No Time To Blog Like The Future

Despite the best intentions to try and blog at least once or twice a week, like most people's plans that involve any form of self-discipline (i.e. exercise, diet, watching less bad TV, getting more sleep, standing up straighter), that plan has fallen a bit by the wayside. (I also want to get back to No More Mr. Fat Guy, but that's another story.) But . . . there is some light at the end of the tunnel. At our corporate headquarters in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, we just finished up an editorial meeting to discuss the OCTOBER issue, which can only mean that soon enough, though not QUITE soon enough, it will be time to return to our bi-monthly schedule, quite leisurely in contrast to our hectic summer monthly pace. In fairness (to me), it's not like I've been totally idle: I've actually been seeing and reviewing quite a bit of theater for Berkshire Living and Variety.

In any event, to speed up and compress numerous blogs I may have written, or may still write, here's a summary of what I want or wanted to blog about and now may or may not, most likely . . . not, blog about, but this will be give you the general idea of what I might have blogged about if I had been better about doing so. Think of it as many blog entries for the price of one!!!

Film reviews of:

Food, Inc. which I saw at Images in Williamstown and is an important and worthwhile film that will most likely impact all future food choices from here on out. Now, at the Little Cinema in Pittsfield.

Cheri with Michelle Pfeiffer that was at Little Cinema in Pittsfield and will soon be at Images. A nice diverting film if one goes in with fairly modest expectations.

Every Little Step--about the recent Broadway revival A CHORUS LINE auditions. Terrific. A must-see. And quite fascinating about the origins of the show with interviews with Michael Bennett, Marvin Hamlish and Donna McKechnie. At Images until Friday.

Julie and Julia: Just a lot of fun. And Meryl is amazing, but then what else is new?

Funny People: You know, the new Judd Apatow film. Interesting but not so funny. Could have been called Depressing People, but I guess even fewer people would have gone to see that.

Facebook:

Yes, I finally took the plunge and am on facebook and plan to blog about how it has and hasn't changed my life. It has been pretty interesting to take part in a virtual reunion, however, of old friends who I've been very out of touch with, and to catch up on what they're all up to. Perhaps this is where all my blogging time has gone. And it is nice to know that other people are having lives, at least.

Tennis Elbow: I got it, it's no fun.

Seeing one of my heroes in person: Richard Russo up at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Vermont, and being just a little disappointed. You know, author of Empire Falls, Straight Man, and others. He read from his latest, THAT OLD CAPE MAGIC, which was not quite as magical as some of his others.

Bikes, Yikes! My Complete and Utter Frustration at Trying to Buy a bike on North Street despite there being two bike shops supposedly open for business.

The death of John Hughes, at a mere 59! I resemble that remark.

Where Have All the Interns Gone? The season of free help is passing us by. No more free web story uploading, copyediting, fact checking, as all our interns have left our nest to return to whatever lives they may have when they're not here. Thank you, one and all.

What occurs to me when I want to blog about my life, is how little a life I seem to sometimes have to blog about. It's sort of a I think, therefore I am sort of thing? I don't live enough, therefore I don't blog. If a life doesn't happen in the forest, and no one is there, anyway to hear the life fall on the ground, then is there a life happening at all in which to blog about?

Okay. Sure. I see a lot of things, movies, plays, not to mention read more than my share of books, but I don't DO a lot of things, other than workout, walk my dog. Work, sleep, eat, pay bills (sometimes) etc. figure out some important logistics with the wife, but you know. Occasionally I check for tics. I did take a spin class with my daughter the other evening at Berkshire Nautilus which proved to be quite successful. I didn't faint once. Still, I need to do more stuff. I'm going to have to work on that. You know, see the world, have experiences, and thus have much more interesting things to write and blog about than the above list. Not go to war or anything, but you know, just be a little more....out there.

I am going on a trip this Thursday, headed to South Carolina because it's not quite hot and humid enough here, to see my in-laws for my wife's birthday. Doesn't that sound like fun? But I guess it does fall into the category of doing something. Since I'm so unused to actually doing things, it'd be nice if you wished me luck. No pressure, of course. Your choice. But come on....it wouldn't kill you.  [August 11, 2009]