writer
Did the best I could today. For some reason, things never really took off. Got some writing in, a trip to the gym, and a jaunt up the alley to see H&T's new apartment. Should call it a win, I guess. Enjoying the extra breathing room I've been getting. Not sure how long it will last, but mean to make the most of it.
Leonardo book wonderful. Moving on now.
Mid-week already. How'd that happen? Managed some good revision work today despite the holiday layoff, and smoked right along until I got what I hope is my last rejection of the year.
Haven't had a "pass" in a while, and it's like taking the first punch in a prize fight. You don't like it, you want to put it behind you as fast as you can, then you settle in and start punching back.
Made it to the gym early in the afternoon. Then home to look after small stuff. Will finish the Leonardo book tonight and be sorry to know it's over.
Gotta say, it's nice to have some quiet time. Woke up to a leisurely cup of coffee, read for an hour, then put in time at the keyboard updating files and dispensing with some light editing. Felt good to fall back into the groove. Made it to the gym too, but cut things short to visit the body shop and pick up the truck. Insurance company is still playing Mickey-the-Dunce, but that's between them and the repair folks now. Nice to have my old ride back. I'll miss the cheap gas and easy parking--that goes without saying--but not much else.
There were three young guys in the body shop, all packing 9mm pistols. I think they were active military, on leave, but it was hard to tell. They didn't look all that different from the kids you see at the mall. One of them mentioned something about living with his mom. Then another one mentioned the same thing. They didn't look old enough to clear their own rooms, and there they were armed to the teeth. Ready to go to war--in downtown Colorado Springs. Or wherever. But I'm not gonna think about that because good vibes are starting to hum and I'm starting to believe this is going to be a good year.
Cold tonight. Somewhere close to ten degrees. They say warmer tomorrow, but when you start close to zero that seems like a safe bet. We'll see. Till then, a warm quiet evening in front of the fire.
Beat. Long day of merriment mixed with a major asthma attack mixed with a long afternoon of merriment. Whole holiday season's been something of a blur, but then they always are and it seems to take a while for individual memories to come forward and assume their proper place in the heart.
Missed wishing a number of people a Merry Christmas, but that, too, is the way it always goes. Hope they know I was thinking of them.
Haven't been to the gym in a couple of days and hope to rectify that deficit tomorrow. If I'm lucky, the "resolutionaries" won't show until the first week of the new year. Meanwhile, I'm stocked with good books, have a few manuscripts in the mail, and my hopper's full of starts on new stories. Can't ask for more than that, right?
Off the grid for a few days. Many goings on. Mom here and gone, J's sleep-over in the rearview, presents wrapped, Christmas upon us. Gotta try and catch up. Meanwhile, peace to all.
Early morning meeting ran late, late, late. Would've run even longer had an insane homeless man not invited himself to our table. Gotta keep reminding myself: It's all writing material.
Managed a little bit of time at the keyboard, but not sure how inspired it was following this morning's coffee with the chatty, goat-toting vagrant.
In other news, no truck again today! Not sure what's become of the Jeep, but there too, no news is probably bad news.
Mom arriving tomorrow for a three (four?) day visit. Lots of excitement ahead. Maybe a few surprises.
Had some writing time today. Reading time, too. Hoped to get over to the gym, but couldn't quite make it happen. Did manage to get the Jeep back to the garage to have the hoses re-inspected. Last go round didn't fix the issue. Or if it did, another issue's come along to take its place. Down to one car now--the red rental--but with any luck the truck repair will be finished tomorrow.
Gonna be a busy week. Have a morning meeting with SJ, then a steady stream of chores to address before company comes rolling into town. Cool weather's making it harder to be outside. Think we're all working under a mild case of cabin fever. That, colds, and a bad case of conjunctivitis. Watched Love Actually last night. Sweet movie, but couldn't get the "MeToo" movement out of my head during at least half of it.
Not much to say. Not sure there's much worth saying except bring on tomorrow.
Watch what you wish for. Mentioned snow in yesterday's entry, woke up to some of the same this morning. Just a dusting, but snow nonetheless. Nice to see a bit of winter given it's winter.
Long day looking after small stuff, fighting off the cold, etc. Got a little reading in, a little time at the gym, a couple of trips to the grocery store in search of cat food and hand sanitizer, but somehow it doesn't seem to add up to nine hours of daylight.
H agency lunch tomorrow. Last one ever, if the rumors are true.
Finally managed to get a few good hours of writing time. Made the most of it. A lot going on right now, so it was good to feel the keyboard and see the screen light up. Hope I can keep plowing ahead, but my guess is things are going to slow down. Not expecting to get a lot accomplished between now and Christmas.
Pretty day. Warm, too, for December. The selfish part of me would like to see the weather go on like this for a while, but I know we need some snow and shoveling the walks is always something of a small joy. Not sure what the forecast bodes. Maybe we'll get lucky and have a white Christmas.
Wonder what's going on with the truck? Thought maybe the body shop would call today and say it was finished, but it never happened. Figuring now it'll probably happen at the end of the week. We'll see. Meanwhile, trying to keep the Yaris off the road as much as possible. Don't think I've driven it more than 40 miles and plan to keep it that way.
Up early. But so was everyone else. Paid bills, wrote letters, looked after small stuff. Got a chance to sneak away to the gym for a few minutes, but not what you'd call an exciting day. Down with another cold. Gonna wait until the new year to look back and see how many times I've spoken those words over the past twelve months.
Holidays creeping up fast.
Everything feels different this year. Less predictable. More precarious. But the tree looks beautiful, and seeing it reminds me of that day on mountain, Clear Creek down below the road, sparkling like a thread of tinsel.
Keep pushing. That's why I'm telling myself. We're a long way from home.
Up early. Scurried around getting things in order for the big brunch. Everything went off without a hitch, though most of the guests showed early. Food was terrific, conversation lively--couldn't have asked for more.
Spent the latter part of the afternoon at the keyboard, but can't claim to have made a whole lot of progress. Too tired from all the festivities. Read over the edits of "Herald Angel" from 2 Bridges (minor), took care of some correspondence, and let the last of the day slip by. Didn't feel like much of a weekend, considering all the work, but it wasn't bad. It wasn't bad.
Look forward to getting back in the saddle tomorrow. Think I'll make a start on a new story.
Nice run at the keyboard today. Again, not sure where things are going but have this impulse to move ahead. See where the story goes. I keep imagining the brick wall I'm about to meet, but every time I see it, it's as if time suddenly stretches and I buy myself a few more breaths. Good thing is, I've got a lot of drafts going. So if one peters out there's always another to turn to. Fingers crossed I won't run dry. Not soon, anyway.
Finished The Hunters today. Wonderful, dark, romantic. A nice twist in the second to last chapter. Saw it coming, but not until it was on top of me and by then there was nothing to do but sit back and enjoy it. Now on to the BASS of 2017. That, and the rest of DaVinci.
Guests tomorrow for brunch. Pork belly confit, tomato/olive tart, pomegranate/mandarin orange salad. Prosecco. Christmas carols courtesy Mr. Standish, on the baby grand. Should be a good holiday kickoff.
Warmed up a bit today. Got some time in at the keyboard, but not entirely sure I accomplished anything. Sometimes that's the way it goes. Particularly with writing. Anyway, got to have a brief chat with my buddy, Scott, write a review for N., talk to the folks at the body shop (truck expected to be finished Wednesday!) and still get in a quick trip to the gym. Coming up on the last chapter of James Salter's The Hunters. Quite the read. Disarmingly simple, but beautiful at the same time. Isaacson's Leonardo continues to amaze as well.
A chill winter bastard, as Anthony Burgess said. But the sun was out, and when the wind wasn't pushing back it was an okay day. Got more accomplished than I would have bet on when the morning started. Looking forward to the last of the tree trimming this evening. Maybe a fire, too. Need to hit the ground running tomorrow. Find out what's going on with the truck repairs, and other business. Hard to believe Christmas is only three weeks away.
Another one lost.
Interruptions, meetings, etc., sank whatever hope there was of pounding out even a few words. I'd like to think tomorrow's gonna be different, but I know better. Best to take a deep breath and let it go which way it will.
Some nice news today. 2 Bridges Review picked up "Herald Angel." It's an annual pub, so I won't see the story in print until 2019, but it'll be worth the wait. Had my eye on 2 Bridges for a while. Was impressed by it.
Spend most of the day looking after small stuff. Pecked out a few words, but not many. Saving my ammo for tomorrow. Gotta keep reminding myself that any advances this time of year are nothing short of a miracle.
A guy once said to me, "Chekhovian, right. I mean, everyone says that. But what exactly does that mean?" All I know is, it's Monday, and before the afternoon was out I'd spend time with the body shop, the plumbers and the dentist's office. No explanation necessary.
Driving a bright red Yaris for a few days. Teeth are looking swell. Toilet flushes without bubbling over. Not the most impressive list of accomplishments but not a sharp stick in the eye either. Gonna decorate the tree tonight, hope for the sleep that didn't come last night, and regroup for tomorrow.
Windy again. Cold too. Think I'll build a fire and settle in.
Getting sidetracked too easily these days. Nose is still to the grindstone, but feeing less and less effective. Meaning, less and less positive about the direction of my work. Sometimes I sit back and think, why bother? And I mean it. But for some reason I keep going back. Which means the whole thing's on me. Gotta stop worrying about the where things end up after they leave my hands. Only thing to do is to keep working, keep believing, and keep being true to myself.
Pretty day. Spent most of it researching new markets and making submissions. Brief trip downtown to Starbucks, then time in ATB park with young J. Highlight of the afternoon, to be sure.
