January 30, 2010
Man, did this month evaporate, or what? Nice day at home, although I did go into the office to finish up an overview-redesign on our travel issue. Did several roughs for layout consideration, but our server is acting up, not responding, so I couldn't even send email. Frustrating. Called Robert Ray at home, but the phone fix didn't work (take out the router jack on the little black box on top of the server for about 20 seconds and reconnect it. This seems to be tantamount to kicking the tires when your car engine overheats. Ha.).

Thomas Charles came out last night. Made him Bobby Cakes this morning, while he studied for a test he has to take online for work. At three, he finished and I was back from the office so we had Coronas with lime, and chatted up Onion headlines and American humor while I made carne asado tacos, from buffalo steaks. I had one, but also made chicken tacos and I stuck with those for the rest (2). Trying to be a good boy.

We're also trying to name our new gato. Carole suggests Roy or Emmett. T. Charles took one look at him and said, Zorrito, "Little fox." hmmmmm. might fly.

Hey Flying R, just got the latest T.A. Swinford Rare And Out of Print Books Catalogue from Tom Swinford today and he is listing the August, 1991 Arizona Highways issue with my Billy on the cover for $12.50. So, your 49 cent investment is looking good. At this rate, in about ten years you could buy a combo meal with the profits.

Tom Swinford also lists several of my other books, including Doc Holliday at $45 and my Billy the Kid book at $30. I tell everyone that if I sign it, I absolutely guarantee that someday it will be worth the cover price. So there's an investment strategy I can get behind.

Went on a walk with Peaches this morning and was inspired to tell this story:

My grandmother, Minnie, never liked the story where I ended up in the Buick with the Vegas Hookers. Makes some sense: she was 69, I was nine. Come to think of it, my mother didn't like the story either. Too unseemly. Better left out of my life story.

My father never admitted to liking it either. And, he never smiled when I told it, but I could see in his eyes, it amused him, perhaps because it upset his wife and mother so much.

And so, this story is for him:

66 Chix: the story of a life changing, cross country trip by Iowa Lutherans that ended in shame and worse yet, in Kingman.

Or, something like that.

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself."
—George Bernard Shaw