Joe Langen  

Date / Time: 2/27/2009 1:04 PM UTC

Conversations with Calliope- A Beach for Ideas

(Boathouse Beach- Barbados)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you?
JOE: Still a little foggy from my cold. My mind has been active though.
CALLIOPE: What's stirring up there?
JOE: I thought about the column I just posted, Lessons from a Nude Beach and had an aha moment.
CALLIOPE: Which was?
JOE: I have been thinking about a website consisting of a playground for ideas. That's about as far as I got.
CALLIOPE: Until today?
JOE: Yes. I realized my ideas would be happier on a beach than on a playground.
CALLIOPE: What led you to that conclusion?
JOE: Maybe it's because I would be happier on a beach than on a playground.
CALLIOPE: Any other thoughts?
JOE: I realize life originated from the sea. What better place than a beach for ideas to germinate? They could write in the sand, swim or just bask in the sun.
CALLIOPE: All true.
JOE: I'll work on it some more and let you know what develops. Talk with you tomorrow.

• Tags:
• playground
• beach
• ideas

Date / Time: 2/25/2009 12:34 PM UTC

Conversations with Callipe- Parts is Parts

(Morning Rain- San Juan)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Okay, I guess. I went all winter without a cold and today I am struggling with one. My head is a little foggy today.
CALLIOPE: Will it slow you down?
JOE: I think it already has.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Yesterday I was working on my column for this Saturday. I talked with you about the idea last week, "Lessons from a Nude Beach."
CALLIOPE: Yes?
JOE: I thought it would be an easy column to write. I had a few clear ideas in my mind and thought I could compose a coherent column with ease.
CALLIOPE: Not the case?
JOE: No. I found the ideas harder to put into words than I realized and ended up with some disconnected observations which did not form a coherent piece.
CALLIOPE: How did it end up?
JOE: It didn't. At least not yet. I decided to put it aside and work on it today.
CALLIOPE: Is it still waiting?
JOE: I think of it as aging or marinating. I will get it out when we are finished and see whether I can pull it together. I'll let you know the results tomorrow. Talk with you then.

Date / Time: 2/24/2009 1:49 PM UTC

Conversations with Calliope- Our Journey Together

(Canadian Sailing Ship- St. Lucia)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's this about a journey? I thought you just got back from a trip.
JOE: I did. This time you're invited.
CALLIOPE: Oh?
JOE: Actually we already took the trip. I am planning a book about our exploits in writing over the past year.
CALLIOPE: What do you plan to do with it?
JOE: I am working on an e-book documenting our conversations over the course of a year.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting. How did you settle on this project?
JOE: Booklocker has an interest in writing related books. I thought it might be a good place for us to hang out.
CALLIOPE: How will you organize it?
JOE: Right now I don't think I will. I see it as documenting the day to day adventures in writing and publishing for people who wonder what the writing life is about.
CALLIOPE: I like the idea. I guess I have never thought about the progress of our work together.
JOE: Neither have I. But I think we might both learn something about the process of writing.
CALLIOPE: Maybe it will suggest some new directions.
JOE: Perhaps. In any case I am looking forward to the adventure.

• Tags:
• journal
• muse
• writing process

Date / Time: 2/23/2009 1:49 PM UTC

Conversations with Calliope- Train Memories

(Engine 999)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you Saturday.
JOE: Sorry. I was out the door early and never got back to my computer.
CALLIOPE: Where were you off to?
JOE: I took my son and grandson to a model train show in Rochester.
CALLIOPE: How did you decide on that?
JOE: Trains have always been important to me.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: My first life memory is of changing trains in Washington in the middle of the night on the way to Miami with my mother when I was about two so we could be with my father in the navy.
CALLIOPE: Any others?
JOE: My favorite memory of my grandfather is hearing the whistle as a train entered Dunkirk. We piled in the car and drove to the end of Park Avenue to watch a freight train stop, let off steam and cargo and then chug to a slow start on its way to the next stop.
CALLIOPE: Any other memories?
JOE: When I was writing my dissertation at the University of Illinois, I was assigned to the sixth floor of the library stacks where they also kept their collection of train books. They kept me sane when I felt overwhelmed with my research.
CALLIOPE: Did you share all of this with you son and grandson?
JOE: No. I kept the memories to myself but did share my enthusiasm for trains and what I had learned about them over the years. Talk with you tomorrow.

• Tags:
• train
• memories
• generations

Date / Time: 2/20/2009 12:43 PM UTC

Conversations with Calliope- Lessons from a nude beach

(Tiki Hut- Orient Beach, St. Martin)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What are you up to today?
JOE: I think I might have mentioned that I would be trying a new schedule.
CALLIOPE: You mean one with a day off from regular activities?
JOE: Exactly. Glad you are paying attention.
CALLIOPE: So tell me about the day off.
JOE: Today is the first one. Rather than spending my time poring over internet goings-on, I will spend some time thinking, reading and reflecting.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good idea. What reflections do you have? Anything about a nude beach?
JOE: How did you know? I was thinking about Orient Beach lately.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Orient Beach is the only one touted in the Caribbean as being clothing optional. I had wanted to visit it several years ago although my traveling companions weren't enthusiastic about the idea. This year they suggested it.
CALLIOPE: What was it like?
JOE: I suppose about what I expected. People of all ages and body types walked the beach in an unselfconscious way, very much in contrast to our schizophrenic attitude about nudity and sexuality.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting. What impressed you the most?
JOE: Seeing a father and his young daughter running down the beach in innocent glee. The image of the burned girl running from the massacre at MyLai in Vietnam sprung to my mind in contrast. Talk with you tomorrow.

Date / Time: 2/19/2009 12:21 PM UTC

Conversations with Calliope- Life's mysteries

(Metal Sculpture- Vigo Spain)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine, thank you.
CALLIOPE: What are you up to today?
JOE: Continuing to plan my website conversion.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more about it.
JOE: I see it as a playground for my ideas where I will let them run around and watch them develop.
CALLIOPE: You told me yesterday about what you know for sure. What else will be running around?
JOE: What I call life mysteries.
CALLIOPE: Which are?
JOE: Things I have thought about for years but still can't make much sense of.
CALLIOPE: For example?
JOE: Sexual abuse is one. I have worked in a sex abuse program and also written a novel about a priest struggling with his abuse issues. Still I don't really understand why people do such things, although I have a few hints.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a complex topic.
JOE: It is. Maybe we can make some sense of it together and with the input of our readers. Talk with you tomorrow.

• Tags:
• life's mysteries
• website
• playground