Sloth and Creativity

I have at least one friend, and likely a few more, that will be taking part in a "National Novel Writing Month" event next month, doing their damnedest to write a full-length novel (perhaps one even worth reading) in a month's time. Me... I'm looking forward to picking up Vol. 5 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, and probably a copy of Tabula Rasa to play.

I could carry on about how these people are more "creative" than I am, but, the fact is, they're likely not... I could go into how I'm more geared towards visual arts, and maybe there's a grain of truth to that, but that's not right either. Generally, I am averse to getting in on a group activity for the sake of it being a group activity... I'd much rather meander alone than join the lemming hordes of Bloomsday, for example... and that goes for personal creativity, too. In the meantime, I'm more than happy to consume the creations of others, especially as that is a much simpler activity.

My only concern... already, the occasional drive to create has lessened over time. I think of my father, who was a composer... yet barely played piano or sang (outside the church choir) while I was old enough to notice. I'll definitely have to get back on a creative jag... one of these days...

New Furniture

One of my out-of-town friends, last time he was by, commented on how poorly suited the hand-me-down rocking chair I had in my living room was to the task of backup seating... and I had to agree. I've got a nice, comfy couch, which I use when alone, but the main reason for the hardwood chair was for support when my back acts up, and then support trumps cushiness.

Today, that changed. I've picked up a nice little recliner, of odd style and even odder fabric (it was so popular, it was discontinued by the manufacturer... and ordering the same chair directly with a different fabric would have been 6 weeks and about $100 more... nothin' doin'... :)). I'll get some use out of it, surely... but the cats colonized it within minutes of the delivery guy leaving, so it was definitely a positive choice for the room.

Now, I just have to figure out how I really want things arranged in there...

Edamame

Otherwise known as "soy beans in the pod", a vegetable that has just attained a rare status... that of Food I Do Not Like. I picked some up frozen to try out as an experiment, and it's just wrong wrong wrong. Think peapods, yet both fibrous and stringy at the same time, and filled with soy beans instead of peas. I now know why so many stir fries call for peapods now, and will never, never stray again.

Twofer: bits of no great interest

10,000 miles - my car just ticked over that magic number on the odometer today... it's nice, in some ways, having a car with a "normal" mileage display again.

meat pies - I did a little experiment tonight... turns out you can make some fairly tasty pocket pies using mainly biscuit dough and some of the contents of one of those tub o' barbecue-sauced meats... in this case, I tried it with some shredded pork, and liked it enough that I'll likely do a full batch over the weekend, to get rid of the leftovers in the fridge... and if I don't have enough meat, I'll have to cook up some blueberries, I guess... :)

Released from Gizmo

Any of you that have dealt with me in-person have likely noticed that my use of vocabulary is a bit... non-standard, shall we say. One big reason for this is that I am quite wary of giving my word on anything non-trivial, because, when I do, I will do my utmost to fulfill that word, both in letter and spirit, and consequences be damned (in the words of Super Chicken, I knew the job was dangerous when I took it, that sort of thing)... which just doesn't fit well with the laid-back and essentially lazy lifestyle I try to maintain.

A few months back, I mentioned the peculiar arrangement made with my boss in keeping one of his puppies on as Office Puppy. That came to a breaking point today, when his caregiver confronted me as to, basically, whose dog is it really, and what would happen should she get laid off, that sort of thing... and the truthful answer was that I was the owner, the dog would likely stay at the office, etc., etc. Of course, in the intervening timeframe, she had grown attached to the dog, as had her family, didn't like that I was dictating decisions on "her" dog, etc., etc... that conversation ended with her stating that if it was my dog, I needed to take care of it, and she left the office in a huff.

With reluctance, I started planning what this would mean for life at my house... free-for-alls between the 6lb puppy and whichever 12lb cat it tangled with, coaxing cats from hiding places, constant letting the dog in and out for potty breaks, crating the dog at night so the cats couldn't gang up on it while I was asleep, if I could even sleep through their attempts... not pleasant, but technically doable. Of course, the in-office atmosphere would be irreparably tainted too, and pretty well guaranteed not in my favor... but what could I do, short of going back on my word to shepherd the critter through puppyhood, thus making sure it got the "right start" in life?

There was only one out for me... and something that still tears at me as I write this, several hours later. When my boss finally made it into the office late this afternoon, I explained what had happened earlier, and formally asked to be released from my word. Luckily, he knows me well enough to know that I was serious, and promptly granted my request, whereupon I immediately went to Gizmo's caregiver, asked her if she wanted him, formally gave him to her, then left the office for the rest of the day. I know it was the right thing for the office, and I hope it was the right thing for Gizmo... I can only hope it won't haunt me for too terribly long.