As you can tell, it’s been a while since I last updated this blog. I suspect I’m going to have to rethink how I address my blog, since most of my social media interaction has been on Facebook and Twitter, and blogs seem passe in this day and age. But this is still my writing journal, if nothing else. I miss not writing with pen and ink into my old writing journal. I think I’ll be keeping this blog along so it will always be around if the mood strikes me.
It has also been very difficulty to put a block of time together to update this blog. For the most part, this is good news, because though I’m not writing here, I am writing elsewhere. I’m at the tail end of two non-fiction writing assignments that have collectively asked me to draft manuscripts for four educational books for kids. My column with the Kitchener Post continues, and I’ve done some work on Transit Toronto. In fact, here’s some of what I’ve published this past month.
- Transit Toronto: A Brief History of the Oshawa Railway - I’m particularly proud of this piece.
- Transit Toronto: The Orion V 7039 Charter
- Transit Toronto: A History of Transit Service to Exhibition Place - This would not have been possible without transit historian John F. Bromley dumping a whole lot of detailed historical data on my lap, so many thanks to him.
- Transit Toronto: Toronto’s Lost Subway Stations - I wrote this some time ago, but it was recently linked to by the Guardian.
- Kitchener Post: What Did People Say with their Silence?
- Kitchener Post: Act of Terror Doesn’t Change Everything
- Kitchener Post: Make Your Voice Heard on October 27
- Kitchener Post: Confusing Crossings Confound Drivers and Create Mistakes
- Kitchener Post: Overprotective Dad Trope Needs Retiring in Media
Another thing that is happening is we’re looking to move. We’re working on putting in an offer for a place that’s closer to where we need to be, and larger to boot, but before we can do that, we need to get our current house ready to sell. So it’s been a frantic ten days or so cleaning and purging and purging and cleaning, and signing papers, and opening our home to agents and stress, stress, stress.
None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of my folks and my in-laws, for babysitting, and loading and shifting and cleaning, not to mention Rosemarie’s eye for detail and her experience in how to stage a house to make it sell quickly. Fingers crossed, she will work her magic once again. Still, any and all good vibes you can send our way would be greatly appreciated. It would be nice to land the house we want. It would also be nice to get through this disruptive time as quickly as possible.
So, all this means slow posting on this blog, yet again. But it’s worth it. All of this is because Erin and I are making a living as writers, and that is everything that we could have asked.