Scheduled Procrastination
Topic: WC - Daily Practice
Sunday 12Nov06 3:42pm
Keep promising myself that I would get back to seeing movies on a regular basis. With my funny money situation and the need to shake up my schedule a bit going to a movie can be like a scheduled procrastination. I'm going to procrastinate anyway, it's my nature.

I went to see Bon Cop, Bad Cop which was a good laugh. A lot of the laughs were purely about the pronunciation, Colm Feore had me in hysterics when he and Patrick Huard get the giggles and Colm's character speaks French with horrible pronunciation. It was classic. And of course when Patrick's character conjugates the word Fuck en Francais was priceless too. One of the things I liked the best about the movie was when Patrick breaks down. The script and the idea was written/conceived by Patrick. There were other writers of course. When Patrick's characters daughter gets kidnapped and he goes to see his ex-wife who is freaking out and crying, he says he's sorry and breaks down and cries. I realized that in most (all?) buddy movies men never get emotional about their kids lives being in danger. Their emotions are implied in the violence they mete out against the kidnappers. I really liked that Patrick's character broke down.

Any way I blab on and on don't I? It was a fun viewing and makes me want to get back into French. Something I was supposed to be doing ages ago. I'd also like to see more stuff with Patrick Huard. And Colm Feore, I always love him. He reminds me of John Malcovich in Dangerous Liasons with that ability to come across as almost effeminate he's so comfortable with his sexuality. Colm cracked me up as Sanjay in Slings and Arrows (Paul Gross' series on showcase.)

I'm almost finished reading Possessed. I found out that Wendy and Lisa are gay and partners and have known each other since childhood. Now that's a romance. I had to laugh though. I would have never thought they were together as a couple. I realize that I never suspect anyone of being a couple. I always believe that people are friends and never assume a romantic relationship unless it is affirmed as such. Like all the rumours that have poured around about Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. A number of my gay male friends have even said, "They should just come out already." It makes me laugh. I don't get it. Why can't two people be inseparable without sex being involved.
Now I see why so many people never believed that my best friend Jay and I have never had a sexual relationship. It's because they always suspect a sexual relationship first. Funny. We are a strange lot.
Because of watching Slings and Arrows, I think I may want to read Macbeth next. We'll see how that pans out.

I've managed to crack past 10,000 words on my Nanowrimo novel. Good but not great. I need to be further along. It's ragged but I'll get it. We're almost half way through the month. sigh! But overall I feel good about the direction White Wishes is taking. That's all that matters. It's not like I win anything if I win Nanowrimo but it's a great way to have a substantial piece completed.

I'm finding conversations more and more difficult these days. What is with people who don't let you get your idea across before they cut you off? I find that I lose my train of thought and that I feel less likely to want to continue with what I'm saying. Where did everything change in conversation? Why can't we wait until a person completes a thought before we bombard them with our opinions and ideas and questions? I'm just wondering.

I'm not sure what movie I'll see next week. I live between two movie theatres (one that shows immediate releases and the other that shows independents). If I keep up with it, it'll give me something to blog about and hopefully make me less apt to procrastinate. Let's hope anyway.

EY

No more Bath time visits
Topic: The Zelda Diaries
Tuesday 7:25am 9Nov06

Miss Zelda, the only cat that keeps me company while I have my morning bath got her bath surprise. Playing as she does while sitting on the ledge of the bath she slipped down the edge into the bath tub and couldn't get her wet feet out quick enough. I'm surprised she didn't scratch me to shreds.

She was lucky the bath was still filling up and not full.

Wet foot prints left their marked exit out of the bathroom. It was bound to happen, probably won't happen again. But the laugh I had was probably good for my bulging right eye, all those tears lubricating my eyeball.

The kitty fun never ends.


EY

Missing in action - a little
Topic: WC - Daily Practice
Thursday 9Nov06 7:01am

Came home last night with my right eye bulging. Don't know if I burst a blood vessel or what but decided that resting it was probably the best course of action. Slept like a mo fo, being in pain is exhausting. No work done on White Wishes, obviously. It's hard not to strain the eyes when you work on a computer all day and then come home to work on a computer all night. Been dousing my eye with Visine or clear eyes or something.

Possessed is still possessing me.

Got a last minute dinner invitation yesterday from my birthday buddy, one of our contractors. So I'll be missing in action again tonight.

Quite frankly, I could just climb my ass back into bed and stay there for the day. It's Friday tomorrow, TG!

EY

The Giller Prize
Topic: Writers in the News
Wednesday 6:33am 8Nov06

My buddy of about 20 minutes (that's how long I talked to him), Rawi Hage didn't win the Scotiabank Giller Prize last night. : (
I do want to read Vincent Lam's book of short stories, however, that did actually win. He read at the Humber College School of Writers night at the Harbourfront Reading series and his stuff was really good. Hopefully Rawi will win the Governor General's award, I wonder what hat he wore last night...

Here's the coverage that I could only find off the Rogers Yahoo page:

Toronto doctor Vincent Lam wins $40,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize

ANDREA BAILLIE
Tue Nov 7, 11:06 PM ET

TORONTO (CP) - Vincent Lam, a local emergency room doctor who helped battle the city's SARS crisis of three years ago, won the lucrative Scotiabank Giller Prize on Tuesday night for his book of short stories, "Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures."

"I am astounded and in many ways overcome," Lam, 32, told a packed ballroom as he accepted the $40,000 award. "Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures" (Doubleday Canada) is comprised of 12 interconnected stories about a group of up-and-coming physicians.

Lam said he would be back to work at the hospital Wednesday afternoon, insisting he has no plans to give up his medical career in favour of writing.

"I thoroughly enjoy writing and I thoroughly enjoy being a physician and I'm proud to do both, and my intention is to continue to do both," said the boyish-looking author.

Lam's career received a significant boost about three years ago when he met acclaimed author Margaret Atwood while working as a doctor on a ship. He worked up the courage to ask her to read his manuscript and she agreed.

"Since then she has continued to be very supportive and is a great friend," he said.

While past Giller winners have included literary stars like Atwood, Mordecai Richler and Alice Munro, this year's short list was made up of lesser-known writers.

Competing against Lam were Montreal resident Rawi Hage for "De Niro's Game" (House of Anansi Press), Montreal-born Pascale Quiviger for "The Perfect Circle" (Cormorant Books), Montreal's Gaetan Soucy for "The Immaculate Conception" (House of Anansi Press), and Carol Windley of Nanaimo, B.C., for "Home Schooling" (Cormorant Books).

Some 500 guests gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel for the black-tie gala. Political stars in attendance included Liberal leadership candidate Bob Rae, and former Ontario premiers Ernie Eves and David Peterson. Also on hand were Margaret Trudeau, musician Murray McLauchlan, and opera diva Measha Brueggergosman.

"It's the absolute opposite end of the universe from what a writer does," Windley said as she surveyed the glitzy scene.

The show, broadcast by CTV, was hosted by Justin Trudeau with presentations by Atwood, actors Wendy Crewson and Albert Schultz, and "Corner Gas" stars Eric Peterson and Janet Wright.

Trudeau, the son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, wasn't the only political offspring featured on the broadcast.

The assembled crowd tittered as Trudeau introduced a report by Ben Mulroney - son of former prime minister Brian Mulroney - from the Giller Light fundraising event at a downtown brewery.

The Giller was created in 1994 by businessman Jack Rabinovitch in memory of his late wife, literary journalist Doris Giller. It honours the best in Canadian fiction.

Last year, Scotiabank got on board and the purse was increased from $25,000 to $50,000 (runners-up get $2,500 each) - a veritable king's ransom for most writers.

Even a mention on the prize's short list can have a big impact on book sales, a phenomenon that some have dubbed "the Giller effect."

BookNet Canada, which tracks book sales across the country, says that trend has continued this year, with "De Niro's Game" - Hage's debut novel about two friends dealing with the civil war in Lebanon - showing the biggest jump in sales.

It has also been nominated for a Governor General's Award.

That said, at least one bookseller says this year's short list - which includes two short story collections and two novels translated from French - has not been terribly popular with customers.

"We're just not selling the books," said Heidi Hallett, owner of Frog Hollow Books in Halifax. "Within our loyal clientele, short stories are always problematic, as are translations. They're just not the first things people go for."

She speculates that Hage's book has sold well partly because of the title, a reference to the game of Russian roulette played by Robert De Niro's character in the film "The Deer Hunter."

The task of choosing this year's Giller winner fell to a jury made up of Munro, Newfoundland writer Michael Winter and former governor general Adrienne Clarkson.

Copyright ? 2006 Canadian Press

Copyright 2006 ? Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

Possessed
Topic: WC - Daily Practice
Tuesday 6:22pm 7Nov06

Started reading, Possessed (The rise and fall of Prince) by Alex Hahn.
I'm already hooked. It's well written and so far is delving into the nitty gritty of Prince and his work ethic and musical obsession. He seems to have that similar attitude that I've heard Madonna also had whereby they made good use of their supporters in their lives and moved on to the next ones. It was a bit of a users attitude when you look at it at face value but when you look at it from a different stand point, I think it was more that they took full advantage of the support they were offered but were so focused on their one all consuming goal that they didn't necessarily realize that their attitudes could be seen as being users.

I like the thought of 100% focus on your goals. I like the almost obsessiveness that has to come into play. Another interesting thing is that Prince, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez don't drink alcohol or do drugs. I have a great interest in the hard workers. People who are prolific, people who are obsessed or possessed, people who get their stuff done. I know that deep inside me that I am also one of those kinds of people, once I get past all the procrastinating of course. ha ha! I started off with my writing as an obsessed person who thought words and ideas all the time, when at work, when out with friends etc.

For many years, with worry about the next paycheque and being a great loyal friend, and being there for my family crises (which were weekly) and all the other things that slowed me down, I got away from that obsession. I'm feeling it coming back though. Now that I've got to a point where I don't feel obligated to be the one person to maintain friendships. Now that I see my singlehood as a more of a blessing giving me the freedom to be messy. Yeah, the intimacy would be nice but with the right person that can understand what my needs are. That whole wash/cut that man right out of my hair thing I mentioned the other day has really worked wonders. I can't run in two directions. If that elusive love thing is going to land on me it will in its time and no sooner. My fear of commitment has always been about having to give up my time to write (an epiphany as I type these words). I love to be around people but I just can't always give my undivided attention, that's why I keep so few people around.

Hmm! Mercury Retrograde has been quite good to me because I use it as it should be used. Go back to the drawing board. Look at ways of improving on what hasn't been working. Revisiting past ideas. Cleaning out my closets even if it's just the closets in my mind. And of course reading about people who inspire me as examples of what I can do in my own life picking and choosing how far I want to take things.

Off to continue with nanowrimo. I'm at 5800 words give or take.
EY