it's a cool Monday to kick off the week

Lots going on. Most of it good. It's in the 40's here, expected to reach about 60.

Between a nice late evening chat with Jezz and some email words of encouragement from Gina (whose book I am editing and it is incredible) I feel pretty good going into the week.

I'm hoping this week to see the advance pdf for my page from the AEI's Art&Soul book, coming out next month. Postponed from last fall, it's a coffee-table size booklet that profiles 50 outstanding creative artists from West Virginia. It is an honor to have been selected, more so as I have always had a distant relation with the Mountain State (WV to the World: William Who?) and the other honorees (you can see the full list at http://www.appalachianeducationinitiative.org/aei04artandsoulARTISTS.htm ) include Don Knotts, Jennifer Garner, Kathy Mattea, Soupy Sales(!), Ann Magnuson(!) and Morgan Spurlock..that is going to make one hell of a party (although, realistically, I never expect all of them to be in one room at one time, but trust me to take a pile of books with me to the reception...)

I've been in serious skull session about starting a consulting company...it looks like it is going to come to fruition. Between the business acumen, technical skills and networks of the crew we're assembling, this could be big. I could get used to that again. Be nice to dig my way out of the financial hard times I put myself into. 99% of my real problems in this life could be resolved by a simple briefcase full of cash...barring some nice philantrophist who'd rather go down in history as the patron who rescued a wounded "romantic poet of the internet" than buy another gold plated dipstick for his Bentley, I have to just keep swinging.

Speaking of swinging, I wonder what Mari is up to?

I was glad to see Tom Westman win Survivor last night. I have never seen such a dominating performance. It is nice to know that sometimes the person who plays the best does win (unlike some years when it is truly just a backstab game, there has to be some consideration for, if it truly was a game of survival, who would win (like a story I worked on a few years ago...if "Gilligan's Island" had not been a comedy...how would it have gone? I had it come down to the Professor and the Skipper at war, the Howells and Gilligan long gone as collateral casualties, and Ginger and Mary Ann having to decided whether to sit back and await the final victor or throw in with one or the other. Of course, in my universe, the ladies wisely chose the one most likely to keep them alive and in comfort, the Professor. Although the Professor spared the Skipper's life, it was left with the backthought that eventually the Skipper would wait until the Prof had done all he could to improve the quality of life, then take him out.))

I'm giving two final exams this week, and have a lot of yard work to do, in addition to my newly full dance card (don't worry, Clemmie, I'm being good, as promised) and my writing and editing duties...I HAVE to put "The Morgantown Suite" to bed by next Sunday.