I just signed up for guitar lessons. It wasn’t a planned thing. I drove past the shop that I’ve passed 700 times and I walked in the front door and I asked them Do you teach guitar to adults? They do and I start on Sunday.
Sorry, rewind. Two days ago (Monday), at about this time, I was walking back to my office from lunch. And by ‘from lunch’ I mean from buying a sandwich that I was planning to eat at my desk, per usual. And I started thinking about my oversized yet comfortable yet unfashionable yet frumpy pants. As you do. And i got this idea for a blog. That has been happening to me for a while (you know, not long, maybe just 12 years or so), getting ideas and then moving on to whatever is in my inbox or whatever someone else’s deadline and priority might be. But this time, when I got back to my desk and tried to focus on ‘the list’, it was like a golden retriever who has decided he’s done walking, like my hands had stopped working, my brain had stopped working, nothing was working. All i could do was think about that blog. It overcame me. As a good friend has since suggested, the channel was open.
So the first ‘thing’ (now post one of this blog) kind of wrote itself or willed itself into being. Then I sent it to a group of dear friends and got some positive feedback.
WARNING: WATCH OUT WORLD WHEN YOU GIVE ME POSITIVE FEEDBACK. IT MAY POSSIBLY IGNITE A CRAZY, DELIRIOUS CONFLAGRATION OF SHEER MADNESS.
Or something like that. They liked it. They really liked it. Or they said they did which was, apparently, all I needed. And that set off a chain reaction of having 7 million ideas of other things that I want to write about. So I’m driving down the road, pulling over to park frequently to write down all of these ideas that are just coming left and right. Laughing out loud. Listening to random songs and crying at the lyrics. Total nervous breakdown, mid-life crisis stuff. And please see yesterday’s post to understand where I was yesterday. So I wrote that post. Then I opened my trusty Evernote account, found THIS POST by Chris Guillebeau about setting up a blog, signed up for a webhosting account and picked out a URL. I wanted the .com but it was taken/more expensive and i wanted to get this thing going immediately so took what was for the taking. I posted both of my ‘blurbs’ and NOW I HAVE A BLOG.
In case you are wondering, yes, i am writing this in my car. It’s not going to be a thing, it is pretty uncomfortable. But it is quiet. And it gets me away from ‘the list’. And it is a semi-solution while i work out some other life details to make the Jenaissance possible.
Oh, but I got ahead of myself, rewind a tiny bit. Before I set up the blog, I also pulled out my guitar last night. I used to write songs, a lifetime ago. Sappy songs, funny songs. And i got out my guitar and dug up the lyrics for some of my old songs and started singing.
I wrote that?? Not bad. My kids even kind of like it. I think I’m kind of funny. I think my songs are kind of funny. And slightly painful. But still. That idea I had a few months ago about dusting off some of the old songs and putting them on You Tube, why not? Why the hell not???
Hmm…. well, I’m actually not great at the guitar. I also am not at the top of my game in the pants department which is a non-veiled metaphor for this whole physical part of me that includes what you see and what it wears. I can do the songs, but does it have to be ME that is in that video. Scary. Also, who’s going to record the video? Also, i always wanted to learn how to make videos on my fancy macintosh computer, but who has the time (says the mom who is sitting in her car blogging instead of buying nourishing food for her children)? Seems like there would be a lot of steps between writing song and getting song recorded and posted on the You Tube. Or I could just, you know, do it. Just like I made this blog yesterday.
So I signed up for a guitar class. THAT is so that I can write a rock opera. I’m not planning to wait to be a good guitar player before I post a song.
I’ve had some ideas about criticism. I think I’ll write about that next but let’s see what the universe sends my way.
I laughed so many times reading this! And so happy about the guitar!! I cannot wait to hear those songs, Jen.