"I hope some animal never bores a hole in my head and lays its eggs in my brain, because later you might think you're having a good idea but it's just eggs hatching."
I haven't had much time to update lately because I've been pretty busy(read: lazy). So I figured I'd write a nice long update today.
I've been reading quite a bit this past month. Not just the SA Forums, but quite a few more books and magazines than usual. I don't have television and I honestly haven't watched one of my DVDs in months(despite having bought a couple dozen more). I guess I just can't get immersed in visual stimuli as of late. I'm still trudging along through Guests of the Ayatollah, but that's my night time reading before I go to bed. At work, and whenever I'm bored around the house, I've really gotten into reading short stories. Specifically mysteries. I've subscribed to a few magazines recently, including Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. I've also started picking up The Strand, which was the periodical that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle originally published the Sherlock Holmes mysteries(nifty little factoid!). I've long been a fan of mystery novels and movies, especially Sherlock Holmes(I grew up watching Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Cadfael, and other PBS Masterpiece Theatre mysteries with my folks). I really enjoy these short mysteries because I can equate it to sitting down and watching a sitcom when I'm bored. I can just pick one of these up and read for a little bit when I'm bored or have some down time at work. I'm keeping an eye out for larger compilations of these types of stories, so if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.
Rekindling my love of mysteries and reading has dredged up a long held regret of mine. Many people don't know this about me and would actually be quite surprised if I told them, but I've always wanted to be a writer. Those of you that know me are probably thinking, "But you hated writing and English courses when you were in School!" That's true, I always hated learning the mechanics of written language, but I have always had an insatiable interest in literature. Does the fact that I love to read give me the ability to write well? No, certainly not. But it is something I've always longed to do. A few years ago, I actually wrote out the outline of a novel I wanted to to begin work on, and I drafted the first chapter for it. But, due to my job, and frequent moving, that desire was left wanting. From time to time I get an itch to start back up on this project, but I never feel like I can dedicate the amount of time it deserves. I guess I'll just have to stick to writing this blog. But there's a difference between chronicling my life's experiences, and telling a truly great story. Oh well, I suppose it's something I'll have to wait to do when I retire.
Other than my renewed passion for reading and pining to become a novelist, I've mostly been busy at work getting ready to get underway again. Everyone is churning and burning getting all last minutes items taken care of so we'll be ready to go. I took this week off from work so I could get all my matters in order and not feel rushed when it's time to go. I am definitely feeling more relaxed this time than the gut wrenching anxiety I felt before the last patrol. I'm not moving, finding an apartment, starting a new job, squaring away my car, and preparing to go on my first three month voyage within a two week period. I'm surprised I didn't have a nervous break down! This time it should be much smoother sailing for me. I'm qualified at my jobs, I'm acclimated to boat life, and I know the day-to-day routines. I'm actually looking forward to our upcoming patrol.
Another happy note, my last bass arrived today thanks to my Dad. I can finally hang them all up in my living room and not have it look awkward. I've decided to take a couple pictures of the decorations in my living room. Note that they are all kind of close up shots because my apartment is a bit messy right now and I didn't really feel like cleaning up before taking the photos.
 My basses displayed |
 My monkey band and samurai |
 Couple of trinkets from Asia |