Much To Do

Great couple of weekends with Mike. Not that it takes your mind away from the countdown to his tour in Iraq. This last weekend, though, I brought Lynne along, and she finally got to meet him. And take his ass to town when playing Canasta. More importantly, I finally got him the last pieces of technology that will enable him to speak with and see his wife, Karen and son, Jonathan, while he's overseas.

That helped get a lot out of my system. This Friday, I'll be going to the ceremony in Rhode Island, to be held in the morning. If I'm up to it, I'll write something about the event that night or the day after.

It's quite an emotional roller coaster I've been putting myself through, waiting for him to leave for up to two years, probably before most people in his family were. I started dreading it as much as two years ago, when everyone else doubted it, especially my Dad. When talking to him about it on my cell phone recently, he still tried to put doubt in his own head, asked me if it wasn't Afghanistan he was going to. Me being dumb enough to mix the two was more believeable, apparently. I mean, Nextel connections have never been that bad, Dad.

It seems to have sparked my desire to write. It looks like I'll have something in Whats Up by the beginning of next year, latest. I'll feel better for a while at least. I'll feel better if I can write something for him directly.

The Whats Up-geared pieces may make it here in draft form, or may not. For definite online stuff, for now keep your eye on High Horse. It's coming soon, and I'm in pretty good company. Plus, editor Mike Bucell has finally paid his dues to the small press mafia by finally including Hugh Fox and A.D. Winans. Every small press rag has to include them in at least one issue per year in order to please the dons. Preferably both at the same time. The fact that Fox was in the first issue and not Winans may have cost Bucell a finger or an ear.

More later.