This is the first year in quite a while that we missed our annual trip to visit with Esther, Dick's mom, in the rest home in Orofino. The L.A. trip took our time and resources. A few weeks ago I did have a long telephone chat with her, and her mind is still sharp. She'd read Kerouac's Scroll, which brought back lots of memories of Dick, of course. We chatted about what a difficult book it was to write and read if you knew the origins of much of the narrative. Maybe next year we'll visit earlier than usual, during spring break if the weather's right. I hate to miss a trip, given her age. Each visit could be the last one.
Joe Bianco, publisher of the
anthology I edited, never gives up. He still is creating marketing plans for the book. At least it's timeless. His latest strategy is to hit all the regional libraries (which I thought he should be doing from the beginning), and he's managed to get a special display of the book in the main library here during March. This is why I am a lousy publisher. I'd rather write books than market them. Marketing takes full-time energy.
We watch Sideways in class tomorrow, which means little prep time today. I expect to get some good writing done.
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