skrapnel

Saw this on  chicagotribune.com and couldn’t stop smiling.

We had a couple of bunnies when i was a kid.  They were always so timid and scared.  Not really sure if I ever felt a connection to them like you do or dog or a cat, but they sure were cute.

It’s  such a big bunny! I wonder if he gets scared.  Do you think he’s mean? Or just slow and dumb? BUNNY!

Many cultures look to nature to predict the future.  Perhaps these soothsayers might interpret this article from last October as an omen foreshadowing the latest victim of Facebook’s increasing expansion.

Check it out:

The photo [right], believed to have been taken earlier this week, shows the spider clenching its legs around a lifeless bird trapped in a web at a property near Atherton, west of Cairns.

via Giant spider snapped eating bird in backyard near Cairns | Environment | News.com.au.

My brother, his wife and I went to First Thursday on South Congress last night.

Mike and Vanessa at First Thursday

Walking distance from my house, First Thursday is when the shops and galleries in SoCo stay open late, serve beer and have live music. It reminds me of Europe; the cafes spilling out onto the sidewalk. Everyone having a good time as the sun sets, sky  painted with crazy pinks and oranges.

First Thursday at Guero's

In one of the stores, I stumbled across a pair of combat boots that looked like they could be from the turn of last century. I’d been looking for a pair of boots like this, but thought I’d have to settle for some used Doc Martins. Luckily I found these AND they were 40% off!

New Boots

Here’s a professional photo:

Campbell Boots by Ryan Rowe

Sometimes when I sit down to write, I have a hard time concentrating.   I may check Facebook and Google News.  My mind may start wandering to the economy, new business, the dishes–anything to keep me from writing.  If I’m not writing, then I get depressed and, well, I can’t write anymore.

Over the last few years, I’ve started to realize that all these habits are actually effects of fear.  It’s kind of like a fight or flight mechanism.  My mind is so scared of what MIGHT happen–what if people don’t like what I write, what if I fail, etc–that it makes up these distractions to sort of ease the suffering that it thinks might happen.  In effect, what ends up happening is that I defeat myself.

I’ve also noticed that I feel like I’m missing out on something or giving up “Chris time” by FORCING myself to do some arduous task.  Whether it’s hanging out with my friends, going to the park, or just chilling, I feel like I’m rebelling against my own authority.

In both cases, what I have to remind myself is that writing and art make me happy.  I’ve purposefully changed my life so that I can spend more time working on these things in hopes that ultimately I’ll be able to support myself completely off my art.  With that in mind, I have the following three questions posted above my writing desk:

• What can I do right now to get closer to reaching my goals?
• What can I do right now to improve my state of mind?
• What can I do right now to improve my quality of life?

Not all of these have to do with writing.  Sometimes I’m legitimately distracted by things like paying bills, doing laundry or eating.  These questions force me into thinking about what’s bothering me by asking if I can do something in that moment to help me focus so that I can get back to work. It helps.

What do you do to fight procrastination?

Check out a few pics of the outside of my new house in Austin.  It was built in the 1930’s and is located in Austin’s Travis Heights neighborhood, the oldest residential neighborhood south of the river.  Because it’s so peaceful, I feel like I’m going to be getting a lot of writing done while I’m here. 

The backyard has a couple of gardens already stoned off. I can’t wait to start planting. Maybe next week?

I’ll post pictures of the interior soon!

Front of the new house.

Back of the new house.

Back patio of new house.

Carriage house in the backyard. The tenant living there is nice and has a dog!

Check out the slide and boat. They're in a small sand box. THere's also a fire pit in the way back!

I love my house in Austin, but I really miss my home office in San Fran.  Once I get a desk, I’ll be able to work more effectively.  It will be a while before I can fill a room with plants again.

This is amazing.  These guys soaring through mountains remind me of flying squirrels.  I want to do this some day.