Conversations with Calliope- Why We Read Books

(Windjammer Cafe)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How's you column coming?
JOE: Interesting you should ask.
CALLIOPE: Well?
JOE: You hit it on the head yesterday. My topic of addressing health and the environment exceeded the constraints of 500 words.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: I will put off the topic until I figure out what to do with it.
CALLIOPE: And in the mean time?
JOE: I woke up very early this morning wondering why people read books at all.
CALLIOPE: Any specifics?
JOE: I recalled Francis Bacon's quote about some books to be tasted, some to be swallowed and a few chewed and digested.
CALLIOPE: Do you plan to pursue that topic in this week's column?
JOE: I do.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting.
JOE: I'd better get to work on it. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Health and Environment

(Seaside)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's up today?
JOE: I'm taking a break from wrestling with technology.
CALLIOPE: What brought that on?
JOE: My commitment to writing a column and newsletter for the coming Saturday.
CALLIOPE: Do you have a topic in mind?
JOE: I do.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I want to write about how our concern about finances and health intersect with the way we treat our earth.
CALLIOPE: It sounds like a task for a lifetime rather than a column.
JOE: I agree. Still I want to address it. The problem is how to say something meaningful in 500 words.
CALLIOPE: Quite a challenge. How do you plan to approach it?
JOE: That's what I have been pondering. Maybe I will present it as one of my life mysteries and just open up the topic.
CALLIOPE: That would be a start. Nobody seems to be thinking much about these connections.
JOE: I'll get my mental wheels turning and see what happens. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Technology Wins a Hand

(Dog Days of Summer)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Realizing I spoke too soon about my mastery of technology.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I thought I had everything under control with my websites and emails.
CALLIOPE: Not quite?
JOE: No. A while ago when I reloaded my websites, my e-mail got put somewhere else so it would not disappear. Friday I tried to put it back where it belonged but it got blocked.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: I called this morning to straighten it out and think it will be okay, but possibly not until tomorrow morning.
CALLIOPE: What are the implications for your e-book?
JOE: I want to make sure everything is working correctly before I post the file on my website.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you're getting close.
JOE: That's the way it sounds to me too.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: I have correspondence to catch up with and then back to work on Marital Property. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Conquering Technology

(Don't Curse the Darkness)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Making some progress.
CALLIOPE: Tell me.
JOE: I told you yesterday about my choice of how to distribute my book.
CALLIOPE: You did.
JOE: I got to work yesterday putting the technology in place.
CALLIOPE: With what results?
JOE: I needed another e-mail address to use to collect e-mail addresses from potential readers and distribute a password so they can download the book.
CALLIOPE: How did that go?
JOE: Making progress. I got one set up to handle an autoresponder.
CALLIOPE: Tell me what that is. We didn't have them in our heyday on Mt. Olympus.
JOE: I keep forgetting. An autoresponder is an automatic program built into an e-mail site which gathers and sends information automatically so I don't have to sit by the computer 24 hours a day waiting for people to write.
CALLIOPE: Sounds useful.
JOE: I think so. Next step is to build an easy to use order form for my website. A job for next week. Talk with you then.

Conversations with Calliope- Ebook Distribution

(Ship Communication Tower)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Not bad.
CALLIOPE: How's the e-book coming?
JOE: It looks ready to go.
CALLIOPE: What's the holdup?
JOE: Distribution. Never having done this, I found more options than I expected.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: PDF, Zip file, exe, word document are some of the format choices.
CALLIOPE: Have you decided among these?
JOE: After considering the possibilities, I have settled on PDF.
CALLIOPE: Okay. What about distribution channel?
JOE: I originally thought of doing it by email.
CALLIOPE: But?
JOE: It is a slow and unwieldly process given the size of my e-book.
CALLIOPE: So what are the alternatives?
JOE: The one I chose is posting it on my website and making it accessible with a password so I can keep track of who downloads it. More tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Twenty Reasons

(Portuguese Street Tile)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Ready to share your ten reasons project?.
JOE: Actually there are twenty. Ten for and ten against reading our book.
CALLIOPE: Lets start with the pros.
JOE: Okay, here goes:

Ten Reasons to Read Conversations with Calliope: A Year with My Muse

1. Find out where writers get their ideas.

2. Hear what a writer does all day.

3. Listen to what writers say about being a writer.

4. How can a muse be more helpful?

5. See how to get unstuck when you write.

6. Learn how to talk with a muse.

7. Explore what else writers need to know besides how to write.

8. Discover what keeps a writer going page after page.

9. Determine who supports a writer’s efforts.

10. Unearth the sources of writers’ inspiration.

CALLIOPE: Pretty good. How about the cons?
JOE: Okay.

Ten Reasons Not to Read Conversations with Calliope: A Year with My Muse

1. Who needs a muse? Writing is the writer’s responsibility.

2. I don’t care how things get written. I just want to enjoy what I read.

3. I can write a book if I want to. Maybe some day I will, but I’ll do it my way.

4. There’s nothing magic about writing. It’s just hard work.

5. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to write anything good.

6. Writing’s old fashioned. Everybody watches TV these days.

7. I don’t have time to read, much less write.

8. Most writers are just crusty alcoholics.

9. Writers are like teachers. They can't do anything useful so they just talk about it.

10. I’d never want someone to tell me what to write.

CALLIOPE: Are you trying to talk people out of reading the book?
JOE: No but I want to address possible reservations before readers think them up.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: Yes. If people really believe the cons, I don't want them wasting their time reading our book.
CALLIOPE: But?
JOE: But maybe they will rethink their objections and have a look anyway.
CALLIOPE: Good thought. Let's see what happens.
JOE: Nothing to lose as far as I can see. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Moving Right Along

(Old Printing Press)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. I thought you might have gotten lost in your work and forgotten about me.
JOE: Never fear. We had early morning visitors who just left after lunch. So here I am.
CALLIOPE: I see. How did your work turn out yesterday?
JOE: I finished reviewing the draft and successfully converted it to a PDF.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE: I mailed it to my daughter for practice?
CALLIOPE: How did that go?
JOE: It arrived but so did seven copies. I'm not sure what to make of that but it took here a couple hours to receive the e-mails.
CALLIOPE: Not good.
JOE: I agree. It needs some investigation.
CALLIOPE: Anything else afoot?
JOE: I finished writing my seven reasons for and against reading our book.
CALLIOPE: May I see them?
JOE: They are just a draft. I hope to have them ready for you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Ten Reasons

(Odd Inspirations)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: The wheels are turning.
CALLIOPE: With what results?
JOE: Yesterday I continued my final review of Conversations with Calliope: A Year With My Muse. In the back of my mind was a question about how to market it.
CALLIOPE: Did something occur to you?
JOE: It did. I ran across a reference to something I tried with Navigating Life.
CALLIOPE: Don't be coy. Tell me.
JOE: I wrote and posted ten reasons to read the book and ten reasons not to.
CALLIOPE: I recall. Are you planning a similar adventure for our book?
JOE: I am.
CALLIOPE: What will you include in the lists?
JOE: That's my challenge for today. Want to help?
CALLIOPE: I'll get right on it and let you in on any ideas which occur to me.
JOE: Much appreciated. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope-Ready to Publish

(Summer Jetsam)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Is your company gone yet?
JOE: Yes. They left yesterday. Back to normal this morning.
CALLIOPE: Where does our book stand?
JOE: I thought you might ask. In between visiting and swimming at our friends' pool, I managed to finish the table of contents, index and a few minor revisions.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: Next is final review of the text to see if I missed anything.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE: Then is conversion to PDF format and distribution.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to go about it?
JOE: I will announce it to my readers who subscribe to my newsletter and also post notices on the websites of communities to which I belong.
CALLIOPE: Do you plan to automate distribution of the e-book.
JOE: Not at first. I will distribute it as an e-mail attachment to those who are interested.
CALLIOPE: What if you have a great response.
JOE: Then I will consider automating it. I thought the personal touch might be better if I can keep up with it.
CALLIOPE: It's nice that you have the time in this day and age of automation.
JOE: I think so too. At least I'll try it. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Another Journey

(Mayan Road)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. Just waking up?
JOE: You know better than that. We had overnight guests staying downstairs. I didn't want to disturb them using the computer.
CALLIOPE: Did they just wake up?
JOE: No again. We had to visit with them and then stop in at their family reunion in Attica.
CALLIOPE: I see. Glad we got that straightened out. What news?
JOE: I am nearing the end of my work on our book. My reviewing is finished, the table of contents is in order and the index I worked on yesterday is looking good but in need of a few corrections.
CALLIOPE: When will it be out?
JOE: Possibly next week. I have to give it a final going over and see if there is anything else to tend to first.
CALLIOPE: Is this your first e-book.
JOE: Two of my other books are available in e-book format through BookLocker but this is the first one I will offer directly.
CALLIOPE: There's always something new to experience.
JOE: So there is. I don't know where this will lead except to a new adventure.
CALLIOPE: Enjoy the ride.
JOE: I plan to. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope-Sleepy Ideas

(Sunset in Leroy)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Sleepy.
CALLIOPE: Didn't you go to bed last night?
JOE: I did but I kept waking up with new ideas for my writing.
CALLIOPE: I had a few ideas I thought I might share with you.
JOE: Thanks. I woke up early and wrote them all down before I forgot them.
CALLIOPE: I hope they help.
JOE: I'm sure they will?
CALLIOPE: Where do you plan to start?
JOE: I finished reviewing our book, Conversations with Calliope, and I think the text is adequate.
CALLIOPE: But?
JOE: It could use a little enhancement.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: I am going to try adding a cream background instead of white which seems a little boring. I will also rearrange some of the photos and complete an index I started yesterday. I also plan to add to the announcement and publicity ten reasons to read this book and ten reasons not to. I'm anxious to get going again. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Clunker Poison

(Giant Bugs)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: A lazy summer day I suppose.
JOE: I can't deny it. Getting started today seemed an effort.
CALLIOPE: What have you done so far?
JOE: My diary is about all the writing I could manage so far.
CALLIOPE: What about yesterday?
JOE: I finished proofreading about half of our book, Conversations with Calliope, and plan to work on it some more today.
CALLIOPE: How are you going about it?
JOE: One chapter at a time so I don't lose my concentration.
CALLIOPE: Have you recovered from your environmental trauma?
JOE: For the most part. I don't think I told you about the article I read on Saturday.
CALLIOPE: Tell me.
JOE: Clunker poison is a chemical poured into the engine of a car traded in with the new government program. It seizes up the engine irretrievably and the car is demolished even if the rest of it is still usable.
CALLIOPE: Leading to more junk on our national trash pile.
JOE: Exactly. After reading about ecology and our responsibility for the earth, it threw me for a loop. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Gift of the Earth

(Sunset on Honeoye Lake)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Still meditating on last night.
CALLIOPE: On what specifically?
JOE: Sunset. I spent the day reading and talking about what we do to the earth and don't even seem to notice our destructive ways.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: Despite it all, the earth favors us with treats such as fantastic sunsets despite all our worst habits.
CALLIOPE: An interesting thought.
JOE: My question is where it will take me.
CALLIOPE: Do you have any ideas?
JOE: Not specifically. I realize I can't change everyone's attitude about the earth any more than I can change how people treat each other.
CALLIOPE: You're not God.
JOE: Exactly. Even God leaves it to us how we treat the earth and each other. Although we have free choice, we also must accept the consequences of our decisions.
CALLIOPE: Maybe you should write about the connection.
JOE: I have been, but maybe I need to do more of it. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Loving the Earth

(Nature's Beauty)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Feeling productive.
CALLIOPE: What did you produce?
JOE: My column for Saturday, My Great Life and The Dream of the Earth.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: It's a long story. The highlights are that I read three books connecting my thoughts about stewardship of the earth rather than raping it and leaving a pile of junk in our wake.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a strong statement.
JOE: The more I read the more troubled I become about our throw-away society and what we are doing to our environment in the process.
CALLIOPE: And you wrote about this in your column?
JOE: I did.
CALLIOPE: Don't you think you might stir up some controversy?
JOE: I hope I do. Sometimes I feel like Chicken Little but the voice of one crying in the wilderness is usually not a popular one.
CALLIOPE: Getting people to change never is a comfortable pursuit.
JOE: I agree. But I think it's time to speak. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Tears in Church

(Sunflowers)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Are you back to work or still in vacation mode?
JOE: Back to work I guess. But I am still working on refreshing myself.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: Yesterday I attended Spiritus Christi Church as they celebrated the tenth anniversary of their men's addiction recovery program.
CALLIOPE: How did that affect you?
JOE: I got to thinking about my granddaughter and her struggle to cope with her alcoholic father while he struggles with himself.
CALLIOPE: Where did that lead?
JOE: To a great sense of sadness that she has to endure pain, sorrow, and worry about her father.
CALLIOPE: Is there any hope for change?
JOE: He seems to be nearing bottom and possibly getting serious about some help.
CALLIOPE: Good. Anything you can do in the mean time?
JOE: I wondered that too. I wrote my granddaughter a letter yesterday telling me of my sadness about her situation and her father's and sharing my prayer for their peace with God and with each other.
CALLIOPE: At least you did something.
JOE: I wish I could do more, but at least I let her know I understood and cared about her. I guess that's a start. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Where Were You

(Spring Flowering)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. Where have you been?
JOE: Carol has a vacation this week. I guess the mood is contagious.
CALLIOPE: I guess so. We were in mid discussion about Grass Roots and you promised to elaborate.
JOE: I did. I was telling you about hearing their song Where Were You When I Needed You on Wednesday night.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: They came out with it in 1966, during my first year out of the monastery. It reminded me of feeling like an alien on earth in a culture which had emerged while I was away.
CALLIOPE: Did it bring back memories and feelings about those days?
JOE: In a way, but it didn't through me into chaos as Michael McDonald did.
CALLIOPE: How did you react?
JOE: I quickly moved on to thoughts about all the friends I have developed since then and how much I have learned and grown.
CALLIOPE: So it was a good reaction?
JOE: It was.
CALLIOPE: What's next on your horizon?
JOE: The books I am working on as well as a new awareness of my place in the cosmos and my feeling of responsibility to make the most of it. I'll tell you more next week.

Conversations with Calliope- Grass Roots

(Wagon Wheels)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon, Joe. I missed you this morning.
JOE: I was off to a busy start.
CALLIOPE: Doing what?
JOE: Going for a massage, shopping, and manual labor edging the lawn.
CALLIOPE: Are your musical adventures over?
JOE: Hardly.
CALLIOPE: Tell me.
JOE: Last night several of us drove to Finger Lakes Race Track for a concert by the Sky Coasters and then Grass Roots.
CALLIOPE: Go on.
JOE: I have seen Sky Coasters quite a few times, a band from Rochester which plays quite a variety of songs and I always enjoy them.
CALLIOPE: And Grass Roots?
JOE: Another story. I must admit I didn't remember them from the old days, at least until they sang, "Where Were You When I Needed You?"
CALLIOPE: Did that song have some special significance for you?
JOE: It was their first big hit in 1966 the year after I left the monastery and was just getting back into the real world. It brought back memories of those days. I'll tell you more tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Grass

Conversations with Calliope- Hawaiian Hula

(Coconut Palm)

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.

Conversations with Calliope- Mozart on the Beach

(Portuguese Street Tile)

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.

Conversations with Calliope- Lost in Translation

(Dream of the Earth)

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.

Conversations with Calliope- Recharging

(Rock's Secrets)

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.

Conversations with Calliope- Time with Nature

(Into the Woods)

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.

Conversations with Calliope- Mid Summer

(Swimming Racehorses)

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.

Conversations with Calliope- A Moment of Peace

(Vandas in Barbados)

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.

Conversations with Calliope- Inspiration and Institution

(Rusty hull)

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.

Conversations with Calliope- A New Spiritual Home

(Family)

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.

Conversations with Calliope- Back to Writing

(Western New York Sunrise)

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.

Conversations with Calliope- Doubt

(Nina Sails)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Tired but energized.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: Last night after golfing with my brothers and nephew, and dinner also including my sister-in-law we watched the movie Doubt which one of my brothers had not seen.
CALLIOPE: How did you choose that movie?
JOE: Those of us who had seen it had various opinions about whether the main character, a priest, had molested a boy.
CALLIOPE: What caused the various opinions?
JOE: It was staged with clues suggesting possible guilt. One opined that he was guilty as sin, another held that he was not guilty and still another thought there were indications but not proof of guilt.
CALLIOPE: What do you draw from the experience?
JOE: A well crafted movie or novel for that matter can elicit various reactions and conclusions.
CALLIOPE: Why does that fascinate you?
JOE: Art can be a way of bringing us together to compare our views and begin to understand each other.
CALLIOPE: I agree.
JOE: I'm glad you do. That's what I want to do with my writing.
CALLIOPE: A good aim.
JOE: I'm glad we are together on this. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope-My Brother's Visit

(Amish Buggy)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Excited.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: My brother from Honolulu is in town for a few days.
CALLIOPE: When did you see him last?
JOE: Last fall.
CALLIOPE: What plans do you have?
JOE: We had planned golf with another of my brothers this morning but the weather does not seem very cooperative.
CALLIOPE: So what else do you have planned?
JOE: He has become interested in Spiritus Christi Church which I recently started attending. We will visit some of its people to discuss their views.
CALLIOPE: Do you expect them to differ much from what you believe?
JOE: I'm not one much for dogma. I believe in God and try to act as a Christian but don't like to haggle about specific beliefs.
CALLIOPE: I'll be interested to see how it goes.
JOE: I'll let you know. We don't meet until Saturday. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Addicted to Technology

(Ready to Relax)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. I wondered what became of you.
JOE: I have been wondering the same thing.
CALLIOPE: Have you come up with any answers?
JOE: I believe so. Mastering website technology at least to the point of getting satisfactory sites has taken me over to the point where it feels like an addiction.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I have reached the point where there is not much room left in my awareness for anything else.
CALLIOPE: What about your writing. I am barely keeping up with my journal and our conversations.
JOE: As you can, see it took me until now to get around to you.
CALLIOPE I do feel a tad slighted.
JOE: I was afraid of that. However I think the end is near or at least a plateau where I can stop to consider some other pursuits.
CALLIOPE: I'm glad to hear that.
JOE: I did manage to post my latest revisions to my Sliding Otter Website yesterday and am happy with it for the time being.
CALLIOPE: Then what's keeping you tethered?
JOE: Now I am hard at work on my Commonsense Wisdom site which is coming along nicely. I hope to be done with it in the next few days. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Success at Last

(Shoes at a Street Fair)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's this about success?
JOE: I am finally mastering Dreamweaver and getting it to do what I want with my web pages.
CALLIOPE: How did that come about?
JOE: I realized I was getting nowhere with trial and error or at least not where I wanted to be.
CALLIOPE: So what led you out of the labyrinth?
JOE: Going back to basics.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Yesterday I took my son for his second cataract surgery. I had some time to use productively while he was in the hospital and wandered over to the library.
CALLIOPE: And what did you discover?
JOE: Among other things, Elizabeth Castro's book HTML, XHTML &CSS.
CALLIOPE: How helpful was it?
JOE: Extremely. I'm finally beginning to make sense of this whole process. I finally developed a template I liked and am revising my websites yet again.
CALLIOPE: Good luck.
JOE: I think I'm on the right track. Talk with you tomorrow

Conversations with Calliope- Plenty of People

(Fire Pit)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I guess you had a busy weekend.
JOE: You said it. Wall to wall people since Thursday.
CALLIOPE: That must have been quite a change from your regular routine.
JOE: No question. I have accustomed myself to quiet days with my computer. When I did have the chance to get at it, my energy flagged and I had little to say.
CALLIOPE: What did you like best?
JOE: I enjoyed meeting all of Carol's high school friends. Perhaps best was meeting one husband whose early life paralleled mine in terms of education and wrestling with the uncertainties of the draft in the late 1960's.
CALLIOPE: A kindred spirit.
JOE: Yes. He even had the same college major I did and knew some of my professors.
CALLIOPE: Any grist for the writing mill?
JOE: I am sure there will be but I need to digest the whole experience and find ways to store it in my mind other than as a whirlwind.
CALLIOPE: Is that how your mind works?
JOE: I guess I haven't thought about it much but I suppose it is. After reflecting on the weekend I will end up with some reflections and insights about my own life.
CALLIOPE: That's good.
JOE: I think so. It helps me keep some perspective. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Simple Things

(Oatka Creek Falls)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you yesterday.
JOE: Sorry. I had to go out of town to do a police candidate evaluation and one thing led to another.
CALLIOPE: What about later?
JOE: I had planned to write then but the weather was perfect and we decided to attend a free Chubby Checker concert.
CALLIOPE: How was it?
JOE: All we expected. The high point for me was seeing Carol dancing in the aisles, caught up in the moment.
CALLIOPE: As I recall you had a column in the works.
JOE: Correct. I didn't get to that either yesterday. However I woke up at 2:00 AM this morning and wrote it.
CALLIOPE: Did your thoughts come together at that hour.
JOE: Maybe that's why I woke up. The words flowed easily and I had it ready for Carol to proofread this morning.
CALLIOPE: What's up for today?
JOE: I hope to work a little on my website, but mostly I will by busy preparing for company arriving tonight for the weekend Oatka Festival.
CALLIOPE: You certainly are becoming the social butterfly.
JOE: I can't deny it. I am looking forward to it after all the work alone on the computer lately. We have guests staying in the computer room so I don't know how much I will be able to contact you over the next couple days. I'll do my best.

Conversations with Calliope- Peak Experiences

(In the Rockies)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Good. I had a friend review my new websites and I am busy following his suggestions for improvements.
CALLIOPE: Don't you have a column in the works?
JOE: I do.
CALLIOPE: So how's it coming?
JOE: You caught me at an interesting time. I have a theme in mind but haven't fully developed a plan for the piece.
CALLIOPE: Well, tell me about the theme then.
JOE: Okay. I plan to write about peak experiences.
CALLIOPE: Which are?
JOE: The psychologist Abraham Maslow saw them as being transported to a different level where you may lose track of time and place and leave behind fear, anxiety, doubt and inhibitions.
CALLIOPE: Sounds exciting.
JOE: That's the point.
CALLIOPE: What's your focus for the column?
JOE: It's still in process but I think it will be on how we tend to seek such moments while passing by the everyday pleasures which are much easier to find. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- What Words are For

(Footsteps in the Sand)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Refreshed from a wonderful weekend but still perplexed.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about the weekend first.
JOE: Carol and I dined with friends, walked to the Farmer's Market, swam in our friends pool and best of all returned to Spiritus Christi for an emotional reunion with fellow travelers on life's path.
CALLIOPE: Sounds great. Why are you perplexed?
JOE: Last night Carol told someone of our joyous spiritual experience. The response was to try to pin down her beliefs and see whether we fit into the other person's neat box of religious beliefs.
CALLIOPE: Do you?
JOE: No. In our search for a context for our spiritual journey, some people seem to insist that we see things from their point of view and tell us what we can or should do rather than accepting our choice to follow our own path of discovery of our relationship with God.
CALLIOPE: How do you feel about that?
JOE: You sound like a counselor. We don't like to be put into someone else's box no matter how much they say their words are motivated by concern for our souls.
CALLIOPE: Understandable. What do you plan to do about it?
JOE: Probably be a little more careful about who we choose to share our enthusiasm for our journey with.
CALLIOPE: Perhaps a wise course.
JOE: Agreed. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Saturday Musings

(Storm Clouds)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. A lazy day today?
JOE: Not exactly. I knew the rain was coming so we went for a walk to the Leroy Farmers' Market while we could.
CALLIOPE: Find anything good?
JOE: Some fresh veggies to munch on while we wait for ours to ripen.
CALLIOPE: What's going on in web development world?
JOE: I feel like a Ping Pong ball sometimes.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I was just getting ready to choose Joomla as my preferred way to develop a website when I discovered that it does not yet have the capability of uploading content.
CALLIOPE: What good is it then?
JOE: Web development practice I guess.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: There might be a way I can develop my site on a server connected to the internet. The jury's still out on that.
CALLIOPE: Where does that leave you?
JOE: I think it's time for a professional consultation to see what my options are and how best to proceed. In the mean time I think I will relax for a while this afternoon. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Reasons to Write

(View from the Siege Tunnel- Gibraltar)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Still savoring our visit to last night's Taste of Stafford and the music of John Sieger and his band.
CALLIOPE: What made them special?
JOE: If you closed your eyes, you would swear you were listening to Louis Armstrong, voice and trumpet.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like fun. You seem intrigued by music lately.
JOE: I can't deny it. But I did wake up this morning wondering how my musical musings applied to writing.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: Everything I said about music applies to writing too.
CALLIOPE: Why do you think authors write?
JOE: First to make sense of their own world. At least that is my primary motivation.
CALLIOPE: What else?
JOE; If I think I'm on to something, I like to share it with others for their consideration to see if it makes sense to them and helps them clarify their life path.
CALLIOPE: Noble aspirations. What else?
JOE: To explore life's possibilities- how it could be under different circumstances whether better or worse.
CALLIOPE: Very interesting. Let's talk about this some more.
JOE: Sounds good to me. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Angels and Demons

(Barbary Apes)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I thought about what you said yesterday about Michael Jackson. Have you had any further insights?
JOE: Indeed. I woke up very early today pondering the relationship between creativity and madness.
CALLIOPE: What do you think was the relationship with Michael between his art and mood?
JOE: I don't know. I haven't seen any speculation about this and am not aware of anything he has written or said about the issue.
CALLIOPE: So that remains a mystery. Do you know anything else about it?
JOE: One artist I knew painted only when he was depressed to express his mood. His color blindness further darkened his art. Another time I met a sculptor who only worked when he was not depressed to avoid contaminating his art with his dark moods. I recall my son struggling with taking his medication and thinking clearly or not taking it and having his hand steady enough to draw.
CALLIOPE: Do you think creativity and what you call madness are interrelated or just exist in parallel dimensions.
JOE: I wish I knew.
CALLIOPE: What's your opinion?
JOE: I think it could be both. Some people seem to write about wrestling with their demons while others wait until the demons recede so they can listen to the angels (or muses)whispering in their ears.
CALLIOPE: Very interesting.
JOE: I agree. I don't think mental and emotional turmoil give one a corner on creativity but they do seem to be paths to it.
CALLIOPE: I think you might be right.
JOE: I don't know if I am but you asked my opinion. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Michael's Music

(Path in the Woods)

JOE: Good Morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Where where you yesterday?
JOE: Now, now.
CALLIOPE: Well?
JOE: If you must know, I was involved in corporal works of mercy.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: Taking my son to the hospital for cataract surgery.
CALLIOPE: I guess that explains it. Did everything go okay?
JOE: It seemed to. Only time will tell, but the doctor was satisfied with how it went.
CALLIOPE: Good. My regards to your son. Did you get to do anything else yesterday?
JOE: I had planned to work on my writing but got caught up in Michael Jackson's memorial service.
CALLIOPE: I didn't know you were interested in him.
JOE: Frankly I had trouble getting past his weird lifestyle and self mutilation.
CALLIOPE: And did you finally?
JOE: I did and discovered that I like his music once I can put aside my judgment of his way of life. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Weekend in the Woods

Woody on the Allegheny

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: A nice change of pace.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: We spent Friday night at a party with Carol's family at their cottage on Canisus Lake with only a slight passing shower.
CALLIOPE: And the rest of the weekend?
JOE: We camped with friends at their campsite along the Allegheny River next to Allegany State Park.
CALLIOPE: Is it Allegheny or Allegany?
JOE: Hard to tell. The best I can discover the park is Allegany and the river Allegheny. But the spellings seem almost interchangeable.
CALLIOPE: Very confusing.
JOE: I puzzled about it too.
CALLIOPE: So how was camping?
JOE: A good chance to get away from my computer and spend time with people.
CALLIOPE: How did that feel?
JOE: A little awkward for me after spending so much time with the computer working on my writing. I will work on more balance. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Catching up with Joomla

(Independence Day)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Chipper.
CALLIOPE: Oh?
JOE: Accomplishments tend to further brighten my usual cheery mood.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: After much head scratching and experimentation I finally managed to load the web server Xampp on my computer and install a functional copy of Joomla, a free web development program I wish I had know about before I delved into Dreamweaver.
CALLIOPE: How much progress have you made?
JOE: I got everything installed and started working on a tutorial to learn the requisite skills.
CALLIOPE: How's it coming?
JOE: I find it easier to understand than Dreamweaver and am excited about the many possibilities.
CALLIOPE: And if you get stuck.
JOE: I have a website developer (actual person) who has offered to help me get unstuck.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like progress.
JOE: I think so. I will be away tomorrow and will talk with you again on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Too Much Technology

(Dewitt Park)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: There's something about the electricity circulating around here today.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Yesterday I met with Chris at my local computer center about a few technology questions.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I prepared myself to pay someone, probably him, to help me with adding a shopping cart, some forms and my blog to my website.
CALLIOPE: How did it turn out?
JOE: Good. After quite a discussion, he thought my emerging competence could handle everything I had in mind.
CALLIOPE: And if you get stuck?
JOE: He will be there to help me out of the muck.
CALLIOPE: So what's the problem?
JOE: I tried sweeping out my computer of some unneeded clutter and ended up erasing an innocent looking file necessary to start my computer. Hence a reload.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a pain.
JOE: You said it. I'm back in business although a few programs don't quite act like I think they should. More work, but I think I'll take a break and go fishing with my grandson today. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- More About Musical Emotions

(Shipboard Extravaganza)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Good, thank you.
CALLIOPE: What are you up to today?
JOE: I just finished my column/newsletter for this Saturday.
CALLIOPE: I'm curious.
JOE: It's about musical emotions which I wrote about last week.
CALLIOPE: You mean how a Michael McDonald concert sent you off the deep end into an eddy of emotion.
JOE: Exactly.
CALLIOPE: Why did you feel a need to revisit this troubling episode?
JOE: Partly to see if I had gotten past it and partly to see what I can learn from it.
CALLIOPE: Did you get past it?
JOE: I did. Nothing awful arose in me while I was composing it.
CALLIOPE: What did you learn.
JOE: To pay attention to my emotions and their message and change what can change about memories of past bad experiences. Talk with you tomorrow.