I just got back home from a nice trip to Ohio. It was tough going home and only staying for barely 5 days. I got to see a lot of close family in new houses, which is always strange to see people move on from houses you're so comfortable with.

I've had a lot of time to think with the 5 hour drive back to Chicago. I've got to get myself ready for Fiction I in the Fall. It will be the first time I've worked on fiction in a long time and I haven't been in a fiction workshop since Fall 2006. Whoever joins me in this class, get yourself ready for plenty of grammatical mishaps. It should be fun.

Quick list of updates.

1. Listen to the band 65DaysofStatic. The album One Time for All Time has got to be one of the best I've heard in a while.

2. Ohio has a lot more hills in the south than you would ever guess.

3. The Megabus is far beyond better than the Greyhound. Can you say double decker with wi-fi?

4. The Cincinnati Red's just ran into a wall a full speed. Their number one pitcher for this year (16 game winner from last year) just received Tommy John Surgery after missing nearly 2-3 months of baseball already. He won't likely pitch 12 months from now...and that's pushing it. This is the biggest blow to the Reds nation I've ever encountered. We've lost 9 of the last 10, and it doesn't stop there. I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in my life with a sports team.