My brother and I were working on a script together this week and part of the inspiration was: "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
Right now, I'm hoping that's true. I've been in an upheaval of changes lately, adapting to new situations personally and professionally, one tiny or major change at a time.
On the personal front, the main change is of course the new house! Roomy and I absolutely love it but it's a heck of a change. Our old routines are gone, and our house, only half (okay, a quarter) unpacked, is not yet welcoming of new routines. We're figuring it out, and it is fun decorating the new place one tiny section at a time. It'll be a while yet before we can host a housewarming party!
One of the major changes in my routine is losing my morning Klingon bus buddy. He was my first human contact in the mornings, so it's strange to no longer have him there on the bus, waiting to stand up and let me sit next to the window (so I wouldn't go flying out - I guess he grew weary of me latching on to his arm every time the bus took wild turns. Which was all the time). I miss our early morning geek chatter. It was an awesome way to start the day.
The other major change is that, for the past eleven years, with only one year off, I've been writing downtown every morning. Over the past two years, I've gone from solitary writing to group writing. That in itself took a while to get used to (people! People in my space!) After some resistance I got used to it and now I really enjoy it (or I'm suffering from stockholm syndrom). At the end of next week, on the same day that marks my 35th birthday, I'll no longer be trekking downtown on weekdays, so I lose my writing buddies. They're already working on finding me a new group, so I have high hopes on that end. Still, I'll miss Derek, Nicole and Brian, just like I missed Peter when he upped and went to China (although I enjoy making people believe he's a figment of Derek's imagination).
All of these changes in my daily social interactions come at an interesting time. For the first time since 2008, I have no writing contract. Not one. For the past four years and a bit, I've been working at finishing my two series, and I'd write short stories for anthology editors who specifically requested one from me. That approach worked for me. Now, there isn't another book under contract. And a whole slew of books that I've been ignoring are clamouring for attention, each puffing its feathers to entice me to dance with them. So many awesome books that I get excited just thinking about it!
First, however, I want to cleanse my palate a bit. Some short stories would do me some good. And then I'll decide what my next book will be. I'm getting excited just thinking about the possibilities!
The more things change, the more they stay the same. The writing community in Ottawa is growing, or at least coming out of the woodwork at a steady pace, so I'll always get to meet new writers and find new writing buddies. My home is lovely and as homey as ever before, because it's still full of cats and books and ponies and a Roomy (just one). And the writing still whispers in the back of my mind, enticing me to drop everything else and run away with it, if not to a convent then at least to the confines of my mind.
As for a Klingon bus buddy? ... well, the world can only provide something so cool so often. Sometimes, it's good to lower expectations.
Right now, I'm hoping that's true. I've been in an upheaval of changes lately, adapting to new situations personally and professionally, one tiny or major change at a time.
On the personal front, the main change is of course the new house! Roomy and I absolutely love it but it's a heck of a change. Our old routines are gone, and our house, only half (okay, a quarter) unpacked, is not yet welcoming of new routines. We're figuring it out, and it is fun decorating the new place one tiny section at a time. It'll be a while yet before we can host a housewarming party!
One of the major changes in my routine is losing my morning Klingon bus buddy. He was my first human contact in the mornings, so it's strange to no longer have him there on the bus, waiting to stand up and let me sit next to the window (so I wouldn't go flying out - I guess he grew weary of me latching on to his arm every time the bus took wild turns. Which was all the time). I miss our early morning geek chatter. It was an awesome way to start the day.
The other major change is that, for the past eleven years, with only one year off, I've been writing downtown every morning. Over the past two years, I've gone from solitary writing to group writing. That in itself took a while to get used to (people! People in my space!) After some resistance I got used to it and now I really enjoy it (or I'm suffering from stockholm syndrom). At the end of next week, on the same day that marks my 35th birthday, I'll no longer be trekking downtown on weekdays, so I lose my writing buddies. They're already working on finding me a new group, so I have high hopes on that end. Still, I'll miss Derek, Nicole and Brian, just like I missed Peter when he upped and went to China (although I enjoy making people believe he's a figment of Derek's imagination).
All of these changes in my daily social interactions come at an interesting time. For the first time since 2008, I have no writing contract. Not one. For the past four years and a bit, I've been working at finishing my two series, and I'd write short stories for anthology editors who specifically requested one from me. That approach worked for me. Now, there isn't another book under contract. And a whole slew of books that I've been ignoring are clamouring for attention, each puffing its feathers to entice me to dance with them. So many awesome books that I get excited just thinking about it!
First, however, I want to cleanse my palate a bit. Some short stories would do me some good. And then I'll decide what my next book will be. I'm getting excited just thinking about the possibilities!
The more things change, the more they stay the same. The writing community in Ottawa is growing, or at least coming out of the woodwork at a steady pace, so I'll always get to meet new writers and find new writing buddies. My home is lovely and as homey as ever before, because it's still full of cats and books and ponies and a Roomy (just one). And the writing still whispers in the back of my mind, enticing me to drop everything else and run away with it, if not to a convent then at least to the confines of my mind.
As for a Klingon bus buddy? ... well, the world can only provide something so cool so often. Sometimes, it's good to lower expectations.
You are far too kind in your praise of this old Klingon! However I must agree that the mornings aren't as bright since you stopped gracing the 172 with your geekiness.
ReplyDeleteRob aka
Thought Admiral Korath epetai-MolaQ, GTKE, KAD
Senior Command Officer, KAG Kanada