Create Art Podcast

In this episode, I speak with Mike Porter, my comic book store guy about how community impacts artists and the need to build a community around yourself. Although Mike didn't think of himself as an artist, I thought it was important to have him speak about the impact of community on his business and practice as a shop owner and burgeoning writer.

Hello friend, this is Timothy Kimo Brien your head instigator at Create Art Podcast where I bring my 20 years in art and education to help you tame your inner critic and create more than you consume. In 2022 I am rebroadcasting my former podcast KDOI Podcast here so you can catch up on what we have been doing for the past 4 years. KDOI Podcast was my first serious attempt at podcasting after spending many years just creating content without regard to the final product. KDOI started in 2016 and had 3 seasons until I closed it down in 2019. I wanted to make sure that these gems didn't get relegated to my external hard drives, so here you go, there will be interviews, commentary, and projects that you can do for yourself. Enjoy these rebroadcasts and Create More Than You Consume. This episode is about the novel, so enjoy.

• Definition of Community :

a unified body of individuals, the people with common interests living in a particular area. A group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society, a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered throughout a larger society, a body of persons or nations having a common history or a common social economic and political interests.

• Quote from Gothe on Community : The world is so empty. If one thinks only of mountains, rivers, and cities, but to know someone who thinks feels with us and who through distance and who though distance is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us and in the inhabited.

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

KDOI Rebroadcast Conversations On Community with Mike Porter

Mike Porter: making off of your art. Do you consider yourself a professional artist?

Tim: All right, so it's $400. $400 a year. Is it 400 American or 400 Canadian or 400 Australian? It's $400 American

Mike Porter: wise, unless you're a dual citizen and you're living in Australia, in which case it's whatever their tax codes is.

Tim: Well, why does it have to be 400

Mike Porter: American?

Tim: that, but who determines that it has to be American, who is the determining factor who was saying that it has to be 400. Who says that the government they get, what, which government, the American government, why is

Hello friend, this is Timothy Kimo Brien head instigator of Create Art Podcast where we help you tame your inner critic and create more than you consume. I do this through commentary, conversations, projects and interviews and for 2021 I am doing web streams for those who would like to watch versus just listen. I use conversations, interviews, commentary and projects, to help inspire you to take an idea and bring it into the world. In this episode, I'm going to wrap up the year and discuss what was accomplished, what didn't work out, and what 2022 will look like.

So a good question you might have is, why do a wrap up episode? Well, it goes along with my mantra team, your inner critic. Now, this is one way to do it. Looking back on all you have accomplished in a year,

• FreedCamp Project Management App

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and lets start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

Hello friend, this is Timothy Kimo Brien your head instigator at Create Art Podcast where I bring my 20 years in art and education to help you tame your inner critic and create more than you consume. In 2021 I am rebroadcasting my former podcast KDOI Podcast here so you can catch up on what we have been doing for the past 4 years. KDOI Podcast was my first serious attempt at podcasting after spending many years just creating content without regard to the final product. KDOI started in 2016 and had 3 seasons until I closed it down in 2019. I wanted to make sure that these gems didn't get relegated to my external hard drives, so here you go, there will be interviews, commentary, and projects that you can do for yourself. Enjoy these rebroadcasts and Create More Than You Consume. This episode is about the novel, so enjoy.

In this episode, I talk with my good friend Mike Finlay. I have known him since my time at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Mike is a playwright, poet, actor, and armchair philosopher. He has worked with me on numerous projects so he knows how to get the most out of me. In this interview, we talk about his beginnings in novel writing and where his inspiration comes from.

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

Welcome friend to Create Art Podcast where I help you tame your inner critic and create more than we consume. I am Timothy Kimo Brien your thankful head instigator with over 20 years in arts and education. How I accomplish this is by providing you with commentary, interviews, discussions, and projects that will inspire you to create art. This month I will be podcasting daily and writing a novel in 30 days. I am participating in NaPodPoMo and NaNoWriMo again this year as I did last year and you can hear those episodes here. You will be able to listen and read along to what I wrote for the day. I like to practice what I preach when it comes to art so I am challenging myself to write and having you come along for the ride. It is my hope this inspires you to accomplish your goals with your art and if you would like to share what you are doing email me at [email protected]

NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists.

NaPodPoMo: NaPodPoMo* is a month-long event along the same vein as National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. The difference? Well, instead of writing a 50,000-word novel, you podcast every day for 30 days from November 1st-30th. Use any platform you desire. From full production studio to iPhone app and just about anything in between. The goal is to use the challenge of podcasting daily as a form of podcasting boot camp.

Thank you for tuning into this special episode of Create Art Podcast. Today I wanted to talk about what I learned about myself and my process throughout this past month and these two challenges. Why would you be interested in what I learned, well maybe some of the nuggets I got can help you out in your practice, or maybe just maybe this will inspire you to complete a challenge that you have never tried or succeeded at in the past. You may need this gentle nudge or as I like to call myself the Chief Instigator to get you moving on your artistic journey. If you did attempt or complete either of the challenges last month, namely National Novel Writing Month or National Podcast Post Month please let me know about your journey. I’d be interested in hearing about as I know it would inspire me on my journey. If you did another challenge let me know about that as well. I  

First off, I want to thank those of you who either listened to or read what I wrote last month. My initial plan was to create a totally new novel. I had an idea banging around in my head for about a year on what the new novel would be, but I didn’t have a clear picture on where I wanted to start it and where I wanted to go. At the last minute I remembered that in 2020 when I did the NaNoWriMo and NaPodPoMo I had started up a novel and gotten over 50K words done on that project, but I hadn’t finished it. I pivoted and since I had put so much work into the first novel, I wanted to complete the process and since I didn’t have strong feelings on the new novel yet, I didn’t want to approach the challenge halfhearted. I had more emotion tied into the novel and I felt I could complete it. The first novel is called Shared Diary and the second novel doesn’t have a name. My first lesson in this project was to be able to pivot at the last minute and be open to pivoting. When I start a project I wat to be emotionally attached to it, the reason being is that I want to have enough in my gas tank to be able to push through the tough times that life provides. It's similar to picking out a major in college, yes you want to be able to make a living from what you study and eventually will be making a career out of, but you also want to enjoy what you are doing. I chose theater as my major, now you could argue that I am not using my degree, but I feel that I am every day. The things I learned in school are applicable to real world experiences, my acting classes helped when I was showing transitioning soldiers how to interview, my movement classes showed me how to breath to provide relaxation which I teach employees in my current job. So, you are right, I am not using my degree in theater pedagogy in the traditional sense, but I am using bits and pieces of it that fit the need at the time. If I would have chosen a major in HR, which is what my day job is, I would have never gotten these skills that have pushed my career to where it is today. Being able to pivot and prioritize your work will help when life decides to give you challenges. Plus, if you work on something you are excited about, more than likely you will either finish it or in my case brin git closer to completion.  

Another lesson learned was time management. With the NaNoWriMo challenge they provide an app that you can record your progress and look at what you have left to do. It also has you put in when you started writing and when you ended as well as where you wrote. In my situation it was at home on a laptop. When I look back at when I started writing and when I ended, I found that when I was alert and feeling good, I was able to write more on those days in a quicker time versus when I was not feeling my best or when I was tired.  So, I am learning to come to the work in a good mindset that is relaxed and open in order for me to do my best work, if I am not in that mindset, I know the work still needs to get done, but it may take longer. Since I work a day job and I have kids and a wife that I want to make sure get the attention they need, I let them know that November is going to be tough but I would ensure that the next month I would be spending more time with them. My wife is very supportive of my creative projects and aspirations so she was able to accommodate, my kids don’t quite understand it, but they will when they get older and follow their creative practice. Each day I gave myself an hour or two to write, sometimes I had to take some time from work to get my writing done, sometimes I wrote in the evenings while my wife watched tv so I could be near her especially on a tough day with the kids. There were about three days I didn’t write and that is because life just got really busy as it does and also, I do struggle with energy levels due to my MS diagnosis. These are not excuses as to why this year I got to 44K words and not 50K, these are things that happen and it was not a failure to not technically complete the challenges, I got farther along in my goal to finish the novel. Next year I definitely would stick to more stringent times, maybe wake up early and write while everyone else slept. Proper time management and including the unknowns that life will throw you should be in that plan.  

Another lesson learned is to look back at your work and admire it. You put your heart and soul into it, on occasion you need to step back and look at what you have accomplished even though it is not complete. Ten years ago, if you said Tim you are going to write a 100K word novel I would have said you were nuts. For the longest time I told myself that I don’t have enough material to fill a novel, I was a poet and a short story writer, however, as the piece sits right now, I am at 94K words. Now when I go back and edit it, I am sure there will be things taken out, but then there will probably be things put into it that balance that out. Don’t say never, because if I would have believed that I could never write a 100K word novel I would not have tried to do it, my initial goal was simply 50K words and it has just about doubled that goal and when it is done, who knows how long it will be. When we take time and review what we have put on the canvas, the notebook, the piano or whatever your form is, we should allow ourselves time to appreciate it, take it in and remind ourselves that before we started the work, this was only a thought that we helped bring into the world. The world needs these ideas, yes, I did say needs these ideas. Look at any library, any school and what do you see, thousands of ideas being brought forth every day. Plus, when you realize what you have done, it does wonders for your mental health. We all have that inner critic and we need that critic to help guide us and direct us, but when that inner critic stops us from creating, that’s when we need to tame it and make it do the work, we need it to do. When we look at the work in progress or the finished work, we can use that progress to tame that critic when it tries to stop us.  

The last thing I learned is to prepare to put down the pen or paintbrush so that you can start new projects. Right now, I am running 3 podcasts, one of them has been idle for a year. So, there are other things I would like to do, other ideas bubbling up in my head and I need to find time to get them out into the world. I am planning on finishing the novel, probably in a month or two. I know I am close to the end and I don’t want it to end quickly because then it looks like I am giving up on the novel. I am not putting a word limit on it right now, it’s not needed. But I will put a time limit on it because I want to have time to work on other things and give them the attention they need.  I know some painters say a painting is never done, I don’t feel the same way. There comes a time when you need to put it out into the world and share it with others and it may be difficult to know when that time is, experiment. You can always take it back into your shop and refine it and get it in a more completed place. Theater has staged readings, musicians have open mics to try things out, poets have open mics to do the same thing. Find ways to get the work out of the shop and into the world. You may have to brin git back and tinker with it, you may sell the piece and find out that it is perfect the way it is with imperfections.  

Now what did I get out of this experience, well I accomplished a few things. First a sense of accomplishment. For many people that is the main reason that they do things because they believed at one point, they couldn’t do it. I would have never in the past attempted something like this, I have close o 100K words on a novel and it's still not done yet. As a poet and a short story writer, I am really stretching my writing muscle to keep this story going. My largest work in the past was a thesis for my Master's degree which was about 50 plus pages talking about a production that I put on and why I made the choices that I did make. Just having the knowledge that I can do it makes me happy and content even if no one reads the story. Which leads me to the second thing I got out of this which was having people follow my podcast during this project. I was consistently getting about 15-20 downloads and people looking at my site and listening to the show. So, the story is out there in the world and people now know about it. I also know that some people were waiting until I finished the project before they downloaded the show and I am seeing people download the past episodes to catch up and see or hear what I am doing. This has the potential of increasing the audience numbers. On my other podcast Find A Podcast About I recently talked with the hosts of Writers Drinking Coffee who are novelists. Having the experience, I was able to extend my network and talk intelligently about writing. This gave me a new perspective and appreciation for the craft. It gave me a bit of expertise when I talk with you about writing your story.  

Well, I appreciate you listening to this episode and coming on the journey with me. If you got something out of the podcast I’d like to ask you to share it with a friend who may be struggling with their inner critic. Reach out to me for questions and show ideas [email protected] There is not much left to this year, I have a KDOI Rebroadcast coming up soon and a year-end wrap up both via live stream and an episode. I am planning for 2022 so if there is something you would like me to talk about or you want to be on the show reach out. Now go out there and tame the inner critic and create more than you consume. Go make art for someone you love, yourself. See ya next time.  

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and lets start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

Welcome friend to Create Art Podcast where I help you tame your inner critic and create more than we consume. I am Timothy Kimo Brien your thankful head instigator with over 20 years in arts and education. How I accomplish this is by providing you with commentary, interviews, discussions, and projects that will inspire you to create art. This month I will be podcasting daily and writing a novel in 30 days. I am participating in NaPodPoMo and NaNoWriMo again this year as I did last year and you can hear those episodes here. You will be able to listen and read along to what I wrote for the day. I like to practice what I preach when it comes to art so I am challenging myself to write and having you come along for the ride. It is my hope this inspires you to accomplish your goals with your art and if you would like to share what you are doing email me at [email protected]

NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists.

NaPodPoMo: NaPodPoMo* is a month-long event along the same vein as National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. The difference? Well, instead of writing a 50,000-word novel, you podcast every day for 30 days from November 1st-30th. Use any platform you desire. From full production studio to iPhone app and just about anything in between. The goal is to use the challenge of podcasting daily as a form of podcasting boot camp.

30 Nov 2021    daily count 1797 cumulative count 44030 

Carl sat in his hospital bed and heard Cheryl quietly talking with Myra. The smell he hated was almost overwhelming and it seemed like forever before the nurse came back to his room. His companion was the beeps from the machines monitoring his vitals. The smell and the feeling of death is why he hated hospitals and since he was alone with his thoughts every time a beep didn’t go off in the way he expected he almost jumped off the bed. When the nurse finally came in to disconnect him and give him the discharge paperwork he was more than ready to go.  

“Okay, the doctor said that he wants you to follow up with your doctor in about a week. Do you need us to call your doctor's office today to make that happen or will you be able to do that,” asked the nurse? 

“I can do that, no worries. I am just ready to get out of here. No offense but I hate hospitals,” replied Carl. 

“So do I, but it pays the bills. Okay, do you have someone to watch over you today just to make sure you are okay,” asked the nurse? 

“Yes, my fiancé next door is going to be here with me and our adopted daughter. Also, my sister-in-law will be driving us home and will probably check in on us throughout the day,” replied Carl.  

“That sounds good. That little girl is awesome. She was a pro the whole time she was here. It’s good to see a young couple like yourselves helping someone who needs it. How long have you all been together,” asked the nurse? 

“Oh gosh, it feels like forever but in a good way,” lied Carl.  

“Okay here are your discharge instructions. I’ll put them in your bag. I am going to disconnect all these wires from you so you can get dressed and we can wheel you to the front. You said your sister-in-law is picking you up right,” asked the nurse? 

“Yes, she is grabbing the car right now,” said Carl. 

“Good. Now I can take these wires out quickly or slowly since you are so hairy, which do you prefer,” asked the nurse? 

“Just rip them off, the hair will grow back,” said Carl.  

“Okay, my husband is the same way. Here we go,” said the nurse as she took off the pads from Carl’s chest and side. With each rip she apologized and within a few minutes she had all the wires disconnected. “Okay you are all disconnected. I hope it didn’t hurt too much. I’ll give you a few minutes to get dressed and I’ll be back. I am just next door with your daughter so if you need anything let me know, okay?” 

“I should be fine; I don’t feel dizzy or anything like that. Will my doctor be able to see the notes from here by next week,” asked Carl? 

“If he is local, he should be able to, if not you can grab a copy of your file,” said the nurse as she went next door to check on Myra.  

Carl went head and got dressed in his regular clothes and out of the hospital down. Luckily the EMT’s didn’t cut off his clothes so he was able to leave with some dignity. When he was finished, he opened the curtain that blocked everyone’s view of his room. There were several people moving around the hallway and he checked in on Myra.  

“Knock knock are you decent Myra,” asked Carl as he knocked on the curtain that was covering her room? 

“We are good Carl, are you okay,” asked Cheryl? 

Carl walked into Myra’s room and saw that she was dressed and sitting in a wheelchair. “I am fine and ready to get home, how are you feeling kiddo,” asked Carl? 

“I am getting a ride in the wheelchair. I’ve never done that before,” replied Myra.  

“Let’s hope we never have to do this again,” said Carl. The nurse who was attending him unlocked the wheelchair and started to push Myra out. Another nurse came up to where Carl’s room was with a wheelchair and looked in his room to find no one there. 

“Where did Carl go,” asked the second nurse? 

“Oh, that’s me, I don’t need a wheelchair,” replied Carl.  

“Hospital rules, I have to roll you to the entrance, hop a squat,” said the nurse and pulled the wheelchair behind Carl.  

“Can we race to the front,” asked Myra? 

“Sorry sweetie, these aren’t built for racing, but we will definitely beat your dad to the front,” said the first nurse.  

Carl sat down in the wheelchair that the second nurse pulled up and handed his discharge apers to Cheryl. The first nurse led the way followed by Cheryl and then by Carl in his wheelchair. When they got to the front entrance Carmine was waiting for them with the back doors open. Carl’s nurse pulled him up behind the passenger seat and Myra’s nurse pulled her up to behind the driver's side. The nurses helped both Carl and Myra into Carmine’s car and pulled the wheelchairs back inside. Cheryl got into the passenger seat and Carmine got into the driver's seat and pulled out and headed towards Carl’s apartment.  

When they got to the apartment, Carmine pulled into Carl’s spot and parked the car. They all headed upstairs to the apartment and Carl and Myra sat on the couch. Cheryl and Carmine dropped off the paperwork in Carl’s office When they secured the discharge paperwork they came back to the kitchen. Cheryl started up the coffee pot and Carmine grabbed Myra a glass of chocolate milk and some crackers.  

“Okay Carl, I am going to head back home. Are you comfortable

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Welcome friend to Create Art Podcast where I help you tame your inner critic and create more than we consume. I am Timothy Kimo Brien your thankful head instigator with over 20 years in arts and education. How I accomplish this is by providing you with commentary, interviews, discussions, and projects that will inspire you to create art. This month I will be podcasting daily and writing a novel in 30 days. I am participating in NaPodPoMo and NaNoWriMo again this year as I did last year and you can hear those episodes here. You will be able to listen and read along to what I wrote for the day. I like to practice what I preach when it comes to art so I am challenging myself to write and having you come along for the ride. It is my hope this inspires you to accomplish your goals with your art and if you would like to share what you are doing email me at [email protected]

NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists.

NaPodPoMo: NaPodPoMo* is a month-long event along the same vein as National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. The difference? Well, instead of writing a 50,000-word novel, you podcast every day for 30 days from November 1st-30th. Use any platform you desire. From full production studio to iPhone app and just about anything in between. The goal is to use the challenge of podcasting daily as a form of podcasting boot camp.

29 Nov 2021    daily count 2047 cumulative count 42233 

Cheryl and Carmine came running into the kitchen when they heard the audible thump to find Carl motionless on the floor with blood dripping from his forehead where a gash had formed. Cheryl let out a loud shriek just as Seth and Rachel came running in carrying the limp body of Myra.  

“Mom, Mom Myra just passed out when we were outside on the playground. Why is Uncle Carl on the floor, is that blood,” yelled Seth out of breath from carrying Myra? 

“What happened out there,” asked Carmine panicking? 

“Myra was on the swings and about a minute ago she passed out and fell to the ground while we were out there, and Seth picked her up and we ran to get her inside. What happened to Uncle Carl,” said Rachel? 

“We heard a thump and found him on the ground. Don’t touch him kids, I am going to call an ambulance. Get Myra on the couch in the living room,” said Carmine as she dialed the emergency number on her phone.  

Cheryl knelt beside Carl and wiped the blood gushing out of the wound on his head. She grabbed a towel and got it wet and then placed it on the open wound and held Carl’s head in her arms. “Shhhh, what happened baby, can you hear me,” Cheryl asked to a still unconscious Carl? 

Once Carmine got a hold of the operator, she quickly relayed what had happened and went over to check on Myra in the living room. The operator took down the information and dispatched an ambulance right away but kept Carmine on the phone and gave her instructions on how to help Myra and Carl.  

When Nate heard all the commotion downstairs and the screams from Carmine and Cheryl he quickly went downstairs as he was already dressed and ready to come down anyway. He first went to Myra and saw that she was still breathing and had a strong pulse, he then went over to the kitchen where Carl was and saw that Cheryl had controlled the bleeding, but the dish towel she used was soaked with blood. He grabbed two more dish towels and soaked them in cool water and gave one to Cheryl and took the other to Myra where he placed the cool wet dish towel on her forehead and had Seth hold it there. Carmine was still talking on the phone with the operator and told Nate that an ambulance was coming. He went back to the kitchen to help Cheryl and his little brother.  

“What happened here, did he have another episode,” asked Nate? 

“Carmine and I were in the other room, and we heard a thump and found Carl like this on the floor. I guess he had one or he was just so exhausted from last night and from the start of this whole thing that he passed out,” said Cheryl. “How is Myra?” 

“She must have had an episode as well; she is on the couch and has a strong pulse. I think she will be fine. Carmine has an ambulance coming. Looks like you stopped the bleeding, good work in keeping his head elevated. Let's just keep him like this and I will grab blankets for both of them, so they don’t go into shock, hold on okay,” said Nate. Tears started streaming from his face as he went back into the living room and found Myra talking with Seth and Rachel. He grabbed two blankets from the hope chest and put one on Myra and took the other to Carl. When he got back to the kitchen, he saw carl talking with Cheryl and looking confused. He placed the blanket on Carl and knelt to hear what Carl was saying.  

“I don’t know what happened, I was just thinking about destroying the diary and next thing I know I am on the floor with a cold wet towel on my head and feeling woozy. Did I pass out or something,” asked Carl in a hurried and slurred voice? 

“We are not sure, but we have an ambulance coming for you so hold tight and try not to sleep okay,” replied Nate. 

“What do you mean you were thinking about destroying the diary? Won’t that cause more problems like this, maybe that is why you passed out. You can’t do that again; I don’t think it will help anyone. Myra passed out probably at the same time you passed out and she is in the living room,” replied Cheryl.  

“How is she doing, I want to see her,” Carl tried to get up as he spoke. Cheryl and Nate held him down and he was too weak to resist. 

“Myra is fine, you need to stay put until the EMT’s get here, you aren’t going to be able to do anything right now. Myra is awake and talking to Seth and Rachel and Carmine. Now what are you talking about, did you do anything to the diary, where is it,” asked Nate forcefully? 

“I left it in the safe in my office at home. I was thinking if I destroyed it that would break the curse and everyone would be okay, Myra could grow up and no one from the family would be impacted,” said Carl.  

“Well even the thought of it seems to have proved you wrong with that solution. I need you to promise you won’t think about that again,” said Cheryl.  

The EMT’s arrived that the house and found Myra on the couch and stabilized Carl in the kitchen. They took them both out of the house in their own stretchers and took them to the hospital where Nate had just left earlier that day. Once they got to the emergency room Carl let the doctors know about his condition and repeatedly asked about Myra. She was in the next room over and was calling out for Carl. 

“Baby girl, listen to the doctors, I am fine, Carmine and Cheryl will be here soon,” Carl called out to Myra from his room. The attending physician asked about Carl’s relation to Myra, and he told them that he was adopting her, he gave no other details about Myra than that. When they asked who they could call he let them know that his girlfriend and his sister-in-law would be coming shortly, and he wanted them to be able to come back to see them.  

The physician attending to carl numbed his forehead and started putting in stiches where the gash was, Carl didn’t flinch and when the physician was done Cheryl appeared with a nurse in his room.  

“Oooo that looks painful. How are you feeling dear,” asked Cheryl? 

“Chicks dig scars, and now I have a story to tell the grandkids right, this is how we got together. I am doing fine sweetheart. I’d like to go home and rest up, but I think they want to keep me here. How is Myra doing,” asked Carl? 

“Carmine is in there with her. We can only have grandkids if you stick around for a long time, and we have kids. Doctor how is he doing really because I know he won't tell me, "Asked Cheryl? 

“He should be fine, his vitals are good, must have passed out due to exhaustion. How has he been sleeping lately,” asked the doctor? 

“He doesn’t sleep that is his problem. He is an over achiever and trying to be superman, I mean batman,” said Cheryl.  

“He will be fine, have him rest up even if you have to tie him to a bed. I don’t want those stiches to fall out, I put some good work into them, and I don’t want to have him come back here to get them redone. He should follow-up with his regular doctor in about a week to get them removed. The girl is doing fine, her vitals are strong and it’s as if nothing happened to her. I know we would like to keep her for observation, but I think she should be fine as well. Has she had anything like this before,” asked the doctor? 

“No, not as far as we know. We are in the process of adopting her and we weren’t made aware of anything like that in her past,” Cheryl lied. 

“Well make sure she gets some rest and follow-up with her pediatrician in about a week. If either one of them blacks out get them back here pronto. I think they should be okay, but just check on them when they are sleeping. Carl, can you promise to take it easy for a few days,” asked the doctor? 

“If I say yes, do I get to go home, "asked Carl? 

“I take it he likes to be sarcastic,” said the doctor to Cheryl? 

“Yeah, him and his older brother. His brother was in here last night with something similar and just got out this morning,” said Cheryl.  

“Does his brother have the same tumor issue,” asked the doctor? 

“Not as far as I know, they both are over achievers and work too many hours,” said Cheryl. 

“Carl this won’t get better unless you take better care of yourself. I hope to not see you in here again,” said the doctor. 

“Aw but doc, your work is great, will I have a good scar to tell my grandkids about,” asked Carl? 

“If I say yes will you get some rest,” replied the doctor? 

“Sweet, I'll go home, and sleep for ten hours will that work for you,” said Carl.  

“The nurse will come in here with their discharge instructions. Just keep a good eye on him today and if there are any issue liked slurred speech or another black out get him right back here,” said the doctor as he headed out of the room.  

Carmine walked into Carl’s room shaking her head.  

“I’ll take you all to your apartment Carl. Myra is fine and will be discharges with us in a few minutes. How are you feeling, those stiches look painful,” asked Carmine? 

“Hey sis I am doing great and yes I promise to stay in bed for the rest of today. How is Nate doing,” asked Carl? 

“He is taking the kids out to lunch and for ice cream. Seth and Rachel are a bit shaken up seeing you carted out of our house in an ambulance with Myra. I need to go grab the car and pull it out front, Cheryl can you stay with Myra,” asked Carmine? 

“Sure I’ be happy to,” said Cheryl. She kissed Carl and left for Myra’s room. Carmine stayed with Carl for a few moments and looked him over. 

“What have you gotten us into Carl? I need to know that this is not going to happen again, my nerves are fried,” asked Carmine? 

“I wish I could say it’s a long story, but it started late last week when Myra’s father or who we think was Myra’s father abandoned her in the coffee shop where Cheryl works. Nate is trying to figure out the specifics on how we can adopt here with no issues and find out about her past. It is a bit of a ghost story that you probably wouldn’t believe,” said Carl quietly.  

“I am not a fan of ghost stories, and I am not a fan of what is happening. Get done with whatever is going on so we can return to our normal lives. I love that brother of yours and I’ll be damned if I let anything bad happen to him. Does Cheryl know,” asked Carmine? 

“She knows about as much as you know. I promise to not keep you out of the loop. I am sorry for all the trouble this is causing you and your family. I never intended for anything like this to happen,” said Carl in tears.  

“I know, just get this done whatever it is for your brothers' sake. He loves you more than you can possibly know and consider moving to our house so we can keep an eye on you. That girl of yours Cheryl is something special and she deserves the best like your brother has given me,” said Carmine as she left to go grab her car.  

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and lets start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

Welcome friend to Create Art Podcast where I help you tame your inner critic and create more than we consume. I am Timothy Kimo Brien your thankful head instigator with over 20 years in arts and education. How I accomplish this is by providing you with commentary, interviews, discussions, and projects that will inspire you to create art. This month I will be podcasting daily and writing a novel in 30 days. I am participating in NaPodPoMo and NaNoWriMo again this year as I did last year and you can hear those episodes here. You will be able to listen and read along to what I wrote for the day. I like to practice what I preach when it comes to art so I am challenging myself to write and having you come along for the ride. It is my hope this inspires you to accomplish your goals with your art and if you would like to share what you are doing email me at [email protected]

NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists.

NaPodPoMo: NaPodPoMo* is a month-long event along the same vein as National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. The difference? Well, instead of writing a 50,000-word novel, you podcast every day for 30 days from November 1st-30th. Use any platform you desire. From full production studio to iPhone app and just about anything in between. The goal is to use the challenge of podcasting daily as a form of podcasting boot camp.

28 Nov 2021    daily count 1748 cumulative count 40186 

Everyone walked into the house and migrated towards the kitchen. Carmine was there looking worried, and Carl put down the lunch groceries with Cheryl and Myra. He approached her and embraced her like a sister. 

“How’s the old guy doing,” asked Carl? 

“He won’t slow down even though the doctors told him too, so that means he is happy. I’m not. When is this thing going to be over. I don’t think it’s going to end well,” asked Carmine? 

“It will be over soon. Cheryl and I will get married and we will adopt Myra and things should quiet down and become boring,” said Carl trying to reassure Carmine and himself.  

Cheryl was the next to embrace Carmine and they held each other tightly. Carl and the kids started putting things away that needed to be refrigerated and Seth and Rachel took Myra outside to play. Carl headed towards Nate’s office on the main floor.  

“Carl, he is upstairs in the master bedroom. Nate has been waiting to hear from you,” said Carmine. She and Cheryl grabbed a cup of tea that Carmine had made earlier when she got Nate settled in bed.  

Carl had never gone to their master bedroom but knew enough about the layout of the house to know where to go. He almost dreaded to see what he would find. He had never seen his brother sick since they were kids and even when they were kids, his brother always seemed to never show how sick he was. When Carl approached the door, he listened outside for a moment to hear if Nate was sleeping. He heard the familiar voice of his brother talking to someone, he must be on the phone. He waited uncomfortably outside as if he was waiting to be scolded by his father for doing something wrong. It had been about five minutes but seemed like so many more before he knocked on the door. 

“Is that you Carmine,” asked Nate through the door? His voice was booming and sounded strong.  

“Nope, just your friendly neighborhood little brother,” replied Carl. He felt better about the situation and was encouraged that his brother sounded strong.  

“Well get in here, I promised Carmine I would stay in bed for a few hours,” said Nate.  

Carl opened the door slowly and stepped into the room he had never seen before. He didn’t know what to expect, but for some reason he wasn’t surprised when he saw a desk and chair on one side of the bedroom and on the other side was a king-sized bed with his brother in it above the covers on his phone. He heard the printer on the desk spitting out a piece of paper and that was the only sound besides his brother talking to someone on the phone.  

“Looks like you are back to normal almost,” said Carl sheepishly.  

“Welcome to where the magic happens. Grab a seat at the desk and let's talk,” said Nate. Nate turned his attention to the phone call he was on, “Okay so tomorrow we will get back to work on the project Vince.  Your docs found nothing wrong just like mine and just like Angela. Yeah, Carl is here, and nothing happened to him. Right, I have alerted B team to finish up the work we started, and I should get some information from them later today. You got it I will give you a call when they report in. Take it easy today and yeah, the document just came over to my printer. Alright take care, keep in contact with me. Bye,” Nate finished the call. “Carmine said stay in bed and that is what I am doing, there was no mention of handling business while in bed. I thrive on loopholes.” 

“Knowing her she knew to leave a loophole in there for you because you are so damn stubborn. Are you really up to working from bed though, she said the doctors told you to take it easy,” asked Carl? 

“If I remember right, you were told the same thing. How’s that working out for you,” asked Nate sarcastically? “You are the one who is terminal not me. “How is Cheryl and Myra holding up with all of this?” 

“Well, I think Cheryl has found her newest best friend for life in Carmine because the two of them have to deal with our dumbasses. She is holding up pretty good. Myra dreamed about this happening last night, or something like it. Do we have any pictures of John Dee we can show her,” asked Carl? 

“Take a look at the printer. Vince just sent me a dossier on the guy, and I am pretty sure he has pictures. Are you thinking that we may have more than one person who can’t die on our hands,” asked Nate? 

“Maybe not a person, but a spirit. That’s the only way I can explain it. I think she may have seen him in her dream and that may be something we can use to make sure what happened last night doesn’t happen again,” replied Carl.  

“Take a look, I am sure there is a picture of the guy. Since they didn’t have digital cameras back then it will probably be a painting, or a woodblock print of him so it may not be perfect but close enough for our work. By the way thanks for checking up on the kids last night, I know it’s been a long day for you already since I am pretty sure you haven’t slept yet,” said Nate.  

“Nope, I got a few hours of sleep last this morning with Cheryl. Felt good to have someone next to me and I was surprised that I slept so well,” said Carl.  

“I hear wedding bells little brother. I am sure she and Carmine are downstairs right now planning the wedding of her dreams which means we need to get all the paperwork done for you and rewrite that estate plan. How do you think your ex will take it, is she going to fight us on anything,” asked Nate? 

“I don’t really think so, her parents send me cards for my birthday and for the holidays. We parted on good terms; you know how it was when you did the divorce. She was happy with what she got and didn’t contest anything,” said Carl.  

“Right, but when you get remarried suddenly and adopt a kid, people change. This is going to affect the agreement you have with her, and she might have some unresolved feelings about the new situation that you have found yourself in. You probably should have a conversation with her and let Cheryl know that there could be some legalistic hoops we need to jump through. These things are never as easy as they seem,” said Nate.  

“Well, I am more focused on how you are doing right now and getting this curse resolved,” said Carl.  

“As you can see, I am back to work handling things like I always do. This was a minor and annoying setback. We will make up for lost time. Tell you what, I will make both you and Carmine happy by slowing down today and having lunch with everyone and then I will go back to work on things tomorrow and we won’t discuss what our next move is until tomorrow. I take it you took the day off which is good, how about we knock out all that paperwork this week and then we can approach your ex-wife next week with the proposal of a change in the agreement,” asked Nate? 

“I think we can work something out for all of that to happen if you are feeling up to it. You would be proud of me; I grabbed a ton of vegan food for lunch. Are you feeling up for a bite to eat,” asked Carl? 

“I think by the time all of this is done you will have come to the dark side and be a full-fledged vegan. Remember we have cookies,” joked Nate. 

“Oh, that cookie recipe you gave to Myra tasted delicious. We polished those cookies off all-in-one sitting. Thank you for helping her feel special,” said Carl.  

“It’s all part of being a father. You will catch on and be a great dad, I feel it in my bones. Alright if you don’t mind I am going to kick you out so I can get dressed and I’ll be down for lunch in about ten minutes,” said Nate.  

“You don’t need to ask me twice. Thank you for seeing this through and helping. I can’t apologize enough for what happened last night,” said Carl.  

“What happened last night only made me more energized to see this through. Now don’t get sentimental on me. This wasn’t your fault and I think we will be changing how we go about getting information to help us. I may need to block you guys out of what we find until we are ready to move on something or need something from you and Myra that we can’t get,” said Nate. 

“I’ll see you downstairs, take your time,” said Carl. He left his brothers bedroom and slowly walked down the stairs. He wasn’t ready to face Carmine or Cheryl, but there was nothing else to do so he took his time. When he got there, Carmine and Cheryl were deep in conversation, so he went to the fridge and grabbed the ginger ale and a glass. He poured himself a drink and replaced the ginger ale and sat at the island in the kitchen. Things were lining up to make his decision to read the diary more difficult. He just wanted to be able to sit back and enjoy having a family, even if it was brought together in unusual circumstances. The thought crossed his mind to just toss the diary or burn it. Maybe that would break the curse and he wouldn’t have to die sooner than expected. The tumor would get him eventually, that he couldn’t do anything about, but maybe taking the diary out of the equation could at least resolve this issue and no one else would get hurt. He began planning on how he would rid himself of the diary that very night. That is when he lost consciousness and fell out of his chair, hitting his head against the marble island counter and then hitting his head against the tiled floor.  

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and lets start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

Welcome friend to Create Art Podcast where I help you tame your inner critic and create more than we consume. I am Timothy Kimo Brien your thankful head instigator with over 20 years in arts and education. How I accomplish this is by providing you with commentary, interviews, discussions, and projects that will inspire you to create art. This month I will be podcasting daily and writing a novel in 30 days. I am participating in NaPodPoMo and NaNoWriMo again this year as I did last year and you can hear those episodes here. You will be able to listen and read along to what I wrote for the day. I like to practice what I preach when it comes to art so I am challenging myself to write and having you come along for the ride. It is my hope this inspires you to accomplish your goals with your art and if you would like to share what you are doing email me at [email protected]

NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists.

NaPodPoMo: NaPodPoMo* is a month-long event along the same vein as National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. The difference? Well, instead of writing a 50,000-word novel, you podcast every day for 30 days from November 1st-30th. Use any platform you desire. From full production studio to iPhone app and just about anything in between. The goal is to use the challenge of podcasting daily as a form of podcasting boot camp.

27 Nov 2021    daily count 1379 cumulative count 38438 

Carl broke their gaze first. He started eating the oatmeal and drinking his coffee. He looked back at Myra who was eating her omelet with relish and motioned to Cheryl to eat her food. He wished he had telepathy to tell her what he was thinking at that moment. He wanted to find a way to break this curse so that no one would be hurt by it anymore. Even if it meant his life would be forfeited, he was willing to make the sacrifice in order for Myra to be free and his family and friends to not have to deal with the possible hurt that the curse would incur upon them. He knew Cheryl would try to talk him out of succumbing to death in order to save everyone else, but he didn’t feel he had an option. He would read through the diary and find out its secrets, he would do it over the weekend when everyone was asleep and whatever solution came from this he was prepared to do. He had this same feeling when he accepted his terminal diagnosis. Peace descended and he was actually on a euphoric high for weeks that his ex-wife couldn’t understand. When she figured out what he was planning back then she put a stop to it. His suicidal ideation at that time is not what ended their marriage, it was the aftermath. He accepted his impending death, and she would not let him go quietly, the way he wanted to go. He felt that Cheryl was cut from the same cloth.  

Everyone finished her breakfast quickly and Myra took the dishes to the sink to soak. She headed back to her bedroom to get changed. Carl and Cheryl sat at the table looking at each other.  

“You look tired, do you want me to drive out there today,” asked Cheryl? 

“I am going to take come coffee with me and I should be fine. I have had weeks of sleepless nights before and coffee keeps me alert enough to keep moving,” replied Carl.  

“I have today off so I can stay here the whole day, but we need to talk about the living situation soon. I would like to move in before next month and break my lease. Is there a charge for parking here,” asked Cheryl? 

“I get two spots included in my rent so adding you in won’t have an affect on the price. I’d like you to move in and we can talk about marriage and what that looks like and all that other stuff. With you living ere we will have time to do that,” replied Carl.  

“We also need to talk about you and your care and what that looks like if we are going to need a nurse to come in here and help out while I am at work. I know you have this tumor, but I don’t know how you progress through this battle and how we get to the other side. Before say a word there will be an other side that we will get to, I am not losing you quietly and I am not going to let you give up. If you didn’t know that I can be as stubborn as you, now you do. I told you I am in this for the long haul. Now what were you just thinking about and if you say my beautiful eyes I’ll puke in your lap right now,” joke Cheryl. She was trying to show strength to help alleviate Carl and he recognized it.  

“Do I get to pick out the nurse,” asked Carl? 

“Only if her name is Olga and she is older than both of us with a wort on her face as big as a quarter,” said Cheryl.  

“I was hoping for someone with a puss filled goiter that I would have to lance on occasion,” said Carl.  

“You really don’t like being serious do you. I get it, it’s your coping mechanism. Just so you know I can keep the jokes rolling right along with you as long as you do what you need to do to stay with us for a long time,” said Cheryl.  

“Okay but if Olga says that I need to wear adult diapers to bed, don’t complain about the smell when I eat fast food tacos, “joked Carl.  

“That is your usual man musk, that’s why I am attracted to you,” said Cheryl. 

“We do need to figure out how to break this curse before anyone else gets hurt. We can talk once we get over to Nate’s and I am sure he might have some ideas. We don’t know if this stuff is related to her or if it is the diary, I’d like to think its related to the diary,” said Carl.  

“I am going to hop in the shower and get ready, give me a few minutes. We will figure this out, I am sure. I’ll be damned if I am going to live in a horror movie where the kid is the monster,” said Cheryl. She went to the bedroom they shared and closed the door. Carl was left alone at the kitchen table with his coffee and his thoughts.  

Myra finished up and sat at the kitchen table with Carl.  

“Are you going to get ready to go,” asked Myra? 

“Yeah, I am just waiting for Cheryl to get done in the shower and I’ll clean up and get dressed,” said Carl.  

“Something happened last night didn’t it,” asked Myra? 

“Well, I don’t know how to tell you this, but it seems your dream became a reality. Everyone is okay, but we were scared there for a minute. Has something like this happened in the past,” asked Carl? 

“I don’t remember ever having this happen. So, Uncle Nate, Vince and Angela were in trouble last night,” asked Myra? 

“Let’s just say that they all experienced what you dreamt about. Do you remember anything about the old man and what he looked like from your dream,” asked Carl? 

“I think if I saw a picture of him, I’d recognize him, but I don’t want to see him ever again. He was creepy,” said Myra.  

“Well, we might need you to look at a few pictures to find out who he was and then we can try to understand what happened to my friends and family,” said Carl. “Do you think you could do it for them. I already know how brave you are, and I’ll be here to protect you.” 

“I know you will,” said Myra.  

Myra grabbed another glass of chocolate milk while they waited for Cheryl to finish up. When Cheryl came out of the bedroom Carl went right in without a word. He closed the door and started the water to splash on his face. It was cold and didn’t warm up as Cheryl had used up all the warm water. Carl wasn’t angry at this, he welcomed the freezing water on his face as it woke him up to another level of consciousness. If he felt that he was ready for the day, now he really felt ready for the day. It reminded him of one of his first apartments that hardly ever had warm water. When he was done washing his face he put on some deodorant and slipped out of all his clothes and changed them. While changing he looked at himself in the mirror and thought about that Myra trusted him to protect her. This made the decision to read the diary harder.  

Carl got finished dressing and walked out to find Myra and Cheryl sitting at the table still drinking and talking softly.  

“Okay let’s grab those kids some lunch and head out to Nate’s,” said Carl.  

They all walked out and climbed into Car’s car. The drive over was uneventful except for finding something vegan that they would all enjoy at the grocery store. When they got to Nate’s they saw Carmine’s car in the driveway and parked next to it. Seth and Rachel were at the front door waiting for everyone to come up. 

“Uncle Carl, long time no see,” said Seth.  

“I know you can’t get sick of seeing my face Seth, “said Carl.  

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and lets start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

Welcome friend to Create Art Podcast where I help you tame your inner critic and create more than we consume. I am Timothy Kimo Brien your thankful head instigator with over 20 years in arts and education. How I accomplish this is by providing you with commentary, interviews, discussions, and projects that will inspire you to create art. This month I will be podcasting daily and writing a novel in 30 days. I am participating in NaPodPoMo and NaNoWriMo again this year as I did last year and you can hear those episodes here. You will be able to listen and read along to what I wrote for the day. I like to practice what I preach when it comes to art so I am challenging myself to write and having you come along for the ride. It is my hope this inspires you to accomplish your goals with your art and if you would like to share what you are doing email me at [email protected]

NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists.

NaPodPoMo: NaPodPoMo* is a month-long event along the same vein as National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. The difference? Well, instead of writing a 50,000-word novel, you podcast every day for 30 days from November 1st-30th. Use any platform you desire. From full production studio to iPhone app and just about anything in between. The goal is to use the challenge of podcasting daily as a form of podcasting boot camp.

Good evening, everyone and Happy November 26, otherwise known as Black Friday here in America. So today, I wrote nothing, nothing at all. And that's okay, because I was having what I like to call lived experience. I went out this morning to Richmond, Virginia, which is about an hour south of where I live. And I stood in line was the 10th person in line at Record Store Day down at plan nine, which is a record store in Richmond, Virginia. And the whole way down there. I was listening to other podcasts. And specifically I was listening to Alec Baldwin. Yeah, his podcast. Here's the thing and Alan Alda has clear and vivid. In while I was doing that I was thinking about a interview that I'm going to be doing next week for my other show find a podcast about and you can find that at Find a podcast about dot XYZ. But I was being inspired while I was driving, which is a usual thing for me. And that's what I did today. That's the creativity that I did today. And that's the whole thing behind this podcast that you're listening to, is to be creative. You know, I know I say it. Gosh, this is episode 101. And I always say, you know, tame your inner critic can create more than you can sell. Well, today what I needed to do was be quiet was be present for what was happening. And what was happening was quite simply that I needed to not write today. And I am fine with that. Sometimes you have those times when you don't need to create you need to be inspired by that which is around you. And today I definitely do feel inspired because of the long drive. Because of what I went and did. Behind me. I'm playing Leonard Cohen's songs of love and hate, which is that album is now 50. It's celebrating its 50th year anniversary. I also bought Miles Davis, live slash evil, which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary. And I bought you to Gloria and I also bought Jimi Hendrix live in Paris 67.

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and lets start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

Welcome friend to Create Art Podcast where I help you tame your inner critic and create more than we consume. I am Timothy Kimo Brien your thankful head instigator with over 20 years in arts and education. How I accomplish this is by providing you with commentary, interviews, discussions, and projects that will inspire you to create art. This month I will be podcasting daily and writing a novel in 30 days. I am participating in NaPodPoMo and NaNoWriMo again this year as I did last year and you can hear those episodes here. You will be able to listen and read along to what I wrote for the day. I like to practice what I preach when it comes to art so I am challenging myself to write and having you come along for the ride. It is my hope this inspires you to accomplish your goals with your art and if you would like to share what you are doing email me at [email protected]

NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists.

NaPodPoMo: NaPodPoMo* is a month-long event along the same vein as National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. The difference? Well, instead of writing a 50,000-word novel, you podcast every day for 30 days from November 1st-30th. Use any platform you desire. From full production studio to iPhone app and just about anything in between. The goal is to use the challenge of podcasting daily as a form of podcasting boot camp.

25 Nov 2021    daily count 1787 cumulative count 37059 

Carl helped Cheryl up to her feet and led her to the bedroom where they climbed into bed together. The coffee didn’t affect Carl like everyone said it would, he had a weird constitution where he could drink coffee at any time of day and still fall asleep, although it was not a refreshing sleep. Cheryl almost immediately dozed off and Carl soon followed her into slumber.  

There was a light knocking at the bedroom door and Cheryl looked over at the clock which read eight o’clock. The sun was trying to stream through the blinds through the window and it made shadows on the opposite wall. Cheryl whispered, “give us a couple of minutes sweet girl.” Carl was still in a deep and fitful sleep and Cheryl quietly got up and went to the bathroom to get herself ready for the day. She wanted Carl to get some good sleep since he had had a long night. When she was done in the bathroom, she looked over at Carl who was looking at her with almost closed eyes. “Go back to sleep superman,” she said to Carl.  

“Never really liked Superman, I am more of a Batman guy, oh and no Beatles just Rolling Stones,” joked Carl as he was stretching.  

“You are just full of surprises aren’t you. I bet you plan on getting up and running around today or going to work huh,” asked Cheryl? 

“Nope, I already called off work today. I am just waiting to hear from Nate and Carmine. I do need a shower though, mind if I slip into it first,” asked Carl? 

“I think you earned it, we can talk about what happened last night after breakfast, what do you want,” asked Cheryl? 

“I am not fussy at all, coffee, maybe some oatmeal,” replied Carl.  

“Good, I think we can manage that, hop in the shower, although I think you should take a break today,” scolded Cheryl. She left the bedroom and Myra was right outside the door waiting for her. 

“Is he okay,” asked Myra? 

“He had a long night after we put you back to bed, what would you like to make for breakfast,” asked Cheryl. The girls headed off to the kitchen and Carl slowly got out of bed. He went to the shower and turned it on full blast. Carl liked hot showers where the water almost scalded him. When he disrobed, he felt that funny feeling of confusion as he had in the past, just before he had an episode. Carl didn’t want to pass out in the shower and end up in the hospital. This time he would try to fight the episode as much as he could and have a normal day. He got into the shower and started to grit his teeth and march while the hot water sprayed all over his body. He was feeling invigorated and tired at the same time. Forcing his eyes open by sheer will he finished his shower and stepped out onto the bathroom floor after turning off the facet. Carl felt good that he was able to fight off the episode this time and noted how he was able to do it. Obviously, he wouldn’t be able to do this every time, but at least this time he had won a battle. 

When Carl smelled the familiar scent of coffee, that was almost as invigorating as the shower. He finished getting dressed and picked up his phone to check for messages. Nothing had come through yet, so he called over to Nate’s house to check in on the kids. On the third ring Rachel answered. 

“Hey Uncle Carl, we are doing fine here,” said Rachel in a cheerful voice. 

“Good to hear, have you two had breakfast yet,” asked Carl? 

“We just finished up. We haven’t heard anything from Mom and Dad yet, starting to get worried,” replied Rachel.  

“Well, we are going to head over there and hang out with you two. I took the day off work and if your dad ends up needing a hand I want to be there to help,” said Carl.  

“Thanks, and I remember what we talked about last night, about being Myra’s friend. I am sorry I called her weird. It must be really hard on her,” replied Rachel.  

“Yeah, it is but she is holding up like a champ. Give us about an hour and a half and we will be over. Do you guys need me to bring you lunch,” asked Carl? 

“Well, we have plenty of food here, but if you want to bring us lunch that’s fine. Seth it’s Uncle Carl, he is coming over in about two hours go get your room cleaned up. Sorry Seth is acting like I am a substitute teacher and doesn’t want to do our normal chores,” said Rachel perturbed.  

“Let me talk to Seth,” said Carl. “Hey Seth, your sister is in charge until I get there and if I see that your room is not made up and your chores aren’t done then young man you will be in trouble with me and we won’t go driving, understand?” 

“Yes, Uncle Carl, sheesh, you are as bad as dad,” said Seth sheepishly.  

“Hey Seth, I understand, I am the youngest in my family and there were times when my brothers had to look after me while my parents were out of the house doing something. It can be frustrating and it may seem like your sister is being bossy, but remember she is trying her best to make sure nothing happens to you and she is under a lot of stress. Try to help her out as much as possible okay. I know you can alright big guy,” asked Carl? 

“Okay Uncle Carl. Are you bringing Cheryl and Myra over too,” asked Seth? 

“Yup, the whole crew, and Cheryl is a stickler for getting chores done so do us both a favor,” said Carl. 

“Can do Uncle Carl, see you in a few hours,” said Seth.  

“Okay, see you then put your sister back on the phone,” asked Carl. 

“Thanks for the help with Seth Uncle Carl. You know Mom doesn’t want him to go driving with you in that Suzuki Samurai,” said Rachel. 

“And I didn’t tell him I would take him driving in that car, I am going to call your mom now and see what is going on. You call me if there are any issues okay,” said Carl.  

“Gotcha big boss man,” said Rachel. That was her special name for her uncle.  

“See you soon my cuddly kazoo,” said Carl as he ended the call. He walked out to the kitchen and there was coffee and oatmeal already set up for him as Cheryl and Myra were finishing up making their breakfast of cheese omelets and chocolate milk for Myra and tea for Cheryl.  

“I need to make one call before I sit down to eat, do you mind,” asked Carl? 

“Handle your business, we are just sitting down to eat,” replied Cheryl.  

“Anyone interested in a trip to Uncle Nate’s house and hanging out with Seth and Rachel,” asked Carl? 

“Oooo I’d like that a lot,” squealed Myra. 

“I wouldn’t mind going out there again is Nate is up to it,” said Cheryl. 

 “That’s what I am going to look into. I need to drop off lunch for Seth and Rachel and make sure they are okay, and I figured I could use some help from two of the best people I know,” said Carl. “He dialed up Carmine’s number on his phone, after three rings she answered. 

“Hey Carl, I just got off the phone with Rachel and she said you all were heading over to drop off lunch and hang out,” said Carmine.  

“Yeah, I didn’t get in until about four this morning, but I wanted to make sure the kids were all right and I have the best people in the world to give me a hand with that, how’s Nate holding up this morning,” asked Carl? 

“We had a quiet night, they looked at the MRI’s and didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, you could probably read the scans better than anyone else and understand what all this stuff means. We should be getting out of here in about two hours. Nate is more upset because he has lost some time on this project of yours. Also, did you know Vince was admitted to the same hospital last night in the evening and is being released with no issues,” asked Carmine? 

“I heard about it from a clerk at the gas station on the way to your house. I also talked with the cop that was on the call for Vince,” said Carl. 

“Talked to a cop, what happened,” asked Carmine? 

“I pulled to the side of the road to get some fresh air and the cop pulled up behind me, we started talking and well, luckily he knew about Vince so that mystery was solved. Have you heard from Angela,” asked Carl? 

“Well, she lives in the next county over, but I did check the hospital here and she wasn’t admitted last night,” replied Carmine.  

“I’ll check the hospital over there, so Nate is doing okay,” asked Carl? 

“Yes, little brother he is doing fine, like I said he is just ornery as usual. Other people controlling his choices, you know how much he loves that,” replied Carmine.  

“About as much as I enjoy it. Okay we will see you in a few hours, we are just eating breakfast now and we will head out and grab lunch for everyone,” said Carl.  

“Thanks for checking in on he kids last night. Rachel said she really appreciated it and Seth looks up to you. Just get this project done quickly, I don’t want to have another night like this again,” said Carmine. 

“Neither do I, neither do I,” replied Carl. He sat down after he ended the call an ate his oatmeal and drank the black coffee.  

“What’s on your mind,” asked Cheryl? 

“Angela hasn’t checked in yet,” replied Carl. 

Cheryl looked at her phone after he said that “Wait, I got a text from Angela, let me read it. Must have just came in. Says she is getting out of the hospital now, was admitted yesterday, docs found nothing wrong, wants to meet with us as soon as possible, hasn’t been able to reach Nate. I’ll message her back and let her know. This is very strange that all three of them were in the hospital last …,” Cheryl said trailing off.  

Cheryl and Carl looked at Myra and then looked at each other.  

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and lets start that conversation.

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