I spent an hour trying to figure out how to start this thing and ended up with a mopey 500 word shit sandwich, about how I've sucked at writing for the last year or so because I've become convinced I'm not that good (maybe even awful) and that has resulted in me not doing that much writing for myself (a.k.a. here). Instead of actually putting words to paper/screen, I've spent most of my time thinking about writing, which is exactly what I hate most about the majority of young writers. Enough of that though, the time has come to embark on a concerted effort to start writing more. If I am as bad as I think I am, I'm only going to get better if I start doing my thing. What I'm hoping is that quantity will turn into quality.
So, here's my return to posting...take seventeen trillion. I figure I'll start things off easy, mention a few things that have happened during the early parts of 2009, and my thoughts on them. I may or may not write more about these things in the future.
Christmas Camera
I got a digital camera for Christmas!!! Pretty cool, eh? I haven't really used it that much so, but I fully intend to. I want to catalog the degenerates that lurk in the darkest corners of L.A.-proper's few remaining arcades. Besides photographing mole-men-like arcade denizens, I also plan to tape a series of interviews (I'm thinking 200-300 hours worth of content) that will be used as fodder for a murder mystery set in the not so glamourous world of high stakes Street Fighter II Turbo tournaments. Anyone interested in joining me?
John Updike, 1932-2009
John Updike passed away at the end of January. I loved him. If you haven't read him you'll probably fall in love with him too. Few writers have ever strung words together better, effortlessly portraying the ugly and mundane aspects of life in such a beautiful way. He was also one of the best sport writers I've ever read (though few consider him one). No one has better captured what it's like to play a sport (see the first few pages Rabbit, Run) and his essay on Ted Williams's final home game is a heartbreaking work of staggering genius, just like most of his writing.
Failing to Get Past Page 50 in a Novel
I haven't been able to get past page 50 of a novel in what feels like forever. Ridiculous, right? Totally. But I've started quite a few since 2009 arrived. The latest attempt, was my third at Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine. I got to page 25. It was pretty good though. Lot's of ellipses which I dug. I like that Celine manages to capture the speed and beat of unfocused thought. I can especially appreciate it, since I'm just as unfocused as his main character, Bardamu (see my inability to get more than 3 chapters into this book, even though I like it). I don't like Celine's rampant anti-semitism though. It's not really present in the book, but when I read a book I like to supplement it with articles about the author (not book reviews though, they're shit, and ain't no one whose going to tell me how I'm going to think about what I'm reading). Maybe this is one of the reasons I struggle to finish anything other than a short story or a comic book. Another could be that because as soon as I start reading something, I start thinking about all the other books I'm not reading that might be better than what I am reading, no matter how good it is.
I'd like to add that I have been able to start and finish a few books this year, just no novels, which I note here because they are the type of book nearest and dearest to my heart. One of the books I did finish really struck me though, and that book was...
Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5
WOW!!! This book (a graphic novel) is astounding, amazing, fantastic, not-quite-life-changing-but-almost, and just about every other possible hyperbolic positive adjective that you can think of. Bryan Lee O'Malley's entire epic has been one of my favorite reading experiences of the century, but this one just blew me away. When I've had more distance and can better--or at least more even handedly--relate why this is book is so good, I will.
Kogi
Like taco trucks? Like Korean barbaque? Now imagine if they were mixed together, that's Kogi. The results? Fantastic. Both Chau and I will readily attest.
Celebrity Sightings
Ryan Gosling and I like to walk around with our hands in each others' back pockets. We're that close, only closer.
Joel's Return
Having Joel back is pretty cool, I guess. Actually it's pretty awesome. I missed having someone to talk to about basketball/books/writing while he was gone. His return has also meant games of G-E-I-C-O and is a big part of why I'm writing this today.
Also if you click on the link to his sister's blog in his latest post, you'll find that it has a content warning you have to click through before viewing it.
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Alright, I think that's all for now. But more will soon follow. That's right, soon.
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