trademark of an authentic writer

So, in true stereotypical cliche style, I am staying up late and writing on my laptop, eating my amazing deceptively delicious pb&j muffins and milk past an hour that any food should be consumed, kept company only by my trusty (and by trusty i mean whiny-high-maintenence) feline companion (who, by the way, is curled up very close to me, all snuggly.... until i just glanced over to see her licking her butt. Dear God, why can't i have a normal cat??). And how's THAT for the longest sentence ever?

I'm writing a spot for some sidework. I should've had it done today, but the past couple weeks at work have been maddeningly busy. The lady I write for said giving the copy to her tomorrow morning is fine, but "make it good!" So, um, no pressure. And the topic is something i know very little about (foreclosure investing). I think i have an idea on how to make it work, but i'm feeling quite insecure in my copywriting skills at the moment. Then again, maybe it's the current time of 12:41am talking.

So why am I even wasting precious time on a blog entry? I guess i'm hoping that stream-of-consciousness writing will get the amazing creative juices flowing. So my brain is half on this and half on the spot-in-progress.

Very cool thing about today: We have a couple seminary students from Africa who attend our church. One of them just brought his wife and young daughter over from Kenya (I'm assuming due to the fact that it's safer here and who wants to be separated from their family by such a great distance?). I met them today... the little girl is a beautiful three-year-old who doesn't really know English. Her mother, however, is fluent and shared things about Africa with the kids tonight. She talked about how bad things are and i think a lot of it was over their heads, but i'm sure whatever they picked up is good for them to be aware of. She said she'd teach us an African song and dance, too. Really, she's quite nice and i'm looking forward to getting to know her. She said she'd teach me a few simple phrases so I can communicate with her daughter. But the reality of what's going on in Africa is so much more... sharp? Intense? REAL? It's hard to explain, but when you look in the eyes of two people as they tell you they were held at gunpoint while being robbed of their possessions- and praising God that it wasn't as horrific as it could be..... and when one of those people hasn't even been on earth for a full four years yet..... Holy cow, we live like kings here in America.

Now my mind really isn't on foreclosure investing. Hehe, it's on how whiny we are that the economy is so bad and life is so hard right now. I mean, there are legitimate concerns... but at the same time, we, as a nation, could live a lot simpler and still be so wealthy in comparison to the rest of the world. I'm not trying to induce guilt.... but just think for a second.... how can you simplify your life and somehow do something to help someone else? Drive less and donate the money you save to an organization? Clean out your closet and only keep the clothes you actually wear- and give the rest to Salvation Army or a homeless shelter? Skip going to the movies for a month, and use that money to buy peanut butter, jelly, and bread- the take sandwiches to the homeless in your city? Small, doable things that would add up immensely if everyone actually did them.....

Ok, soapbox aside. I've got to write this spot and sleep- or i won't be able to keep up with tomorrow.