OCR Text |
Show a deadline approaches Stiles somehow gets word to me that he is not going to remind me about it this time and the reasons vary. It might be because I'm an adult, or that it is not his job, or that he has better things to do - all of which I more or less agree with. His call usually gets my dander up because I never asked him to remind me about the deadline in the first place and this is probably his intent all along. I am momentarily relieved that he won't be nagging me. Then three or four days before the deadline...he calls to remind me. He's either a control freak or knows me too well. I shudder in either case. I saw Ken Sleight recently and asked if he too had been reminded of the deadline by our erstwhile editor. He said he had. I was curious, “What did you say?” : He replied, “I told him I was working on it.” I was momentarily deflated. What did I expect? Of course Ken Sleight has his essay nearly complete. He's probably been working on it for weeks. This is what real writers do. Ken leaned against the fence once more, smiled as only Ken can and added, “That means I'm thinking about it.” Whew! My fellow Americans, Buck's steaks are as tasty as my homegrown beef down at the LBJ Ranch. FAMOUS TEXANS (BESIDES GEORGE W.) WHO KNOW A GOOD STEAK WHEN THEY TASTE IT..... I am momentarily relieved that Stiles won't be nagging me. Then three or four days before the deadline... he calls to remind me. He's either a control freak or knows me too well. I shudder in either case. PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON Two days before the deadline I begin typing furiously, under the presumption that if I go for quantity over quality, something usable will emerge. I stay up late, I get up early, I use my lunch hours. Eventually something does begin to emerge and every time I know it is too little too late. “Now, this might have actually been worth something,” I chide myself, “if you had come up with it weeks ago.” I am down to the wire and by the time I deliver the disk I have chastised myself so thoroughly you would think I was a penitent. I know perfectly well how long it 1393 N. Highway 191 435.259.5201 www.moabutah.com/bucks/ Serving Dinner Nightly State Liquor License takes to write 2,000 words, to let them sit, to look them over, and to rework the whole essay before it is complete. (This is particularly essential in my case because I don't write in outline form. I usually start somewhere in the middle and then work on the beginning. At least I write the end in the proper order.) Stiles begins reading and then he gives me grief for writing in the passive tense, of which I am guilty but simply do not want to hear about at this moment. Being completely rational, I exclaim that if he wants me to sound just like him he can write it himself. I can't figure out why he thinks I am over reacting. Then I have to leave, because it's too nerve wracking to be present while someone actually reads my writing. “Call me if it's really bad and you can't use it. I'll write something else if I need too,” I say, scurrying out the door, hoping this will somehow excuse my errant ways. Once this mission is accomplished I collapse. Now I really am brain dead and pretty useless for a day or two. I swear that I will never, ever write an essay that way again. In fact, I will begin the next one tomorrow. Anne Wilson is a regular contributor to The Zephyr. She lives near Moab. THE LAZY INTERNATIONAL Glorious Past. DAN O’LAURIE CANYON COUNTRY 118 East Center St. 259.7985 wss...€ few hundred to a few hundred thousand ARE YOUDIRTY? TAKE A SHOWER FoR 42 259-6057 Grand County's PRINTING HOSTEL ONE MILE SOUTL OF TO\WN ON HIGHWAY 191 through Moab and. MUSEUM LIZARD AND CHECK ouT ouR NGUTLY RATES. THE BEST DEAL IN TOWN Take a Trip through *BROCHURES FLYERS . We’re a complete print shop _ -wmatons Big A 2 *LETTERHEADS “ENVELOPES providing services from graphic *BUSINESS CARDS *CATALOGS design and typesetting to *LABELS *GUEST CHECKS printing and binding. *MENUS *CARBONLESS FORMS *COMPUTER CHECKS *SPECIAL EVENT PAPERS We offer consistant results with quick turnaround time at competitive rates. Try us for all your personal and business printing needs. Moab’s Printing Place The AD-VERTISER SERVING MOAB SINCE 1967 56 East 300 South, Moab, UT 84532 email: moabprint@hotmail.com Phone 435-259-8165 Fax 435-259-6918 |