Yes! Day 3 and I finally feel like I’m on my vacation!

Although it actually looks like this:

OOPS!!! Who put that there??!! I meant it looks like THIS:

Yes. That. My vacation looks like that. (But without the NYC skyline outside my window…) (And well, I upgraded from a typewriter a long time ago.)

But you know — when I was in my teens, we had an electric typewriter in the house. But I didn’t get my very first electric typewriter, that was all mine, that I bought with my own money in a pawn shop on 8th Avenue in NYC, until, well, I lived on 8th Avenue in NYC.

I was just thrilled, gang. My very own electric typewriter!!

In fact, here is a photo of my best friend in the world, Paul Martin (who died from AIDS in 1999), sitting at that very electric typewriter, pretending to be me! He was visiting me and Chong in late 1981, shortly after we got married:

I still sit at that same desk — it was a wedding gift to me from Chong (45 years ago!!). But the view I have now definitely does not look out over 8th Avenue & W.45th Street…

A gay hustler bar was directly across the street from us back then. On my trip to NYC in November of 2024, I noticed that the hustler bar had been torn down.

Anyway! Once again! The Camelot Building, where Chong & I lived for the first two years of our marriage:

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All righty!!

I got great work done on the synopsis yesterday, gang. Waiting to hear back from Sandra but I think the synopsis might actually be finished!! We shall see!!!

Then we move on to the 2 primary character breakdowns, and quick summaries of the first 2 episodes and send it off to the Producer gal who awaits it in Atlanta.

Yay.

Then I did yoga, listened to a private Zoom session with James Tabor’s Research Group, had a sort of quiet dinner — watched yet another rerun of “Poirot”, but KonTiki suddenly got very restless again and wouldn’t stop pacing for the remainder of my evening.

But other than that, I finally started to calm down. To relax. Meaning, relax after spending the last 17 months as a part-time caregiver who was also still trying to be a writer…

And I slept great.

And even though it’s incredibly cold again here today, at least it’s really sunny. And I have absolutely nothing on my schedule that I absolutely have to attend to, so today I can choose what I want to focus on — and that is the part that feels like vacation.

Yay. Yay. And yay!

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Okay.

Chuck Negron, who was known primarily from the hugely famous Top 40 rock group, Three Dog Night, passed away on Monday.

If you’re too young to know who Three Dog Night were, this was probably their hugest hit ever, “Joy to the World”, from 1970:

However. As a wee bonny 11-year-old, listening to the Top 40 radio and to records in my room, this was probably my personal favorite Three Dog Night song — “Never Been to Spain”, from 1971. I loved this whole album:

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And here’s this.

No photo credit, and no description of any kind, but it’s Rowland S. Howard — another Melbourne, Australia connection:

And here’s the song of his that they uploaded with the photo! “Dead Radio” from Teenage Snuff Film, 1999:

And here is likely his most well-remembered song, ever (he passed away in 2009), “Shivers” by the Boys Next Door, featuring the most unbelievably gorgeous black hair and blue eyes — and voice — of Nick Cave:

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Switching gears…

James Tabor uploaded this recent lecture yesterday. About the Lost Mary — the historical mother of Jesus.

Tabor Lecture 28th BAS Bible and Archaeology Fest 2025 (48 mins):

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And here’s this!

George Vjestica, the guitar player for the Bad Seeds, posted these 2 photos from the Australian tour this morning!

And TOMORROW, the 2 shows in Wellington. New Zealand, begin and then the tour is over, gang. But you can still buy tickets HERE!

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And I think that’s it for now!

I’m going to get another Cup o’ Joe and get this fabulous Day 3 of vacation underway!

I will likely be late uploading my post tomorrow, since the plumber is coming at 9:30 tomorrow morning. But I will definitely post eventually!

Have a wonder-filled Wednesday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!

I am currently listening to Disc 2 of the special re-issue edition of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ 1982 album, Long After Dark. The Special Edition came out in 2024.

Disc 2 is filled with alternate takes of songs on the album and songs that were recorded at the same time but were never put on the album.

Disc 2 is phenomenally great. (For instance, it contains their version of “Wild Thing” which you know I absolutely LOVE!)

But for today, here’s this! “One On One”. I find the song extremely interesting. The lyrics, especially, I mean. Okay. Enjoy, gang!

“One On One”

It was a rough day, a rough town
All alone, coming down
I’m all ice, I’m so low
Somehow you know

I’m gonna get you
One on One
I’m gonna get you
One on One

Four weeks, no light
So asleep but I’m so wired
Sundown, day gone
Somehow you know

I’m gonna get you
One on One
I’m gonna get you
One on One

I know you’ve had your fill of desperateness
But please place me above suspicion
Why must you keep taking on this low profile
I’m just trying to give you my heart
Nothing else matters
You know baby
I’m just trying to give you my heart

I’m gonna get you
One on One
I’m gonna get you
One on One

c – 1982 Tom Petty, Mike Campbell