Boy do I have a blog post (multiple actually) for you! The unfortunately thing is I probably need to wait until 2012 or later before I actually post them. Curious? Wish I could write them now, but sometimes you just gotta wait.
The problem is, the subject of these potential posts have been occupying much of my mind this summer, and, even more so, the past couple of weeks. So coming up with a topic for today has been difficult to say the least.
So this is going to be a bit of a scatter shot of things, hope you don’t mind.
1. I’ve never been to COMIC CON in San Diego (hope to one day), but a few weeks ago I did get to go to the Anime Expo in downtown Los Angeles with my daughters. To those unfamiliar with Anime, it is basically the Japanese form of film and television animation, and Manga (also part of the expo) is the Japanese form of comic books. Think Speed Racer and Pokemon, though there are TONS of other, darker examples. Like what I’ve heard about COMIC CON, many of the attendees at Anime Expo dressed up in their favorite character outfits. There were ninjas and school girls, and pokemon characters, and characters from Shugo Chara just to name a few. It was…fascinating. My youngest daughter is totally into anime (she dressed up in a school girl outfit.) She’s so into it, in fact, that she wants to go to Japan and work as an anime artist when she grows up. So to say she was in her element would be an understatement. My other daughter came along because otherwise she’d have to spend a boring day at home. Anime and Manga are decidedly NOT her element. It was humorous watching her reactions to all the costumed people. Did I say humorous? I meant hilarious. Anyway, tons of fun.
2. Having your transmission go kaput on the freeway 20 miles from home is not fun. Finding out how much it will cost to replace it, even less fun.
3. Walking around Las Vegas people watching (with very little money in your pocket…see item #2) is at times even more entertaining that attending the Anime Expo.
4. If you’re ever in L.A. in the summer, you MUST make time to spend an evening at the Hollywood Bowl. Even the cheap seats are fine. Bring your wine and something to eat, and you’ll be in heaven.
5. I’m now at the beginning again. Time to start writing a new book. For me, this is often the hardest part. I have that opening which I wrote months ago, and now I have to get back into that frame of mind. At the moment, I’m looking for the rhythm. In fact, I had planned on writing all day, but when I woke up this morning, I was still not feeling it completely. I’ve written enough books now to know that it’s ok if I give in to that feeling. What I need is more stimulus…maybe catch a movie (did you all see INCEPTION? Awesome), or read a book (current read THE GODFATHER OF KATHMANDU by John Burdett, so far excellent), or watch TV (reruns Perry Mason play on a local channel here at noon everyday, I’ve grown a whole new appreciation for the series) or…who knows?
So what’s going on with you this summer?
Do you find music tethers you to a character or to your book itself? If so, you can spend a couple of hours surfing You Tube and call it research! I pick a mood, an instrument, a style, a group and save anything that I think fits at the time…when I’m looking for a doorway back into ‘their world’, that of the story, I open my favourites and head to the novel tab
. Went to Vegas last year. People watching is so much fun. I was blown away by the architecture (I don’t get out much!) but I wish I had done that. Do you ever give the people names, destinations, conversations? My husband and I do that at the mall, hopefully not loud enough to be overheard by our subjects! Ever people listen? I suppose it’s properly called evesdropping but that would sound rude! Snippets of conversation are hilarious because you have no idea what they are talking about and finishing the sentences in your head can take you to pretty interesting places – try it when you’re over-tired.
I had my transmission blow out twenty miles from my Dad’s place up Yerba Buena canyon the spring before last, when I was supposed to be driving home to Berkeley so I could catch my flight to NYC for the Edgars. Boy did that SUCK! And then when I got to security to get on a Southwest flight back up to Oakland, once I’d gotten the car towed to a garage and everything, it turned out I still had the large knife Sophie brought to a bar with the wonderful birthday cake she’d made me a month earlier in my bookbag thingie. So all the security guys started screaming "Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!" and had me stand against the wall while they freaked out for half an hour about whose jurisdiction it was to take the knife out of the bag–TSA or LAPD. That was so awesome, not.
Hmm … you’ve piqued my interest with this 2012 tease. Too long for a pregnancy. About the right time for a book or a movie. More hints?
Those anime girls. WTF?
You comment about letting the writing guide you reminds me of a book I’m reading right now:
Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar by James Marcus Bach.
I think his approach may be a little extreme, but I’m always open to new strategies for ferreting out my own best ways of thinking and working.
Boy, the view from those cheap seats at the Hollywood Bowl look all too familiar. I don’t think I’ve ever left the place without raccoon eyes from my binoculars.
I do get to attend the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach this summer on great tickets that were given to me as a gift. Can’t wait for that.
Next year I’m gonna hit that Anime show. Or Adultcon. I might have to flip a coin.
Nice tip re: YouTube, Debbie. Thanks!
I agree Corneilia, so NOT awesome.
Louise, it’s wo ‘t exactly be a happy post, but hopefully education. Still, time needs to pass…so no hints! 😉
Rob, I got several more pics of even crazier outfits.
Kagey…haven’t heard about that one. I’ll check it out.
Steve, I think I know which way that coin’s going to flip!
Unnati, thanks for stopping by.
My love of anime goes way back, even before I knew what it was called. I used to watch a double bill of Speed Racer and Marine Boy (anybody a fan of that?) every day after school. What the Wachowskis did with the live action Speed Racer was just sad. I never dressed up like those girls, though. Not in public, anyway.
I’m so curious about your 2012 news! I hope it has nothing to do with the Mayan prophecy.
I didn’t think I could say anything about what I was doing this summer as it’s winter in Australia. However today was nuts as it went up to about 75 fahrenheit. It was lovely to be able to walk around in a short sleeved dress.
I share your pain re:car repairs. I now have a new appreciation of how necessary smoothly functioning coils are.
Thanks Cornelia for reminding me that my 100k bus/train/bus journey home sans car wasn’t so bad after all.
I’m hoping this weather holds for a few more days as I’ll just throw all the windows open and feel the breeze (as opposed to gale force wind) and look at my bare trees.
I’m treating myself to a night at an inner city B&B next week and do city type stuff. Dinner, cocktails, wine search, a bit of shopping, a bit of walking, the modern art museum. As it seems to be warming up I’m looking at what it will take to build a new kitchen garden too. Then we have a writer’s festival in Brisbane as we go into spring. A bit of a mixed bag.
I also hope to get to the next Cine Retro night where they are showing ‘I married a witch’ a 1942 film which looks like fun. So I figure if I can do all this in a summery winter, actual summer should be awesome.
And yes on the east coast of Australia we used to have Marine boy and Speed Racer back to back too. Loved it as a kid and used to annoy everyone singing ‘go speed racer’ repeatedly.
awestruck by the architecture would perhaps have been a better choice of words – and I meant people watch,…I people watch and make comments. of course I know you understood me 🙂 but I’m embarrassed by my sloppy writing which I decided to overlook when I posted! Very funny comment though – I read it twice being that it’s so early and I’m listening in on three children at a breakfast table while I check blog posts. Thanx Wendy!