Damn. I haven’t posted to this thing in [does quick math from last entry] six months.
There’s nothing much, really, to report.
I’ve gotten nowhere with the fiction because I’ve been busy re-settling down with the current job and re-settling down with my old apartment which became my new apartment once again. Yeah. That sentence doesn’t make much sense.
So I haven’t done much creatively.
I do, however, have my keyboards set up once again — had to break them down for my move — and I’ve been teaching myself a bunch of J-rock songs. For the sake of padding this entry, here’s my current “set list”, as it were:
- Shiina Ringo, “Tadashii Machi”
- Shiina Ringo, “Kabuki-choo no Jyoou”
- Shiina Ringo, “Marunouchi Sadistic”
- Shiina Ringo, “Koofukuron (Etsurakuhen)”
- Shiina Ringo, “Koko de Kiss Shite”
- Shiina Ringo, “Gips”
- Shiina Ringo, “Yokushitsu”
- Shiina Ringo, “Honnoo”
- Shiina Ringo, “Tsuki ni Makeinu”
- Hajime Chitose, “Kono Machi”
- Hajime Chitose, “Rinto Suru”
- Hajime Chitose, “Kotonoha”
- Hajime Chitose, “Itsu ka Kaze ni Naru Hi”
For some reason, I’m singing women’s songs. I bet I’m not even changing the gender perspective when I sing these songs.
I remember back when I was starting to learn piano, it was an effort to get me to practice the minimum half-hour. Now that I’m teaching myself these songs, it’s easy for me to go full tilt for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
And it feels good.
I must, however, report that I’ve scheduled my first singing lesson for Thursday, July 1 at 7 p.m. Of course, that conflicts with a happy hour I attend every month. Eh, it’s only a half-hour lesson anyway.
So yes, I’m making good on my New Year’s Resolution.
When I do think about fiction, I think about Crash and Cleary. I’m plotting how their relationship plays out. At this point, I’m getting the sense Cleary has the patience of thousand Buddhas as he waits for Crash to get over himself. Crash, of course, resists his obvious attraction to Cleary.
And yet they sleep with each other.
I’m foreseeing a happy ending, despite Crash’s best efforts.
Gary Huang and Mitch Warren, though, are a different story. There are so many ways their relationship gets messed up, not the least of it a lack of social support for a Chinese-black interracial couple. Gary has his own issues with parenting, which of course surface when Mitch broaches the subject of adopting. And I’m wondering whether to include infidelity on both their parts.
But that begs the question — what makes them stick together in the end? I think it’s the realization that they’re each strongest when they’re together, and it’s that basic teamwork — not even intrinsically romantic — that makes them start a family.
Of course, it would be nice if I could hang all these ideas around some semblance of a plot.
I’m still wondering about Adam Fulton. I’m wondering what it is that attracts Crash to the point where he gets involved with solving his murder. More importantly, what the hell does Adam look like? I haven’t figured that one out yet.
(Hmm. Maybe Mike Doyle? Maybe …)
Man. I haven’t thought about Crux in forever.
But I have this feeling I’m going to start the first novel from scratch. AndyA says I have to get rid of all the backstory, and I’m starting to come around to that idea.