Once again, apologies for neglecting the ol’ blog. I’ve been away, but not idle. Here’s a rundown on what’s happened over the last 13 days:
– I turned a year older, and celebrated my birthday by painting the concrete floor of our living room, mowing the lawn, and having dinner with my wife and my dad. The perfect way to spend one’s birthday, if I may so. And I do say so.
– I had an incredibly productive day at the Library of Congress, running down some long-lost newspaper stories and advertisements related to Project Blue Harvest. Nothing major, but lots of little things that make those Wow, I Didn’t Know That moments that give your subject life.
– I finished reading The Road to Xanadu, the first book in Simon Callow’s masterful biography of Orson Welles. Next up: part two, Hello, Americans!
– I had two exciting conversations relating to Washington Irving: An American Original — and hope to have something to tell you here shortly.
– I replaced my peezacrap eight-year-old HP laptop — which weighs 300 pounds, has a loose ‘Y’ key, and will only open documents in Safe Mode — with a much lighter, quicker, and convenient MacBook.
– And finally, I’m leaving for New Mexico tomorrow to enjoy a bit of R&R, visit my Mom, see my brother (who just happens to be in Albuquerque this week for his high school reunion) and his family, hang out with my pals, and come whizzing back to Maryland with my kid, who’s been out west all summer. And don’t get between me and the big steaming plate of Los Cuates’ carne adovada I’m having mere moments after my plane lands. Because I will knock you down. Hard.
Brian Jay Jones 
You got the MacBook! I want to play!
So now we need to set you up on iChat so we can videoconference each other.
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