i want more saturdays
I often worry about being so focused that I come off negative or cynical all the time. (Side note: it's ironic because I honestly feel my biggest problem is a lack of focus or discipline.) People ask what I'm up to, and Cassie's right: my answer is something along the lines of "Well, working and writing, all the time," but I always, always say it with a very specific and unambiguous tone, as if what I'm really saying -- because it is what I'm really saying -- is, "It's not enough."
Anyway, in light of that I just wanted to make a record of the day.
Woke up to no alarm around 11 or so. Dicked around a bit, took my time getting up. Finally left the house around 12:30. Went over to Bridge City Comics, chatted for a while with Michael Ring, awesome owner and friend, about Open (shot there), Myrrh's upcoming album release (which will be sold there, and which includes a track that was featured, in Open, in the scene that was shot at Bridge City Comics: some nice syncronicity), comics, ultimate warrior battles, and whatever else. I gave him a copy of Open, finally -- only over two years late. And I bought comics for Free Comic Book Day. I got a Jason comic, some issues of Criminal, a Jeff Lemire book, some cheap things I'd never heard of. I picked up my free comics. Then I got a burrito. It was a Holy Molé. It was good.
After lunch I dragged my ass over to Lloyd Center, where I didn't write pages per se but I did create a worksheet for my characters and their story arcs, and began filling in holes. I learned about Ivy, Vic, Pullman (the President's name is Pullman), and Ana. I created a Vice President. I jotted down some notes that clarified a thematic approach to the Big Event of the story. In short, I made strides toward the arduous task of pinning down six protagonists' act-twos.
While at Lloyd Center I bumped into Pat and his boys, so we hung out for a little bit while I waited for Cassie to meet me. Cassie showed up and I went with her across town to the Blue Monk for a drink and some pesto cheese bread before the play. Then we saw "God's Ear" by Jenny Schwartz, which was admirable for aiming to be in the absurdist camp of Beckett and Mrozek and not being entirely awful. In fact, it was more good than bad, though it had some bad. Anyway I'm glad I saw it. Miranda from Devotion saw it with us. Afterward, chatting in the lobby, who should come out by Mr. Jonah Weston, whose play had gone on in the other half of Theatre Theater simultaneously. Of course we all went out for a drink. Joseph joined. One drink became two, almost three but Joseph and Cassie have early mornings tomorrow. It was pleasant.
My point is, I got comics. I got lunch. I wrote. I socialized. I saw a play. I socialized more. I even "networked" some throughout the day (Michael is a cool guy and a resource; Jonah's a fantastic actor I'd love to work with; Miranda is an awesome photographer who's looking to direct her own works soon). So, how about that? It was a productive and pleasant day. I do wish I was writing pages and not just outlining still, but I do feel good about the progress made on my outline business today. It wasn't just spinning plates. Plus I don't get out enough.
I'm just saying, since a lot of my posts are about the frustration of not writing enough or the disappointment in myself for not getting enough done: not all days are wastes and life's not all bad. And I wanted to chronicle such a thing, so I can prove it to myself later.
Now: give me more days like that. Please and thank you.