250

Blog No. 250

Hey, look at that number right above this sentence. That’s 250 weekly blog posts and all but about ten of those have been in a row. When I first started this page, I had no idea what I was going to do, where I was going, or what my writing future would be. I wanted it to be something big, but it was all wishful thinking. It wasn’t until a few years later that I actually decided to take writing seriously and the blog had been ignored. Part of the reason I initially stopped was because I had gotten sick (and that lasted a year) but mostly it was because I didn’t have a vision. Now that the focus is on writing and the routine has been built, the weekly posts seem natural. Really this is about 240 in a row, but those original posts are still way at the bottom (if you ever want to read them). For now, I think  the rest of this post is going to be a grab-bag because I have a few things to talk about, but none of them are big (or really well thought out). Here we go.

School is back this week, and other than the evils of being stuck behind school buses, the season gets my juices flowing. I’m far out of school, but I think the ingrained schedule runs deep. Not only did most of us spend many years with September meaning a new school year, but the general atmosphere (like adds for school supplies and reports in the news) seep into the cultural conscious. Personally, I love it. After a summer of struggle, lethargy, and excuses, having a time of renewed focus on work (especially if it’s your side hustle) is a positive thing. Sure, I may spend too much money on unnecessary supplies, but a good cleaning of my work area, some proper scheduling, and a desire to accomplish certain tasks before the calendar year is out can really up my productivity. I still have to finish that cleaning part, but I’m looking forward to the rest.

The last ChiSeries has come and gone. It was last Wednesday, and even though my posts come out on Thursdays, I write the majority of them a few days early. Not only does it give me time to get it all finished, but if I’m struggling with a given topic, I have some leeway. So, writing about an event that ends late at night for a post scheduled early in the morning may work for most people. but until I get paid for this, it’ll have to wait a week. There isn’t much to talk about either. Sure, it was exciting, but the folks who came out were mostly the same as last time, and unless something special happens in the city, they will be the same next time. Not that I’m not grateful for their support. It’s really nice to be on stage and look down to see a bunch of people clearly in your corner. It would be nice to see some strangers too, though.

As far as the readers and musicians, it was a huge success. We did have a dropout as one of the readers suffered from the flood, but Christian stepped up and I too the reigns as host. Mick Ridgewell was the next reader and I was really happy to have him as part of the event. He is a guy who supports not only everything I’ve done, but so many other writers around the city, constantly. It was a no-brainer having him read. The final reader was a man I’d only met once. Stewart Sternberg is from Michigan, but I met him in Sarnia at the Pop Culture Show. We kept in touch and when it came time for Christian and me to find an out-of-town guest, we thought of him. It was a good choice too. His reading was great. He was fun to have at the event too. Finally, once again, the musician stole the show. Windsor has no shortage of amazing musicians and Crissi Cochrane is one of them. I think she was the best seller of the night, which is nice. It’s one thing to tell someone they can sell their stuff at your event. It’s another if they actually do sell any.

All-in-all it was a fun night. Phog has been unceasingly supportive and the perfect place to hold a reading like ChiSeries. I do wish they made some more cash out of the event, though. Hopefully next time we can oblige. The November event is going to run a little differently. Following the example of ChiSeries Toronto, we will be having an open mic fundraiser for the series with as many readers and musicians as we can convince to perform. This one is going to be a party, so I hope to see a lot more folks there.