Happy Halloween

While I don't participate in Halloween in New York City (most years anyway), I do appreciate the amusement it sometimes brings me. Besides the enjoyment of watching torn-up people in costumes do the morning after Halloween night (or whichever weekend morning after the night that is designated as the official "drunk going out" Halloween) walk of shame, I enjoy watching people attempt to do regular, everyday things wearing their costumes.

Last night, I saw Darth Vader (complete with mask) discussing paying the babysitter with Little Bo Peep in the elevator of my building, followed by Farrah Fawcett (played by a man in drag) walking home from the grocery store, complete with a wig, a trench coat and heels, loaded down with bags of milk, cereal, bread and normal household staples.

I heart New York.

right writing

So, I need to get back into the habit of putting something on this page on a regular basis (as mentioned so many other times). This is the weekend to start that again (though not right this moment). I need to just accept that there is no right thought to put down and no right subject about which to write, and just start habitually committing language to the page. Here's to starting (on Halloween weekend). I certainly have more than a few things to say.

whoops

I have been working a little too hard on everything lately, hence my silence. The apartment has gone through Phase I of home improvement (first round of painting and the floors). Now, the clean up begins. Pictures coming soon (as well as a much more proper entry).

pre-sleep update ...

My life has been so consumed with regular paid work that I haven't had time to update this. It's no excuse, but I haven't even had anything uninteresting to say, let alone remotely interesting.

Home improvement continues at a steady and frantic pace, and the Craigslist obsession for cheap/free stuff to furnish and complete my apartment continues.

That is all ... I hope to get more creative tomorrow.

The Island of Almost Boyfriends

Just for fun the lyrics to one of my favorite one of my songs ever. Someone that heard it a while back said that it really resonated and was very illustrative of the experience of dating in Manhattan (which is, of course an island). Funny, because I totally never meant it to be about the urban experience and was much more caught up in the metaphor of failing multiple times (aka, over and over and over and over again) in love as being in a lovely tropical paradise that eventually implodes on itself. But, I guess that second metaphorical layer works pretty accurately too:

The Island of Almost Boyfriends

V1

On the Island of Almost Boyfriends

You never have to wonder

How it all will end.

On the Island of Almost Boyfriends

You never have to guess

That you almost have it made.

Have a drink in the shade

You almost have it made.

V2

On the Island of Almost Boyfriends

You know right away

It’s going to end in heartache.

On the Island of Almost Boyfriends

They always tell you up front

It’s never going to last.

Soak up love so fast

It’s never going to last.

CHORUS

“I was only looking for right away

I didn’t know forever would come so soon …”

It always ends in tragedy

Don’t be fooled

By the sun, the surf, the sand between your toes

The sky is oh so blue.

On the Island of Almost Boyfriends

They are never expecting you.

V3

On the Island of Almost Boyfriends

Don’t count any chickens

Because they just won’t hatch.

On the Island of Almost Boyfriends

You think the roads lead to anywhere but

Right back from where you came.

Enjoy the walk, hand-in-hand

Right back from where you came.

CHORUS

“I was only looking for right away

I didn’t know forever would come so soon …”

The road will end in tragedy

Don’t be a fool

When the sun, the surf, the sand gets between your toes

Or the sky so blue

On the Island of Almost Boyfriends

They are never expecting you.

BRIDGE

Go easy on your broken heart

It will break more in the end

If you let the sun, the surf, the sand,

The drinks go to your head

Enjoy the view across the bed, the stars

Every time that could be your last,

Will feel like your first.

Go easy on your broken heart

Or the boyfriends will get you in the end.

V4

On the Island of Almost Boyfriends

You never have to wonder

How it all will end.

On the Island of Almost Boyfriends

You never have to guess

That you almost have it made.

Have a drink in the shade

You almost have it made.

CHORUS

“I was only looking for right away

I didn’t know forever would come so soon …”

The road that ends in tragedy

Will fool you

When the sun, the surf, the sand gets between your toes

And the sky so blue

Calls you on the Island of Almost Boyfriends

They are never expecting you.

Have a drink in the shade

You almost had it made.

my floorboards, my heartache

My big news is that a little big of investigating on Saturday led to finally ripping up the damaged area of my floor (the sound of each plank coming up to expose mildew, leftover water damage and cat pee was what I imagined my heart would sound like breaking over and over again) ... which led to more clutter and a "first fight" (or more like "freeze out") on Sunday. Surprisingly, everyone survived all of it, and my apartment is almost back into place (in reverse-world form, since we put everything on the other side). Sometimes you have to go into a corner and cry out of frustration, or put your headphones on and ignore someone for a few hours ... and then talk about what happened, laugh, eat pizza and just move forward.

Without going into detail (because, once again, no journals with kitties on the cover here), love, romance and home improvements are complicated. Witch's brew!

In honor of all that, some Donovan.

A New Era of Inspirational Productivity

Today marks a new time of being more productive. I have a huge list of "to do" items in every area, and the work is flowing ... so I need to jump on every possible opportunity, and that is what I will do.

Here are things I am fortunate to have right now career wise:

1. An extremely varied docket of projects, most of them paid (or with the chance to be very much paid!) that allow me to flex almost all of my different writing muscles.

2. People that are excited about the work I'm doing.

3. Great professional relationships that I need to strengthen and cultivate (and I have worked hard for them).

4. Real inspiration (this is the most important).

5. A desperate need to make money and support myself ... and prove I can do anything.

6. An oyster-like world where possibilities are endless.

I've never embraced the fact that, since losing my major client over a year ago, I really am starting from scratch, and thus have every opportunity to reinvent myself available to me. There's nothing to lose, so I need to seize the completely open future and just go, go, go ...

So, here I go. For real this time.