Airport internet

Sorry for the mini vacation. For me, it’s been a working vacation, but happily so. As I sit in Boston Logan airport, waiting to catch my flight home I have a few minutes, or hours, to take stock of all the things and people I’m grateful for. And, there are so many.

For one, I love the way Wi-Fi is now everywhere (or almost everywhere.) Hillary Clinton was the first candidate to talk about the importance of establishing high-speed Internet access in even the most rural areas of the country. Like the postal  or phone systems in their early days, high-speed Internet is a necessary means of communication and no part of the country should be out of the loop. When Hillary came out talking about Internet accessibility all across America, that’s when she became my candidate. She is forward thinking and coming out with positive proposals for good. Internet, autism, cancer, AIDS, health insurance, these are the programs Clinton is talking about — not fences, and constitutional amendments to outlaw gay and lesbian weddings. Really? Can’t the republicans find something of importance to talk about?

I’m on my way home. It has been a good trip where I met many young writers eager to tell their stories. With more young people writing, and another Clinton presidency, the pendulum is beginning to swing back towards all that I value — compassion, friendship, family and connection.

Thanksgiving and reunions

Sorry for the delay in posting. I’ve been traveling. With Thanksgiving approaching and my thirty-year high school reunion around the corner, I took off for Cape Cod, well, Kathy and I did. She’s helping me gauge my stamina during long multi-state trips. I need to know how much I can do, how many states I can cover, during any given “book launch” week.

It’s been great fun. I’ve reconnected with old friends, and made some new, old friends. It’s been great. My health has been stable, not great, but, at least I haven’t had to go to the hospital.

I hope your day of family, friends, and food was wonderful, and the leftovers fantastic!

Thanks Kathy

Hmm, for a novice blogger Kathy did a great job. I’m a little envious. Since I only got out of the hospital a few hours ago, they kept me overnight, I need to keep this short.

My only intent in signing on was or is to wish all the wonderful writers, politicians, the electorate and the hopeful a happy Thanksgiving. It’s the very best of holidays, one in which we celebrate knowing each other and this precious experience we call life. Have a good day.

Kathy’s contribution to Ann’s blog

What a privilege this is, to add to Ann’s blog! We’re sitting in a quiet alcove behind a curtain at the Emergency Room, where the doctors are checking to make sure Ann’s ok–she hasn’t been feeling 100% the past few days. What to do to pass the time? We’ve been chatting about the democratic presidential candidates, wondering why Barak Obama said that living overseas as a ten-year-old child gave him foreign policy experience. Well, I had a lemonade stand when I was a kid, and sold Campfire Girl cookies. I think I’m ready to be a CEO of a major corporation now.

There are so many electronic beeping sounds in an ER. The grinding melody of an automatic door opener was our first tune. Now, there are two monitors in adjacent alcoves with a call and response song going (I’m here! I heard you and I’m here too! I’m still here! Yes! Yes!). It is birdsong, and we can hear a whole ecological system at work around us.

Headache

What is a headache? I know it isn’t always one thing, or the same thing.  We say, “Stop it. You’re giving me a headache.” But, is that true. Do we get headaches from annoyances, from loud music, from bright lights? If so, why? Or how?

Obviously, I ask these questions because I’ve got a splitting headache and I’m surprised how normal it seems. How average. On the flip side, my heart has been hurting, and rapidly beating in my chest like it’s a sheet caught in a gale wind, and I don’t like it one bit. It terrifies me.

My heart hurts and I’m scared, my head hurts and I’m annoyed. I’m not arguing for more terror…I just think it’s interesting how accepting we are of pain in our brains.

Before I Die

One thing about Jenny Downham’s young adult novel “Before I Die,” it made me think about the things which are on my list of “must dos.”

See “Running for My Life” through to print and into readers hands is one. Publishing, “The Pink Triangle,” my second book is another. For that matter, I’m now working on “Head to Wind,” my third book, and I’d like for it to find its way into readers hands as well. Whether good or not, I’ve already accomplished most of Tessa’s objectives of driving, drugs and breaking the law. So most of my dreams remain with my books and my hopes that they will support young people facing great challenges.

On the days when I feel lousy, my books are the only thing I have to encourage me. Thank goodness for books.

Hillary is back

Okay, this is what Hillary’s spinmeisters said, but I like it. And, I’m relieved that she put in a strong performance. I know there are a great many Obama and Edward supporters and I understand how frustrating this whole process can be, or, is. Maybe I’ve already said this before, in fact I think I have, but, it’s disingenuous of Obama and Edward’s to criticize Hillary for not being honest, being politic, for saying what people want to hear.

C’mon people — that’s what representative government is all about. If we, the people, want to go to war one minute and end the war the next, then our representatives, as our mouthpieces should vote for and against just as we would. That’s why we elect congressman every two years, so if they aren’t doing exactly what we want in this moment we can vote them out in the next. And, Obama and Edwards are no more honest, and no less politic than Hillary. They are dancing around the topics with the best. Bottom line, these good folk all want to be president of these united states. President. No one has a chance if they aren’t politic. Look at Kucinich; he’s been the most liberal and consistent and honest politicians running for president in the past two election cycles (or is it three?) and yet he doesn’t have a chance.

We need to win this thing and my money is on Hillary because she’s politic, ambitious and smart about the game. She’s going to do good things for this country, as opposed to Guilliani or Romney either of which might actually make the conditions around the globe and in Iraq worse than they are today. If that isn’t a sobering thought, you’ve had way too much to drink.

Rain and debates

I’m not sure what this post is about, except it is raining and the democratic candidates for president debate tonight. A coincidence? I love both. Yes, I like watching presidential debates. No, I don’t think they let us know how effective the candidates will be as president, yes I think they are a lot of show and tell, and still, I like watching them.

I’m of the mind that it is thoroughly disingenuous for Edwards or Obama or any other candidates to be attacking Clinton for being too political. Good grief. It isn’t possible for anyone to run for president of these united states without being a conniving, fearless, political machine. I mean seriously, look at what we expect of candidates. You can dismiss me as a cynic, although I’m not really very cynical at all. I’m just telling the truth, telling it like it is, I’m just standing for what’s right — I’m just pointing out that none of these emperors are wearing any clothes. Not even your guy.

What does this have to do with the rain? Nothing, except I like them both.

I wish my cats would stop helping me

I’ve written about this before, but as my two cats groom themselves on my keyboard, and lick my mouse as though it were, in fact, a mouse, I need to beg them to be a little more standoffish. The way cats are supposed to be. I think my cats, well one of them, loves to write. He repeats the same letter in long run on and on and on sentences. He’s an experimentalist for sure. His style is somewhere between slip stream and nap time. After knocking my mouse on the floor twice, chewing and biting it, and cleaning the number keys on my keyboard he is now sleeping over the top right corner of my keyboard and cradling my mouse.

Anyone who thinks she is effectively keeping her nanowrimo time managed and no one else in the house is impacted by her behavior is wrong. Even at with my low word count, and minimal writing time, both my cats are letting me know they want more “us” time. Now.

Fair is fair. I’d rather fail to write 50,000 words during the month of November, than fail my cats, or my partner, or my friends.

I have to stop now, Bodhi is pulling my hand to his head. It’s cat time.

Alex gets out from under the table

I know why my nanowrimo novel was bogged down. I’d written my teenage boy under the table — no, not in the drunken way — and I couldn’t get him out. When one finds oneself in a kneeling position, rocking back and forth, and wheeping and whooping like a police siren on hold, well, how do you get yourself up from that situation?

If you’re a nano novel character you’ve got to get up. You just have to. Finally, Mom, not the character’s real Mom since she just died, but new Mom, winds up under the table with him, instructing her husband to bring a glass of milk and a blanket.

That’s all Alex needed. Finally, I can move on from this one spot, and write more than 10,000 words.