Summer 2019 -- Knee Deep in Novel Writing

I've been on summer break for eleven days now. I am happy to report that Twixt & Twerp, my middle grade novel, is coming along. Fingers crossed that I will continue to be prolific

My writing process has changed a bit. That is to say, my writing location has changed. During the day, I CANNOT write in this house. That's mainly due to the distraction created by the three dogs who live here. But I think it's also because I went to sit at Starbucks on my first day of summer, and since i had a very productive session, I guess the creative side of my mind now assumes that we have to get out of the house in order to pursue art.

Ah well... at least I'm writing. I'm clocking in about a half-chapter a day, although today I wrote a full chapter. With a little luck and a lot of inspiration, I might be able to complete the first draft by the end of summer. Did i say a "little" luck? Maybe let's double or triple that.

Wade and Hawkeye Tryna Start a Riot

Summer 2019 - Let It Begin!!!

It's almost 10:30 pm, on the first evening of my summer break. I've got 90 days of the stuff I crave the most: free time.

Of course, we'll see just how free it actually is... Life has that funny way of throwing you curve balls, and I have a funny way of getting mixed up in things that seem like whimsy at first but then transform into dreary obligations.

I started this morning with my exercise routine (something I've all but abandoned during the last few weeks of school).

Cheri and I have been listening to audio tracks from "The Greatest Salesman on Earth." (Hint: It;s not about Willy Loman.)

We spent the past month listening to this one... (Scroll #2)

And we recently moved onto this one... (Scroll #8) 

I'm not sure why we aren't listening to the scrolls in order, but so far I'm enjoying these visualization techniques. I'm not much of a "daily affirmation" kind of guy... but the Scroll #2 message is about greeting the day with love in your heart, and what's wrong with that? If more people greeted each day with that attitude we could certainly decrease world suck, as my DFTBA friends would say.

What else did I do with my first day off? I walked the dogs. Quite a few times, actually, because we've got people working in our backyard, trying to make it a bit less of a weed-infested jungle. So, since the dogs couldn't go frollicking in the back yard, I took them around the neighborhood. Or perhaps I should say, they took me.

Graded lots and lots of essays today. That was my main goal, to finish as much of the grading process as possible. But I did manage to get out to the Moorpark Campus, one last time before summer sweeps me away. For the first time ever, I attended a Moorpark graduation ceremony. It was great seeing some of my students step up to receive their diploma. Hooray for Education!

Creative Writing -- Map Experiments

Thinking of My Brother Shawn

Emily's Music Videos

Emily has been very prolific with her music and film making...

Here is her most recent collaboration with her YouTube friend, Spencer Ty...

It's an Indie Girl styled cover of that Shrek-famous pop-song: All Star!

She also recently wrote her own song, a blissfully sweet composition called suburban jungle. You can see her frolicking in the wild weeds of our backyard:

Emily has selected her university! Can you believe she's old enough to go off to college? I can't. Man, I'm gonna miss this kid!