Nearing the end of the second week of classes. Of course, it isn't a full week for me because of the King holiday and I had jury duty on Tuesday. That was interesting...sort of. It took half a day to decide to choose someone else. Oh well, that's the system. I wish I had had more time to actually watch the trial. Stuff like that is interesting to me. And I often find good examples to use in class.

Arts Expo meeting today. Things seem to be moving along. Looking forward to the events, though it will be hectic. Look forward to meeting Walt McDonald in particular. Have been reading one of his book, available online. Hope that come payday I can buy a couple of his most recent.

Trying to get back into a more regular mode of submitting work for publication. Realized today that I have missed the deadlines for most of the book and chapbook contests I wanted to enter. Must be more diligent.

Last weekend, I did manage to finish revising "Except The Weather," the story the pretty much ruined my summer writing. I had revised and edited it before, but the disc that had the most recent version had been damaged. Now, I have to see if I can find a magazine for a story that is some 8,300 words long. Also did some editing on four other short stories. This feels pretty good. I figure that if I have five to ten decent stories that I can keep busy submitting, then I am in good shape. I'd like to get at least that many essays as well.

My thought is that I should have these twenty pieces and a few dozen poems that I can regularly submit. That way I will feel less pressure on that end, I presume, and perhaps spend more of my writing time on a novel. I hope that works. Everytime I think I've carved out time for writing, I get distracted (and sometimes distract myself).

Anyway, I feel pretty good that I have got these going. Now comes the work of finding places for them.

That's all for now.

Have a set of papers to do and syllabi to write. Yee hah!

Thinking of Raymond Carver and listening to ProjecKt Two...a little Space Groove. The two are not necessarily connected. Thinking about how he said somewhere that he wrote short stories because domestic life did not allow him the time to write long pieces.

Gray day here. Looks like winter.

Read something interesting the other day: "While a satisfied justice is an unavoidable event, a satisfied revenge is an eternal impossibility" (George MacDonald). Something to think about, world.


Been reading Paterson. So far, okay. Wish I could spend more time each day reading.

Well, stuff to do.

Last week of Wintermester starts tomorrow. Reporting week at the same time. Getting ready to lose sleep.

Trying to decide whether I should try an e-book route with a couple of things.

Got furniture installed in my office right before Christmas. Now I have to organize the dang office.

Hoping I can get an hour each day to write and maybe a few minutes on the weekends to blog.

Gonna get back to the game now.