Conversations with Calliope- Teen Project

(Teens at Cancer Walk)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I hope you enjoyed your birthday.
JOE: I did. Many well-wishers sent their regards. Carol and I got out on our cross country skis and her niece Erin came for dinner last night. All in all a delightful day.
CALLIOPE: Any more thoughts on the teen book?
JOE: I was mulling over a title earlier this morning. I would like to include the ideas of idealism and anxieties, both of which seem prominent in teen thinking.
CALLIOPE: Did you come up with a title?
JOE: Not yet. The idea is still percolating.
CALLIOPE: What did you learn from your visit with Erin?
JOE: She is a senior in college and about ready to face the real world. It reminded me of being her age and having the same mixture of idealism and fear I just mentioned.
CALLIOPE: Sound's like you're on the right track.
JOE: I think so. I plan to do some more exploration of the topic of writing for teens.
CALLIOPE: Any specifics?
JOE: I am perusing some teen sites and will also look at some books popular with teen to explore themes of interest to them.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good approach.
JOE: I'm glad you agree. On to the day's work.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

Slavery Museum- Curacao)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Well, thank you. I spent most of yesterday packing again. It is finally starting to look like I will be out of here eventually.
CALLIOPE: Did you learn anything about yourself while packing?
JOE: Yes, how little I actually need to survive. I once thought I needed to hang on to every book and scrap of paper I had.
CALLIOPE: And now you don't?
JOE: No. Things have changed over the years. Many books are available directly on the Internet. Many others are available through inter-library loan. I don't need everything immediately available as long as I can find it somewhere.
CALLIOPE: What about papers?
JOE: They aren't critical either. Things I wrote in the past are in the past. I am making an effort to live more in the moment. The past can clutter my life.
CALLIOPE: Do you think there might be times when you wish you had kept your past writings?
JOE: It's only happened once so far. I wish I had kept my position papers from my last years in the monastery. They would have been helpful in writing my memoir. But alas I didn't and the memoir turned out okay without them. I had to rely on my memory of those days. The book was probably different than it might have been on that account, but I don't think it suffered significantly.
CALLIOPE: Then maybe you are doing the right thing. What's up for today?
JOE: I have a column to write for Saturday which I think I will write about moving. I plan to at least start it today.
CALLIOPE: Will we talk tomorrow?
JOE: Probably not. I will be working in Leroy and away from the computer and staying in Rochester tomorrow night. I will contact you again on Thursday.

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.

CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?

JOE: Fine. I have been quite busy over the weekend despite football.

CALLIOPE: Oh?

JOE: On Saturday, I finished another chapter of Marital Property.

CALLIOPE: Was that it for the weekend?

JOE: No. Yesterday I worked on my next chapter about caring days.

CALLIOPE: What's that?

JOE: A couple exercise where each comes up with a list of little things their spouses can do to show they care.

CALLIOPE: Where did you get that idea?

JOE: I'm not sure. But it is something I used when I was doing marriage counseling. It was helpful, even if just to see if spouses cared at all about each other. If they couldn't come up with anything, I concluded they either had no imagination or little hope for their relationship.

CALLIOPE: Very interesting. Did you get anything else done?

JOE: I did some work on marketing and publicity. On Saturday I refined my announcement and news release. Yesterday I worked on developing a list of publicity resources with the help of the Ross and Ross book, Complete Guide to Self Publishing.

CALLIOPE: Did you come up with much.

JOE: Yes. Quite a list. Most of the resources are rather expensive. My next task is to find a library which has them hand. That's one of my jobs for today. Off to work.

(Nearing sunset- St. Thomas, USVI)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning, Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning, Joe. What's new with your writing?
JOE: I don't know if anything is new but I am continuing to work on my novel.
CALLIOPE: In what way?
JOE: I did a little writing, but mostly spent my time yesterday doing research on divorce in Massachusetts.
CALLIOPE: What about your own experience?
JOE: I got out my divorce file. It was depressing to even open it. I was not sure I wanted to wade back into my own divorce and become mired. Besides, I thought things might be different in Massachusetts where my story takes place.
CALLIOPE: I understand. You do have some distance from your own experience, but still the memories remain or can at least be stirred up adding unpleasantness. Are things that different in Massachusetts?
JOE: As a matter of fact they are. They are a little easier on grounds for divorce and have no-fault which they don't here in New York. On the other hand, they don't have any such thing as legal separation or using a year's separation as grounds for divorce.
CALLIOPE: I guess it's good you looked. Do you feel ready to proceed with your new found information?
JOE: I do. I think I can now write the next two chapters on meetings of each spouse with their respective attorneys.
CALLIOPE: Okay. On with it.
JOE: I'm ready.

(Beach near Aquinnah, Martha's Vineyard)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning, Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning, Joe. How are things today?
JOE: Fine. I started a chapter yesterday on my wife's meeting with her attorney. I got as far as the office when I realized I had some research to do.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: First, I needed to document personality characteristics of her attorney and how the two of them might interact.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: I thought I might as well do the same for the husband's attorney and the interaction between the two of them. Both sets are finished.
CALLIOPE: Now are you ready to proceed?
JOE: Not quite. I need to do some research on the divorce process and legal aspects of the proceedings. I am familiar with what happens in New York, but not in Massachusetts where my story takes place.
CALLIOPE: Do you think it will be hard to find what you need?
JOE: I don't think so. I have had good luck with internet research and also know a couple lawyers I can consult if need be.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you will be busy today.
JOE: Yes. I'm ready to get going.

(Fisherman's Monument- Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard)

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good afternoon, Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon, Joe. Where have you been this morning?
JOE: I had an early morning appointment with my physician.
CALLIOPE: Anything wrong?
JOE: No. Just a checkup to see what condition my condition is in. Everything's fine.
CALLIOPE: Good. What's new on the writing front?
JOE: Yesterday, I decided to find another possible agent rather than relying on just the one.
CALLIOPE: How did it go?
JOE: I think well. I started again with the editor and I think learned why he was recommended.
CALLIOPE: Why was that?
JOE: He recently published a somewhat controversial book which differed from mine but had a similar theme of wrestling with God.
CALLIOPE: Did you find the agent's name?
JOE: No, but I did find another agent who worked with him and his publishing division and found a book she represented with a kinship to mine.
CALLIOPE: Did you query her?
JOE: Of course. I am being much more careful about crafting query letters lately rather than just using my old shotgun approach.
CALLIOPE: Good luck. Did you have time for any writing?
JOE: Yes. I think the agent process enlivened me. I wrote a chapter yesterday afternoon and another one this morning.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you are making good progress.
JOE: I think so. I feel like it is full steam ahead and I have something to write about each day without much effort, although I need to do a little research along the way. This morning I had to look up Makani Kai Marina in Hawaii, alimony in Massechusetts and beach roses. I am glad I have the internet.
CALLIOPE: It is a help. Don't let me keep you from your writing. Let's get back to work.
JOE: Fine with me. Let's go.

Obese Children

I read this morning about a grant to address the problem of childhood obesity. I got to thinking what it takes to address a difficult problem. Like most such issues, there is no simple solution or it would have been tried already. The environment, our cultural history, our current customs, advertising, limited exercise and our way of life in general are all contributors as well as other factors I could not think of readily. Like many issues, money alone will not solve this one. It will take a critical look at how we live and what we can do differently.