As I think back to my early writing days I can remember a lot of authors who provided me with inspiration. James Thurber was perched high atop that list. There were a lot of parallels between him and I—we both were from Columbus, we both liked to write humor pieces and draw, and we both ranked spectacularly high on the nerd-o-meter. I also think I would have been better suited living in the Jazz Age, to be honest.
After finding out James was regularly published in The New Yorker magazine I became slightly obsessed with getting some of my work accepted as well. Beginning around 1995 I regularly submitted poetry and short stories but, sadly, they never bit. After several years of fruitless submissions a tangle of life’s twists and turns happened and I gave up on that dream.
After watching a CBS Sunday Morning clip on the magazine’s 100th anniversary a few days ago that dream of getting published in The New Yorker was reignited in a big way.
Yesterday, I decided to try my luck again and submitted a short story, six cartoons, and six poems. Take that New Yorker (please)! According to their website I should find out if my luck has changed around June or so. What a wonderful birthday present that would be. Wish me luck! I'll report back here when I find out one way or another.
My Book Nook
Even at fifty-three, I’m still amazed by how much there is to discover in this world. With endless information at our fingertips, you’d think there’d be no more surprises—but life always finds a way to prove otherwise.
My wife gifted me this book nook model kit from Rolife for Valentine’s Day. What an amazing gift it was.
There are, quite literally, thousands of pieces to this model. This makes IKEA furniture assembly look like child's play. After three days and probably a total of six hours of assembly I’m a little more than halfway done. It’s amazing how cathartic this work is and what a sense of accomplishment I have at the end of a building session. This project taps into something primal and male – building, working with your mind and hands, and seeing tangible progress at the end.
Plus, when this is done I’ll have a great accent piece for my office bookshelf. My good friend Romeo, jokingly, asked if I had planned on having my book-signings in there. I asked him what color of pill I need to take to shrink myself down that small. He said he wasn't quite sure. For those of you who don't know, this is all in reference to some ancient Jefferson Airplane lyrics. I guess I'd better go ask Alice.
Be well, make the most of this day. Thank you for reading!
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