Observations: January 2018

Is anyone out there?

Yes or no, I am back after a cross-country move,  a mystery stomach virus, a new job, and the quiet release of a new collection of short stories. It's been a busy couple months, and I have the eye bags to prove it.

It's 2018, and I have a few observations about the last few months, and the glorious/horrifying new year thus far. I thought I'd share...

• Resolution should not be a bad word, and resolutions should probably never include any diet-related goals. 
• Busy people are the most reliable solely because they have momentum.
• Some fears are not evident until you are presented with a challenge. Case in point: I am thirty-eight, and I just realized I am afraid of parallel parking vans. 
• Writers don't have a choice.
• It's easy to lose focus when self-consumed.  
• Mantras work, but they demand time. Same with meditation and any other mental training.
• Health clinics in grocery stores are fine, but they need a separate entrance! Come on, people, don't make contagious sick people walk past registers, the produce section, and dry goods to get to the clinic. By that time, their airborne, germ-filled droplets have probably reached dozens.
• #MeToo will only count if we continue the dialogue. This is not whining or lecturing. This is reality, and change is possible but only with conversation and consistency. 
• Business people and artists seem to want recognition in equal measure. Likewise acceptance, respect, recognition. Same deal, different package.
• Leaders are not necessarily good people, but there is such a thing as a good or principled leader, and we should demand that one lead our country. 
• As much as we need to be entertained, not all entertainment serves us. (Just like as much as we need to eat, not all foods nourish us.)
• Friendship is work, and it's the best work.

Writing News:

The Glass City is out! Buy a few ... you'll be glad you did.
The Best Small Fictions is out! 
Buy them both in multiples. Samples are here: http://www.americanpopularculture.com/review_americana/fall_2017/knox.htm