what's on my mind
It's already 8:15, just 45 minutes before I have to get to the bookstore, and I haven't done half of what I set out to do today.
Part of that is that it took me 20 minutes to rouse myself from bed this morning, and another 15 to get the coffee on--I still feel like I need another cup. I woke up to a happy Sheryl Crow song, tried to wipe away the cobwebs of a somewhat disturbing but very interesting dream, stretched my legs, and realized with some fascination that there was no real soreness. Guess those mid-week runs are actually quite useful that way. Lesson learned, L&J.
Yesterday's 20-miler was quite pleasant, after the initial bumpiness. It's always hard to get going on a run when you know you have a long way to go. But I opted for an audiobook as distraction this time, a good Dick Francis mystery novel--my books of choice for airports, when I'm in need of a mid-week pickup, or almost any other time when I need some good spare language and a thoroughly likable main character--and was pleasantly surprised when the audio version of a quickly-moving mystery served just as well as its on-page version, keeping me distracted and happy for the 3:38 I was out. (For the record, I find the recent partnership between Francis and his son, Felix, to result in dismaying books. Gone is the trademark voice and one-page wrap, in their places are lame jokes and too many words. I'll be very, very unhappy the day that Dick Francis passes away and turns the franchise over entirely to Felix.)
I'm ok with my time, too--if I can manage an 11-minute mile for the marathon, I'll be happy enough. There were quite a few stops during this run, fiddling with things like gu packets and the Fuel Belt I borrowed from Jim. I can't discount those things during the actual marathon, but it's clear that I've got to practise more with these things in order to get them down pat. I believe I'll probably go with Clif Shots for the race--the leash that keeps the tab attached to the packet is very useful in that I can open the thing with impunity and not worry about littering.
We went to see Quantum of of Solace Saturday, as I've previously mentioned. It was a very nice evening--we had a quick meal at Potbelly's and were smug to see that getting to the movie 40 minutes ahead of time meant great seats. The film's worth a look-see. You can tell that the whole genre's been highly influenced by the Jason Bourne series. Also, whoever did the titles for this movie needs to be fired: when I go to a blockbuster movie, i don't go to ooh and ah over the location titles, OK? Get them off the screen and focus instead on creating a smart opening titles a la Charade, or any Pixar movie, or the last Casino Royale.
I found the rest of the movie, visually, quite good. Some of the camera use could only be described as inventive. The movie's not as good as Casino Royale, although I found a Bond who wasn't intent on bedding his leading lady to be quite refreshing.
Er. What else, before I bolt? Oh, yes: a writer friend of mine passed this tool on to me: You plug in any text, even novel-length, or the URL of any site that has an RSS feed, and it spits out a visual representation of the words that are used the most.
Aside from the fact that it's showing me which modifiers I use far too often, it's also very useful in showing me what I--or my main character--see as most important in the current story arc. I'm about half-way through this novel, I think, which doesn't yet have a title, but it's clear that the guy Marty sleeps with, Chris, and her brother Ken are tops on her mind at the moment. Of less import are her relationship with her mother and her boss, but I expect that may change in the next few chapters.
Here's the current wordle. Now, off to "work."
