• Conversations July 6, 2010

    Tuesday, July 6, 2010 4 AM. So, Papa, I started looking into [biographer Carlos] Baker last night, reading a little of your entry to World War I. Should I do it more systematically, or can I just re-read what I want to? Will the job get done either way? Don’t let this little project get…

  • Conversations July 10, 2010

    Saturday, July 10, 2010 5:45 AM. Okay, it has been since Tuesday morning, not so long, but I’m getting restless. What can we talk about this morning? Obviously the topic is you and Michael and Jim Chastain and the work to be done. Okay. Not everything you receive is to be widely shared at this…

  • Conversations July 11, 2010

    Sunday, July 11, 2010 5 AM. Alone in the house, Michael having left sometime like 11 or so last night. So now, back into harness, after a very enjoyable interlude. How much is it worth, having friends? Can anything match it? All right guys, speaking of friends — Waiting for a question, eh? I sort…

  • Conversations July 13, 2010

    Tuesday, July 13, 2010 12:30 AM. Papa, let’s talk about your wounding, the out-of-body (or near-death) experience, the aftermath including light, letters, and Agnes, and fear. All good topics. [Hemingway biographer Carlos] Baker has his uses. All right. Your first unasked question is — how much of the story as understood is accurate. You’ve read…

  • Conversations July 15, 2010

    Thursday, July 15, 2010 1:20 AM. Got a little sleep but I’m wheezing again and my mind is active, so why not go to work? Last night I took the header notes I have put together, broke them up one per line, read them into excel, sorted first by date and then, another sort, by…

  • Reprogramming your robots — a workshop

    As a result of the efficient organizational work of my friend Joanne DiMaggio, I have recently put on a series of three-hour workshops. Here’s her announcement for the latest in line. Reprogramming Your Robots With Frank DeMarco Friday, September 24, 2010 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Earlysville, VA $25 per person When our reactions leave…

  • Say a prayer for Obama

    I got this message from a particularly close friend, and pass it on for those who find that it resonates. It resonates with me, particularly in light of what I know of the terrible troubles Abraham Lincoln went through, and what I know of the power of spiritual intervention in world affairs. Sent: Tuesday, August…

  • Conversations July 16, 2010

    Friday, July 16, 2010 Almost 4 AM. Papa, more? Wonderful stuff yesterday. Better questions get better answers, you were told. And I keep seeing it. I also see that the more I know to start with, the more I can be taught. Well, the more you’ll understand. Just because the information has to flow from…

  • Conversations July 17, 2010

    Saturday, July 17, 2010 Nearly 5:30 AM. An idea [for another novel], finally — the one character begins as black-and-white and learns that everything is relative, every judgment can always be nuanced. I woke up to that idea, but don’t remember anything else, or any specifics. Perhaps influenced by having watched “Witness” with Larry [a…

  • Conversations July 19, 2010

    Monday, July 19, 2010 5:15 AM. Was going to skip this until later, saving my energy, but I guess we’re going ahead. So — what’s today’s theme? Look to your on-going list. All right, let’s talk about your relationship to your father. This isn’t quite on my list, but it’s in my mental list, and…