Making a Living

As glamorous as writing is for some, the reality is that we are only as good as our last sentence is and we are always striving to improve that last sentence. The majority of writers do not have the luxury of agonizing over that sentence and turning it inside out two or three times - we need to make a living. Whether that living is writing, selling, teaching, healing or accounting, we all have to pay the bills. I am no different.

So, I have a day job, which is really an all day job, but it is cool because it is a cool job, one that lets me be a dad, lets me be a writer, and lets me be me. I realize that this is a blessing, that most do not have the gig that I have. This gig comes with sacrifices, but none are important enough to stress over, so I don’t.

Name the writers you admire, and then list the jobs they held before becoming successful at writing. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Roth, Grisham and many others come to mind. They all had gigs before fame. If you want to write, realize it is a lonely pursuit.

I am reading a new book that I find fascinating. It is a book on craft and mythological structure. It is motivating me to go back and finish my YA novel that is lonely, disowned and weeping on my hard drive, begging me to pay attention. “Spike, please love me, please complete me, I am worthy.” And it is. I wrote it as part of my MA Thesis and it’s okay. It needs polishing and finishing, but I am in love with it, especially because I have interest from publishers and it is ripe for a prequel and a sequel, cha ching.

See, now I have bad karma because I mentioned money. I have been sentenced to two more years of obscurity. Whatever. I can deal.

So, that’s my deal Neal.

Shallow Thoughts

By the anti Jack Handy. I did watch the Republican National Convention and came away with the feeling that McCain actually as a sense of humor, albeit twisted. His choice of Palin as a running mate has forced us all to confront our xenophobic tendencies; a black President or a woman Vice President. How prejudiced are you?

I am admittedly Republican with respect to fiscal issues, but moderate in social issues. I have problems reconciling my fiscal conservativeness with my social desire to improve the quality of life of all. I am not sure who will get my vote, if I vote. I feel if I vote, that candidate has my mandate and that mandate precludes my criticism of their actions - is that naïve or just stoopid?

My writing has been limited to modeling for my students. I was a bit envious to find out my publisher is now going to print and my two shorts probably won’t be a part of the first printing due to their length. I’ve always dreamed of being in print, and it may happen yet, but not this time around.

On the upside, I have gotten into the flow at the new venue and am really loving it. Smart kids, supportive administration – it’s all good.

See ya soon!

Spike!

Who You Gonna Vote For?

So I caught two minutes of the DNC tonight and just about puked – wait, wait, wait before the RNC, ‘cause I will have similar bilious responses.

I saw Hillary, is it Rodham or isn’t it, Clinton’s introduction narrated by Chelsea Clinton, a Stanford graduate – is that true? What happened to the ‘hood in Paly?

First of all, props to Christopher Titus who pimped me with the “wait, wait, wait” mantra, and I think it is brilliant, and I should take his advice...I’m a little disgusted and should “wait, wait, wait” before I write. But, I have never been one to take advice, and I write under a pseudonym, so, wtf?

First, what the f**k is her name? Is it Hillary Clinton or Hillary Rodham Clinton? It always changes. It was Rodham until it effected Bill’s election, then it wasn’t, then he was elected, and it was Rodham again, until he ran again, then it wasn’t, then it was, then it wasn’t. I guess it’s Rodham unless it’s electoral, then it isn’t.

Second, are we really that interested in someone who is willing to stand by a man who “never had sex with that woman.” I like his definition of sex, maybe it would be valuable in defining our relationships with Israel and Iraq?

But, to use your daughter, who clearly shuns the public, to announce that you have shattered the glass ceiling, by ignoring your husband’s clear infidelities, to further your power grubbing desires, is there no shame?

Well, I see the apocalypse coming. McCain will now use his prostitute to proclaim he is a good man, “he always tipped me well.” Biden will claim to have tipped his hooker better than McCain. McCain will then claim to have stood by his wife while she was double penetrated by Democratic insiders, to which Obama will claim to have watched his wife have sex with sheep.

Where does it stop? Pick a name, stick to it, leave your kids out of it. I know this is a ridiculous rant – it’s called satire. If you hate it, call Senator Clinton, but leave me out of it. Sorry, call Senator Rodham Clinton...or is it just Senator Rodham now? Well, call Chelsea’s mom, wtf?

But don’t call Stanford – and don’t send your kids there – they might end up condoning shtuff you don’t want them to, like Chelsea. Too much liberal thought does not make Chelsea a smart girl.

Tardy.

Spike

Travels and Travails

I just got back from the Pocono’s (no I didn’t pick my nose) and am off to Cali for a few weeks. My family has a place in the mountains of Northern California that I have visited since I was born and it feels like home to me. I have a lot of friends that I met as a young child who return every summer, now with their own children, and I am looking forward to seeing them again. There is a small river that runs through the development and my kids will have a ball splashing in it, catching crawdads and building sandcastles.

They say you can never go home, but this place seems to be the exception. It never changes. My dad calls it a trailer park, but it really isn’t. Towering Redwoods, Douglas Firs, the dank and verdant smell of a river valley close by the Pacific Ocean; all contribute to a sensory experience that is overwhelmingly welcoming.

I will be a little silent, dial up is my only option, but don’t take it personally. I’ll return fresh, philosophical and less frenetic.

Peace!

Spike

Summer Update

Who doesn’t believe in karma? My son has ear tubes and his language has blossomed; my mother recovered fine, and I found employment in a better district for more money.

Unfortunately, I had to buy a new liner for my pool and my fridge and washer gave up the proverbial ghost. Of course, this happens after I have booked vacation travel arrangements. Needless to say, finances should be interesting this summer.

It is what it is.

Spike

Changes

Things just seem to be blowing up for me. My mom is in the early stages of pneumonia, my son needs surgery to insert ear tubes, I need to complete a video for my teaching certificate, I am in massive debt and shit just blew up for me in my job so I am looking for a new one.

Can’t a guy catch a break?

I did tonight. I went upstairs to check the temperature in my kids’ rooms and to shut windows as needed. My daughter was in her bed, hugging the ubiquitous pink bunny named Bunny, sleeping like an angel. I shut her window and kissed her forehead. As I did, I was overcome with emotion. She is a pistol, averaging four goals a game in soccer, kicking butt in karate and giving her pre-k teachers a run for their money by throwing some monumental temper tantrums, but to see her asleep is to see the face of God!

Next was my son’s room. He was in his new big boy bed, butt up in the air and breathing contentedly. He has had seven or eight ear infections since September and his speech ain’t right because of it, but he is a peach, one of the sweetest little boys you will ever find. I took him to the Pediatrician today and to the ENT tonight and he made many new friends. He has such a sweet disposition that he collects adults like I collect bad habits.

I just pray that my transgressions aren’t visited upon my kids, although in several ways that has already happened. I always thought that being a parent would make me a better person, but it doesn’t; it just makes you more compliant, which sometimes means compromising your morals and values. You become more compliant so that you can provide for your kids. I know from doing the opposite; I wasn’t compliant, I spoke my opinion and held strong to my beliefs and now I am out of a job. C’est la vie.

Don’t get me wrong, I made mistakes. However, my transgressions did not warrant the treatment I received. Luckily, as a teacher, I am employed through June and paid through August, so I have a few months to make a soft landing. I feel more blessed than persecuted and eventually, this was the right move for me – I just wish I had a little more control over the situation. The moral is, if you work with snakes, know you will get bitten and have a plan. My plan wasn’t in place before I reached into the snake pit and now I am scrambling.

So Pilgrims, keep writing, be true to what you believe, but always be prepared because luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

Peace!

Spike

A Slice of Life

Well, I am thrilled that my second book is now out and available from Red Rose Publishing, www.RedRosePublishing.com. It should soon be available from all of the usual suspects, FictionWise, MobiPocket, Amazon, Crescent and Diesel. I just wish I had time to publicize and market it! I am so busy with the day job, the kids, the second job, that I just cannot find the time to promote it. So, do me a favor and help me out – tell your friends about it.

Hopefully it will get reviewed in the next six months, which is how long it took for “Pickup Lines From a Pickup Truck” to get reviewed, but hey, I am not on the top of the food chain...but if I was...well, I will leave that for another post.

For now, just know that I am inordinately busy with the daily detritus of demeaning demands of employment, parenting and paying the bills.

Spike