So I have this new WordPress blog, and already anxiety about posting. I haven’t figured out yet whether I’ll write about writing, music or some other completely unrelated topic, but we’ll see. If this can push me to write a little more and write a little more frequently, then well and good. Motivation is the hardest thing for me. Sometimes I’ll write for a stretch, almost every day, other times my own personal lazy gremlin takes over and then it’s hard to get back in. I know I’m not the only one with this problem, but it’s something you can easily share. At least not verbally. This blog is like my own private therapist 🙂 (That’s what I call my ipod).

On a related (or unrelated) note, I managed to get a short story in to Glimmer Train Press for their August 31 deadline. The category was open to unpublished writers, or those whose work had appeared in a magazine with a circulation of 5000 or less. That certainly includes me; in the first category really, and I had to write like hell for three days to come up with a 6000+ word story based on my recent trip to Mexico. I visited a quaint little village named Salyuta there, and that was the name of my story. I hope people who know Salyuta won’t mind. I made it it out into a dark and dangerous place because I needed some excitement, but in reality, its a tourist oriented new-age hangout. Very proud of that effort. It was intense, including proof reading and editing at the last moment.

Mexico was great, but hot!!! So hot that I started blistering on my forehead and forearms by the end of the 7 days. My fault entirely for not using the fancy SPF70 sunblock that I bought at CVS the day before we left. But then, who thinks of applying sunblock on their head? I played golf (!!!) for the first time in Nuevo Vallarta, and I think the sun on the links was totally instrumental in making my head peel off. That was the least of my worries anyway. The unaccustomed exercise left me sore in my shoulders and forearms for days afterward. Never realized that the game was so physical. Lost quarts of sweat on the green and seemingly pounds of weight when on the scale back in the hotel but it was all just water under the bridge (or out of my body).

Also found a contest (sort of) on Writing.com that i thought was quirky and interesting. Not so much pressure there and definitely more low key. It’s a genre fiction thing, and I love dabbling in science fiction and noir fantasy. I’m sorely tempted to just dig in and write in the SF genre, just for the heck of it, but most literary rags look down on such stuff. Pity, because I enjoy reading it so much. At some point, I should explore all the online magazines, ezines and such that specialize in SF and see if I should make a switch.

All this of course just to keep me and my pen (or rather my fingers, keyboard and computer) occupied. The craziest part is I seem to be able to write more at work than at home, although it should be vice versa. too much distraction at home. In the office, once I’ve taken care of business I can always put in an hour or two of solid scribbling, and that seems to be the way I’m mostly operating nowadays. I have the same problem with music too. Luckily I practice with a band every Monday, otherwise I’ll not play at all. Just as an example, I got myself a new delay pedal from T.C.Electronics last Friday and I still haven’t taken it out of the box. The same old whinge applies here too. Too lazy so no time. I like sitting out on the porch with a drink and a book during the summer time when I get home, and it’s so damn hot anyways that I can’t do much else. So it’s like being caught between two devils. They’re standing on either shoulder, whispering in my ear, and I’m so distracted by both of them that I end up not paying any attention to either. Ce la vie