November 9, 2019 – Michael Seidel, writer

My muses seem drunk today.

Picture this: it’s a party, mostly of strangers, maybe co-workers who’ve never socialized outside of the office. Everyone is subdued, withdrawn and watchful, spying on others from safe corners and walls. Then some alcohol enters the scene. Glasses are filled. Sips are indulged. Alcohol slips into the bloodstreams. All start loosening up and chatting away, becoming livelier.

The latter are my muses today. They’ve had a few. Now they’re giggling and flirting, throwing ideas at me like I’m a dart board, frequently scoring high marks. As the scenes, characters, and ideas hit, I urge them, “Slow down, slow down, I can’t keep up.” That only encourages the tipsy little buggers to offer more at a faster rate, feeding off one another.

Not complaining, just noting. It’s a lot better than those days when the stand statuesque to the sad, cold and contemptuous, offering little other than disdain.

Got my coffee. Time to heed the muses and write like crazy before they pass out.

Floofdominium (floofinition) – A building, room, or complex of rooms or flooftibules containing a number of individual boxes, baskets, and other containers occupied by housepets.

In use: “The family room was where all gathered, a floofdominium with recliner and television, where cats and dogs rested in beds and boxes while he binged on The Kominsky Method.”

Wash me in yellow

the bright color of hopeful change

spritz me with marigolds

press me to get out of my lane

Soak me in yella

optimism and light

help me see past the madness and badness

and pursue what’s right

Drown me in yeller

make it an ocean of chance

a place where all are happy

and there’s singing and dance

Coat me in yellow

let it cover me all

like dazzling leaves on a tree

in the bright sunshine of fall

My monthly cycle is on the upswing. Love it when that happens. Much better than the dark troughs.

Dark days come once a month. I call it monthly but, you know, it’s a few days shorter than that, just a time when my optimism surrenders to my pessimism, and discouragement bludgeons encouragement into despair. During the worse of them, I’m in an echo chamber asking myself, “What’s the use? Is there a point to any of this crap?”

But today, it’s a triple high. Discouragement runs away, pessimism flees, and optimism and hope take office on high, declaring, “Everything is going GREAT.”

In honor of this monthly mini-holiday, Peter Gabriel’s 1987 song, “Big Time”, has entered the stream.
Big Time, I’m on my way I’m making it, big time, Huh!
Big time, I’ve got to make it show yeah, big time
Big time, so much larger than life
Big time, I’m gonna watch it growing, big time
Big time, my car is getting bigger Big time, my house is getting bigger
Big time, my eyes are getting bigger
and my mouth
Big time, my belly’s getting bigger
Big time, and my bank account
Big time, look at my circumstance
Big time, and the bulge in my big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big, hi there

h/t to AZLyrics.com