21st Century

Okay, so yesterday I sort of crossed another narrow, but perilous & fast-moving river, deeper into this here 21st century, when I opened the nifty little box containing my first e-reader. Why did I break down and get one? A Kindle, to be exact? I was nudged into it, wanting to read a novel, written by my Joplin, MO, friend, Veda Boyd Jones. You see, I'm not what anyone, who has the mixed pleasures of knowing me, would call an early-adopter of new technologies, my theory being 'why in the hell would I want to pay money for another appliance that's going to make me feel stupid, inadequate, and reinforce my deeply held beliefs, despite much evidence to the contrary, that the world does not work, is not available to me. Mainly because, among my many good attributes, there is precious little patience or optimism. It took my sister Laura, holding my hand [virtually, over the phone] to talk me through the setting up. It was like I was the tense stewardess, fighting back tears [because she didn't know what the hell sort of number would satisfy the mute, demanding little god of the computer in order to connect this little slab of smart plastic to a wi-fi network, all the time knowing that any child would know just what was wanted and would laugh at me for being so dim], beside the unconscious pilot & Laura was the seasoned flyer in the air traffic control tower. And then, relieved, exultant, butembarrassed for having been so weak and ignorant it worked: Cheryl's Kindle! I managed to download Veda's book, too: Joe's Ghost, it's called and I'm only one chapter [read sometime in today's wee hours] into it, but so far, so GOOD. Thank goodness, too, because isn't it so awkward and horrible if you read something written by a dear friend and it sucks?

Anyway, not so by the way, MY novel, Just For You to Know, is available too, Kindle-wise, as well as on this here blog, one chapter every Monday [I'm going to start adding hyperlinks, referencing the true historical elements] I'm by golly going to cut the price on it because I want it to be read because even if I hadn't written it I would think it deserves a wide audience, too. This coming Monday: Chapter Three.

Meanwhile, back to the 19th century, back to work on the Arrow Rock Coloring Book. Two & one half dwgs to go! A reading of Carl Sandburg's mammoth bio of President Lincoln will keep me company.