Life's mysteries, abridged...

John & Karin coming over for dinner tonight. Should be a nice, laid back evening.

Some new stories from N found their way over today. Should help make for an interesting weekend reading.

Put in a good day making revisions, submissions, and poring over research. Hit the gym a little after noon, and got in a nice workout, too.

Haven’t hit the high gear I’ve been looking for yet, but getting closer to where I want to be. Need to sink my mind into something big, keep me from thinking too much.

On a comforting note, copies of Two Thirds North arrived in today’s mail. My short, “Frank the Redeemer” appears in it. Good looking issue. Need to see about extra copies

Weather guys say we’re looking at a sunny weekend. Maybe we’ll get outside, get that hike in Red Rocks Canyon we’ve been talking about.

Reached the end of the David Mamet thing yesterday. Something got hold of me after, shook me up. Wish I new what my heart was up to, and why, but I suppose I’ll never really know.

Miss my dad.

Ups, downs, and sideways-es...

Knew I got up for a reason this morning. Found it at the keyboard.

Slept pretty well last night. Hoping for more of the same tonight.

Day started sunny, got cold and overcast toward noon, and by evening looked like snow. Wish to hell we’d see some wet come out of the sky, but it’s been a dry winter and looks as if it’s going to stay that way for a while.

Learned Anthony Doerr is coming to the ENT Center next month. I’m a season subscriber, and the first time I hear it is today, on the radio, driving home from the gym. Needless to say, tickets are sold out. Man.

Still behind in my work, correspondence, etc. Nothing to do but keep plugging.

Wednesday evening, 5:29...

Restless night’s sleep. Arm again. Still, muddled through the day without any problems. Kicked out a reader draft of one of the new shorts, “In the Aftermath,” and surprised myself by composing an entirely new story this morning, before going off to the gym.

Had a nice email exchange with Dave Essinger, editor of Slippery Elm, about his novel, Running Out. SE is running a promotion highlighting some of their former contributors, yours truly included, so we killed two birds with one stone. Gonna pass the book along to Dylan. Think he’ll enjoy it.

Weather turned gray again. February. Keep hoping for either snow or rain, but my shaman skills seem to be lacking. Can’t remember a winter being this dry.

Note from the New Yorker this morning. Rejection for “X". But at least it was personal. Who knows? One of these days…

Meanwhile, Tuesday...

Had a nice time with the kid yesterday. A one-night shot, but we enjoyed the company.

Up early this morning to get some mss in the mail and do a little research. Time got away, but accomplished a few things in spite of a slow start.

Temps dropped at the day went on, and we drifted back into winter. Only consolation prize was a blue sky and lots of sunshine. Quiet around the neighborhood. Thought I might get out for a walk, but nixed the idea in favor of the gym.

Gotta get back on track. Owe letters so many people letters I can hardly count them. Time to punch a new story out the door, too. Get back on track with the long piece.

Keep the fire burning.

Bridges...

First good night’s sleep in ages. A few unsettling dreams about my dad, but at least they didn’t wake me.

Up early, making revisions. Solid work all morning.

Pushed one of my N critiques out the door before going to gym. Read a second piece (short short) that was pretty well written. Nice control of the theme, interesting language.

Found out it’s been four years to the day since my trip to San Francisco. Would’ve guessed longer, I think, if anyone had quizzed me. Still think back on that time with a smile.

Good day at the gym this afternoon. Hasn’t been all that crowded lately, so got a lot of good work in. Came back and ran a few errands. Had a chance to chat it up with Greg and Rich from Rich Designs, then home again for the night.

Quiet around the neighborhood.

Another cool night.

Trying to sooth the cabin fever...

Been looking like snow for two days, maybe three, but nothing. Just more cold.

Put in a little bit of work at the keyboard this morning, then went off to the gym to help my buddy Solomon set up a new machine. Many hours later, here I am.

Feels like February, already, which can’t be a good sign. Or should I say a sign of anything good. Guess I need to hunker down and see if I can’t manage my output a little better. Get another story or two in the mail. The general slowness of the returns seems to have carried over into the new year, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Need to get a couple of letters out. Also need to write a couple of critiques. Should probably be the first thing on my to-do list for tomorrow. Meanwhile, gonna try and get a good night’s sleep. Arm’s been killing me, and last night was the worst in a long, long time.

Not much else going on. Not in my world, anyway. Here’s hoping for a nice quiet evening.

Yeah, Monday again...

Feeling good about the new stories, one more than the rest. Hope I’m right.

Worked hard all morning. Good progress. Killed the early part of the afternoon at the gym, then home to wash the truck and make schemes for the rest of the week.

No expectations, just hopes.

Amen to a new week...

Got a surprise FaceTime call from the boys this morning. Pretty nice. Was in the middle of revisions, so it came as a treat. Young Matthew is sick, but Jackie seems as though he’s on the mend. Only another four weeks before we go out there to see them.

Two of the short pieces are getting nearer completion. The going’s been slow, but it feels like improvements keep coming, so no complaints. Just want to finish them now and move on.

Weather’s still cold, still breezy. Spring seems a long way off. No snow for a while and that’s a problem too, as the grass and trees haven’t been watered in some time. Might have to drag the hose out if we get a warm afternoon one of these days.

Drove down to Canon City yesterday just to get out of the house. Turkey Creek was dry and brown, but pretty. Same with Canon. Had cheeseburgers in a pub then spent an hour kicking around Mainstreet. Did an art gallery, a furniture store…. All in all, not a bad way to kill a winter afternoon.

Had K over for dinner tonight. Watched most of the NFL championship game, though there wasn’t much to see that didn’t resemble a car wreck.

Looking forward to getting back to business tomorrow. Catching up on my correspondence and whatnot.

Better late than never...

Was doing some research this morning (trying to locate my Twitter handle) when I found out my story “Man of Letters” was listed at #5 in The Saturday Evening Post’s Top 10 Most Popular Contemporary Fiction of 2017.

Hope they didn’t put a check in the mail, cause that didn’t show up either.

On a different note, good work on two of the new stories this morning. Nothing ready to send out yet, but close. Maybe I’ll have a breakthrough one of these days.

Spent a good part of the afternoon at the gym. Weather still disagreeable, so no fishing or hiking tomorrow. Doldrums all around.

Going to K’s tonight for dinner. Be good to get out of the house.

What? It's Thursday?

Caught up with my old buddy, Bob, today on the phone this morning. He’s living in the Czech Republic now. Spent two plus hours jawing.

Made some revisions earlier in the day, then off to the barber and off to the gym. Can’t say I did a whole lot else.

Started a couple of new books. More about this later. Suffice it to say the day slipped away and me with it. Took the Jeep in tonight for an oil change. Hoping when they’re through with that they’ll be able to find the source of the squeaking and fix it.

Small expectations, for sure.

And why not? Aim for what you can hit.

Wins and losses...

An early rise for a change. Felt like the old days.

Made some quick revisions to the newest story, then trucked off on a research binge for the new long piece. Been shaping it in my head for days now, and the themes, plot, characters all keep getting clearer and clearer. Wish I could put a pin in one of the new drafts. Not sure why I’m having such a time of it, but don’t figure I’ll get an answer anytime soon either. Probably best to leave things as they are for the moment and move on to something else.

Text from D last night. Said he was going to be in Denver in April for a Peal Jam concert. Wanted to know if I wanted to tag along. First time ever our calendars have collided. The boys are going to be in from Pittsburgh the same week, and with young J’s birthday, I couldn’t accept the invite, but sure felt bad turning it down. Been feeling as though we’ve closed some ground over the past year.

Well into the Margaret Atwood Master Class. Similarities, subject-wise, to the Sedaris and Oats classes. Not really learning anything new, but enjoying the telling.

Nice day today. Sun was out, temps had dropped, and though it felt like winter it didn’t feel like winter. Been thinking about Wyoming a lot lately. Other places, most in the mountains. Think it’s a symptom of cabin fever.

Where is all of this going?

Tug o’ war with the other me all day.

Revisions good, but slow—the same with the research on the long piece. Beginning to think it’s the weather, though there’s no point looking for excuses because you’ll always find one.

Did finish the Lawrence book. What a terrific read. Has me in the mood for the Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Wonder if I have a copy anywhere and don’t know it? Should give a look while it’s on my mind.

Got in a good long workout at the gym this afternoon. Wish the weather would break so I could get out, but I’ll take what’s there to be taken in the meantime.

For now, it is what it is.

Just wish I knew what is, is.

Mired...

One of those days when you spin your wheels.

Got some writing in, but not as much as I’d have liked. Put in some time researching the new, long piece, too. Not sure where the afternoon went, except for a brief trip to the gym, but go it did. Need to keep better watch over my day tomorrow. Push a little harder.

New story came in from N this morning. Memoir. Surprised sometimes just how bad bad can be, but this one pushed the envelope.

Enough bitching.

I’ll pick up the thread tomorrow.

Finding my footing...

Good day. Slept well last night.

Put in early with work, spending most of the morning refining the new story. Between jobs discovered an old Gene Clark ballad I hadn’t heard before. “Your Fire Burning.” Knocked me out. Had to quit what I was working on to catch my breath.

No gym today. Went to the movies instead.

Easy day.

Friday...

Rough night. Didn’t really sleep.

Worked on the shortest of the new stories when I got up, then put it away to do some house cleaning. Hit the gym a little later but was too tired to get much out of it. Home early.

All quiet on the literary front.

Guess I’ll cash in.

Yeah, still punching...

Up at a good hour.

Refined yesterday’s story. Getting closer to a good end. Rest of the day attended to busy work, then off to the gym. Felt yesterday through and through.

Back home to a bit of reading and research.

More tomorrow.

Thinking ahead...

Lost track of Tuesday. Meant to make an entry, but got caught up in other business, large and small.

Started this morning a little later than usual, but made headway on one of the new stories and think I’m close to finishing.

Cool day, but pretty. Lots of blue sky and fresh air. Had me thinking about summer. Decided I’m gonna get a new two man tent and see if I can entice young Jack into an overnight fishing trip or two when he comes back this summer. Also thinking of packing it along to Wyoming. We’ll see. Gotta put in a little more research, and see what’ll work best.

Good day at the gym. My buddy Solomon’s got my arm feeling better, and I’m using the rehab time to work on other equipment.

Letters off to Dylan and the boys yesterday. Miss them all. February will come along sooner than I think, but Dallas has been calling for a while, too. Maybe I can work something out for late fall visit, depending on how things go.

M passed along some photography websites that feature pics of the old Meigh Ranch. One of the joints was even selling coffee cups and duvets with the images on them. Grandpa Bob would’ve been impressed.

Need to start working toward an earlier wakeup time if I wanna get a jump on the new long piece. Been waking around 5:00 pretty consistently, so it shouldn’t be a tough transition. Sore arm’s been keeping back, but can’t use that excuse much longer.