July 31, 2004

See You All a Little Further Down the Road

THE ROOM IS SMALL and kept dim, at night it is lit only by the glow of the screen. Outside, from the deck, the hill slopes down to the sea and the sea rolls out to Catalina hazy on the horizon.

At my hosting site, American page views crack 200,000 this month, up from 20,000 last July. Not all that bad, but still......

On my hard-drive there are three large folders of three book projects, and I am falling far behind in my promises to others. There's also a notebook with notes on topics I would really like to write about. Right now, there are 438 such notes.

Behind me a stack of some 15 books ordered in from Amazon and barely

started. On iTunes, Pink Floyd:

Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,
My grubby halo, a vapor trail in the empty air,
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night
glide4smallweb.jpg

Somewhere nearby, Jackson, my 10-year old stepson, would probably like to get out and play some tennis with me before he starts Surfcamp and advanced hanging out on Monday.

TheWindup.jpg

My wife, so beautiful she makes my breathing pause brings me biscuits, jam, soup and two slices of fresh, peeled cantaloupe.

s@g.jpg

I leave the room and walk downstairs to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. Glancing out across the deck into the day, I notice the hillside is still in bloom.

hillside2.jpg

And I think of a bronze plaque that stood in the courtyard of my daughter Justine's school in Westport, Connecticut when she was a little girl. It said:"This is the day God has made. Rejoice and be glad in it"

This small weblog was begun on the 11th floor of a dismal office in Manhattan towards the end of September in 2001. When my life changed, it went away for awhile, but came back in June of 2003 when my life reformed in California. It is now one year, one month and 2,040 items later.

Incarcerated in New York City I use to wonder at the multi-millionaires that had it made and still showed up in their hellish offices day after day. "What's that about?," I wondered. "If I had their money, I'd be at the beach." Well, I still don't have their money, but I am at the beach and tomorrow is not promised.

So I'm out of here for a month or maybe more. Thanks for the kind words, the brickbats, the sheer flattery of your attention to my various obsessions and concerns. I'll be back when the days are shorter.

me2.jpg
There's a hell of a nice universe next door. Let's go."

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Posted by Vanderleun at July 31, 2004 2:27 PM | TrackBack
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AMERICAN DIGEST HOME
"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.

Godspeed, Mr. Van der Leun.

Posted by: P.A. Breault at July 31, 2004 3:47 PM

Thank you for you time and effort. It's been wonderful reading you.

Posted by: NC3 at July 31, 2004 4:52 PM

Sir, I freakin' salute ya.

Now get out there and smell those roses!

Cameron Wood

Posted by: ccwbass at July 31, 2004 6:55 PM

I know you will see the beauty.
enjoy!
Carole

Posted by: Carole at July 31, 2004 8:06 PM

Life is good. You help prove that point.

Posted by: Lileks at July 31, 2004 9:46 PM

Hey, somebody has to do it! Just roll up your sleeves and enjoy.

Posted by: Walter E. Wallis at August 1, 2004 4:05 AM

God Speed and best wishes. Have a good hiatus.

Posted by: Paulie at The Commons at August 1, 2004 6:24 AM

Enjoy the time away! Looking forward to your return...

Posted by: Joachim Klehe at August 1, 2004 7:58 AM

[weeps at loss of free ice cream]

You're a hard man to live without, Gerard. I can't wait until you're back.

Posted by: Harvey at August 1, 2004 11:29 AM

You're a smart man, sir.

Posted by: Scott Chaffin at August 1, 2004 7:46 PM

Go and soak it all in, brother. Refill your tank, recharge your battery and renew your spirit.

And don't worry about us; I think we'll all be right here, waiting, for when you return.

Thank you for what you do here, Gerard. And many thanks to your gracious family for sharing you with us.

Every word is appreciated, every thought conveyed, a treasure.

Yeah, we'll be here. Count on it.


Jim
Sloop New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Posted by: Jim at August 2, 2004 7:31 AM

I know what you mean. Because of my site, I'm WAY behind on my soaps.

Posted by: jeff at August 2, 2004 8:12 AM

Bos, everything was OK, until I saw the Jesus Boots, get help now!

Posted by: TK at August 2, 2004 10:56 AM

Thanks for all you have done.

Don't let us drive you crazy.

Posted by: Philip at August 2, 2004 11:58 AM

you will be sorely missed on a daily basis. but your choice to live instead of to blog is probably very wise. enjoy the excellent locales and airs

Posted by: 4 white, rich guys (2 R's, 2D's) at August 3, 2004 9:02 AM

Hurry back. I need material.

Posted by: Jeff G at August 3, 2004 1:38 PM

Have a great vacation, and you'd bloody well better restart this site when you're done!

Posted by: Donald Sensing at August 4, 2004 1:35 PM

We miss your imaginative take on life. Don't stay away too long.

Posted by: Tom at August 4, 2004 9:06 PM

Looking good. Nice airplane. Reminds me of Nam.

Posted by: Aaron at August 5, 2004 10:04 AM

http://www.sandalandsoxer.co.uk/


here's where you can get help, Bos...

Posted by: tkozal at August 6, 2004 8:18 AM

But I just got here . . .

Dang. Miss you already.

Posted by: Uncle Mikey at August 6, 2004 9:31 AM

You're one of the best, man. Let us know when you return!

(Yeah, checking in late.)

Posted by: Dean Esmay at August 8, 2004 12:04 AM

Good luck with your tourrettes. Your twitching and barking was driving us crazy anyway. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your toupee.

Posted by: flannelputz at August 12, 2004 12:47 PM
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