Uno, Dos, Tres...

I woke up this morning, and it WASN'T SNOWING. True story.

Topic The First: I'm thinking of starting a photo-a-day thing. I've seen them done before, but a friend here in Indiana talked about starting one recently, and it got the idea actively circulating in my head. I think it'd be a good way for me to keep up with the hobby I love, even as I struggle to find ways to be active with it. It would also be fun, and a new way for those of you playing along at home to see the bits and pieces of my life I don't show here on the blog (either because I forget about them or because they're not "blog worthy").

Here's my problem: I'm neurotic. I get hung up on days to start things. I have this hang-up where I feel I should start Important Things on Important Days. Not just any random day; that would disrespect the Important Thing I'm Starting. On the other hand, days I might choose--say, New Years Day, since that's coming right up--seem too easy, too cliche. So I get stuck in this loop of trying to find The Right Day when it's really Not That Friggin' Important.

Anyway. I'll figure it out soon enough, and I plan on adding a page to my tumblr account just for it. I may try and stick it in the entries over here, too, but we'll see.

Topic The Second: The novel is still untouched, despite being past my No Touchy due date. The problems are three-fold: it's 103 pages, we're low on paper, and we're low on ink. The latter two can be solved by a (painful) trip to the store, but the third makes me wince. My original idea was to print out three copies at the very least: one each for Ryan, BJ, and me. But that means 309 pages! All for the sake of editing! My inner hippie can't take it! Even if I spent the time doing both sides, that's still 155 pieces of paper. Ouch!

I'm tinkering with the idea of having one copy with three ink colors, or two copies with the boys sharing and picking red or blue or whatever, but I'm not fond of the idea. For one thing, it'd take forever for the three of us to get through one copy, or the two of them, especially with schedules. For another, I really want completely fresh perspectives, and seeing someone else's notes could be distracting, or start an argument in the columns, and basically isn't constructive.

Then there's the people who have offered to read it who aren't in handing-off distance, such as my friend Chris or my cousin Sarah. Do I print out more copies for them? Is it fair to send them a 103-page behemoth for them to spend paper and ink on? Oy!

This is the time the ever-talked-about Web 2.0 cloud would be handy, where I just stick it up online somewhere and everyone can pick at it in their own views--I'm sure this exists somewhere. But that requires the lovely editors to stare a computer screen forever, and seeing as one of them is having headaches from old glasses, and another is a nursing mother of two small children, and everyone also has these dang-blasted LIVES and all, it again seems like too much to ask.

Again I say: Oy!

Meanwhile, in a tiny Topic The Third, I'm sketching out the next story idea. It's the one that showed up in the middle of the night the second or third week of November, and I get more excited about it the more I think about it. It's also giving me a minor dilemma: do I let Ryan in the loop, getting all the psychological help I can get (and boy howdy will I need a lot of it), or do I keep him in the dark, so I can have his genuine response to the twist? I'll probably cave and tell him the whole thing, partly to get his help and partly because I HATE not talking to him about...well, anything. Shopping for him is kinda hell.

Speaking of which, I have just enough time to go and finally order his presents before I get ready for work. Have a good day, loyal readers! Any suggestions to any of the problems (day to start new hobbies, ways to share & edit, etc) would be MOST loved and appreciated!