What’s Up Jotham?
Friday the 13th, busted cell phone, poor planning, and a cogged drain.
So, What’s going on Jotham?
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Friday the 13th
I never buy into the Friday the 13th being an unlucky day, but this year it was a rainy day, and I had to get a blood draw for some labs. The labs went well, and I had a nice breakfast with Georgia. We talked about the concert and our plans to take the Metra train into downtown Chicago, have dinner, and enjoy the show. But as the day went on, Georgia called me to let me know that the utility sinks in our basement was not draining.
Okay, not to be deterred, we reached out to a plumber but got the answering machine, and figured the line just needed to be routed and if we didn’t use the sinks, it should be okay. As the morning slipped into the afternoon, my son revealed that his cell phone stopped working. Not just stopped working, but the screen peeled back, revealing the inner workings of the cell phone.
Still trying to make the best of the day, Georgia set our son up with her iPad so we could communicate with him and met me for dinner, a beer and making plans for the show. As we are drinking our beers and going over the weekend plans, find a plumber, get a new cell phone, write my newsletter, make picture frames, and attend the CWA board meeting—not that much—but sometime between beers and the baked goat cheese appetizer, I looked at the tickets and the exact location of the venue.
To my surprise, the venue was not downtown Chicago, but 1.5-hour drive away. Don’t even ask how we made this mistake. But we went from planning on a nice 20-minute train ride and short walk to a long drive through Chicago and rain. We both decided to just have a nice dinner, a slice of carrot cake with a scope of ice cream, and call it a night.
So, that was my Friday the 13th. I still don’t think it’s an unlucky day, but … How was your Friday the 13th?
I’m happy to report that the plumber arrived earlier today (7am) and routed our line 60 feet but cleared the clog. And Saturday spent the day upgrading my iPhone 12 to an iPhone 15—Always takes longer than advertised, and this is why this newsletter is late.
It has been a crazy weekend so far. I hope y’all are doing well. Did anyone get to see the Solar Eclipse?
A couple of updates: I am editing podcast recording, novels, and a new Rabbit Hole of Research all about Infections (and Zombies).
Keep reading to see some of the cool things I’ve been reading and listening to.
Until next time, stay spooky, my friends!
You can always email (I do answer back), click the comment link below, or follow me online for real time tracking. And keep reading to see what I read or listened to when I had time.
What’s Jotham Reading?
Books:
This year I have been digging very deep into story structure and becoming a better editor of my work and helping my writing friends. After finishing learning about the Story Grid method of analyzing books, I read and watched Silence of the Lambs to follow along with the book breaking down a story. But the other books on this list were very good reads, and I can start to see how the sausage is being made.
Comics/Graphic Novels:
I got two new comics from Creators and I’m excited to check them both out:
You can follow me on Goodreads to see what I’m reading next:
What’s Jotham Listening to:
Music:
I haven’t listened to it yet, but I did get my John Carpenter Anthology Album. Excited to give it a listen—Do you know all of John Carpenter movies by the images? Answers next issue.
John Carpenter Anthology: Vol 1 and 2
Podcasts:
Here are the four top podcasts I’ve been finding time for:
Creative Peptalk by Andy J Pizza (A companion for your creative journey)
Akimbo: Seth Godin (a podcast about culture and our place in it)
Story Nerd: Melanie Hill and Valerie Francis (Story theory and how to use)
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing: Bianca Marais, CeCe Lyra and Carly Waters (Behind the scenes look at publishing industry)
Okay, that’s where I’m at. I’ll try to update y’all every month on books, comics, and music (podcasts) that I’ve been digging! Maybe I need to add shows and movies??? What have y’all been digging?
Find your next favorite book or author with these newsletter giveaways or virtual book-fairs:
Book: Deadly Tides by: Mary Keliikoa
Book: Chained by Conviction by R.M. Demeester
Reader Magnet: Dark Secret Lie by: Penelope McGrath
Reader Magnet: The Halden Army by: Keyla Damae
As always, I am very grateful for your support, and a big Thank You for spending your time with me. I know you have a lot of entertainment options, so thanks. Okay, that’s it for now, but you can always email (I do answer back), click the comment link below, or follow me online for real time tracking and to see what craft beers I’m drinking (find me on Untappd @jomega22). Thanks for reading. Cheers!