#8

so, I went clothes shopping yesterday.

I know, you were probably expecting something much more exciting after a five-week absence, but that's what I'm going to lead off with.

I went clothes shopping and bought lots of new clothes. new socks, new underpants, new t-shirts, new shorts, new business shirts, a couple of new dress shirts... oh, and a free carry bag thing for spending over $100 at one of the stores.

overall, it was a rather productive day.

yes, I just referred to clothes shopping as 'productive'.

I know I should be getting excited and talking about labels and the general wonders of clothes shopping, but as you will come to realise throughout the duration of your stay, I'm pretty much the World's Worst Gay when it comes to image and fashion.

I mean, I like to look good, and I'd like to think that I know how to dress myself, but the whole experience of clothes shopping just shits me to tears. I mean, come on, I'm not going to spend $500 on a pair of jeans just so some coke-snorting sales assistant can tell me 'oh, that look is so now'. if I wanted a vapid twenty-something girl's approval, I'd drink imported beer and remix Calvin Harris songs.

anyway, enough of that.

you've probably noticed that I'm on a bit of a writing hiatus at the moment. haven't got writer's block or anything, just needed to get away for a few days and sort out some work issues. all good now, though. having said that, I'm going to switch focus for a little while, and work on something that's a bit more upbeat. as much as I love the direction of A Shot of Clarity, the story is quite intense, and I don't want to be coming home from a stressful job and spending my free time trying to create a stressful environment for my characters.

so, I've taken the chance to read through some of my other work-in-progress stuff, and I'm going to try and get some writing done on one of my 'happier' stories. I'm currently leaning toward The Middle. I haven't actually posted the first chapter on this blog yet, but I'm crafting it as a sort-of 'family portrait', documenting a couple's divorce through the eyes of their teenage son. the story also has a coming-of-age element, as the protagonist recovers from a serious sports injury and begins to reassess his direction in life. I've also thrown a bit of a mystery sub-plot in there, but you'll have to wait to see what that's about.

anyway, I've got approximately 10,000 words already written, so I might put some serious energy into that story and see how much I can get written before Christmas. I'd promise you some posting dates, but we all know useless I am when it comes to meeting self-imposed deadlines.

just sit tight and trust that I'm working on something good!

modesty never was one of my strong points...

peace.