18,982 words – give or take. For a year I’ve tried this small artistic and mindful practice of writing fifty-two words every day. The math says I should have written 18,980 words, but I know I had at least one day where I snuck in two extra words (I was making references to a deck…
Category: Life
Fighting the Urge to Get on with It
There’s a blues festival in Arkansas at the beginning of October. I’m thinking of going. I printed out a Sept/Oct calendar and started to pencil in which cites I might visit and when. As I kept adding cities, and as I kept pushing back my departure date, my arrival date has gotten pushed further and…
Patience and Elbow Grease
Every bolt on the toilet was rusted. The shut-off valve wouldn’t close. The bolts to the flange on the floor were stuck. So were the bolts in the tank along with the metal arm with the floating ball. The toilet has always wobbled and probably should have been replaced ten or fifteen years ago. Replacing…
It’s Starting to Feel Real
Ever since surrendering the dog, I’ve been avoiding going for walks around the neighborhood. I’ve been tempted to go many times. I’d come home from work and going for a walk would feel like the natural progression of things. Finally, this past week I took walks after dinner a few different times. It felt awkward….
Hurry Up and Wait
At 10am, it’s sunny and 72 degrees with a slight breeze. I’m sitting on the back deck taking in one of my few remaining weekends here. If the weather cooperates, I might smoke a pork shoulder tomorrow – a final toast to summer and suburban living in a college town. I’ll make enough food that…
Thursday Morning Towards the End of August
The nervous energy on a Thursday morning when a storage container is being delivered to the driveway (between 9 and 12) is palpable. I’m all over the place. I sat down at the computer at 5ish. Like most mornings, I wanted to write something. I wanted to try a new-to-me writing technique where I would…
Let the Talkers Talk
On Sunday, I went to an outdoor show with a friend and two of his friends. We drove winding back roads past farms and farming communities. On the way back to town, the sun dipped behind the mountains and cast a soft and beautiful peach and yellow glow. On a weekend overrun with traffic from…
Obsessed with Authenticity
A list of things I’ve tried to write about: birthday gratitude, being unconventional, a recent job interview, the new/old brand of toxic masculinity, what I value in life (related to the job interview and also the birthday), an observation from an exchange with a guy who was trying to sell me a new roof. Birthday…
Winging It
On Thursday night I was giving away a few books to some friends. One friend had asked for the book on Cat’s Cradle I had edited. Because he seemed more interested in it as a work that I had created/compiled than as a collection of criticism, I gave him copies of the literary journal I…
More Thoughts About Stuff
I spent the weekend trying to get rid of stuff. I initially thought about selling stuff for beer money, but don’t want to deal with the hassle and should probably drink less beer. I made a trip to the pet shelter and Goodwill, and several trips to the “curb” where I put the garbage. In…
When the Future Was Bright Red, Curvy-Smooth, and Looked Fast
I bought the guitar when I was in high school (or just after). Bright red and electric, it was curvy, smooth, and shiny. It looked fast. My friend was a guitarist – self-taught and quite good. He made playing the guitar look easy. He had a natural gift and pursued it with dogged determination. I…
Two Weeks Gone
It’s been two weeks since I surrendered my dog. I’ve checked the shelter’s website – no takers yet. They renamed him Dumbo which I think is an unfortunate choice. In his bio they say he’s best in a household with teens or older. Naming him after a Disney character seems to send mixed signals about…