writing

 
(Allegheny River Sunrise)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: I'm glad it's Friday.
CALLIOPE: You don't even go off to work any more.
JOE: Well, no. But I have felt under pressure lately, even if self induced.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: My websites needed to be redeveloped with a program other than Front Page. The deadline for getting this done was June 30. I made it. Both are ready although the second is still in the process of being switched to a new server.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: There's also my caffeine withdrawal. Today marks the fifth day and I am finally realizing life after caffeine is possible.
CALLIOPE: Do you feel any different.
JOE: The greatest change and surprise as well is that I feel more energetic and eager to work both at the computer and at physical labor in the yard.
CALLIOPE: Who would have thought it?
JOE: Certainly not me. But today I have all my weekly goals accomplished and am ready to relax this weekend for the first time in a while.
CALLIOPE: Seems like you earned it.
JOE: I think so. Talk with you tomorrow.

 (Canadaway Creek)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How's the caffeine hangover coming?
JOE: Better every day. Yesterday my brain felt a little fuzzy. Still I accomplished quite a bit despite my lack of caffeine and my body's resistance to being deprived.
CALLIOPE: Glad to hear you are surviving. What did you accomplish?
JOE: I revised my entire Commonsense Wisdom website. I think it's ready for release although I want to check over the format and links first.
CALLIOPE: Congratulations. Tell me about the site.
JOE: Originally it duplicated my Sliding Otter site. I struggled with how to make the two complementary.
CALLIOPE: How did it end up?
JOE: The Sliding Otter site lists my writings for sale and offers samples from all of them. The Commonsense Wisdom site serves as an archive for stories, articles and archives of past blogs and newsletters.
CALLIOPE: Sounds sensible.
JOE: I hope so.
CALLIOPE: Are both sites the way you want them?
JOE: Not quite. They are both still works in progress. I have some refinements in mind once I figure out how to do them.
CALLIOPE: I'll be watching anxiously.
JOE: So will I. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
(Resting in Barbados)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: It's a little hard to say.
CALLIOPE: Why is that?
JOE: Last week I had two doctors' appointments. I had several cups of coffee before the first one and had fairly high blood pressure. I did not drink coffee before the second appointment and my blood pressure was lower than it has ever been before.
CALLIOPE: And your conclusion?
JOE: The obvious one that my blood pressure and caffeine are connected.
CALLIOPE: Why the sudden concern?
JOE: I was able to discontinue my blood pressure medication earlier this year after I lost weight and would prefer not to start it again.
CALLIOPE: I see. So where do you stand now?
JOE: I gradually decreased my caffeine over the past week. Yesterday was the first full day with no caffeine.
CALLIOPE: Any ill effects?
JOE: Just headaches which left me today and restless sleep. I think I'll make it though.
CALLIOPE: Best of luck with your experiment.
JOE: Thanks. Now to see whether it affects my writing. Talk with you tomorrow.

 (Peter and the Biplane)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What news?
JOE: Well, I finally wrestled Dreamweaver into submission or maybe just learned enough of the basics to use it.
CALLIOPE: Don't tell me you got your website up and functioning.
JOE: Sort of. At the same time I am revising my site, I am also switching servers.
CALLIOPE: So what's the bottom line?
JOE: Right now I can see my site listed on the Internet but nobody else can.
CALLIOPE: How long will that go on?
JOE: A day or two before it is officially available to the public.
CALLIOPE: That's a milestone. Were you pleased with the results.
JOE: It's not elegant yet but the basics are there. Now I can work on my other site and some refinements.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: An online store for my books, posting my blog from my own site and some video focused on various topics.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you will be busy for a while.
JOE: I will. But at least I won't be bored. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
(Bonerama)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: A little weary.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: Last night's fairly late night at the Rochester International Jazz Festival.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like fun.
JOE: It certainly was. This was our second visit to the festival.
CALLIOPE: What did you see?
JOE: First were several local jazz groups on one of the free stages.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE; Soul Stew, a group from Toronto which lived up to its billing as a top notch soul combo.
CALLIOPE: Was that it?
JOE: No. We tore ourselves away to see Bonerama in the big tent, a trombone group from New Orleans we had seen before. They also put on a great show.
CALLIOPE: Do you plan to give up writing and spend your time watching music performances?
JOE: Don't be jealous of your sister muses. I'm not abandoning you but am enjoying some time with other creative pursuits. I'm back to my writing work today. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
(Walking with Dinosaurs)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Welcome to a new week.
JOE: Thank you.
CALLIOPE: What's this about dinosaurs?
JOE: Saturday morning I had a chance to see the much ballyhood Walking with Dinosaurs.
CALLIOPE: Did it meet your expectations?
JOE: More than that. I had questions about how lifelike giant puppets could be.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: The combination of excellent technology and imagination based on historical research resulted in a very entertaining and informative experience for my son, grandson and me.
CALLIOPE: Any lessons for you?
JOE: The point of bringing together technology and creativity is to reach the audience and connect with their needs and interests.
CALLIOPE: So it's the same process with the dinosaur show and with writing?
JOE: As far as I can tell it is.
CALLIOPE: Keep this in mind as you work on your website.
JOE: I certainly will. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Eastman Theater Audience)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Energized.
CALLIOPE: By what, may I ask?
JOE: You may. The Rochester International Jazz Festival began last night with Carol and me in attendance.
CALLIOPE: What did you see?
JOE: The Greece Olympia Jazz Band, the Eastman High School Jazz Band seniors and Faux Frenchman. And those were just the free street performances.
CALLIOPE: I take it from today's title that Smokey Robinson played a part somewhere.
JOE: Indeed he did. He was the evening's headliner and our main reason for going to the festival last night.
CALLIOPE: Which brings us to the question of his lesson.
JOE: It does. I saw clearly that his message was that he loves his audience. He said so several times and repeatedly showed it by his interaction with us throughout the concert.
CALLIOPE: What lesson did you take from that?
JOE: Give your audience what they want. This applies to writing and web marketing as well as performing. I will try to keep this in mind as I work in both areas.
CALLIOPE: Good idea.
JOE: Thanks. I thought so too. Talk with you tomorrow.

 

(Meeting the Neighbors)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Relieved?
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: My new website design is completed and apparently functioning normally although I will do some more testing yesterday.
CALLIOPE: Did you spend your whole day at it again?
JOE: Not entirely. Our neighbors suffered the loss of a family member. Carol baked some brownies and I took them over.
CALLIOPE: Did you know the neighbors?
JOE: Just a nodding acquaintance. I had never had a conversation with them.
CALLIOPE: And yesterday?
JOE: They invited me to sit with them on their veranda and we spent quite a bit of pleasant time together.
CALLIOPE: Was there a lesson there for you?
JOE: Yes. I realized that the whole point of working on my website was to communicate with people. I became lost in the technology for a while and lost sight of the purpose.
CALLIOPE: Good realization.
JOE: I think so. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Is That the Sun?-Peter Langen)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: I feel like I just landed on my magic carpet after a Magical Mystery Tour.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: My adventure with Dreamweaver took me into twists and turns I never expected.
CALLIOPE: How did your website turn out?
JOE: Basic, but I'm pleased with the results.
CALLIOPE: Is it ready for publication?
JOE: I'm not quite sure. I haven't finished examining the code. I also need to test the links and take the site for a trial flight. Hopefully I won't find anything untoward but you never know with new adventures.
CALLIOPE: Was the project as difficult as you expected?
JOE: No. I knew I would be swimming in deep water. Yesterday I tackled navigation and hyperlinks which went much better than I thought they would.
CALLIOPE: I'm looking forward to seeing the final product.
JOE: So am I. But I want to make sure it is in proper form before posting it.
CALLIOPE: Does it have everything you wanted?
JOE: No, but the basics are there and I want to get the site up in basic form first. Then I'll work on refinements. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
(Island Home- Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. Yesterday was busy with errands but I did get some time to work on Dreamweaver and my website.
CALLIOPE: How's it coming?
JOE: Not bad. I'm no expert yet, but my competence grows by the day as I learn more about the programming.
CALLIOPE: So you think you will have your site ready by the end of the month?
JOE: That's my plan.
CALLIOPE: Then what?
JOE: Back to my writing. I haven't had much time to work on it lately with all the effort I'm putting into web development.
CALLIOPE: Do you need any help?
JOE: Not yet. I have had some kind offers from fellow denizens of my various web communities. So far I am holding my own, but at least have some ideas about where to find help if I get stuck.
CALLIOPE: Always good to know.
JOE: It is. I'm never comfortable feeling like I am on a desert island with no passing ships in sight.
CALLIOPE: One advantage of being a muse is not being limited by geography.
JOE: Sounds nice. I'll continue on as a mere mortal for now. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Under Construction)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Ready for a new week?
JOE: Indeed.
CALLIOPE: What's afoot?
JOE: I spent all day Saturday poring over my Dreamweaver manual.
CALLIOPE: To any avail?
JOE: Fortunately yes. I was then able to begin reconstructing my website in Dreamweaver.
CALLIOPE: Effortlessly?
JOE: No such luck. In the beginning I struggled with every step. By the time I arrived at my third page I was much better and my development started to hum along.
CALLIOPE: Any other findings?
JOE: More a realization. I had difficulty with some of the automated tasks but found I could do them manually with the help of my understanding of html.
CALLIOPE: Where did that come from?
JOE: Once I thought it would be a challenge to write my own website from scratch and delved into html.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: The task was beyond me but gained a rudimentary understanding and facility with html workings. Everything I learn seems to come in handy eventually. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Geese in a Row)
 

The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious- Marcus Aurelius

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Making progress. Dreamweaver looked quite daunting at first but I think there is hope.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: I struggled to get it to do anything. Then my book arrived, bringing hope with it.
CALLIOPE: What book?
JOE: A lifesaver (or websaver) called Dreamweaver CS4: The Missing Manual by David McFarland.
CALLIOPE: How has it helped.
JOE: It explains in detail just what needs to be done at each step.
CALLIOPE: That's it?
JOE: No. It also provides a tutorial to walk the unenlightened one (Grasshopper if you will) through the steps of creating a fictitious site using the skills just discussed.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good approach.
JOE: It works for me. I still have quite a bit to learn but, having produced visible results, I now think I will make it.
CALLIOPE: Keep after those geese.
JOE: I will but they have a mind of their own. Talk with you tomorrow.
 

(In the Woods with Carol)

The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy-Meryl Streep

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What an interesting title.
JOE: I thought it might catch your attention.
CALLIOPE: I assume there is a story behind it.
JOE: I read a complaint about Judge Sotomayor having too much empathy to be a supreme court judge and thought the topic deserved some discussion.
CALLIOPE: It does sound interesting. How did you approach it?
JOE: I cited my own experience as a psychologist and hearing Buffalo Judge Robert Russell talk about specialized courts.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I realized that without empathy we deal with issues only rather than with people.
CALLIOPE: I'll have to visit your website Saturday to read the column. What about the quote above?
JOE: Twitter has been in the news. I have been debating about whether it is something worthwhile or just a wast of time.
CALLIOPE: So?
JOE: I decided to use my account to post quotes related to our discussions and will try it for a while.
CALLIOPE: With a link back here?
JOE: That's the plan. Talk with you tomorrow.
 

(Snail's Pace)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Back in high gear.
CALLIOPE: Explain.
JOE: Yesterday's mail brought my book, Dreamweaver CS4- The Missing Manual.
CALLIOPE: How did that change things?
JOE: I have been struggling to make sense of Dreamweaver from the tutorials online and fiddling with the program to try to understand it, mostly to no avail. Now that the book has arrived, so has hope of understanding and using Dreamweaver.
CALLIOPE: So you were right about a book being more useful than online materials.
JOE: I don't know if this is true for everyone, but it certainly is for me.
CALLIOPE: I'm glad there is hope. Whats next?
JOE: My first inclination is to jump right in and redesign my old website.
CALLIOPE: But?
JOE: But I decided to take some time to learn how to use Dreamweaver first and once I become familiar with it, use it to reformulate my site. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Martin House Orchids)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How is your learning of Dreamweaver coming along?
JOE: Interesting you should ask. I am wading through video tutorials while I await the manual I ordered.
CALLIOPE: Do you prefer one approach over the other?
JOE: I thought I would like the tutorials and liked being talked to by a person.
CALLIOPE: I sense a "but."
JOE: Very perceptive of you. Although I like the multisensory presentations, I tend to find written materials more useful.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I feel more in control of the material. I have an index, table of contents and can focus in on the material as specifically as I need to rather than following along with parts of a presentation I might not need or don't understand.
CALLIOPE: I see. So you think there is a future for books?
JOE: As far as I am concerned, I certainly hope so. I would miss them if they disappeared. Perhaps I would adjust but it would be difficult.
CALLIOPE: Some people think books are here to stay and others think they are on the way out.
JOE: I've heard both opinions too. I guess I will adjust to whatever happens. I just happen to like working from books.
CALLIOPE: Didn't your Latin friends have a maxim, "De gustibus non est disputandum?"
JOE: Yes. There's no arguing about tastes. Talk with you tomorrow.
 

(Martin House Portico)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Ready for another week?
JOE: Indeed. I started working yesterday learning the intricacies of Dreamweaver.
CALLIOPE: Have you thought about simpler approaches?
JOE: Several other writers mentioned the possibility of a hosted space under the umbrella of a general writers' site.
CALLIOPE: Have you considered that approach?
JOE: I think it would be a beginning if I knew nothing about websites and wanted a quick Internet presence.
CALLIOPE: You are beyond that?
JOE: Although my knowledge is rudimentary, I think I at least understand the basics and am prepared to continue with my own site.
CALLIOPE: Where will you start?
JOE: Reviewing the basics. I will reconsider the goals of my website, intended audience, what I would like my visitors to do.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE: I will design the structure, format and especially the content accordingly.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you have a plan.
JOE: I do, at least the outline of one. Now it's time to fill in the details. Talk with you tomorrow.

 (George M. Cohan with Pigeon)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Exhausted from my search.
CALLIOPE: Search of what?
JOE: The Internet and bookstores to decide what to do about my website.
CALLIOPE: Why do you have to do something about it?
JOE: My website host will no longer support Front Page, the program I used to develop and update my website aft the end of June.
CALLIOPE: Have you come to a decision?
JOE: Yes, Your Honor.
CALLIOPE: How does the jury find?
JOE: In favor of Dreamweaver. I considered paying someone to do what I needed (too expensive for my taste), using a free program (too limited), using a combination of program and hosting (I like my current service provider), Microsoft's Expression (unintelligible for me).
CALLIOPE: So Dreamweaver is the least of the evils?
JOE: That's one way to put it. It is also the gold standard of web development. I downloaded a trial and decided it was manageable with some practice.
CALLIOPE: So you have a month to learn the program?
JOE: I don't expect to become an expert in a month, but I'm ready for the journey. Talk with you on Monday.

(El Morro Castle- San Juan)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Mulling a self revelation.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like there might be a story to it.
JOE: There is. Yesterday I spent the morning at a meeting with mental health staff and fellow board members.
CALLIOPE: How did it go?
JOE: Mixed. The first part was a pleasant exchange and presentation with the staff. The second part turned to some thorny issues.
CALLIOPE: Where did you find the revelation?
JOE: We were discussing staffing and the issue of AmeriCorps came up. Someone wished I was available for their project rather than already committed to the arts council.
CALLIOPE: And your response?
JOE: I realized only as I said it that there are many personal issues related to mental health involving my family which make it hard for me to be any more involved with the field than I am now.
CALLIOPE: Is that what made you turn to writing instead of mental health?
JOE: In retrospect, I think so. I have plenty of experiences to draw on but don't want to revisit them, at least the personal ones.
CALLIOPE: Good realization.
JOE: I thought so. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
(Old Factory- Leroy, NY)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Matching the weather.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: Overcast.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: No particular reason. Sometimes I'm affected by my surroundings. Today is one of those days.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to handle it?
JOE: This morning I will be busy helping a friend open his pool.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE: Hard to say. Perhaps I will be in a more creative mood when I get back.
CALLIOPE: Does your mood bother you?
JOE: No, Sometimes I think a little down time gives me a chance to regroup and return to creativity.
CALLIOPE: We shall see.
JOE: I'll keep you posted. Talk with you tomorrow.