Caught In A Good Mood

"Right at the center of a contradiction, that's the place to be" Oscar Wilde

Have you been reading my ongoing meditation on this concept of "graspin"? You know, basically saying 'don't do it'? Let me reverse that. You can't let a good mood get away. While you can certainly experience it without grasping, it is way too easy to let it pass you by. Thus, you may have to grab hold in certain instances. If you hold on too hard and don't let go, the mood will certainly die, in which case you shift back to the "no grasping" directive. This contradiction may very well confuse you or cause you to dismiss everything I have written thus far. Stay with me and I will explore the notion that contradiction is the place to be. It is balance. It is the key to unlocking new levels of learning. When I was ten and just starting my martial arts training, I was a white belt and the designation is fitting because everything is black and white. I was taught the basics and the basics were it. Only when I reached higher ranks and neared black belt did my instructor start to basically teach us with "Remember when I said *blank*? Forget that." And thus, knowledge we thought we had had a grasp on for years had suddenly been taken out of the equation or given a new shape. It is how we learn language in a lot of cases, especially the English language. It gets downright frustrating.

So, technically, this is a two-topic entry. For those of you who read that I am in a good mood and thought "Now this I gotta hear", only to be slapped with the usual esoterrorism, have no fear. I shall elaborate. But first, "esoterrorism" is not a real word. It is derived from "esoterrorist", a label assigned to me by a history teacher in high school. My answers tended to run rather long and difficult to understand. Hard to imagine, yeah? Anyway, I certainly am in a good mood. Ever since I began this blog in order to create the initiative to discipline myself and produce regular output, my writing has grown stronger. The big payoff is the resurgence of my graphic novel work. It has been many years since I first started receiving finished art based on one of my scripts. The reason it has taken so long comes down to the usual factors of time and money. The complete story has existed all along. A full preview of the first chapter has been around almost as long. My only plan had been to continue to pay for and oversee the production for all art based on my scripts. Then, I would go back and create the final text to go with the finished panels. As of this writing, I have completed art for four of the eight chapters that comprise my story. However, extended money issues combined with my aforementioned writing boon have compelled me to start the final writing for the completed art I already have. As soon as the money presents itself, and it will, I can still go ahead and get the rest of the chapters in the can. For now, the fact that I am again writing my baby and feeling like it is brand new is MOST certainly contributing to my good mood.

What else? I've been enjoying quite a bit of a surge in my social life and meeting some very interesting people. Folks are making me feel the love and that's no small feat. By that, I mean my folks and folks in general. Certain colleagues of mine in this teaching adventure are highly valued sources of support and inspiration. If I had one on, my cap is off to Mr. Serefeas and Mr. Schwacka. My lifelong mentor, Master Michael Abruzzi, is an essential figure in my life even if his input has eliminated everything but water and tree bark from my diet. Who am I kidding? I have a long way to go before I get halfway to that level. But thats one I REALLY dont get a vise grip on because it creates mental stress and zero productivity. But seriously, no one walks the talk in the health department like Master Abruzzi and I defy anyone within twenty years of his age range to do better.

So yeah. Im in a good mood. Bought myself an XBox 360 and I just can't wait to get going on Batman:Arkham Asylum, DC vs. Mortal Kombat and Halo:OTSD. Then there's playing online and downloading and all that. But I know if it's too complicated to set up, I can't be bothered. The gaming experience has to be easy to access and even easier to enjoy. At the very least, this distraction should tide me over and carry me through this good mood until certain factors of my life fall into place. Until then, it's video game violence mania!!


"Contradiction is balance"