Creativity Can Be a Boring Slog

Slow week of not much to report, or rather much the same -- writing on Devils and Wedding (Spacemen didn't have anything new happen this week), some small jobs to handle at The Brick, some personal errands to run and things to get done for the Wedding-Production itself.

I can tell already that while things are slow right now, this year is going to be a killer snowball picking up speed and inertia as it rolls. I keep wanting to jump ahead about two months and GET TO THINGS, but I need all this boring slog time to prepare everything that needs careful, thought-out, detailed work this year.

For fun "other" work, I'm going back to working on improvised theatre/video with David Finkelstein tomorrow and working with Marc Spitz on one or two new plays he's got going that need some work and feedback.

So I work and blast music. Here's a morning Random Ten from the iPod (with associated links -- you can hear more of these actual songs than usual today!):

1. "Giving Up" - Julie Grant - Count On Me! (The Complete Pye Sessions)
2. "Saut Crapaud" - Columbus Fruge - Anthology Of American Folk Music, Vol. 2A: Social Music
3. "Girls" - Iggy Pop - New Values
4. "Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?" - The Cramps - A Date With Elvis
5. "Baltimore" - Five Chinese Brothers - Rig Rock Juke Box: A Collection of Diesel Only Records
6. "My Confusion" - The Elite - Back From The Grave 1
7. "Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am" - Charles Mingus - Oh Yeah
8. "Sucked Out" - Superdrag - Regretfully Yours
9. "My Favorite Song" - The Kay Gees - Keep On Bumpin' & Master Plan
10. "Give It Back (live)" - The Dickies - Locked 'N' Loaded

And some new cat images this week - one each of the monsters. Here's Hooker in a new favorite place, a useless old tweed jacket of mine in front of the radiator:

Meanwhile, Moni keeps trying to get Berit's attention when B's playing with her new iPod Touch by standing on B's chest and licking her face:

As we were going to bed late Saturday night (rather, early Sunday morning), we became concerned about a growing smell of smoke in the apartment. It just got worse and worse and was obviously coming from outside. Eventually we looked out the tiny bathroom window and saw the entire area was covered in thick black smoke. As the wind blew it around, it became apparent is was coming from a couple of blocks north, but apart from that, we couldn't tell what was aflame -- and it lasted a couple of hours.

The next day I went out to check and found it was the hardware store and deli up that block that we go to. Apparently the fire started in the hardware store . . .

And since the deli is cradled in the "L" of the hardware store, it was a goner, too.

A pity -- we weren't so fond of that hardware store, but it was at least convenient, especially since the hardware store we much preferred ALSO burned down some time ago (photo here last week). The deli was the nearest 24-hour one, and a good place to stop on the way home from rehearsals or shows to pick up needed groceries. And the guys there were nice and always remembered us (and if either of us came in solo, would ask about the other). The building will have to come down, I'm sure. I better get up there soon to get a picture of the Vaughn Bode-influenced graffiti mural on the side that looks to have been there since the 70s., though that'll be hard now that they've walled in the whole place.

Meanwhile, I go out for walks every night and take pictures of my neighborhood, mainly interested in light, and signs, like here on Avenue U:

As I walk during "magic hour," the sky, and the geometry of humanity against it, has become the most interesting thing for me:

As well as any old or unusual signs I can find:

Time to get myself and go out earlier today so I can do the shopping at the local supermarket (Kosher Corner) before it closes for Shabbos. There's supposedly a storm on the way. Better stock up . . .