merry christmas!! (four days later)

If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.
- Emile Zola

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (soon enough).

I hope everyone had as memorable a December as I had this year. It was exciting, busy, relaxing, productive, calm, family-filled, friend-filled, and eventful - a whirlwind to say the least.

Since Christmas Day, we've spent much of our time occupied with Rock Band, the PlayStation game I got my sister that has brought me the closest to feeling the thrill of actually being in a band. Considering that we have an actual drum set, electric guitar, acoustic guitars, piano, and singing voices to match, we're hoping that the same enthusiasm we feel for video game controllers in the shape of instruments will translate to the real instruments one of these days. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks what progress we make in that direction...

I also just started reading Coraline, the Neil Gaiman bestseller that has captured everyone's attention, including my little sister, who gave it to me. It has received numerous awards and endless praise. Gaiman is an author that, among a host of other things, writes children's books that appeal to both children and adults, are creepy and enchanted, can delight while still causing you to recoil - perfect combinations. For the past few months, the name "Neil Gaiman" keeps popping up, when I least expect it, and I'm starting to think it's not just coincidence. First, my sister told me about this amazing book she had read (Coraline) and its author. Then, an e-mail from Neil Gaiman appeared in my inbox, thanks to his participation in NaNoWriMo's published author-e-mail mentor campaign. Yes, thousands of others also received the exact same e-mail from him, but the point is, his name and his e-mail were in my inbox. Then we went to go see Beowulf, and afterward, Alex commented to me, "I didn't know Neil Gaiman had co-wrote the script," to which I shook my fist and shouted, "Neil Gaiman!!" (it was probably more dramatic). Then a few weeks later, I found myself reading his blog, and before I knew it, I kept hearing the man's name everywhere, a name which had never really struck me before, but still, I did not buy Coraline.

Well, now I have it, and I have begun reading it. I got the hint, Neil Gaiman.

As for my own writing, I'm still plugging away. January might be a little calmer, which will give me more time to think and to plan and to write.

Stay tuned for upcoming news about VM.

Now the only thing missing in my life is the three-headed dragon finger puppet from Folkmanis Puppets I had been so looking forward to receiving... in case anyone is considering any belated presents for me =)