Contemplating My Navel

This summer was a time of change. I decided to stop drinking alcohol and with that had to redefine a lot of my habits and my definition of fun.  It was not the best summer ever, but probably the best for me in the long run.

My pre-existing friends all knew me as a drinker. Introducing myself to them again as a non-drinker has been awkward. They mean well, but I don't want their pity or their understanding. I just want it to be a non-issue. As a result (and I did not do this consciously) I turned more to my friends in World of Warcraft (hereon referred to as WoW) and less to my friends in the real world. The WoW friends don't really know me and don't care. They just want me for my ranged damage potential and that has been freeing.

Along with playing online too much, I have I immersed myself even more deeply in various writing projects. I did not realize until a very close (a pre-existing friend even) pointed it out, but it was pure escapism. She noted that everything I do, or really have ever done, for fun has been a removal from myself. Renaissance faire, World of Warcraft, drinking, and especially writing.

Who or what am I trying to escape from?

Heck if I know. I have a great life, a great family, a great job... everything is good, right? So why are my closest companions imaginary? That question is haunting me. I find I don't even know myself -- I just know the various faces I wear for different obligations.  Even the writer part of me has become a persona. If I could stick all the parts of me in a blender maybe the big red mess that poured out would make sense.

The good news is that now that school has started again I am way too busy to stop and think. I just go go go and then am too exhausted for introspection.  

So many writers write because they must. Why is that?

BTW, that is not my belly up there. If I was that taut I would get a belly piercing. I might even get a tattoo, only mine would be a sunburst to coincide with my stretch marks.  Yeah, it will never happen.

That Time of Year

The summer has flown by and now it's time for school to start again. "Wait," you say. "It's still summer!"

I know - that's the kicker. Why is school starting so early? What happened to 3 months of summer break? I mean, even Phineas and Ferb say there's 104 days of summer vacation. At my count, I had 45. Not cool.

Anyhoo, life goes on. Lesson plans replace plotting. Stress dreams replace the inspirational. The real bummer is that I did not finish Courtly Abandon in the time I allotted. The good news is that I only have about 5 chapters to go and I could churn those out in a moment of inspired writing. My new deadline, and I'm being generous about time, is the end of September.

And, because I have nothing good to contribute today, I will share this pic and commentary from a blog my sister just turned me onto, NastyCute.

“I have something here for you.”
“YEAH! PUT IT IN ME!!”
“Oh yeah? You want this?”
“YEAH! PUT IT IN MY MOUTH!”
Bow chicka tweet tweet.

An Unfortunate MeMe: Underclothes

No thank you to Taryn Tyler for tagging me. Okay, fine. Thank you. This was fun in a silly way. :)

In this MeMe, I have been given a number of questions pertaining to underclothes.  Here goes:

Betsy Johnson Chantilly Floral

1. What do you call your panties / underwear / undergarments? Do you have any commonly used nicknames for them? Underwear, underpants, and less commonly, panties.

2. Have you ever had that supposedly common dream of being in a crowded place in only your underwear? No, but I have had dreams where I was naked.

3. What is the worst thing you can think of to make panties out of? Polyester (within the realm of realistic). in the realm of fantasy, I would choose a) nettles b)jellyfish c)fiberglass.

4. If you were a pair of panties, what color would you be, and WHY? I would be, depending on mood, either a very delicate soft pink and lacy (but comfortable) or black and hot pink and lacy (and not designed for long term wear).

5. Have you ever thrown your panties/underwear at a rock star or other celebrity? If so, which one(s)? If not, which one(s) WOULD you throw your panties/underwear at, given the opportunity? No, but I recently suggested my sister do so. She's going to see Tom Jones in concert -- I think throwing panties is a requirement.

6. You’re out of clean panties. What do you do? I go commando and put some laundry in the wash.
7. Are you old enough to remember Underoos? If so, did you have any? Which ones? Yes. I had Princess Leia underoos.

8. If you could have any message printed on your panties, what would it be? Look Away!

9. How many bloggers does it take to put panties on a goat?  None. There is no goat.

And, out of human kindness, I will not tag anyone. But feel free to tag yourself if you are so inclined. :)