Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Where or where has my writing gone?

I have to confess something. I can't read my calendar. I mean I can't read the stuff I add to it; all those dates, the commitments, the places I need to be, the things I need to take somewhere - where I'm not sure, 'cause I can't read my own handwriting.

Okay, I should stop right here ~ I have lost my penmanship and don't know where to find it. And, even though I have this huge fold-out calendar that allows plenty of room for note taking, the pages are such a scrambled script I can't decipher them. I swear some chicken has scratched across those little squares just to confuse me, embarrass me and succeeded in irritating me for the sheer fun of it.

I should probably take an ad out. Maybe look in the help wanted section, too. Does penmanship pick up and haul _ss out of harms way? Or does it just disappear? Perhaps it's an age thing and has gone into retirement. I distinctly remember getting good grades in penmanship. Of course that was in the fourth grade and that's been awhile ago ... hmmm. Maybe I'm onto something with the retirement idea.

The reason I even bring the subject up is just awhile ago - like thirty minutes ago, I sent an email to a Barnes and Noble representative about a book signing Morgan invited me to. I remember going to that book store, but couldn't recall when ... so you guessed it, I grabbed my calendar to check back when I had visited the store last. Easy enough, you'd think.

But no! I couldn't begin to guess when I had last visited because ... well, because I couldn't read my handwriting. I had to look on my website to verify the date. Then I matched it to my calendar and I think that's what it says. It could also say famkdliue.

January started out clear enough, but by March my lettering had slipped - literally, or perhaps it's more of a diagonal that I seem to write in. And arrows; did I mention I'm a big changer? I obviously like to create pathways from one date to another. Something didn't pan out so I sent that commitment on to another day. Swooooooosh, a line with little arrow points to the correct date. By the end of the month it looks like an air traffic controller's report.

I'm big into color coding too. Not that it makes any sense. It used to when I color coded my kids schedules so I knew who was where and for how long. I've noticed as the months go along, my red pen gets used more and more as if trying to get my attention. And I circle dates too, any color will do. I once thought it would help me to remember something. Now it just irritates me. For heavens sake, I see the date fine. It's printed in nice bold ink. It's the note beneath I don't comprehend.

Like today's date: August 29, 2007. I'm squinting to read this, turning my head. That helps, some. I wrote something ... about leaving pa. I've never called my father, pa. In my books I use pa, but I don't generally write my manuscripts on my calendar. And there's another word ... I'm guessing here ... wedding! Leaving - pa - wedding?

Of for cripe's sake! I gotta go. We're leaving for Pennsyvania tomorrow morning! Our friend's daughter is getting married.

And I'm pretty sure I need a secretary! He can be in charge of the calendar.

til next time ~

DL Larson

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