Just Shit, No Giggles

Well, I guess God got rather annoyed that my writing partner and I took Her name in vain, because the writing project just fell to shit. First, we changed the whole scenario, so that blasphemy was no longer a serious problem (though not for that reason). Then I had to do a pep talk for my writing partner because she was feeling that we just couldn't pull it together fast enough, or something. I should have known that we were in trouble then, 'cuz when I'm the one giving the pep talk.... I went out of town for the weekend to a place with little Internet access and less cell phone coverage, blissfully unaware that the Play For Keeps meeting had been changed to Sunday from Monday. So I missed it, and got laughed at by the hosting theater's building manager when I asked where the meeting was when I arrived on Monday. I then felt really bad when my writing partner called me up to bail on the project because of the comments she got on the script at the reading at the meeting. Now, I was not there. I do not know what comments were made, exactly. However, I am very protective of my own work and of people I consider my friends. I should have been there, for the very of least of reasons, being that my partner should not have to face criticism alone on something that is not even entirely her fault. Especially when she's feeling ambivalent about the project anyway. And I thought we had done good work, on both the zygotes of plays we produced. The upshot is that I can work on the plays myself, but my erstwhile partner wants nothing more to do with them because, as she says, her heart is no longer in them. That's her decision, but I am incredibly curious to know what comments were made. My former writing partner has promised to type them up and e-mail them to me. Reading those is going to be interesting.

I finally finished reading You Must Set Forth At Dawn by Wole Soyinka. I think it could best be described as a political autobiography, fascinating since the history of Nigeria as a nation pretty much coincides with Soyinka's adulthood. Soyinka doesn't mention when he got married (or how many times), but he seems to have had fairly direct access to most of the chief executives (both ostensible and actual) over Nigeria's colorful tenure as a member of the Commonwealth. One begins to believe that there are about twenty people in his homeland's political class, and that includes him. This bokk is rather densely written and it took me over a month to read it, but I definitely recommend it.

If you're interested in my mental state (and really, who of the no one who reads this isn't?), the mental soundtrack has gone from "One Fine Day" to "American Idiot" via "Every Breath You Take" back to "One Fine Day" again. Damn oldies station. I am now trying to cleanse my cerebral palate with Fallout Boy, to be followed by the Pogues.