starting in second gear

why bother with first?

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Location: Minnesota

It’s nice to just send something out into space, so much more vague and abstract (and pleasantly so) than having my thoughts in print, right there, in black and white. Blogs are on the web, which is some ephemeral technology that I don’t fully understand anyway, and can’t really comprehend in the same way that I can’t really comprehend a billion dollars. Meaningless. Therefore I write all kinds of things that I probably would never say or write in real life, because it tickles me and it doesn’t really do any harm anyway because in a few days the entry will be buried in the archives and the three people that have read it will be busy with other things.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

My First Poem

My very first poem, in honor of prehistoric penguins

Prehistoric Penguin

Two hundred twenty pounds
Sealed tight in four layer feathers

Waddling like chapel windows
Milling on the floe
Children in tow

Deadly intent bellying down the slide
Slipping under beak first
Dive bombing the deep blue

What is black and white and red all over?
Bloody penguin battle
Bald eagle's second cousin in the sea

Tuxedoed birds are nothing to mock
When they've got seventy pounds on you.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

When Penguins Roamed the Earth

How cool is this - giant prehistoric penguins!? These guys beat out the Emperor Penguin by about 6 inches and 40 pounds or so. Apparently they've been found before, but this may be the largest. I don't have much to say about this whole thing - just wanted to share. Because giant penguins are cool.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

I'm What?!


If I were a classic movie, I'd be Apocalypse now? Really? I mean, there are those great hallucinogenic scenes of Martin Sheen's, and the bizarre behavior of Marlon Brando, but still... this is the film that almost pushed Francis Ford Copolla over the edge. Seems a little deep and intense for me. I've always thought of myself as a simpler sort - Philadelphia Story or His Girl Friday - something witty and urbane.
But it's official. After beginning this post, I decided to go back to the test and tweak a few answers to see if I could get a different result, while remaining basically honest about things. And, yup, I am Apocalypse Now. Again. What does this mean?

How a Rough Day Gets Smooth

Today I took a page from Jessie's book, and got myself extra cream cheese for my bagel - one for each side! I know, I'm too crazy. This day had all the hallmarks of a chaotic anxious day, considering its my "leave the house at 6 am and don't stop running until evening" day. Also considering that I literally left my fiction writing assignment until the very last hours before class. But, so far it's been a banner day:
  • I found $15 in the pocket of my jeans.
  • Just as I was wishing for coffee instead of green tea, Jessie appeared at my office door like a caffeine fairy and made me the best cup of joe I've had in a while.
  • I acquired not just one, but two PJ Harvey discs, and a killer Wes Montgomery 2 disc set
  • I actually did manage to put together a semblance of something good for my writing assignment (as long as you don't look too closely).
  • All that, and I managed to scrape together enough change to get said bagel (and extra cream cheese), and a Cherry Coke (my soda pop weakness), without dipping into my treasured $15
  • Oh yeah, and today the temperature at 5:45 am when I went out to start my car was (slightly) above nose-freezing-shut cold
Does life get any better?

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Revolution!

Aaargh! My stories are turning on me. They are staging a bloody coup, and I'll be lucky if I survive this one. Can you die from sheer confusion? Two of my stories have recently up and decided that they are in control of their own destinies. Who knows how many will jump on the bandwagon?


One of them has decided that it is not about the character I thought it was about. A peripheral character has taken over and he's holding on tight, insisting that this is his story, dammit. Although the story continues to be told by the same narrator (formerly protagonist), she has deferred to the authority of this other guy. Now everything is slipping and sliding around, motives are changing, dialogue is disappearing, and huge chunks of text are flying into the dustbin. I was going to try to workshop this story this week, but after this happened, I decided the story didn't deserve it, citing lack of loyalty as my reason.

So I turned to another story, a story that I thought loved me. A story that was "almost done" (hah!). A story that, although I felt that it was a little flat for reasons I couldn't pin down, I thought had gotten it as far as I could by myself. I felt secure, and maybe a little cocky, that I had this story in the bullpen. It was my safety, and I loved it like it was my gifted child.

As it turns out, a DEMON gifted child (as so many of them are). This story decided that, in actuality, it wants to now start in the middle of what I have already written. The middle. Not only that, but one of the characters has been relegated to mostly flashback and summary, and another has stepped in to perform most of the scenes he was involved in (primadonna). So what I have on my hands is a major remodel here, involving cramming major chunks of story from the first half into the second half somehow, while rearranging dialogue and several key scenes. For a story that’s due on Thursday.

It might be okay if I actually knew what I was doing, but every time something like this happens I usually have to go through a period of readjustment, study, etc. Now I don’t have that luxury. I tell you, its all part of their plan to slowly drive me insane. Maybe they’ve teamed up with the Jeep. Maybe its bigger than I even realize, a global conspiracy on the part of my possessions and creations to take over. Maybe I should let them. It might be easier that way.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Mystery Blogger

Today my cup tripped on the way to my mouth and spilled wine all the way to my genes. I would be embarrassed, except that my psycho cat tried to bite everyone's face off and that's taking up all of my embarrassment energy.

In the morning, I will be very embarrassed about this.

Good night.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

I love Philip Seymour Hoffman

It's true. He could very well be my favorite contemporary actor. Philip Seymour Hoffman has been in a gazillion movies, and always seems to inhabit his characters completely. I've seen him be hilarious (Along Came Polly, Punch Drunk Love, The Big Lebowski), heartbreaking (Boogie Nights, Owning Mahoney, Love Liza), and hip (Almost Famous, The Talented Mr. Ripley) in turns. No matter what part he plays, it seems like the character becomes him, instead of him becoming the character (I'm really wondering about the grammatical correctness of that sentence). Even when he is a peripheral character, like in Magnolia, he manages to do more with it than some of the main characters. I can't wait to see Capote, just to see what he did with it.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Irony Happens

This morning I hit a little patch of ice coming up on a stop sign. I couldn't help but laugh as I slid helplessly towards the car in front of me, a white Explorer with "Progressive Insurance" plastered all over it. I didn't hit it, but almost felt sorry I missed it, just for the sheer irony the situation would create. At least my insurance company would be right there on the scene to take care of the details!