Only Tuesday...

No idea where this one went. Was up early to work, and everything—pretty much everything—after was a blur.

Worked out, read a little, cooked up a pot of potato leek soup, and that pretty much covers it.

Big run-off election in Georgia tonight. Tomorrow, nothing but blue skies.

DeLillo book? The Silence? Man. It’s gonna take a while to recover from that one. The guy’s some kind of seer. Like nobody else I’ve ever read.

Not making any predictions, but...

Got an early start this morning and made the most of it. Revisions are coming along, the sun’s been shining. We’re a week into the new year and, who knows, it might all turn out okay after all.

Put in a workout around noon, tended to some personal stuff, then came home and did a little more work at the keyboard.

Temps have stayed low and the snow’s still sticking around, but the weather people are saying it’s going to warm up mid-week. We’ll see. Be nice to get out and truck around a while.

Took care of a few submissions.

Copies of the Red Rock Review showed today.

New Year's looking good already...

Great day. Got two separate FaceTime calls from my princes of Pittsburgh. Made good headway with revisions, too. No workout, but that’s all right. Probably needed a rest and didn’t know it. Tree is down, house is three-quarters back to normal, and tomorrow looks to be another good-weather day.

Doing my part to keep the new year happy...

Early rise after a decent night’s sleep. Don’t get to say that very often.

Trudged ahead with revisions on the long piece, and spent the rest of the morning with other paperwork. Got in a nice workout a little after noon, then went off grocery shopping.

Made a pot of clam chowder for dinner.

Started the DeLillo book last night. Had to keep myself from downing it in one sitting.

Looking forward to the game tomorrow and the start of a new week.

So far, 2021’s everything it promised to be.

Finally...

2021—at last.

Up early to the cottage and productive morning of work.

Decent workout this afternoon followed by two different FaceTime calls from the boys. Gonna take a deep breath tonight, hit the rack early, and reset for the new year.

Getting up to speed...

Coffee with my buddy, George this morning at the Broadmoor. Can’t remember the last time we got together. He’s been quarantined up in Labrador since, March, I think. Anyway, good to catch up.

Bright but cold today. Don’t believe it got out of the mid-thirties. Don’t expect I’ll be fishing any too soon, but want to be ready. Got to order my 2021 license.

Long day of paperwork, correspondence. Didn’t get as much done as I’d have liked, but that’s a familiar tune. Salvaged a workout anyway. A brief FaceTime call with Jackie, too.

Haven’t been sleeping all that well, but figure it’s as much the goings on at the moment as it is the PT. Might try and stay up a little later tonight, see if that makes a difference.

Feels like Sunday...

Had a nice steak dinner last night to close out the holidays. A late rise this morning putting in revisions on the novel. Quiet day all around, and plenty lazy to boot. Took a short trip out to Borders, and Starbucks. Otherwise, sat around and read. Got a FaceTime call from Jackie, but even that was more brief than usual. Feels like everybody’s taking deep breath, waiting for the new year to arrive.

On to bigger things...

Lots of catching up today.

Some good work on the short pieces, too.

Coffee in the living room this morning, an early workout, then spent the rest of the day getting ready for Christmas. Had a long call from an old buddy. Highlight of the day.

Looking forward to what’s ahead. Giving thanks for bullets dodged, and surviving the ones that hit. “Tho much is taken,” as the man said, “much abides.”

Okay, okay. Enough now...

Not exactly ground hog day, but the sameness is sinking in and it’s probably time to get out and sniff the air.

Up a little later than usual. Posted some good work at the keyboard—revisions mostly—then went worked out and went off to PT.

Feel like I’ve been trying to write myself out of two or three significant holes, but have learned not to trust the inside my head when the world’s otherwise got me down. Just keep drafting. That’s the secret. Get brutal with the edits when you’re in a more stable frame of mind.

Brief FacetTime with Jack and Matty this afternoon. Fun to see them so jacked about Christmas. Wish we were going to be there.

Thought I might get in a little reading today, but it wasn’t to be. Tomorrow, maybe. Until then, call it a day.

All's good...

Don’t remember how this one started, but now that it’s coming to a close I gotta say it feels like a full day.

Got in some good work on the short story revisions this morning, worked out, then went off for a gruesome session of PT.

Took a drive through the Garden of the Gods this afternoon. Good to get out. Came home and went to work on mom’s estate stuff.

Taking it easy tonight—like always. Movie, BLT, a bottle of wine. Life in the time of quarantine.

Thinking ahead...

The new short is coming along, better with each pass. Worked on it until eleven, then quit to go off to my dental appointment. Good news and bad with the crown. Bad news is, it was too damaged to fix. Good news is, I didn’t break the underlying tooth.

Took a brief trip to Starbucks when I got home and did a little bit of FaceTiming with young Matthew. Wrapped presents afterward, and sent off a few more Christmas cards.

No workout today, no walks. Nothing but sitting around.

Not tired of winter yet, but tired of being inside. Need to make a point of taking more walks, maybe even get up in the mountains.

Settling in...

Up later than I would’ve liked, but up nonetheless and at the keyboard by seven. The new short is coming together well, and if I don’t muck it up I might have one of the better pieces I’ve written this year when I’m through.

Hoped to get a jump on some correspondence, but was waylaid by FaceTime call from young Jack. Had a nice time talking zombies, battlebots and the like, but missed not hooking up with Matty, too. Maybe Friday.

Dental appointment tomorrow to have my loose crown reset. PT on Friday. Been pushing the reps on the weights in the hope of getting back muscle mass, but have the feeling it’s going to be near summer before I see any real gains. Been a year of repairs, that’s for sure.

Thought we might make it out for a walk this afternoon, but the day got away from us. Finishing up with the Christmas shopping now, and planning out the dinners to come.

Home made potato leek soup and an old Christmas movie tonight.

More of the same, with a twist...

Found an end, and a title, to my newest short. Enough to put a shine on the rest of the day, which was cold and overcast.

Spent the rest of the afternoon goofing off, reading, and napping.

Making progress with the workouts. Think the new weights are helping. Shoulder’s feeling better, and if I can just get the bicep to play along I’ll be okay.

Not sure what tomorrow’s supposed to bring, except a doc’s appointment to talk about the asthma. Days keep blending together, but there’s still the feeling Christmas is out there and bearing down fast. Gotta try and catch up with Matty and Jack before the week’s out. Miss those boys.

Quiet night, tonight. Gonna take it for what it’s worth.

Stick a pin in this one...

Laziest day I’ve had in weeks. And that’s saying something.

Up before seven, but not by much. Worked on the second of the new shorts I started, then switched to critic mode and finished the (new) last of the N critiques.

Took an early break from the keyboard and drank coffee in front of a fire with the kitties the rest of the morning. Overcast day, gray skies. Felt like Christmas.

Drove to UPS this afternoon and dropped of what I hope is the last of the outgoing packages, then picked up some wine and came home.

Stacked wood in the patio caddy before taking a nap. Started a new novel, The Bear. Figure to sit back and take it easy tonight. Fill myself up with as many good thoughts as the moment allows.

Yeah, it's only Friday...

Nice quiet day. Up early to the keyboard, drafting a new short. Been taking a bit of a breather since passing off the novel, and the break is nice. Worked until noon, then broke away to get in a workout. Didn’t think I had much in me, but managed some good work anyway.

Got a FaceTime call from Jack, letting us know his presents arrived. Had a nice long talk. Learned the new season of Battlebots is on air. Gonna have to watch an episode tonight to keep up on current affairs.

Took a mid afternoon break to drive over to K’s to do a small bathroom repair. Came home, took a short nap, and made a pot of tomato soup for dinner.

No big plans for the night. Might build a fire in the living room and watch a movie.

Coasting for the moment...

Good night’s sleep, early rise. Spent the morning working the new short and finishing the last of the N critiques. Easy day. Got in some good reading, too, and even managed some submission work.

Breathing’s getting a little easier with the antibiotics, but still a long way from normal. Seeing the allergists next week. Might talk surgery again, we’ll see.

Quiet day for the most part. Worked out early afternoon, read a little, and took a nap. Wanted to get out for a walk but didn’t get around to it. Just as well, maybe. It was pretty cold.

Belated birthday card from D today. Says he’s on his way to Baton Rouge to run a half marathon. Wish he’d knock that crap off till they get this vaccine thing figured out, but people will do what people will do.

Missing the boys.

Missing mom.

One day closer to Christmas...

Got to catch up with an old buddy today. Had a nice talk. Forgot we were in the middle of a pandemic for a little while.

Make some good edits on the new story this morning. Voice issues, mostly. Read through the last of the N stories in my queue, and put in prep time on a commercial gig coming down the pike.

Worked out mid-afternoon, pressing forward with the new weight regimen. Feels good to lift again, if only with barbells. The arm seems to be making improvements. Still looks weak, but feels like it’s coming along.

Been having a lot of dreams about my mom lately. She was up here last year around this time, and we had great week together. Gonna miss her this Christmas.

Last of the nice weather ends today. Cold front moving in tomorrow and sticking around at least through the weekend. I’m seeing some quality time in the living room with a fire in the fireplace and a couple of kitties under the tree.