Through-composed

It's official, and every moment that passes it's getting more and more official. I will not be able to return for another semester at the Writing Gym. Why I won't be able to return is a matter I would rather not discuss here, but suffice it to say that I have served it as best and as loyally I could.

The things that started in Chapter Five are coming to an end alarmingly quickly, actually. As far as I can tell, there is no more Stud Life. There is also no more Bohemia, and the Bohemians have now sought shelter elsewhere, with varying degrees of success, of course. I have two or three side-projects that are finally seeing the first tentative light of day: Planet Run, God/Man, and some odds and ends here and there, including a portion of a short story. Even the debt I incurred Colleague seems to be manageably sifting away... because of my Collective check I was able to pay off a huge chunk of it. I think I'll be able to turn the page pretty soon... but I don't think I've anticipated Chapter Six quite as well as I did this one.

What do you do when you have a serious problem that's rending you into pieces, and the only people you can talk to about it are the ones who rent you in the first place? "Something bothering you?" What do I say? That's why I've said "No."

If all this life, together with the drama, were composed (and choreographed and scored) all in one go, I'd like to have a word with the Director.

Song in my head: Cora Corman and Alex Fletcher, "Way Back into Love".

Death list three

I was walking with Maggie and Jesse from Bohemia to Colleague, on the left side of the road, in order to watch out for vehicles. Suddenly a burly-looking truck loomed behind us slowly, on the wrong side of the road. There were suddenly three vehicles all around us, and just as quickly the road was empty again.

We looked at each other, and finally I said, "Did someone order a hit on one of us?" Then we cooked up multiple conspiracy theories as to which of us ordered the hit, and which one of us it was on. My favorite theory that came out was that I ordered the hit, and that it was for Elaine, but since Elaine was not walking with us the hit did not go through, and that there was nevertheless a timebomb in my car that, as soon as Jesse realized its existence, I had to deactivate. ^_^

I called it a rehearsal of emotions should one (or more) should suddenly die. It was funny, but at least to me, it was thought-provoking. And hey, seeing Maggie get some fresh air with us that night? That's got to be valuable.

I talked with Serenity earlier today. For once, it was day here, and it was the deep of night in Oz where she is at. ^_^ A reversal of roles... and finally I got her to talk at length about something happening with her! Did I really have to wait this long to hear about her side of the screen for a change?

Good luck, Serenity. In all that you do.

In other news I finally used the pasta machine. Pictures will follow soon.

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Song in my head: Sean Cullen, "Wood, Cheese, and Children".

Day # 8400

Can you imagine?

Thanks for coming to the party. You know who you are. ^_^

Song in my head: Survivor, "Eye of the Tiger".

Seventeen syllables, No. 6

"Good night!" "Good night." "Drive
Safely!" "You two have a good
Night." "OK, 'bye!" "'Bye."

Seventeen syllables, No. 2

The sandwich last night
Had the exact amount of
Yucky mayonnaise.

One down

This morning I finished To Kill a Mockingbird. I have completed my spatialization of the novel, which, my Literature professor says, is what you do the first time you read a book. You basically toil through the book to reach the end and to find out what happens. The way to find the great books, I deduced, is to look for those books which survive spatialization--the ones who bear a second read. That means that this semester saw me with three great books, then.

Now the rest of my reading list awaits.

Jesse gave me great advice today, applicable to life as well as math problems: if you don't know what to do, do something and quick. Chances are that the things you know how to do are the things you are supposed to do.

Thanks for reading.

Song in my head: Busta Rhymes feat. Mariah Carey, "I Know What You Want". It's been ages since I heard this one.

Nothing, and To kill a mockingbird

Yesterday was a good day to do nothing.

Now don't get me wrong; I did something, but in this case I think that the sum of the things I did amounted to much less than the individual things I did. I mean, sure, I watched TV, and ate lunch, and sat around at home. But I had no net output.

...you know what? It felt kind of good. ^_^

And, I guess, good for nothing.

OK, but I did read a few more chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm enjoying it mightily. I cannot remember what I was doing the same day lat year, but I am fairly certain that I didn't read any fiction. I'm thinking that this English class is reawakening something in me that I thought was dead for a long time.

When I got to the second to the last page of Regeneration by Pat Barker, I put it down, uneasy. There they were, Rivers writing a report about Sassoon's progress in Craiglockhart, and I was keenly aware of the fact that if I read any more paragraphs in five minutes, Rivers would cease all conscious, observable thought, action,--change. In a sense, he would die, together with Prior, Sassoon, Burns, Anderson, Bryce, Sarah Lumb, and all the other characters. And I would kill them, they whom I have resurrected in my brain so that they could play scenes for both my escape and edification. Pat Barker, like Charles Dickens and Mary Shelley before her, made the dough, but I baked the characters in my own mind. And as a result my Rivers and Sassoon would be different from Jesse's Rivers and Sassoon and from the Riverses and Sassoons the thousands of other readers would have had.

I felt a sense of thrill in this co-creation, this amazingly intimate, unique collaboration between author and reader. In the last four years I have not read a single work of fiction (OK, that's most probably not true, but I cannot remember any) because I thought for a long time that my imagination is dead, or at least broken, and I didn't know how to fix it. As a result I read mostly nonfiction works, like textbooks and instruction manuals. But now I'm thinking about writing a reading list, and commenting on my latest characters.

If this tirade is a bit long, blame Kim. She gave me the questionnaires that gave birth to these thoughts. And I'm glad she did; I hope that this Summer doesn't halt my reading activities. And I guess I'm also glad that Elaine and Jesse own so many classics. ^_^

Thanks for reading.

Song in my head: James Taylor, "On the 4th of July". I thought of this song when I read about Prior and Sarah having their moment in the bushes in Regeneration.

P.S. You should really try reading fiction aloud. Sure, it can get tedious, but you're rewarded by hearing your characters talk. I credit To Kill a Mockingbird with bestowing my normal speaking voice with an Alabaman twang for the time being. ^_^

Laughing all the way

What was I doing at 4:20 at 4/20? I was driving.

Song in my head: The Pillows, "Sha-la-la-la".

P.S. OK, more things happened yesterday, but to make it clear, I didn't participate in the festivities. ^_^

Like a sudden alignment of planets--

Today I spent some time with Madge playing some pool. I haven't played it for ages, but I was glad to realize that I am just as poor at it as I was when I first started. ^_^ But pool is one of those things where if you aren't having a good time, you might as well quit. So it was quite a favorable bellwether that Madge and I played four games, much to the hilarity of both of us. "That's got to be the most fun I've had playing pool," she said.

Hey, I can't take all the credit, can I? I mean, I can't help but laugh at a game where you take turns hitting balls with thin sticks. Again, if you're not having fun, why are you still doing it? ^_^

Then there was some FFFFF afterwards. I didn't know you could walk up Happylanding Road, albeit with much exertion!

Here's to more matches in desolate pool halls. And score one for the random guy in a bike, wearing a black hoodie and Pringles in his pocket.

Thanks for reading.

50 Cent, featuring Lupe Fiasco, "Touch the Sky".

A mountain of dishes

Whenever I think that I should contribute more to the work at home, I turn around and I realize that I really have four homes. ^_^ Thanks, Elaine, for pointing it out.

Thanks for reading.

Song in my head: Rent, "Seasons of Love".

First run

It feels extremely good to be able to run all the distance between Bohemia and the customary place for parking my vehicle. ^_^

I will do it again tomorrow, no excuses.

But Salad Night was cancelled. I don't know whether Wendy's is an appropriate substitution thereof.

Thanks for reading.

Song in my head: Franz Ferdinand, "Michael".

These are hard times, indeed, and Pancho-tacos

After some tutoring at the Staircase, I made an unannounced visit to Bohemia. But as I discovered, not as unannounced as I thought. ^_^ But I did get to read to the end of Book II of Hard Times by Dickens, and to cook some pancakes.

Pancho-tacos
Traditional Bohemian cuisine

• 1 cup pancake mix


• 0.75 cup + 1 tbsp water


• 1 scoop ice cream (rocky road, double dutch or any other flavor)


• Butter to coat pan


• chocolate syrup to taste

1. Mix the pancakes and water, stirring until combined. Do not overstir.


2. Coat a medium low to medium high pan with butter.


3. Pour the pancake batter in batches, turning once after about one and a half minutes. Note: To show off to the ladies, accomplish the flip with the pan. Remember: it's all in the wrist.


4. Place the finished pancakes on a stack.


5. To serve yourself: take a pancake in hand, scoop in ice cream, add chocolate syrup over it, and fold into the shape of a taco.

Try it.

Then later that night I became an impromptu emcee at one of my sister's friend's parties, so my voice is gone for today. ^_^

Thanks for reading.

Song in my head: F4, "情非得已 (Qing Fei De Yi)".