Many friends have taken part in the event, and it has brought them great creative and personal satisfaction. I have not read their novels.
But for some reason...November is just not a great time of year for me...especially not one to be trying to finally make something out of the mountain of notes lurking in the yellow pad of my iPhone. I'd like to write a novel, but there is something about the pressure to hack it out in a month that is really unappealing to me. GRANTED I obviously need repeated and swift kicks in the ass to get anything done in regards to my writing (a sign of....depression? ADD? Failure?) I care about my stories. I think they're really exciting and interesting! I see so much potential for greatness.
I just....I can't write now (ha). But seriously, guys. I can't.
I've been trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with me. I thought it was writer's block, but I've got a notebook and a half full of notes and I keep working on scripts in like, 2 hour increments, but in the big picture this is simply not enough. I cannot focus. I've been opening up files (discreetly) at work, and scribbling in a notebook when I'm on the move but I feel again like it's going nowhere. And it's super depressing. Can you tell how much this upsets me?? Maybe I'm only going to be a hobby writer. Maybe the muse left town with no forwarding address. Either way I feel fucked over.
Speaking of fucked over, let's talk about the New York City Marathon, going forward as planned this Sunday despite the fact that, uh, the city got wrecked last weekend in the hurricane. I see valid points on both sides. The marathon (usually) evokes a massive, triumphant outpouring of good will, and I <3 NYC type stuff. People trained all year for this. Millions of dollars in charitable donations have been pledged to runners. I get it. A lot of stuff goes down the drains. And couldn't we all use an emotional pick-me-up? BUT AGAIN. City. Burroughs. Destruction. Death. Shortages. Chaos.
Do you ever make pro/con lists to help with big decisions, like taking a job or dumping a boyfriend? I do! They are so helpful, and lay facts out quite neatly. So here's my Marathon Pro/Con list.
Pros
- People have trained for this!
- Inspires triumphant stories and outpourings of goodwill and support (I have totally cried in years past watching runners pause to greet loved ones along the way. It. Is. Incredible.
- Millions of dollars pledged and raised for charity
Cons
- New Jersey, Lower Manhattan, The Rockaways in Queens and most of Staten Island remain devastated, without power, with food and basic needs in desperately short supply. Food and gasoline are running out in many areas and being rationed. You currently cannot cross a bridge without three people in your car.
- Bodies are still being pulled from wreckages and flooded areas. Not OK. At all. Can we really afford to divert police attention from this for a run? A RUN?!?
- Staten Island and New Jersey still need aid desperately. New York is not just Manhattan. That's an important thing to remember, especially in times of need. We are five Burroughs and a closely-knit Tri-State area.
I think it's pretty clear that the Cons at this point greatly outweigh the Pros. But here is my solution friends, and I'm not saying I should run for mayor (because I'd never be as much of a BOSS as Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who invited people in need over to his house via Twitter and is pretty much my front-runner candidate for the next election. He even tweets back to constituents in need who are clearly just stoned - "I'm outta hot pockets") but if I WERE the person in charge I would offer this as the simple solution:
Postpone.
Yes, New York. I think we can meet in the middle here. Will there be pain-in-the-ass bureaucratic red tape and scheduling hassles. Of course. But it can happen. Anyway, I think it could. Hell, wait 3 weeks and do some kind of huge charitable tie-in with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. That way we can devote the time to getting everyone out of danger and back on stable ground that is so desperately needed right now. Energy and resources need to be focused on the people who live here that need help. I don't think putting off the (largely) well-off populace that runs in these types of events will end the world. Wait 3 weeks. Get some more training in. And then the city could really come together as one in celebration and good will of having gotten our shit back together and honoring our great and resilient city.
Me for Mayor! Yay!
(No. I don't want to be Mayor. I'd be the meanest Mayor ever.)
