Wednesday writing wire - snow rucking edition
It's been a while since I did one of these, so here goes!
What I'm reading
I've gotten really into audio books, because they're a perfect companion for all the rucking I've been doing. (For the uninitiated, rucking = walking/hiking with a weighted pack, aka rucksack.) So far I've listened to Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and its Aftermath by Michael & Elizabeth Norman, A Brief History of the Samurai by Jonathan Clements, and right now I'm in the middle of The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman. TGoA is about the early days of World War I and is a super classic, excellent book that goes into a lot of detail (I'm halfway through the book and it's only August 25, 1914). It's also very dense and requires that you really pay attention. It probably would be best read while looking at a map, but since I'm listening & walking, I look at the map ahead of time or later.
In the non-audio book department, I've been reading some old-style SF (The Ultimate Weapon by John W. Campbell, The Compleat Bolo by Keith Laumer), and not to neglect crime fiction, I also picked up The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson, which is some scary, scary shit. I wonder if it inspired the Dexter books (which pale in comparison).
What I'm writing
After a very productive January, February put me in a writing slump due to visiting relatives, as well as playing some out-of-town shows with my band. I've finally gotten back on the horse this week and have been editing a short story, "Hoppy Thanksgiving", which I was supposed to have done a long time ago.
What else I've been doing
In the realm of "ninja training", I've been doing a lot of the aforementioned rucking, which means I've been spending a lot of time outside in the cold (which lately in Chicago has meant single digits), which really feels kind of awesome. (I can't say that I'm a "winter person"--I'm from Hawaii for Pete's sake--but I've become more and more aware of how many human beings I know who view "outside" as practically a different planet unless it's perfect weather... and they are missing out.) I've also been doing a lot of fun things with sandbags, such as sandbag get-ups (they're like Turkish get-ups, except those are usually done with a kettlebell). I really like sandbags. I suppose that makes me a sick puppy.
What's inspiring me right now
I've gotten really into watching Japanese period dramas (jidai geki) and swordfighting movies (chambara), to the point where the movie-viewing schedule at my house is starting to look like "all samurai flicks, all the time". Last watched: 13 Assassins (the remake). Next up: Twilight Samurai. Fortunately the hubs is tolerant of my obsession!
My feet. Exciting, I know!