a recent haul of letters & postcards
Just wanted to share a photo of some of the postcards & letters I've received recently. Yay for real mail!
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!
Wednesday writing wire - clean $$ edition
I'm not really much of a Christmas person. Though I did send out cards this year (real mail forever!) Anyway, happy Christkwanzakahsolsticewhatever, if you're reading this.
What I'm reading
Currently on my bookshelf: Trouble Is My Business, a collection of Raymond Chandler's short stories. Some editions of this book contain 4 or 5 stories but mine has 12, so yay! Chandler later transformed many of these stories into novels: The Big Sleep is based on "Killer in the Rain" and "The Curtain"; Farewell, My Lovely is based on "Try the Girl", "Mandarin's Jade", and "The Man Who Liked Dogs"; The Lady in the Lake is based on "The Lady in the Lake" and "No Crime in the Mountains", and I forget what else. In some of the tales, Philip Marlowe's name is Carmady, but it's the same character, or a version of him. Anyway, reading this is giving me lots of deja vu (as I've read most of his novels), and making me want to read them all again.
I'm still reading Pre Historic Times too--I actually started again from page 1, because previously I'd been reading my ebook version and the experience was just too disjointed. For example when reading the text, the relevant illustrations might be on a different page, so I'd have to "e" turn the page and then turn back... very annoying. You know what? I don't think I'm a fan of ebooks any more, for the most part, unless there's no other alternative. Especially for any book with maps or illustrations. It's just awkward. Plus when the zombies come, and society falls, and all my ebooks disappear in a puff of electrons, tree books will still be there. Long live tree books!
What I'm writing
Yep, still working on The Free City. Sometimes it starts feeling pretty discouraging; how long this is taking me, and how in the meantime "everybody else" seems to be publishing constant books and receiving giant sky-high accolades. Yah yah, I know, that's not really how it is. It's just how it feels sometimes. Blargh. Well, enough of that. Onward!
What else I've been doing
Working. Played a really fun house show with my band. Working. Work work work. Ninja training. Band practice. Cooking food. Went out to see some bands. Work work work. Write letters. Work. Many relaxing hikes with 35-lb backpack. #amwriting #amreading #amrucking #screwwork
What's inspiring me right now
Seen on the way to work:
My work is more aggravating than actually hard--and my boss is pretty chill--but I can relate to the sentiment.