In a parallel universe, I would have been a prolific writer, churning out, day and night, streams of prose and poetry, and kilometric reams of novels and essays, you would wonder if I ever stop for anything, if I ever sleep a blink (assuming you would also be in that parallel universe). But no, I am in this universe, where I stop for red lights and sleep like a log, and blog in a most laconic way. And you, probably amused by now about what, if ever, may have happened to that book project I wrote about here a few times last year.
Here is the latest about the project, or what’s not much of it anyway:
(1) A tentative cover page to entice my illustrator son, Zee to continue with the work that he seemed to have completely abandoned now in favor of passionately pursuing his master’s degree in Architecture:
image of a tentative front cover for what could be a book of prolific imaginings 🙂 , © ssj 2018
(2) A sample page whose page number might still move forward or backward, and illustration to be slightly modified to accommodate some fuzzy yellow spots in the upper background (talk about a punishing attention to detail that could well derail the imaginings):
panda alert! , © ssj 2018
At this point, the project is only about 30% done. Seriously, I am thinking of retiring from my full time job to take up sketching and painting so I can just go ahead and finish the project on my own, but considering that disengaging from this 9-to-6 job and acquiring those drawing skills might take another year or so, I might just as well wait for Zee to be done with his course work. Or maybe seek the services of more artists? Like an illustrator daughter, perhaps? 🙂
— Said Sadain, 21 April 2018
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Looks great, Said, and that parallel universe is also sounding awesome. I sometimes think that I would have more time if I spent less time complaining that I have no time. 😃 I don’t really have a suggestion. Life has taught me that whatever I suggested would undoubtedly prove to be wrong. However, it’s pretty safe to repeat some of Bob Dylan’s lyrical advice which has stuck with me, although evidently it means nothing: “Just do what you think you should do.” Feeding the panda might be a good idea too. 🐼
Hi, Steve. I was in a video call with my illustrator son this weekend, and he was looking like a panda with those dark circles around his eyes, having been sleepless over some preparations for an impending critique of his archi project. I guess feeding this panda is not going to work, at least for now 😀 I’m tempted to go with Bob Dylan’s advice, which connects my thoughts to Nike’s “Just Do It”, which I find more efficient and compelling, but then, every time I think about Nike’s tagline, I also start thinking about how that tagline was actually inspired by a death-row convict telling his firing squad to just “Let’s do this!” So there goes the swoosh! down the drain 😀 Meanwhile, I will let Bob’s uplifting prayer reassure me:
“May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation,
When the winds of changes shift.”
🙂
I’m sure it will all work out, Said. Interesting, I had no idea about the origin of the Nike phrase. I have to admit the null advice which I tend to follow is uncomfortably close to the opposite of those reassuring lines: “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” 😃
Thanks, Steve. Your advices, the null or the non-null types, are always welcome! By the way, more tidbits on Nike’s “Just Do It”: Norman Mailer’s Pulitzer Prize- winning novel, The Executioner’s Song, was based on the life of this convict, Gary Gilmore. Made into a movie of the same title starring Tommy Lee Jones… favorite author and favorite actor, but not favorite convict 😀
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