First

Happy New Year!

I know it's not summer. It doesn't even feel like summer in L.A., which I know everyone thinks is hot and sunny all year long.

NOT. It's raining. Cloudy. Windy. Cold (if you call 55 cold). Now I know you all might say Californians complain about the littlest things... but our winter rainstorms are no joke.

And so that's what this image of Central Park that I took in summer 2005 is all about... no matter how bad or low things might seem (and this is just weather), the sun will shine again.

OK. So New Year's Day (Sunday) I lived the life of a hermit, though I had a nice invitation to a brunch. I made some black eye peas, greens, macaroni and cheese... and red kool aid. Started and finished reading this book, Shady, that came in the mail while I was gone.

Shady, by Blaine Teamer, is the funniest, laugh-out-loud book I have ever read. It's self-published, the author lives in L.A., and I hope more people will find this book. It's so freaking funny... a great way to start the new year... with laughs.

OK. Back to hermit life. I didn't travel with a laptop this time out, nor with a USB memory stick. It was a first, and it was weird. I had to remember all my favorite blogs by memory... didn't do any writing on computer. Did a lot by hand, one afternoon while waiting in a coffeehouse/bookstore in Birmingham, MI while my sister got her hair done. You can get a lot done waiting for someone to get their hair done.

It was a first... well, a first for a while... doing writing long hand. It feels different. Way different than writing on a computer. Like getting your hands in the dirt while gardening, rather than hiring someone to do your lawn. You really feel like you're doing something.

Anyway, I know a lot of you are into writing. Or made resolutions to do more writing. So I'll be first to link you up to some great advice from various sites I came across.

Tayari Jones on writing resolutions. Keith Boykin on writing and publishing. Paperback Writer on writing resolutions. I even offered some advice a few weeks ago... Writing Resolutions.

Oh... and something one of my students told me regarding his resolution and life drama... "It's not what happens to you. It's how you react that causes problems." The only drama I like is in books... but I thought I'd pass that kernel of wisdom along.

Next on the reading list: Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do by Pearl Cleage.

Happy New Year. Hope you're experiencing, or will experience, many firsts.

The sun will shine again!
fs