Where did the day go?

Found my way to the keyboard early this morning and put in another good round of revisions on "Dancing with the Devil." Guess I'll let it cool for a while now and get on to something else. Story's in place, just needs time to settle.

Spent the rest of the day outdoors, building a coffin. Turned out well. Needs some upholstery and a few finishing touches, but is ready for its maiden voyage in the Halloween graveyard. Gotta go to work on the Wicked Witch's crystal ball now, see if I can't find a way to light it and feed it full of smoke. Gonna be a bit of a challenge, that one.

Lovely fall day. Trees have been thinned of their leaves by two days of blustery winds, but not completely denuded, and what's left is still fine to look at. Hope it stays this way for a while. A long while.

Word to Bob Dylan: Call the Nobel Prize people. Seriously.

Exodus...

Mom off to Albuquerque late this morning after a three day visit. Had a nice time kicking around together. Envy her drive home. New Mexico beautiful this time of year. 

Not a bad day here, either. Beautiful light, cool temps, and a light breeze. Managed a couple of hours of revisions, then off to the lumber yard to pick up material for a coffin. New prop for the halloween graveyard tableau. Made the styrofoam template when we got home. Looks like it'll work.

New shoulder bag arrived to day from Buffalo Jackson. Cooler than my old Orvis bag in some ways, but weaker in others. Sorry to have to move on. The old satchel had a lot of heart, but it took its hits over twenty years and eventually wore out. Will miss it.

Tired. Never made it to the gym today. Tomorrow.

Under, over, sideways, down...

Short day, quick post. Rolled out of bed at seven, drank a couple of cups, then ran off to the office. Got some decent edits in, and a bit of housekeeping. Then off to gym, home again, a stroll around the block, and back to the keyboard--where there was no Internet, thanks to a change in service providers. Gotta love technology.

Got some reading in, and discovered another new story waiting in my N queue. That one will have to wait until tomorrow.

Mom and P slated to arrive somewhere around noon. Will have to catch up by phone in the morning and get a more accurate read. Been a busy month. More comings and goings than usual. Haven't been able to get as much done around the house as I would have liked. Or enjoyed as many lazy weekends as a nice lazy summer demands.

Dinner tonight at K's new house. She leaves tomorrow for another trip abroad. Like I said, lots of comings and goings.

Every day, a roll of the dice...

Off the radar for a couple days. Many goings on.

Blustery morning, but warm. Lots of sun. Gym early, home for a cup of coffee, then away to the office. Put in a productive day at the keyboard, but still have a project or two to finish.

Mom coming in for another visit. K outward bound.

Laid to rest an old shoulder bag (thank you, Orvis!) and ordered a new one. Did same with a jump rope last week. (Nothing like leather!)

Didn't win the lottery, but holding out hope. Close to ten M now! 

Didn't win the lottery...again!

Kitty siege! Forced, yet again, to type one-handed.

Yet, it's good to be loved.

Another long day at the keyboard. Seven projects out the door. Didn't get much in the way of fiction writing--just a few minutes, early morning--but figure to make up for it tomorrow. Got another new draft I'm excited about. Calling it "Dancing with the Devil" until I can think up something better.

Haven't slept for beans the past three nights, but maybe this is my lucky day. Been having bad dreams. Like to sleep through the night if I could. Right now, just gonna relax and settle in.

Oh, mama, can this really be the end...

Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize for Literature! Smiling at that one! 

Long day at the keyboard. With a bit of luck and a good tail wind I just might make deadline tomorrow. Big project. Fun, but could have used a couple more days. Went in early, took a break at noon to hit the gym, then headed back to the office again.

Hard to believe tomorrow's Friday. Hard to believe a lot of things. Bob Dylan, the Nobel Prize? Didn't see that coming all those years ago. Wonder if stock in my near-pristine collection will go up? 

Woodsmoke from the neighbor's fire wafting through the window. Screech of the other neighbor's circular saw doing the same. But a nice night, in all. Bit of blue sky still hanging around.

Making quick work of it...

Up early to gym, then home, then to work.

Got a good jump on my projects, but going to have to burn candle at both ends to make Friday deadline. Productive meeting out a the Ranch this afternoon. Cool, damp weather moved in with heavy fog in Black Forest. Almost rear-ended a car at an unmarked intersection.

Saw Allison Janney tonight at the college. Funny lady. Self-deprecating. Home now and ready to call it a night. Big day tomorrow, need to get an early start.

Signing off.

There you go...

Staring some wicked deadlines in the eye. Busy, busy week. Some of it crept up, some of its been out there, lurking for a while. Anyway, good to be busy.

Up early enough to hit the gym--if I wanted to check it 2:30 am. Not sure what exactly woke me, but once up, couldn't get back to sleep. Until 6:00. Hate nights like that. Tossing, turning. Fending off absurd dreams. Slept in till 7:00, worked a little on a new ms., then settled in with little things.

Share a fillet at lunch. Saturday's catch. Haven't had fresh trout in a while, and it was nice. Off to work afterward trying to punch a hole in the paperwork that's gonna come due Friday. Slow start, but a start nonetheless. 

Hit gym late in the afternoon. Didn't have much in the tank after what was supposed to pass as a night's sleep, but enough to get through a passable workout.

Pretty day. Shame to squander it staring at a computer screen, but then not much you can do about it. Heard Jonathan Safran Foer on NPR coming home. Interviewed by Terry Gross. Funny anecdote regarding Maurice Sendak.

Without skipping a beat...

Just wrapped up a quick note to an old buddy after reading his latest pilot. Fine work, as always.

Put in a late-start morning on a new story. Pleased with the effort. Think the shape of it is coming along nicely, and hope I don't wake tomorrow to eat those words.

Can't believe the weekend's over.

Lots accomplished, though. Move successfully made, some time at the keyboard, a day on the river, and today, a new jump rope bought. Leather. Old school. Just the way I like it. Thought when I wore out my last one on Friday I might never find another. 

Saturday...

Rode up the mountain in the pickup, fly fishing gear in the back of the cab, tall 7-11 coffee (five shots of cream) in the drink holder, and Dylan's Highway 61 on the box. Spent the better part  of the late morning and early afternoon in Elevenmile Canyon, fishing the South Platte. Hardly anyone up there. Picture perfect fall day. Was casting well, given I haven't had much time on the water lately, but didn't have much to show for it. Creeled a nice brown early on, using a #16 beadhead pheasant tail. After that, the action died. Tried a couple of new patterns the boys at Angler's Covey suggested, but no luck. Didn't matter. Had a great time being outside on the water. Would like to have stayed till dusk, see if things didn't pick up, but a dinner date precluded it. Maybe another time.

Fragments...

Late entry tonight. Busy day.

Another project out the door, critiques off to N, an afternoon looking after small stuff, and more. Felt the blues creeping in last night, but rallied back and even managed a new draft of "Working to Beat Hell" out of the way. 

Weather's cooled quite a bit. Supposed to warm up by the weekend. No complaints. Enjoying the sharp fall days. Just takes a bit more courage to walk out the door to the gym in the morning. Cold isn't bad, but the dark--the dark's no fun.

Learned of the passing of an old acquaintance today. Saddened to hear it. Brilliant guy. Talented guy. But troubled.

Feeling it...

Went dark for a few days. Back tonight. Appointments, meetings, phone calls, a crazy schedule, and new of work all conspired to keep me offline. But that's okay. Have still had at least one high-water moment already this week. 

Pushed a revised version of "Frank the Redeemer" out the door, and will do the same with "Working to Beat Hell" tomorrow. Two big commercial projects finished, too.

Missed most of the day, which looked pretty nice through the lens of the office window, but no complaints. Good to be busy. Good to have work. 

Wrote a letter to Mom before quitting the office, only to have her track me down at the gym. Predictable, right? Good workout anyway. Been getting faster and stronger with the heavy bag. Love the bang I'm getting from the gloves. Crisp, sharp, substantive.

Old friends, bookends...

Up early, meeting. Tough news about a buddy. Why does everything sting more when you get old? Anyway, I'm making a prediction here and now he not only gets through his predicament, but prevails. 

Busy with office work today. Enjoyed it. Found a nice pace and rhythm and went with it. Home earlier than expected, but alright with that, too. Was a nice day until I decided to leave the office, then the wind picked up and the sky went gray. Light shower passed overhead. Not sure what the evening will bring.

Gonna re-group tonight and get ready for tomorrow. Looking for a fast start on the stories I've been noodling. See if I can't get two of them out the door by Sunday. One's only a sentence or two away, the other's not far behind.

Lovely Autumn Day...

Home late from last meeting. 6:30. 

Big day with new projects. Also managed a few last revisions to "Frank the Redeemer" and "Working to Beat Hell." A lot of back and forth, with a quick trip to the gym early afternoon. Was hitting the heavy bag yesterday when one of the regulars informed me "Yes, but bags don't hit back." He's quoting Bruce Lee? Enter the Dragon? Really? This is why I have to change gyms every three years. You can only outrun your own anonymity for so long. Sooner or later, people want to chat. Be friends.

Nice close of day meeting with an old buddy. He's directing a gallery now. Gonna do a bit of pro bono work for him. The new show he's curating will be a photography exhibit. Looking forward to helping out.

New stories in from N, too. Gonna try and get a good jump on them. 

Walking the line...

Off the grid for a couple of days. The week's been alternately flying by and dragging its feet. A lot of work, a lot of meetings. Meanwhile some good revisions on a couple of stories. Hope to have two of them back in the mail by Saturday.

Gorgeous weather. Gorgeous light. This time of year, everyday's a good day for fishing. 

Looked after small things this afternoon, and had a nice time doing it.

Missed seeing a good buddy this morning, but look to make up for it on Friday. 

Read the craziest news in days. Truman Capote's ashes were auctioned off for $45K. I wondered, aloud, what that came to, per word. 

On, off, and all over the road...

Crazed morning. Meetings cancelled, rescheduled. Late start to gym, late start to office. Next week already shaping up into a wild one.

Long time at doc's office. Happy it's just a once-a-year fiasco. Funny. Instead of those sappy informercials touting a happy, healthful life, the TV in the waiting room was tuned to the Food Network. Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives. Sometimes you just gotta stand back and appreciate the honesty.

Accidentally dialed Mom on the way home. Caught up on unsought family news for the next hour. Sounds like she's doing okay. Told her I'd make a visit soon. Probably in the next couple of weeks.

Finished Empire of the Summer Moon a few days ago, and am looking to lock in on something new. Gotta get cracking on the Anthony Doerr novel, too. Prime reading time, autumn. Want to make the most of it this year.

More good revisions on "Frank the Redeemer." May take a week or so before I get it right. First 500 words or so are the bugaboo, but the rest flows. So no worries. Just plug away and wait it out.

Nothing gold can stay...

Would like this weather last a little longer. The street outside the bedroom window this morning was gold. Like someone had thrown open the door to a great vault. Overcast off an on during the late morning, but beautiful now. 

Revisited "Frank the Redeemer" today to see if I could strengthen the opening. Glad I did. Made few critical revisions, and the story was all the better for it. Will let the ms sit a while, before going back again.

Read Ursula Le Guin's "Ile Forest" today. Sorry to admit it's taken this long to get around to it, but happy to have finally become acquainted with the piece. Wow. What a story.

Looked after small stuff this afternoon and had a good time doing it. Going to try and get into the gym early tomorrow.

A less-than-hasty retreat...

Week must be catching up with me. Came home early from the office to rest. Just up now from a much needed nap. Got out of bed early this morning, thinking to go to the gym. Didn't realized until I was already dressed it was only 4:00am. Circadian clock must have sprung a spring somewhere along the way.

Clinic this morning, then the office. Fell a bit behind again. Too many interruptions to stay on track. Insomnia didn't help, either. Bad dreams last night amounted to a lot of distracted thoughts today. Wish I could kick this damned cold, I might be able to fight through the rest. Calling it even for tonight. No point taking anymore losses.

The ties that bind...

Looking for a theme by which to hang this day, but nothing comes to mind. Spent half of it tending to little things, the other half tending to even littler things. Pushed "Oceans Apart" out the door this afternoon, and doubled down on "Rocky Mountain Sweetheart Murder Ballad." If I'm lucky, might be able to get "Man of Letters" on its way as well. Behind in my submissions. Need to catch up.

Still fighting off a cold, or whatever. Scratchy throat. Congestion. Made this morning's workout a bit tiresome, but, oh well. Nothing to be done about it.

Feel the blues creeping in. What's that about? Overcast sky probably didn't help, Going in for my annual physical on Thursday?/Friday? Maybe some helpful soul at the doctor's office will sort it out for me. 

Feel like I want to sit down and read the latest B.A.S.S. cover to cover. Nothing worse than being a prisoner inside your own skull. Need to soak up some new, good fiction, stop worrying about things, cut loose and see what happens. 

Funny. Had a conversation over breakfast about the Gordian Knot. Who does that?

A few of my favorite things...

Digging on the weather. More blue skies, more of that soft, diffused sunlight. A light breeze. Man, it could stay this way year round and you'd never hear a peep out of me. Perfect day for fishing. Maybe translate that thought into action this weekend.

Revises on "Ocean's Apart" finished. Feels that way, anyway. One last look tomorrow, then off it goes. Revisited "Rocky Mountain Sweetheart Murder Ballad," too, making a couple of small but essential edits. (Thank you Messrs. B&T!)

Caught up with an old buddy on the phone this afternoon. Gabbed for ten minutes. Good to hear his voice. Meeting another old friend for coffee on Friday. Like getting news from the outside world.