Dateline: above the garage in Portsmouth RI, 16 April 2005

Yesterday a recovery day after all that travel, plus big prep for home inspection by buyers. Tomorrow we show for last time to secure back-up offer (full price) from second couple. Then we chill and focus on buying new house south of Indy.

Yesterday Neil Nyren at Putnam bugged me for Dedication and Acknowledgments. Did the former to wife and kids and latter to a much smaller crew than last time (mere 600 words). Fired both off to Neil. Also bargained a repeat of two globes map for second book, probably up front behind glossary. Other than that, no pix in the book, which I'm fine with.

Today was Chapter 5 all day: writing intro (my last writing in book--yeah!), plus about three dozen call-outs in the text, some requiring some serious research. Tomorrow I will finish final edit on Conclusion (last piece oustanding) and then prep Chapter 5 and Conclusion for possible end notes (grabbing sentences, shrinking them with ellipses and adding them to the End Notes file). We show around noon. Then I spend rest of day organizing endnote sources and lining them up, inputting them by chapter. Shooting for midnight Tuesday or earlier.

Facing three big interviews this week for Esquire piece, all hopefully on Wed. in Pentagon. Then Vonne leaves for Indy on Thursday and I watch four kids while trying to organize and write the piece. I should have all my hair pulled out by Saturday.

May has got to be easier than this.

Off to fabled bowl of cereal and some old newspapers while catching last half hour of SNL with eldest.