It Happens Sometimes...

Sometimes life just gets in the way.

I had planned to complete another one of my scripts by today, my birthday, but I didn't.

There were many factors that contributed towards my delinquency, and none too exciting: work matters, money matters, personal matters, Spring Break, etc. Life encroached on my plans and I didn't follow through with my goal. I am easily distracted these days. It's gotten to be a familiar tune to these ears of mine. Life, lately, hasn't been what we had once hoped it would be, and so then I begin to doubt decisions already made, steps to be taken, and directions to be followed. With all of this in mind it is hard to focus on a pet project that, more than likely, will not better our situation. Am I willing to keep expending energy on, spinning my wheels for these fruitless minor undertakings? Am I?

Who knows? Today I enter into my late/mid 30's and I am no better off than I have been in years past. This doesn't apply to every aspect of my life, obviously, but many that I always hoped would improve with time. I am still trying to figure out my finances, my career, my direction in life, and my identity as an artist, if that is what I claim to be. These gray areas, smudges of uncertainty, in my life weigh me down beneath their burden as if I were a smaller scaled Atlas being punished for some unknown transgression that, when it eventually is brought to light, will be revealed to be caused by my own self.

In summation, I guess I'm just feeling a little blue about another year passing me by and leaving me still holding my sack full of unanswered questions. This long death of life moves on and I, like many many more, have no idea of how to manipulate the rudder effectively and so must hope for favorable winds and gentle currents. I don't mind the occasional swell, or passing storm but this aimless drifting grows weary. I must somehow find my way forward before I fall off the edge of the world.

Ramps?

Have you heard of these? According to theforagepress.com a Ramp is a wild leek. The kept popping up during our recent trip. A friend of mine tempuras the ramps at his restaurant in Pine Spruce, NC. The caretaker of the cabin we stayed in up near Buladean, NC came back one day from a hike in the woods, with his family, carrying a bunch of ramps. He gave us some and I sauteed them with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper, and a handful of almonds I'd toasted before. They were delicious. I'd never heard of them before a week ago.

And We're Back...

Sara and I spent most of Easter Sunday on the road driving back from North Carolina. We had a wonderful time. As I predicted it was a much needed and appreciated break from our everyday lives. It has been years since I visited this area of the country and I forgot just how much I enjoy it.
1st let me say a few things about my friend, Justin. He is one of the most genuine, and caring people I have ever known. He's been this way since we were roommates back in college. He opened his home to us this past week, chauffeured us around Asheville, and was a giving host. Our good feelings about Asheville are reinforced by the knowledge that we have such a good friend there.We enjoyed the Asheville. It's a cool little mountain town with a city-like atmosphere. You can walk the streets, catch a bite to eat outside on a patio, and look up and see mountains a few miles away. It has a great variety of restaurants, cool shops, attractions, artwork and beautiful scenery.Then there was the cabin. Our friend Heather got us access to a cabin in the mountains on the Tennessee border. The mountains were beautiful, the cabin was rustic, and we enjoyed our time up in the woods. The cabin was on what used to be a Woman's Retreat, had a few spring-fed watering holes, some friendly dogs, and was extremely close to the Appalachian Trail. It was the perfect way to end the vacation.Now we're back from vacation wondering when we can go back. I've uploaded a lot of pics between this page and facebook and there's probably still more to come.

1st Things 1st

(Read the post directly beneath this one, and then come back to read here.)

With the below sentiment in mind Sara and I will be heading out of town this Tuesday. Money is tight, it's true, but we are going anyway. I'm on Spring Break, and we need to get outta Dodge for a few days. We need to. We need to have a little adventure.

So we're heading off to the Smoky Mountains of west North Carolina; more specifically, Asheville! I haven't been to this area of the Tar Heel State in many years. A good friend, college buddy of mine, has been there for quite some time and has offered to put us up for a few nights. Another friend of ours is doing some work study program, I believe, in the same area and so we've made plans to visit her. Maybe we'll hike a little, see some sights, visit with friends, and enjoy being together.

This should be a fun getaway. I'll update the blog as soon as I am able. We'll be back sometime Easter Sunday.

I Agree

"Well, well, a good and wholesome thing is a little harmless fun in this world; it tones a body up and keeps him human and prevents him from souring."
- From Mark Twain's 'Joan of Arc'

What Does It Mean?

When I see my wife on stage killing a role... singing her ass off... knocking it out of the park... well, I'm as happy as I can be! I mean, I'm a performer. I do plays with local theatre companies; for heaven's sake, I just won an award for my efforts! I am an actor, a performer, a person who thrives on the attention I get from an audience. I absolutely love sitting in that same audience and watching my wife shine on stage! She is an inspiration!

Yes, I Know It's April Fools

Does that mean we all have to be paranoid? Apparently so.

This morning the office staff was convinced that I was pranking them because a man kept calling the school before classes began and asked to speak to, "Mr. Cobb". I could not be found. I hop all around the school before the kids get there. I pop into the art room to talk to the art teacher, I go into my old class to visit with staff, and I may even use the restroom before the students arrive. When I finally heard I was receiving phone calls I went to the office and inquired. This caller had called a handful of times already, always asking for, "Mr. Cobb", never using my name. I became suspicious. No one would call me at the school repeatedly, and not leave a message. I though perhaps someone was trying to play a joke on me.

At this point the office staff, seeing that I wasn't really concerned with who might be calling for me decided that I must be the jokester. They became convinced that I was calling the office and asking for myself sending them on a wild goose chase. I knew this wasn't the case but I couldn't convince them. I spent time in the office hoping the mysterious caller would try again. They didn't. I returned to the classroom since now the students had arrived, and, wouldn't you know it, I was paged to the office.

Turns out it was a concerned parent calling to discuss a personal matter that had happened yesterday. They wanted to discuss it with me and didn't think to leave a message or ask for a return call. Okay, so that cleared it up. Except one receptionist still claimed that I was playing a prank. She said that I was pretending to have the 10 minute conversation on the phone with a cohort to cover up my guilt. (Like I have that kind of time or energy.)

A side note - Besides all of the ridiculously lame April Fool's jokes perpetrated by my students the day went pretty smoothly. A coworker did feel the need to warn me away from the Beltway for my afternoon commute due to a truck fire that had screwed things up. I believed her completely but she still felt the urge to say, "This is not an April Fool's joke."

Everybody relax!

Bad Day

It just was. I should've stayed in bed. Financial stress. Job stress. Cell phone battery died on the morning commute. It was one thing after another.
I did see something on the morning commute that made me smile though - a tiny smile.



Then on my afternoon commute I spotted a pair of Bumper Nuts. For some reason that always gets me smiling too.



Two smiles during the course of a bad day is not a bad total I guess.

I've Made A Decision!

After spending the last few hours bumming around the house and procrastinating from my duties I have decided positive steps are needed. I meant to clean more of the house. I've barely straightened at all. I wanted to read my book. Less than ten pages have been turned today. I planned on working on some of my writing and have put a minimal amount of effort into that today. I did review a script I've been tinkering around with for a couple years now, and have chosen this script to finish.

Before my next birthday, April 28th, I will have finished a rough draft of the aforementioned script. I don't remember when I started writing this particular project but it has sat unfinished for too long; as have many of my other writings. I attack a script or story with vigor during the beginning stages but, inevitably, life gets in the way, or my attention waivers and I stop working on developing the idea. This is a pattern for me as a writer.

Earlier in the year when I gave myself a deadline to write a One Act I rose to the occasion. Maybe deadlines are what I need. Maybe.

"The Real Japan"?

I recently read 'Wrong About Japan: A Father's Journey With His Son'. The author, Peter Carey, wrote the book after being sucked into his son's fascination with Anime and Manga. The book is about the father and son visiting Japan in an attempt to nail down the Japanese Culture behind the art forms.
I read it because someone I know is fixated on the same types of things, and I was hoping to gain a little insight. The quote below is attributed, in the book, to Hayao Miyazaki, a prominent animator, film director and manga artist.

"...One of the most important of man's abilities is the imagination, so the purpose of his creative activities is to develop the imagination of children, the coming generations. Imagination can create a totally different world,depending on its use. It can give birth to virtue, or destructive weapons which threaten the whole world."