bring the ruckus

i was about to turn on some gwen stefani while i googled the words, sex and religion. but the workers outside my window, who have been waking me up at eight every morning with their mexican radio, are now playing wu-tang. since i am a fan and i haven't heard this particular track in awhile i am holding off on the gwen stefani.

i need to google the words sex and religion because i need to write an article dealing with just those items, sex and religion. i have had some ideas: virgins (they are fascinating and really hot right now), abstinence clubs, and transgender churches to name a few but i don't have any "leads" yet. this is for the journalism class i am taking. they actually use words like "beat" and "leads" and "op-ed". i am entering a whole new world. the world of hard news. i was thinking the transition would be fairly easy for me, but i am a little worried now. i have to have a 150 word by-line in by monday, and a 1000 word article in in two weeks. hard news is all about deadlines. fiction writing has been hard for me lately, hopefully a jounalistic style will come easier. i have started four stories in the last month and half or so and have yet to get past the second paragraph on any of them. i start my independent study with el benderino and i am a little worried that i will be unimpressive. which is the exact opposite of what i want to be. i have been thinking lately about the whole "show don't tell" idea and i can't show anymore. i feel like i am always telling. i think this is because i don't know my characters well enough, but its like they are these people i am being forced to get to know. i feel like that person who says, "i have enough friends", "i don't want to know anyone else." i am not putting forth the effort to create any characters with any depth that is worth writing about for more than two paragraphs.

i need to read a lot but i also need to get out the apartment. i have to keep the blinds closed because those fore mentioned workers are literally at my window, which is open because los angeles in late august is the seventh circle of hell, so my apartment is dark, and noisy and even if i wanted to read i would probably have to put in earplugs. i don't like wearing earplugs if i'm not sleeping. i don't like being able to hear my own heart beating. now the workers are playing slow jams. i wish krista would get here so we could go get grilled cheese sandwiches.