Slipped the leash.

So my story that I've been not shutting up about is now about 2000 words, and will likely exceed 3000 when it's at last finished. I am plugging away regularly though, and I hope to have it up within a week.


A note on tv (again): There is a show called True Blood, you may have heard about it. It sounds like something I should like, so I occasionally try and keep up with it. Lots of swearing, people lying to each other, nudity, blood. (Wow, and now it sounds like I just listed the things I like. I meant fantasy, people. It's about vampires, okay?)

Anyway, as I was changing into my bike clothes and trying to remember not to put my pants on inside-out, I had a thought. True Blood- a pretty badass name, no? But blood is literally the only bodily fluid that is badass. True Bile? Vomit. True Spit? No. True Tears? Sounds like a barrel of laughs. True Pee? A fetish film. Maybe it is already. It would take a braver soul than I to google it. The only thing that approaches blood's monopoly on awesome is sweat, but True Sweat seems more suited to a reality show about bodybuilders on Spike tv, which is only badass until you realise that most bodybuilders are very strange people who have life goals amounting to walking on a stage, to music, in a speedo, in order for someone to pat them on the back, give them a sack of money, and say "Congratulations. You have the scariest veins ever. Please wash off that fake tan the instant you get back home?"



More blogging anon.

So no story yesterday (or today, for that matter.) Turns out I was way off in my length estimations, haha. And going to the game instead of writing wasn't helpful. (Worth it though - they won big.)

The other day when I mentioned to mother that maybe I'd like to submit a short story to a magazine one day, she scoffed. An actual scoff. There is a lot of motivation right there, if only in the form of show-up-itude.

A Public Service Announcement.

A short post today, as I still have 500+ words to crank out before I feel satisfied enough to sleep, and boy do I need sleep.

Despite my oft-repeated and clearly accurate statement that I should be in charge of tv, I really don't watch that much of it. There are a few shows that are articulate, thoughtful, well acted, and all around good quality, but most of them fail to hold my interest. This is a fault of mine, not these shows. The rest of tv panders to either the lowest common denominator, or at least the second lowest. Whenever I say this, I always feel very superior and pretentious, but I DO NOT like these sorts of shows. And clearly someone does, because they are often the shows that do well enough to linger, while the truly unique shows (The Unusuals, Wonderfalls, to name some off the top of my head) never do well, particularly on mainstream prime time. Some of the shows I dislike, in case you were wondering, include Ghost Whisperer, CSI, 99% of reality programming and talent shows, and South Park.

On to the point of this diatribe; I have discovered a show that not only do I enjoy, but I make sure I see every single episode, some more than once (praise the DVR!) That show, dear friends, is Nurse Jackie.

I hear your objections already:

Wait, what is this? I've never heard of it!
Puh-lease, another show about a medical professional addicted to painkillers?
Puh-lease, another show about medical professionals?
But I don't really like Edie Falco...

Ok, a) It's a show about a nurse. Named Jackie. And her friends and patients and husband and children and boyfriend and crippling back pain.
b) She could stop if she wanted too! Shut up!
c) Well, SOMETHING had to take the place of ER. It left a void (admittedly the void was there several years before they finally pulled the plug, but I digress.)
d) You are a crazy person. Watch it and have your mind broadened.

These clips will conclude my (hopefully convincing) recommendation:

A sheepish hi.

March? Really, March? I amaze myself sometimes.

So I'm not sure if I actually have anything worth blogging, or perhaps I am just out of practice and really there is a cornucopia of magical and amusing anecdotes to tell you and I just need to access them. I dunno.

As far back as my memory goes, that is to say lunchtime, nothing particularly wonderful has happened. Today.

I have finally devised a life plan though.

I know, right? Me, actually deciding for once what I want to do with my life? Redonk!

It is, of course, not the most practical of life plans, but I have never been the most practical of people, certainly in terms of goal setting/attaining. (See last post.)

The idea is to become an actor/writer, failing that just a writer, and while I wait for my fingers to crank out the next great Canadian novel, working in the publishing industry. I don't know yet in what capacity, but I expect I'll have a few gruelling years as an intern to figure that out.

And since writers write, I have actually made a go of this. I've been slowly plugging away at what I hope will turn out to be a full length novel. While I am doing this, I figure I'd take a page from Liam's book and write short stories to put on this blog. a), it'll give you people something to read, and b) it'll give my somewhere to channel energy and practice when I'm feeling blocked on my book.

A caveat -

I am ridiculously insecure about my writing. This is a major part of why I haven't written in the past, as this is perhaps the one realm of my life in which I am irritatingly perfectionist. My worries (concerning fiction, anyway) is that it will be singularly uninteresting and lacking any sort of engaging conflict. That being said, I'm not looking for reassurances, but rather critiques and criticisms and HONESTY from you guys. That may seem counter-intuitive on the surface, but I think it will help me grow as a writer. The opinions of people you trust can be a damn powerful motivating tool.

I've got a story on the drawing (writing?) board right now, expect it Thursday or Friday.

And now I bid you adieu. I must brush my teeth and kick a snoring dog off my bed.