Instead of working today I dug out an old briefcase I’ve been carrying around and went through it. This case is one I have physically carried to every house I have ever moved to with the exception of this one. I had to leave it in the household goods for the European move and I was not very comfortable or happy about it.

Over the years I have added to it, but have never gone through it. The last time I added to it has been over a decade. So what might be in this container that is of such importance to me? Clearly something near and dear to my heart, this case contains notes and research for the majority of the stories I am working on. Most have been transferred to digital media by now but not all.

There are several incomplete ideas, a few I’ve tied into other stories. Some I completely forgot about. One story I thought I’d lost forever was a re-imagining of the Fall of the House of Usher written in a literary style complete with notes on the symbolism I included. In a few days I hope to post that just for the heck of it. There also was a little post it note with the date 4 Aug 1922 which plays a huge role in my Prohibition Era story but I had forgotten the date.

Most of the case was newspapers that I had intended to clip articles or pictures from or the articles and pictures I had already clipped. Perusing them I was reliving the days just before Katrina when we didn’t know she was coming and just after when recovery was slowing starting. There were stories from when we still had a World Trade Center twin tower in New York. There was even a picture from before I graduated high school. The oldest articles couldn’t be dated but they were from even earlier. They tell of life in even earlier times, the 40s, the 30s, the 20s, even some earlier times.

My Prohibition Era story is one that is nearer and dearer to my heart than the case. In fact, knowing these notes are in it is the reason why the case is important. While the original article is not there any more, I do have a copy of the article I typed so I wouldn’t lose it. Prior to about a month ago I had not added anything to my Prohibition Era story in a very long time. Probably more than a decade. I’m not sure I had added to it since I stopped using the typewriter and started using the computer. Now I’ve added a few things I never thought I’d add and have run out of steam a little. I thought that going through this pile would reinvigorate me and give me another push.

Well, reinvigorated it is. The tromp down Amnesia Lane was good for the heart, good for the soul, and we’ll see soon if it’s good for the story too.