I don’t know how it keeps happening but my brain has been exploding with all the work and travel and work-travel I have been doing lately. I am finally getting a nice stretch (ONE WHOLE MONTH) where I do not have to go to JFK, La Guardia or Newark.. WHAO!! Am excited for this next period of hunkering down and getting shit done before the next wave of fall travel. My hope is for the fall travel to be done by end of Sept and then hopefully a get a good chunk of time (sans travel) Oct, Nov and Dec.

This past weekend I participated in a relay triathlon for the first time and it went horribly (if you look at it competitively) but also fantastically (if you look at it from the POV of someone who did zero training). The bad news is I was definitely the weakest team member and we basically came in last because of me. The good news is despite the torrential rain, puddles, zero training, wind, up-hill, soaked through underwear and shoes, I did NOT get off that goddamn bike and kept going and finished my bike leg. It was a pretty painful but otherwise cool experience. I’m full of contradictions today!

Several things I learned: (1) showing up is 80% of the game. I showed up and I managed to finish the race. Just gotta keep that in mind for my own writing and art. (2) Everyone needs team-mates and cheerleaders. I really really really needed those cheer-leaders and other participants (as they whizzed by me) to tell me to keep going. I am grateful to have the support of my friends as I continue to plod down my writing path. And (3) Foie gras never tastes as sweet as it does after some ass whooping by the world. Truth.

My goal of finishing the Contracts 101 book by the end of the year seemed ludicrous at first because it’s like why WOULDN’T I be done by then, but given all shit that has to get done in the meantime that goal doesn’t even seem so ridiculous anymore.

Keep calm, write on!

-W.