Anyone who has read this blog for any period of time knows that I love my family. The true testament to this is that they are pretty much the only recurring “characters” in ye olde archives (nearly four years’ worth now. Time flies when you’re having fun…or not having fun…or in a coma. Time just flies in general.) They are the rare individuals named by name and they (hopefully, in their estimation, as that is my intent) always come off as the lovable and charming characters they are. Although I have a lot of adorable extended family, as well; this proclamation holds especially true for my mom, my bro (who I don’t believe has ever read this blog once…which may in itself may earn him more face time. If you aren’t aware of it, you can’t complain about it!) and my dad.
I have an apparent obsession with photographing myself with Hipstamatic whilst editing. Go figure.
***digression***
There is almost nothing as good as a really good apple. I tell you, this island is teaming with horrible mealy apples that make you wish you didn’t have a mouth. I am in the midst of eating a truly awesome Gala apple which probably was grown in a third world country with the help of all kinds of horrible chemicals and spliced with the genes of a cockroach and picked by toddlers in chains…but at this moment I don’t really give a damn. I’m just so happy to be eating an amazing apple.
***back to the point***
So my new life’s goal – to write a book that is turned into a major motion picture – is brought to you by my dad. This isn’t so much about the validation or the (hopefully huge) payday or the fame or my name in lights or the no doubt stellar dress I’ll get to wear on the red carpet…but about the following proclamation sent to me by my father via email when I told him that I wanted to one day sit and watch a movie based on a story I made up:
“You kidding? If you write a book that becomes a movie, I’ll see it in every theater in town with a tee shirt proclaiming my daughter as the author and I’ll have 100 extra shirts for handouts and I’ll paint it on the side of my car and put up a billboard somewhere in town and demand to be interviewed by local TV stations. That’s during the first week.”
More of the same. Wanna make something of it???
Whaaaa….???
T-shirts!?
Billboard!?!?
PAINT IT ON THE SIDE OF HIS CAR!?!?!?
If that ain’t motivation, I don’t what is.
Move over, HUNGER GAMES, my dad is going to force his way onto local TV news stations. Did Suzanne Collins’ dad do that? I suspect not. Sure, she may have written a highly successful YA series and now major motion picture fodder…but clearly what she – or at least her parents – lack is commitment. And chutzpah. And a spray paint. And a small amount of mental instability.
Enthusiasm like this works as direct fuels to the fire of my enthusiasm and work ethic. I have not only FINALLY finished (just waiting on a wee bit of user feedback) editing a book I should have edited ages ago, but I am sketching out the story for a new one I plan to start next month.
But it isn’t just the storytelling or the beautiful dress at the Oscars or the newfound drive (thank you job I hated so much I wanted to crawl under a rug and die!) that is going to set me apart: it’s the smug self-satisfaction, and my dad’s mutilated car (maybe one of those bigs magnets makes more sense?) and the t-shirts proclaiming “I TOLD YOU SO” that will be available- hopefully soon and for $17 .99 each – on a blog near you.