Balancing the Optimism and the Pessimism

This is a long post, and I know... as if you can't see the type running down this page, but I just wanted to acknowledge the fact since I prefer each post be between 500 – 700 words.

 

At any rate, and thus the other reason for that disclaimer, I try hard to look for the beauty and nicety in things... and people, but this week the pessimism has really climbed to my top shelf. Every glass I've looked at, looked half empty. Normally when I get like this, I stick my face—fast—inside a book, but before I go there, let me start here... to impart a little of the pessimism I've been dealing with.
I love my website designer(s) more than I love myself, but the pessimism started advancing its way up my slope after being chided about my reluctance to sign up with Facebook. "Stop resisting new technologies," I've been scolded. This is the new wave, so I better get with it, or get left behind. In other words, in a pessimistic frame of mind I take this to mean everyone else is doing it, which I have a little story about doing what everyone else is doing.

Now, you've gotta know exactly where I'm about to go with this one... right back to the golden days when I had broken one of my parent's rules and they would ask why? My answer: "Well, everyone else was doing it." And them: "Well, if everyone was jumping out of windows, would you jump too?"

Of course, if you're following the premise here, the correct answer would be, 'I most certainly would... least I get left behind!'

But then no sooner than I brushed that scolding off, was it when my eyes went to panning over a comment celebrating hundreds of thousands of books stored on e-readers. This is supposed to be convenient when going on vacation.

At this point the pessimism just took off and raced on up the slope, exceeding the speed limit in all jurisdictions... to include the autobahn. I can't recall a vacation to date, where I spent any part of it held up in a library... either virtual or actual. Like what would I tell people when they asked what all I did while on vacation? And just to be sure I squeeze in all the pessimism I can stuff in here, but imagine a virtual library with 100,000 books in it. Would this then mean the library is worth $100,000... let's say... if each book was worth a dollar? Just pessimistically surmising out loud here.

...But then what do I read next? Yes, 'Tweeting books.' Here's the link, since I know 'everyone' will find this technology interesting. I know my web designer(s) will. The website itself is downright informative, except me over here, trying my damnedest not to be pessimistic, can't get my thoughts off of that title being tweeted—Demons & Angels—and how tweeting books reminds me so much of CliffsNotes. Surely no one wants to hear my pessimistic spiel on what I think of CliffsNotes.

Finally yesterday, and this would be just about when I decided I had to do something about this half empty glass, I opened an email from DBW... and that would be the Digital Book World, relaying the buzzword that made its way around BEA. Discoverability was the word. Oh man... now this was when my keyboard looked up at me and gave me that evil demonic eye... as you must know, even a half empty glass turned over on a keyboard can make its point.

So I came up with a bright idea, just to show it hasn't been all Pessimistic City over here. I simply decided to fill the darn glass... exactly how (&why) I ended up exceeding my word count! But, isn't this an ingenious idea?

I discovered Samantha Stacia, who manages 'Late Bloomers' on SHEWrites. Although I don't see myself as a late bloomer... not since writers (from my perspective) entertain their peak of 'writing' perfection beyond that mid-age range... but I really enjoy Samantha's optimism. There are many discussions on SHEWrites that are quite supportive of writers and authors, and this is one. I encourage writers and authors to visit and join in.

Also, I've tapped into a jubilant 'book' reading spree! Four more books and I'll already have a top-ten list. Currently I'm reading Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin. The pacing and organization of this account is superb. An easy read to sink into.

I also just received A Hamster is Missing in Washington, D.C. by Ed Spivey... an appealing collection of satirical short stories. On a somewhat nervy optimistic note though, I think Spivey writes kind of like me, or rather (if Ed is older than me) I write like Ed, or maybe it's... I think like Ed. Okay, so now I'm scratching my head. But just the other day I caught a post asking what book 'we' wished we'd written. At the time, and this was only the other day, I couldn't think of a single book I wished I'd written. Not a single one, despite the many books I've more than adored. But guess what happened?

Yep, along came this Hamster book that's been on my wish list for 'only' two years where the first words I uttered, "Man! I wished I'd written this one!"