Writing and Reading... But No Arithmetic

Golly, I'm bushed.

Ha ha. "Golly." Why don't people use that word anymore? I think it's quite charming.

Anyhow, like I was saying, I'm feelin' bushed, tired, sleepy, dozy, fatigued, lazy. I feel like my mind was working in overdrive today. I got up a little earlier than usual and spent a couple hours wrapping up some contract work. Then I spent the rest of my day restructuring our first act and brainstorming various elements of our story. We need to introduce a few characters earlier on, and we also want to tweak some other things. Believe it or not, this process really gives your mind a workout. It's like dancing with a puzzle (if puzzles could dance) -- one step forward, two steps back. Cha-cha-cha!!

Overall, I've kinda been enjoying the brainstorming process. It gives you a chance to think outside the box away from elements you had previously cornered yourself into. Although I'll admit that it's sometimes challenging to conjure up great new ideas that perfectly fit the way you need them to. That being said, this is only our first day. I'm confident that the ideas will come in time.

As for Jim, today's process was a bit more of an uphill battle. He was doing a lot of contract work today as well, so he didn't get to spend as much time brainstorming as I did. When he finally did have a chance to sit down and discuss the script, I think he was somewhat reluctant, and finding it a little exhausting because the perfect ideas weren't flowing right away. But these things take time - certainly more than a few hours - and we've allocated ourselves a whole week, so I'm sure we'll come up with something swell soon enough.

In other news, I finally got around to buying The Life of Pi yesterday. That bright exciting tiger has been roaring at me from the shelves for the longest time. It was one of those books that I knew I would have to read someday... I just hadn't gotten around to it yet.

Well, let me tell you... I wish I hadn't waited! I started it yesterday evening and could hardly put it down. I love it! The story. The style of writing. I love everything... and I've barely cracked the spine. I almost felt that if I left it alone for a single moment, I was going to miss something. We watched half a movie last night, but I found I was staring at the book on the coffee table almost more often than looking at the TV. I couldn't wait to get back to it.

This has been a big reading year for me. I'm ashamed to say that I haven't been much of a reader in a long, long time... well, at least not a reader of novels anyway. I've been reading lots of other types of books, but rarely the sort you can lose yourself in. You don't hear many people say, "Wow! 'Essential Reiki' really gripped me from beginning to end!" or "The 'Encyclopedia of Essential Oils' has such an intricate plot - you'll never guess where it's going!"

So anyway, my goal was to read 10 books by the end of the year. A modest goal to some, but hey, it seemed reasonable enough for me. By March, I had chosen my first book and since then I have read maybe... 15? I don't know, I'd have to count them out.

Okay, in no particular order:

Memories of John Lennon
Tuesdays with Morrie
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Wicked
Diary of Anne Frank
The Great Gatsby
Alice, I Think
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Lovely Bones
The Almost Moon
The Time Traveler's Wife
Angels and Demons
The Flying Troutmans
...and 99% of Forrest Gump. I still haven't bothered to read the last chapter. I guess I was more interested in jumping into a new book than finishing the one I had started? However, in my defense, I've read it once before, and I can't help it -- I just love the movie more.

Okay, and now I've started The Life of Pi. So how many is that?

*counting quietly to self*

Sixteen. I'm on number 16. Well, that's if you count the fact that I never finished the last chapter of Forrest Gump.

I know it's odd to say that I enjoyed the movie more than the book - typically it's the other way around. But y'know what probably bothered me the most about that book? I didn't like that Forrest was this big dumb moose of a guy, who said "shit" all the time, and who was always putting himself down for being an idiot.

Now, it's not that I'm opposed at all to swearing or a little self-deprecation here and there.... It's just that the movie's interpretation of Forrest was much more heart-warming. But that's just me. Forrest Gump is my all-time favourite movie, so I guess it's hard for even the original novel to compete for my love.

Anyhow, enough rambling... I've gone beyond tired now. Now, I'm just hungry. So, on that note, I think I'm going to start figuring what we should make for dinner.