This topic comprises an entire chapter in my book, and, since it's been on my mind quite a bit recently, I really want to address this topic soon. Unfortunately, it's after 3 in the morning right now, so I doubt I do much "addressing" tonight. Also, I seriously doubt that I'll recount the whole chapter here on the blog, but I DO want to hit some of the high points. Check back later in the week for my rants and raves (and even a bit from THEIR point of view).

In the meantime, if any of you would care to share your horror stories of these mostly-Nazis, please feel free.

Since the Super Bowl is this weekend, I thought "Good Block" was an apropro title for this entry. In football, a block is a good thing, a really good thing. In writing, not so much.

For those of you who have been keeping up w/ my book, you may recall that I felt I might honestly be heading into the homestretch. (Sorry for another sports reference.) Well, all of that has changed since I've been blocked. I've changed chapter names, removed content from one chapter and put it in another, changed ideas in midstream ... ok, you get the picture.

My book is now in 3 different areas of the house, scattered and in a completely meaningless fashion. I have notes on barnaps, scribblings on pieces of order tickets, one idea on a piece of scrap paper, another idea on another scrap of anything I could find at the time, and then entire paragraphs and parts of chapters written on legal pad paper or computer paper. The more I look at it, the more I find things I want to change. And the messier the notes become.

My field goal has been blocked. I made it to second base and tried to steal third, only to be tagged "OUT!" by the third base muse. I hit one of the best serves of my entire tennis life, but the line judge said it went out. I'm riding a stationary bike. Ok, ok, no more of the sports shit.

Does Tony Bourdain ever have this problem?

Thanks for all the good advice as to how to help w/ my writer's block dilemma! You guys are wonderful!!! Actually, I think the Super Bongo "tagged" me so that it might help me get out of my funk, and that little monkey just may have activated something in my brain, b/c I DID have fun writing out a few of my many quirks!

the bohemian

OK, all you out there in blogland, apparently there's a secret which you've been keeping from me. There seems to be a game of "tag" going on all over the damn place, a game which requires a blogger to confess 6 non-important things/habits/quirks about oneself to the entire blogging world.

My tag came from the glorious and never-at-a-loss-for-words Super Bongo. Please read some of this monkey's writings/rantings/meanderings at http://thesuperbongo.blogspot.com.gif">. <BR><BR>Oh )

OK, here goes w/ my list of (as I wish to term them) "eccentricities."

1. One of my absolute worst pet peeves is when people who write professionally use "etc." more than once. The abbreviation "etc." already means "and so forth and so on," so it's redundant to use it more than once.

2. At work, I'm always the cleanest and most germophobic person on staff, almost to the point of having OCD (yes, some call me "Monk"). At home, I could care less if my bed is made or the dishes have been done or if the dog hair on the couch has accumulated to nearly a half an inch.

3. I'm quite verbose and will talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere, and about anything. On the other hand, however, I absolutely DESPISE talking on the phone.

4. The above two are simply a minute sampling of my many personality dualities. Actually, I have a TON of them. In fact, I'm pretty much a damn walking oxymoron. Then again, a good deal of the time I'm just a damn walking moron.

5. There's nothing like a good burger, but it HAS TO HAVE pickles on it. Not a lifeless pickle spear sitting there beside the burger, but sliced kosher dills somewhere between the bun and the meat. If I'm served a burger w/ a pickle spear, I'll sit and slice that damn thing into fifty little bitty slices and then put those tiny pieces on the burger myself. And I'll never go to that restaurant again.

6. I think everything should be shut down and everyone should be off work when it snows where I live in NC. In other words, it should be as it was when we were 12 and the school declared it a snow day and we all went sledding and built bonfires.

Writer's block sucks. I've had it for quite some time now, and I honestly don't know how to get out of it. I haven't worked on my book at all in the past 3 months due to writer's block, and it also has made me care nothing at all about entering any of my book excerpts onto this blog. Once again, I give you . I have words, lots of them. It's just that none of them are GOOD WORDS. My sense of comedic angst seems to be lost as of late. So what's the damn problem? And how do I get that back? Suggestions, you guys????