Jamie Wakefield

It is eleven oh one p.m. I am composing this in my head and cannot sleep. Beside me, Wendy is blissfully oblivious, sleeping deeply as is her gift. The new lights above my head are dimmed to almost nothingness. It is wonderful. Serene. Wendy thinks of all the right details. It is nine a.m. the previous morning. Wendy is reading on her iPhone next to me and I know I should get up. I have a lot to do in the next few hours. I slumber as long as my body lets me then take a cold shower and start work. Seven hours from now I will be asleep on a plane in a haze and Wendy will be softly crying in the seat next to me. I will be unaware of this fact until she tells me four hours later. It is eleven oh seven Middlebury time. I have been awake for twenty-two hours. I get up and can’t find my glasses but must compose this note. Wait. I have a spare pair in my computer bag. It is ten-thirty a.m. I have put away the dishes, closed and shuttered all the windows, taken the trash downstairs, weighed the...

"Never compromise. Not even in the face of armageddon." - Rorshack. I have always tried to live my life by this standard, and yet, it is impossible and unrealistic. Nice thought though. sigh I have found the Watchmen movie - moving, emotional, wonderful, terrrible, awful and fantastic. I don't understand the choices the director made in making the movie ultra violent, sleek, super-heroic and... something it is not. I found parts of it beautiful though. The entire sequence of Jon turning into Dr Manhatten was... stunning. Beautiful. Perfectly translated. Dan being impotent without his costume was also a perfect translation of the comic. Other parts fell short for me. The change to the ending was... a mistake. It made no sense to me. The original Alan Moore ending made more sense. The sleek, skin tight costumes made no sense. Rorshack both worked and was a change. It's very late. I wish I could sleep.

I hope Florian kicks Penn's ass and I don't think I'm going to have a "hindsight is 20/20" moment when I realize, "Of course Penn won." Sorry, but I am bucking the odds and saying Florian takes this. Penn has boxing and jits. Florian has it all. Muai Tai > Boxing because punch + kicks > just punches. And I'm pretty sure Florian has a bigger gas tank and a longer reach. Yes, I know it's a lame, quick post, more later.

Wendy and I are on vacation in Galicia, driving the coastline and staying in little fishing villages by day and at night staying in castles converted into hotels (Paradors.) Hence, updates are more than a little off. We will be back in Madrid for two days then it's off to Vermont for a month. I will do my best to get something amusing up on the two days we are home in Madrid, and post frequently from Vermont. Thanks for everyone's support who checks regularly.

Been looking for a new title for the book. I wonder what happens when you type "Cancer Sucks" into Google? A lot of hits. Charities. T-Shirts. Bumper stickers. Ads. Interesting. Wonder if anyone has written a book with that title. Amazon.com > Cancer sucks > search > books. Wow are there a lot of books on Cancer. I mean, wow. Holy...Wow. "Cancer Sucks" by ... "Breast Cancer Husband." "Chicken soup for the Soul: Cancer." "I didn't order this pink ribbon." "Help me survive:" and on and on and on. Which, should come as no surprise, but it does. I'm dumb that way. I guess that explains why a hundred query letters to agents resulted in so many rejections. Not that original a topic I guess. Oh well, work continues. I know my writing will set my book apart. The current plan is to finish up Lena's suggestions, have Wendy read it and offer final suggestions, self publish it, have a proof sent to the house in Middle...

My friend Chris McMahon has been doing editing for me on Marilyn's Story and just sent me the latest changes. I have to look through Lena's comments and then Wendy is going to read the final copy for one last look for mistakes and then I'm publishing it. It's been a long journey. It needs a new title. "Courage Made Flesh" is unanimously hated. Hopefully one will come to me as I look it over these last three times but any suggestions you have are appreciated. Thanks Jamie

Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. – Mark Twain