THE DURATION

Waiting for the cabin fever. The worms. The Man. Godot.

Not really, though. Set up a sort of schedule yesterday, and that was great. Cleaned house. Worked on script. Played a game called Hunt a Killer. Got set for a campaign of D & D. Watched Schitt's Creek. Watched it Snow.

It snowed here yesterday. Several inches. I've always felt snow is magic, that it portends to good things. Sometimes, I think it is a sign from my old mentor Taft Miller. I remember, in the spring of 1993 I think, there were floods all over the country. Huge floods. And Taft talked about how Mother Nature can only be contained for so long. That levee's break, hurricanes and earthquakes are part of the deal. We can't control everything. Much as we'd like to. Makes me think of my favorite quote from The Lord of the Rings, which I remember being on posters after 9/11.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 

That's pretty straight up accurate.

Speaking of these times. As I was working on the script yesterday, I came to a scene that involved a line of people at Costco, waiting for free samples. Remember those? I wonder if they will come back, or if that will go the way of the DoDo? It was always a chance for grown women and men to cut in line, hover like vultures for scraps of food they most likely didn't need and often didn't even like all that much, and behave badly. Not that samples was a bad idea in and of itself. Having some nice person say "here, try this, you might like it" is quite nice. But there were times, on a busy week end day at Costco, where people would go a little nuts, mashed around the hot sausage or pizza tots or whatever.

So, not sure if scene will stay or not. The plan for the moment is to finish the script- episode two of a ten episode limited series. I want to finish at least three episodes. Maybe, after the Duration, I'll have something to sell. Lord knows I'll need the money. No work sucks. And not knowing when I will work again, or how bills will be paid, sucks even more.

But enough. Things suck all over. Just have to decide what to do with the time I've been given. Things suck, yes. Things have been bad before, and will be bad again. But things will also get better. Victories will come. Joy will arrive. This too shall pass. We will get through the Duration.

That's what I'm calling this time period. The Duration. A rough patch that will require ingenuity and courage and determination. I think it's what they called World War II while it was going on. The Duration.