Friday, November 16, 2007

Coo, Coo Cachoo ...

My wife looks like Rocky Raccoon, but the good news is the dentist says we won't have to move to Kentucky or Arkansas -- her teeth are not going to fall out. Also, she is no longer slurring words like a wino with an empty paper sack. The boys are on the mend and back to school and today is payday. Things are looking up, now if I could just get thirty or forty uninterrupted hours to sit down and finish writing the novel I'm working on all would be right with the world.

Thanks to all the well wishers and I apologize for not chiming in on the comment board and commenting on your blogs in the last few days. I'll try to catch up this weekend.

Don't forget my short story, The Simplest Of Sounds is still available as a free read over on the Underground Voices website. I think most of y'all have read it and commented but if not I'd love to hear what you think of it.

I typed the above stuff earlier today, but before I could wrap up my thoughts and post I had to leave and pick up my seven year old from school. After that the entire family went out to buy a new Christmas tree. Dang near every person we encountered would take one look at my wife, then slide their eyes toward me, and let me tell you I saw more than one look of contempt as person after person leaped to conclusions. Guess I should have found my wife a shirt that read, Yeah, he's big, hairy and maybe even scary ... but I'm just clumsy.

11 comments:

Sherry said...

All right, the first paragraph had me in stitches...but I so feel for your wife!!! I can well imagine the looks you've been getting...people just automatically jump to "a" conclusion...at least she wasn't wearing a t-shirt that said "I'm with stupid"..that would really make 'em wonder!

preTzel said...

Travis - I dedicated my last post tonight ( 3 today) just to you. :) I hope it brings a smile to your face.

I hope your wife mends soon so folks won't look at you and give her hints on how to burn you in bed.

Glad to hear the wee ones are feeling better.

cher said...

At the very least you must get a jiffy marker and write that on a piece of paper and pin it to her shirt and go SOMEWHERE!!! ANYWHERE!!! or do it and take a picture and photoshop yourself everywhere.

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

Sorry about your wife but glad to hear she is not going to lose any teeth! Can I tell you that I also fell (clumsy too, I guess) and scraped up my knuckles very badly. Everyone's been asking me if I've been punching my husband!

alex keto said...

Yeah, I had the same deal once. One of the kids, when young, bucked her head into my wife's eye so she got a good shiner. And everyone assumed I was to blame. Been there, done that, and all I got was a stinking T-shirt is all I can say.

Charles Gramlich said...

Glad everyone is feeling better. That t-shirt idea is a great one.

Merry Monteleone said...

Ah well, Travis, count your blessings... thank goodness it happened at work, otherwise her co-workers would hate you forever... and those Catholic School teachers are no joke... speaking as someone who's spent most of my life in the Catholic School environment...

though, if it had happened back when we were in school, I might wonder if there was a nun and a yardstick in the mix - they could be deadly.

Chris Eldin said...

Hi Travis, If you're serious about asking for a crit, I'll offer a short one.

First off, I haven't finished reading. I wanted to catch this as my gut reaction. I think you should start with this paragraph, reordered a bit. The stuff before it, while well-written, didn't spark the way this paragraph did.

***

There are those things that made up my nightmares. Fueled my dread. The clink of ice hitting the bottom of a glass. The gurgle of whiskey being poured. The heavy thud of my father’s work boots in the hall. The sobs of my mother -- whimpers of my little brother.

As the sun set on my thirteenth birthday, I knew what I would do. Shedding the fear, I prepared to shake free of my shame and become a man.
****
After I read those two paragraphs, I'm hooked. JMHO!

Now, I'm going back for the ending.

Chris Eldin said...

Gripping. Is this part of a larger story? There's a lot here. I felt as if I was there. The pacing was spot on.
Very good writing!

Travis Erwin said...

Sherry - I don't think people need that shirt to wonder about me.

Pretzel - Thanks for the dedication.

Cher - That would require ambition.

Ello - My wife has a habit of falling or bumping her head, but thisis the first time nay serious injuries have incurred. Both of y'all need to be careful.

Alex - When you say a good shiner, I'm think of a bottle of Shiner Bock beer.

Charles - As a fellow hairy guy I'm sure you get judged as well.

Merry - You are right. No way do I wann get on those Catholic teachers bad sides.

Church Lady - Thanks for the comments and for reading. That short story is something I wrote a logn time ago, but just recently sold to Underground Voices, so i guess it is too late to rewrite it now even though I found several things I wish I could change once I read it on their website. Oh well I've already cashed the check and we writers are never completly happy with our words anyway. Thanks again for reading

Bubblewench said...

I feel bad for your wife! I hope it all heals up fast!

Were you wearing your white tank top t-shirt under your jacket while shopping? That doesn't help.