Argh Ink

Good Sunday: A Brand New Year

Jenny — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:33:09 +0000

As far as I’m concerned, September is the start of the new year and this year is going to be FABULOUS. Yeah, I know we’re facing headwinds, but nothing but good times ahead.

Yes, I am feeling much better, thank you, but also I’m getting things done and it’s such a RELIEF. I’ve still got a lot to do but it’s NEW STUFF. That’s what September is about: NEW STUFF. Pens, notebooks, ideas, plans, the whole nine yards.

So what good with you this week?

Hey, Anne Stuart’s Got A Book Out

Jenny — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 04:32:48 +0000

You should read it.

Flashback Friday: Nothing Really Changes

Jenny — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:34:20 +0000

Turns out I was obsessed with food back in 2005, too. And having problems with anger. And Bob, even that early in the collaboration, was already making me insane.

Why Caramel Pecan Perfection Isn’t

This is a Good Book Thursday: Bet Me

Jenny — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:00:55 +0000

I’m reading Bet Me, a book I haven’t read in at least ten years, trying to figure out how my style has changed. You know, that’s a good romance. I couldn’t write that book now. Possibly I should be examining why. Or possibly I should just go on writing and stop second-guessing myself. Argh.

So what did you read this week?

Good Sunday

Jenny — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 08:20:19 +0000

So what good stuff happened this week that you want to share?
I’m trying to think, but basically I worked my ass off and nothing bad happened. So that’s good.
What about you?

Flashback Friday: In the Beginning . . .

Jenny — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:12:20 +0000

A long time ago, Mollie took over my website and told me I had to start a blog because she could link it to the landing page of the website and that way the content there would change. She had two rules: I should only post once a month and we would not enable comments.

Well, we all know how that worked out. (It took her a month of e-mails from people to cave and add comments, but she still told me never to answer them. Ha.) So here’s the very first blog post, “Stagnation is the Mother of Reinvention,” the place where we started, Argh People. July 21, 2005, twenty-one years ago.

Stagnation Is the Mother of Reinvention

To clarify, I’m still working on You Again. And Charlotte’s Book is lost in the mists of time and destroyed laptops. I don’t even remember what it was, that’s what twenty-one years will do to you.

This is a Good Book Thursday: More Anna

Jenny — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:00:28 +0000

This week I read Arresting Anna over and over and over again, trying to seal up all the leaks and rewrite the weaks. Next up: Getting Carter. That’s half the length, so I should just breeze through that. Argh.

So what did you read this week?

Watching Wednesday: Istanbul Not Constantinople

Jenny — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:48:57 +0000

I am a big There Might Be Giants fan, and this video of their cover version of “Istanbul Not Constantinople” makes me happy. I’m not going to explain it, my grasp of the song meaning is fuzzy although I’m good at explaining “Birdhouse in Your Soul,” which Liz does in Lavender’s Blue, but mostly TMBG just delights me. I’m good with the absurd as long as it embraces life and knows its limits: “That’s nobody’s business but the Turks.”

Admin Question:

Jenny — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:58:56 +0000

There is something several of you have asked for about the comment list on the right here and I cannot remember what it is although I have asked twice that it be changed. Refresh my memory (a longer list?) and we’ll get it done, along with some other glitches. Actually, tell me what you need done to improve your experience on the blog and we’ll get it done.

Good Monday: September Starts the New Year

Jenny — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:16:58 +0000

I’ve been involved in some kind of schooling for most of my life, so September is my January. The summer’s over, the days get cooler, and I buy new pens. The NYT’s Wellness newsletter feels the same way, and asks these these questions:

What do I want to do more of in my life?
What do I want to do less?
What do I want to start?
What do I want to stop?
What’s something that’s working that I want to continue?

I’ve been re-evaluating my life for the past couple of months, so I was ready to answer:

What do I want to do more of in my life? Teach and paint (and draw and collage and you know, art), try new recipes
What do I want to do less? Apologizing to people, giving so much away that I need
What do I want to start? Some kind of video teaching project, paintings from my books, outdoor sketching, Zoom conversations with friends and family instead of e-mail and texts, going back to lifting weights and running, pausing to exult in my successes instead of beating myself up for my many failures
What do I want to stop? Delayed gratification, feeling guilty, trying to conform to other people’s needs, apologizing
What’s something that’s working that I want to continue? Writing, especially with Bob because he makes me a better writer, connecting with friends, especially e-mailing Anne Stuart every day (change that to Zoom), getting out with Johnny, and, of course, connecting with Argh and its people.

These are not resolutions, these are intentions, and they’re all things I want to do, not things I should do or tasks I set myself to be a better person. These are things that the person I am wants to do, needs to do for myself, to lead a better life. You know the selfish stuff you do for yourself. Selfish is healthy, although the nice frame for that is “self-care.” Same thing, putting yourself first. I’m going to have a very healthy new year.

Your turn:

What do you want to do more of in your life?
What do you want to do less?
What do youI want to start?
What do you want to stop?
What’s something that’s working that you want to continue?

(It’s okay if you don’t end up doing any of those things. But it’s good to figure out what you want anyway.)