October 2024 Monthly Roundup

Happy Halloween, Waywards reader. Here’s hoping your All Hallows' Eve has been scary good so far.

Here’s one piece I wrote for commission this month:

Legislation is nice, but freelance media workers can achieve more through collective action / The Objective / 10-25-24

I’m now working on a profile piece about the Kansas City chapter of the IWW’s Incarcerated Worker Organizing Committee. An editor expressed interest in it. I’m not sure yet, though, when it might be available.

I’ve made a little progress on the book I mentioned in my September post.

I also wrote one masterpiece of a poem dedicated to my dog, Buddy, the labrador everyone adores.

Should you feel so inclined, you can check it out below the following photo of my Buddy resting on a recliner.

Buddy is a good dog

Buddy is a good dog.
Buddy is a good dog.
Buddy is a really good dog. 

People can be nice, and they can be quite caring.
But some judge you based on what you’re wearing. 
Humans can love and reflect on what that means.
But some merely fake it, concealing Janus-facedness.
Not so with those who share less of our genes.
Our true friends might bark, but they’ll never forsake us.  
Unlike all the haters, unconditional love is what my Buddy brings. 

Buddy is a good dog.
Buddy is a good dog.
Buddy is a very good dog. 

On command, my Buddy can stand up and lie down.
He’s got to be the greatest puppy, pound for pound. 
He can leap, bound, sit, stay, shake and roll over.
He’ll gladly give you a double paw high-five.
My four-legged pal is not your average Rover.
His ancestors roamed in packs to stay alive.
Then they got scraps from human habitats all over.

Buddy is a good dog. 
Buddy is a good dog. 
Buddy is a damn good dog. 

Like Bart and Santa’s Little Helper…
Like Travis Coates and Old Yeller…
I’m cool calling this canine my kin. 
He’s the best doggone dog on the West Coast.
So you can have your Lassie and your Rin Tin Tin. 
I don’t mean to boast, but if you ask me…
Then, it has to be, my Buddy for the win. 

Buddy is a good dog. 
Buddy is a good dog. 
Buddy is a rather good dog. 

Sure, treats can get him super excited.
Yeah, he wants to follow me around. So why fight it? 
Upon request, he’ll jump, like a big bullfrog. 
He’s a convivial, distinguished labrador retriever. 
He won’t roar, but this hound is a majestic creature 
He knows to go outside to urinate or drop a log.
Buddy is a mighty good dog. 

Buddy is a good dog. 
Buddy is a good dog. 
Buddy is my good dog. 

Have fun hitting up haunted houses or taking the kids trick-or-treating, Waywards reader. If you do the latter, don’t take too much of the youngsters’ candy.

If you’re dawning a costume for a party, I’m sure you’ll look amazing and/or terrifying. Just don’t overdo it doing the “monster mash,” Waywards reader, even if it is a veritable “graveyard smash.”