A post about nothing (TV show reference there)

 It's been over a week since we had a Kerouac-related birth or death date to post about (the next one is December 20), plus I've been a little down and out after having surgery on my nose to remove a basal cell carcinoma. FYI, that's the good kind of skin cancer in that it doesn't metastasize.

So . . . what shall we post about? I say we as in the royal "we," since there's just little old me behind this blog enterprise. That's a movie reference, by the way, to one of the best movies ever made: The Big Lebowski. Which reminds me that I made this video back in 2008 to hawk my book. It's got a lot of "inside baseball" references from the movie, so it works best for fans of the film. You can still buy my book on Amazon thanks to print-on-demand technology. You could probably order one today and have it in hand by Saturday (or delivered to anyone with a mailing address as a gift). Or, if you want a signed copy you can e-mail me at thebeathandbook@gmail.com. We'll arrange a price that includes shipping in the U.S. Foreign orders are more complicated. 

Oh, I should tell you that my 65th birthday is this Friday, December 11. That means I became Medicare-eligible on December 1. Yay for socialized healthcare. I am saving about $600/month compared to my ACA (Obamacare) plan that I paid for out-of-pocket since retiring in 2017.

But enough about me. How are YOU doing during this pandemic? I hope you're being safe and doing things for your mental as well as physical well-being. For the former, meditating like Jack Kerouac did is a great idea; for the latter, a good walk outside (or inside on the treadmill) can work wonders for both attitude and physical well-being.

I'll leave you with this thought -- with which the the great man himself would likely agree: it's all about compassion, for yourself as well as for others. That includes not being hard on yourself for not writing the great American novel while you've been sheltered in place since March. Just surviving this thing is an accomplishment. However you do that still goes in the win column no matter how productive you've been (or haven't been, as the case may be). 

Peace out.