Write the Bad Story

I had a really, really good therapy session yesterday. Not in the sense that I was depressed and felt better—I went into it in a good mood—I just made a lot of personal progress. Also, my therapist is really cool, so shooting the shit with him is fun.

We talked about the sort of thing that causes my project ADD. It manifests itself in other areas of my life, particularly other areas that involve creating, especially writing. I am ashamed to admit it, but I have a great deal of difficulty writing research papers. It is like pulling teeth. And yesterday, we identified that a form of perfectionism is responsible for this.

I start writing something, I get a chapter and a half in, and then there is no way I can continue it. Or rather, there is, but it is not satisfactory to me. I stop myself because producing nothing is better than creating something that is not good.

I need to aim a little lower, really. No one’s first novel is published—I should not be wary of what people will think about it. I should just focus on actually completing a novel in the first place. Academically, my new goal is to focus on writing a paper that will earn a C (because that is better than a zero and I will probably earn a better grade in the process).

Mind you, there are still some issues holding me back from moving too far along with my story—mainly the lack of a coherent conflict—but I have a lot of hope.

I am going into the coffee shop right now to write. And I better hurry, because I’m about to say something flippant to the two stereotypes sitting next to me in the area outside of the coffee shop: a girl who is “not” a slut and her gay best friend.

Wiki-Documenting My Mind

While going through the back catalogue of Writing Excuses, I was turned on to a piece of software known as WikidPad. The short explanation is that it lets you create personalized, local wikis about anything and everything. Naturally, this is a powerful tool for any writing that involves world building. Since I am flitting between stories that I want to work on, and was in the process of using word documents to write my story bible, I decided to give it a try. I was initially frustrated by a couple of issues regarding how the links are displayed hierarchically, and I have yet to find a way to create category pages, but after trying competing software, WikidPad seems to be the best option for me._­

If you need to keep entire histories of civilizations straight, or even just want an easy guide to your main characters, this could be a useful tool for you.

"What's the Deal with Fiber Commercials?"

I realize that in this post I risk sounding like Andy Rooney, who (God rest his soul) has probably managed to find something to complain about in heaven. I would guess that he is griping about the clouds being too fluffy or something, but I am not a fan of portraying the theme park version of heaven.

Anyway, onto the kvetching: Fiber One’s latest rash of commercials bothers me. They are predicated on the assumption that fiber has a reputation for tasting terrible. It takes this assumption so far that in one commercial, parents hide the fact that Fiber One cereal has fiber in it from their child in order to convince him to eat it.

This is stupid.

Since when does anyone think that fiber tastes bad? I have never known anyone to shy away from trying something because of high fiber content. Sure, some high-fiber foods do taste terrible, like broccoli, but that is not because they have fiber.

In conclusion, no one thinks fiber is terrible, Fiber One. You are dumb.

Project ADD

I think I have it. I made it a chapter and a half into something and now another story I have worked on pleads for attention. Is this a pattern of behavior that will doom me to never complete anything? Or am I utilizing my time wisely?: I am stuck in one story so I work on another.

The story that begs my involvement again is sort of a retelling of the King Arthur mythos, except not. But it borrows enough elements and characters that I think saying it references Arthurian legend is not strong enough. Perhaps “inspired by” is the term I seek.

A Shins song is playing in the coffee house as I write this. This is the perfect writing environment, yet I choose to spend my time worrying about writing instead of writing. Except for now. Now, I’m writing about worrying about writing.

I meant to write a review of Sherlock Holmes (2009), but this blog has morphed from its intended review format to something else. I enjoyed it, for the record.

Sanskrit and Super Bowls

I have a spiffy new laptop, and I am looking to name it something deserving. So far, I have discovered two Sanskrit words that mean “light weight,” which is appropriate since my old laptop was a monstrous desktop replacement with a 17 inch screen that weighed a ton. The two words are lagubhara and alpabhara. Both may be entirely too pretentious.

At any rate, I am glad to have a fully functional computer again. One of the more annoying issues with my old one (named Sophocles) was that the “q” and “2” keys did not work. Instead of joining my family and some family friends to watch the most recent Super Bowl, I was sequestered in my room, drinking wine. I spilled the libation onto my keyboard and ever since then I have had to rely on the on-screen keyboard to replace the dysfunctional keys. “Q” may not seem like an especially common letter, but when you take classes at Susquehanna University, it is.

I like to name my gadgets. I am not sure why, but I can think of at least two other people who do the same thing. They share a name, but not much else. Other items named include a Creative Zen MP3 player (Bodhisattva) and three external hard drives (Blueberry (the manufacturer provided this name), Fenghuang (it rose from the ashes of an old computer), and Svalbard). I never got around to naming my Droid X, though it was unofficially called “Number 13” (referencing Battlestar Galactica). My sleek Galaxy SIII probably deserves an appropriate moniker as well.

For Entertainment Purposes Only

Recently, eBay announced that they will no longer be offering occult items. Specifically, psychic readings, spells, potions, and tarot readings. I am not sure whether I agree with this move. One the one hand, it could be a practical step towards protecting people from con artists; however, it is difficult to say that these items have no worth.

When evaluating such things, one must be sure to put aside preconceived notions of what is real, what is trickery, and what may be honest, but ineffective. To put it another way, in an anthropological class I took on magic, we were introduced to the concept, “Does the charlatan know that he is a charlatan?” If something is fake, does that necessarily mean it is intended to fool someone, or is there a genuine belief behind the practice? But, does this honesty justify charging money, even if the service is not real?

And what of items that may have no supernatural effect, but still elicit a psychosomatic response? If someone believes in the power of spell casting and has terrible self-esteem, could not something which affirms their self-worth psychologically be a viable service? I do not believe in the power of tarot cards, but having my cards read by a friend who knows me has led to genuine discussions about my personality and contained minor insights into my psychological state.

Even if one assumes that “metaphysical” items and services have some degree of efficacy, how does one sort them out from people who are blatantly trying to deceive people into giving away their money?

Whenever I have discussions about the paranormal with my mother, she brings up the idea that it is legal to practice something supernatural, but not to charge money for it. (I’m not sure if there actually is a law to that effect or if that was only what she proposed.) Her reasoning was that if anyone truthfully had powers of some kind, they have the responsibility to use them for the benefit of others without expecting payment, but that if it were fake, no one would be getting ripped off.

I do not think eBay’s decision will single-handedly end the occult market. It is easier than ever to accept money online using PayPal or Google Wallet—I am sure that practitioners of magical arts will still have a way to make a living. Still, should they be able to profit from such a thing, which is at best unprovable and at worst a sham?

Perhaps the best solution is to add the same disclaimer that many psychic hotlines have: “for entertainment purposes only.”

Flip Flop

Last night I was watching CNN while at work, as usual. On AC360's "Keeping Them Honest" segment, they featured Paul Ryan's criticism of an economic bill, which he later took advantage of once it passed.

I want to make clear that what follows is not an assessment of Ryan or his capabilities. It is generalization. That said: I find it frustrating that this is viewed as a bad thing.

Do not get me wrong—him lying about it after the fact is wrong. But he should not have felt the need to hide it. Why is it so taboo for a politician to change their mind as more information emerges or pertinent events occur? Why can't we accept a leader admitting that they were wrong about something in the past? Why can't Ryan take advantage of the new law while saying that he made a mistake opposing it, but acted based on what he knew at the time.

Why? Because politics in the United States has been overwhelmed by partisan views. Instead of people arguing for ideas based on their merits, they pick a side and stick with it, regardless of any future developments. The whole thing has the mentality of a sports rivalry. One side hates the other on principal.

As I said, this is not a defense of Ryan. It is more that this incident reminded me of my opinion which pertains to all politicians. Frankly, I have seen nothing to make me a fan of the guy.

This video sums up my views on politics in general: