Into today’s dispatch. Today began very, very early because Pete had to go to school to participate in an event called “Suicide Awareness.” He passed out books and then went on a walk with others doing the same. He later told me that the walk was shorter than planned. He made good use of his time in that he also took the dogs with him. Shadow growled at a fellow when he petted her. Not a good thing.

I got up right after Pete and ate breakfast with him and then got to work. I got started on my article for the community rag and wrote a list of things I need to get done this week. Oh oh, I foresaw that it was going to be an ideas day, but I could not fend it off.

One thing I did was (in my head) work on my commencement speech, changing the story I am going to use in order to further define the word Idea. The story that I’m going to use is actually my People’s Paper article. I figure that writing it first will enable me to further clarify what I’m going to say.

Actor signing Frindle book

As I’ve gotten older, I have gotten more writerly flexibility. This has manifested itself in the form of continuity.

I did manage to get to the hotel at the appointed time, 10:30 a.m. I drove with Robert to the Anchorage Performing Arts Center. I had this idea, that we’d talk business beforehand, and this was what we did. This, I thought, would be far better than doing this on the way home. It worked.

In between, we passed out books to children and parents – I had stashed away about 30 copies of a book entitled Frindle – this was the subject of the play. The kids and their parents seemed more particular about what they selected to take with them than previously.

I had not read the book, even knowing that the play was about the book. This shows that, yes, even I at times lack curiosity. I think that I thought this book was about some boy inventing some sort of slime – but this was a different book.

Robert and I saw the play. It was about a school aged fellow who decides to substitute the word Frindle for pen, much to the dismay of his teacher. A lot here was being said about literacy, the acquisition of words included. A good play for children to watch. A good play for Alys to watch.

After, the actors and actresses lined up in the lobby and watched as the kids ate cookies and drank milk. I had an idea. I went and gave the woman who was playing the role of the schoolteacher her own copy of Frindle. Right then, children were going up to her and asking her to sign their copies. I then had another idea – I gave them copies of Gary Paulson’s books.

Unfortunately, we’d ran out of bookmarks. There was a missed opportunity there.

Came home and rode the horses. Wonderful rides with Pete, on Raudi and Tyra. Lots of good energy. They moved fast but neither bolted. I lived. And I have a story to tell.

Next: 123. 5/4/24: One Step Forward and Two Steps Back