Certainties and Uncertainties

It’s been a strange month. There’s been movement on some fronts, none on others, and new uncertainties in others. That’s the way things go, I guess.

There’s some good news to share, I think. As of this moment, my band, tentatively named The Pineapple Brigade, is active. Yesterday, we auditioned a female singer who turned out to add that missing element to our songs. I think she was amazing, as did the rest of the band. In fact, I knew within ten seconds of hearing her sing my song, Frozen Summer, that I wanted her in the band. What she did to that song was something I hadn’t expected, but that was stunning all the same. So we’re now set as a five-piece. It’s kind of exciting to think that, after all this work and all these frustrating attempts to find like-minded musicians in the area, I’ve finally put together the right people for this musical project.

The next step is to think of a new band name. The five of us agreed that the project has outgrown the Pineapple Brigade name, and so we want something that’s more reflective of the indie rock, diversified nature of our music. So there’s that, and nailing down the next half of our ten-song set list. We’ve got plenty of original songs to choose from, we just need to decide which we’ll be concentrating on for now. I’m also calling for us to record a three-song demo next month. I can’t wait for that. I can’t wait to hear these songs sound like they were meant to.

So that’s one thing that’s moving along. Another is Electing Choi, my sequel to Inventing Vazquez. After several bouts of writer’s block, I’ve gotten back on track with that. Currently, I’m on page 80 of the first draft, which isn’t too bad. I think 100 pages will be a cool first milestone.

Nothing so far on the literary agent search for Inventing Vazquez. It’s still a waiting game, but the most frustrating part is not even knowing how many of my applications are even still in play. I’ve already received three rejections, but my others are still unanswered. I don’t know if this means I’m being considered, or they haven’t even read it, or if they read it, tossed it, and aren’t going to tell me. I know I have to be patient, but it’s a difficult process, especially for someone like me, who loves to get things done now, now, and now.

Things have been less than great on other fronts. At work, the mounting frustrations of my job have really taken their toll, to the point where I find myself thinking of alternative employment options just to preserve my sanity and my health. And things at home have suddenly become uncertain, and who knows where things will end up. Suffice it to say, these are difficult times, and I hope the universe will help me achieve some clarity of mind so that I can get through them in one piece.

For now, at least, I’ve got enough creative projects to keep me preoccupied and moving forward. That’s the nice thing about music and writing. When you write—be it a song or a story—you’re in complete control. It’s all yours. And no one—not a co-worker, not a boss, not someone with a title higher up on the pecking order than yours—can tell you not to write what you want. It’s a great, liberating feeling to be able to compose a song or write a story, so I encourage anyone who’s having similar crises at work or at home to embrace whatever creative capacity they have. It really can make all the difference.

Cheers.