here's a novel idea

In between sitting around waiting for my Country Living Halloween issue to show up in the mailbox, getting allergy shots, and haunting the Anthropologie online sale rack in case something (anything. A sock. I don't care.) unexpectedly drops below fifty dollars, I am writing a novel.

No, really.

It's for a class that is officially called "Special Projects in Fiction" but which people routinely call "Meg's Novel-Writing Class". It was an accident how I came to be taking this class, but, as with every writing class I've taken so far, I'm enjoying the crap out of it. You wouldn't know this if you were actually in the class with me. I spend most of my time there sitting like a deer in headlights - or maybe a deer that's found itself randomly in a novel-writing class - waiting for everyone to find out that I still sort of secretly think third-person limited omniscient sounds more like a religious movement than anything I would include in a story and that I just want to get back to my pleasant rumination of acorns and woody plants.

But under the general sense of panic, I like the class. A lot.

Try saying this: "I'm working on my novel."

I haven't been able to. It makes me feel like an imposter.

the rillito bats

Last night, we went to see the bats come out from under the Campbell Ave bridge. My new thing is apparently making videos, so I have made a video of it. The whole thing was less exciting than I had hoped, but it was still very cool. I've heard that the bats often come out in huge clouds, but this did not happen. It's also close to migration time, since it's down into the 60s and all at night, so maybe many of them have left already for warmer climes. Which would have to be on fire to be any warmer than Tucson right now. But hey, I'm no Mexican free-tailed bat, so what do I really know?

has this ever happened to you?

The phone rings around 9:00 pm.

Your Brain: Right on! It must be Raphael!

You: Hello!

Phone: Hi Jenny.

Your Brain: OMG, it's LISA!

You: Oh, HIII!

Phone: This is Genna.

Your Brain: Whoa! WHOA!

You: Oh, ha ha! I thought you were somebody else! How are you?

Phone: Actually, I'm stuck in an elevator. Can I have Raphael's phone number?

Fast forward ten minutes

Your Brain: I should call Genna to make sure she was able to reach Raphael.

Ri-i-i-i-ng

Phone: Hello?

You: Hi, Genna?

Phone: Yes?

You: This is Jenny, Raphael's...?

Phone: Sure!

Your Brain: Something's not right.

You: Did you get ahold of Raphael?

Phone: ...nooo...

Your Brain: It's a wrong number! Abort! Abort!

Phone: This is Jenna - from Tierra?

Your Brain: OMG! No one around here has seen Jenna from Tierra in two years! Or more!

Fast forward three minutes

You: Wow, okay! Nice talking to you, Jenna! I'd better go see if I can find Genna's number!

Your Brain: Since she's trapped in an elevator and all.

Fast forward seven minutes

Your Brain: Raphael or not, I'm just never picking up the phone again.

a feelin' & a good, strong, stick

People are always asking me during parties: "So what have you been up to?"

If I was at a party right now, I would answer: "I've been working on a music video featuring my dog and the Black Eyed Peas. Any further questions?"



P.S. This video was produced on location on Mt. Lemmon this summer, in the Catalina Mountains just northeast of Tucson. My thanks to the entire crew. Everyone really put their all into this project.

think i'm dad?

I mean "dead"?

I'm not.