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Dialogue with my muse |
| I have been carrying on a dialogue for almost a year. During this time we have discussed the progress of my writing, editing, and publishing efforts. Join in to listen to our conversation about my daily writing life and add your comments if you think of anything Calliope and I miss. |
JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Doing well. I got some exercise yesterday morning and went to say goodbye to my brother Bob and his girlfriend Carol who are returning to Hawaii this morning. CALLIOPE: Any further musical adventures? JOE: As a matter of fact yes. CALLIOPE: Tell me. JOE: Carol takes lessons and is in a traditional Hawaiian Hula group. She performed a couple dances for us last night. CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting. JOE: I thought so. It went beyond the typical Luau dancing. She also took time to introduce and later explain the movements of each dance. CALLIOPE: A treat. JOE: Indeed. It reminded me of the unbounded creativity across the world. CALLIOPE: Any personal message for you? JOE: It encouraged me to continue exploring my own creative side and express whatever you and the other muses might bring me as gifts. CALLIOPE: Glad you appreciate them. JOE: I do. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What news today? JOE: I continued my creative restoration program yesterday. CALLIOPE: How? JOE: Carol and I spent the afternoon at her cousin's cottage on Canisus Lake, one of the New York State Finger Lakes. CALLIOPE: And you relaxed all day? JOE: For the most part. However the afternoon was punctuated by a musical surprise. CALLIOPE: Tell me. JOE: Zack, a thirteen year old grandson of one of Carol's cousin's friends, began talking about his interest in opera. It turned out to be more than an interest. CALLIOPE: How so. JOE: He had amassed quite a bit of knowledge about opera, favored Mozart, particularly La Nozza de Figaro and Die Zauberflaut. In mid discussion he broke into song favoring us with several arias from each of his favorite operas. JOE: How a mature baritone voice could emanate from a thirteen year old boy astounded me. CALLIOPE: I wish I had been there. JOE: Some of your more musically inclined sister muses would have been impressed. CALLIOPE: Perhaps one of them had a hand in drawing him to opera. JOE: Perhaps. In any case it was a pleasant surprise, bordering on a peak experience. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. You were going to tell me more about the book you were reading. JOE: You mean Lost in Translation. I finished it Saturday after we talked. CALLIOPE: So tell me more. JOE: The story portrayed an archaeologist in search of the lost bones of Peking Man in China. The translator for the archaeologist was the protagonist and she balances dealing with her own father, Chinese culture and her attraction to a government representative accompanying the expedition. CALLIOPE: What did you like about the book? JOE: I mentioned my interest in the subplot of a priest, Teilhard de Chardin, his book The Phenomenon of Man and his relationship with a woman in the 1930's as well as his involvement in possibly trying to preserve the Peking Man bones. CALLIOPE: Tell me more about him. JOE: He wrote about evolution of the earth and mankind at a time when the Catholic Church was not ready for his thoughts. He lived and worked under a cloud. CALLIOPE: Did you have some personal involvement. JOE: Yes. I fell under a cloud as well when I read his works and discussed them in the monastery in which I lived. CALLIOPE: Sounds like you were a bit of a rebel. JOE: No doubt. While the cats were away, several other monastic mice and I attended a week long conference at Fordham University which further cast suspicion on all involved. CALLIOPE: I see. And now? JOE: I still like to challenge peoples' perceptions with my writing but now try to do it a little more subtly. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good afternoon Calliope. CALLIOPE: I assume your arrival at this late hour reflects your efforts to restore yourself. JOE: If you mean was I sleeping until now, I wasn't. I've never slept that late in my life. CALLIOPE: Don't get defensive. JOE: I'm not. I was up before 6:00AM. But I have been relaxing, at least a little. CALLIOPE: What did you do? JOE: Read two newspapers, completed a crossword puzzle, fed the birds, fertilized my plants and flowers, walked to the farmer's market and started exploring Google Checkout as a possibility for my website. CALLIOPE: A good mix of activities. Anything else to report? JOE: Yesterday I continued reading Nicole Mones' book, Lost in Translation. CALLIOPE: What interested you in that book. JOE: I saw the movie based on it and wasn't particularly impressed. I found a copy at our library book sale and decided to try it. CALLIOPE: What's it about? JOE: The story of an archeologist and his translator in search of the lost bones of Peking Man. CALLIOPE: Any surprises? JOE: One. The substory is about Pierre Tielhard de Chardin, a Jesuit priest who helped discover the controversial skeletal evidence. That's a story I will share with you on Monday. Talk with you then. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Did you take a break as promised? JOE: I did. I took a walk down a country road and communed with nature's beauty on the best day I have seen all summer. CALLIOPE: Good timing. JOE: I can't agree more. CALLIOPE: What did you discover? JOE: Birds, cornflowers, Queen Anne's lace, fields, woods and wild black raspberries. CALLIOPE: Did you take along your camera? JOE: Not this time. I had to choose between just being with nature or capturing it. I chose the former. CALLIOPE: Not a bad choice. What did the experience do for you? JOE: Helped gain me some perspective on life. It's the journey which matters, not the goal. CALLIOPE: Others might disagree. JOE: Let them. We all have to choose our own paths and make of them what we will. I'm happy with the choices I have made. CALLIOPE: Glad to hear it. JOE: Thanks. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Fine. I feel rested, relaxed and energetic. CALLIOPE: How nice. JOE: I think so. CALLIOPE: What do you plan to do with the state in which you find yourself? JOE: Good question. I can always count on you for a little prod. CALLIOPE: Well? JOE: I was thinking earlier this morning about how technology has drained all my energy lately. CALLIOPE: What do you plan to do about it? JOE: Patience! Patience! I'm getting to that. CALLIOPE: Not very quickly. JOE: That's just the point. There's no rush. CALLIOPE: Proceed. JOE: My plan is to take some time in the second half of summer (such as it is) to recharge my creative batteries. CALLIOPE: Now we're getting somewhere. How? JOE: My art supplies are getting dusty. I plan to get them out and get to work painting and drawing. I also plan to delve into reading to start my creative juices flowing again. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today? JOE: Feeling at peace. CALLIOPE: More so than usual? JOE: Yes. I have accomplished all the immediate goals I set for myself and now am taking a deep breath before starting on the next one. CALLIOPE: What goals did you accomplish? JOE: Both of my websites have been revised and posted, our Conversations with Calliope ebook is ready for proofreading and my column on Inspiration and Institution is on its way to my public. CALLIOPE: You've been busy. JOE: I have. Several projects were near completion but still unfinished. Suddenly all of them came together in the past few days. CALLIOPE: It must be a good feeling. JOE: Yes. One of accomplishment and satisfaction. CALLIOPE: What's next on the horizon? JOE: I think I'll get back to work on Marital Property. CALLIOPE: I haven't heard you talk about your novel lately. JOE: It's been fermenting. I think it's time to open the cask and see whether it is aged enough to proceed. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What' on your mind today? JOE: I was just thinking about my newspaper column for this Saturday. CALLIOPE: What do you plan to write about? JOE: Inspiration and Institution. CALLIOPE: Sounds intriguing. Tell me more. JOE: Discovering Spiritus Christi Church brought to mind all the movements started by idealists. CALLIOPE: Yes? JOE: Most of them end up ossified into stodgy institutions including religions, political movements and even whole civilizations. CALLIOPE: So? JOE: I was wondering if it is possible for a movement to stay fresh without becoming institutionalized. CALLIOPE: Have you reached a conclusion on the matter? JOE: No. It remains a question, perhaps one of life's mysteries for me. CALLIOPE: So what can you do? JOE: Enjoy the freshness while I can and contribute what I can to its viability. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Have you finally returned to your regular schedule? JOE: We'll see. The answer is yes for the moment. CALLIOPE: Did your weekend adventures provide all you expected? JOE: They did. A couple from Spiritus Christi invited my brother and me for dinner Saturday. CALLIOPE: How did that go? JOE: Quite well. We learned more about the history of the community which has been in existence for about ten years now and is going strong. CALLIOPE: Any revelations? JOE: I was concerned that they might have some confining dogmas which might give me second thoughts. I thought I might want to just stay with the experience and not try to make too much sense of it. CALLIOPE: And? JOE: Discussing it did not provide any such difficulties. It is a community which offers support for acting in a Christian way without the onerous burdens I formerly carried as a Roman Catholic and which eventually drove me from their fold. CALLIOPE: And then? JOE: My brother and I and our girlfriends attended the Spiritus Christi service Sunday morning and felt totally immersed in their fellowship and community. CALLIOPE: It sounds like you have found a new spiritual home. JOE: I think so. We are trying to let it develop naturally without forcing anything. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| JOE: Good afternoon Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. Did you just get up? JOE: Don't be cute. I was up at 6:30 and planned to make a few minor corrections to my websites before contacting you. CALLIOPE: So what happened? JOE: I screwed up more than I fixed and it took a while to get back to where I was. CALLIOPE: Is everything okay now? JOE: As far as I can tell. Take a look at my websites at www.commonsense wisdom.com and www.slidingotter.com and let me know what you think. CALLIOPE: I'll do that. Maybe some of our readers will too. JOE: I'd welcome that. CALLIOPE: So now what? JOE: I have some more to do with my websites but I am weary of the process now. CALLIOPE: Do you have some other pursuits in mind. JOE: Yes. I will take some time to work on my writing. I plan to ready for publication our book based on this blog. CALLIOPE: I can't wait to see it. JOE: Neither can I. Talk with you on Monday. |
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Hope they like snow! 
I just tell them to go get a life...
It's a sunshiny 24 here at the moment; 19 in Buffalo.