writer
Slept in, up at 8:00. Put in some quick edits on a story, then ran off to the Hillside Community Center for the casting call of Our Souls at Night. Two hundred people already there when I arrived. No worries, though. Line moved quickly. The production staff was polite and efficient, and after a headshot and short briefing, was home again. We'll see what happens from here.
Finished a reader draft of "Oceans Apart" this afternoon. Good to have it near-ready for the mail. Cut 1000 words of backstory from "Man of Letters" yesterday, and it breathed new life into the piece. Feeling optimistic about it again.
Beautiful autumn evening. Nice rain earlier made everything cool and breezy, perfect for a good night's sleep.
Going off to a cattle call tomorrow. Netflix is looking for extras for "Our Souls at Night." Should be an interesting way to kill a Saturday. Will bring a laptop and good book along.
What is it with these cats? Can't touch the keyboard today without both of them climbing all over the computer.
Interesting hodgepodge of a day. All over the road, literally and figuratively. Work, meetings, more work, more meetings. Caught up with old friends, revisited old projects. Researched new projects and got a head start on tomorrow's to-do list. For all that, it feels like I'm still behind.
Tried to punch out a few lines at home, but was beset on all sides by kitties. First with meows, then with cuddles. Had to abandon the laptop keyboard for the office computer. That, or give up on my projects and resign myself to a nap.
Fall weather's drifted in. Low lying clouds were clinging to mountain valleys like smoke this afternoon. Sky opened later in the day and the sun broke through. Needed that. I miss the sun when it's not around.
Good day at the keyboard. Got scripts out of the way, managed some billing, made a number of productive revisions to the Hawaii story (tentatively titled "Oceans Apart"), and logged a rejection on "Dead Drift."
Early day at the gym, early day at the office, then day early home to look after small things. Mid morning meeting tomorrow to discuss video scripts, and production.
Weather's been cooling off, though it may have made it into the eighties this afternoon. Not sure. Only know I didn't need to run the AC, which was nice. Prime fishing weather in the cards, and fingers crossed I can take advantage. More guests coming in over the weekend, so we'll see what the gods are willing to dispense with, favorwise.
Is it crazy I'm still dogged by the memory of my old fishing vest? Wonder if it'll ever turn up? Stranger things have happened, I guess.
Oy.
Day gone, work still here! How'd that happen?
Nice note from MC today. Promoted to team leader. Cool beans.
Could've used a cup of Starbuck's this afternoon.
Kitties on the advance! Hide!
Big party last night. 75th birthday, 20th anniversary all in the same shot. Hit the rack late, woke up with absolutely no energy. Even so, finished critiques of B&T stories and blazed through two quick revisions of some new short fiction.
Beautiful day for fishing. Wish I'd planned ahead. As it was, good to push some work out the door, and get a jump on the week ahead. Still have a script staring me in the eye, and two new video projects in the wings.
Maybe sit outside by the fireplace tonight. Turn in early, and start fresh in the morning.
Losing light, bit by bit. Wake like clockwork around 5:30, but to a darker sky every morning.
Into the gym, and office, early. A productive day for the most part, though incoming projects are keeping me honest. Need to find time to get organized before the next batch of surprises arrives. Feel like a man whose arms are overflowing with packages.
Spent the better part of the afternoon running errands. Hardware store for, well, hardware. Lumber yard for lumber. Rental outfit for tables, chairs, and the like. Propane station for gas. Doesn't sound like much, but the traffic was miserable and everything took more time than expected. Gonna have to wait till tomorrow to mow the lawn.
Dreaming of a weekend where fishing and writing are my only concerns.
Back and forth day. A ray of sunshine here and there. Good way to ease into the weekend.
Tried out the new rotisserie on the grill. A few bumps, but not a bad first effort. Should know what I'm doing when Saturday evening rolls around and the prime rib comes out. Hope so, anyway. Otherwise, it's dinner for twelve at McDonald's.
Still have number of commercial projects staring me in the face, but need to get a move on my reviews, too. Fallen a bit behind there. Got a lot on my mind, but all of it good. Like to see another story get picked up.
Headway made. One project out the door, two more waiting to follow.
Was hoping for a different kind of day.
Up to my ears, suddenly.
New projects in and out the door all day. Tomorrow looks to be a carbon copy. Happy about the work, as always, but need to stay ahead of things or it could all end up in a train wreck.
Nice note from M.C. last night, complimenting the quality and volume of work I've been putting in. An unexpected surprise, for sure. Coming from someone of his stature, quite the nod. Makes me wonder if I'm not on the right track after all.
Slow gains on the deep sea story. It's taken a lot of fiddling around to get the first five hundred words in order, but I think it's getting close.
Gym overrun this morning. Skipped rope in a corner while a guy behind me swung kettles, and a guy to my left chucked around a medicine ball. Crazy.
Storm coming in tonight? Feels like it.
Not even gonna try and it figure out. Feel like a washed-up, journeyman boxer who can't tell where the punches are coming from.
Long day, short entry.
Worked, wrote a little, had a brief chat with mom. Wasn't really much of a weekend, but sometimes that happens.
At least the weather was nice.
Sleepwalker's dream last night.
Curious, storybook morning.
Oh, the phone calls I haven't returned. The letters I haven't written. The thanks I haven't properly expressed. Always behind, always trying to catch up. That's the way it is. Fitzgerald was right, we beat on, boats against the current, born back ceaselessly into the past.
What if everything in front of me didn't seem so large? If everything behind me didn't seem so small? What then, I wonder.
Welcome to the world, Matthew James.
Put in a nice, comfortable round of work today. With one exception. Didn't get as much time to noodle with my own stories as I would have liked.
Made it to the gym early. Home in time for coffee and a quick shower, then off to the Beidleman center for a long walk in the woods with the little guy. Had a good time. Learned that "hoppers are scary," it's cooler when you walk in the shade, and no one one the planet obeys leash laws.
Saw a nice environmental bumper sticker as we were leaving: FRANKLY MY DEAR, I DON'T WANT A DAM.
In the office by 1:00. Read two new N stories by special request, and wrote reviews. Also posted the Philharmonic work, and had copyright agreements notarized for the UCCS fight song.
Looking forward to tomorrow. Too tired to write anymore tonight.
Blur of a day. Gym, home, office, home. Felt autumn in the air this morning. But it fled quickly. By ten o'clock it was warm again, temps running in the high eighties at mid day.
Finished the give letters I'd started and fielded a phone call or two. One more quiet day at the keyboard. From the sound of things, I should have a couple of new projects coming in.
Was thinking this morning how much of the summer's gone and how much of it I wished away. Should probably be ashamed of myself, but I'm not. Hate the heat. It ruins everything.
All story reviews went out the door today. That should be it for a while. Need to strike a better balance between kindness and practicality, I think, the in the next round. Set the mark at two percent, tops, and work backward from there. If anything extraordinary pops up, I'll make allowances. Otherwise, I want to keep a close eye on what I'm advancing. Make sure I'm not unnecessarily tiring out the next line of editors. Live and learn, right?
Didn't make it to the office until nine. Seemed like a slow morning all around. Made some good revises to three stories, caught up on correspondence, then back home to tend to smaller things. Drafted the first of two give letters. Researched the second. Spent the late afternoon outdoors, chalking sidewalks and chasing ants.
Second day with no visitors, no mom, no brother. Should have been more productive, but it isn't as easy ramping back up as it used to be. Takes time now to hit my stride. Same goes when I'm switching from fiction to commercial work. Transition's a little less fluid. Not sure why, but it's there, a kind of resistance, and it takes a while to overcome.
Went to bed early last night and intend to do the same tonight. Want to rest up, and get a head start on work tomorrow. Get the client projects out of the way early, and leave myself some time to draft a new story. Do I have a new story? I hope so.
Some days you want to do over. This is a do-over. For sure.
Woke early this morning, then off to the gym. First one in. Twice now in the same week. Home in time to have a quiet cup of coffee before packing Mom's gear and dropping her off with my brother, who's driving her up to Casper, into the Bighorns for a five day adventure. Enjoyed the company, but happy to have the house back. Spent the rest of the morning writing. Most of it, anyway.
Put in some new revisions on "Man of Letters" then headed off to the theater to see the new Borne movie. Flick wasn't anything to write home about, but it was a good way to kill the afternoon. Mowed the lawns when I got home, and spent an unexpected hour or so with the little guy. Tired now, and ready to settle in. Have that strange exhaustion that follows in the wake of visitors. Thought maybe I'd have some time to read, but it wasn't in the cards. Not sure I've got the energy or focus to do much more tonight.
Learned my buddy had to put his dog down today. Felt for him. Terribly. What rotten luck. He can't seem to catch a break. Been a tough, tough year. For his animals, and himself.
Looking forward to tomorrow. New day, new start.
