books on writing

I have been writing a LOT recently (really, I have - just not on this blog).
I am having a blast discovering my apparent passion for writing, and I am also reading more than ever, devouring books.

One thing I've noticed is that there are tons of books out there ABOUT writing: books about finding your voice, books about honing your craft, books about getting published. I started to think that absolutely everyone must want to be a writer, for there to be so many books out there on the subject of writing.

But then I thought: perhaps it makes sense that there are so many books on writing. After all, writers write, and one area that all writers have some level of knowledge about is...writing. So perhaps many authors feel inclined to pen a book on their craft.
There are plenty of books out there about pursuing art, music, etc...but books on writing outnumber them all.
Naturally - if you are a writer, you write...if you are an artist or musician, maybe you write, and maybe you don't, but the pool of authors for books in those fields must be considerably smaller than it is for writing.

This post officially wins the award for most frequent use of the word writing.

My sister's third question...

Slowly but surely, I am working through them all. Here's her third inquiry:

3. What gives you the most pride in being a graduate of James H. Harrison Elementary in Laurel, MD? I know ... it will be difficult to pick just one.

My response:

Ah, Laurel, MD. My sweet hometown. Well, my hometown, anyway.

Some Laurel trivia:
-Laurel, MD is a strange, sprawling town that spans three counties. West Laurel (larger yards, some newer developments, higher income bracket) was (and still is, I believe) very different from my own South Laurel (townhouses, large apartment complexes, and some neighborhoods of modest houses).
-During my childhood, the population of Laurel (according to the sign that welcomed drivers to the town limits) was 16,000. This number seems way too low to be descriptive of the current population, however.
-My section of Laurel was in Prince George's County (PGC!), neighbor to Washington, DC, and birthplace of go-go music. Yeah, that's right!

So...James H. Harrison Elementary School is a small to medium-sized educational institution. We lived close enough to school to be able to walk, but far enough away for that walk to be some decent exercise.

But...hm, points of pride? Hard to say, Sarah. I do have some memories of Harrison that stand out more than others. I remember trudging to the school on snow days to sled down the awesome hills behind the school. I remember there was still a forest of trees behind those hills, and not a clear view of the Marlo Furniture superstore like there is now (thanks to "new development," i.e., destroying all the trees of my childhood to make way for giant parking lots and box buildings).

I remember Mr. Kowzun, the gym teacher, throwing me up in the air on my birthday...but instead of catching me, like he did all the other birthday boys and girls, he dropped me, leading me to land hard on my knee. I didn't have to participate in gym that day. And Mr. Kowzun made sure that I knew it was my own fault for being dropped (apparently I was "not holding my arms in such a way that would make it easy for me to be caught")...yeah, we had only the finest teachers at Harrison.

I remember Gary Love teaching me how to do the Running Man and the Cabbage Patch at our 6th grade classroom holiday party...hm, that was pretty awesome, I guess. OK, I pick that as my most proud Harrison moment: tapping into my inner groove - I haven't let go of my dancer self since.

On a side note...

I've had a few celebrity sightings in the retail store I manage, but yesterday's sighting was the funnest to date (yes, sometimes "funnest" is a real word).

Yesterday, I sold a pair of reading glasses to Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fame (or Liv Tyler's father fame, depending on your point of view).
He looked like a total rockstar. I think rockstars aren't allowed to leave their homes unless they have on the tight pants/vintage-y tight button down shirt uniform. I base this theory solely on my single Steven Tyler interaction and my sales interaction with Ric Ocasek years ago (he bought some colored pencils from me at an art supplies store. I definitely remember some purple velvet in the ensemble).

The only thing that could have made yesterday's experience more awesome would have been if Stevey had broken into song. It almost happened...he started improvising a tune under his breath to the world music pumping through the store's speakers. So close!

Happiness!

I do believe I have a new love...and that love is the Yamaha CP33 stage piano.

I finally made the plunge and purchased my new love yesterday afternoon, after waiting several agonizing days for my local Yamaha retailer to replenish its CP33 stock. And tonight, well, tonight I set the bad boy up and played it for the first time.

I can't wipe the grin off my face. Uncontrollable smiles are my favorite kind.

My new love has graded hammer action (it feels like a real grand piano), a sweet sustain pedal, and (most importantly of all) the most realisitc piano voices I have ever heard on a digital piano.

My new love is probably the best roommate I've ever had (please, note to humans I've lived with: if you heard this baby, you would not take offense to that statement whatsoever). I hope we have a long and fruitful relationship together.