It’s a guy with a dragon tattoo on his right shoulder, serpentine down onto a definitely airbrushed chest. He’s brandishing a similarly decorated kitana blade, looking all fierce and a little gay at the same time. Formidable indeed.

He’s a samurai.

That’s all I know of him. Nothing more and I really don’t care to know anymore.

* * *

It’s MLK day, a much welcome day off. All day offs are welcomed in my opinion.

I came out to my usual spot to do some writing after spending the last two working on my script. Finally done with my pages, sent late in the darkness of night, I’m now free to do this little free write.

I meant to write a little more, but I got distracted by catching up with the established screenwriter that I see in my usual from time to time.

It’s been a good few months since we’ve chatted and it was great to shooting the shit with him.

Now, I sit, working out my fingers, thinking of the day ahead and what I need to do.

I sit in patience not rushing my day, taking my time writing the words you see.

* * *

My mind wanders as I feel the fatigue behind my eyes and the tired sores that resides in my body. Why are they there? Why have I become as tired as of late?

It may have to do with the late nights I had the past couple of days, up late putting words on the page or just because I was bullshitting on something else, like my photography.

Work starts again tomorrow and I’ll be back to my normal routine soon enough. I’ll be rested and feeling normal in no time.

Oh Ki-yo, stop staring at me. You kind of creep me out with your steeling intensity burning through the negative reflection.

I’m not at my usual table that I have adopted for the past few months, but at my old old table that I would come and sit at when I first started to come here. I moved for a reason and it is very apparent why I had to move.

The fucking AC is blowing down hard on me again. Cold drafts of wind, falling from the ceiling, chilling me to the bone.

I have gotten a thin skin since I have moved down here. It’s been the past couple of years, but I don’t like it.

Not one bit.

* * *

Almost done.

I estimate about 10 to 15 pages left in this latest script of mine. I need to just write it out, get it down and turn it in. I need feedback on how to punch up the script. I need ideas.

These last 10 pages I submitted were horrible pages. Ideas are there but the writing is horrible and I’m sure some scenes are put in so I can pad the pages. I’m sure Scott can see that too, but I don’t care. Not right now. I need to get this done.

But I’m almost done. That’s something to celebrate.

* * *

Cooking challenges.

I have decided to do a new challenge similar to my 365 photography challenge and it involves cooking. I have decided to do 30 new recipes this year and so far I have done four. At the rate I am going, this shouldn’t be a problem at all. But we’ll see where I’m at later in the year. It sounds easy, but sometimes, I just don’t have the commitment to it.

We shall see.

We shall see.

* * *

It is approaching the end of my time here on this free day. Not as much writing as I wanted, but that’s okay. It was good catching up with Romeo & Aliyah.

I manage to get a few of my thoughts out and caught this void up with whatever is going on in my life currently.

Until next time, whenever that may be.

Cold. Chilly. Bone deep chills try to latch onto the warmth of my body, but it finds none.

I am officially back in reality, back at home, in sunny brisk Los Angeles. Back to life, back to reality. No longer on vacation, no longer on break, 2015 officially begins.

Here I am in my usually doing my usual thing. It’ll be my last one for a bit as I try to go back to my creative writing, try to finish my current script which is about 30 or so pages away from being finished. I hope I can just knock it out and forget about it for a while.

Here I am in my spot, this Vesuvius of Boba, Volcano, jotting down my thoughts and my contemplations, working out my fingers like I normally would do. Nothing much has changed, but it feels like everything has changed.

Life is going. Life is flying by as I just type away. Life is fleeting and that is something that I have been noticing in all of my years for writing.

* * *

Daisy stopped in her tracks as she stepped into the shop and saw me adjusting my table. It took a second or two for her to recognize me, but her smile said it all, surprised that I am back. It had been almost two weeks since we’ve seen each other.

She stood there, looking at me, finding words as she took all of me in. I’m back.

“How was your trip?” she asked.

“Cold. How were things here?”

“Cold, but I’m sure not as cold there” in her accented English.

“No, I’m sure it wasn’t.”

“Welcome back,” and she slipped behind the counter into the kitchen.

Quick and sincere, our pleasantries were exchanged and I unpacked the rest of my things from the messenger bag, placing each item on the table one at a time. Phone. Headphones. Laptop.

I sat down and stretched out my fingers, prepping it for the dexterity test it’ll go through with the writing that I planned.

Cubes of ice clanged in the plastic cup. It was my sign that my drink, which I haven’t ordered yet, was being made. Daisy worked with grace behind the counter, putting my usual simple drink together.

I met her at the register.

“How as your Christmas and New Year?”

She laughed. It was a cute laugh, and I couldn’t figure out what was so funny as she answered.

“It was good. I had a good Christmas and New Year. Thank you. $3.54”

Currency was exchanged with smiles along with wishes for a happy new year and with that, Daisy and I went our separate ways. That was the basis of our simple relationship. Nothing but pleasantries.

* * *

I don’t plan to do much today. This weekend will be a continuation of this little mini break that I had. It’ll be my first weekend home with the furkids. It’ll be our own little holiday and I’ll just be there with them. No chores, no work.

It’ll be a lazy weekend after the lazy holiday break that I just had.

Time alone. Time together. Just the three of us. That’s all I need right now and nothing more.

Back to routine. Back to what I’m familiar with, getting to unwind in with no people around before I have to go back to work on Monday and be on.

It’ll be time to go back roaming the hallways, stretching my legs to the soft hums of my mind, thinking about the pages that I need to write, working out the situation in my head and hopefully finding something to take a picture of to fulfill my daily picture quota.

One picture a day and a haiku to go along with it. What did I just get myself into?

It’ll definitely be a challenge. It’ll definitely be something different. So many things to share it with. Let’s see how long it’ll last.

* * *

2015. The Year of the Sheep.

It’ll be my year this year. It’ll be the year of the animal of my horoscope.

I generally don’t believe in things like these, just usually take it with a grain of salt not unlike the daily horoscopes for an Aries. Usually in Chinese Horoscopes, the general rule is when the year is the year of your animal, it’ll be a bad year for you. It just is.

But reading the predictions for this year, it seems like it’ll be a great year for everyone. It’ll definitely be a great year for me and for all Sheeps out there, which I find fascinating.

On all fronts, whether it is career, health, money, relationships, things are great.

Going into this year, I have already known that it’ll be a great year for me. I’ll be starting it with a lot of weight gone. I’ll be starting it as a different person, so right there, it’s already going to be a great year. I have also many travels planned or were thinking of doing already.

But, I’m glad to read that things will be going great. I’m looking forward to it.

I think I read somewhere that relationships would be a good thing for me, having a new found confidence to attract others, but then in the same horoscope it seems that even though relationships are good, keep them casual.

Very contradictory in a sense, but considering how I am in relationships, casual might be better for me.

* * *My hair is driving me a little bonkers right now.

As I begin to put my fingers through its usual exercise, that saying came to me.

Every ending is a new beginning. There are no truer words, except for the thing that is ending, but even then, being the end of something is a new beginning. So, I guess it is true no matter how you look at it.

That above thought was ridiculous, but I’m not going to erase it.

But, I’m just beginning my last full day here in Chicago, leaving bright and early tomorrow morning, and it is the first day of the year. Ending. Beginning.

As I’ve written multiple times before, I’m looking forward to what 2015 has to bring. So far, it is shaping up to be a great year with my many travels and projects. I surely will not be bored, but it’s not like I get bored easily either. There will always be something that entertains me or holds my interest.

* * *

And so I started two photography projects and my first picture for my 365 has been posted. I decided to add a little haiku along with my BW pictures too. Below is my first one.

Endings. Beginnings.
Soul starts year happy centered.
Blissful nirvana.

It’s fitting.

Very fitting.

* * *

I have spent a lot of my writing time doing something else, but mostly it is because I don’t think I have much to say anymore, as I’m just sitting here biding my time, taking up as much of the day as possible, as I try to figure out what to do with myself today.

I still have so many hours, but I think it’ll just be a quick and lazy day today where I don’t want to do much. I don’t think I’ll make the effort to go to the Girl & the Goat. Too lazy and I just want to keep it simple. Maybe Shaw’s for lunch and then Sierra Tavern for dinner? Both restaurants I have been to, but I don’t want to go far. I just want to be in and out and back to the hotel and do nothing.

* * *

I’m starting the New Year as a new person. I’m starting to start the New Year better than I was before. Every year, one should start as a new person. Growth.

* * *

As the day goes by, slowly warming up by half a degree, more and more people are out and about.

I sit here, not even focusing on the words or thoughts that I’m trying to put on the page but staring out the window, people watching, seeing people go about their day in the blistering cold, figuring out where they are going, what they are doing since I have no plans whatsoever.

My day is free. My hours are free.

Time is free.

* * *

Whelp, I think it is time for me to go. This isn’t going anywhere.

Happy New Year.