Friday 15 May 2009

Face revealed

I shaved my stache. Just for fun. I woke up the other morning and removed it. Didn't tell anyone, just had an impulse.

Kim hates it.

She can't look at me while I'm eating or talking and she certainly isn't entertaining the idea of kissing me. Surprisingly enough, nobody said anything about it. Nobody at work cared, my kids just snickered as they walked by. Not that I'm looking for comments, I was just surprised that there weren't any. I've had the mustache since I was 18, and with only two brief exceptions, it has always been there. The first time I shaved it off was about ten years ago, out of shear curiosity about what I looked like without it. Kim hated it. My son ran away - he was only 3 and didn't know who I was without it. The second time it came off was accidental - I trimmed too much one day and made a Hitler impression. Not good.

This time I meant it. The one lasting comment I've had is that without it I look ten years younger. For someone not dealing well with turning 40, that stuck. I could get used to this.

Sorry Kim.

Sunday 10 May 2009

Me write good

Apparently I can actually write. Or so I've been told. I'm flattered by the compliment, thank you Sophie! I didn't start this blog because I could or could not write, that's not what it's about. It's about journaling your life. It's about keeping an ongoing diary of the things you wish to remember down the road. It's about experiences and events that affect your life, and as far as I'm concerned everyone should blog. It should be mandated. Our provincial government is going on and on with new stupid laws, this could be one more.

I'm encouraging my son to blog, he has already started, but with any of us, keeping it going regularly can be an issue, we all know how busy a teen's life can be. When I was his age, diaries were for little girls, usually in some sort of pink booklet, sometimes with a small lock on it to keep prying eyes out. Guys didn't keep diaries. That just made them fodder if they were found out. Guys didn't keep diaries, they stole them. Things have changed a bit, now writing is as much an art form for young people as drawing. If it wasn't for the computer, that wouldn't have happened.

Now, blogging has increased my own ability to keep track of past events, and as my memory fades with age I'm finding it a wonderful tool to ward off the inevitable onset of sometimers disease. I hope my son finds as much solace in it as I have.

I started writing a story a while back. I was told by those who read the first few (and only) chapters that it was quite good. I haven't touched it in a long time now, partially because of a loss for direction, partly due to the fact that given my fondness for writing, and my job as an art director, I really hate typing! It's a good story, I researched it as best I could, and it's something that really interests me, always a good starting point. I don't think I will ever publish it, but writing it may give me a sense of accomplishment I haven't experienced in this field. Something artistic I can hand down and hopefully entertain my descendants.

Maybe the compliment I received today is the motivation I need to pick it back up. Maybe the story will form again in my mind, and I will be able to see direction and plot. Kim said I was thinking too much with it, putting too much research and too little artistry into it. Maybe she's right. I'm too afraid of steering off course and ruining what I started. But hey, that what editors are for.

I'm going to dust it off tonight.

Cheers.