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Recently I came across a description that I fell in love with. Here's a bit of the passage by Henry David Thoreau:

"And now, at half-past ten o'clock, I hear the cockerels crow in Hubbard's barns, and morning is already anticipated. It is the feathered, wakeful thought in us that anticipates the following day."

It's the "feathered, wakeful thought" that I love so much. Is there a more perfect way to describe those hazy thoughts as a day of expectation draws near? This is the best I've come across.

One thing that I know, is that as long as I have my senses (the 5 senses, that is, not my cognitive capabilities) I will never be bored. I find myself thinking about weird stuff all the time. One time I spent an hour on a balcony overlooking the ocean just so I could REALLY REALLY figure out the sound it makes. (by the way, I have resolved that it goes "Sahrushhhhhh, Sarushhhhh" Just in case you're wondering.)

Today I was at the gym, and as I walked into the locker room, the pungent smell of stainless steel cleaner from the freshly shined bathroom stalls nearly knocked me over. (pardon my adverbs) And what did I do? I spent the first 10 minutes of my workout trying to figure out what stainless steel cleaner smells like. I wondered how I would describe the smell if I were to write about it.

What I came up with is a mixture of sweet, metalic antiseptic.

But rest assured, I am in good company! I'm finding there's lots of "weird" thinkers out there, and if you're one of them, you're my kind of folks! :0)

Yesterday my Jackeflap friend Sara Lewis Holmes wrote a blog about potato chips and coffee that inspired me.

Yes. Potato Chips and coffee. You read that right. You can read the blog for yourself to see what she had to say, but here's what I took away from it:

Blogging can be used as a writers discipline. All the writing books, conferences, retreats etc. tell us to get our butts in our chairs and just write. Even if it's about potato chips and coffee. It's a great way to get your thoughts out in a public setting. It's one thing to write in a journal that is for "your eyes only." But writing whatever is on your mind, knowing that your thoughts can be accessed by anyone via the power of google! At first that can be intimidating. But as writers, don't we want the world to read what we write? Couldn't a blog be a great tool to help us aquire and become comfortable with the skills needed to write for the public? The more you write in this manner leads me to think it is not only good writing practice, but also good thinking practice as well. I remember the first time I went to my critique group. I was scared out of my witts to have other people read what I wrote. Now I'm much more comfortable with having others read my stuff, and also accepting criticisms of my work. Blogging seems to be a branch that stems from that type of discipline: writing with an audience in mind, yet also comfortable enough to not freak out about what other people will think.

So, I'm going to try to start using this blog as not just a vehicle for only topics I deem "blog-worthy' but also as a writing discipline. What do I see or experience in my day that I can write about? Does everything in my day seem mundane? If yes, then I better snap out of it! I'm a writer for crying out loud! If I can't figure out a way to make the mundane interesting enough to write about it, then I'm going to have some huge obstacles in my writing and story telling abilities. Maybe blogging as a discipline will help work out those kinks.

So, Thanks, Sara, for the potato chips and coffee. Can I have some orange juice and mints with that? :0)