Month: July 2005

Blogosphere Dropout

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I really haven’t even thought about any entries of note in a week, I have not read anyone else’s blog in a week…. Even though I’ve been working like a dog all week, I still feel like I’ve been on vacation from everything.

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God, I feel like I’ve totally dropped out of the blogosphere. I really haven’t even thought about any entries of note in a
week, I have not read anyone else’s blog in a week. I’ve barely been on line, haven’t IM’d, have not answered email.

Even though I’ve been working like a dog all week, I still feel like I’ve been on vacation from everything. But now I feel oddly out of touch with the online world and have a lotta catch-up reading to do.

My bachelor week is about done. And while I didn’t go anywhere, still, I feel like I’ve had a vacation. My watch is in the shop for repair, and literally, it’s been a week since I knew what time it was; it’s been a week since I cared what time it was.

So what have I done? I’m trying to think. Not much, and yet I feel like I’ve been busy. Busy not doing anything important at all. I’ve been to a few dinners, watched a few movies, finished a couple books, written quite a bit. I’ve had too much to drink almost every night. I’ve talked to friends on the phone, I’ve hung out with topless, sunbathing lesbians, I’ve seen a movie, watched some TV, and just hung out a lot. I’ve been to a couple strip clubs, gone drinking with a group of guys I just met, watched porn movies. I’ve sat in the sun and done nothing. I’ve gone swimming at midnight and slept until 10am. I’ve gone for motorcycle rides and cooked for myself. Re-wired a friend’s AV system.

I have not read any Harry Potter. Waiting for the family to get home for that one. But I have read up on Harry Potter spoilers. I’m like that.

Apart from some writing and work, I’ve avoided my computer. As I said, little IM, no blogging or reading blogs. I’m behind on mashups over at MashupTown, I’m behind on everyone’s blogs; I don’t think I’ve left a blog comment in a week.

It’s been an interesting week. I have never truly lived alone. I haven’t been this alone in years; last time I was this alone, I crashed my motorcycle and spent most of the week barely able to walk with a back sprain. This is considerably better.

Yet it’s weird to get up in the morning and not see my kids; it’s weird to not read them stories before bed. It’s weird to not have anyone to cook for; it’s weird not to have the daily, constant chaos that comes from living with a family. That chaos is both the bane and the beauty of being a father, so it’s loss is both good and bad. It’s lovely to not have to run my dishwasher daily, to not have two loads of wash every day, to know any mess I have to clean, I made. But it’s a little empty to come home from work and not have anyone say Hi Daddy.

I miss ’em. Yet, this is good; it’s been therapeutic for me in many ways. Time to think, to relax, to not have to think about anyone’s needs but mine. I think we all need more of this; fathers, mothers, husbands, wives. Our kids, if they’re lucky, sometimes go to summer camp, and some of us get to go away to college. Grownups need summer camp now and then, I think. Particularly a summer camp with strippers and sunbathing, topless lesbians.

I must say though, I’m still tempted to go get my nipples pierced before everyone comes home. I’ve been thinking about it for a week, and I just might go do it, tonight, tomorrow. I would have gotten a tattoo, were not finances a little short this month, but some part of me wants to do something that leaves a mark. Other than walking into a door.

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That’s why it’s candy

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That’s why it’s candy.I wrote a bit of this over in Ray’s comments, but I wanted to go into it here for a couple reaons. One is that I just read a very good article on Roald Dahl in The New Yorker.

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Candy doesn’t have to have a point. That’s why it’s candy.

I wrote a bit of this over in Ray’s comments, but I wanted to go into it here for a couple reasons.

One is that I just read a very good article on Roald Dahl in The New Yorker. I didn’t know a lot about him, other than vague rumors about his being a real bastard, and that (my eleven-year-old insists regularly) his first name is pronounced Roo-all, so this was pretty interesting.

Second, I wanted to highly recommend the new film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

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work in progress

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But I finally hit a stride today and the words started to come, and I had that “don’t stop don’t stop” feeling I get when the writing is working. Now if I can switch into edit and re-write mode I might have something to put up in public soon.

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I actually have a story most of the way done. I hit the ending, though it needs a lotta editing. But I finally hit a stride today and the words started to come, and I had that “don’t stop don’t stop” feeling I get when the writing is working.

Now if I can switch into edit and re-write mode I might have something to put up in public soon. It’s been a while, not since the dirty xmas story last winter.

Fingers crossed…

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Firefly

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God, I love Joss Whedon. “If they take the ship, they’ll rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skins into their clothing and if we’re very very lucky, they’ll do it in that order.””…Brought you some supper, but if you’d prefer a lecture, I’ve a few very catchy ones prepped.
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God, I love Joss.

“If they take the ship, they’ll rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skins into their clothing and if we’re very very lucky, they’ll do it in that order.”

“…Brought you some supper, but if you’d prefer a lecture, I’ve a few very catchy ones prepped. Sin and hellfire… one has lepers.”

“And I’d like to be king of all Londinum and wear a shiny hat.”

“Sweetie, we’re crooks. If everything were right, we’d be in jail.”

“We’re not gonna die. We can’t die, Bendis. You know why? Because we are so very pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die.”

The above quotes are all from the first episode of Firefly; the one that was meant to be first anyway, which is not the one that aired first. Fuck me if I know why, but I’m sure that’s been talked to death.

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The Bachelor

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about me being alone.
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No, Not the reality teevee show. I’m done with that topic.

I’m talking about a temporary bachelor.

The family are taking off for a toasty tour of the southwest (why do they call it the southwest when it’s east of here? And what’s with the midwest? It’s not mid, nor west). I, on the other hand, as a workin’ stiff, can’t always take off at the last minute with no advance planning. So I’m keepin’ the home fires burnin’ and waiting for some post-cards and t-shirts. Gray, with skulls. That’s it, you know what I like.

Meanwhile, I’ve got a big ten days here to myself.

Obviously, I’m hoping to get some writing done. It’s a prime chance, truly. And if I could turn the tap in my head, I could write a fucking novel in ten days. I’ve got the stories, and I’ve got the time. But I’ll keep expectations low and just say, I’ll work, and maybe I’ll get a story or two I can post.

Most likely, I’ll spend too much time at home. I’ll do a ton of laundry, watch a lotta movies (I got netflix again – first up, Firefly), read a thick, heavy book or two (Moby Dick? Hell, it’s on my bedside table), and drink way too much. I’m tellin’ ya, friends, if I do this, come get me outta the house. Sometimes I go hermit when I have the house to myself. Come get me and take me out and get me in trouble. I could use it.

The worst thing I do when I’m alone is that I tend to spend way too much time at work. With no reason to get home, no one to cook for or clean up after, I tend to think, I’ll just finish this today instead of putting it off. That, also, I need to resist.

Other things come to mind. Maybe I’ll take a short motorcycle trip, pack just what I need and head off up or down the coast. Maybe I’ll toss a sleeping bag and a jug of wine in my jeep and find a beach to sleep on.

Why not? A man’s gotta try for an adventure or two.

Or maybe I’ll just conduct a short tour of dive bars in my town. That shouldn’t take long, it’s a small town and it’s got too few bars. Drink up and crawl home. In the old days, I’d have gone on a weekend-long chemical vacation; I miss being young and stupid sometimes.

Hell, I’ll find some way to occupy the hours. I always do.

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Trotsky Icepick – Band Names you don’t expect to see on CNN

elvis1 Comment

I’ll take Band Names you don’t expect to see on CNN for $1000, Alex!MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) — One of history’s most infamous murder weapons, the ice pick used to kill Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, has apparently resurfaced after being lost for decades.
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I’ll take Band Names you don’t expect to see on CNN for $1000, Alex!

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MAKE THEM STOP LOOKIN’ AT ME!

elvis4 Comments

It looks innocent enough – an amateur Photoshopping contest for making headshots of women and girls look more angelic. But once you start scrolling down, the aesthetic really starts to squick you out…”From BoingBoing, as usual.

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This is just fucking creepy:

“I can’t begin to convey how creepy this is. It looks innocent enough – an amateur Photoshopping contest for making headshots of women and girls look more angelic. But once you start scrolling down, the aesthetic really starts to squick you out…”

From BoingBoing, as usual.

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the garp problem

elvis2 Comments

I’ve read a few very good pieces of erotica lately that friends have sent me, and looked at some tasty pictures, and I feel incredibly inspired. I want to write something short and direct without getting over-involved in the plot and characters, which is my typical failing.

I’m just aching to write something and I can’t seem to find the time.

I’ve read a few very good pieces of erotica lately that friends have sent me, and looked at some tasty pictures, and I feel incredibly inspired. I want to write something short and direct without getting over-involved in the plot and characters, which is my typical failing. I get too ambitious about writing some complicated character piece and the sex becomes secondary.

I’m there, right now. I’m ready to do it. And I can’t seem to find a couple of un-interrupted hours to get down and write. I can’t do fiction in little bites, I need to find the zone and go, and keep going until it’s done.

A couple of blogger friends recently sent me fan mail about some of my previous work, and it’s both inspirational and intimidating. I can do it, I’m reminded, I can write. But have that garp problem of writing something I now feel I have to live up to.

When I started this blog (fuck me, is it a year and a half ago already?), it was to be about writing. It’s in many ways gone far afield of that. I need to get back there and get something done that I can publish, if only here.

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If you love me…

elvis5 Comments

…You’ll buy me this poster: And if you know why this connects to my domain name, I love you even more than I do now.

…You’ll buy me this poster:

X-Fleshgordon

And if you know why this connects to my domain name, I love you even more than I do now.

(remind me not to blog when I’ve drunk way too much sake)

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