The Rebirth of Slick

The long-forgotten hip hop act Digable Planets' most well-known hit is becoming the motto for this time of renewal in my life.

Over the past ten days, I've had a lot to deal with - getting my head around the passing of my grandfather, thinking a lot about the awkward interactions with my father at his funeral and plotting my course for the next little while, to name a few.

Writing has taken a backseat to getting my ducks in a row.

They're all straightened away now and it's time to rekindle the fire that brought both you and me here in the first place.

I used to wake up on Mondays not very interested in the week ahead.

Talib Kweli put my feelings on this particular Monday best in his contribution to the Soundtrack of My Life:

This morning, I woke up
Feeling brand new and I jumped up
Feeling my highs, and my lows
In my soul, and my goals
Just to stop smokin, and stop drinkin
And I've been thinkin - I've got my reasons
Just to get (by), just to get (by)
Just to get (by), just to get (by)

I took the last couple days off to just get home and get right; relax from a taxing ten days and plot a course for the summer that is rapidly approaching.

I set some goals for myself:

• Drop some weight - 20 pounds or so
  
• Get in shape
  
• Stop smoking - I know, I know... you've heard that before
  
• Write every day
  
• See if anyone is interested in publishing the ideas that rattle around in my head
  

We're going to Vancouver in September to spend some time with Sarah's Mum, brother and West Coast friends and that is the target date I am using as a measuring stick.

Imagine how nice it would be to roll out to VanCity all tucked up, off the darts and able to tell my future Mother-in-Law that instead of worrying that I am going to be a low income, starving artist, house husband as originally expected I am a full-fledged, well-received, soon-to-be-published author.

As cool as that news would be to deliver to Jane, I want to deliver that news to myself and Sarah more than anything.

This is the first step to that end.

This is The Rebirth of Slick...