Drawing a Blank
by Steve Lazarowitz

"To draw a blank, take a piece of paper, place it in front of you and make sure you use a pen that's run out of ink."

One of the problems with writing is that ideas seldom make scheduled appearances. Each month, I have to write three separate original columns. As such, I need three separate original ideas. And the question I get asked most often (besides "Do you want fries with that?") is where do I get my ideas.

I used to get them at a store down the block from where I worked. They were very reasonable. Three for a dollar. Of course, when you buy cheap ideas, sometimes one of them is stale, or worse yet, completely indigestible. So I moved to growing my own. It requires more work and more time, but at least I end up with an idea I can sync my teeth into.

On a more serious note, ideas are all around us. Everywhere I look, I find them. The idea for what you're reading now came from a chance comment by Liz Burton, who said to me, "If it's time to write an issue and you draw a blank, let me know and I'll throw some ideas your way."

And I thought, "Draw a blank?...moi?...How silly! And what a great idea for an article!" It isn't the first time a random comment has inspired an entire column.

Ideas are everywhere. I get them from conversations overheard in restaurants, from looking at the tee-shirts of passersby, from watching nature documentaries on television, from talking to children, from talking to carrots, from watching clouds, from listening to clouds, from walking in the rain, naked, while juggling hard boiled eggs -- yes, the world is chock full of unique, imaginative, thought-provoking (or even thought-antagonizing) concepts.

And so, as brief glimpse into my mind (and face it, most of you aren't ready for anything more than that), here are some possible titles for future columns.

- Centipede Shoe Salesmen

- Ten Ways to Kill Time and Make It Look Like an Accident

- Origami Salads

- Tour Hell on Ten Dollars a Day (Don't get burned by similar offers)

- Braille Sundials

- Two of the Three Things I Can Never Remember

- Fish Olympics

and finally...

- Steve Lazarowitz: Live from the Asylum

Don't be surprised if you see one or all of these columns at some point. Be concerned if you can relate to them.

One final piece of advice before I sail modestly off into the sunset....while ideas are everywhere, knowing how to use them makes all the difference.

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