It's Later Than You Think

I thought I was getting up early this morning; looked at the computer clock and it said 10:30, so I thought it was only nine-thirty, the western hemisphere having fallen back an hour. But no,--these smart machines these days!--the computer had automatically adjusted.

As my friend Christy Cobern used to say, I'm not eating today. For the past week, I've been eating like a hog, and I've gained five pounds. Probably nerves over having to go the TKC tomorrow for two appointments. I never seem to manage to see my doctor when I'm feeling skinny so he'll feel sorry for me instead of fussing at me for smoking.

On my computer desktop there's a poetry manuscript that I thought I had sent to the Poets & Writers Maureen Egen competition, to win a trip to New York City and another trip to Montana. The deadline is December first, so to make sure, I started checking my records and find that I never sent it. At least, I can't find where I ever sent it. Probably because when I first made it up, my printer cartridge was too low to print the required five copies. It'll be a pretty hefty mailing charge, but at least there's no entry fee. Sometimes I wonder, counting contest entry fees and mailing expense, have I really made any money with my writing. One of my favorite poets, Judson Jerome, in his advanced age said that he had made approximately $2,000.00 from writing. I may have done a tenth of that, everything considered. But maybe I've still got a way to go.