"Memories, light the corners of my mind..." OR NOT

2014 has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows for me. I got hit by a car just days into the New Year; my father was hospitalized with two compression fractures in his spine after taking a bad fall; work continues to be a crap-shoot of inconsistency and uncertainty; my finances are shite - All things on the low end of the scale.
On the other hand, I have had the privilege to take two amazing vacations to warm, sunny, tropical locales, and share awesome experiences with friends and create memories that we can share for years to come.

Well at least I hope I can remember these good times. Lately I'm starting to worry.

The one thing that I could always count on was my memory. I have the kind of steel trap brain that holds the most minor of details for all sorts of pop-culture trivia, song lyric, scientific equation etc. My friend Matt Slocum used to call me "Tree" because he said that my brain retained things like the rings of a tree.

Well the past two months or so, I've been uncharacteristically scatter-brained and forgetful. I've taken to writing EVERYTHING down, and setting up silly alerts on my phone's calendar for items as mundane as "bring extra toilet paper down from guest bath".
My doctors say that my recent bad memory is the result of stress, and the fact that I'm spreading myself too thin - what with the myriad of doctor's appointments, massage therapy visits, physical therapy sessions; not to mention the fact that I am two weeks away from a concert performance with the NW Firelight Chorale, and I've had to memorize what seems like hundreds of pieces of music and dance movements.

I'm hoping my docs are right and that next month, when I get to catch my breath and slow down a little (just a little, as I'll be getting ready for Good Friday and Easter singing services), that I will also find that I'm not nearly as forgetful as I've been so far this year.

FINGERS CROSSED.

Prequel to the Oscars!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”


When most people hear the dulcet tones of Andy Williams’ voice singing this holiday classic, visions of Christmas trees and sparkly lights come to mind. These days I almost always connect the song with the beginning of the movie awards season.
The Film Critics have announced their favorites, and SAG made their nominations last week, and now it’s the Hollywood Foreign Press’ turn.

The 2011 Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning. And with this list, I can begin finalizing and planning my strategy for the upcoming Oscar Death Race, where I will again attempt to see every single film nominated for an Academy Award. Even though the Oscar noms won't be released for another month or so, the Golden Globes usually give me an idea of what to expect for some of the major categories.
 
The good thing is that I've already seen many of the nominated films. But I am a little worried about the Foreign Film category for the Globes. Except for one Spanish film, I haven't seen any of the nominated films. Eeek. I usually lock this category up during the summer at the Seattle International Film Festival where I get to see numerous foreign films and documentaries that wouldn't normally be available in even the trendiest of hipster art-houses here in Seattle. Hopefully Oscar will take a different route with their Foreign noms.
 

George Clooney was a big winner on many a list.Looks like I'll defninitely have to see The Descendants, The Artist, and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, all of which I already had on my to-do list. I'm still unsure about the Michael Fassbender duo or A Dangerous Method and Shame. Although since the latter features full-frontal nudity from Fassy, I can guarantee I'll be seeing that one anyway.
 
Let the movie cramming begin!!!

I failed...AGAIN

For the second year in a row I managed NOT to compose a 50,000 word book during the month of November. As usual, I appreciated and valued the challenge and the movitation that I had to even get as far as I did. It really did get my creative juices flowing. But unfortunately, I wasn't able to sustain any momentum and what with work, family stress, and preparing for 2 Christmas concerts, I ran out of steam and out of time.
Unlike my unfinished project from last year, that I quickly abandoned, I will be attempting to complete this year's novel as a gift to my friend Robert for Christmas. So yay, I have 3 more weeks!
One of these years NaNoWriMo, I will conquer you!!!

Writer's block

My novel is stalled currently. Ugh. Maybe I can kickstart myself by using NPR's helpful hints for coming up with a book title.