Blogathon apologies
Topic: WC - Blogathon
Well I have to apologize for my lame entries of last week for the blogathon. I know last year I was a lot more fun and tried a few different things and even went so far as to do my faux blogathon for 12 hours.

I honestly thought that I'd pick up steam at some point last week but the steam evaporated and well, nothing happened.

Maybe next year, but who knows. But thanks for all those who came over to the Writing Zazen side in hopes that I'd be someone interesting.

Especially you Lolo, because you thought it was fun last year and were probably all hyped for more fun that didn't come through. ha ha!

Speaking of Lolo, she sent a very funny email yesterday with her apologies for not being the great emailer that she'd claimed she was going to be. It's okay, it's like quitting smoking, it's easier to talk about it and not quite as easy to follow through.

Any way, I wanted to publish the exceptionally funny (made me laugh for at least a good minute) portion of her email because anyone who has read me for more than a minute has read my mentions of my fair Grinny Lolo.

Grinny Lolo in her own words from Korea :
"On another note, it's come to my attention recently just how unobservant I've been on this trip. Whereas when I was in Japan I walked around all wide eyed asking questions about each and everything I saw, I sort of just focus on what I recognize here, and ignore what I don't. For example, there is this restaurant on the first floor of the building that I work in. It always smells really horrible, and puts me in a fairly bad mood, as my sense of smell is so keen. However, it never even occurred to me to find out what kind of restaurant it is, rather I just make an effort to hold my breath well in advance of walking in it's vincinity. Well, after walking by it for over 3 months, I've come to learn that it is a DOG restaurant....yuck yuck yuck, I've been breathing in the scent of cooked dog, and I didn't even know it! It smells repulsive for those of you that are curious! It doesn't smell like anything I've smelt before, so I can't liken it to anything for you. My students claim that like everything else it tastes like chicken...puke puke puke!!!! I have to say though, that there appears to be a 50/50 split between the people who eat dog and the ones who don't.

Dog is eaten primarily in the summer, as it's said to improve stamina. Because the hot/humid weather is so draining, Koreans down some dog soup to combat the fatigue. I think I'll stick to naps thank you very much ;-) Like with other meats, domestic is cheaper, and the imported stuff is more expensive. The majority of my students haven't tried the imported dog because of its high cost, so they were unable to tell me if different breeds of dog taste different. Don't know why I asked...it's not like if they told me that Dalmation was particularly tasty, I would try it. I think I was trying to make polite conversation when I asked :-)"

It's not the blogathon but it's funnier than anything I wrote last weekend. Enough said.
EY

Stick a fork in me
Now Playing: Luther Vandross - Make me A Believer
Topic: WC - Blogathon
Well this is my last entry for my Fake Blogathon. I lasted twelve hours. Far longer than I'd planned or expected.

It was fun, I'm sure it would be more fun if I did the real thing and raised a few dollars for my favorite charity.

But I did learn a few things. You certainly can't slow yourself down about worrying about what to write about. You think of a topic and go with it. Some of my topics were better than others but that's to be expected. This wasn't to be award winning writing or anything.

I wish I worked more on the piece I started but alas, I feel like I'd would have had to do more writing on it while I was waiting for the timer said it was 30 minutes again.

The other good thing is that my mind was in writing and then I was off doing other stuff and then in 30 minutes my mind had to be back into writing. That's something to take away. To Bracket my focus. Sit down and focus on what I'm doing here and then when I'm there focus on that... Ha Ha! Otherwise known as being in the now!

It's been a slice. I think I'll do it for real next year. Add that to my calendar...
Blogged out!

EY

P.S. notice all those grammatical errors? That's what 12 hours will get you! i'm not even going back to correct them.

Switch Male to Female and Vice Versa
Now Playing: Rahsaan Patterson
Topic: WC - Blogathon
A writer instrcutor once told us that if you really wanted to write about your personal life to take the main person in your story and make him or her the opposite sex.

Then it would be easier to stray from the "real" story and make it fiction. You could still write the essence of the story. The auto biography of emotions, if you will. And people won't sue you...

Music
Now Playing: One of Those Days - Whitney Houston
Topic: WC - Blogathon
It's funny how some songs if you just sample the right song in it I'll jam it until the cows come home. Whitney's One of those Days is one of them. She samples the Isley Brothers - Between the Sheets. Gwen Stefani also samples the same song in her tune Luxurious. It's the only reason I like the song.

The key, sample the right song. It brought up her cool quotient for me. I was like, wow, she picked an Isley Brothers song to sample? How cool and unexpected is that?

Pretty much anything that samples, Not Just Knee Deep passes the test for me. Not Just Knee Deep was a 15 minute song but the Funkadelic, one of George Clinton's bands who had their heydey in the 1970's. There isn't really any of those really big bands anymore either. Like Earth, Wind and Fire, Cameo, Tower of Power.

And Horn sections. I miss horn sections...

Clutter and Dust bunnies
Now Playing: Ordinary People - John Legend
Topic: WC - Blogathon
I'm attempting to attack the clutter and dust bunnies in my apartment. How does a writer not have clutter? I'd like to know. No matter how much I move paper and get new binders, I still seem to have uncontrollable clutter.

And why won't dust bunnies go away once and for all?
The only soothing thing for me right now as I attack is listening to Ordinary People. That song still hasn't gotten dry and I've listened to it at least a hundred times.

I'm wearing down or out on the whole blogathon thing now. I'd like to make it tow 12 hours which would bring me at two more hours to go. We'll see how that goes.