Looking Forward

The updates have been sparse because I've had quite a lot on my plate recently (as referenced in the last post). Slowly, I'm finding things that ease the tension. In no particular order:

Aromatherapy

Looking forward to something

Doesn't have to be anything big like, "One day I'll eat baguettes in a French cafe in France every day." Something smaller like looking for pictures of French cafes, or watching a movie I haven't seen in a while, painting my nails, reading a book, or going to a store I like. Makes it easier to leave my hubby and kitty in my cozy, former apartment when I can think, "well, at least I can watch this chick flick when I get home."

Watch some funny videos

Sometimes you can fight your way out of something, look for a better job, or replace XYZ thing. Sometimes you can't. You make the best of it and listen to your body to tell you if you can take on anything else. If not, watch 10 episodes of The Monkees in a row because it makes you laugh like a 5-year-old.

If all else fails...

In other news ... 

I've been interviewed on Janiera Eldridge's blog: This is From My Heart. It's always great fun to talk to new people and share my love of writing with them. Sometimes it still seems weird that something so personal to me is even interesting to someone else.

Also just got my quarterly statement in from one of my works, and it will probably pay a (very small) grocery bill or one large pizza! But hey, I'm getting to do what I love, and isn't that worth more than all the money in the world? (... Maybe I should ask my husband what he thinks about that ...)

Help me order one more pizza or buy two bags of groceries next quarter by purchasing one of my books!

Finally ...

More Subway Art:

Life changes

There should be a minimum of things that can happen in one year. Certainly getting fired, changing careers, moving to a new city, beginning and finishing school, living away from one's spouse, getting a new job, moving twice, finishing and publishing a book should be spread into at least 5 years. Well, fortunately for those of you in the same boat, here are some pictures of things that make me a little less stressed when all those things build up to the "maybe I just won't get off the subway today" point.

love and cuddles

handful of these

a flock of geese at Eaton Centre in Toronto

flying kitties in a Toronto store window

a Frappuccino while I edit

coffee at home almost with the same name as hubby

wine with almost the same name as me

intricate Christian art

the place I'd rather be

this ridiculous self-portrait (by Ducreux)

Characters

I wrote a post a little while ago about how I prefer a great story to "delicious words." Today's topic is about how sometimes the story isn't anything stunning, but the characters make it work.

One of my favorites for a long time has been Alan Partridge (you'll find I have a soft spot in my heart for British comedy). In the series, the character is a late night talk show host who routinely insults his guests and generally makes an ass of himself. In this clip, he accidentally shoots one of his guests and carries on with the remainder of the show.


A more recent favorite is Roy from The IT Crowd, because he acts like he doesn't care about anything, but in almost every show, he ends up in some strange predicament, crying over a girl, or overreacting to something seemingly normal. One of my favorite scenes involves him learning (from a website) the exact date and time he will die. When that minute arrives, (in the congregation of a funeral) he mistakes his cell phone vibrations for a heart attack.

Sticking with the British theme, I've also started re-reading High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. (Can we all agree that the movie would have been better if they hadn't made it American? No? Just me?) I'd forgotten how much I like Rob, the main character. What makes him, and all of these characters (and so many others) memorable and enjoyable is that there's not just one side to them. Just like the rest of us, they're happy, sad, their hearts get broken, they're annoyed, they're good and evil, and all a little bit unhappy with the way their lives are turning out. Characters like this let us know someone else understands what we're going through -- that's why we love them.