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March 6, 2005

On Not Going Places

From Stephanie, March's Guest Literary Chick!

Everyone in my family always wants to go places. My 16 year old daughter just took a trip to Costa Rica with some friends over her school break. My 12 year old son got me and my husband to take him down to Universal Studios Florida. Don’t get me wrong. I was glad to get some sun. I’m originally from California, and New York winters are not for me. But sun is pretty much the only thing that makes me want to travel anymore. Other than craving sunshine, I generally do not have any impulse to leave the city. I’ve turned into an extreme homebody.

My husband has been bugging me to go to Ottawa for some winter festival up there so he can ice skate on a canal in -10 degree weather. In a word? No. He wants to plan all sorts of trips for the summer. Vermont. Paris. He says next year, we're all going to Costa Rica. I'm thinking that's a really long way to go to get some sun.

Left totally to my own devices, seems like I would never go anywhere. As far as I’m concerned, everything I want or need is within walking distance to my apartment. My doctor, my dentist, the grocery store. We can walk to the movies, walk to restaurants. I have my choice of no less than four coffee places where I can take my laptop. There is no reason to leave the neighborhood. I have my routines. I’m happy to be doing my routines. I don’t want to do anything that messes up my routines.

Part of this is because of my writing. I’m most productive in the mornings, and I need my solitary mornings, or nothing would get done. And since I'm "going places in my head" I don't need to actually go places. Except... all my novels have taken place in New York. Since I'm not from here, I do perpetually feel a bit like a tourist, even though I've been hear for many years.

But part of this is simply that I am for some reason not adventurous, not open to new experiences, and not curious enough about the world. And if I did go to more places more of the time, how would it affect my novels?

Part of this is also because I’ve become addicted to the internet. Between listserves, blogs, checking my amazon ratings, and any number of email correspondences, I have all the “social” life I need.

And when I’m tired of looking into my computer screen? You guessed it! (If you read my last entry.) Reality TV. And how better to see the world than on THE AMAZING RACE? They started a new one last week. Rob and Amber from SURVIVOR are on it! Now we get to see how they’re still relating as a couple, and if there’s anything real going on there. Who needs actual friends to gossip about? Who needs to actually get on the plane? Who needs the jetlag, and the language barriers, and the odd smelling cooking oils.

CBS announced on the show that they’re looking for families for the next Amazing Race. Everyone in my family wants to apply to be on it. But the thing that surprised me was that the idea appealed to me. Even though you see these people exhausting themselves and squabbling and parachuting out of planes… Even I have to admit, that would be an adventure worth getting out of the neighborhood for.

But the deadline is a few days away (I checked the website) and you have to put together a three minute video of your family showing how you all have zip and personality worthy of network TV. I know, a zillion people apply and we won't get chosen. But you never know… and if I really hustled, we could get it together. I’d have to get my son a passport. And figure out what we would say. And recharge the video camera. Do I even know where it is? Oh, man, forget it. It’ll totally ruin my routines -- before we even get chosen. I think I’ll go take a walk. Anyone need anything at the grocery store?

Posted by at 8:30 PM | Comments (1)

Comments

Posted by: Michelle C at March 8, 2005 4:18 AM