Don’s Ego

Location:  Starbucks.  Connection:  Wireless.  Imagination:  Endless.

I’ve mentioned my writing, right?  Some personal writing, some spunkybean writing, some ghost writing, and recently some more ghost writing.  Only problem with the latest ghost writing assigment is that I cannot seem to churn out something this dude finds worthy.  Kinda frustrating, but I guess that comes with the whole ghost writing thing – or so I’m reading (in books I’ll bet the credited author didn’t even write, now that I think about it). 

What’s more is that I’m pretty convinced these little 500 and 700 word little essays are brilliant.  Like, make-you-weep type brilliant.  I’ll admit, I’m biased.

But, I have this long range fantastic fantasy already playing out in my head.  I’ll write amazing inspirational things for this guy, and for Mel Robbins, and will help write magazine articles and books and eventually both of them will become wildly famous on the backs of my words (its my dream sequence, don’t judge).  Then, as a show of gratitude, they’ll help me get my own book published, which will be a rambling collection of short stories, each one written so vividly and passionately, that readers will need to keep reading in order to see how the randomness eventually comes together, and in the end, they’ll gasp – they’ll weep …they’ll change their lives forever.

It’s that feeling I have at the end of movies like Rudy, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Life is Beautiful (seriously, if you haven’t watched Roberto Benigni‘s Life is Beautiful all the way until the end, you are missing out on one of the most punch-you-in-the-gut, amazing life lessons and philosophy lessons ever filmed …I blubbered like a damn fool …and I’d like to know I’m not alone).

So, back to my daydream …yes.  Two life coaches riding my words to mega fame and stardom, then helping me get my book published.  Only my book will read kinda like a story, but will be wrought with inspiration and coaching, only it’ll be served up subconsciously as a subplot.  So good will this book be, Hollywood will come knocking. 

The book is totally going to be that good.

Then, because of the success of my book, and movie, and the free time that will allow, I’ll team up with a screenwriter to write and produce and even bigger, better story (sorry I can’t tell you the plots of these books, but trust me) and will finally make this awesome movie I’ve kinda written.

For now, my fans, you’ll have to accept the intermittent blog postings, the Mel Robbin’s blog, the assurance that my ghost-written work is out there, and my spunkybean American Idol recaps (still some of my best – and only – work).

Ugh.  I don’t even have a cool music video or anything to leave you.  Tell you what.  As soon as I publish this blog post, I’ll lead the Starbucks location in a rousing rendition of We Are the World.  It’s gonna be epic – like everything.

For anyone who thinks Twitter is ridiculous, allow me to squash that myth.  It’s true, I don’t really care what my friends are doing outside of their Facebook status updates, unless those particular friends are really funny and clever.  But, what’s spectacular about Twitter is its all-in-one-place info and news update, and only the things I care about.

Case in point …where else would I learn about Weezer’s recent concert and their covering MMGT and Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.”

I can’t begin to tell you what I wouldn’t give to see Weezer on their current tour.  I guess I need to make that happen.

Another passion, as you know, is my writing.  It was a hobby, which became a hobby on steroids, and then has morphed into something that might be a second job.  Next stop?  Writing as a career.  We’ll see.  I’ve been given a shot to be a ghost writer for a magazine publisher, now I just need to find “his voice” and write without all my aimlessness, silliness, and crutches.  So far …I’m 0-2.  But, hey …the best baseball player in the world only hits the ball 35% of the time, so …I can still get a few late game hits and there’s still a chance I can knock one out of the park in the bottom of the 9th, with bases loaded, 2 outs, and a full count against me.

Then the lights of the stadium start blowing up and rain sparks down on me.

Let it rain.

Can you believe my birthday is Saturday, already, and this is the first official I-Love-Don-Week-Entry? Thanks for the hundreds (read:  none) of you who’ve sent cards, gifts, and homemade craft items.  They are much appreciated.  And for those who haven’t …as long as you can tell me you’ve sent something to the MJ family, or to his estate, or that you laid a floral bouquet near an in-store display of his music at Best Buy or some such similar store …well, you’re off the hook. 

If you are Tweeting about me, and I’m not following you, remember!  I need to know your Twitter account.  Thanks in advance for the kind words.

So, what’s been going on this week?  Well, I mentioned I had a debilitating cold on Saturday and Sunday, so my “gift” was being waited on hand and foot, and cared for by my lovely wife.  It certainly wasn’t on my extensive I-Love-Don-Week-Wish-List, but it was a quality impromptu offering.  Monday, super-gooey brownies were made on my behalf, and you know me …brownies or chocolate chip cookies and a big tall glass of milk is heaven.  Tuesday?  Well, this morning I was treated to fried eggs, fresh orange juice, and fresh honey-smoked breakfast sausage.  I just came downstairs …coffee was brewing, and my plate runneth over.  Nice!  And then after work, I got a sleeveless workout microfiber shirt of honolulu blue and grey.  Solid!

Wife = 3 great Don Deeds.  The rest of you?  Lacking.

I’m healthy again, I’m around, and I’m creeping up on 36 years old.  Let’s hear it for me!

Now, I’ll leave you with the gift of music.  Well, first I’ll leave you with the gift of “other things I’m writing”.  Always be checking the Mel Robbins blog, but not as much as you check spunkybean (yes, it chugs along even when its not American Idol season), and hopefully you’ll have more to read from me, soon.  Now …the music.  Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy is excited about Cobra Starship’s new CD due out August 11th, and if Pete Wentz is excited …I’m excited.  Here’s Cobra Starship’s latest single for your listening (and viewing) pleasure.  Yes.  What.  I’m really turning 36.  Why?

It is 12:07am on a Tuesday, and I cannot sleep.  In my head, for the past two hours, as I lay in bed staring at the ceiling and watching my alarm-clock-slash-weather station flash the time, then the temperature, then the time, then the temperature, and over and over again, onto the ceiling, I keep running over dialog and plot points for the book I’ve yet to write.

I also hear my stomach growl.  And I hear the dishwasher end its wash cycle and the house goes quiet, and all that fills the void is the distant sound of passing cars, an occassional plane, the movement of my wife in the bed next to me, and occassionally a dog’s distant bark. 

I should Tweet an inspirational quote each morning?  I should send my social marketing plan to Matt, like I said I’d do weeks ago.  I should finish the 4 or 5 articles for spunkybean I have outlined.  I need to finish my successmagazine.com article.  And write a blog entry for another blog.   Not to mention this week is I-Love-Don-Week and I haven’t even posted anything about it, and now there’s only 5 days until “the big day.”

See why I can’t sleep? 

Not to mention a weekend cold has taken 5-days worth of swim-bike-run training away from me.  And I’ve only got 16 days until my next triathlon.  And I haven’t even blogged about my last triathlon – a hilarious story, btw.

And then the words of this memo-essay keep playing in my head …

Elbs are Exponential Little Bits, tiny but relentless changes that compound to make a miracle. The power of an elb lies not in its size, but in its daily occurrence. For an elb to work its Exponential magic, the Little Bit must happen every day… every day… every day.

So, I rose from my restless lack of sleep and charged downstairs and started writing.  One step closer to my miracle.

What is my passion?  A year and a half ago, I would’ve told you it was writing jokes and a screenplay.  I would have said, “I’m going to be a writer, and when people think of me or ask what I do for a living, they’ll think of me as a writer.”  And, yet, for the better part of 3 months, I’ve written very little.  So, really, I seem to be only geared up to write about American Idol.

Like happens every so often in my life, my passions change every time I watch a TV show, see a particular movie, or read a really good book or magazine article.  Currently, I seem to be obsessing about fitness – specifically, excelling at trail running and triathlons.  But not to the point I’m going to be the best …just to the point where I can feel relatively accomplished.

Maybe that’s my passion …being sorta and kinda good at a bunch of things.

Self-analyzing aside, look at this watch …or GPS …or workout tracker.  Pretty awesome, huh?  It’s a Forerunner 305, and readers of my previous blog know it was on my Christmas wish-list, and “I Love Don Week” suggested gift-list.   Last Wednesday, I completed a Sprint Distance Triathlon (.5mile swim, 12.4mile bike, 3.1 mile run) and to celebrate my achievement, my awesome wife and too-cool father went in together and got me this device.  I went running 8 miles last night, and riding 9 miles this morning.  Oh, yes …it has different settings for multi-sports.

It’s awesome.  But …it exposes me as not-so-awesome.  Much to work on.

Oh …you want to hear about my triathlon?  And my trail run.  Check back tomorrow …inspiration and hilarity will ensue.