I suppose one thing I am grateful for, if I can be grateful for anything about my writing, is I've never not had a year where I didn't write at least write one story since I started exploring writing as a creative expression in 1998.

I should make a timeline for myself of when my stories were produced to prove to myself that I am somewhat productive.

This is so funny to me. A client from the southeast region of the country sent my boss an email for a project they want us to do. The client writes in the email that they would appreciate a week TAT on the project. I get the memo because I'm working on the request.

My boss sends me another email asking if I knew what 'a week TAT. meant, and I said no. I figured it probably was a shortcut for a phrase, but I'd never heard of it.

I googled TAT, and didn't get anything. Then I googled TAT acronym, and found a list of acronyms that stated TAT meant 'turnaround time'.

This made sense because later in the memo, the client stated that the company was under pressure to deliver the project in the first week of December.

I kind of feel so behind the times that I didn't know what TAT meant, but at the same time it's amusing as heck for some reason.

Listening to the Ronn Owens Show, I heard that the Santa Barbara DA has a vendetta against Michael Jackson. Apparently, this is the same DA who was trying to prosecute Jackson back in the early 90's for child molestation when that case was settled out of court.

Owens said that on one of Michael Jackson's records, there's a song about the Santa Barbara DA. Interesting.

So now all the legal eagles are involved. Johnny Cochran of the OJ Simpson trial fame is giving statements, and Scott Peterson's lawyer is supposedly taking Michael Jackson's case. Owens called Peterson's lawyer the Johnny Cochran of 2003.

But the question, will Michael Jackson surrender? I can't imagine him in jail. I hope he gets his own cell, and they keep him away from the other prisoners.

YEAH! Now I'm all caught up with my novel again. I was two days behind and now I'm current for tonight's headcount.

It took four hours of writing to produce 5,000 plus words or about 9.5 pages of single spaced typed text.

Oy! I'm exhausted. I could keep writing more, but I know I should stop. I've heard writers say that you should make yourself stop writing when you're reached your goal, even if you want to keep writing. If you stop yourself from over writing, then you will give yourself enthusiasm and incentive for writing the next day.

Writing is such a slog. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't find some other way of expressing myself, that's not so labor intensive and single minded.

To write, I guess if you write at home, is to sit in front of your computer all night staring at your screen. I guess I could write at a coffeehouse with other people. Many of the Nano people do that just so they don't have to write alone night after night. But I can't do it that way. I've tried it. It just doesn't work very well.

I do my best writing at home by myself with my stereo blasting music. Sometimes I can write in public, but it's hard. Although now that I think about it, I'm wondering which is harder. Writing by yourself or writing with others. It's all hard! Doesn't matter which really.

The only good thing about being at home and writing is you can at least suffer in private. That's about it.