Dateline: above the garage in Portsmouth RI, 24 April 2005
Finished the endnotes today. Had the last 10 to do, then I went through all my clippings and pulled articles that I hadn't gotten in but wanted to, and plugged them into existing endnotes, creating just a few new ones to accomodate cites I really liked and wanted in.
End total was 40 pages of text, just under 26,000 words. Basically another chapter.
Did this all on kitchen table, so as to spend time with kids while they told me various things, played various games, watched various movies, ate various meals, etc. Wasn't much of a Daddy day, but beats working at the office, I can tell you.
And so the first draft really ends 120 days after it began: the day after Xmas 2004.
Sent the file plus a list of changes to Mark this pm, after conversation.
Tomorrow I will print out all the interview transcripts and take them with me to the airport because . . . I'm flying to Indy to check out a house we will probably make an offer on. On the market 6 months and a bit overpriced, but very nice. Don't want to pay the full price because it's above our desired amount, but you're supposed to aim a little high, assuming your income is rising and you're buying for the average of the next ten years, so I'm trying to remember that real estate rule, because it's proven true in the past (two houses, now).
Vonne lands tomorrow in Providence just before 1pm and I fly right after. Get there tomorrow night and hope to see house before it gets dark. Then up for very early flight back next morning. Will write the Esquire piece between Tuesday noon and Wed 2pm. Have to get psyched for that.
Tomorrow we post version 1.0 of the weekly digest that we're going with in lieu of the monthly newsletter. Here's the hope: every week I pen something extra for the digest (or we find someone else we really want to do that on occasion). The digest also presents some old greatest blogs, plus a complete chrono order of the past week's entries, for people who like to read 'em that way. Toss in some letters and responses to "ask Tom" feature we're going to try, then the usual crass attempts to woo you with stuff or cool events like The New Map Game, and then we're out the door just like that.
Tomorrow's edition will have a special essay from me entitled, "The Top Ten List of Why I Hate "World War IV." Will I have something that good every week? I gotta get back into the swing of things now that Vol. II is off my back! Suggestions are always welcome.
Next week I am tempted to write about the pope selection. In the meantime, here's TM Lutas looking on the upside at http://www.snappingturtle.net/jmc/tmblog/archives/005340.html
Gotta get some sleep. My dogs are barking!
No really, I think that's my dog barking. He's getting scary big. I keep trying to pick him up like my old Westy and I'm going to hurt myself trying to do that eventually (or him). Nice bark though. Keeps the neighborhood kids' balls outta my yard!
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