work as much as it used to.
Pedro, who kept mentioning that piece of shit bartender as my boyfriend. (He's not my boyfriend! I'd fake yell). Another Jeff (I know far too many Jeffs!) who said that my laugh was contagious and proceeded to say things to make me laugh. Kris, who I always spend some portion of the get togethers with and our running inside joke about getting too drunk and going home with one of the cleaners. Throws us into hysterical fits.
Pedro and Ken and Alex at the piece of shit bartender's job talking such perversion that I actually had to leave the table because it was too much for my ears and I can be perverted. My great one liner to that piece of shit bartender that is still making me laugh two days later. It was the one time I had the last word. It's not easy getting the last word with him. I pulled out the major artillery on that one.
"I just want to fight" He says. Apparently, It's a Calabrese thing
"Yeah you'll know when I stick my foot up your ass."
"How can you do that when your foot is in your mouth?"
Is there such thing as ambidextrous feet? It's worth a try discovering if I can have one foot in my mouth and the other one in his ass. I'm just saying.
Yeah it's been a great vacation. Got a few more days left and it's back to normalcy until the next time. Want to maintain the inspiration to write with a disciplined fervor. Want to feel more balanced about how I use my time. Want to cocoon with my books and blank pages. Want to continue to feel like I've got places to go where I can talk to new people and connect and appreciate the people I already know and look for the things that make me feel good. I've got pretty simple requests, I admit but coming from where I come from I see that it was at the simplest times, in the simplest homes with people I loved (my mother and my brother and good friends of all ages) that have always been when I was my happiest.
Others can chase after the big homes and big cars and materialistic what nots... I'm going for simple.
EY
