I stumbled on writer Eric Maisel several years ago, when his book, Van Gogh Blues, caught my interest - a very different approach to the depression experienced by creative people. What a treat to discover a useful re-framing of the yoyo moods I’ve experienced! He’s also written another keeper, Ten Zen Seconds (subtitled “twleve incantations for purpose, power and calm”), an intellectually honest approach to affirmations I’ve found particularly helpful.
I was delighted to learn today about a Writers TeleSummitкомпютри happening in September he’ll be part of - the whole event looks like a real winner: four full days of presentations, 24 world-class presenters including well-published writers in about every genre you can think of, plus publishers and book marketing experts. All accessible from the comfort of your own computer screen - gotta love the options now available for attending stuff like this!
When I turn on the tap, fill a glass, and enjoy the chlorine-free taste of exceptionally good well water, as abundant as the annual 100-plus inches of rain/snow in the mountains behind me feeding the aquifer, it’s easy to forget what a treasure that clean water is.
It’s been nearly a year since I last posted… which doesn’t exactly say much for my blogging enthusiasm over the past year. I think things are starting to shift, and these may become more frequent.
I’ve been spending an increasing amount of time at Second Life - the 3-D virtual world that offers quite a palette of options for the creatively inclined. It’s also gradually emerged for me as a new source for online community, and a place where a good many of my skills are finding a home. I’m quite pleased to discover that my burnout after Talk City days has finally passed, and even more tickled to be making some new friends whose presence in my life is prodding me in creative directions.
Second Life is also serving to connect me to the Integral community as a participant, rather than just a lurker around the Integral Naked forums. Heck, I may even get inspired to update my Ken Wilber site, which has been collecting cobwebs for eons! Time will tell.
I have two new kittens, so anything with kittens tends to get my attention - here’s one of a kitten watching that cat video that’s been around for a while … probably taking lessons!
Ok, so it wasn’t my intention to become a cam-blog, but here’s another one: National Geographic Magazine is the source for a rather fabulous Wildcam of Grizzly bears fishing - chances are you’ll see a dozen or so bears, and they have their cam set up to move around, which adds considerably! this is a seasonal cam setup, since (obviously) the bruins will be hibernating later - but for now, you can watch ‘em fatten up on salmon, and tussle with hordes of seagulls interested in the same feast.
I have a weakness for critter cams (evidenced by the snow monkey cam earlier), and particularly when it’s one of “my” critters - this new Eagle cam from British Columbia is one of the best I’ve seen, for clarity - mom-eagle (I think) is sittng on eggs at the moment. Eagle Eye Cam
I’d presume you’ll need a high-speed connection for this one.
Some years ago, my musical interests launched me into a bit of a local singer-songwriter career, using the stage name of Leslie McKay. Several years, an album, a bunch of performing and a lot of tunesmithing later, I ran out of enthusiasm (particularly for performing), tired of scraping by financially, and went back to working full-time. I also chipped my shoulder in the middle of things, which played havoc with guitar-playing (you don’t realize how much rotation you put on that left shoulder until you can’t!).
It was the right decision, and I have zero interest now in performing, but composing and slider-jockeying both still have considerable appeal, enough for me to finally be dusting off my home studio setup, converting the old album (released on cassette) to CD, and starting to write again. What’s quite interesting in all of this is, with current software, my CD conversion from an old master mix sounds better than the cassettes! (Alas, the 8-track original studio tapes were the victim of a run of bad tape production and no longer exist - so no way to go back and remix.)
Anyhow… I’m building a new Web site just for my music-related stuff. Stay tuned.
Garrison Keiller says it well - I particularly like this bit:
Put the past behind you… Make a pile of your regrets and put a match to them and let them blow away—the lost loves, the estranged friends, the botched education, the unwritten novel, the neglected guitar, the ruinous investments, the dear friend who committed suicide, the opportunities that sailed away without you. Put that knapsack full of rocks on the ground and walk away and find something in the here-and-now that absorbs you and take up with that—a garden, a grandchild, a choir, yoga, knitting, amassing a collection of porcelain pigs, political agitation, learning the drop-thumb style of banjo.