Wow, did I get a lot done yesterday, gang.

I only have one long story left to edit tomorrow for the M. Christian tribute anthology, and then I am basically done. I will still need to arrange the stories in the best order, write a Foreword, but it will definitely be turned in before the end of the month!

I still don’t know when I’ll have to do some work on the script for Sandra’s one-woman Birthday Cabaret, but I might actually be able to spend some of my upcoming days’ off focusing on my own writing again.

And most importantly, now that I have the part-time job again, my mind is in a much better place to tackle my own writing.

Okay, good news and bad news!

Season 2 of “Ludwig” did indeed start on Britbox yesterday — and it was so great to have that show back on my TV!!

Not so good news — I’d forgotten that with Standard Britbox, you only get to see one new episode a week. Aaarrggghhhh….

But it’s still great to have that show back. I just love it!!

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Here’s some great news, gang.

This made me so happy last night!

People are indeed downloading the free eBook edition of “A Man in Her Arms & Other Stories” over on Amazon and so it is FINALLY listed in the sales rankings. Not only that, but I thought the categories it popped up in were very interesting;

Thank you to everyone who is downloading it!

Also — I discovered that a number of people in Kindle Unlimited are also downloading my novel from 2011, Freak Parade. Yay!!!

I will actually be getting some royalties this month. So thank you!!

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I thought this was just wonderful, gang.

On Literary Hub yesterday — a wonderful article that I really related to, since I discovered Frank O’Hara’s poems when I was 14 and in Jr. High School:

Why Frank O’Hara is Perfect For Introducing Poetry to Tweens

Catherine Sawoski on Bringing the New York School to Middle School:

“…O’Hara is most famous for his collection Lunch Poems, written on his lunch break as a receptionist from the Museum of Modern Art—proving even future curators/art critics must begin at the front desk. He’s often been called a painter’s poet, and, rejected by the conventional literary scene, found himself faster friends with the Abstract Expressionists than the literary world. Lunch Poems—reviewed by Ted Berrigan, as, emphatically “a great book!” and one of the “most important documents in contemporary poetry”—includes some of his most famous works, including “The Day Lady Died,” “Ave Maria,” and “A Step Away From Them.” This last one was my usual classroom pick. Selecting an eager student to read it aloud, a school’s worth of seventh graders would follow along on their printouts…”

Read it in full HERE

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Okay!

The Rolling Stones announced a Pop-Up in NYC for 2 days only!

THE UMUSIC SHOP AT PENN PLAZA IN THE HEART OF NEW YORK CITY IS GETTING A ROLLING STONES TAKEOVER THIS WEEK!

JOIN US ON OCTOBER 16 & 17 FOR TWO DAYS OF A SPECIAL ROLLING STONES POP-UP, FEATURING BRAND NEW MERCHANDISE, MUSIC, LIMITED DAILY DROPS AND PLENTY FOR STONES FANS TO EXPLORE.

UMUSIC SHOP, 2 PENNSYLVANIA PLAZA, NEW YORK, NY 10121

OCTOBER 16–17, 2026

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Starting yesterday, WordPress launched “Wide Margins”, a monthly podcast, featuring interviews and a Q&A with authors. Hosted by Zander Rose.

Neal Stephenson Live: Spies, Science & the Race for the Atomic Bomb (1 hr):

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Johnny Depp posted this today. It’s in London — another exhibit of his art (he’s got a few going on all over the world right now):

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Okay, here’s this! From Facebook!!

And THIS happened last night!!

Warren Ellis actually replied to one of my comments!! (I am not even going to attempt to explain what the comment is referring to, you’d have to watch the reel, but basically, his dogs were stepping on his “fucking vinyl” record albums):

And also from Warren Ellis:

And this is from the other day — Warren with his pups!!

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More from Facebook!!

This is sort of an intense one — Nick Cave in a white shirt!!

Nick Cave eating something!! I’m not sure what, but it looks pretty good!!

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And those are my “here’s this’s” for today!

On the New Guy front– things are still progressing. We still talk on the phone at night, text first thing in the morning.

Last night, he said that when he comes here next month, he wants to drive me by the old farm where he raised his family. The farmhouse is 175 years old — and he rehabbed it when he bought it. (We can only see it from the outside because he doesn’t own it anymore, but I really want to see it.)

Then I asked him if we could go see his RV.

HE (on phone): “Which RV? I have about 5 or 6.”

Crimony!

Anyway, we pinned down exactly which one I was referring to and we may drive over and see that, too!

So, between texting, phone chats, and then driving around in person together — we might actually get to know each other soon!

And yes, he knows I’m a writer. And, no, he has no clue what I write about because he never asked… If he ever does ask… ah, well, we’ll just play that one by ear, gang.

He does know that I went to that Biblical Archeology conference in Charlotte, and he knows how interested I am in Biblical studies and the Historical Jesus…

So, METHINKS my writing career is going to come flying way out of left field for him. We’ll just have to see.

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Okay.

That is it for today!!

I’ll be leaving for town here soon and I am once again really excited to be getting back to the job at my favorite Health & Wellness store and all my fun friends who work there.

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

I am still on a Bruce Springsteen kick around here.

Here’s another one from his 1980 album, The River.

I absolutely LOVE this fucking song! And what really makes me smile these days, is that I knew this song by heart before I even moved to NYC. In retrospect, though, I now know everything he’s singing about!

Subways, ghettos, hot blacktops, “operators” in the park…

And I eventually spent 9 years on W.53rd Street in Manhattan, because that’s where the Museum of Modern Art is!

Anyway. It is IMPERATIVE that you learn the chorus immediately and sing along REALLY LOUD!! It’s too fun!!

“Sherry Darling”, by Bruce Springsteen, from The River, 1980. Enjoy, gang!!

“Sherry Darling”

Your Mamma’s yapping in the back seat
Tell her to push over and move them big feet
Every Monday morning I gotta drive her down to the unemployment agency
Well this morning I ain’t fighting tell her I give up
Tell her she wins if she’ll just shut up
But it’s the last time that she’s gonna be riding with me

CHORUS:

You can tell her there’s a hot sun beating on the black top
She keeps talking she’ll be walking that last block
She can take a subway back to the ghetto tonight
Well I got some beer and the highway’s free
And I got you, and baby you’ve got me
Hey, hey, hey what you say Sherry Darling

Now there’s girls melting on the beach
And they’re so fine but so far out of reach
‘Cause I’m stuck in traffic down here on 53rd street
Now Sherry my love for you is real
But I didn’t count on this package deal
And baby this car just ain’t big enough for her and me

CHORUS:

You can tell her there’s a hot sun beating on the black top
She keeps talking she’ll be walking that last block
She can take a subway back to the ghetto tonight
Well I got some beer and the highway’s free
And I got you, and baby you’ve got me
Hey, hey, hey what you say Sherry Darling

Well let there be sunlight, let there be rain
Let my broken heart love again
Sherry we can run with our arms open wide before the tide
To all the girls down at Sacred Heart
And all you operators back in the Park
Say hey, hey, hey what you say Sherry Darling
Say, hey, hey, what you say Sherry Darling
Say, hey, hey, hey, what you say Sherry Darling

c -1980 Bruce Springsteen

Okay, well, today I’m heading out to see my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man and it will be the first time I’m seeing him since he found out from his daughter that Annie died.

I’m sort of expecting him to be mostly okay with it, since he has a firm belief that: a.) everyone’s spirits live on; and b.) he believes we all go to a better place when we die.

His daughter has already left for the airport to fly back home this morning. So, we will soon see how today goes.

And Friday, my shift with him has been totally turned around. I need to get to his house by 7:30AM, and help him get into his suit and tie . His stepson from Florida will be picking him up at 8:30AM to take him to the funeral.

So, yes, I’ll be driving for an hour, total, to help him for one hour. And then after that, the new normal without Annie in our lives will officially begin.

But, I will have the rest of Friday off. So that’s, you know, I guess nice.

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On Saturday, I’m heading back to this lovely place:

To drop off a review copy of The Curse of Our Profound Disorder for Kevin at his beautiful gallery there:

Even though we’re both kinda thinking the novel will be too extreme for his tastes, too, he wants to at least try to read it, which I appreciate!! So we shall see. But it gives me a great reason to go back to that really beautiful Historic Arcade in downtown Newark.

It is, of course, sort of mystifying to me that I’ve apparently written a novel that a lot of people can’t handle — even my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn gave up on it because she was afraid it was going to give her bad dreams. And Wendy only finished the book because she was trying to be a good friend to me.

But I think back to 1999, when my first book, Neptune & Surf, was just coming out and Barnes & Noble (at first) refused to carry it because of the novella in it, called “Gianni’s Girl”.

But then they changed their minds when The Guardian newspaper in London chose the book as one of their Top 10 Summer Reads that year.

When I had first completed writing “Gianni’s Girl,” I was so thrilled with what I had achieved, I immediately stuck the story in a manila envelope and mailed it downtown to my good friend, (the late) Holly Lane.

She read it and then called me and said, “What the fuck did I just read??? First, they’re bringing in a Great Dane, next it’s an incredible love story?? You have totally fucked with my head!” And then later, out on the street together one night, she said, “You know you’re a sociopath, right?” (Actually, I didn’t know.)

But N&S eventually came out in 6 editions — including trade paper, mass market, Book-of-the-Month hardcover, eBook, and 2 French editions. (And is now in the Internet Archive for eternity.)

And then I think about that French podcast I stumbled upon in the Archive the other day, wherein the podcaster said :

“… I would say the author possesses a gift for sweeping you away, for immersing you in the world she portrays. Yes, for she tells tales of worlds—of entire eras.”

And she was including “Gianni’s Girl,” which takes place among violent Chicago bootleggers in the 1920s.

So, you know, I guess you just gotta go with what comes out of your head and hits the page, and hope that, down the line, you’ll find that there was a reason for it, overall.

Oh, I do have to add that the guy in NYC who’s reading a review copy, is almost done reading the book and, so far, he’s still really liking the book.

So, don’t forget that you can pre-order it, in eBook or print, HERE if you’re interested in seeing if you can handle it or not…

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Okay, here’s this!!

Two guitar heroes — Steve Vai and Joe Satriani — are once again on tour together!!

From Minneapolis the other night:

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Here’s Keith and Patti (early 80s?) having what might be a pizza together?? Hard to tell, it’s tiny!

And I loved this!!

Perhaps they had Keith under constant surveillance, you know, after he’d famously woken up one night in his hotel bed in Florida, put a riff down quickly on a tape recorder, then passed right out again — and later, what he’d composed in his sleep, basically, became the Stones first huge monster mega hit, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”!!

Here’s this, while we’re at it!!

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And here’s this!!

Warren Ellis, ready for his close-up at the Met Gala!! (I think a day late, but I’m not positive!!)

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And a couple of beautiful shots of Nick Cave onstage. I don’t know when, where, or photos-by-whom, but I love them!!

I think this one is in Croatia, actually, but I’m not positive. And I think the photographer’s name is down in the corner.

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And that is it for now!!

I guess I’m gonna get ready to head to town and find out just what this day is gonna bring.

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys, See ya!

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Let’s close with these!

You can pre-order Foreign Tongues, the upcoming new album by the Rolling Stones, HERE!! Enjoy, gang!

“In the Stars”:

“Rough and Twisted”:

Just a gorgeous day, here, gang.

So sunny. A totally blue sky. And going up into the 70s Fahrenheit.

I am definitely going to take a walk — go to the post office and mail my birth mom’s Mother’s Day card. Then walk over to the Dollar Store and — yes! Buy more coffee!

WTF?? Didn’t I just do that? Perhaps I should look into buying a larger can…

The laundry is almost done (it’s my day off) and I’ll probably do some of this today:

And I have absolutely 100% decided that the short story needs to be a novella, so the deadline for that is no longer an issue. I’m not sure what I’ll work on today, but it won’t be that.

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I touched base with my dear friend Wendy yesterday, to see if she was making progress reading the review copy of The Curse of Our Profound Disorder, which I gave to her almost 2 weeks ago.

We knew it was going to be a tough read for her — she’s a sort of straight-laced Jehovah’s Witness. She’s had a very different kind of life than I’ve had. (Although, oddly enough — we’d known each other for about 6 years out here in the Hinterlands, before we discovered that we’d both gone to the same high school — over in Columbus!! But separated by about 8 years. How weird is that?)

Anyway.

She is indeed having trouble with the book. It’s very intense. But she is determined to read it through to the end.

Which I really appreciate. But it brought back those feelings that doing a book launch around here might not be the best idea.

But I guess I’ll wait and see how it goes. The book doesn’t come out until September.

(Oh! And if you enjoy the heck out of intense fiction, you can pre-order it HERE!)

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Well, for the first time in a couple of weeks, I sort of “woke up” at around 3AM, thinking about my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man, but this time, I felt a wave of relief instead of that nagging anxiety!

His daughter arrived last evening, so she’s there with him now. Plus, knowing that he isn’t going to be put into a nursing home anytime soon…

It was just a great feeling of relief. So here’s hoping the free-floating anxiety factor can take a backseat in my life for a while.

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I did indeed start re-watching “20,000 Days On Earth” last evening and I am so glad I did! There is just so much about that film that I had forgotten. I probably haven’t watched it in about 6 or 7 years. (I’m not going to get into that “where did the fucking time go???” business again… we’ll just re-watch it and enjoy it!!)

So I am trying to sort of just relax around here.

I’m waiting to hear from Sandra regarding any work that still needs doing on “”The Guide to Being Fabulous” — the play is already done, we just need to sort of get it staged on paper by November.

And the TV project proposal is on hold until at least the end of June.

So, really, I need to just make myself relax and in a sort of non-anxiety way, decide what I want to focus on in the meantime. (For instance — maybe pull the weeds from the rose garden since it’s so pretty outside today?? Then consider finally actually beginning the writing of my memoir of the 1970s!!)

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Okay.

Here’s this!

What could be better than a couple of photos from Phyllis Stein??

Richard Hell at CBGBs in 1978!

And Johnny Thunders enroute to LA from NYC in 1973!!!!

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And here’s this!!

Keith with a bottle of Jack Daniels!!

And for the record, I would like to add that — NO! — Keith did not introduce me to Jack Daniels. That honor belonged to a Jewish girl named Karen that I was friends with when we were 12.

Her parents loved Jack Daniels and she lived a couple of houses away from a house where I used to babysit all the time.

One night, Karen stole a fifth of JD from her parents and then hid it in the bushes of that house where I was babysitting, even though I told her not to! But she did it anyway.

And the following day, she retrieved the bottle from the bushes, concealed it in the basket on her bike, and then brought it over to my house, to keep it stashed in my bedroom!

Okay. Whatever. She liked drinking Jack Daniels. I had never had it before. I tried it and really liked the aroma and the flavor of it, but it burned like hell going down.

So the fifth just sat there in my closet, so that she could drink it whenever she came over. (And Karen also introduced me to smoking cigarettes…)

But anyway.

That was the beginning of me and whiskey…. I’ll regale you with the rest of the story of Karen & the 5th of JD another day. It will tell you all you need to know about my dad’s parenting skills in 1972 and why I always preferred his skills over my mother’s…

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I digress!!

Here’s Keith and Anita and Marlon, in France in 1971!

And a serene sort of photo of Keith onstage somewhere with a Flying V!

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And your guess is as good as mine with this one, gang!

What is Nick Cave holding here?? A gun? A microphone? Something else?? I just don’t know!!

And I love this photo!

His hair. The cigarette. The arch above him. Just the whole feel of it!

Nick Cave, with big hair, a cigarette, and an arch above him:

And I also love this. Something about the jacket…

Nick Cave, onstage in a striped jacket!

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And that is it.

Well, the Agency just texted that my shift for tomorrow is cancelled; the clients will be at doctors’ appointments all day. So now I have two days to figure out what I want to do.

I will begin the thinking process by finishing the laundry and then heading out for that walk.

Enjoy your Monday wherever you are in the world, gang.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this — if you have an hour and a half.

This stuff is very illuminating, gang.

From Ross K. Nichols Sunday School yesterday:

“Many of humanity’s most ancient stories share a tale as old as time itself: the account of one righteous man, specially chosen to save the human race from a catastrophic flood that nearly ended all life on earth. We know him as Noah in the Hebrew Bible, the Christian New Testament, and the Koran, but other ancient peoples also preserved versions of this man’s story….”

Knowing Noah: The Man Behind the Myths (1 hr 31 mins):