I was loading up the CD changer

I was loading up the CD changer, and I was wishing that some of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, next month in Seattle, was less than 4 CDs in length. The first part of the cycle, that first opera, as it turns out, is. Only two, I’d forgotten. It’s the little things that bring happiness. For some years, I’ve bemoaned the fact that the Eastern Loop of the hike and bike trail, which runs just about 4 miles even, isn’t really convenient anymore. 4 miles is about right on hot summer day, I can knock that out in less than an hour, and it’s a perfect distance. I finally figured out — no rocket science here — that one route on the heavier traveled western loop, one portion, works out to an even 4.1 miles. Perfect. Simple pleasures, simple answers, sometimes right in front of me. Other times, it’s not so simple. I fished a note out of the mail bag from my former publisher, a release form, and a promised sum — way short of what’s expected. Near as I can tell, also in violation of the contract I was operating under. Not good. Ruined the evening, too, as I had to sit down, between readings, and figure up what should be owed. I can see we have small discrepancy in numbers. What’s worse, under duress, I surfed over to freelance writers’ web site and found out just how underpaid I was. Going rates are nearly triple what I was making, at the very least. In honor of the brick walls I keep encountering, I changed up the navigation bar to better capture that feeling I’ve got these days.