So I’m afraid to stop my little 3 day streak of 15 minutes of writing even though I have a shitty migraine today. I could whine about my head, but I’ll spare ya. Surely there are other things I can write about.

I have two story ideas that I’d like to develop. The first is a short story about paranormal investigators… told from the perspective of ghosts. I’ve been wanting to write this for awhile, actually, and I’ve watched Ghost Hunters avidly for years. But the recent airing of the show Ghost Adventures, on the Travel Channel, has really inspired me, primarily because the guys are such frat boy idiots. So I need to just write it. I think it could be good.

The second is a series of young adult books based on the fool’s journey in the tarot. I’d like to have a female “fool” and have her journey be the focus of the story, rather than her relationships, which seem to so often become the focal point in YA fiction aimed towards young women. I think that in the Lovers card story, I’d like to have her touch on relationships – possibly lesbian relationships – but show how the Lovers can be much more than literal lovers, just as Death is much more than literal death. That’s in the thought process too, and I think I’m about ready to take it to the sketch notebook and start outlining something. I may do a character sketch based on the Fool to get myself started.

I don’t know why I suddenly feel like I want to write the stories down that I’ve been dreaming or conjuring, but I do and it seems like a good idea to not ignore it, especially now when I’m not in grad school and have the time. Once I get to grad school, that’ll probably go down, though the first six months or so should be good as I’ll be on my own and only working part-time.

Gabrielle keeps dropping hints that she wants to go with me from the start when I move. It’s so tempting; she really is one of my best friends (within limits) and I love spending time with her. But I know that if she’s there it will be more difficult to sort things out with Jeff, that it will hobble me a bit and I really need some free space to get my stride, to get clarity and then to make the decisions I need to make. Only then do I think it will be good to have other people deeply involved in my immediate world. Six months is kind of the frame I’m giving myself – basically my first semester to adjust to school, adjust to Seattle and get my bearings. I’m pretty sure I know how it’s going to end, but I need the space to be sure. The situation is not one to be treated lightly.

Having said that, I am super excited about getting my girls up there for the educational and cultural opportunities. I think they’re both gonna thrive – I think we all will. We’ve already been crawling all over the school websites (which is a huge part of why Gab wants to go as soon as possible) and checking out cultural offerings and things to do together. Nina, with her intense interest in Japanese animation and culture, will really love it, though I am a bit worried about her dealing with the cold. The kid thinks it’s cold in here in the mornings – the thermostat reads 77 degrees! What’s she going to do when that’s a summer day HIGH temperature??

I find myself daydreaming quite a lot about getting there and getting set up. Yesterday, a friend of mine posted this as his FB status: “In order to have something you’ve never had,you must do something you’ve never done.” I realize this is a reframe of “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got,” but somehow it hit me just right. Suddenly “You must be the change you wish to see in the world” seems a lot more personal and local and a lot less general and global. Scary stuff. But I have “Do It Afraid” tattooed on my wrist for a reason. I may need to lean on my friends some. I hope they can hold me up! (I’m kinda heavy!)