It was the nicest way I've been woken in years.
I was a bit befuddled by jetlag and sleep, and asked her quite seriously what she was doing in South America.
She politely pointed out that I was in Sydney.
Ah. That explains that.
Can we go back to the hugging bit now?
But what was I doing in Sydney?
Wasn't I meant to be adventurerering around the world?
How did three years become three months?
Well, my plans changed. And I blame a few people for that - and all of them are women, including Fyodor.
But mostly, in the spirit of Southpark, I blame Canada.
Harry's List of Blame
1) Christina. Part of Canadia.
What an impressive, ambitious, engaging, young woman. It was nice to be reminded.2) Colleen. Part of Canadia.
We talked shop. She's spent several years writing a novel, submitting it to agents, rewriting it, resubmitting it etc etc. The road is long with many a winding turn, and you have to be tenacious. There is no alternative. So, my plan to be personally elevated to godhood by some miracle probably won't work.
3) The owner of Cafe Central, Santiago, Chile. A man called Rodrigo (also not a woman).
He followed his dreams, but probably not the one involving being bitten by leopards; the one where you hide a body; or the one where you spend the whole time looking for your keys.4) Fyodor
Hand waving via email is a suprisingly effective motivational technique.
5) LordMattressHammer
Dude, we have some majorly mighty stuff to do. No, you don't have a choice.
So, does that mean my adventurerering is over?
Hell, no!
It's just changing a bit.
I can't but conclude that I've spent ten years avoiding the five years of failing that would appear to be my destiny.
Well, guess what Destiny? I'm coming to kick your arse. There will be blood. There will be hate. There will be tears. And there will be broken glassware.
Oh, and also I ran out of money.
9 comments:
Dude, I thought it was called Canadia?
Can you see what gesture I'm making with my hands now?
P.S. If there was a problem, yo I'll solve it. No, wait: stop, Manhammer-time.
Broken glassware, huh. You know that comes out of your wages.
"Oh, and also I ran out of money."
Money on your mind? Lay back, harry, roll down the street, sip on some gin and juice...
I'm very disappointed in you Harry... but only because you didn't make it as far as Flagstaff before running out of dosh. 3 months is a good long trip, and your travelogue attests it was a good one. 3 years is a long time to be on the road without putting down roots, and I was a little worried you'd put them down somewhere you'd be hard to find again...
(Says the guy in Flagstaff. Shut up!)
I've always wondered about Flagstaff. Why didn't they just call it "Pole"?
Is it like one of those "Greenland" real-estate cons?
I shall amend the spelling.
I've told you before that I'm unfamiliar with street-walker sign language, so no, I don't know what gesture you're making.
AhA! I'll be heading out again in February next year. For about six months. I just didn't have the money to do the intervening nine months.
This new plan is much mightier and involves: London, Paris, Cascais (Portugal), bit of Spain, North Africa. Then there's a bit of a planning gap before Mongolia.
Travelling from North Africa to Mongolia via Halifax and Flagstaff is such a silly idea I might yet do it.
ooh! Cascais is pretty. but possibly more touristy than you'd want, Hazman. nice tilework and groovy wavy tiled harbourfront though.
go to the Djma el Fnar in Marrakech. there's a dude with a monkey with a wet bum, and that monkey wants to sit on your arm and make you totally cringe, and the man wants to try and charge you for it. I speak from experience. you'll love it.
and btw YAY, so glad to see you :) sorry I didn't give you a better welcome on saturday morning on site... hope the yarn on the way home made up for it.
door bitch: barrp
never seen it speak Nw-ese before!
Write, write, write, Harry. Write some more. If you ever need a sounding board (someone to read your mss for feedback), send it along.
There's a contest that I think would suit you and is good for getting out a first draft of something. It's called the 3-day novel competition, run out of Anvil Press in Vancouver. Your task is to write a novel in the 3-days of the Labour Day weekend (first weekend in September). You then submit your script to Vancouver... it's fun, I've done it many times. (And I was even a judge at one point). You might want to consider it. Check out their website.
Colleen
See folks?!
What a horrible woman!
(Thanks for the tip. Makes thinking noises)
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