This is turning into a good week around here. Kristi’s classes are starting to settle into routine, I’m feeling more creative and productive than I have in a long time, and the weather’s finally improved: after a week of 108 degrees, we’re back to the sleeping in the mid-sixties at night. So we’re both much better rested and ready to work.
Last few days or so, I’ve been feeling an inner shift – sort of a refocusing on priorities. Certain long term distractions are out of the picture now, leaving me free to really hunker down and get on with the business of creative production. It’s a good feeling. Right now I have on my desk some client work, a magazine article and a gradually developing short story, along with a novel outline that I continue to not be happy with. Now that summer is coming to an end, we’re both looking forward to a happy fall.
So, lately I’ve been punching up Harlan Ellison interviews on YouTube. Harlan’s one of my favorite writers, but aside that, he gives great interview. He’s opinionated, strident, and often angry. No one does the flying rant of righteous outrage the way Harlan does: once he gets rolling, you don’t want to be the guy he’s rolling at. I’ve often found writerly inspiration in not only his works, but in his fearless way of attack-dogging where other writers are content merely to document and record.
Anyway, I found this video of Harlan and just laughed. (Warning: Strong language.)
So last night I told Kristi about it. “I found this great Harlan Ellison rant, babe. He goes off on the morons who appear on Judge Judy, funny as hell. Then he says he only watches two TV shows, and one of them is Judge Judy.”
“Ha! What’s the other one?”
“Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Says Vincent D’Onofrio is the modern Sherlock Holmes.”
Kristi grinned wide.
“Mr. Ellison sounds like an intelligent and perceptive man of taste. You would do well to take notes.”
Hey, hey, hey. I tease you about your Vincent TV crush, I tell her, but I don’t have any real issue with Vincent D’Onofrio; he’s a decent actor. I just can’t stomach the awful writing on L&O, and you can thank Em for that: you know that the only TV police procedural drama I watch is The Closer. Which happens to be rolling through a really strong fourth season, by the way.
And while Law and Order certainly isn’t my first choice for TV entertainment, it still beats CSI:Miami by a thousand miles. I can’t even enjoy that show on the level of twisted comedic parody.