All books are travel books

All books are travel books, in this sense – or at least they should be; they exist to transport the reader to some place geographically or emotionally distant from their own, setting them on a journey that will expand their horizons and leave them transformed.

Catherine Marshall, Travelling by the book along Virginia’s Tinker Creek

Rover

The long road is a rainbow, and a pot of gold lies there.

Tacos and Torches

Got to hang out and talk hydroponics, eat tacos, and enjoy the firelight. A coyote howled from an abandoned cemetery nearby. My life's GPS is set on story-finder.

The thesis draft continues to gel, and it feels like bringing something to life. I like it.

The North Carolina air has a crisp edge, but I haven't seen snow since leaving Meditation Center. Perhaps snow is something that will disappear altogether in the coming decades in the South.

I love the urban-industrial edge that my life is taking. There should be train songs to go with these tracks.

Writing Retreat

Thesis Rough Draft workshop retreat saw songs as much as stories.
Also sushi night, dryer-drum fire tacos, and dining hall shenanigans (including security guards and cashmere).
Life is good.

Tri state

I woke up this morning and wasn't certain what state I was in. Turns out it was still Kentucky, but that was so 12 hours ago.

We packed up the truck, made a milk run to Virginia, and now I'm in North Carolina, freshly out of the tub and settling in to read Uniting Mississippi: Democracy and Leadership in the South, a gift from Eric Weber.

I am looking forward to working with him.

Band practice is the going on while I steep in silence and solitude, and I confess that I am glad for the alone time. This week is for finishing the structural analysis of the thesis, doing so writing, and meeting some more wonderful people.

Life is good.

Welcome back

Time to pack for a week away from everything: 10 minutes.
Time to load the car with everything: 2 minutes.
Cost: $0

Time to unload the car after coming home: 30 minutes.
Time to put everything away after unloading: 24 Hours.
Cost: Do not make me admit this. (Barnes & Noble was involved.)