Signs of the Time

Well, it's snowing, really, at long, long last. It takes about four invitations from the weather forecasters to get the snow to come to Richmond. I've been up since 3:15 trying to go back to sleep by reading, drinking Tension Tamer and eating a cup of Cheerios. That didn't work, obviously. Now I'm eating chocolate chip cookies which are poison but taste so good going down and, really, go a long way toward distracting me from the pain of sleeplessness.

The street light in the alley is doing that amazing thing that streetlights only do in Richmond, which is projecting incredibly romantic light into the trees and offering the snowflakes a momentary dance in the spotlight. In no other town are the street lights such purveyors of dramatically romantic light as they are here. This is what really keeps me in Richmond, the gentle nightly caresses of the lights in the protective branching arms of the trees. I became infected during my first tour of duty as an art student in 1969 and the inoculation of years of travel has not cured me. Okay. I know inoculations don't cure, but whatever.

The main point is I'm awake when I should be sleeping. What is keeping me up? Is it that I have been unemployed for seven out of the last 13 months? No. I had more trouble sleeping when I had a job. Sometimes I thought it was the job that kept me up at night. Not because it was overwhelming or particularly engaging. That's what kept me up.

You'd think that seven months would be enough time to edit a novel draft and start getting it out there, wouldn't you? Well, it is actually. It's just that seven months of unemployment is not the same as setting aside seven months away from the job to work on a project. I don't feel I can really begin or commit to anything because I might be back on some job at any time. On the other hand, there's this notion that selling everything and living on the wind would be a lot more fun and an immediately relief from uncertainty.

Well, the cookies are gone. Wish me luck. And if you have a job or some other gainful employment that engages you, congratulations. Be sure you put aside some money for the down time. It comes to all of us.
Current Fads
Listening. Continuo, Avishai Cohen and Bonfire Dreaming, Jay Atwood; whirring space heaters
Watching. Defending Your Life (1991) (DVD) and The Private Life of Sherlock Homes* (1970) (Hulu)
Activity. trying to ignore the strident call of imminent doom
Gadget. iPod Shuffle (2nd Gen)
News Source. Google News
Reading. A Ticket to Ride - Larry Kane

*Christopher Lee is partly bald!

Oh! And if you know of some gainful employment that I would find particularly engaging, let me know ASAP. Thanks.