"Standing on the corner at midnight, trying to get my courage up"

Bob Seger 

I am in kind of a strange place tonight. My wife's at a meeting. I have been fighting an infection caused by a scalding burn; it's been up and down.

I am upset by the outcome in WI but kind of taking a break from politics, at the same time. You can only engage with that kind of stress for so long, then have to detach...live to fight another day, so to speak.

I am working through my poetry manuscript, engaged in some pretty heavy editing right now. You have to try to cut out cliches and superficiality, or it's certainly not poetry.

I have the heat turned way up because I feel kind of chilled. Fiona the testy cat is calm now and sitting on the window sill looking out without whining.

I'm thankful for that.

Music is keeping me glued together today.

Friday we'll be on the road to Indiana, and I will be glad for the change of pace. Linda and I enjoy traveling together. I have a hard time traveling alone. I'm an introvert, generally, but too much aloneness can suck the life out of me. Introverts have intimacy and companionship needs, too.

Received a nice letter from USA today. Even though I criticized them somewhat harshly regarding their political coverage a few weeks ago, I'm still welcome to submit my letters. They have published a number of them in the past and this avenue of political expression is important to me, because of the high circulation. I write politically in order to exert some influence. It may seem like spitting in the wind, but it's something.

I hope that this infection abates some more or disappears by Friday!

I love to visit various parts of the USA but my favorite regions are New England and the South. Seemingly polar opposites but in actuality with much in common, believe it or not, including an Appalachian tie-in.

I am having more communication with my son, who is in China, lately, via Facebook, since he has experienced an upper respiratory infection and I got burned. The China pollution is getting to him, I think. Also, I think that culture shock and homesickness are setting in. He comes back on the 17th.

The night birds are beginning to cry out as twilight falls.