On Tuesday, I recorded my 2005 short story "Father's Day In August," to (maybe) use as an episode in June (does that make sense? Maybe not), and felt a little strange about it. I don't dislike the story, don't get me wrong, but 2005 is a pretty long time ago, and I've written a lot since then. While recording it, I remembered that it is actually the THIRD story in a semi-related trio, with the first story being "Try Your Luck" (2000) and the second one being "Round and Round" (2000).
And then, yesterday (Thursday), my buddy Gino posted a link to the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" on Facebook, and I remembered that I quoted that song in the second story, "Round and Round," and actually played it over the audio recording I did of it in 2004. I thought, for fun, I would sit down last night and record "Round and Round," either for the Outcast or for my next audio collection. That one turns twenty this year, and it blows my tiny mind to contemplate that. I wrote it while feeling nostalgic about my teenaged years and having (what seems now like) lots of friends, and when I shared it around with my new friends, one of them said it was the best thing I'd ever written.
I feel like, if someone were to mention Elvis Presley's "It's Now Or Never," I would be forced to sit down and record the audio for "Try Your Luck," which features that song. Then I could run all three on my show, and just lie back and count the nickels as they pour in. Gosh, and I could even get Big Anklevich to Photoshop a young woman's face onto one of his Pez dispensers for cover art.
Today was a good day. I got some writing done (well, just a bit), I got some exercise (more than a little), I talked to Big Anklevich on the phone for three hours, I interacted with Ye Olde Muse and felt inspired to keep on truckin', and when I was on my run, I had a gross idea for a scary scene which I'm going to pause blogging to write in my Mason & Rowan story. Oh, and I lost about ninety dollars due to an eBay screw-up with one of my listings, which still hasn't sorted itself out yet. But I am choosing to overlook that and say that today was good anyway. I will work harder, and make that ninety bucks back.
I went to Target today, and wore one of the masks my mom made me (she made me two, and said one should go in the wash after I use it and the other should be in the car for when I need it). I was pretty mortified the first couple of times I wore the mask, but I'm starting to get a little bit more used to it. And here's a weird bit of pandemic minutia, but I went into Target, looking for a couple of items, and when I couldn't find them (all sold out, apparently, since there wasn't even a spot for them anymore), I felt really guilty about going in there. I couldn't just walk out empty-handed; that's something a frivolous person who didn't take the virus seriously would do. So I walked around an extra fifteen minutes, buying stuff I only sort of needed (new deodorant, frozen pizzas, beef jerky, a bunch of stuffed animals of the main characters from TROLLS WORLD TOUR,* some peanuts, etc.), just so I could say I'd risked going in there not for nothing.
Next time I go somewhere, I'll take a picture wearing my mask and post it here:
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| Didn't say it would be a good picture. |
Well, last night, I went for my nightly run, and I ran into the kid who skateboards on 1460 (the street the school is on) for the third time. And I'll tell you, my aversion to skateboarders notwithstanding, I was filled with so much affection for him that I would've hugged him. Or at least left him a little something in my will.**
So, I got quite a few words down today. I started writing the scene I came up with on my run, and before I knew it, it was two am. Since this is my tenth (or so) "Dead & Breakfast" story, it's refreshing to me to have the ghosts be scary for a change. The idea that Mason Bradley, who talks to ghosts on the phone at least as often as I talk to Abigail Hilton, could be afraid of one is immensely appealing to me. The scene culminated in this bit: Mason had offered to send her a photo taken there at the bed and breakfast, but he thought he'd wait and have the new day clerk take it for him in the morning. It was too easy to imagine taking a selfie tonight, only to see something not-at-all pleasant standing in the back of the photo when he looked at it.
I don't know where this story is going, but I'm happy that I can still surprise myself.
I hope you are well and doing stuff that both surprises you and makes you happy. Goodnight.
Words Today: 1582
Words In April: 19,836
P.S. Each day I post one of these.
*That was a joke.
**He can have all of my Terminator and Predator figures. Considering I have about four of those.
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