Turns Out this is a I Don't Have to Run Day

I'm in the mood to play a Bangles video but it would be misleading. The fact is, they never recorded a song titled "So Completely the Opposite of Manic Monday".

The Child is home today with a cold. She's not even remotely close to having pneumonia or anything. More, the weekend wore her out and so the symptoms she does have seem more pronounced. Or she's just a malingerer and I'm an idiot. But both The Spouse and I were also feeling less than 100%, especially yesterday, so I figure she can stay home one day. What the hey. Although, because she isn't nearly sick enough, she is also not being allowed to watch television. It's my little way of making today just boring enough that the alternative seems more attractive.

The other night, between eating sushi and going to the theatah, we wandered around a Barnes and Noble to kill a little time. I saw 2 things there that seemed very odd to me. One was Bill O' Reilly's Culture Warrior in the Philosophy section. I didn't have time to talk to the manager, which I really wanted to do, but I can only assume they put the book there because the Blowhard section was full of Ann Coulter books.

Then I noticed a very interesting looking book entitled How I Write: Secrets of a Best-Selling Author. What I found intriguing about this volume was twofold. A) I had never heard of the author before in my life and 2) under the title it said "Name of Best-selling Author of Whom I've Never Heard with Name of Other Equally Unknown Person". And I couldn't help but think, could the secret of her success as a writer owe to the fact that she doesn't do her own writing? I mean, really, if you are claiming to be a best-selling author and you are selling a book about your "secrets" for success aren't you sort of outting yourself as maybe not that talented because you clearly have to have help? Maybe that was how the book began: Chapter One: Get Someone Else to Write for You. I never found out because that was the moment The Spouse came up withThe Pop-Up Book of Celebrity Meltdowns and said, "You should so get this for JP for Christmas".

Remember last week when I wasn't feeling very creative? Well, the adorable and ever-talented Amy came up with a superfantastically brilliant project idea that has me very excited and inspired. I have every intention of spending at least an hour today getting started. (Technically, I started. I have the first 2 lines). I am so grateful to Amy, truly, because once she came up with this idea all my malaise lifted. Not only am I very undiscipined when it comes to my writing, I also have a tendancy to work project to project. When I have something to sink my teeth into the motivation is easier to find. Between projects, not so much. And in a very odd way, when I have a writing project to be disciplined about I'm actually even more disciplined about the rest of my life because I want to make sure everything is under control so there's plenty of freedom to write. It's all very mysterious. Point is, Amy is a doll. Although, it is safe to say that this book will not be a best seller for the simple reason that I am insisting on writing it myself without the assistance of Amy or anyone else. Also, if it ever does become an actual book you will not find it in the Philosophy section of your bookstore. Unless your bookstore is very, very small.

Oh, and speaking of books, holy moly, I almost forgot. One of my dearest friends in the world has a book coming out. I even found it on line today, which made it all seem very real and exciting. (Although I'm not going to buy it on line because she is having a book signing next weekend and I'm going to go buy it in person). Here's the book, which will be of particular interest to those of you who garden. And you'll notice that there are 2 authors listed (Lorene is my friend) and that's because she was bequeathed the project by the other author, who was struggling with and eventually died from cancer. It was a labor of love for Lorene and I can assure you that she has a very fine writing style and did, I'm sure, a breathtaking job with the subject matter.

I'm going to admit to something now. The announcement of the book-signing followed on the heels of learning that my college room-mate, the one with whom I reconnected last week, has, in addition to raising 3 beautiful children, managed to do rather well for herself in the world of music. Like, she's sung at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center and oh, yeah, made a record with Dave Brubeck. And as much as I feel enormous pride in the accomplishments of my friends, I admit to a moment or two of "Well, what the frak have I to show for my bad self, eh?"

I don't think of myself as a slacker but geez.

You know what kept me from seething and generally being stupid about it? I kept thinking about Shelley's success and the old joke, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practise, practise, practise".

There is, I believe, a blessing that comes with using one's gifts, whatever they may be, and also that it isn't for us to necessarily figure out how that blessing is going to manifest. I mean, the blessing may simply be in the doing of it. But the fact remains that nothing comes to you if you just sit around hoping it will fall in your lap (which is, sadly, my tendancy).

So I'm gonna go write.