My Cluttered Little Skull

My mother would be appalled. She always hated seeing my room wrecked as a child, with toys and paper and assorted what-not strewn from closet to desk and over the bed.

If she could look into my brain, she would probably ground me until I cleaned this mess up. (So much for being an active part of society any time soon.)

I am intensely cluttered and scattered, cerebrally speaking. (As well as otherwise - you should see my office!) And it's because of the messed up way I mentally process and file information. It shows in my blogging (4 blogs going, each with a different topic, none updated as often as they ought to be). It shows in my writing / journaling (I juggle notebooks like Gallagher does watermelons - only without the sledgehammer.)

I have a lot of things I want to do:
- write a book of devotionals
- write a book of humorous pieces
- write a cookbook (ok, that entry wins the "least likely to succeed" award)
- develop my drawing skills
- teach
- preach
- find a cure for stupidity (my odds are better with the cookbook)
- broker a deal for lasting world peace (see above)

What it boils down to is finding a way to satisfy this intense desire I have to be a truly creative individual. And it requires being creative at my very core - changing the way I think, the way I work, the way I operate. It requires opening my mind. (Anyone got a good pair of pliers? How about a hydraulic chisel?) It requires overcoming this fear of failure / embarrassment and letting it all hang out, just being me.

Simple, right?

It also requires doing creative things and submersing myself in creativity (art, music, writing, etc...) To this end, I am juggling a bit of reading:

Rome Sweet Rome: Our Journey to Catholicism by Scott and Kimberly Hahn. My brother sent me this book to read. I am fascinated by the idea of a Presbyterian minister going Catholic. So far, and interesting read. But I just it started last night.

The Arrogance of the French: Why They Can't Stand Us - and Why the Feeling Is Mutual by Richard Chesnoff. Chesnoff is an American who lived in France for years, and has some unique insights into our mutual love / hate relationship. (Hint: it's almost a sibling rivalry type of relationship.)

Don't Shoot, It's Only Me - Bob Hope's Comedy History of the United States by Bob Hope and Melville Shaveldon. This is no history textbook. But it does have some entertaining tales and anecdotes. Fun to read - as long as Bob Hope's humor is your thang.

According to The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones. Actually, I just finished this one a week or so ago. What a skewed way to view the world. If you want to convince your kids that drugs are bad, have them read Keith Richards' bits in this book. (By the by - saw the new Pirates of the Carribean movie over the weekend. Keith Richards plays Johnny Depp's dad and needed very little make-up.)

I am hoping to hit the Minneapolis Museum of Art at some point this weekend with sketchbook and pens/pencils in tow.

As for music... hey, you know me. I always have tunes going.

And what about my cluttered mind? Creativity is not conducive to being organized, now, is it? It requires looking at life from a different perspective, being willing to explode what we see, rearrange it and view it in a new way. I guess that means there's hope for me after all!
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