All Good Things

I'll leave it at that. {wicked grin}

Anticipation

Sometimes, the anticipation of something is more exciting and more interesting than the thing itself. Look at any of the movies that came out last summer, you'll know what I mean. This year, there's much to look forward to, and much opportunity for disappointment. But I don't think that's what's going to happen. Not this time. I'm an optimist. And, while there were blatant problems and it wasn't exactly what I expected (and why did they feel the need for a 'white' lead when they had Jackie Chan and Jet Li?), Forbidden Kingdom was fun and mindless and, I think, a fine start to the summer movie season.

April showers

It was supposed to rain pretty badly today, with thunder and lightning and all that fun stuff. Instead, there were a few scattered sprinkles and some wind.

Will we see our May flowers?

Fear

I've always believed there were two options in the realm of fear:

1 - "There is nothing to fear but fear itself."

2 - "Be afraid. Be very afraid."

Your personal and individual characteristics probably have a lot to do with which side of that equation you tend to fall; however, I think circumstances exist in which anyone can flip sides, either permanently or temporarily, a kind of paradigm shift in the way they see and interact with the world. But mostly, I think everyone's got a little bit of both, with a tendency toward one.

Phobias and biases and past experiences as well as 'intellectual constructs' (either figure that out on your own or not; I couldn't well explain what I think I mean in a short time here) could give certain events a spin in one direction or another. If, for example, you have a fear of conspiracies, and men in black trucks and black uniforms come breaking in your door pointing shiny black weapons at you, you'll probably accept that as confirmation of your fears (and therefore probably fall along option 1). However, if you've never once given any thought to the men in black, you might very well panic (falling straight into option 2).

Perhaps it's time to break the mold, and dive into option 3.

another day

another day
another circus

Weekend Away

This weekend is overfilled with plans. There's places to go, places to look at, meetings to attend, and even a circus to enjoy.

But next weekend, far as I can tell, is the exact opposite: only one place, and it's on a beach (inarguably one of the most famous beaches in the western world), and then it's lounging, swimming, body surfing, and probably a quantity of good wine.

Oh, and next weekend starts early.

That's what I call a weekend.

haiku

Amber eyes, beauty
unknown, unmatched, only dreamt
at the dawn's first kiss.

Psuedo Infrared

I took this:



and made this:

putting it to bed

In the near future, I'll be redesigning my main website into something slightly different from what it is, and I'll probably be incorporating all the things I say here into all the things I'll be saying there, and it'll probably be from someplace other than Blogger.

That's all for now.

In other secret answers:
1 - The answer is still 42, yes, stop asking.
2 - His name was Steve.
3 - It takes three licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop. You knew that.
4 - No.
5- No.
6 - Yes.
7 - Definitely maybe.
8 - Lasagna, and it came out quite nicely, I thought.
9 - It'll be in tomorrow's mail.
10 - Not yet, but I'm working on.
Updates as warranted.

No cheque in the mail

For the record, no one ever came through and delivered that $9,000 to me. I can't quite say I'm surprised, but I was hopeful. {wicked grin}

Random Necropolis Quote

“One million souls,” Anna said. “A whole city.”

“A lot of people,” Darren said. “What are we doing here again?”

“Testing a legend.”

“Do we have to say somebody’s name backwards in a mirror after dark?”

She shot him a look that was as much amusement as exasperation. “Do you really think people do things like that?”

“Some people, sure,” Darren said. “Not the smart ones.”

Anna shrugged. It caused her hair to swirl, and therefore Darren’s gut, but he didn’t betray it. “That’s not how magic works,” she said.

Origami

Today, I made my first crane out of paper.

999 more to go, and I'm good. {wicked grin}

Fear

There are two lines of thought:

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

and

"Be afraid. Be very afraid."

new blank book

Every so often, one journal is filled to the last page and retired, at which point a new, entirely blank, you might even say virgin journal, emerges into the spotlight. Ready for scribbles, whether they be inane musings (a la this blog) or deep philosophical crap (a la this blog), the beginnings or middles or endings of as-yet untold tales. Snippets of conversations, overheard lyrics, eavesdroppings and scandals and secrets and promises. Stray thoughts, and thoughts reigned-in. The past, present, and future, sometimes mixed so blatantly as to be unrecognizable. Lies, too, don't forget the lies. White lies, tall tales, slips of the tongue (or pen). Strangeness and oddities and curiosities (a la the Museum of Curiosities, which you'll first see in Midnight), and the occasional misplaced belief. It's all in there, as yet undiscovered, unseen, and unknown. But not unknowable. Join me on this journey of discovery...

Don't Tell Me How It Ends

Because I hate that.

I read a film review on CNN once. They gave away the ending. Not directly; they made a comparison to another film which gave it away. I was very, very upset, and so now I try never to read a review of anything I already intend to read and/or watch. Of course, in a lingering state of anticipation, I've proven to be less than capable.

So, a note to all reviewers out there: don't give it away. Don't give me just a rehash of the plot. Tell me if things work, it things don't work. Give me something critical. It's not a high school book report. Make it matter. Don't tell me to see the movie or read the book, and don't tell me to skip it. Give me enough information to make an informed decision (though, ultimately, since my bad CNN experience, I rarely go to reviews for this purpose anymore). But whatever you do, do not give away the ending.

(And also, don't spoil any surprises, okay? Thanks!)

Supplies are Limited

So order now!

Tax Day Tomorrow

Which means I shan't be visiting the post office.

Random Midnight Quote

“Secrets,” the Reverend said, “are strange birds. They fly from one mouth through another, often circling the very people who are their subjects. People have used them to hurt, and to protect, sometimes both together. In the Bible, Cain tried to keep secret from his God the blood on his hands, and lied instead. Schoolgirls have secret crushes. Powerful businessmen have business secrets. Politicians, like spiders, weave an intricate and delicate web of secrets around them. Family secrets, skeletons you might call them, are often forgotten. Cities keep secrets, Tommy, bury and build over them, until not the slightest trace of truth remains.” He gestured toward the computer. “On that machine, Tommy, you’ll find one secret, about this city and about the person whose name it bears. Before you look, however, I need to remind you of one of the characteristics of secrets. Once revealed, they cannot be unrevealed, and the changes they bring cannot be undone.”

kitty

She's come to sit on my desk and be adored. Isn't that sweet?

Luck

Luck is something you make, not a whim of fate to which you are helplessly bound. There's an equation somewhere, involving opportunity and preparedness, I believe. It's not just being in the right place at the right time, but being the right person, with the right tools and experiences and knowledge. Don't you think? Good luck!

Homesickness

When I feel homesick, I'm not thinking of New York, or Long Island. I'm not remembering the water company park behind my house, or the woods behind my friend Keith's house. I'm not recalling days of working at PathMark and Burger King and watching movies at the multiplex that used to be a drive thru. I'm not wishing I could get a chicken parm hero from Roma's (though sometimes, I admit, I do wish just such a thing). I'm definitely not thinking of high school, as I seem to have so few strong memories of that time--I wasn't yet myself, I don't think, and I neither made an impact nor was greatly impacted.

I'm also not thinking of college, or the snow, or the parties, or the football games between the radio and television crews (who were quite interchangeable, in fact). I'm not longing for the days of classrooms and papers and school projects and grades and all the awkward missteps that made up such an integral part of my personal growth.

And I'm certainly not missing Orlando, though some of my greatest and closest friends are from that time. After all, most of them have gone away, scattered to the winds, to at least three corners of this country and, in at least one case, on a continuous journey because of the nature of her career.

No, when I say I'm homesick, I'm thinking of a place I didn't grow up, a country of which I am not a citizen, a city I didn't set foot in until after my thirty-third birthday. I have no idea how, or even if, I'll be able to return long-term, though that's my intention. For the moment, though, that's in the distant future. Presently, it's enough to say, when I'm feeling homesick (and M agrees), it's for Sydney.

Days That Never Were

Yesterday was the fourth anniversary of the day that didn't happen.

Seriously. Check your calendars if you wish, but you'll see you can't recall doing anything specific on that particular day, can you? I thought not.

The second anniversary of the longest day ever is still a few months away. Clocked in at some forty-four hours.

Two Random Midnight Quotes

"If there's no sunlight," Thomas said, "how do the trees grow? What about photosynthesis?"

"Magic."

"Magic makes the trees grow?"

The Reverend nodded.

"I suppose magic also runs the fountains," Thomas said.

No, pumps."

~~~

"I'm not following you," Thomas said.

"Always over my shoulder," the woman said. "You and your damn eyes, and that poor, poor girl. Is he hurting you, dearie?"

"What? Me? No."

"He's a mean and nasty man," the woman said. "He's been following me day and night, and I warned him. I did. Don't want trouble." She'd slipped her free hand into her purse, drew it out slowly; it didn't take a genius to figure out what she had hidden there.

library discoveries

Today, I go to a university library, in which I've never found myself before, with no specific intentions or goals. I'll bring a journal. I'll wander aimlessly. I'll find whatever I'm supposed to find, I'm sure, and see what's meant to be seen. Maybe I'll discover something, or something will discover me.

dinner tonight

I'm making chicken parmesean. Or is it parmesan? Or something else. All I know it, yum.

graveyard photography

I almost took pictures at a graveyard today. Seriously. I had the camera, I drove around the entire thing twice. I passed the gates, and a whole lot of empty parking spots.

The problem? The parking spots were all metered, and only took quarters. I had no quarters.

City Planning

A lot of work goes into the creation of a city. Especially when it's a fictional city, and that creation must include not just the geography and topography and demography, the street names and neighborhood names and locations of places like City Hall and the Asylum and the Sanctuary, but a complete past, complete with inaccuracies, legends, misunderstands, and untruths, and even a future.

Yes, I'm planning it all. Beginning to end.

I'm going through all the stories, told and untold (i.e., published and awaiting), including the upcoming novel (you might find information on the Delirium website, if you look hard enough; I'm just saying), novellas like Beneath Midnight and the as-yet-unwritten ones.

And I need a map.

A good, solid, layered map.

I have a lot of work ahead of me, don't I?

Happy April Fool's Day!

Happy April Fool's Day!

Go. Be foolish. It's okay.