that is the suck for more than just you, Sweetie! can’t imagine a meetup without our Dawnie!
I hope the writing course is everything you hope it will be 
but, 
Making a living? Who said anything about doing that? :eek:
Seriously, there are good years and bad years. I’m having a REALLY good year this year in that I have performances seemingly everywhere (well, not really EVERYWHERE) but, I don’t have any big commissions so I’m actually not making all that much money (last year I had fewer performances but I made more money). Sometimes you do things for free, hoping/knowing that royalties are coming in a year (or two in the case of international performances). I still operate largely at a loss and have a day job, not to mention a spouse who is supportive and doesn’t mind being the primary bread winner in the family…and still we need help from her folks.
It’s a tough life’s what I’m sayin’.
But…it’s worth it. You have to believe in what you do and believe that it’s important and keep going. Eventually, it will pay off (although you have to set the meaning of what “paying off” entails: is it Stephen King like money, fame and women…or…men? Or is it simply the satisfaction of having your work in print, no matter how humbly? Or even just reaching a single person with your work?).
If you haven’t already, check out the movie Sideways. The main plot is all about wine and two guys on a road trip, sure, but Paul Giamatti’s character is a struggling novellist teaching English for a living, and his arc in that regard is very inspiring, particularly the very last scene.
I appreciate your sage advice. Yes, I’ve seen Sideways (many times) and the ending is perfect. I don’t aspire to to limelight, but I’d sure like to feel I was moving forward. I guess this is the part of the creative process that separates the women from the girls. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to to do, besides being a mom. Thanks for listening!
Sounds like Grandpa might be in worse condition than we thought. Mom went to see him again today and talk with hospice people, and he was a bit out of it. Here’s hoping he’s just tired from having a lot of company in the past week.
Mom suggested I might want to fly up to see him again before Christmas, but I wouldn’t be able to fly up this weekend anyways because of holiday travelers, and hopefully he’s doing better by then.
I hope you can there after the weekend and have some time with him. XXOO
Any time, Dawn. Seriously. It’s a hard life and not for the weak or those who aren’t serious about it. It’s like being a Jedi! 
GO! Frak the holiday travelers. GO! I didn’t see my grandpa before he died. I kind of wish I had now. Seriously, get thee a plane ticket!
EDIT: I realize my boisterousness may seem glib. I don’t mean it to be. I just hope you’re able to make it. I know travel this weekend would suck, but if you have the time and resources, I think you’ll probably find putting up with busy airports ultimately worth it in the long run.
In my mad knitting dash to Christmas, apparently I’ve been a bit over-exuberant. I have a hole in my right index finger. 
Sorry to hear about this and I agree that you should go visit if you can. Family are the most important people. In my experience, Grandpa’s usually like visits from everyone in the family. Hope it all works out for you even with the holiday, maybe you can work around the holiday travelers somehow by getting an off hour flight? Good luck!
That sucks. My thots are with you.
We aren’t sure if he seemed worse yesterday because he’s deteriorating more rapidly than expected or because he was worn out from everything that’s happened in the past week.
What Mom and I decided was that she’d let me know how he’s doing at Thanksgiving (after he’s had a few days to rest up).
Sigh, I just got a not-at-all constructive rejection letter for something I was trying to publish. Not unexpected at this point, but nonetheless disappointing, particularly as it was a one-line message with no additional feedback.
I just found out that my stepfather’s sister lost one of her babies last Tuesday. She had triplets in October and one of them suddenly started crying uncontrollably, developed a fever, and died within three hours of arriving at the emergency room.
I am not particularly close to that side of the family, but this news has me beside myself.
Mom and Dad just called and Grandpa was pretty out of it today. A big part of me wants to go up to make sure I get to see him again, but at the same time, it’ll be really tough to see him in that state. I had a feeling that he might not make it to Christmas when I saw him at birthdays in August, so that part of me felt that I said my goodbyes then.
I get those all the time, I know exactly what they feel like. Hang in there.
I’m so sorry Armando. As parents ourselves, hearing about another parent’s loss really hits close to home.
I was just on the phone with Mom and we had just spent about 15 minutes talking about good memories related to Grandpa. We were about to hang up because Mom and Dad’s landline just rang. Apparently, Dad picked it up and it was from the nursing home. Grandpa just died.
RIP Arthur “Ace” Nelson - August 23, 1918 - November 28, 2010
So sorry Starsaber. Much sympathy to you and your family.
I’m so sorry. My condolences to you and your family
Our thoughts are with you, and him, Starsaber.
Sorry for your loss, starsabre.