Today, I forgot my iPhone at home and it made me realize how addicted I am to being connected via email/text and phone. All my contacts are on that little contraption so I can’t call anyone from work without it in my hand. It’s also been awhile since I had a phone number memorized. At the moment, I have two numbers memorized, my own and my parent’s house. Hehehe. Who else do I need to talk to? The only reason why I know their phone number is because they’ve had it for the last 25 years. Anyway, now without phone in hand, I can’t call up or text my friends when I’m having a slow moment at work. Hmmm. What’s wrong with this picture?
I grew up without a cell phone attached to my hand. I come from a generation where cell phones were a luxury item but now that we’ve entered upon a generation of on-call /instant messaging/twittering communities…gosh, it’s really hard to go back. I’ve been saying to friends and family that I’m going to scale back from this high tech reality and just go back to a cell phone that only makes calls, nothing more. But truth be told, it’s a lot harder than I thought. This online presence is all-encompassing and without the technology, I feel like I’ve unplugged from the hive. “Resistance is futile.”
I work at a company that limits internet access because of compliance issues so I relied on my iPhone to check e-mails. And now I’m antsy because I haven’t checked e-mail all morning. What kind of twisted nightmare have I allowed in to warp my brain circuitry so that without internet access…I can’t sit still? Hmm? This is one of those moments where all this time on my hands has me thinking too much.
Funny, thinking about this has me recalling something Jeff Vandermeer’s wrote in Booklife about how all this access fragments us. Yes it does!! Dag it!! And now I have 4 and a half more hours before the day is done. I was supposed to go to a gallery opening tonight but unfortunately all the info is on my phone. Argh! I was going to slip the postcard into my book this morning just to have written details but I was running late...so much for a swanky party. Who says swanky in this day in age?
All for now….it’s time to unplug.
Peace,
L~
All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2011 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Pleasure principle
The last couple of days I’ve been trying to get up early to do some writing. The body and mind are just not willing. I get up just long enough to feed my very loud meowing cat. Then I go back to sleep for a couple of more hours. I know I’m capable of getting up; after all, I’ve done it in the past. But…..*yawn*….been too sleepy lately. I think it’s all the allergy medicine I’m taking. Meanwhile, my story is wilting in the corner. Eeek! I’ve got to get my act together and just write.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, I finally picked up Kathe Koja’s book, Under the Poppy. The book came out last November and I’ve held off reading it out of sheer deprivation. Now that it’s in my grubby little hands, I meant to read only a chapter and managed to read 120 pages instead. Her writing is so damn good!! She does an amazing job of allowing the characters to evolve. There is nothing but sheer pleasure reading her work.
I think that’s all I’ve got for now.
Peace,
L~
All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2011 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, I finally picked up Kathe Koja’s book, Under the Poppy. The book came out last November and I’ve held off reading it out of sheer deprivation. Now that it’s in my grubby little hands, I meant to read only a chapter and managed to read 120 pages instead. Her writing is so damn good!! She does an amazing job of allowing the characters to evolve. There is nothing but sheer pleasure reading her work.
I think that’s all I’ve got for now.
Peace,
L~
All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2011 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Grind
Today has been about the grind...working for the man...about keeping nose to the grindstone. So in other words not a great day. I promised myself to stop using this platform to whinge about life. I'll do my best not to go down that rocky path.
So now I'm staring at the screen and just blinking at it...seriously. If I can't gripe, then my brain goes blank. What is that about? It's almost as if I can't start the conversation without a complaint on my lips, well in this case fingertips.
I'm working on this very particular project at my day job where I am supposed to look up and write about powerful influential women around the world. Easy enough, I go onto the 2010 Forbes list and take a few key women and do some internet research and give a blurb on them, in 500 words or less. Fine. I spent the better part of the day doing this. Instead of inspiring me, it's done the opposite. Bleck! :-P It's left me in a bad mood about how little I'm accomplishing at the moment. *arms crossed with a scowly frown upon my face*
Then, on the train home, I am reading a peer's manuscript, just making notations in the margins so I can give some specific feedback. The young African-American woman who is sitting next to me, not more than 19 years old, takes a glance over. She gives a big sigh, rolls her eyes, turns to her boyfriend who is sitting beside her and says pretty loudly, "oh god she's reading a novel, how boring! Who has time for that shit anyway." Being in the crotchety mood I was already in, I chose that moment to ignore her and keep reading. But as I sat there I start to wonder about young readers and if this is their attitude to the written language then what the heck am I doing wasting my time writing?! LOL!! No, seriously! The randomness of this encounter affected me. Her flip comment, for just a moment, put me into an existential crisis. The universe was having a laugh at me today.
You see, after reading about powerful women who are making global contributions, I thought, what am I doing? Why can't I use this brain of mine for something a bit more substantial than writing fiction. I even thought, maybe I should go back to school and get my doctorate in eco-politics and environmental sciences. Hmmm. Deep? Maybe not so much. Maybe I'm just running away from the page. The novel-writing business isn't easy. So environmental sciences it is. *hehehe* Even writing it out and reading it back to myself, I can see the absurdity of it all. But when it lives inside my brain it festers into something else.
My 15-year old niece not too long ago told me she was interested in going into theater: playwriting, working on stage crew, building sets, etc. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed NOT to tell her "NOOOO! Going into theater will break your heart into a thousand pieces and then use those very pieces to ram down your throat!!" Bitter, much? I did NOT say those words out loud to her. I did not discourage her. I was a good auntie and told her to pursue whatever interests she wanted. (I think that's what I said to her).
I digress...I guess if I can be supportive of my niece in her pursuit of exploring theater then I really have to learn to be supportive of my own work as a writer. If I can be a super cheerleader for every member of my own writing group and every newbie writer I meet then I need to believe in my own hype. Voilรก!
Universe, I got the lesson...
All for now...keep on keeping on.
Peace,
L~
All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2011 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.
So now I'm staring at the screen and just blinking at it...seriously. If I can't gripe, then my brain goes blank. What is that about? It's almost as if I can't start the conversation without a complaint on my lips, well in this case fingertips.
I'm working on this very particular project at my day job where I am supposed to look up and write about powerful influential women around the world. Easy enough, I go onto the 2010 Forbes list and take a few key women and do some internet research and give a blurb on them, in 500 words or less. Fine. I spent the better part of the day doing this. Instead of inspiring me, it's done the opposite. Bleck! :-P It's left me in a bad mood about how little I'm accomplishing at the moment. *arms crossed with a scowly frown upon my face*
Then, on the train home, I am reading a peer's manuscript, just making notations in the margins so I can give some specific feedback. The young African-American woman who is sitting next to me, not more than 19 years old, takes a glance over. She gives a big sigh, rolls her eyes, turns to her boyfriend who is sitting beside her and says pretty loudly, "oh god she's reading a novel, how boring! Who has time for that shit anyway." Being in the crotchety mood I was already in, I chose that moment to ignore her and keep reading. But as I sat there I start to wonder about young readers and if this is their attitude to the written language then what the heck am I doing wasting my time writing?! LOL!! No, seriously! The randomness of this encounter affected me. Her flip comment, for just a moment, put me into an existential crisis. The universe was having a laugh at me today.
You see, after reading about powerful women who are making global contributions, I thought, what am I doing? Why can't I use this brain of mine for something a bit more substantial than writing fiction. I even thought, maybe I should go back to school and get my doctorate in eco-politics and environmental sciences. Hmmm. Deep? Maybe not so much. Maybe I'm just running away from the page. The novel-writing business isn't easy. So environmental sciences it is. *hehehe* Even writing it out and reading it back to myself, I can see the absurdity of it all. But when it lives inside my brain it festers into something else.
My 15-year old niece not too long ago told me she was interested in going into theater: playwriting, working on stage crew, building sets, etc. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed NOT to tell her "NOOOO! Going into theater will break your heart into a thousand pieces and then use those very pieces to ram down your throat!!" Bitter, much? I did NOT say those words out loud to her. I did not discourage her. I was a good auntie and told her to pursue whatever interests she wanted. (I think that's what I said to her).
I digress...I guess if I can be supportive of my niece in her pursuit of exploring theater then I really have to learn to be supportive of my own work as a writer. If I can be a super cheerleader for every member of my own writing group and every newbie writer I meet then I need to believe in my own hype. Voilรก!
Universe, I got the lesson...
All for now...keep on keeping on.
Peace,
L~
All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2011 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.
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