Life continues to be a rollercoaster lately, and my hopes for 2008 being more calm and settled seem to be hopeless right now. What helps things is that there is some good news along with the bad, but really, I could use some regularity.

Bad news first:

My mother has cancer. I hesitated posting about this because it’s personal, but it’s happening and it’s a big part of my life right now, and it will continue to be so for the coming months. She has adenocarcinoma of the lung and she’s started chemotherapy.

It was a shock at first, but right now the family is being optimistic. Because we have to be, and because my mother needs that. She’s a trooper. She is adamant that she’s going to beat this thing and she’s being strong. How can we be anything less?

The chemo is rough, though, and she’s only now experiencing the first effects. But she has support – all of us and her friends and I hope that it will make a difference.

I am not a religious person, but I would appreciate people’s thoughts, and indeed prayers, if you feel like it.

The good news:

I was accepted to the <a href=”http://www.clarionwest.org/”>Clarion West Writer’s Workshop</a> and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will be attending this summer.

Clarion is something I’ve thought about for a long time and gone back and forth about in the past. Oftentimes work was uncooperative, or my financial situation. This year I’ve run out of excuses. And I want to go. I feel like I need to go. So, I am.

I’m really looking forward to it. Chuck Palahniuk is one of the instructors, so is Connie Willis. It should be a great time. And I will be following in the footsteps of some of my friends – Eugene and Erin and Kris and many others.

So, wish me luck.

Also, advice would be appreciated.

More to come later…