Conversations with Calliope- A Full Week

(Cable Car- San Francisco)

It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted.~ Mary O'Connor

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What are you up to today?
JOE: I just finished my journal and wrote about how much I have to do this week. It's a new feeling for me after so many years.
CALLIOPE: Better than being idle. What's on your plate?
JOE: At noon, I have a meeting to discuss a book project for a non-profit organization. I also want to contact a book printer for quotes on this project, Marital Property and two books I have had listed for POD sales.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a lot for one day.
JOE: Then there is my column due Saturday but which I would like to at least start today.
CALLIOPE: You said something about writing on the topic of waste.
JOE: I did. I just haven't decided just how to approach it.
CALLIOPE: Any ideas for it?
JOE: When I least expected it, I think in the middle of the night, it occurred to me to use nature as a guide for how to dispose of waste.
CALLIOPE: I've never heard that idea before.
JOE: Neither have I. That's what excited me about it.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a challenge.
JOE: I'm ready for it and everything else in my mind. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Writing Prompts

(Zamboni at Sea)

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege. ~ Unknown

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Is your mind still resting?
JOE: It is but I had a new strategy. I looked at prompts on my Firefox start page for inspiration but did not fine either prompt inspiring. Stuck, I found the above quote and decided to use it as a theme for today.
CALLIOPE: I'm glad you found something. I wouldn't want to just sit here and stare at each other. It's even less interesting in cyberspace.
JOE: Agreed. In any case, the quote led me to think back over my life to stupid things I have done, some embarrassing and some to my detriment.
CALLIOPE: Want to talk about them?
JOE: I already have in my memoir, Young Man of the Cloth. No need to drag them out again.
CALLIOPE: I suppose not. Have you ever repeated these stupid actions?
JOE: I must say I learned from each of them and went on to make new stupid mistakes. Fortunately I leaned how to make good decisions in the process.
CALLIOPE: So you are generally happy with the course your life has taken?
JOE: I am. For the most part I set me own course but did remain open to opportunities I could not have anticipated.
CALLIOPE: Perhaps new opportunities will await you in the next year.
JOE: I certainly hope so and plan to make the most of them. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- A Beach for Ideas

(Boathouse Beach- Barbados)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you?
JOE: Still a little foggy from my cold. My mind has been active though.
CALLIOPE: What's stirring up there?
JOE: I thought about the column I just posted, Lessons from a Nude Beach and had an aha moment.
CALLIOPE: Which was?
JOE: I have been thinking about a website consisting of a playground for ideas. That's about as far as I got.
CALLIOPE: Until today?
JOE: Yes. I realized my ideas would be happier on a beach than on a playground.
CALLIOPE: What led you to that conclusion?
JOE: Maybe it's because I would be happier on a beach than on a playground.
CALLIOPE: Any other thoughts?
JOE: I realize life originated from the sea. What better place than a beach for ideas to germinate? They could write in the sand, swim or just bask in the sun.
CALLIOPE: All true.
JOE: I'll work on it some more and let you know what develops. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Parts is Parts

(Morning Rain- San Juan)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Okay, I guess. I went all winter without a cold and today I am struggling with one. My head is a little foggy today.
CALLIOPE: Will it slow you down?
JOE: I think it already has.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Yesterday I was working on my column for this Saturday. I talked with you about the idea last week, "Lessons from a Nude Beach."
CALLIOPE: Yes?
JOE: I thought it would be an easy column to write. I had a few clear ideas in my mind and thought I could compose a coherent column with ease.
CALLIOPE: Not the case?
JOE: No. I found the ideas harder to put into words than I realized and ended up with some disconnected observations which did not form a coherent piece.
CALLIOPE: How did it end up?
JOE: It didn't. At least not yet. I decided to put it aside and work on it today.
CALLIOPE: Is it still waiting?
JOE: I think of it as aging or marinating. I will get it out when we are finished and see whether I can pull it together. I'll let you know the results tomorrow. Talk with you then.

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning, Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning, Joe. You're up early this morning.
JOE: Don't be sly. You know you woke me up at three this morning.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: When I woke up at that hour, my mind was filled with images for my novel as well as for my column on life's mysteries. More images seemed to be fighting to get into my mind.
CALLIOPE: I thought you were struggling a bit lately to find ideas so I decided you needed a new supply. What do you think we muses do all night?
JOE: I appreciate it but I was a little surprised. What made you realize I needed some help.
CALLIOPE: Watching you struggle to write your current chapter of Marital Property. I saw the research you did on the fast ferry to Hyannis and your description of Cynthia getting across Nantucket Sound only to realize that she wasn't headed for Hyannis and that the sister she planned to visit lived in Scituate even though you did research on Scituate earlier that day. You seemed to be working so hard you confused yourself.
JOE: I'm glad someone noticed. It's hard for anyone to know what happens in my mind sitting here at the computer.
CALLIOPE: In the past, you have sometimes written longhand. Maybe that would be a good idea once in a while to give you a change of pace and get away from the pressure you put on yourself.
JOE: I tink you are right. I will try to pay more attention to my level of stress. I don't feel any this morning and couldn't wait to discuss last night with you.
CALLIOPE: You couldn't?
JOE: A figure of speech. Obviously I didn't bound out of bed in the middle of the night to talk with you although it did occur to me.
CALLIOPE: I'm glad you did this morning. Do you think you have all the ideas still in your head.
JOE: Most of them. I was a bit lazy and should have at least taken some notes last night.
CALLIOPE: You might want to try it next time.
JOE: I might indeed.

(Mill Wharf Restaurant- Scituate, MA)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning, Calliope.

CALLIOPE: Good morning, Joe. glad to see you are up and at it early this morning.

JOE: It's a short writing day. Later this morning I'm taking my son to place some of his prints at a shop in Wyoming (New York that is). While I am there I will explore their carrying my two books. Then it's off to Lance's in Warsaw (also New York) for a Pennsylvania Dutch lunch and some baking supplies like whole and cracked wheat. Then I have two meetings this afternoon.

CALLIOPE: Minimal writing time I see. Where does the writing stand?

JOE: Yesterday I wrote a chapter about my husband reflecting on the state of his marriage while he walks on Gay Head Beach. That required a little research on the Martha's Vineyard beaches, beach plums and roses as well as Makani Kai Marina in Kailua for a fantasy sequence.

CALLIOPE: Sounds like it is coming along. What's next?

JOE: Separate but equal time for my wife's reflection as she kayaks on Nashaquitsa Pond.

CALLIOPE: Do you know the next steps?

JOE: Yes. Each of the couple has siblings and best friends with varying input depending on their personalities and points of view. The plot thickens.

CALLIOPE: I guess it does. Do you know where all this is headed?

JOE: In a general way yes but the characters and you will lead the way toward major developments. I was reading what Heather Sellers had to say about compost of the mind where all our experiences reside and moulder until they are ready for use.

CALLIOPE: Have you drawn on yours?

JOE: Of course. Most of what I include about the Vineyard is based on personal experience there but is reinforced by some research.

CALLIOPE: I can't wait to read it.

JOE: Neither can I. I am anticipating further developments and am as intrigued as you are.

CALLIOPE: It's nice to be on such an exciting journey, isn't it?

JOE: It sure is. Let's get on with it.

(Lillian Hellman's Cabana)