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All content copyright 2010 by Chelsea Biondolillo. Seriously.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

365 days of being a writer: day 76

Last night, a guy at a bar thought I was Joan Jett. He asked a nearby Abe Lincoln if he could recite the Gettysburg address. Lincoln couldn't, but I started to, having memorized it in junior high. I didn't get very far, but anything past "seven years ago" is impressive to your average adult. The drunk guy then peered sideways at me in the peculiar way that drunks have to prevent double vision, using only one eye to look at a thing. He said all slow and importantly, "Do you know the Preamble?"

I do.

So I sang the Preamble in my squeaky wavery voice and the drunk dude began leaning into Jeff and telling him that he needed to stay on his A fucking game and not slip up or I'd be outta there, and then fair warning, he'd be all over me. Because even knowing what the Preamble IS is hot, apparently.


I sold a bunch of books today to a bookstore that only offers trade. This is good and bad, since the cash could have helped with applications but as it was I was able to justify buying several books to support my writing habit. I got a gigantic thesaurus (primarily because the online versions don't have very many complex/difficult/rare words in them). I also got a Spanish workbook, having finally sold my Spanish in 10 minutes a day two years ago (after dragging it around for 7 years without using it).

I also got two books on writing: Ayn Rand's On Writing Non Fiction and Annie Dillard's This Writing Life. I also got her Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek as it was on the reading list at Chatham--even if I can't possibly go there, I can at least soak up what I can from their syllabi.

Finally, I got two "fun" books with the rest of my trade. George Saunders' book of essays and a collection of TC Boyle's short stories. I love Saunders and Boyle comes up so often, I figured it was high time I familiarized myself with him.

There was no writing today. I didn't mean to have a hangover, but it turns out I can't recover like I used to. I already knew that, since each recovery is slower than the last. Yet, I keep hoping I will wake up like I once did, with only a little fuzziness to shake off.

I did manage to put a mailing together of an out of print book for a buyer. It will go to the PO in the morning, and once she receives it, I can buy two more school's worth of transcripts.

My new schedule at work starts tomorrow, I get an extra half hour each morning. I believe I wished for just such a thing just a couple of days ago, so that I could get a run in. I intend to use my good fortune wisely.

Tomorrow starts NaNoWriMo for many folks. While I won't be trying for a novel this month, I do need 8 statements of intent, 3 manuscripts, and one 15 page research paper. That's my goal for the month. No submissions until after the school work.

Today's assignment: go memorize the Gettysburg Address.

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