We’ll be in Italy of course because we live there. That’s always weird but less weird every year and this’ll be Year Seven EIGHT! Our first year living in Italy we went to Venice for Christmas and got ripped off at some supposedly great restaurant. C’est la vie, live and learn. This year we local americani will have Thanksgiving dinner with some likewise Americans etc. at a friends house in the country where I’ll sing some songs and eat a lot and if we’re lucky Norma will play her new violin, and we’ll spend one week in Innsbruck visiting with Norma’s one remaining aunt, and then she’ll be completely involved in all the local Christmas celebrations and festivities while I will continue as always, bundled up here in my bungalow, seeing visions and making up words.
So man it’s good to feel healthy and strong after pretty much two whole years of doctors and hospitals. I mean, sure, I was feeling good through a lot of it but there was always one more thing that had to get fixed to get back to what has passed for normal for nearly 70 years now. This and that and the other. Ouch! Don’t touch that! Don’t do that to me! Yikes! Let me out of here! Enough of that for now I think. I’m feeling good and not in need of any further patching up.
So here I am back at the computer where I have hired myself, become my own boss, who is very lenient and gives ample vacation time as long as his/my employee/me attends to execution of the Big Ten-Year Plan. The Ten-Year Plan being to just be a writer again and submit as much material as possible to all available outlets, make some books stuff like that. No biggee. No craving fame. More craving anonymity and the small-time world of misfits, i.e. maybe they’ll take my stuff at the Journal of Experimental Fiction, for example. We’ll see. But as far as self-reinvention goes, there’s this: Not really an advice columnist anymore, no hero to the oppressed and suffering, not much in the way of dishing out whatever compassion might be left in this by-now beleaguered and overworked soul. More like just a regular retired guy hanging out in Italy and writing whatever he pleases.
In brief (speaking of brief, check out my friend Allison K. Williams’ holiday post on the Brevity Magazine blog) I’m pretty happy and comfortably retired and living in a little house in a small town in Italy where people are friendly and take their time at the bakery. I do have this notion of getting back to the regular activity of being a regular writer and of course will be doing the same workshops here in May (I’ll figure out the date soon and let you know) [SEE THE POST ON OUR MAY 11-19 WORKSHOP HERE) and so forth as always, and also planning to visit the U.S. in March (THAT WAS A DISASTER–SEE BLOG POST “MAROONED IN MIAMI” FOR DETAILS), including a stop in Florida, a stop in San Francisco to get some inventory of books finally out of storage, and to drop in at the AWP Conference in Seattle March 8-11 2023.
That’s all. Just thought I’d say hello. If you need anything just holler.
Best regards,
cary t.
So glad to hear you are feeling healthy and strong & still enjoying fabulous Italy !!!❤️ I am hoping to make it to Melrose in March as well, hope to see you there!
Enjoy the holidays!!!
Arynne
Hi Cary.
It’s wonderful to see you and Norma. I look back so fondly on your writers’ workshops!
During your upcoming visits to the states, if you’re anywhere near South FL, I’d love to see you, have you over for coffee, dinner, etc. NO PRESSURE!
My husband and I will be doing the reverse migration thing and retiring to Ireland (he had Irish grandparents) and using Ireland as a base and being “roving retirees,” spending winters somewhere warm. Italy is high on our list (stalker alert!).
Anyway, I just wanted to respond to your post and wish you well. You guys were smart to leave the U.S. when you did…
My best to you and sweet Norma!
Nice to hear from you and your wife looks nice also. Life is good here in Minnesota. The Vikings won, which you probably don’t really care about, but that’s ok. Thawing in November, unheard of. In January, when it is usually scheduled to thaw a couple of days during that month. I will have to check on your book one of these days. I write something every month for the writing group. I did belong to a writing group that met every Monday, after a couple of years I decided that was a little bit much, but I did learn and I was a lot younger then. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas, which is just around the corner.
Love the glasses Cary!
Nice to hear this Cary…you both look great ! See you in March.
Loved your recent very literary post on FB! A walk through a town that I’m sure is not the town portrayed in the news. It’s our town and always will be. See you in March!
Cary, it makes me happy to know you are well and doing what you choose. I’m sure I’m not alone in smiling at you right now. : )
Hey Cary do you need help getting those books to Italy? we’re gonna be buying a container for our stuff, we can bring yours too – coming to Portugal for your books might be fun, or we can bring them to you…that would be fun too! xo
Yes, wow, Sandra, I love that possibility, when are you leaving for Portugal? (Always nice to have an excuse to visit Portugal!) I am planning to be in SF in March 2023
Happy Holidays Cary! You were a great advice columnist but I totally get burning out at that career! I wrote in to you about questioning whether I was still dateable and all the male incels on that sight let me know I wasn’t. Lol! Fortunately, I have met interesting and cool men on Tinder, always finding a variety of men who think I’m dateable at the expiry date of 68!
But I digress! Glad to hear you are getting back to writing and recovering.
Cheers!
Rita B.
Very interesting the incel phenom, and being at the expiry date … *come io* … Shannon Cain blogged about that recently, *In Defense of Tinder* etc., yep, it’s a thing! thanks!–ct