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The Long Hot Summer is Ending

 
It's been a long eventful summer here in Malchusland. The big news is I started a new job. It's with Adult Swim on the series "Smiling Friends." The past three months have been a whirlwind of getting up to speed on the show and becoming familiar with the great crew. 
 
At the end of June we traveled to Virginia for the wedding of my nephew. What a wonderful trip that was, aside from the horrendous car accident my parents got into on their drive from Tucson, AZ (they're okay, but their camper van was totaled). Jacob's girlfriend came with us and it was nice to get to know her better and see her interact with many of our extended family. Especially touching was seeing my cousin, who lost a son to cystic fibrosis meet Jacob. This man has seen the very worst of the illness, and watched as science has changed and saved lives. He has always supported our fundraisers, and I'm glad that Jacob was able to meet him. The wedding itself was a blast, a great opportunity to be with so many relatives we don't get to see anymore. 
 
After the wedding we we drove a rental to Ohio for a fantastic vacation. I caught some baseball and visited many dear friends, including my college roommates whom I haven't seen in together in almost a decade. I'm going to be much better about keeping in touch. Then it was back to scorching California.
We took in a new dog, a wonderful guy named Walt (seen above lounging with our cat, Addy). He's been my constant companion when I'm at the desk working. He lays on the couch while I type away on the keyboard.
 
Sophie and I went to Denver for a fabulous weekend of baseball and good local food. A week later, Sophie, Julie and I attended the San Diego Comic Con and got to see the growing popularity for the "Smiling Friends." I'm very lucky to be a part of a show on the rise. 
 
Through it all, I've made some progress on the novel. Just before our vacation I realized that I needed to do major revisions to combine chunks of the third part. This epiphany revitalized my creative energy and I feel closer to completing the book than I have ever. Mind you, I still have at least a year until the first draft is complete, but that doesn't seem as daunting as it did even a year ago, let alone when I started writing it.
At the same time, I'm settling in to working remotely and trying not to have my heart broken too much each time my Cleveland Guardians lose a game. This game of baseball, man, it can crush you.
 
As for you, my thirty-ish readers, I haven't deserted you. I want to keep Thunderbolt alive and powered by human intelligence. I still have all those damn tapes to review! I hope you'll stick around. Who knows, I may even share the Epic Playlist I've been co-creating someday soon. I promise to check in once a week, in between meetings and trying to complete the book.
 
Aloha!

 



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