Um...

So today I thought I'd talk about... um...

No, it wasn't that. Was it...?

Not that either.

So listen...

Um.

Well, okay, maybe I could put up a piece about politics? Naw, too depressing.

I could tell you about how I took the boys to see my father, and then all four of us went to a park, except the water was off so we went to another park instead and there was much running around. Except, I kind of just told you about it, right there. Anyway it was a lovely day, full of fresh air, bright sun, green plants, and copious allergens. Totally worth the massive sinus headache.

"Massive sinus headache" = "plants are trying to have sex inside my skull".

Oh! I've got it! I could tell you a bit about what I'm writing right now, and why!

...Or I could get back to writing it.

M'kay, maybe later.

::waves cheerfully::

Bye!

Naked Mammoths

So, one of the authors whom I follow on Twitter was wondering if the gods ever got distracted while they were creating worlds, which prompted me to post the following:

"My lord! My lord! You left the fur off those mammoths!"

"I DID NO SUCH-- OH."

"It will never do, Lord. We'll have get rid of them."

"NONSENSE! WE'LL JUST PUT THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE AND CALL THEM, UM, ELEPHANTS."

"...Will that work?"

"I DON'T CARE, I'M NOT DOING THEM OVER."

Frankly, I think the idea that the gods got distracted while creating the world would explain a great deal.

Melancholy Rumination of the Day

My father didn't change the answering machine message for about a year after my mother died. I don't call all that often, and he usually picks up when I do, but every once in a while... well, it was quite a shock. I mean, I have pictures of her on my desk at work and it's no big deal to see them, but hearing her voice was completely different - unexpected and visceral.

Music: Muppet Show Theme (in Metal)

A convergence of two of my formative interests, brought to you by Leo Moracchioli. I can only imagine how Statler and Waldorf would react.

Music: 5 out of 6

New music from Dessa:

Dessa's music occupies a weird Venn diagram between rap, pop, and beat poetry. It's smart, it's quick, and it has bite. Give it a listen.

Music: No Surrender

Bruce Springsteen, with some nicely-turned lyrics and the music to back them:

Honor... and the Mustache

Come close, my boys, and listen well. I have a small piece of my long life's wisdom to share with you, and it looks like this:

A man's mustache reflects his reputation.

Take mine, for example: it small and unintrusive, well-groomed, and part of other things (specifically a goatee, as I am far, far too lazy to shave my chin).

Now, some men choose to have no mustache, and that's a perfectly acceptable choice. There is no dishonor in obscurity.

But consider, by contrast, John Bolton:

His mustache is overflowing and horrible even to look at, much like his reputation. You see? So, my boys, you must always keep your mustaches -- and your reputations -- clean and neat.

Spider Ninjas

I think spider ninjas are stalking me. I saw this one watching me from the back of a car. You can see how it was trying to blend in, but it was no match for my battle-honed senses. I only hope they're merely watching me to make sure I'm not a threat, and they aren't planning anything... nefarious.

I'm on to you, spider ninjas.

A thought, and an addendum

First, a thought which I've increasingly come to endorse:
Character is destiny.

But I think there's a very important addendum:
Our character is not static.

It's quiet... too quiet...

Sorry it's been so quiet around here. February and even most of March were a real beating, and I'm still just exhausted. Better, but still a lot more tired than I should be, and not doing enough to fix that.

I really need to just make Getting Enough Sleep a priority, but I think I've discussed before about how missing sleep becomes a sort of vicious cycle, at least for me. Apparently even being intensely aware of the pattern isn't enough to actually break it, though. So there hasn't been a lot of writing going on - not here on the blog, and not on any of my projects, either.

That needs to change. And in order for that to change, I have to get enough sleep. Which, weirdly, means I have to give up the time I try to set aside for writing in the evenings, because right now A) I'm not getting any writing done, and B) it just makes the situation worse because I stay up trying to work and then end up even more tired.

So: a break. Perversely, that probably means that there will be more little snippets and stray thoughts on the blog, here, because these things tend to come out when my brain is rested. But, y'know, we'll see.

I hope the rest of you are taking care of yourselves and getting the nutrition/rest/exercise/medications that you need. You're valuable, and you're worth it, so please do what you need to do for yourself.

Music: Onions

The Heartless Bastards:

Music: Bloodletting

Concrete Blonde:

Happy Easter!

Also, don't use special effects involving actual fire inside your church, m'kay?