Into The Thick of It

Escape the elves

So most of you know me pretty well.  If you know me at all, you know I love to read.  I love fiction, and I often escape into it before bedtime (and then end up reading until 4am - but I'm a grown up so I don't get into trouble for that as much any more).  I also love biographies and memoirs and how-to-do-it books.  Heck, my mom bought me "Sex for Dummies" as a wedding gift years ago.  She knew me well.

Recently, I've been reading a series by Christopher Paolini called "The Inheritance Cycle".  I read both of the first two books, which were incredibly long (over 500 pages each) and so detailed.  They were really the first of this sort of genre I've read except for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy back in middles school/high school.  They're fantasy in the BEST way of being fantasy.  Dragons and elves and wizards and witches and humans who rise above.  I am seriously hooked into them, and thought I'd read all four of them straight in a row. 

Then the dreams started.

I don't want to give too much away from the stories, because they're worth reading.  (The author wrote the first one when he was 15 - which I find amazing!) But my dreams were totally otherworldly.  I was human in all of them (as far as I knew) - but I was learning the ways of the dragon riders, and I was cavorting with elves, and facing the evil king.  Like vivid, bright technicolor dreams that I would wake out of, and then fall right back into when I rolled over.  The ones you sort of can't escape. 

For example:

I dreamed that I was a mother of a small child, and that my entire village was under attack for harboring an elf (which isn't even IN the dang books!).  I had to hide the child in the sacks that I used to cart stuff to market day, and then block my mind from invasions of people trying to read it against my will.  I was brewing herbs and stuff into teas by night so that they would heal people who were being attacked in the village, and also hiding those, because otherwise I would have been accused of witchcraft, although in my dream I had no 'power'.  

Seriously, people.  I drink tea.  That's about the only thing that rings true about that one.

There was another one where I was riding a dragon and kept falling off when the dragon flipped over in the air, only to be caught in the dragon's talons, and wake up with shooting pain in my hip.  I blame that on the fibro, except that every time I fell back to sleep, I got back on the damn dragon.  Masochist. 

So, after I completed book 2, which had an ending that I TOTALLY was not prepared for, I took a break and am rereading a Nora Roberts book.  But now I'm near the end, and I fear that I have to go back to those books because I have to figure out what happens to my friends, for the characters certainly have become my friends during the readings.  I'll keep you informed as to how that turns out (dream-wise). 

The other thing I've done is watch a few movies.  Crazy, Stupid, Love was one that I watched and I ADORED!  Ryan Gosling's character in particular was awesome, and the ending totally had me sitting there with my mouth hanging open.  That was a nice distraction. :)

However, I believe that it is time for me to return to the land of the elves, dwarfs, urgals, and riders.  The book is calling my name. 

Reverb10 - Writing

Day 2 (I'm playing catchup):

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)

This is a tricky one for me. Most people who know me, or well - maybe not KNOW me know me, but know of me, wouldn't consider me a writer. Do I? I'm not sure. I waffle back and forth. The truth is, I love to write. I love to write about lots of things - from telling stories about day to day stuff (especially about Melanie), to my feelings on life and the mysteries therein, to teaching step by step instructions on things. I have secretly wanted to write a book forever, and often joke about it with people (especially Libs), but have never even written a page. I used to enter my writing in competitions in school all the time, and (I hesitate to admit this) - not a year went by in school that I didn't win an award and become published.

That sentence there made me feel as if I'm squandering my writing away and not giving it the place it should have, even though high school was like...another lifetime ago.

Deep down, I am a writer. I may not ever be a novelist, or famous, or have a zillion followers on my awesomely-in-progress-of-a-working-design-blog, but I write because I *need* to. When I don't, I become sullen. Frustrated. Well, I become emotionally constipated. No one wants that.

So, what do I do that doesn't contribute to my writing? I don't write.

Let me preface this by saying, I think a lot about writing. I THINK about it. I lay in bed at night thinking about writing - like backspacing in my head, and indenting for new paragraphs, and boldfacing and linking. Seriously. I carry a little myldology notebook in my purse and jot down topics to blog on. It's full. Most of them are already fleshed out in my head. I even attach photos. In my head. I have NO clue where the gap is that translates it from the brain to the page. Lack of desire? Maybe. Lack of discipline? Probably. Lack of time? Definitely plays in (although Facebook sucks that up like a crazy straw in chocolate milk too). My body rebelling on me? More often than I'd like that to be the reason and/or excuse.

I think that I just need to dump it out. Thanks to reverb10, I've found 750 words, which is literally like a brain dump, or if you've read The Artists Way (which I have not read, but it is on my nook and it has been opened), it's the equivalent of your morning pages (which I've heard about before thanks to the really cool girls at Weeds & Wildflowers). I have to admit that this has helped a LOT. No one else sees it but me. I could write my grocery list on there if that is what was clogging up my head. Or I could be pissed off, or happy, or set goals, or whatever. It's mine, and it's personal, and it's writing. I haven't figured out yet if it's cheating to copy and paste from 750 into here...but I don't think it is. I'll let you know if I decide something different.

I want to write. I need to write. I'm writing.

Totally New Tuesdays was yesterday...

(This was supposed to be posted yesterday - but in a moment of I-just-got-hit-by-the-Mac-truck-of-exhaustion, I pushed "save draft" instead of "publish". So sorry about that!) Tuesday is one of my favorite days of the week. It is the day after Monday, first of all. Second of all, it's a little more laid back overall for us - less running around, more actual things accomplished. Glee is on. (That alone would be worth a favorite day status.) But the main reason? New books. New music. Let's just put it this way - Tuesdays at the iTunes store and the bookstore (Barnes and Nobel for me mostly because of my beloved nook) are very hard on my self-discipline and wallet. The second one more when the first one is in short supply. Most of you who know me realize that my love of music is wide and varied. I mean WIDE and varied. I like a little bit of everything. Last night we were at Applebees (hello, Shrimp and Spinach Salad!) and they were having some sort of alternative universe country night. Brian continued to be shocked and amused as I quizzed Melanie on the "who is singing this song?" game. I don't turn to country music in my normal day to day life, but I find that their voices are very unique and easy to recognize. I think that for over the hour that we were there, I only didn't know one artist. I'm not sure whether to be proud or a little embarrassed by that fact! Today's new music offerings are a glimpse into my wide and varied love of different genres of music. Here are a few on my wish list, and a few I went ahead and splurged on too, in no particular order.

Sugarland - The Incredible Machine. I have everything they've ever done, for a few different reasons. Number one, I like the style of music that they do - it's "country" - but not annoyingly my-wife-left-me-and-took-the-dog-too country. Jennifer Nettles has one of THE best voices I've ever heard; she has serious control and can turn her voice into any emotion she wants it to be. Plus - she's spunky, got great control, and has so much fun doing her job that it looks like a hobby. I love the tracks "Stuck Like Glue" (although if Melanie gets ahold of this one it could get old fast - she'll overplay it) and "Little Miss". I went ahead and got this one - although not the deluxe version that I wanted to get.

Third Day - Move. This is a band I've seen...gosh...maybe 5 times in concert? Could be more. I've followed them for almost 16 years now, and they just don't change their quality at all - it is always above and beyond what I expect. Mac Powell is the lead singer, and he is just terrific. I saw a show of theirs the day after his wife gave birth to their first daughter, and his joy and expressions and everything about it will be permanently etched in my heart.  Their songs are always curious, questioning songs about their day to day thoughts and life, but also so strong and sure about who God is. I admire those qualities. They're just normal guys. I will end up with this album, but I haven't gotten it yet. All of the tracks sound terrific.

JJ Heller - When I'm With You. Another Christian singer/songwriter, and boy do I love her music. My good friend Stacie introduced me to JJ at a retreat one time, and her music continues to follow me around in my head, even as I struggle with how to live out my own faith. This album is no different from the rest, in that it stays true to what she believes. She speaks of relationships with others, her own questioning thoughts, and her awe of who and what God is. I don't own this as of writing time, but it's top on my list to get. I'm not sure it's allowed to have a JJ Heller album out and me not own it.

Glee - Rocky Horror Glee Show. I have this one. I love it. I know that there are people who either love or hate Glee, and it's musical artistry, but I think that the show has put back into the limelight the public school's need for good art and music education and opportunity. Plus, it's just freakin' well done. I have all the Glee stuff. I will continue to have all the Glee stuff - even if I can't watch the show when it airs and I have to catch up with it later. My number 2 show on tv right now (the first being, of course, The Big Bang Theory).

There are other new albums out that I have my eye on, but these are on my "I will own them" list. But here are a few other things that are catching my ear that aren't new, but that are getting a LOT of playtime right now on ye ol iPhone. Phil Collins - Hits There was a Phil Collin's shaped hole in my library. There no longer is. I love his stuff. This is getting a good amount of air time. Patty Griffin - A Kiss in Time Patty is a fairly new artist to me, re-introduced to me by my friend Linnie. I could sing every song on this album, and now the rest of her discography is on my "need to purchase" list. Love the song "Rain" best. Carole King and James Taylor - Live at the Troubadour I love James Taylor. I love Carole King. Carole King and James Taylor TOGETHER? Bliss. Pure bliss. Fleetwood Mac - The Dance I'm a fan of Fleetwood Mac any day - it seems to go with anything in my opinion. The Dance is getting a lot of play right now for two reasons: it's a live album, and it's one that Brian and I both can listen to over and over again. Taylor Swift - Fearless I'm not ashamed to admit it - I'm waiting for the release of her new album in 5 days Ingrid Michaelson - Everybody (I am listening in mourning because I'm going to miss seeing her in concert tomorrow night. I'm not ready to talk about it yet.) There are books on my list too - most of them went onto the very cool "wish list" feature on my nook. I'll tell you more about those in a few days. What music are you listening to, new or old? What's inspiring you these days? I'd love to hear! Have a very musical Tuesday! Wednesday! Oh, and PS - Christmas music is out! :-D It's after September, so I can officially listen (by the CKS ruling of 1993).