"Joy and pleasure are as real as pain and sorrow and one must learn what they have to teach. . . ." -- Sean Russell, from Gatherer of Clouds

"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." -- Helyn D. Goldenberg

"I love you and I'm not afraid." -- Evanescence, "My Last Breath"

“If I hear ‘not allowed’ much oftener,” said Sam, “I’m going to get angry.” -- J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

So, This Is 2006. . . .

I don't feel serious today. In fact, I don't really feel like thinking at all. In about two weeks I'll forget that the year has changed and I'll start dating things 2005. Happens every year.

I've joined a new Yahoo group which has some very interesting people in it. They post a lot of messages, though. Another Australian connection. (Also under the category of "small world." The man who runs the group was directed to some of my reviews by a correspondent in California and contacted me. I know more people outside of Chicago than I do in town.)

I love Australia. Perhaps I should say that I love the idea of Australia. For an American Midwesterner, it's got to be the most exotic place in the world. (I happen to be extraordinarily fond of wombats, and I have no idea why. I just am.) The upside-down place, where it gets warmer the farther north you go. I love it.

Life guards.

Strange wildlife, and orchids that spend their entire lives underground. They even bloom underground. Camels running around loose (at least, there used to be).

They have cowboys, which until recently never fascinated me all that much. (I wonder how that happened?)

Beaches all over the place. There's something about being next to the ocean that's not like anything else in the world.

Life guards.

At any rate, I think I may spend today working on a romance that I've been batting around for a couple of years. The basic story idea is solid, I think, it's just that the first version was -- well, let's not go there. ("Bad" doesn't even come close.) I've been writing well the last couple of days. Maybe I'm getting some focus back.

Life guards. I don't even like swimming. Maybe I should practice drowning.

I'll go back to politics later. I have some reading to do that looks very interesting -- more thoughts from Alex, an article that I'm not quite sure I agree with, and some thoughts from another member of the group, and that article on the end of gay culture from Andrew Sullivan, which I know has holes in it but I can't quite pin them down right now. Eventually.

Maybe something on the politics of life guards.

And then there are the headlines. Yeah, well. . . .

Later

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bob
Nice to hear all those romantic ideas about the exotic nature of Australia. Funny to hear of course too, since I'm from there. To me, going north and getting hot makes perfect sense.

We are of course very used to hearing about the northern hemisphere and its topsy turvyness - Xmas in winter and all that. I can handle the idea of Xmas in winter - but summer in June??? That is just weird! And how boring would those long summer school vacations be with out Xmas to start them off?

I'm going to have to send you some pictures of life-guards - they wear long sleeved yellow shirts these days, to protect from the sun (and the hole in the ozone layer). It's just not quite the same as they used to be unfortunately. I do have a story set on the beach which I will send you if you don't mind - no life guards, only surfers. But I do have a character in mind who is a lifeguard...

And I'm curious to hear your views on that article, especially now you said you are not sure you agree. It brings up a lot of different ideas, changes our view on the ancient world and its attitude to homosexuality.

Alex

Hunter said...

Do send me some pictures, Alex -- I'll post them.