Here's another thing stolen from Dave. (Fun fact: if there's anything cool you've seen on this blog, I probably stole it from Dave. Shuffleblog? Stolen. Link-dumps? Stolen. All the good stuff. Except for the birthday mad-libs, those were all me)
A while back, Dave returned to his blog after a lengthy hiatus and, instead of trying to do the usual catch-up-and-apologize entry, he put it in the form of a personal interview. And I liked it. So I'm going to do it, too.
Only, Dave did it better.
Until he got the fever and (apparently) died.
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Hey, Will.
Hey, Interviewer. How are you?
I'll be asking the questions here, thanks.
Oh. Um, okay.
So, how are you?
(You stole that one from me) I'm doing pretty good.
Really?
You know what, almost every time I talk to someone I haven't seen in a while, they do that. They ask how I am, and if I say I'm good, or fine, or anything like that, they press with, "Really?" As though they think I'm lying. And I'm not sure what that says about me, because I think I've always been pretty straightforward and told people when, you know, I wasn't fine. Because I know there are a lot of people who'll say they're fine just because they don't want other folks to worry about them. But I'm pretty sure I've never been that way. When I'm not fine, I want somebody to buy me a pizza or something, you know? I'm a wimp that way. But yeah, lately, nobody believes me when I say I'm doing well.
Maybe it's because you haven't been blogging for a long time.
True.
Like, a long time.
I know, I know.
So what's the story, Wishbone?
Ha, nice. No, you know what it is? And this is the plain truth, and it's going to sound kinda harsh, but I promise it's not at all. It's just a fact. Truth is, I've had more important things to do.
Since last June?
Actually, yeah. Since last April, actually. I actually had a job over the summer. I know I talked about that a little on here before my disappearance, but I had a job, and I would work every night for a week at a time, and then when I had time off I wanted to spend it with family or catching up on reading. Or there was my church work. Man, summer is probably the craziest season of the year for my church job. There's VBS, which I'm in charge of, there's camp, which I have to go to , and I scheduled those during breaks in my other job, so when I wasn't working one place I was often working the other. Plus, I was keeping both boys every day all summer.
Aww, poor you.
I know, it sounds like I'm complaining, right? I promise, I'm not. It was a good summer. Busy, tough, but good. Just meant that blogging was not an activity I saved a lot of energy for.
How much energy do you really have to save for blogging?
You'd be surprised, actually. Oh, and then fall came around! Can I talk about fall?
Sure, why not?
Okay, well in September I started rehearsals for a touring show that traveled to schools, mostly in the Katy area, as part of a literacy program. We actually had our last performance this past week. At Robbie's school.
Cool!
It was. And they've invited me back for the spring tour as well. Now, since we are a one-car family, and I had to get out to Katy twice a week, that means I took a lot of buses. Sometimes 5:30, 6 in the morning.
Ouch.
Yeah. I'm not so much a morning person. So again, too tired for bloggity blog. Plus, Isaac has been having issues getting to sleep at night, so I've spent a lot of time staying up way too late rocking him, too.
So despite the business, and early mornings, and the late nights, it's been all sunshine and roses?
Yeah....I wouldn't necessarily put it that way. I've had my ups and downs over the past couple months. I mean, that's life, right? But for now, things are good. Hey, I got to see my parents the past couple of weekends! They were on their way down to Galveston for a cruise, so they stopped in to play with their grandkids while they were gone. Also let Kim and I get out to dinner one night, and Kim ended up getting a kiss from the Houston Texans' mascot.
What??
Yeah. It was pretty random.
Okay....well, what else is new in your world?
Let's see...Robbie started kindergarten...Isaac is singing Beatles songs...I finished the script for my first ever musical (Thumbelina, I think it's going to be pretty good)...Kim and I celebrated our 7th anniversary...we're flying to Missouri in about a week...
Hey, what about that picture thing you were doing?
Oh, my 365? Yeah, that's probably another reason I wasn't blogging. Some nights, those pictures take a lot of time and creative energy.
And then sometimes you just take a picture of yourself reading a book.
It's a series! And anyway, trying to find the right place to put the camera, the best lighting, and all that jazz, can take some mental gymnastics if you're like me and not a very good photographer. Still, it's been a cool project. I'm actually almost done. Actually, I would be done, if I'd actually gotten something every single day, but I'm still pretty close. But you'll always be my first love, blog.
What about the book blog?
Oh, man! That is so behind! You know what, I was actually going to update that once over the summer, then somebody posted a comment about "Hey, you haven't updated in a few months." Literally, the day I had planned on updating. And then I thought, "Well now I can't update it, because people will think I just did it because of the comment, and then they'll start leaving comments like that every time I go a while between entries, and I don't want that!" So I sat on it for a while longer, and then I actually went a while without reading anything for some reason. So yeah, ball dropped. But I'll pick it back up at some point. I can tell you I've read some pretty good stuff. I read The Green Mile, which was excellent. Also, Shutter Island was very good, and I was very impressed with Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera. I've always been sort of underwhelmed by the storytelling aspect of the popular musical; I was amazed to discover that there's actually a really compelling and frightening story in there! Let's see, what else...The Boys of Winter is a must for any American hockey fan or just anybody who loves the story of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team. Peter Benchley's Beast is great, if you're into monster stories in the vein of Jaws. (And I don't just say that because it's the same author; it really is quite a bit like Jaws. Only with a giant squid, a chainsaw, and an epic final battle) Oh, I also finally finished the first Percy Jackson series. Super-fun books.
I'm surprised you haven't logged on to blog about the hockey work stoppage.
You know what? I really don't want to blog about that. I've been following the whole thing very closely. On the one hand, it just makes me furious. On the other, I'm actually kind of over it. See, last time they had a lockout (2005), when they lost a whole season, I at least understood the reasoning behind it. This time, I totally understand where each side is coming from...but they're both being unbelievably stubborn and foolish. The whole thing is just dumb. The players' side is being dumb. The owners' side is being dumb. It's remarkable how utterly stupid the whole mess is. And I'm kinda like, you know what? If they want to lose a whole season over this, fine. Whatever. The AHL hockey is phenomenal this year. But if they think they're going to step right back to arenas full of loving supportive fans when this thing is over like they did in 2006? Man, are they ever in for a nasty surprise.
Okay. Yikes. Well, any plans for the blog? Are you "back on the wagon?"
Oh, I don't know. Probably not really. I'll probably never be an almost-daily blogger like I used to be.
Why's that?
Several reasons. One, and this is kinda like I said earlier, I've got more important things to be writing. I just finished Thumelina, like I said. I plan to have Jungle Book drafted before Thanksgiving, and a script for my church to use at Easter done before Christmas. Those three projects will all have to have rewrites, of course. I've also got another couple of plays I plan to work on. Maybe even something for grown-ups.
Shock and disbelief!
I know, really branching out, right? I also have some idea for kids' picture books that I think would be kind of fun. Really, though, I want to get back to my novel. It's been way too long. I think there's something good there, though. It's time to rewrite.
And then?
Wealth and fame, of course.
Of course. So, you're not blogging any more?
Well, not necessarily. There have been a few posts I've wanted to write lately, but not many. Actually, I have a ton of Top 7's I want to do. Those actually take quite a bit of time, you know. But hopefully I'll get to some of them. I do want to write the occasional blog, if for no other reason than I know I have a few friends and family who like to read it from time to time. You won't need to check in daily, because I won't be posting all that often. But I'm sure I'll still lurk around here from time to time. Hopefully, there'll be some exciting new things in my life that I'll want to share, and I may drop in here for some added insight on what I'm working on. Maybe someday I'll finally go on my full-out rant on how stupid MLB's new playoff system is/was. Who knows? But you'll see stuff on here sometimes. And on the book blog, too, once I figure out the best way to get back into that one.
I see. Well, anything to say in closing?
Um...not really. I'm kinda tired of talking, actually.
I love you, man.
Oh. Okay. Um, thanks.
