Good morning. I’m thinking that I’m going to try to do a daily blog just to warm myself up in the morning, get in the habit of writing every day, and see where the wind takes me.
I have been having a lot of dreams that resemble movies lately. These are atypical dreams for me. Last night, I was in what seemed to be a next installment of Charlie’s Angels, but without the humor that you would expect. I seemed to be the Cameron Diaz character. The dream went on for a very long time, and of course I don’t remember all of the details, but it was at a football game and I was seen from an overhead shot, just like the movies.
I don’t really like those kind of dreams, because it seems that it really has nothing to do with me. I’d rather have something to think about and wonder whether it symbolized this that or the other thing in my life. Movie-dreams just make me feel like I watch too much t.v.
Jay and I did go for about 9 months without cable a couple of years ago. It felt great. We still had a small tv with a built in vcr, so we watched that once in a while, but there was really no mindless consumption of television, since there was literally no way to watch it.
Not like these days. I have been watching tv a lot more than I care to admit. I end up taking naps in front of the darn thing, thinking that I will be able to rest. I find, though, that I can’t really rest, and I end up feeling worse than when I laid down.
I have a lot of fond memories of staying at my friend Erikka’s house in college, she had a tv, but it was in a back room that I never went into. She was in a small bungalow in St. Paul, the walls were white, well, maybe cream colored, and there was dark woodwork; there was a gold Chinese screen over the cuoch, and a large mirror with a dark frame over the fireplace. The mantle had a few framed pictures of family and friends. Everything was very tidy and economical, and it was a wonderful place to write. I was in a poetry class at the time, and I remember sitting at her dining room table writing. Now when I get writer’s block, I try to conjure up the image of that room so I can feel free to write.
Maybe that’s what I should look for when Jay and I go to sell this house and buy a new place – a writing sanctuary first and a living space as a secondary consideration. I think that would be practical since we are both writers.
I just had to smile, buecase thinking about Erikka’s old place made me pause to look at the environment in which I am writing at the moment. I am in our “computer room” in our ranch house in the burbs of Mpls, it’s dark, I’m at a computer desk which has random unnecessary clutter all about it, and my dog is barking his head off.
Maybe I’ll work on the unnecessary clutter for a bit, and then if I think of anything fascinating to write about, I’ll be back. Thanks for reading! 
Sheila
Hi Sheila,
I have enjoyed writting snail mails to my friends and family for many years, (thoughts on writting. Now I’m really getting into sending e-mails, I hope, I don’t let that replace slow, hand- written communications.
I love to write letters because it’s self expression. I get to say what I want, when I want to whom I want about whatever I want. I try to write it the way I would speak it. When I think a really good thought about someone, or hear about something “up their alley” I like to get it out there to them. It’s fun to share news and opinions. If you send someone a letter, they feel really special. How rare is it that we get something juicy and personal in the mail? Mostly it’s just bills and adds. I’ll dash off a quick postcard or greeting card to someone (keep stamps handy) then I’ll see them months later and they remember and thank me. Most of the time, I’ve all but forgotten that I wrote. I never expect a response- that’s setting yourself up for dissapointment.
I’m pretty good about getting out Season’s Greetings cards in December. My goal is to get on the ball with birthday cards. For several years the only B-day card that came in the mail was from my insurance agent. It actually bugged me because it was a reminder that friends don’t keep track of this stuff and grandma is off her game in the nursing home. I told my agent this, she said “everybody says that”, the next year no cards came at all. I wrote her a letter to thank her.
As far as e-mails go tho, an e-B-day greeting is better than none at all, and they can be quite well received.
Thanks for being out there Sheila, for me to be inspired and send thoughts back. Write more soon, some of us have been missing you.