The first thing I do when I write anything is swap the font to Georgia. When I look at my writing in other fonts, I don't read it in my voice, but I do in Georgia. This doesn't really have anything to do with what I wanted to write about but I suppose it wouldn't be a blog post for me if I did start with an incoherent ramble and fall victim to my own stream of consciousness. It's been a while since I did one of these, but I would hate to simply recount all of the things that have happened in the interim, and it's been a long interim! That's such a lazy way to write anything, I might as well be writing a Christmas post card to send out to acquaintances from college who never write back. Unfortunately, I just read my most recent blog post from early 2021, about 2 and a half years ago, and I do have to follow up on that depressing piece. I recognize what that version of me was feeling and I can happily report that I am in a much better place.
But I didn't set out to write about that today and I'd much rather talk about all the things that make me want to write. The expressions of other's creativity that make me want to be creative as well. I have become a voracious reader for the first time since I was in middle school. I think over the last year I've read 20+ novels, all of which have been by Sir Terry Pratchett. That's right astute reader, I'm deep into the Disc World series. These digestible, emotional, romantic, and endlessly clever novels have pulled me into their world like no other series has done in the last decade. I find myself crying, laughing, smiling, and thinking about life more from these books than anything else. They are just such touching reflections of life but twisted in with an entertaining chunk of fantasy. Terry Pratchett has firmly nudged Frank Herbert to second place in my list of favorite authors. Frank made me contemplate some of life's big questions, our place in the universe and such. Terry makes me contemplate people. He makes me empathize with dwarves, zombies, and most difficultly, humans. 10/10, I have been recommending this series to anyone who will listen to me for the last year and I expect I will keep doing so for the foreseeable future!*
I'm sitting here writing this little post eating raspberries and petting my dog** I want to add a contemplation of raspberries to this post. They are weird, gross little hairy fruit that taste better than any other fruit. 9/10, would suck down another box of them without hesitation if you put it in front of me. Top tier fruit.
That reminds me, I have not had a chance to discuss my rating system on this site. Abby*** and I have been slowly defining a 1-10 scale where more than just 7-10 are used. Find it enumerated below. This scale can be used for anything from a new beer, a restaurant, a movie, a person, etc. The exact language changes but the underlying feeling stays the same.
1. This is quite possibly the worst thing in its category. It has no redeeming qualities and can't even be complimented on it's horrific nature. The Room is a bad movie but that makes it entertaining and therefore much higher rated. This rating is almost as unused as the ten, it's legitimately difficult to find something this awful and not also be impressed by how it's doing awful as good as it is. There is nothing worse than a one. If given a choice between doing something that's a one on this scale and dying, it's a hard decision.
2. The only difference between one and two, similar to nine and ten, is personal preference. It's important to leave some vague, nebulous definitions to remind us how subjective this entire concept is.
3. You really don't want to do a three. You throw a fit, demand to do something else. Threes suck. You have to drag me into Times Square, and I'm unhappy the whole time I'm there.
4. A general disdain. It's disappointing and maybe worse, it's boring. You would rather turn off the television than watch a movie that finds itself in this category.
5. The word of the hour: Mid. Something that finds itself in this category is serviceable. It's not trash but you would never seek it out. Fives don't move you, they don't really make you think. A five is a decent beer or glass of wine. You're glad you have something to drink but they don't really enhance the experience.
6. Pleasant. A six is good. You'd go see a comedian again if you thought their performance was a six. Not everything can be great but there is nothing wrong with being a six. I'm never mad about encountering a six. You'd get a beer afterwork with a six.
7. Sevens routinely find themselves in my memories. I want to go back, I want to rewatch or reread. They're impressive.
8. You're mad if an eight doesn't win the golden globe. It was damn good and you're willing to fight for an eight. Here and above, you're emotionally attached
9. As I said before, there is no criteria for a difference between nine and ten, just personal preference. I can think of a bunch of movies and books I would rate a nine, they are the best in their breed, they are the pillars upon which genres are built. But they don't occupy that number one spot in your heart, or should I say the number ten spot. Gods, that's a bad joke and I can't imagine a good reason to not remove it in the edit.
10. This doesn't have to be perfect. We all have flaws. But the flaws of a ten add to it, they make it better in a way. Very few things can be tens. You have to love them, and that love has to last, it's not some puppy lust that fades. These stick with you, they inspire you, they make you want to create something just as good. They are the finish line.
That's it for today. Your sign of life for the year.
-Lucas
*Terry has also taught me two important lessons when it comes to writing: The power of footnotes to have little digressions but not ruin the flow of the page and that anyone who uses more than one exclamation point at the end of a sentence should be classified as clinically insane.
**His name is Winston and I'm sure a photo of him will be posted on here eventually. Future me, put a link here.
***This is my partner, girlfriend, co-parent of Winston, and all around a lovely person. I don't write about her here because every time I try to write about her it turns into a love letter and I don't think you, dear reader, have any business reading my love letters.