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Dialogue with my muse |
| I have been carrying on a dialogue for almost a year. During this time we have discussed the progress of my writing, editing, and publishing efforts. Join in to listen to our conversation about my daily writing life and add your comments if you think of anything Calliope and I miss. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Good. Before you ask, I didn't do anything literary yesterday other than to post my column. CALLIOPE: You're forgiven considering the requirements of moving. JOE: Thanks. I did spend some time working on my website. CALLIOPE: What prompted that? JOE: I have been reading about what makes for an effective sales site. I began to realize that although the site looked nice, it was too busy and difficult to navigate. CALLIOPE: So how are the changes coming? JOE: Quite well. I hope to finish and post the changes today. CALLIOPE: Are you doing just Commonsense Wisdom? JOE: No, I plan to revise Sliding Otter too but not today. CALLIOPE: I'm surprised you had a chance to work on it. JOE: I can't let my mind run entirely fallow while I am moving. CALLIOPE: That's good thinking. When will I hear from you again? JOE: I will be working in Leroy over the weekend. I'll try to contact you on Tuesday. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was yesterday? JOE: Good progress. In addition to packing, I sold my washing machine. I'm getting there. CALLIOPE: Did you make it to the concert? JOE: Yes. We met friends there for Ruby Shooz, the last concert of the summer season at Charlotte Beach. They were the best I had seen all summer and played oldies which we all enjoyed. CALLIOPE: Glad to hear it. Did you get your column finished? JOE: Yes, and I had Carol read it last night. I kept putting it off until the last minute wanting to do just one more thing before I left. I finally finished it just in time to walk out the door. CALLIOPE: You sound a bit rushed. JOE: It's my own doing. I'm trying to do everything at once and would like to get back to a normal schedule, whatever that will be. CALLIOPE: Any work on your writing? JOE: I'm starting to feel the itch to write again which is good. I worked on my web site yesterday but could upload changes which can be read on Internet Explorer but not other browsers. Very Odd. CALLIOPE: There's always something. JOE: There is. I am exploring other web site development tools. I found a free one which I will consider further. CALLIOPE: Good luck. JOE: Thanks. I'll need it. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Fine. Before you ask, no, I didn't get my column done yesterday. CALLIOPE: Let me guess. Too wrapped up in your packing and cleaning? JOE: Exactly. CALLIOPE: What have you learned from your packing? JOE: A little about what's important to me. CALLIOPE: Such as? JOE: How much I can do without. The more I take out the door to the trash or give away, the freer I feel. CALLIOPE: Do you mean less encumbered? JOE: I do. It makes me realize how much our trappings tie us down. CALLIOPE: A good realization. What's on your agenda for today? JOE: I plan to get my column written and then get back to packing. Tonight I will go to Rochester for my final outdoor concert of the season with Ruby Shoes. CALLIOPE: Which is the band I presume? JOE: Just so. I'm looking forward to it but not to the close of the summer. I need to think of it as a cycle rather than the end of anything. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Well, thank you. I spent most of yesterday packing again. It is finally starting to look like I will be out of here eventually. CALLIOPE: Did you learn anything about yourself while packing? JOE: Yes, how little I actually need to survive. I once thought I needed to hang on to every book and scrap of paper I had. CALLIOPE: And now you don't? JOE: No. Things have changed over the years. Many books are available directly on the Internet. Many others are available through inter-library loan. I don't need everything immediately available as long as I can find it somewhere. CALLIOPE: What about papers? JOE: They aren't critical either. Things I wrote in the past are in the past. I am making an effort to live more in the moment. The past can clutter my life. CALLIOPE: Do you think there might be times when you wish you had kept your past writings? JOE: It's only happened once so far. I wish I had kept my position papers from my last years in the monastery. They would have been helpful in writing my memoir. But alas I didn't and the memoir turned out okay without them. I had to rely on my memory of those days. The book was probably different than it might have been on that account, but I don't think it suffered significantly. CALLIOPE: Then maybe you are doing the right thing. What's up for today? JOE: I have a column to write for Saturday which I think I will write about moving. I plan to at least start it today. CALLIOPE: Will we talk tomorrow? JOE: Probably not. I will be working in Leroy and away from the computer and staying in Rochester tomorrow night. I will contact you again on Thursday. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Gook morning Joe. How's the move coming? JOE: I did some packing Saturday but was busy socializing and attending church yesterday. CALLIOPE: What did you get from church? JOE: A chance to reflect on my life, how it has progressed so far and where it is headed. CALLIOPE: Are you satisfied with your progress? JOE: I learned some time ago that we only have limited control over our life paths. I have no major complaints but wish I had done some things differently in hindsight. CALLIOPE: Would that have made a difference in your life? JOE: Maybe, but then I would have missed some of the experiences I have treasured. CALLIOPE: I think of what Frost wrote about the two paths in the wood. JOE: I have been thinking of that quite a bit lately as well. CALLIOPE: You only have one life to live. JOE: I agree. All we have are the experiences and choices which face us from moment to moment. We never get a chance to go back and relive our lives. CALLIOPE: Quite true. JOE: I am busy trying to make the best of today's opportunities. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today JOE: Starting to get used to my new digs. I sat on the deck this morning writing in my journal to the tune of cardinal songs. Very relaxing. CALLIOPE: So you now think of Leroy as your home? JOE: I do. My apartment is becoming more sparse by the day. Pretty soon it will be empty. CALLIOPE: How do you feel about all this? JOE: I'm not sure the whole thing has sunk in yet. I feel like I am between my old and new worlds, suspended on the verge of a new existence. CALLIOPE: What will you miss? JOE: Lots of space which has been my own for the past twelve years. I have developed a routine here which no doubt will be different in Leroy if just not having to drive here to write every day. I will just go downstairs or out in the back yard. CALLIOPE: What are you looking forward to? JOE: A less busy place to walk and ride my bicycle, not having to commute, fewer expenses and probably a lot more I haven't even considered. CALLIOPE: It sounds like a positive move all told. JOE: It is. I am especially looking forward to being part of a more complete couple with Carol. CALLIOPE: Do you think it will change your relationship? JOE: Not if we keep talking about things which arise. So far we are doing very well in that department. It will be a change for both of us but I think we are both ready and prepared for it. Talk with you Monday. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning? JOE: Busy as usual. Moving is in full swing, or at least preparation for it. CALLIOPE: What did you work on yesterday? JOE: Notifying everyone who needs to know about my move. CALLIOPE: How did that go? JOE: Many places seem to have gone to automated interaction. I find it most frustrating to deal with automatons and would prefer actual people. CALLIOPE: Technology isn't quite up to snuff in this area? JOE: Not as far as I'm concerned. The most frustrating was Social Security which wanted to know my favorite vacation spot which it insisted I have them before. After trying the Caribbean and Hawaii, I had only one more chance before I was in danger of not being able to communicate with them at all. CALLIOPE: How did you handle it? JOE: Logged off and finally found a live person to take action. After some frustration, I found a few people who handled my request very quickly and efficiently. CALLIOPE: So there was a happy ending? JOE: I'm not quite done yet and have a few people on my list for today. CALLIOPE: The rest of the day is for packing? JOE: It is. I'll talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Fine, but busy. CALLIOPE: Still sorting and packing? JOE: Yes, although I'm beginning to see a dent in the pile. CALLIOPE: Any literary progress? JOE: A little. I started on ideas for the video Are You Afraid of This Book. CALLIOPE: Tell me the premise again. JOE: I have a suspicion that many people don't read The Pastor's Inferno because it scares them off. CALLIOPE: Have you thought that it could just be your writing? JOE: That occurred to me, but I think it's more than that. CALLIOPE: Such as? JOE: The topic of sexual abuse, the darkness of the subject, more information than they want about the human condition. CALLIOPE: What do you think people look for in fiction? JOE: Escape, entertainment, reaffirmation of their views on society, a good story. CALLIOPE: So you think you challenge people's thinking too much. JOE: Maybe so. Let's talk a little more about it tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Doing well. CALLIOPE: What's going on? JOE: I am taking a friend for a colonoscopy today. My job is medical driver. CALLIOPE: Generous of you. JOE: Just returning a favor. CALLIOPE: What happened yesterday? JOE: More packing. I had lunch with my daughter Becky,helped her with her computer and found some things in my out pile she could use. The pile is starting to diminish, but I still feel like I'm living in a mess. CALLIOPE: Any writing progress? JOE: I thought some about the video we discussed yesterday but didn't get to any actual recording. CALLIOPE: Why do you think that is? JOE: My theory is that my mind patterns itself on my environment. Once I get my trappings back in order, I will have a more ordered mind. CALLIOPE: An interesting thought. So what's your plan? JOE: To get my situation back to normal or at least as close as possible as soon as I can. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Aren't you running a little late? JOE: No. I've just been busy. I moved my chair to Carol's house yesterday and decided to write my journal entry in the back yard before coming to Batavia. CALLIOPE: What was it like? JOE: I had the pleasure of listening to cardinals in the background while I was writing rather than the roar and fumes of great trucks and speeding cars. Very relaxing. CALLIOPE: Maybe the move will enhance your concentration and creativity. JOE: My thoughts exactly. I am looking forward to getting settled there. CALLIOPE: And in the meantime? JOE: I am quite busy with packing and letting everyone know of my move. CALLIOPE: That must make it hard to concentrate on your writing. JOE: It does. My mind has been on the move and not on anything literary. CALLIOPE: What's up for today? JOE: More moving related activities. I would also like to write out an outline for Are You Afraid of This Book. I know I keep promising to get to it. No excuses. I just haven't yet. Talk with you tomorrow. |
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Hope they like snow! 
I just tell them to go get a life...
It's a sunshiny 24 here at the moment; 19 in Buffalo.