A few things that caught my attention, made me think, or brought me joy this week.
Some weeks feel off. There is no other way to describe them. This week was one of those. I can’t pin it down to anything in particular, but I just never felt like I got into a groove.
My brain says I need time off. From what, though, is the real question. And while I have a work-related trip coming up at the end of the month, I don’t know if that will really be what I need. Despite the fact that it is in Hawaii. Still, I can’t complain.
I still probably will.
Disappointment
I loathe the idea of being a disappointment to others. I rarely have the same fear or qualms about disappointing myself.
In fact, I disappoint myself regularly.
And that is a problem. I can admit that I care far more about others’ perceptions of me than I do my own. I can blame that on a lot of things: chronically low self-esteem, severe social anxiety, a profession that demands I constantly please others—or face the repercussions and scrutiny if I don’t, regardless of whether it is my fault or not.
All told, it is an incredibly unhealthy way to live.
But I am beginning to recognize it. That is the start.
I hope.
Space Opera with a side of Horror
I finished Leviathan Wakes this week. It is the first book in “The Expanse” series, and one I read years ago. But this time, I have decided to actually finish the entire series.
I really enjoyed it. More than I did in the past. I am loving the deft melding of space-opera, political thriller, and horror that the authors are pulling off.
And while I am still reading The Iliad, this was a nice change of pace.
Solid as Ever
Amon Amarth don’t break ground. In fact, the ground they tread is well-worn, especially by them.
Still, they are so good and so fun live, and they reliably release solid, kick-ass albums, that I can’t help but look forward to every release of theirs.
However, this was the first time I was worried. The Great Heathen Army, their previous album, was my least favorite of theirs. Ever. It felt like the band was running out of steam.
Good news. The Allfather Awakens proves they haven’t lost steam. It doesn’t break new ground. But it is fun, rousing, melodic death metal that embraces the hokey subject matter.
So, yeah, Amon Amarth are still doing their thing. And it is a thing I am on board with.
Looking Ahead
November is drawing near. While I have the 15 key beats for my next novel planned out, I want to use November to crank out 50,000 words again.
October, then, is time to finalize my plans so that I am ready to start writing. That may mean I need to scale back a bit here in Imperfect Practice, but I plan to send out some brief updates on the project.
It will be good to do this again. Sometimes, the pressure is what really helps make it work.
There is probably a lesson I should learn from all of that.
Probably.
