5

      It was a bad practice last night. My fault. They stumbled on lines they had before, forgot blocking, and got side-tracked on little bits of business when they are still struggling with the main action of the play. And I couldn't figure out how to get them back on track. I let myself get distracted with set problems and personal problems, and I couldn't get the energy going. As director, it's up to me to set the tone and the pace of the play. It wasn't a terrible practice, of course -- they're too good a group to have a terrible practice -- but I'm not sure if we accomplished much. And we need to be moving forward every practice. The play opens in just 15 days. Yikes.
      Despite the looming deadline, I gave everyone the night off tonight. I think part of the problem is that we're all tired. A night off to recharge and refresh is better than spinning our wheels in a frustrating practice. And let's be honest, I need the break, too.
      So what am I going to do tonight?
      More play stuff, of course. I need to finish designing the posters and start on the program. I like doing creative things like that so it should be fun. And some laundry and a little housework. Maybe watch some TV if I can find anything that's not boring. Or just sit down with a couple of books I've been wanting to read. The thing is, I might just veg out and do nothing. Wouldn't that be nice?
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      I figured out what fueled some of the malaise that has been affecting me recently: I've not been able to do any real writing since the play practice started. There simply isn't enough time in the day. One of the cool things about National Novel Writing Month -- maybe the coolest from my perspective -- was the uninterrupted hours spent writing. I fell into a creative state when the words were flowing. The world recedes. Sounds rather mystical, but that's what happens. I think most people experience this if they intensely concentrate on a project.
      That's when you look up and realize that you haven't eaten supper, it's midnight, and you wonder where the hours went. Time is relative to what you're doing. Compare your time in a doctor's office with watching an exciting football game in which OSU beats OU. (Hey, it's happened before! It could happen again.) One is slow; the other is fast. Relative.
***
      Holly Lisle has started a podcast. This is a major cool. Holly will be discussing writing on her shows as well as answering listeners' questions. This is just another part of Holly's "pay it forward" philosophy of life. She's an excellent writer and excellent human being. Check out her podcast here.
**
      Someday I'm going to snap and strangle one of my customers at work. He came in yesterday, and I was treated to another 30 minutes of his bigoted, backward thinking. He is a self-proclaimed Republican, but he's one of those Republicans that make the other Republicans flinch. He hates blacks, gays, Mexicans, Arabs, Native American Indians, Catholics, Mormons, Jews, etc. He thinks the best solution to every foreign problem is "nuke 'em!" He's 82 years mean, and I don't think he will ever die since Heaven won't take him and Hell is scared of him, But if on some blessed day he does croak, he will be so filled with bile and meanness that his liver will continue to function for years after he's dead.
      I used to feel sorry for him. His wife left him years ago, his children moved away and don't speak to him, he lives alone in an old house that is filled with newspapers and cans. He looks frail and lost until you hear him speak. Then you realize his mind is still sharp, but not as sharp as his tongue. If I owned where I worked, I tell him to take his business elsewhere, anywhere but here. But I don't so I smile a lot and think about the pleasant sounds his neckbones would make as I crushed them. Ahhh ... Hmm, could this be my dark side that people keep harping about?
      Could be.
*
      All praise Dave Ramsey! You will recall that I've been following his principles to get out of debt. One of the most important things he recommends is to have an Emergency Fund. He says you should save that first.
      Yesterday at lunch, while reconciling my checkbook, I discovered that I had written down a paycheck twice. Yikes. This meant that the checks I mailed Monday would bounce, bounce, bounce ... except I have a small Emergency Fund. I went to the bank and transferred the money from the EF to my checking account.
      Before Dave Ramsey, I would have panicked and been unable to cover those checks without borrowing money. So ... all praise Dave Ramsey! Learn more about Dave Ramsey here.
      And I think I'll close on that and get ready for work.