A Simple Prop to Occupy My Time

I'll miss the commute.

That sounds like rubbish, I know. The commute should be the last thing to miss. Like some fucking tourist having the time of his life riding the subway; a novelty act he can equate with fun because he's on vacation and he knows he doesn't have to do it every day. It borders on the obscene. Hell, I'm sure if you were forced to ride Space Mountain every day, it would turn into a chore. (It wouldn't, of course, but I think my point is clear.)

The unsubstantiated chatter on the street is that the "informal talks" between the WGA and the studios are progressing well. The faint stench of optimism wafts through the air, like the scent of baking cookies. Mid-February's the de-facto deadline that people are looking at. If we've got a deal by mid-February, many things can be salvaged in the industry. Television development, Oscar ceremony...

Mid-February is coming on fast.

Obviously, you can't depend on rumors. But that won't stop me from counting my chickens.

Yes, the commute is a chore. Getting up in the morning, getting out the door, catching the right trains. But I really do have an easy commute. And eyeballing pretty girls on the train is better than a cup of coffee.

The long walks home help me center. Yeah, it saves me a swipe off the metrocard, but it also gives me a little extra time to meditate. Forces me to appreciate the streets. It's so easy to remain walled off from the world when you're always traveling underground. That's life in a mole society.

I'm not sure what the timeframe will be for me to be able to afford writing full-time again. When it happens, I'm going to retool my process. I've said that before and it's easy to lose focus of it, especially in the heat of deadlines. But I am determined to build a better machine.

Is the world ending in Chicago?

Giuliani's presidential bid has a posse!

Ditto Edwards?!

Kids, we're having a couple of cans of cheeseburgers for dinner!

Fat man... still fat... but now remembers EVERYTHING...