Writing is Like Karaoke

This past week I went back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to visit my family and my best friend. I went to Rascal's, a karaoke place, and sang in public for the first time. Usually, I just sing karaoke at a friend's house, so this was a new experience for me. It occurred to me today as I cursed the ungodly Texas heat and cement jungle I live in and procrastinated about unpacking and paying bills and all those other unglamorous things I need to get caught up on that writing and karaoke are a lot alike.

1) Both put you out there to be judged by peers.

2) Sometimes you don't know if you liked what you did, until after you're finished.

3) There are always going to be people who hate you.

4) If you don't take yourself too seriously, you'll enjoy it a lot more.

5) A supportive network of friends can work wonders.

6) If you don't like the results, you can always start over.

7) Both make for interesting conversation starters at parties.

8) You get to meet new people through both.

9) You learn something about yourself as you go.

10) And finally -- both don't cost you any money to enjoy!

As always, happy writing and happy reading to all!

In Pet News Today ... Something Good Happened!

Breaking from my writing subject matter tradition again because I am so darn happy I could eat a superworm myself! Derrick ate four superworms. It's the first solid food he has eaten since he starting seizing over a week ago. He has been running around his tank all day, even though one of his front legs is not working right. (He's sometimes walking on the top of his foot.) He has his happy yellow colors on too. I am going to talk to his vet tomorrow and see if she thinks he's going to pull through. I am hopeful he will now.

And Mike is not sick. He just needed his claws clipped. He was having trouble climbing his logs to bask and refusing to eat his salad greens because he didn't like what the chef (me) served him. He ate some today and is back to his normal bearding at his upstairs neighbor (Derrick) creating a ruckus as he romps through his tank setup. Mike may not be happy that Derrick is back to behaving wildly, but I am.

Pet Emergency Update

This blog is supposed to be about writing, but I can't focus to write anything right now. Derrick, my dragon, is still with us. He's improved some, but not enough. He is still having problems with his legs. There could be a neurological cause like a tumor or a brain infection. He's been tested for a contagious virus, which could have been passed along to my other dragon, Mike. Mike is starting to show signs of being sick as well. I am not sure if either of them will make it. This virus is fatal and if they are showing these symptoms, it means they are really, truly sick.

We have had Mike for 7 years and Derrick for four. Derrick is a rescue. He is five and a half and Mike is, well, 7. I hate to think of losing one or both of them, but that might be the case in the next week or so. I am having trouble focusing on writing anything and spending a lot of time nursing my two sick friends. Please be patient with me. I hope to be on track as soon as I can.