The itch that must be scratched...

I've been involved the past few days in creating things. No, this isn't going to be a post about trying to have a baby at my advanced age. I'm talking about other stuff. Creative stuff. The one thing that I realized the other night is that I'm at my happiest--or what allegedly passes for "happy" for me--when I'm doing something creative.

That something is twofold right now. I'm in the beginning stages of a new issue of the magazine I write, edit and design for my employer. This time around I thought it would be just a going-through-the-motions type of thing, since the decision has been made to print only one magazine a year from now on, and to do the other two issues as online-only editions. But once I got into it, I realized that it's no different. It's still a project that involves a certain amount of creative problem solving and I'm enjoying it a great deal.

The other fold (I mentioned it was twofold, right?) is a little Christmas present project I'm doing for a limited amount of friends that involves...well, something really special I think. While the creativity factor here is notched down a bit--I didn't create something whole so much as piece it together using some helpful software--I'm still amazed by the outcome, and I can't wait to see it when it's finished. Sorry to be so cagey here, folks...no one but my closest friends will ever see this thing, but I'm still thrilled by it, even if it's the personification of a vanity project. (No...I did not cut a "Sing-a-long with Gary" CD. Don't get your hopes up.)

Being embroiled in both these projects has stirred me up a bit, especially after coming down from my trip to San Francisco and New York City a few weeks ago, which left me with that ennui-filled feeling of nothing to look forward to. The holidays aren't exactly my favorite time of years these days (the last time that happened, I got a Man From U.N.C.L.E. gun set and/or a couple of books about the Marx Brothers). I love the time off. I even love decorating my little pied-a-terre (I bought a new Christmas tree at Target on Saturday night, for Christ's sake!), but it's a pretty quiet time for me. So I've been a bit rejuvenated by these twin projects.

I've also decided to create a direct brain-to-blog link, which shall be in the form of some kind of helmet I can wear when I go to bed each night. Lately I've been getting up to pee in the wee hours (or is that wee in the pee hours? Hmmm...) and coming up with the best ideas for blogging. Knowing that to turn a light on will be the death knell for getting back to sleep--and by the way, be careful where you step in the bathroom, if you know what I'm sayin'--these ideas almost always fly out the open transom of my mind before they can actually be acted upon. I figure if I have some kind of contraption, some kind of technological doo-hickey, I can just think this stuff up and have it write out on my blog right here, without even getting up. Except, of course, to pee. But if I make it wireless, I can just as easily do it from the bathroom. After all, it's a small apartment.

So let's recap: creativity: GOOD. Holidays: not so good, but you better watch out, friends o' mine...I have a little surprise up my sleeve this year. You know who you are.

Comments

[Shell-Don]

I love that radio advert for "Prostate-O-Rama" that asks: "Men? Do you get up to pee?"

I dunno about other guys, but I *always* get up to pee. The option, a wet bed, is not what a call a good one.

What's the magazine about ?