Emphasis on the “more-on”.
So I returned from my trip to Iowa, where the horizon is visible in every direction, shook off the effects of a long drive, and sat at my workstation with new images floating in my skull. Ready for action. My computer was not ready. It made a halfhearted meep sound when I turned it on and died. I guess it missed me.
Long story short, it cost less to buy a new computer than it would have to repair it, so I did. I lost all my work-in-progress files, my music library, my novel writings. Also all my bookmarked websites (I save these like some people save napkins and little ketchup packets).
On top of the lack of momentum from being bitten by Charlie, this seemed tailor made to crush my creative impulses. I needed a recharge, after a week long cross-country drive.
A few things got me out of my funk. First, I read some books (something that always gives me more energy). I got an email from an Italian asking for advice about what software to use! I saw an inspirational film. But mostly it was the email from out of the blue. If someone in another country values my opinion, I have a duty to keep creating!
Toady’s card was DRAW.
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So it’s been a while since I updated here. I wish I could say things have been crazy, but instead they’ve ben that kind of quiet that saps all the energy out of a room. It’s funny but energy is so important to creative endeavors. It takes a lot to get momentum.
You may remember I was bitten by a dog a while ago. He got me again! I was walking around the side of the house to go to work and there he was, with his owner. He was on a leash, but she had her hands full with her kid and stuff from the car, so when he took off after me he just pulled away from her. Something inside you goes all primal when a dog almost as big as you are comes running at you, and I’m betting its the same primal instinct that makes him want to chomp me. No matter how civilized, how rational I try to be, I’m keenly aware that underneath is a caveman who makes split second decisions about whether to run or fight. This time he wanted to run.
The EMT told me that was a bad idea. He said when you start to run from a dog that’s charging you, he (or she) and no longer control the impulse to chase and bite. It wasn’t fair of me to abandon reason and flee, that puts all the responsibility on the dog to be an adult. For those of you with a sarcasm deficiency, I’m not serious. It’s not too much to expect people to control their animals, much like their children.
But what could I expect my neighbor to do? She’s a little lady with a big beast on a leash. In case you were wondering what he looks like, here’s a picture of his breed and size:
That’s not a picture of Charlie, just a dog that looks a lot like him. I don’t hang out with Charlie if I can help it anymore.
Anyways, when Danielle returned home from work she saw a crowd of people in our street. She asked them what was up.
“Some guy got bitten by a dog!”
“He ran FAST! Nearly cleared that fence before he got ‘im.”
This was a relief. It couldn’t have been me, since I run SLOW. However, once she entered the apartment and saw an untouched cup of coffee sitting alone on the counter, she knew something terrible had happened. I never leave coffee un-drunk.
I learned that they don’t stitch dog-bites in the ER. It traps the bacteria I suppose. Instead they scrub the wound and squirt some sterile solution in there to clean it out and prescribe the strongest antibiotics they can.
I’m nearly whole again. My leg has a purple scar about 2 inches long on either side, and the flesh on either side of it is stiff and puffy. Gross.
But Sal, you’re an ARTIST. You don’t need your legs for that! Why no update?
I have no excuses. I was a bum. I sat around feeling sorry for myself for a while, then I helped my little brother move into college in freakin’ Iowa. Pictures and lightning video to come! It was a nice trip, even if my leg was oozing the whole time (gross!). And now I’m back.
I have an experiment I’m trying. I wrote tasks on a deck of cards and I’m drawing one every day and doing the task written on the card. Until the task is done, I do nothing else that could distract me. The tasks fall into fall into several categories, including:
WRITE, DRAW, PAINT, BLOG, BUSINESS, and ORGANIZE
Today I pulled BLOG. So I did. That doesn’t mean I’ll update blogs only when I pull the BLOG card, just that when I pull it I HAVE to. I like this system. It puts responsibility on my shoulders without asking me to make decisions. Maybe this way I can circumvent my procrastination or excessive cogitation and cut to the chase. Now that I’m done blogging, it’s time to pull anther card.
WRITE. I’ll see you guys later.
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