Blog Post No. 431
I’ve noticed that over that last few months, I’ve mentioned taking a day or the weekend (off) more than I usually would. Not so much that I feel that I’m falling behind (or any more behind than I always do) but enough that I felt like a post was warranted. Part of the reason why I’m commenting on it more is that, since I have so much less going on in my life right now, I have less to write about. It’s been a real struggle to keep coming up with interesting topics and based on the views over the last few weeks, it’s been hit and miss on that front. I’ve been at home only going out for grocery trips spread out as much as possible and a weekly drive to make sure the car battery doesn’t go dead from lack of use. Continue reading “What I Mean When I Take a Day”
It’s March. Like, already. Every year things move ever faster towards the inevitable. But until then, let’s talk about what’s going on with my various projects. The obvious one is The Neon Heart, but there’s a novel in there, various events, 
Over the last few weeks, or just over a month or so (time gets muddled with the holidays involved) I was reading over the latest manuscript of a friend and fellow local author. I’m not sure if it was an edit, a beta read, a review, or what. I just read it over, giving my opinion and made a few suggestions, and she seemed to think they were helpful. I hope so, because the book is good and I can’t wait for it to come out now. Also, it was brought to my attention (from a kind and anonymous commenters) that 
There is only one blemish on my record (in six years) but I will never let myself live it down. I have posted on this blog every Thursday since 2013, except for 
So, this is the blog post where I look towards the next year and pretend that all my plans and hopes are within reach and not just the fever dream of a regretful writer who not only fell off the goals he set for himself this time last year, but is constantly and consistently slipping farther behind every week (for the last six or so years). If you’ve been reading this weekly blog post since the beginning (thanks mom and dad) you’ll know that I do my recap post in January as I started weekly writing on 
Last weekend was 
I’m not sure where to start this week. I don’t think there is anything new to tell you, but, maybe some things have new information (or deserve to be said again). I’m a little hesitant since I’m not sure if I’m just boring people with the same stuff over an over again, or if I somehow (with my magic powers of creativity) make the mundane aspects of my life remotely interesting. Or I could just be screaming into a vacuum like so many others. Either way, my first audience for everything I do is me, and I like to do this every week because sometimes just writing about what’s going on (even if it’s the same things all the time or just reminders about upcoming events) helps me get my head around stuff. That’s a pretty valuable tool. I suppose I’ll just do what I always do and meander on for a while until I get sick of reading my own words and come to some stagnate conclusion. At least on Tuesday evening I went writing after work. 
My 300th post got less fanfare than I thought it would. I know I don’t have a ton of readers, but even the people who like the 
Modern medicine is a miraculous thing. I go to a lot of public events and get a lot of unsolicited comments about how doctors are evil, medicine and pharmaceutical companies are there to get you sick, and other nonsense. I try to rally against it when I can (often times the person yelling is a brick wall). If it weren’t for my doctors and medication, I wouldn’t be here. If it weren’t for the antibiotics I’m currently taking, I’d probably still be sick in bed. I’m not. Pneumonia seems to be something that hangs on for a while, but I’m not bedridden anymore. It’s great. I did miss a lot of good writing time, but over the last week, I’ve done really well with the time I have. I pulled off nearly a chapter a day for four days. It’s a good feeling. 
Ben Van Dongen 