Two-Meat Tuesday

Two-Meat Tuesday is the title of one of my favorite books, from an author’s point of view.

At the time the book was pulled together, I’d been writing horoscopes online for more than a decade, and my daily web-log/diary/journal kramerwetzel.com had been online for five or six years. Culled from the rantings, ravings, lunatic missives, some bass fishing, and Shakespeare on stage? There’s local rambling, and the book’s title was taken from the special at a BBQ joint, not far from where I lived, think: trailer park in old South Austin.

From that place in my life, it’s cherished memories of fishing in what was then called “Town Lake,” now, Lake Lady Bird. Shakespeare quotes and astrology, the daily ramblings of a full–time astrology author.

The other thematic element that emerged at the time had to do with the not thinly veiled metaphor of the title, as I would try and tackle two meaty topics on Tuesday, either to post on a Tuesday or to post the day after. As I was frequently traveling for work — as an astrologer — on the weekends, Tuesday would be the first full day back in Austin. This is the Austin of myth and metaphor, the time before. Hippies and cowboys, all living in peace and harmony? The much-lamneted, now gone Old Austin? Peace, love, and waterbeds.

The book, this type of work, is now called a “collage,” although, at the time, it was more — in my mind — a “blook,” a “blog to book.” Or a quilt, a patchwork of pieces that cover certain ground.

Rough in places, most of the material is available online in other formats, but as a collection, in my eyes, this one withstands the test of time. There are pieces that I thought were serious; however, several readers have found the same material to be howlingly hilarious.

No accounting for taste.

The book itself is a cornerstone, for me, a reminder of where we’ve been so I know where I’m going next. I still see it as raw and vibrant.