Since I started writing 'Meanwhile' back in 1997 (when it was known as 'Meanwhile Back In Reality') I probably deleted, lost, or simply abandoned almost as much material as I published on the website. I wrote partial or even whole articles that in the end failed to excite me and therefore never made it as far as a final draft. Of course, the articles I enjoyed writing most are the ones that were written in one go and required only minor editing afterward. However, quite often the words, sentences, and paragraphs had to be squeezed out, like the last smears of toothpaste from a crumpled and nearly used-up tube. Sometimes I start an article and simply run out of creativity or direction. The piece just died on the screen in front of me, like an extra being killed in a low-budget TV movie. On other occasions, time constraints didn't allow me to 'stay in the groove' and I had to put the piece 'on the back burner for later. What I've decided to do here is release the 'Meanwhiles' that never made it to a final draft. They may yet be revived or borrowed from in some way, but for now, they remain part of the unpublished collection. Each article has 'time of death' notes at the foot of the main text.
2007
She burns : A friend makes a series of bad decisions and helping them isn't helping at all.Boobs : Sometimes it's better to think a thing than write a thing.
Just don't : Religious people fascinate me.
Kindness : An old story about the kind old folk I used to sing to as a child.
Pennies from my pockets : I don't write poems, but I guess I was feeling inspired.
2006
Cars : I've owned many 'character building' vehicles.It's not black and white : An ad for a dating website starts me thinking, or perhaps over-thinking?
Flying is no fun : Flying is mostly tedious. We know this.
2005
Overheard : Snippets of conversations I overheard in public.Big bucks coffee : Killed because it was boring. (Like some other articles should have been!)
Mid-life crisis : Just checking to see if I was having a mid-life crisis.
Flying through the northern lights : A beautiful moment on a transatlantic flight as the plane slept.
2004
The longest day : Breakfast in India, lunch in the middle east, then dinner in London.Under an indian night sky : Writing to my future self.
Notes from New York : My 'field notes' from 3 days in New York City
Mannequin on 34th street : Julio Díaz and Lupita dance together nearly everyday in the New York subway system.
Wandering to waking hours : Getting a slow start to the week and the season.
Hey old man : Writing to my future self.
Soundtrack : I love music, and got lost writing about it.
Back to January : When you're bored and on a transatlantic red-eye flight (Part II).
French service : When you're bored and on a transatlantic red-eye flight (Part I).
2003
Driving without headlights : Feeling frustrated at not being able to help.No soul : An article that started well enough then died quickly and abruptly.
Car crash sunset : The beginnings of a lot of bent out of shape metal.
Weddings, babies, etc : A meandering piece about weddings, babies, etc.
2002
Ah fuck it! : It's not easy being a 'creative type.'New York : Reflections on a visit the the site of the world trade center in New York City.