After a banner week that for some reason came to a screeching halt at the stroke of midnight on Monday, I bow to no man and no calendar, I spent yesterday doing the digital equivalent of wrassling alligators.

Emails that were supposed to go out but didn't. On multiple fronts.

Cell phone outages, Skype SNAFUs and a very exciting full-on cable outage.

Even my chicken wouldn't poach properly, for crying out loud.

Which means there's no cheery video today (although there's a growing catalog you can amuse yourself with).

The spectacular nature of my week was not public-facing enough to share in a fresh forward/backward post (although last week's is still fairly fresh, and has details on an event happening tonight, if you're L.A.-local).

There will not be a poem tomorrow, although BOY HOWDY, if you decide to take Pace & Kyeli's World-Changing Writing Workshop, there is a doozy of a poem by me in there, plus a doozy of a deconstruction.¹ You know, in case you're interested in how a completely non-poetry-writing person becomes someone with dozens upon dozens of not-half-bad "poems" that people seem to enjoy reading. (Free hint for you non-poetry-writers: do not even think of the word "poem" without quotes around it.)

So I thought I would share two things:

First, the AMAZINGLY AWESOME shot that Shawn Henry took of me at SB3 Chicago. He is a genius photographer and super-nice and has totally cute legs (he's got this thing about wearing shorts, which I would, too, if I had legs like that). If you're in or around San Diego, you should hire him. I mean, look at that shot! I look fantastic, and still like myself!²

And second, my newsletter. It is also AMAZINGLY AWESOME. Well, most of the time. This month's is especially good, I think. Or maybe it's just especially long. But it occurs to me that since I took down the newsletter signup link from the front page and anywhere else it might be easy to find, you may not have found it, so how would you know whether it's good or bad or even if it is at all?

If you're looking for stuff of a more explicitly useful nature, how to market yourself, how to improve your writing, how to not want to stab your eyes out when you go on Twitter or Facebook, that's the place. One highly useful article plus three "treats", once per month. I get more good feedback on my newsletter than anything else I make. Someday, I might even share it with you, like I do those crazy rotating kudos on the website.

Until then, trust me, and sign up for it. You'll get the latest issue, and every issue after that until you unsubscribe, which you can do at any time.

Thanks, and feel free to leave kind and loving notes to me in the comments, or just raves for Shawn's work.

I mean, really, look at that!

xxx c

¹Oh, and that's an affiliate link, by the way. Because damn straight, I'm gonna make bank on that "poetry." Plus Pace is kind enough to go through great machinations so that I am an affiliate solely for the WCWW among all of their other stuff. It's a long story I'll get into at some point when I'm ready to reel off my affiliate-linking policy. Until then, just trust me: I do not recommend anything I wouldn't buy myself, and if you're looking for some sound schooling on how to become a better writer at a really reasonable price, I think you should buy this.

²Because you are my pals, I will also share with you my favorite-favorite shot from the group. I mean, come on, does that not make you laugh out loud? We are an unstoppable combo, Shawn Henry and I!