Chapter 84.3: Junk Day

Just laid several old items at the curbside to be picked up for junk day. Already, a couple cars have slowed — one even stopped — to check whether my junk was their treasure. It seems, however, that there's not much of a market for ten-year-old Macs, fifteen-year-old televisions, or a ceiling lamp that looks like it belongs in a Korean deli.

I expect 2010 to be a year of garage sales. I hope we have one (I've been saying this for at least four years), but I'm sure there'll be lots more around the neighborhood. Sure, there's the economic reasons. I know I can always use a spare twenty or two to scare away the moths, especially these days when we count ourselves lucky to not spend $30 to fill a tank with gas.

But junk is a relative thing. I had gone into my basement intending to toss more stuff. But the CD player still works (I have a five-CD player these days), and there's a mixer that might still be useful for when I start playing the guitar and recording songs again. So they're still downstairs, and now that the other stuff is gone, these old items seem to have gained a little luster. They're less "old crap" and more "stuff from my past." There's a tinge of nostalgia to them rather than a layer of dust — well, there's that too, actually.

But I think more positively about the future now, if for no other reason than I'd love for 2009 to be over. It's been an exhausting year — even moreso for my wife.

So as another car moseys by the curbside, I wish you all good luck cleaning out your 2009 mind of the stuff that's accumulated, and preparing to start 2010 with a clean slate.

Chapter 84.2: 5 Questions for ... Matt Sinclair

Victoria Dixon, a fellow member of the online community of writers at AgentQuery who blogs at Ron Empress, asked who among us was willing to subject ourselves to a short interview. Nothing too dangerous, just five questions based on her reading of our online Blogger profile.

Here's what we came up with. Feel free to ask me any additional questions in the comment section. I may just answer them!

1) What is your metaphysical reason to blog? What do you get from it beyond contacts, marketing tools, etc. (This is akin to asking why do you read.)

The short answer to your question is that blogs help me think. I read to know; I write to express. When it comes to blogging, it’s somewhat more complicated. I’m a chronic thinker, and blogs allow me to vent or ramble on a variety of topics as I try to think them through.

To me, blogs can be less formalized, less complete, than any novel or magazine article I write. But to layer on the metaphysical aspect of your question, I do like the element of permanence — or at least endurance — that an electronic compendium of my thoughts offers.

In my personal writing life, I write fiction because I love to imagine. We all have our own lives, our own realities; a great number of readers would prefer to learn about realities they’re not already aware of (i.e., they prefer nonfiction). I love to enter a world created by another writer. I love getting lost in my imagination, exploring ideas that wouldn’t come up in my every day life otherwise.

On another point, I won’t discount the marketing and contact aspects you cited, but those are not my chief reasons to blog at this time. If and when I have published novels to hawk, I’ll be far more targeted in the marketing of my blogs. One of my projects for 2010 is to create a Web site for myself as a writer of fiction and nonfiction. My wife and I decided to work on a book project together related to the work she’s done for the past twenty years. It’ll be nonfiction, but I think I’ll be able to get that published before I get a fiction agent and sell any of my manuscripts.

2) Speaking of your amazing number of blogs, what's the purpose behind each? This is where you get to remind your readership of some of the things you have to offer. :)

I’ve started several blogs, but I only have two that matter in my writing life. The first was Matt Sinclair’s Coffee Cup, which I created in 2004. I expected it to be basically a place where I could write some early morning thoughts on the day ahead or the day behind while drinking a cup of coffee. The posts were supposed to be no longer than it took me to write while sipping my morning caffeine. As such, the topics could go anywhere, and usually did.

One of the beauties of blogs is you can learn something about a writer’s personality through them — at least as far as the writers allow — even as they discuss the most mundane things in their lives. After my daughters were born in December 2008, I knew my blogging time would be vastly cut back. I was surprised at how much time I had to write during their first couple of months of life. I started a new section of posts, called “Matt Recommends,” about things that were really helpful to my wife and me as new parents. This was my attempt at recognizing the importance of advertising. I’ve worked for many years in magazines and I’ve never felt very comfortable with the (necessary) role of advertisers. “Matt Recommends” was my way to acknowledge that if I had any future in getting money out of my blogs, I’d have to push products that I believed in.

But once the girls were about two or three months old, the sleep deprivation hit full bore and my work schedule got tougher. Blogging regularly over coffee just wasn’t possible.

My second blog, The Elephant’s Bookshelf, arose not long after the first, but I wanted it to be focused on writing and reading. I had hoped it would evolve into a writing community — this was before I knew about AgentQuery — and I could get people to write book reviews, which I’d edit and post. I’m still open to that possibility, but I’ve not really pursued it. Elephant’s Bookshelf has also expanded a little beyond its original intent to include my thoughts on lots of things at least tangentially related to writing and reading — awards, contests (including National Novel Writing Month) films, the death of newspapers...

The others, including one you probably didn’t see in WordPress, were half-hearted attempts to discuss things like traffic in New Jersey, book stores, reviews of book fairs and readings, and other things that I’ve since forgotten. At least one was established so I could help teach a sibling how to create a blog.

3) In your favorite book list, you mention authors for the most part. What is your all-time-favorite, cannot-do-without book?

For me, that’s very hard to answer. I don’t think there is just one. But if I were forced to live in the world of Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451 and "become" a banned book until society allowed books to exist again, I might choose Michael Chabon’s Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay or John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. I also loved John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things, which now that I think of it might be the book I’d memorize. It has so much of what I love in a novel: intelligence, humor, a story that is both engaging and meaningful. That’s what I hope my works will offer readers. I like to share things I’ve learned without being too didactic.

4) If an editor/publisher came to you and said, "We'll pay you to write this book," what would be the worst possible topic they could think of?

One that I not only knew nothing about but which I had no interest in learning anything about. A history of defecation comes to mind. I’d call it “I Don’t Give a ...”

5) What would be the best?

The universe is my oyster! There are so many things I’d love to write about. If I could get interviews with all the surviving Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronauts, for example, I’d love to do something with that. But Andrew Chaiken’s already written A Man on the Moon and I don’t think that’ll ever be topped; it was the basis for the HBO series “From the Earth to the Moon.” Other topics could include something related to my first love: baseball. And if a publisher has a hankering for an interesting tale that takes place in Antarctica, well, I’m about 25,000 words into it.

But that barely scrapes the surface of the types of books I want to write. I have a list of a couple dozen novels, screenplays, short story collections, and other works that I hope one day to write. In all honesty, I doubt I'll live anywhere near long enough to write all I hope to write. But I'll do what I can.

Thanks, Victoria, for the opportunity.

Chapter 84.1: It Was Worth Another Try

Well, I didn't quite get to where I wanted to go with my 2009 attempt at National Novel Writing Month. I had less than a thousand words to go with five days in which to write them, but between babies and other family demands, I wasn't able to spare any time. That happens.

Much thanks to all those who joined me in this and encouraged me to keep at it. I know several of my NaNo buddies topped 50,000, including a co-worker who I suspect is quite proud of herself — and justifiably so. She knows that 50,000 words is just the beginning; there's more to be written, revised, shaped, and decided. A novel doesn't happen in a month, but the writing can.

Congratulations to all you NaNoers who put in the time. Whether you completed the 50,000 goal or not, you should be applauded for making the attempt. While that's all well and good, if you truly believe you want to write a novel, keep going, regardless of your "winning" status. On the NaNo site, they often mention that "December is for revising." (Or do they say 'editing'? I may need to revise that.)

For me, I have 9100 words that I didn't have on October 31. That's on top of the 15,000+ words I'd written for this manuscript last November. Who knows what the next tweleve months have in store for me. I'd like to believe that by next November I'll have finished this particular manuscript, or at least written too much more to use Nano to complete it.

What have you written lately? Please share a story about your latest story.

Chapter 84: What Happened to Halloween?

The evening's festivities are over, and my wife and I are settling in for our annual Ghost Hunters live event. I don't know if it was the drizzle and rain or something else, but this year's Halloween was disappointing.

Not many kids stopped by in their costumes. We have too much candy left over. And even the costume creativity seems to have taken a nosedive. I'm just not that impressed.

I used to look forward to Halloween as a kid. It was a night to go out after dark, explore, get candy, and goof around. I looked forward to seeing what others would wear and, in case I forgot to mention it, getting candy.

This year it was a Saturday night. I expected more children, not fewer. Are people afraid to let their children roam a neighborhood?

Now that I'm a father, I look forward to taking my girls around the neighborhood. I think I might even enjoy dressing up to give people a little scare as well. Forget the associations with paganism and satanism that some people place on this celebration of individuality, Halloween is Mardi Gras for children. It should be cherished and enjoyed.

Chapter 83.7: My 9/10 Novel

Living in northern New Jersey, it's difficult, if not impossible, to not think about the events of 9/11, 2001. Indeed, it's probably bad for your mental health not to think about it from time to time if you lived through it here. I suspect I will always remember exactly where in my commute I heard about the first plane hitting one of the Twin Towers. I chastised myself for assuming we were under attack — especially after the guy on WDHA amended his comments saying that it had been a small plane, not a large plane as he initially had heard.

In between the time I parked my car and turned off the engine and I entered my office, the second plane had hit the second tower. It immediately struck me: We're at war.

By 9/10, 2001, I had begun my first novel and written about thirty pages. I was stuck not on what to write next but when did my story occur. Was the time significant? On 9/11, I realized that we had just experienced an important line of demarcation in history; there is a pre-9/11 world and a post-9/11 world. From there, I had to determine how this affected my novel

I decided to use it obliquely. My novel begins on 9/10, 2000 and ends on 9/10, 2001. Because such attacks were barely contemplated by the average person, nothing more than faint glimpses of fear and omen are displayed. The story takes place in Hoboken, New Jersey, a town I know well that lies directly across the river from New York City. Ground Zero is within view. Indeed, the clouds of smoke and debris floated above the river after the towers fell.

Whether my oblique references to the tragedy of 9/11 should remain part of my novel — and not an overt focus of it — has been a frequent point of discussion with my initial readers. Usually I bring it up, but some of my readers have anticipated the question. I still think it's more than just a moment of inspiration; I think it's important to the story, subtle though it remains.

So, each year, I think a lot about the people who experienced 9/11 first hand. I lost a friend that day and thank God that I didn't lose more people who were close to me. I lost some innocence as well, which is largely what my novel is about — not my loss of innocence, but the nation's; or maybe it's that our eyes were opened to the terrible possibilities. And I reflect on those fictional people who mean so much today who came to life on 9/11.

With my young innocents at home, I have had almost no time to work on the latest novel much less to send my "finished" one out to agents. I respect their time and my own too much to look for representation when I don't have the time to respond appropriately if I should actually get an offer. It's like going fishing without the strength to reel in the fish.

Remember 9/11, my friends, in your own way. It's important for all Americans, regardless of political party or ideology.

Chapter 83.6: What to do?

Recently, my wife has been updating the Web site for her company. And that's gotten me to thinking about a topic I've had on my mind a lot over the past couple of years: Should I build a Web site for myself — my writing self?

I do a little freelance work. Having a Web site might be a good way to attract more work, though to be honest, the best way is to go out and pursue it, not expect it to come to a Web site others don't know exists.

Should I try to park my domain name now and come back to the site later, when I have published books to hawk? Perhaps. But my name is already being used by someone else (probably someone named Matt Sinclair), so what would I be saving? Perhaps the name of my first book. There may be sense to do that, but does that mean I'd have to create a new site for the second book? And what if the first book is never bought and published, but the second (or third or fourth) becomes my first "real" novel? Well, I don't really know.

Then, there's also the issue of having the time. If I'm to build a site, I need to take time to do it right. As those who've visited this blog and my writing-related blog, the Elephant's Bookshelf, know, I barely have enough time to habitate this little avenue of cyberspace, so adding one more rest stop along the highway probably isn't going to make the trip any smoother.

My hope is to eventually blend this and the other blogs into one primary site for me as a writer. But I believe it makes more sense for me to take what little time I have to actually write. I have work that could be done on my "finished" novel, and query letters to send out. I also have a second novel that's begun, which has characters locked en flagrante in Antarctica. Ok, maybe that's not quite true, but I think there was some love brewing when I was last mentally visiting that little spot of ice on the world.

So for now, I'll stick with my blogs. I don't need to spend money to park something when I can always get a new domain that's named something interesting. Hope no one minds.

Chapter 83.5: Meaningful Games in 2011?

My Mets are so done they're using the lines from the grill as their pinstripes.

Remember April? Back then, this Mets team was supposed to be the one that fans would look back on and say, "Remember that '09 club? Johan, Cy Young Award. Reyes, MVP. Wright, a Gold Glove and the solid gold leader of the team. Gary Sheffield came in and hit his 500th homer in April and then Carlos Delgado did the same in September, like Hall of Fame bookends. Even Billy Wagner, expected to be gone for the entire year, came back in August to solidify the bullpen with the best late-inning one-two punch the game had seen in a decade. That was the final ingredient that perfected the recipe. New York Mets, World Champs of 2009."

But no. Not even close. The Mets haven't had a meaningful game since before the All-Star break. Every single one of their so-called "core players" went on the disabled list: Reyes, Wright, Delgado, Beltran, Santana. Add to them Brian Schneider and Angel Pagan, John Maine and Oliver Perez. (Don't get me started about Perez!) Hell, even Alex Cora was lost for the season!

Abysmal. Thank God for the Washington Nationals.

Back in March, I had meant to do my annual season predictions. I had expected the Mets to come in second behind the Phillies, win the wild card, and advance to the World Series. But I didn't write it. There just wasn't enough time. I'm glad. It's bad enough that I'll admit that I thought this was going to be a good team. What's worse, Omar Minaya was signed to a three-year contract extension that hasn't even begun yet. This team is bad. The mechanic hasn't proven he can be fully trusted after several years under the hood. What's a fan to do?

Chapter 83.4: A Few Moments Alone

The classical music has soothed the savage babies. The wife is out for an hour or so. And the coffee still tastes good. I will try to keep from wasting too much time from the one day when I can accomplish something on my own.

Later, in between diapers and bottles, I'll mow the lawn, which has grown once again to jungle lengths. Till then, however, I'll enjoy the skirl of the cicadas and crickets from my air conditioned home — pushing back the annoying question of how I'll pay for such amenities — and see what else I can accomplish in the time allotted.

How's your day?

Chapter 83.3: Summer in the City

The streets of New York City stink of garbage this morning. Scents of fish and piss and withering whatchamacallit grab onto the sticky humid air and embed themselves deep into people's nostrils. The occasional open door at this hour already has the air conditioner blasting out onto the sidewalk — an all too brief respite as I continue walking groggily to work.

I slept well on the train this morning as a pretty woman in a sundress read her Jodi Picoult beside me. Dreams of babies crying and parents consoling them. Diaper and feed.

I need my coffee. I need to sit for a minute or two. I need to clear the air. Welcome back, summer.

Chapter 83.2: Re-Emerging or Just Shifting?

It has been too long since I posted anything other than a new poll question here. Indeed, it used to be unusual for me to go two weeks between published posts much less the two months it has been.

Those who know me know why that's happened, and while I have shifted the dexterity in my hands to diapering the girls, my fingers and my mind remain quite able to type and think. Ok, the fingers still work, the brain's not always there without enough caffeine to fuel it. This is my coffee cup, after all.

As July ebbs in the rain-drenched streets of New York and New Jersey, I pledge to post more often in August — both here and at The Elephant's Bookshelf, where I've posted a tad more regularly. I know these posts won't come frequently, but they will occur. But I've got a first novel to re-re-revise and a new novel to continue writing. After all, these characters in my soul don't stop bugging me when I'm not writing about them.

Chapter 83.1: Time Passes

A couple weeks ago, an anniversary passed without notice. It wasn't important in any great sense. No parties were deserved. No parades planned. Barely a word was really necessary. But this blog turned five.

Life has been busy for me lately. Those who know me and my family understand why. The parties on that end were deserved, and parades of a different sort took place. As for words — nothing really quite captures the feelings. And blogs aren't the answer to such issues.

But still, it's true that I enjoy sharing the occasional thoughts or words here with the world of mostly strangers, and especially with those few, precious friends who stop by and leave word of their visit.

So happy fifth "blogoversary." And I'll see you as the spring and summer get even warmer.

Chapter 83: Reflections on Time and a Bottle

Several weeks ago, now, there was a column in the New York Times that I kept here in a draft, intending to write about it. But I'm sure the sardonic stuff I would have "scribbled" here isn't what I'm writing now. Not that I don't feel the same way, I just don't feel that way ... now.

The Proof column, which is among those being sliced due to cost-cutting measures, is about alcohol and American life: a worthy topic of discussion, particularly in pubs and especially with intelligent people who can extemporize without spilling anything on the nicely lacquered bartop. But I'm writing this at about 7 a.m., after an evening in which the screams of babies literally drove me to drink — not much, and only after I'd gotten them in a safe place with their mother.

The article by Tim Kreider, which feels less like an op-ed piece and more like an essay in a men's magazine, still keeps me thinking. There are a couple lines I particularly like: "I don't feel middle aged — I just feel like I’ve been young a lot longer than most people" and "I’m a little appalled at all the time I’ve lost, but then, wasting time wasn’t exactly an unforeseen side effect; it was part of the fun. Of course it was; if drinking wasn’t so much fun it wouldn’t be such a widespread and terrible problem." And this is a classic: "As my metabolism started to slow down the fun-to-hangover ratio became increasingly unfavorable."

Truer comments may never have been written, and it takes a middle-age wastrel to write them. I'm not passing any judgement on this guy; it's quite possible he's accomplished more than I have. Indeed, he's got a column in the New York Times. And I'm fairly certain his words have found more readers than mine have — so far.

This man is approximately one full year older than I am. It seems to have taken him, perhaps, ten-twelve years more than it took me to realize that drinking like college kids isn't really much fun any more. And yes, it is "any less" fun. Neither is this blog piece a public pledge to quit drinking; such proclamations are only needed for those who want to be anonymous, and they know not to make public pledges — just private confirmations or acknowledgements.

Rather, I think of this as another morning, children fed and sleeping, cats fed and sleeping, wife unfed and sleeping, in which I don't have to say to myself, "My God, what have I done?"

Chapter 82.97: Anyone Else?

I'm sure I'm not informed enough to comment intelligently about this, but anyone else find it amusing that banks are complaining about the fees they have to pay related to their bailout? Obviously, we need banks to be healthy, but I can't help but think it serves CEOs right.

Chapter 82.95: Novel Update

I don't really have time to type this, but for those who've asked in the past about my completed novel (in italics because I know a novel is never finished until it's published), I have sent it to a friend who is an agented writer. He offered to take a look at it and consider passing it along to his agent.

I don't really expect anything to come of this, but at least I have sent it out with the intention of getting it to an agent. So I am celebrating my having done this ... not with actual Champagne but in my brain it is the first step in a long walk.

Chapter 82.9: AIG=MESS

A couple quick comments that I expect to expand upon later: From an article I can't recover yet, I read that the people who earned these "bonuses" from AIG were being paid $1 in salary. So let's call these things what they are. They are not "bonuses," they are multimillion dollar salaries. I can understand why folks in the financial world are balking at the government's efforts to quash the use of taxpayer-paid bonuses. In the real world, we have another term for these negotiated deals: Bullshit.

To my ears, this is yet another example of duplicity coming from major financial companies — nose-thumbing at the financially unsophisticated, ignorant public. Not that anyone's asking me, but I have no problem with the administration taking the company to task.

But I also believe that what's happening is the administration is looking to the courts to play the bad guys and determine legally that the bills must be paid while providing political cover for the administration's collective asses. Like I said, more later.

Chapter 82.8: Time Is a Harsh Mistress

Even now, at the end of the day, I feel the time change. Last night I was awake as 2 a.m. instantly became 3 a.m. I don't remember when that last happened.

I know enough about the history of DST, but I can't help but wonder if it's still relevant.

What's your opinion? Should Daylight Saving Time continue?

Chapter 82.7: Matt Recommends: It's All Kids Play

As a new father and an old daycamp director, I know something about how important keeping a child entertained can be. That's one of the reasons I was so eager to check out the new Website It's All Kids Play, which is free to all. Created by Canadian writer (and fellow Agent Query denizen) Jean Oram, the site boasts more than 700 cheap (even free!) things to do when the kids whine, "I'm borrrrrred!"

Of course, many of the ideas are well known by children everywhere. (I think I was born aware of how to make armpit farts, for example. Though I suppose my brothers may have had a hand in teaching me.) But I suspect most American kids don't know about curling, and I didn't have a recipe for Glop.

There are too many sections to review at one sitting — and where's the fun in that? — but the navigation bar is blissfully intuitive. For those who need things even simpler, there's also a site map. Actually, the site map provides a handy source to get the RSS feed.

Not to be missed is the related blog, which includes a tip of the day. Today's was an ice cream sundae. Sorry, folks. I've got to go. I just had an idea.

While I'm gone, check out It's All Kids Play.ca. You and your kids will be happy you did. ... Now, where did I put the chocolate syrup?

Chapter 82.6: Rocky Mountains Crash to Earth

I've never lived in Colorado, so it doesn't affect me as much as it does the people out there, but as a journalist, I can't help but feel sad for the death of yet another newspaper. The Rocky Mountain News published its final edition today, just a few weeks short of its 150th anniversary.

I don't have personal stories to share about what that paper meant to me, but I'm sure they exist, and I'd be happy to have people share them here in comments.

Journalism remains popular with college students. I see news of new fellowships and grants for journalists all the time, and I hear from college students that they want to get into journalism. So I know the interest is out there. What isn't out there right now is a viable business model that would allow many of the old papers to continue to exist. The old model isn't working anymore.

Papers have gone online, and that's good. I suspect many of them eventually will only exist online. And that isn't as good, because not everyone has access to the Internet. That's a discussion for another time.

If nothing else, I'll reflect on the death of a grand old paper, what it means for the hundreds of people who worked there and their families, and look forward to the future of journalism, because people remain unchanged in their desire to have access to objectively presented information.

Chapter 82.5: Spring Cleaning

It's cold and breezy still, but the sun is shining and my mood isn't as dark as it was last night. Amazing what a couple of sleeping babies and cups of coffee can do to a person.

Anyway, I have had a lot of things on my mind lately, one of the least of which is this blog, which I cherish but have been neglecting lately. So I decided to give it a little bit of a makeover — nothing too earth shattering (there really are not many template choices when one has a free blog) — and mark a milestone.

Recently, I crossed over the 500 post mark. I'm not quite sure which one it was (though I'm thinking it might have to do with dirty diapers). But since I have a few posts in the hopper and others that are actually notes for myself (who knows what evil lurks in the post lists of man...), it's possible that this one is #500.

I've also added a followers list. I don't expect too many, but as that little woman in the Poltergeist movie said: "All are welcome. All are welcome."

In the grand scheme of things, 500 blog posts is not much of an accomplishment. I may, however, try to do something to mark my five-year "blogoversary," which is a few months away.

Anyway, enjoy your weekend. There's a lot of work still to do.

Chapter 82.4: Matt Recommends - Diaper Genie

Everyone knows the three basic functions of an infant: eating, sleeping, and pooping. Well, as far as I can tell, you can't get through that last function without a hygenic place to send the diapers. Enter Diaper Genie.

The idea behind Diaper Genie is simple: store diapers without letting the stink leak out into the air. With newborns, it's hard to say how much the scented Diaper Genie bag covers the odor, but I've not noticed a stink yet, so I take that as a positive. Working with Diaper Genie is easy too, though I'll admit it wasn't so obvious to set up when I first put it together. Mind you I was looking at the real possibility of tossing the dirty items in a supermarket baggie otherwise.

The disposal is a silo that stores a couple dozen diapers at a time, which are twisted to section off each diaper, leading to a string of pearls when it's time to toss them out.

Simple, efficient, and oh my dear, so necessary. Diaper Genie should be in the homes of every new parent.

Chapter 82.3: To Seek Out New Life and New Civilizations...

Now this seems pretty cool! The folks in charge of the Hubble Telescope have created a contest in which people can vote for what they think it should explore next. I remember not too long ago people were talking about letting the Hubble die an ignominious death, so I'm glad to see people still see value in the work it continues to do.

But the contest ends on March 1, so go out there and seek out new life and new civilizations. Boldly go where only Hubble can go right now.

Chapter 82.2: In Vino Veritas

I love finding inspiring stories about alcohol.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not in favor of inebriates running (or driving) rampant across America or the world, wreaking havoc on unsuspecting (or perhaps also drunken) neighbors, or destroying lives and families. But I'm all in favor of appropriate use of social elixirs to smooth out the rough edges of life.

Apparently, I'm not the only one and this idea is as old as civilization. In the New York Times the other day, an item was published in one of their blogs by a teacher whose students asked about the abundance of drinking in Homer's The Odyssey. Of course, Greeks weren't the only folks enjoying the fruit of the vine back then. It was common to drink alcoholic beverages, as the Times piece notes.

But Homer and others of his era also demonstrated that alcohol should be used in moderation — let me refine that: alcohol should be enjoyed, but used in moderation. Okay, maybe I'm editorializing a little about what Homer meant.

But I love the way the writer concluded his piece:

I wasn’t quite satisfied, and the question continued to bother me until, days later, I found a passage in “The Odyssey” that succinctly captures the complexity of the Greek attitude towards alcohol. Odysseus is speaking to a sympathetic swineherd, and though he is in disguise, the words have the unmistakable ring of honesty:


[I]t is the wine that leads me on, the wild wine
that sets the wisest man to sing at the top of his lungs,
laugh like a fool – it drives the man to dancing...it even
tempts him to blurt out stories better never told.

After two decades away from home, there must have been so much to say, so many bottled-up tales of friends lost and battles won. Somebody get the poor guy another round.

Chapter 82.1: So Little Time, So Much to Do

Here we are, in the final week of January, and I feel like I've accomplished nothing. I have valid reasons — who poop and cry and drink bottles like drunken sailors — but it's still amazing to see time evaporate before me.

Anyway, I've been meaning to conduct several interviews for work and haven't even called people to set things up yet. I've got pieces to edit that are piling up in nice messy stacks and I'm only starting to gain the energy to work on them.

So it's nice to see that the world is moving forward regardless of my schedule. The Democrats in Congress have gotten a stimulus package passed despite not having a single Republican vote in its favor. I respect that Republicans might disagree with the amount of money being directed at various programs, including those they consider entitlement programs. But it surprises me that not a single Republican voted in favor of this bill. It's not as though President Obama didn't reach out for their input.

But it's a House bill and this was a stand the Republicans chose to take against the Democrats, who have the votes in the House to pass it. The Senate bill will be different, and if Congress is to get a stimulus package on Obama's desk by Lincoln's birthday, there'll likely need to be compromises made. So much government sausage making.

The way I see it, the issues the administration and Congress are addressing are important, but getting the economy moving in the right direction again will ultimately come down to businesses feeling confident enough in the future to hire people to work instead of laying them off. Big companies like Boeing, and Microsoft, and Target have announced layoffs. These are companies that are relatively strong but recognize that the economy isn't getting better; it's getting worse. So they're bracing for the storm. Friends of mine at other companies have lost jobs, despite having ten, twelve years with their former employers. And the credit card crisis hasn't even hit yet. But it's coming. You can bet your last dollar on that.

It's scary out there. The future looks bleak. Yet, somehow, I think we — my family and those I most care about, including those who are unemployed — will get through it. We'll need to scrimp and save, consolidate things that we used to take for granted, reuse stuff that probably would have been tossed in the past. We'll likely have lots of competitors when we hold a garage sale, and you have to wonder who will be buying. But I think that in the end we'll survive, possibly even come out of things feeling rejuvenated if not a little grayer around the temples.

This is our generation's crisis, and crises mean people step up and do what they need to do. They do what's needed. This is our time to be a great generation. There's no shortage of things to accomplish. We've all heard the ancient curse: may you live in interesting times. Well, at least we won't be bored.

Chapter 82: Matt Recommends – Saving Baby's Life DVD

Geraldine Hickey, an award-winning neonatal intensive care nurse, has created Saving Baby's Life, a DVD with instructions for new parents about how to respond to a choking, respiratory, or cardiac emergency experienced by your infant or newborn. I heartily recommend that all first-time parents get a copy, which provides exactly what it promises: simple, concise, accurate, and effective instruction. Even a seasoned parent who has a newborn and never learned these life saving techniques would be advised to pick up a copy.

I am a certified New Jersey EMT and have served on a first aid squad for more than twenty years, but even I found this DVD useful. There are differences between adult and infant CPR, but Hickey doesn't bog the DVD down with comparisons. She focuses her comments squarely on the infant's care. She gets right to the point and shares her knowledge. Clearly and articulately, Hickey describes the entire process of performing rescue breathing, CPR, and dislodging an object from an infant's airway. When it comes to emergency situations for infants, these are the ones a new parent most needs to know how to address.

She also helps explain when to call 911. Even as a trained EMT, I would call 911 to activate the emergency response system. A child who goes into cardiac arrest, for example, needs to be seen by a doctor.

The creator of Baby Zone & Beyond LLC, Hickey also discusses ways to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, with helpful guidance for new parents such as having the child sleep on its back, keeping infants away from second-hand smoke, and keeping potential obstacles from cluttering the basinette or crib. The stuffed elephant is cute, but it should not be in the crib of an infant.

Again, I recommend that parents of newborns pick up a copy of this professionally produced DVD, which is about 20 minutes long and worth every second. Even those who have had adult CPR courses would benefit from this instruction.

I received no compensation for this review. It's part of my new focus on this blog of products for infants and children — a way to offer my knowledge and initial impressions to those parents like me who are new to this wonderful stage of life. I'm proud to have made this the first product I review on this site. Emergency care is too important to put on the back burner.

Chapter 81.7: Thanks, Happy New Year, and Good Luck!

I was very pleasantly surprised to see the recent results of my latest poll, which asked whether you had made a New Year's resolution. I got six responses in a week, which for this little blog is pretty much record-setting territory.

Not only that, but no one responded that setting resolutions is a waste of time. I used to think they were. I used to say "I resolved not to make any resolutions," but that joke got old. So did I, and I realized that setting resolutions is essentially goal setting, and I have many goals.

I won't go into all of them, but my goals for 2009 include getting a literary agent, finishing my second novel (a tough challenge, with newborns), and doing my diaper duty. (Pardon the play on words.)

Anyone else care to share their resolutions for 2009? You don't even have to be among those who responded to the poll.

Chapter 81.6: Hot Dog and Rice

The Baseball Hall of Fame will have at least two new members. In my opinion, both Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice deserve the laurels they will finally wear. Henderson — baseball's greatest base stealer and the consummate leadoff hitter — was a no-brainer. The only issue for him was whether he actually was finished playing.

Though he turned 50 on Christmas day, Henderson probably could still hit .280 and provide 15-20 stolen bases and score 75 runs if he played in 2009. He was always in fantastic shape and his skills hadn't fallen apart like those of many older players. With more than 3,000 hits, 1,400 steals, and 2,000 runs, his election was a foregone conclusion.

Rice, on the other hand, required all fifteen of the annual ballots before he was elected. In my view, he was one of the greatest power hitters of the '70s and '80s. If you look at his numbers, you see that he was quite productive for at least ten years. The ongoing criticism of him was that he didn't get along well with the media. I just don't understand why that should matter so much.

I could write more (and better) on both these players, and hopefully I will, but if nothing else, I say congratulations to two of baseball's greatest.

Chapter 81.5: Matt Recommends

I've decided to add something new to this blog, now that I have a new sphere of important things to think about. It's called "Matt Recommends," in which you'll find links to Web sites of important people or products for caring for newborns.

Periodically, I will offer write-ups of items that I have found useful and which I want to promote so other parents might learn and help their children. The first will be for Baby Zone & Beyond, which produced an excellent video about emergency care for newborns and infants.

I do not get any payment for this review and I will only review companies or products that I have personally used and feel willing to attach my name to. My review is not yet written, but you can find other positive reviews (indeed, they're all positive) at the Amazon page for the video, Saving Baby's Life.