I decided that I needed to cut back on some of my personal activities of late. In between work, cleaning house and sleeping, there never seems to be enough time to get everything done, so guess what gets short shrift.
I have had a lot of things on my plate of late, The Young City, trying to get Rosemary and Time published, getting the Trenchcoat Farewell Project laid out, working on Transit Toronto. Add going to the gym regularly and attending Kathy Stinson's writing class, something's got to give.
For the past three years, I've been volunteering some time with the Halton County Railway Museum, driving streetcars. It's been a great time and very enjoyable and relaxing, but among all of the things that I like to do, others rate higher, for now. So, I decided that I'm going to have to take this year off, at least. I'll probably miss the museum, but it does mean more Saturdays spent with Erin, possibly going out to places and writing. In my heart, this decision just feels right, though Erin is not happy that I'm giving this part of my hobby up.
Throughout my life, I've had two interests working side by side: Doctor Who and railroads. Each side of my hobby life waxed as the other waned. I collected every piece of Doctor Who memorabelia that I could lay my hands on for a while, until the show started to go under. Then I tried my hand at model railroading until I realized that I wasn't much good. Then I spent seven years putting out sixteen Doctor Who fanzines.
I've slowly realized that my Doctor Who and railroad hobbies are aspects of the same thing: the desire to create. I spent years helping to put together the Transit Toronto website, and when my modelling abilities proved to be unworthy, I spent a lot of time trying to create computer simulations of public transit systems. It is the writing and the creating aspect, regardless of the subject matter, that is most important to me.
I still enjoy driving streetcars and attending charters, but I am not good with my hands. I'm better with my pen. And I seek to top myself. Right now, saying goodbye to a fan fiction universe and trying to strike out on my own is my most ambitious step yet, and it's what I've got to concentrate on.
Today, I helped my father buy and set up a combination television set/DVD player -- an excellent reconditioned Toshiba with a flat screen. When Erin and I go to my parents' for the Sunday Dinner between-the-birthdays celebration, I think we'll be bringing a couple of DVDs.
I also got a pair of pants tailored, spent a little time cleaning house, and sat with Erin and watched North by Northwest (quite possibly my favourite movie of all time).