I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
Captain Caffeine said, “There’s a new Transformers ride at Universal Studios down in Los Angeles.”
Me: “I think I’m getting too old for that stuff. I don’t get a good enough Return On Investment.”
Captain: “What do you mean?”
Me: “Before, I used to love roller coasters. I didn’t mind paying the park fee and waiting two hours in line for each ride. Now, it’s just not worth it to me anymore. Those are two hours of my life I’ll never get back.”
Captain: “What if you went with your friends and you guys could talk while you’re in line?”
Me: “But it’s hot. Why would I want to spend money to stand in a hot line with lots of people when I could instead spend money to be in a coffee shop with my friends, or go have High Tea somewhere and talk there? I’d be in air conditioning and get scones and Devonshire cream.”
Captain (thoughtfully): “You have a point.”
What do you think? Amusement park or coffee shop? What floats your boat at your stage in life?
Me: “I think I’m getting too old for that stuff. I don’t get a good enough Return On Investment.”
Captain: “What do you mean?”
Me: “Before, I used to love roller coasters. I didn’t mind paying the park fee and waiting two hours in line for each ride. Now, it’s just not worth it to me anymore. Those are two hours of my life I’ll never get back.”
Captain: “What if you went with your friends and you guys could talk while you’re in line?”
Me: “But it’s hot. Why would I want to spend money to stand in a hot line with lots of people when I could instead spend money to be in a coffee shop with my friends, or go have High Tea somewhere and talk there? I’d be in air conditioning and get scones and Devonshire cream.”
Captain (thoughtfully): “You have a point.”
What do you think? Amusement park or coffee shop? What floats your boat at your stage in life?
Comments
But I think I would still prefer the tea...
Since I'm the gotta-have-it-all girl, I say go to the park once this year and have coffee any other time you want. Then you could have an experience to talk about for awhile, and have your coffee too.