Musings – Page 2 – J.D. Sullivan | Author

Is there really time to blog?

I recently received a tweet from my friend @tarasheets, and it linked to her blog posting about PNWA’s upcoming conference. It reminded me that we’ll get to hang out with other writers, as well as agents and editors at the event in the third week of July.

It did, however point out a sobering fact. I haven’t blogged since last year. As Snagglepuss would say, “Heavens to Murgatroyd!”

I really do want to blog. I know that as a writer it’s important to blog. And I’m harboring a list of interesting and humorous topics sure to change peoples lives (uh huh) if I could just convince myself to blog. I just don’t see how the act of blogging fits into the hours of the day.

As it is, I wrote this posting while sitting at a Seattle Center restaurant after dinner (I didn’t even cook) wondering how to slide back into the online saddle. I was guessing I needed a clever and probably complex way to wedge the activity into my priorities. It’s just that I still need to find time to:

Write
Work
Eat
Go wine tasting (I may prioritize this before eating)
Volunteer with PNWA
Pay bills – after they go to collections. No, not really. It’s just that it feels that way because I’d rather be writing.
Sleep, often after wine tasting
Wait, don’t I have a family somewhere in the US?

It’s a busy world. Plus, not to be obvious, but Winter is coming.

Contrary to what many social media experts claim, writing a blog posting isn’t always a quick process. At least, I don’t think so, not if you’re a “budding” writer. Maybe it’s just me, but I agonize over the choice of every word. I worry my ideas don’t seem good enough. I edit and edit and then, edit some more. And I’m convinced that I’m confusing my readers with an array of dizzying subjects (Hello readers, are you still there?). I certainly confuse myself sometimes.

I envy the kid in Chef (@Chefthefim), a satisfying movie that’s guaranteed to make you smile and expect nothing less than amazing food for dinner. Young Percy knew exactly what to post on Twitter. Plus, he could upload videos faster than his Dad could smash a Cuban sandwich between the jaws of a press. And Percy worked his social media magic all without looking at his phone. I wanna do that!

Bottom line, I guess if you’re a character in a movie or a book, maybe there’s time to go online.

Of course, I did find time to write this posting sitting around after dinner for thirty minutes, or so. It required some editing later on, and a second glass of wine might have been involved, but the solution wasn’t so complex.

Hmm…maybe it’s not as difficult as I’m making it? 🙂

Come On, Babs! Do You Want To Miss the Sky God?

Why do we yell and scream like maniacs, just to celebrate the new year?

I live a block away from the Space Needle where there’s a spectacular fireworks show on New Year’s Eve. Last December, I decided to stay home and comfort my cat, Pandora. It was a loud night. Partiers grouped on the sidewalk outside, drank openly and hollered at the top of their lungs, all the while the show exploded overhead.

A couple guys seemed to freak out, mid-festivities. They ran back and forth, down the center of my tiny street, flailing their arms along the way, and you would have thought the world was coming to an end. But nope. Not even in 2012. But it got me thinking. Why do human beings celebrate like this? When did we start going a little crazy, just because tomorrow happens to be a new year?

So I checked out history.com.

According to one of the site’s stories, Babylonians were the earliest on record to kick up their heels on New Year’s Eve, some 4,000 years ago. These party-hardy ancestors actually whooped it up twice a year in a festival called “Akitu,” celebrating renewal from the past and prosperity in the future. Festivities coincided with both the spring equinox (the beginning of the lunar calendar) and the fall equinox (the time to harvest).

I can imagine the typical Babylonian husband calling to his wife during the hoopla. “Hey Babs. Let’s run from hut-to-hut and scream joyous prayers at the sky. Plus there’s a show over at the neighbors. They’re reenacting Maruk’s victory over Tiamut, in costume. I love when that evil, sea goddess bitch gets stomped by the god of the sky.”

Fast forward several thousand years, in 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar had to solve a “syncing issue” between the Roman calendar and the actual orbit of the sun. Apparently, part of the fix was to move New Year’s Day to the beginning of the month of Januarius, honoring Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, an interesting dude.

Janus is a deity with two faces who can simultaneously look into the past and out to the future. His particular festivities included crazy parties, and “sacrifices to Janus, exchanging gifts, decorating their homes with laurel branches.”

Sounds a little like today? Well, sort of. Instead of sacrificing a goat to Janus, we destroy a few brain cells.

That said, I do think we see New Years Eve as a time to look with two faces, to be relieved we’ve survived the past year and to hope for our futures. When we blow paper horns and scream at the top of our lungs, are we (like our ancestors) issuing a boisterous prayer to our gods for renewal and prosperity? Maybe the simple act of railing at what lurks ahead provides an added strength to cope.

Celebrating in the street – or the center of an ancient village – must help, right? And what better way to rock the ancient Babylonia’s sky god, Maruk, than the dazzling fireworks of today. I’ll bet even Babs would agree.

As a footnote, I was inspired to write this post by my friend Pam Binder. She posted a wonderful summary of ancient Yule Tide celebrations (“Winter Solstice”), in her blog at pambinder.com.