Back in Black

GOSHDARN. I’ve been sick as a vegetarian in The Jungle, and feeling pretty poorly. BUT. That’s certainly no excuse for the utter negligence I’ve shown my blog. Sorry guys. 

Been doing some more transcribing of the ol’ manuscript. Tedious. I think Christmas break will show a large jump of my progress. In fact, it’ll have to, this deadline is drawing ever, ever closer and I find myself just sittin around with my finger in my nose. Well, that’s not true. I have a lot of school work. And basketball is always a MUCH bigger commitment that I remember. NONETHELESS I need to hop on it. “Get on my horse” as my coach would say.

On a side note, I’ve been absolutely tearing through Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. EPIC STUFF. It seriously is. He calls it his masterpiece, and the pinnacle of his career. And while it’s impressive, it moves kind of slowly. Which I don’t have a problem with, but it can get kind of stagnant. The images and landscapes he paints though…NUTS. Absolutely inspiring to us writer types. So. Look for some King influences in the novel that I emit. 

Well then. I think I’ll go read some. How’s that grab ya?

Breaking the Silence

Yup, it’s been a while…I had an excellent Thanksgiving…and now I’m a bit under the weather. Got a nasty cough and a boatload of post-nasal drip…

Been transposing my original project onto the computer. If you’ll recall there are two components to my novel: the project I did in class called The Fitful Dreams of Some Greater Awakening, a stream of consciousness piece that is semi-autobiographical, and 149 Seconds: The Story of a Dream, the novel that came out of that. In fact, the novel begins with a passage right out of the project, and in the project, the protagonist writes a novel with that title. Crazy.

I wrote Fitful Dreams on an old electric typewriter…and still don’t have an electronic copy. So that’s what I’m transposing.

AND my big dilemma: how do I merge the two, how do I bring the two together for my final novel? Fitful Dreams chronicles, rather briefly, the protagonist’s entire life in memories as he is committing suicide. 149 Seconds is about an accident the protagonist is involved in when he is a teenager, in which his heart stops for 149 seconds. The entire piece is about that period of time–he basically journeys through his dreams to find reality and his body again.

I have no idea how to put them together.

Post #100!

Well, not only has this post coincided with the conclusion of the Word of the Day bit from the Devil’s Dictionary, it happens to be the 100th! Yeeha!

AND today was the final performance of The Tale of Two Cities, put on by the Austin Waldorf High School. Good stuff, that….it was an epic show, and I’d like to give today’s shout out to:

Arthur Pittis: King Arthur, the director/writer of the production, and many other things including, but not limited to, set designer, stage crew foreman, assistant choreographer, AWESOME English teacher, etc.

AND

Peter Stopschinski: Big Stops. Pulled out ALL the ‘Stops’, pun intended, in the production of this show. Conductor/composer/all around BALLER, he’s a cool cat to boot.

That’s all for tonight folks. Adieu.

Word of the Day

Zeal: A certain nervous disorder afflicting the young and inexperienced. A passion that goeth before a sprawl.

Word of the Day

Yoke: An implement, madam, to whose Latin name, jugum, we owe one of the most illuminating words in our language — a word that defines the matrimonial situation with precision, point and poignancy. A thousand apologies for withholding it.

Poem

Moments.

Reflections of life through the pane of 

tinted truth embellish reality. Who can say

what is real, what is a dream, or what

is simply

wishful thinking.

Not I, but time

and time again I find that neighbors,

that brothers,

that friends will distinguish the differences.

Word (Letter) of the Day

X: in our alphabet being a needless letter has an added invincibility to the attacks of the spelling reformers, and like them, will doubtless last as long as the language. X is the sacred symbol of ten dollars, and in such words as Xmas, Xn, etc., stands for Christ, not, as is popular supposed, because it represents a cross, but because the corresponding letter in the Greek alphabet is the initial of his name — Xristos. If it represented a cross it would stand for St. Andrew, who “testified” upon one of that shape. In the algebra of psychology x stands for Woman’s mind. Words beginning with X are Grecian and will not be defined in this standard English dictionary.

Journal Entry

WELL. Haven’t done one of these in a while. 

Finished/submitted my application to Swarthmore College in time for Early Decision.

Went on an awesome weekend camping trip to the Krause Spring area with some friends.

Finished the set for The Tale of Two Cities, the musical AWS us putting on–it opens tomorrow.

AND been kickin’ some basketball BUTT…when it’s not kicking mine at practice. Pretty cool picture that Van Hoisington, Sr. took of me at Tuesday’s game in Round Rock:

The musical and basketball have pretty much been dominating my life…and my college app, I suppose, before I got it in. Still haven’t worked on the novel in a while, besides a word or two here and there. However, I’ve been doing some planning…some outline sketches for where I think I’m going to go with it. 

OOH. Another thing. Started reading Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series…it’s amazing.

Word of the Day

Witch: (1) Any ugly and repulsive old woman, in a wicked league with the devil. (2) A beautiful and attractive young woman, in wickedness a league beyond the devil.

Word of the Day

Vote: The instrument and symbol of a freeman’s power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country.