20200530

The Best Laid Plans

Saturday, 30 May 2020
Elbow Wrench

Sometimes we create these wonderful plans in our head and have the best intentions of seeing them through. And yet, something always seems to get in the way of doing the things we say we love to do, whether it's writing, creating songs & art, or spending time with friends and family. Too tired, too distracted, too many other things vying for our attention. Tomorrow turns into next week, next month, next year. 

Eventually, serious things do get in the way. A car accident one year, something or another the next. But that's the way life goes and those of us who aren't struggling just to survive from day-to-day are blessed beyond measure. I, for one, often fail to fully appreciate the wonderful chances God has given me. Even second and third chances.

Life occasionally(?) throws a wrench at us, and when it does we can either use the opportunity to reflect on our priorities and refocus our attention to what's truly important or we can stay in autopilot until the next wrench comes along.

Come to think of it, the most captivating stories are the ones about people overcoming life's challenges, aren't they? Often one obstacle after another, after another. People overcoming addictions, treachery, assassination attempts, countless mishaps in far-away places. I think I'd rather write about it than live like that! 

Shall we then?

"Here's looking at you, kid"

20191018

The Origin of Qaos

Friday, 18 October 2019

OMD - The Misunderstanding

Too long ago at a quaint cafe just off a university campus populated by black squirrels, Project Qaos took its first breath...or something like that.

It was during my senior year at college that I finally found my groove (i.e. started getting decent grades) and took my two most enjoyable classes - Creative Writing and Art History.

The creative writing class gave me a great excuse to spend countless hours sitting at a table on the second floor of Brady's Cafe, scribbling away with an endless supply of strong coffee while watching students and locals drift in and out. Even then, my story about two artist-musicians named Dmitry and Natasha  was inspired by a song (the one above) as well as artwork (oil paintings by Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid).

The following semester I took an art history class, read a book or 3 on the 1974 Moscow Bulldozer Exhibition for a class paper and - boom! - Qaos was born. Actually, the story was originally called "Spilled Coffee Over Forbidden Arts," or SCOFA for short, but somewhere along the way it changed to the more reasonably titled "Qaos Ascending" and slowly morphed into six books, hence Project Qaos. :-)

Yeah, about that. I'm still on Book 1.

In two weeks, however, I'm planning on turbocharging my scribbling into high (or at least higher) gear by throwing myself to the wolves pounding out 50,000 words in one month for NaNoWriMo...or at least make a valiant effort towards that!

Wish me the bestest. 🚀

[Update: I made a valiant effort but cranking words out is just not my style. I enjoy exploring music, exploring art, and letting the characters act out their parts in my head. I wish they'd speak a little faster, of course, but not NanoWriMo fast! 😏)

Komar and Melamid - Yalta Conference (1984)