Diary of an adult runaway

Awesome!

I've been using this word a lot lately. No idea why, maybe coz it just sounds...awesome? And I haven't just muttered it, either, I've been putting in a whole, toothy Parker-Posey-as-Connie-Bradshaw performance. That word deserves nothing less.

Things I'm thinking are "Awesome!!" today:

1. Why I love Ms. Mac. Water came out my nose I laughed so hard, I'm not ashamed to say.

2. My landlady. Yesterday I stopped halfway on my voyage home to do a little shopping and other things. Waiting back at the bus stop when a car pulls up and beeps. Tempted to ignore it because I know about 5 people in this town, only 1 owns a car. Then I realize it's Agnès (perfect timing, because one of the chores I did was get my rent money) and so I enjoyed a lovely ride straight to my door in the blustery weather. (Been wanting to bring the camera along and snap some pics of Paris in summertime but, hate to tell you this, folks, it's frigging winter!) I just loved Agnès from the moment I met her--warm, funny, friendly, and an awesome painter.

3. Cheese and bread. So simple, so delicious.

4. Antipo, for climbing up the hill for coffee and custard creams on Saturday (and Monoprix, for delivering the custard creams AND Cadbury's. Woot!) You didn't even flinch when Kody decided you were his new favorite person.

5. The neighborhood cats who climb up the tree outside my office window and have a very civilised chat before dashing off in pursuit of pigeons.

6. Steve Miller Band's Jet Airliner. Just one of those tracks that carries you along with it, especially that whole "Coz I don't want to get caught up in any a' that funky shit goin'down in the city" line. (Part of me is still a little girl who giggles when I hear a "bad" word in a song. Ooh, it's so naughty!)

7. Jaydee Bixby in the Top 22 of Canadian Idol! Oh sure, I knew he had to be but I was a little panicked that he hadn't been seen throughout the whole final-decision show until right up to the end--and then he's there, all sweet and saying "If you put me through, I promise I'll learn new songs." And he's through, and so's that cool-as-shit Steve McQueen lookalike Tyler Mullendore. Game on, boys!

8. Freshly laundered pajamas. Seriously, anything better? Nope, didn't think so.

Speaking of laundry, hauled my stuff down to the laverie on Sunday, then popped off to the closest café for a (so-so) café crème and some (awesome!) bread and honey. Supposed to be working on one book, but just couldn't get this chick out of my head. She's a bit character in it, just there for one scene, nothing special--and I was a long way from getting to that scene. Problem is, no one told her she's nothing special, and before I knew it, I was writing down "Cora, 38, hates the sound of other people kissing," and it just went on from there.

I suck big time at synopsis writing, I hate the damn things with a passion, yet by the time my laundry was done I had half a synopsis and--more importantly--a fully formed character. I knew exactly her conflict, what was going to make it unbearable, and how to get her out of it. Some people call it their muse, some people call it the girls in the basement. I don't know what to call that, but I'm very grateful for it. Actually, I'm calling it the universe providing, because I knew exactly the house where I wanted her to live, I'd fallen in love with it years earlier, and I cannot fucking believe it but I went home and found photos on Flickr from someone who's moved into an apartment in that very same house--they thoroughly documented it inside and out. Setting is a massive thing for me, so this was a sign from the gods. Here's a shot from Cora's top floor:

I messed around a little with Curio to create a collage, but it wasn't giving me what I wanted and I was impatient so I Photoshopped up this, which is now my desktop:

Then yesterday I sat down and wrote the rest of the synopsis. I'm staggered. It's tight, it explains everything, there's a definite arc. At least, I think so ;-) Sure, some things will change along the way, aspects of the characters I haven't even considered will pop up, but this one works for now. Always amazes me how my writing process changes from book to book, how with some the first line comes, but with this one it's about something she hates (the sound of kissing) being the signal of a much bigger problem. And this time I get to play with a woman right on the edge who's messing with someone she shouldn't, which is reflected a little in my preliminary iTunes playlist:

American Boy~Chris Isaak
Down By The Water~PJ Harvey
San Francisco Days~Chris Isaak
If~Janet Jackson
Throb~Janet Jackson
Bitter Wine~Bon Jovi
Sex-O-Matic Venus Freak~Macy Gray
Sexual Revolution~Macy Gray
Sexy Back (Dirty)~Justin Timberlake
Get Off~The Dandy Warhols
The F-Word~Babybird
Let It Be~The Beatles
Hard To Handle~The Black Crowes
You Are My High~Demon
Bad Girls~Donna Summer
H.A.P.P.Y. Radio~Edwin Starr (no book set in San Francisco can ignore disco)
Mean Woman Blues~Elvis
Fever~Elvis
Help Me Make It Through The Night~Elvis
Name~Goo Goo Dolls
Jump Around~House of Pain
Find 100 Ways~James Ingram and Quincy Jones
You Belong To Me~Jennifer Lopez
Fuck Was I~Jenny Owen Youngs
Cold Hard Bitch~Jet
I Walk The Line (live at San Quentin)~Johnny Cash
I'm a Bitch~Meredith Brooks
How Does That Grab You Darlin'~Nancy Sinatra
Fuck You Like An Animal~Nine Inch Nails
I'm a Woman~Peggie Lee
Velas~Quincy Jones
Desire~Ryan Adams
Daytripper~Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66
You Make Me Feel~Sylvester
You Wreck Me~Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Woman of the Ghetto~Marlena Shaw

(Mum, if I get this published, you can read it, but for God's sake don't tell Gran or Auntie Phil, they'd be mortified! Just tell them I wrote it in French or something.)

Now I just have to write it. Which means I'm headed for Starbucks this afternoon. Boi-by!

I love this kid

I watched Canadian Idol last night and fell in love with Jaydee Bixby as soon as he walked onstage. Maybe because he instantly reminded me of Elvis as a kid. Tell me he doesn't look like him:

Couldn't find a good shot of Elvis when he was blond, but this is kinda the same angle.

Then Jaydee started singing Lawdy Miss Clawdy, a great Elvis track (especially love the line "Gonna tell my momma, Lord I swear to God, what you've been doing to me"--Elvis didn't write this song, but that line so fits him), and that did it for me, never mind the whole "You guys are really neat people" routine. I gotta find a way to vote for him. I just hope that's not his sister he's kissing at the end of the clip. (!!)

It's the first time I've watched Canadian Idol and while the format and music and graphics were the same as Australian and American Idol, the people they put through to the next round were much more diverse. Scraggly death metal guys? Have at it! Full-on twangy C&W singers? Come on down! I love that people don't have to be gorgeous and perfect--they'll take chances with raw and natural. Looking forward to more.

Edited to add: okay, I just did a search on Jaydee and he belongs to an Elvis fan group. Loving him even more!