Mondays are for family. Coincidentally, that’s the subject I’ve assigned myself for my Monday posts. I don’t know how many people read this, but I can easily hazard to say that it’s at least one. My lovely Anne. She’s my biggest (okay, so far my only) fan. And guess what? If she’s the only one who ever reads anything I write, I’ll be happy with that. She’s really the only person I want to impress. At any rate, if there are any more of you out there, I’ll tell a bit how I arrived at the Monday philosophy. I’m a Mormon. For those of you who don’t know, that’s the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or the LDS church. (Interested? Don’t Google Mormon. You’ll get a zillion cubic butt-tons of anti-Mormon stuff that tells about how we’re this cult that sacrifices non-LDS babies on pagan altars at our Temple or how we all have horns or whatever. It’s really frustrating and at the same time kinda entertaining. People are pretty bigoted toward us, and for no good reason other than that we believe differently. Prejudice, thy name is Man. If you really want to know what we’re about, go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.com (or is that a .org too...can’t recall...). Better yet, next time those two young people knock at your door (the ones who are not the Jehovah’s Witnesses, anyway), invite them in. They really were sent by God to deliver a message to you. Failing that, at least don’t buy into all the anti-hype about us. We’re really Christians, and very much not-a-cult. Random proselytizing: check.) In the LDS faith, a huge amount of emphasis is placed on your family and the relationships you forge with them. And since we live in this modern world where everyone moves so fast and schedules are in constant flux, the church designated a day for just the fam. If you look around in Utah, you’ll find lots of businesses that are open Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Ninety-nine out of a hundred of those are prolly LDS-owned. Simple reasoning, really; Sunday is the Lord’s Day and Monday is for the family. Well, as my long-suffering Anne can confirm, I’m not so great as the so-called spiritual leader of my family. We’re supposed to do this thing on Mondays called Family Home Evening, where we get together and do something that brings us closer together. It can be on a spiritual subject or not, but the goal is to strengthen those familial bonds. Well, we don’t do that as much as we should. I blame it on the fact that I grew up in an inactive family (called Jack-Mormons). But that’s just an excuse. It’s really because I’m a turd. I know what I need to do, I just don’t do it. Don’t misunderstand; we have a great family life. We’re close, but we need to be closer.
Well, the goal of this long diatribe is to put myself on notice. I’m going to be better. It’s not going to be easy to break the old habits that have been forming all my life, but I’m going to do it. I owe it to my family.
Tuesdays, I have decided, are to be devoted to discussing plans and projects. So, here goes. I have abandoned my fantasy novel. This is on the advice of Brandon Sanderson and his crew of creative misfits on their podcast site www.writingexcuses.com. In one of the episodes, they advise that you put aside pet projects and do something completely different for your first novel. I found the advice to be sound. I really hate the idea of stagnating on something, and I have felt that I was doing just that. I tend to get really excited about things then lose all my focus and wallow. Thanks, adult ADD. Anyway, my new project is quite a departure. I tend to write for a mature audience. My short stories are often not something I’d let my kids read. (I know, I know. I’m supposed to be this big scion of morality, what with being a Mormon and all. I have already decided to tone down my naughtiness. Otherwise, I might just flub up and get myself into some sort of trouble.) The new book, thought, is for a younger audience. And, the biggest jog in concept for me is that the hero of the tale is going to be a girl. I’ve never done anything from a female point of view before. It should be a challenge, but one that helps me grow as a writer. At least that’s the hope.
Other projects:
- I’m working on a D&D campaign for my kids and their friends. It’s been heap-good fun so far. If you’re an old-school RPG nerd like me and you have lost touch with the whole scene because you don’t think you have the time, pick up the 4th Edition of D&D. It’s very much a changed-for-the-better game.
- In relation to that, I’ve also picked up miniature painting again. Back in the day, I had a pretty huge collection of fantasy minis that I bought from my bro-in-law. I kick myself every day for selling all that stuff on eBay. *shakes fist at sky* Curse you, Poverty!!!
- I continue to teach myself guitar. I decompress by singing and playing.
- Home and handyman-related stuff is ongoing. I have a little surprise in mind for my Sweetness, but can’t dish that here. It’s gonna be awesome! She hates, hates, hates surprises! It makes me giddy as a school girl to keep her in the dark about what I’m planning for her!
Wednesdays, I’ve decided to devote to off-the-writing-subject topics. This is a blog designed to follow my meteoric (irony, anyone?) rise from obscurity, but I do have opinions on many subjects.
Right now, I’m a bit freaked out about what’s happening to my country. To really understand why I feel that way, we have to discuss my upbringing. My dad, whom I love and respect to the nth degree, raised me to be a patriot. He always told me that it was my generation that would be called upon to defend, perhaps with our very lives, the ideals that have made America great. I believe that. I’m not keen to join any whacko militias and start stockpiling weapons, but I’m not afraid to fight for what I know to be right and true. I’m worried that the time for action is close at hand. I’m not ready. I just want to raise my kids to the best of my ability and live my life. But, I also think Barack Obama is the anti-Christ. That dude scares the crap out of me. If he gets elected, I’m sure that things are going to go from the-suck to the-unbearable-suck double-time quick. And don’t take this statement as a ringing endorsement of all things McCain, either. I am a registered Republican, but I’m less of a party-line kind of guy than I am a reason-and-common-sense kind of guy. And, I know in my core that all politicians, no matter which side of the Aisle they’re on, are professional liars and whores.
The economy is another thing that’s got me a bit off kilter. I’m not one given to panic, but if I were, I would be deep in panic-mode about now. While I don’t foresee the humanitarian cost associated with the Great Depression being extracted from us as a result of this downturn, I do see a vast river of trouble ahead. I’m hoping that the fact that I work outside the US will help me stay afloat while things work themselves out, as I know they will, but as a wise man once said, “Hard time’s a-comin’.”
And that brings us to today. Today’s topic is What I’m Reading.
- Heck: Where The Bad Kids Go; can’t remember the author’s name. I’m reading this one at home with my wife. As I’m on the other side of the planet, we won’t be reading this one much.
- Eldest; Christopher Paolini. Just finished. I’m a bit disappointed. It was a good book, but pretty dry throughout. Even the end battle scene was slow. Still, it was a fine exploration of the world Mr. Paolini created and we got to see more of what being a Rider means.
- Carpe Demon: The Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom; Julie Kenner. Another book recommended by my Sweet. Great fun, too. Finished it in about three days. Likeable characters, good story, fun twist at the end. Highly recommended if you want to look into the life of a Super Hero turned Super Mom.
- The Gardens of Kyoto; Kate Walbert. Still working on this one. Also recommended by Lovely Anne. I recommend it to anyone who wants to read some of the best prose I’ve ever come across.
- All kinds of Wizards of the Coast D&D stuff. Play RPGs! They’re more fun than a bucket of monkeys!
- Warbreaker; Brandon Sanderson. This is going to be a great book. I recommend you download it as soon as you can, then buy it when it releases. The ideas behind the magic system only get better as I get further into it. My hat’s off to you, Brandon.
- Blaze; Richard Bachman (Steven King). This one is next on my list, but I haven’t started it yet. I’ll let you know next Thursday.
- In Search of the Swan Maiden: A Narrative on Folklore and Gender; Barbara Fass Leavy. I know I said I was picking this one up for research before, but I never got to it. I’ll let you know next Thursday on this one too.
- Telecosm: How Infinite Bandwidth will Revolutionize Our World; George Gilder. This is another research-type book that I will report on next Thursday.
- The Wheel of Time; Robert Jordan. It's time to start through this series again. I’m excited to see the 12th book Brandon Sanderson is working on.
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