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Well vacation is over and I am back at the grind. I did not keep my promise to write EVERY day, but I did probably half the days that I should have. As I transcribe them on to the end of the novel I am writing, I will post them here as well. Anything to get my thousand words in. Today is a Monday, so the new week of writing begins today. Back to 5 days a week, a thousand words a day. Without the crush of Na No Wri Mo, I have slack on keeping up with the pace. Of course, this pace is only about half, really a little less than half, than the November pace. But even so, I have had some trouble getting back into it. This is of course balanced by the fact that I originally planned to let Soulmates set for at least a month until I finished it, but could not. I found myself unable to let it completely sit, and have written some. It is very nice to feel the motivation, to feel the creativity surging. So, I am back at the writing place, in here, whether creatively or narratively, we shall have to see that on a day to day basis.
It was a nice vacation I have to admit. Slightly warmer weather than the great American middle is offering. I was South of my current location by a few states, which was nice. Family is doing well. I did have to put up a pair of Christmas trees, one for the folks and one for me and my family. I am not a big fan of lots and lots and lots of ornaments, but my folks are, so I spent way too long trimming their tree. Fortunately, I did not have to spend as much time trimming mine. There were pictures to hang and some outdoor lights to put up. Just one string of those, white bulbs, those hanging down kind of icicle things.
Most presents on the list for family and friends are purchased, even though there are a few still left on the list. I am hoping for last-minute deep discounts to knock out the last few items. I know they say the economy is still poking along slowly, but the lines at Best Buy and Target tell me that people are out there spending. Maybe that is a good thing. Only time can tell on things like that. I am a writer, not an economist. And what good are economists anyway. President Franklin D Roosevelt once quipped that he wanted only one-handed economist in his cabinet, because the ones he had always countered every sentence with "on the other hand . . ." I once had an accountant friend who needle his economist friends with the joke that economists are "people who are pretty good with numbers but do not have the dazzling personalities it takes to be an accountant." Okay, enough economist jokes.
I enjoy the holiday season. I am a fan of red and green, a fan of the carols, a fan of both Mannheim Steamroller and the Trans Siberian Orchestra. I am not a big fan of the egg nog. I just do not get that particular indulgence. I know that it is high in fat, which is usually a good thing as far as I am concerned. But egg nog seems to be the exception to the rule that if something is high in fat it has to taste good. It would seem that egg nog is BOTH disgusting tasting AND bad for you. It's the twin killing of beverages. No wassail on the other hand is a legitimate seasonal beverage. Especially with a few red hot candies tossed in for good measure. They give the cider / cinnamon / orange concoction a kick. As Emeril would say, it kicks it up a few notches. And of course the cookies. Christmas is right in the middle of the "five months of fat." This is the time of year beginning in late October that covers Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve and New Years Day, Valentines Day and Easter. All of these are high food holidays, high intake of calories and fat. Any holiday that encourages the consumption of either sweets or gravy, or both, in large quantities, is a holiday worth celebrating.. That say that holidays are the rackets of the greeting card companies. But I am sure that some how some way the food industry is involved. It's a plot, it's a conspiracy. Where are agents Scully and Mulder to investigate a strange case when you really need them?
Christmas music, as I mentioned above, is also a highlight of the season. Now of course this is a mixed bag, but I maintain that the good outweighs the bad in this area. For every "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" there are dozens of wonderful versions of "O Holy Night" and "O Come O Come Emmanuel." And others, as well. I like Christmas songs that have sort of a haunting quality. Bruce Cockburn's Christmas album is tremendous, by the way. The "Very Special Christmas" series of albums, now up to six, I think, also contain a number of good songs. A great CD would be the best 3 songs or so from the prior "Very Special Christmas" albums. That would be a compilation disk worth having. One of the great parts of "About A Boy," both the Hugh Grant movie and the Nick Hornby novel on which it is based, is that the lazy good for nothing single guy gets to be lazy and good for nothing because his dad once wrote a silly Christmas song and he (the son) is still living off the royalties. A very funny twist in an altogether funny book.
Well, I rambled, but that it is OK, because I managed to ramble on for a thousand words. This means that my work for today is officially, finally, and completely done.
Well vacation is over and I am back at the grind. I did not keep my promise to write EVERY day, but I did probably half the days that I should have. As I transcribe them on to the end of the novel I am writing, I will post them here as well. Anything to get my thousand words in. Today is a Monday, so the new week of writing begins today. Back to 5 days a week, a thousand words a day. Without the crush of Na No Wri Mo, I have slack on keeping up with the pace. Of course, this pace is only about half, really a little less than half, than the November pace. But even so, I have had some trouble getting back into it. This is of course balanced by the fact that I originally planned to let Soulmates set for at least a month until I finished it, but could not. I found myself unable to let it completely sit, and have written some. It is very nice to feel the motivation, to feel the creativity surging. So, I am back at the writing place, in here, whether creatively or narratively, we shall have to see that on a day to day basis.
It was a nice vacation I have to admit. Slightly warmer weather than the great American middle is offering. I was South of my current location by a few states, which was nice. Family is doing well. I did have to put up a pair of Christmas trees, one for the folks and one for me and my family. I am not a big fan of lots and lots and lots of ornaments, but my folks are, so I spent way too long trimming their tree. Fortunately, I did not have to spend as much time trimming mine. There were pictures to hang and some outdoor lights to put up. Just one string of those, white bulbs, those hanging down kind of icicle things.
Most presents on the list for family and friends are purchased, even though there are a few still left on the list. I am hoping for last-minute deep discounts to knock out the last few items. I know they say the economy is still poking along slowly, but the lines at Best Buy and Target tell me that people are out there spending. Maybe that is a good thing. Only time can tell on things like that. I am a writer, not an economist. And what good are economists anyway. President Franklin D Roosevelt once quipped that he wanted only one-handed economist in his cabinet, because the ones he had always countered every sentence with "on the other hand . . ." I once had an accountant friend who needle his economist friends with the joke that economists are "people who are pretty good with numbers but do not have the dazzling personalities it takes to be an accountant." Okay, enough economist jokes.
I enjoy the holiday season. I am a fan of red and green, a fan of the carols, a fan of both Mannheim Steamroller and the Trans Siberian Orchestra. I am not a big fan of the egg nog. I just do not get that particular indulgence. I know that it is high in fat, which is usually a good thing as far as I am concerned. But egg nog seems to be the exception to the rule that if something is high in fat it has to taste good. It would seem that egg nog is BOTH disgusting tasting AND bad for you. It's the twin killing of beverages. No wassail on the other hand is a legitimate seasonal beverage. Especially with a few red hot candies tossed in for good measure. They give the cider / cinnamon / orange concoction a kick. As Emeril would say, it kicks it up a few notches. And of course the cookies. Christmas is right in the middle of the "five months of fat." This is the time of year beginning in late October that covers Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve and New Years Day, Valentines Day and Easter. All of these are high food holidays, high intake of calories and fat. Any holiday that encourages the consumption of either sweets or gravy, or both, in large quantities, is a holiday worth celebrating.. That say that holidays are the rackets of the greeting card companies. But I am sure that some how some way the food industry is involved. It's a plot, it's a conspiracy. Where are agents Scully and Mulder to investigate a strange case when you really need them?
Christmas music, as I mentioned above, is also a highlight of the season. Now of course this is a mixed bag, but I maintain that the good outweighs the bad in this area. For every "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" there are dozens of wonderful versions of "O Holy Night" and "O Come O Come Emmanuel." And others, as well. I like Christmas songs that have sort of a haunting quality. Bruce Cockburn's Christmas album is tremendous, by the way. The "Very Special Christmas" series of albums, now up to six, I think, also contain a number of good songs. A great CD would be the best 3 songs or so from the prior "Very Special Christmas" albums. That would be a compilation disk worth having. One of the great parts of "About A Boy," both the Hugh Grant movie and the Nick Hornby novel on which it is based, is that the lazy good for nothing single guy gets to be lazy and good for nothing because his dad once wrote a silly Christmas song and he (the son) is still living off the royalties. A very funny twist in an altogether funny book.
Well, I rambled, but that it is OK, because I managed to ramble on for a thousand words. This means that my work for today is officially, finally, and completely done.
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