This week's Wednesday

Wednesday is my day off from retail work, which makes it my designated day to record my parts for each week's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio and to try to get around to doing whatever else needs doing. I always run out out of Wednesday before I run out of Wednesday things to do.

Well, I certainly didn't want to get up that early. The unpleasant intermittent chirp of a smoke alarm in need of a new battery compelled me to forsake my bed around 6:15 or so. There wasn't any sense in returning to bed--a 9:00 doctor's appointment precluded any option of really sleeping in--but I would have preferred to remain in slumber mode for another hour and fifteen minutes. I felt tired throughout the rest of the day, perking up just before midnight. Ain't that just like me.

Almost certainly NOT the final cover design

But: UP! Shower, the heavenly gift of coffee, the weekly ritual of addressing bills and bank accounts. Before calling it a night on Tuesday evening, I had written the next (fifth) chapter in my eventual novel Meet The Frantiks!. It needed just a minor tweak to complete the job Wednesday morning, moving what had been the beginning of chapter six to a more natural rhythm as the end of chapter five. I'm pleased with the result, and this newly-finished chapter five will be September's private post for patrons, distributed only to this blog's paid supporters on Monday. (You can join that exclusive club for a mere $3 a month: Fund me, baby!)

I also had time to sample a new audiobook version of my 2024 work The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). The audiobook is disappointing. When the print and digital book was published last year, someone asked if there could be an audiobook version for visually-impaired potential fans. I didn't think there would be a practical way to pull that off, but several months ago I accepted an offer to have an audiobook created by...AI. Yeah, I agree with the Yechh you just mentioned. I didn't expect perfection, nor even a higher level of adequacy, but it seemed like my only shot at bringing an audio version of GREM! into the world. Shoulda known better. The mispronunciations, the lack of personality, and the occasional awkward phrasing and pace are off-putting; maybe I could live with it as, y'know, better than nothing if the stupid AI hadn't also cut out all of the book's introductory material. A product that's lackluster and incomplete? I'll sell a MILLION of 'em! BWAH-HA-HAAAAA! Ha. 

Harrumph. 

I've sent an inquiry about trying to at least restore the book's beginning, upgrading its status to merely lackluster. Terms of the original agreement dictate that I can't take the audiobook off the market for at least six months. I doubt I'll keep it available any longer than I have to.

All this, and it wasn't even 8:30 yet. I had dropped my car off for inspection, so I borrowed Brenda's car. The consultation with a nurse practitioner took the metric equivalent of no time at all. Since Comix Zone doesn't open until 10:00, I grabbed a donut and a much-needed second mug of coffee from Tim Horton to kill time before scoring my fresh haul of new comic books: Justice League Unlimited, Mr. Terrific: Year One, and Superman. I still haven't gotten around to reading most of last week's acquisitions, finishing only Batman/Superman: World's Finest and Batman And Robin: Year One, leaving Detective Comics, The Amazing Spider-Man, Justice League Red, Wonder Woman, and Space Quest (starring Space Ghost and Jonny Quest), plus the previous week's Ancestral Recall in the to-be-read file. I'll get to them. I've been reading The Reporter Who Knew Too Much, Mark Shaw's book about Dorothy Kilgallen, but I won't keep my patient stack of comic books waiting much longer.

Back home. Normally, Wednesday means recording my parts for that week's This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, but for Labor Day weekend Dana wanted to do an encore presentation of a previous edition of TIRnRR's popular special show Dana's Funky Soul Pit. The Soul Pit is one of our most popular shows every year, and one specific Soul Pit was the most buzzed-about Soul Pit of them all. We're runnin' that one again. Tune in! A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Brenda read my new chapter of Meet The Frantiks!, in sequence with re-reading the first four chapters. I'm pleased that she likes it, and we discussed the process of writing. She recognized the real person that was the inspiration for one of the characters, even though it's someone Brenda never had an opportunity to meet. The book-to-be has already changed so much from the vague notion I originally had in mind. It was first concocted as a notion for a comic book mini-series, with a somewhat different tone but similar storyline. The comic book's opening scene was supposed to take place in a used record store. I may still get to that scene in chapter six or seven, but we're not there yet, and might not get there at all. The story and its characters are telling me what to do. I'll be very interested to discover where they decide to travel.

There were errands to run. By the time Brenda and I completed those and paused for a late lunch of leftover pizza, my car was ready. Like the Beatles before it, my intrepid Ford Explorer had passed the audition. Brenda scooted me to the mechanic for pick-up, she went to the store, and I drove home to complete some work on getting CDs of the new various-artists blockbuster Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes into the hands of all the talented performers who made this particular something happen. Thank you, friends! Word reached us on Wednesday that the Flashcubes' "Reminisce," one of the singles from this album, had been selected by Little Steven for satellite radio play as one of his Underground Garage's Coolest Songs In The World. Validation!!

Our son-in-law Austin had invited Brenda and me over for dinner Wednesday night, so we joined him, our daughter Meghan, and their cutie-pie dog Cider at their house. Austin whipped up a delicious batch of white chili--chef's kiss!--and we stayed to chat for a bit before returning to home base. Brenda and I shared ice cream sandwiches while watching TV.

And now: Thursday. This Thursday, August 28th, carries some weight, as it would have been my Mom's 100th birthday. My brother is coming in from Albany to visit the gravesite, but I'll be at work, unable to join. I don't go to the cemetery. It hurts too much. and I don't have the will to overcome that. But on my way home from work Thursday evening...maybe? Maybe I can force myself to stop by and leave a pebble on the stone, to say hi to my memories of Mom, Dad, and my niece, to pay the respect that's always there within me, but which I can't summon the strength to express in the face of a tombstone. 

But I'll try. Wednesdays have to be earned. Maybe Thursday is part of the price we have to pay. The tears are collateral. The ache is the interest that's due.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.