The bad news is today is the first day I have not met my goal of 20min of exercise a day for 30 days.  I had 7 days under my belt, but due to the rain, an event after work, and now the gym being closed there goes my streak.  So I did the only thing a WGWaFA can, I threw my arms up in the air and shouted ‘I FAILED’ to celebrate. And then made a plan for tomorrow.  Which is still ultimately better than my usual recourse of various dairy gluttony.

The good news is the event I attended was seeing David Levien speak.  Mr. Levien cowrote the screenplays for Ocean’s Thirteen, Runaway Jury, Rounders and others.  This was very exciting for me because when I went to LA for the first time the one place I wanted to see was Grauman’s Chinese Theater.  Working all through college as a tour guide and cowgirl at The Great Movie Ride at Disney World, I spent years in the fake Grauman’s at MGM and I wanted to see the real deal.  What a stunning theater, it was like being inside an antique Christmas ornament.  The movie I saw was Ocean’s 13.  I saved my ticket stub and have a very fairy tale classic Hollywood association with the film so it was a wonderful kick to meet one of the writers. 

David Levien had a lot of profoundierrific things to say, but one thing really jumped out to me.  Lately I’ve talked a lot about goals of all different kinds, and I think this speaks to anyone on a path not just writers.  He said,

I’m not really a nautical person, but it’s like if you are steering your boat two degrees off course you probably won’t notice the difference over the next few minutes.  But think of how far off you will be in four years.  Your life will have drifted away.

Okay, so I don’t think that I got that exactly right but I ultimately appreciate any words of wisdom that start off, “I’m not really a nautical person.”   I bought a copy of David Levien’s new novel CITY OF THE SUN  a suspense mystery, not a genre I read a lot but the dude intrigued me so I figured I’d give it a go.  He was signing the novels and someday when I have more time I will tell you about my humiliating Patrick Swayze DVD signing experience that turned me off to getting things signed at this kind of event.  hell, I haven’t even been able to watch Dirty Dancing again.   And yes, I heard he was sick.  My best wishes for Patrick Swayze’s good health, but humiliation is humiliation and it doesn’t shake easily.

But like I said, the dude intrigued me so I bought the book. When he was signing I almost told him why I love Ocean’s 13 so, but thought I’d come off like a douche.  So instead I asked, “Can you gimme me a hint?”  And he was like, “What?” I wanted a hint for the mystery, since it is a Detective story.  I totally threw him and internally I panicked thinking this was Swayze all over again.  But he simply had me stand to the side while he sussed out the perfect hint he could give me that would fulfill my request but at the same time totally not blow the story.   Now there’s an invested writer.  That in itself makes me excited to read.

That and my cool hint which he left by his signature.  If you end up reading City of the Sun, donate to BARE ASS 2008! and send me an E-card to wgwafa@gmail.com and I’ll share my hint with you!