Don't miss the fun, gang!
I sure didn't!
First, let me explain.
My new thing for 2010 is to start celebrating even the small stuff -- b/c none of the creative achievements are ever really small things, are they, gang? But I've tended to focus on outcomes and/or meetings that don't go 100% great, or on delays, or on monumental tons of work, etc., etc. Now, I'm focusing on the processes along the way and celebrating the tiny milestones. (I used to do this just naturally when I was young but along the way -- 25 years of living & working in NYC -- I think I got jaded.)
Anyway.
Yesterday, our graphic designer sent over a spec for the cover layout of my new novel Freak Parade and I was so blown away by how accurately she had nailed the feel of the novel, that I became instantly euphoric. I went into Jay's office: "You have to come see this!"
"Okay, gimme a sec--"
"No, now. You have to come right now! I want you to see this!"
So he dropped everything and came in and saw it and shared my enthusiasm and I said, "This is it -- this is the beginning of my vision for this story, it is really coming together. You know what? We have to celebrate!"
We were already having a really fun day b/c nothing but great big bunches of white puffy fluffy SNOW had been falling all day, plus we were still basking in the euphoria of having seen the Live at the Met broadcast of the opera Les Contes d'Hoffman the night before (see post below somewhere -- the opera was incredible, gang. We both just loved it! After all, it's an opera about a drunken writer and his muse and his sexual & emotional obsessions so, come on, what's not to love????) I had, in fact, loved it so much that I had downloaded Placido Domingo's version of the opera and had been playing it all day yesterday.
So, we were already having a fun day and then we added "celebrating" to the mix. I was reluctant to stop listening to Placido Domingo and the speakers for my MP3 player are in my office, so I said, "How would you feel about having martinis in my office?"
He said, "In your office?"
I said, "Yeah. I'll turn out the lights, light some candles, we can listen to music, have our martinis, some pizza, and we can stare out at all the beautiful snow!"
He said, "Let's do it! When will you be done working?"
"6 o'clock."
"I'll be in there at 6 o'clock."
By 7, we were deep into our martinis, the pizza was gone, the room was dark, the candles were glowing, the music was extraordinary, the snow covered world outside of all those huge windows was breathtaking, and he said, "Do you mind if I smoke a cigar in here?"
I said, "No, go right ahead."
He said, "You know, I bought you something."
Those words always perk me way up. "You did??? What is it??"
He said, "I bought you a pack of Pall Malls when I was in the smoke shop." (Pronounced "Pell Mells")
Cigarettes! Filterless cigarettes! Harsh, intensely mindblowing Pall Malls. My nemesis when I'm drinking martinis! I said, "Why did you do that?! How could you?? I hate you!! I hate you!! -- Go get them!! Hurry!"
And from that moment on, gang, the fun kicked into some seriously high gears. We had a ridiculously raunchy time. It was way too much fucking fun -- more fun than any sort-of fifty year olds ought to be having, right??? Christ, do I get some really unexpected ideas when I combine candlelight and glorious music with martinis and cigarettes... And now I have a lifemate who always says, "let's do it" no matter what the "it" is.
Well, okay. I'm guessing you can rely on your own unbridled imaginations to fill in the blanks here, but all I will say is that I was once again grateful to all that yoga. And I was so on Cloud 9 about the progress of Freak Parade -- a novel of my own heart -- that once the opera was done playing, I said, "Do you wanna hear the 'love theme' from Freak Parade?"
He said, "Sure, let's hear it."
It's Los Panchos singing Perfidia. I kept hitting the replay button on my MP3 player over and over and over and OVER again -- the song is so romantic and sensuous and beautiful. And from somewhere really, REALLY close behind me, right in my ear, he said, "Isn't technology great? Remember when we would have had to stop all this and go change the record?"
Ha ha ha. Well on that lofty note, have the loveliest Friday you can possibly muster, gang, wherever you are and remember: Don't miss the fun! Pall Malls are toasted -- and they are mild!
First, let me explain.
My new thing for 2010 is to start celebrating even the small stuff -- b/c none of the creative achievements are ever really small things, are they, gang? But I've tended to focus on outcomes and/or meetings that don't go 100% great, or on delays, or on monumental tons of work, etc., etc. Now, I'm focusing on the processes along the way and celebrating the tiny milestones. (I used to do this just naturally when I was young but along the way -- 25 years of living & working in NYC -- I think I got jaded.)
Anyway.
Yesterday, our graphic designer sent over a spec for the cover layout of my new novel Freak Parade and I was so blown away by how accurately she had nailed the feel of the novel, that I became instantly euphoric. I went into Jay's office: "You have to come see this!"
"Okay, gimme a sec--"
"No, now. You have to come right now! I want you to see this!"
So he dropped everything and came in and saw it and shared my enthusiasm and I said, "This is it -- this is the beginning of my vision for this story, it is really coming together. You know what? We have to celebrate!"
We were already having a really fun day b/c nothing but great big bunches of white puffy fluffy SNOW had been falling all day, plus we were still basking in the euphoria of having seen the Live at the Met broadcast of the opera Les Contes d'Hoffman the night before (see post below somewhere -- the opera was incredible, gang. We both just loved it! After all, it's an opera about a drunken writer and his muse and his sexual & emotional obsessions so, come on, what's not to love????) I had, in fact, loved it so much that I had downloaded Placido Domingo's version of the opera and had been playing it all day yesterday.
So, we were already having a fun day and then we added "celebrating" to the mix. I was reluctant to stop listening to Placido Domingo and the speakers for my MP3 player are in my office, so I said, "How would you feel about having martinis in my office?"
He said, "In your office?"
I said, "Yeah. I'll turn out the lights, light some candles, we can listen to music, have our martinis, some pizza, and we can stare out at all the beautiful snow!"
He said, "Let's do it! When will you be done working?"
"6 o'clock."
"I'll be in there at 6 o'clock."
By 7, we were deep into our martinis, the pizza was gone, the room was dark, the candles were glowing, the music was extraordinary, the snow covered world outside of all those huge windows was breathtaking, and he said, "Do you mind if I smoke a cigar in here?"
I said, "No, go right ahead."
He said, "You know, I bought you something."
Those words always perk me way up. "You did??? What is it??"
He said, "I bought you a pack of Pall Malls when I was in the smoke shop." (Pronounced "Pell Mells")
Cigarettes! Filterless cigarettes! Harsh, intensely mindblowing Pall Malls. My nemesis when I'm drinking martinis! I said, "Why did you do that?! How could you?? I hate you!! I hate you!! -- Go get them!! Hurry!"
And from that moment on, gang, the fun kicked into some seriously high gears. We had a ridiculously raunchy time. It was way too much fucking fun -- more fun than any sort-of fifty year olds ought to be having, right??? Christ, do I get some really unexpected ideas when I combine candlelight and glorious music with martinis and cigarettes... And now I have a lifemate who always says, "let's do it" no matter what the "it" is.
Well, okay. I'm guessing you can rely on your own unbridled imaginations to fill in the blanks here, but all I will say is that I was once again grateful to all that yoga. And I was so on Cloud 9 about the progress of Freak Parade -- a novel of my own heart -- that once the opera was done playing, I said, "Do you wanna hear the 'love theme' from Freak Parade?"
He said, "Sure, let's hear it."
It's Los Panchos singing Perfidia. I kept hitting the replay button on my MP3 player over and over and over and OVER again -- the song is so romantic and sensuous and beautiful. And from somewhere really, REALLY close behind me, right in my ear, he said, "Isn't technology great? Remember when we would have had to stop all this and go change the record?"
Ha ha ha. Well on that lofty note, have the loveliest Friday you can possibly muster, gang, wherever you are and remember: Don't miss the fun! Pall Malls are toasted -- and they are mild!
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