writer
Okay. Good day. Did some decent work at the keyboard, went for a long walk, and managed some reading time to boot. Would feel even better if my output were more prodigious, but you can’t have everything, can you?
Thinking this new short is going to be a good one. It keeps presenting new possibilities, and every draft is taking it closer to a solid end. That said, need to get back to the novel soon.
Took it easy today.
Went to a mid-morning movie that lasted until mid-afternoon, then came home and wrote for a while.
Chicken for dinner.
Gonna try and get past the rejection slip I woke to for the story I submitted the evening prior.
Strange series of dreams last night, though none of them was memorable enough to, well, remember. Just as well, maybe.
Worked for a few hours, then moseyed on to the gym for a workout. Tried a new warmup routine, throwing three two-minute combinations at “Bob” the dummy. Thought it fairly successful. Think I’ll keep at it.
Had a nice breakthrough on the new story, as in I found an ending I hadn’t expected. Eager to see if I can make it all work.
Thought about making a trip out to Whole Foods to pick up a couple of branzino fillets, but lost my ambition somewhere along the way. Guess it’s another Friday night pizza and a glass of zin.
Pretty good day all around.
Neck feels like a daisy, revisions to the new story went well, PT did what it does and I got in a nice workout to boot.
A nice snow started falling around noon, and the way it was coming down I thought we might be looking at five or six inches. But no such luck. It left a little over an inch and then the skies cleared. Temps are supposed to begin warming tomorrow and be almost springlike come the weekend. If any of the white stuff sticks around we might snowshoe on Saturday.
Tonight, taking it easy.
Blur of a day.
Some good writing.
Some good reading, too.
A muddled middle filled with errands and appointments, but also a nice nap mid-afternoon.
Bummed to hear our buddy J had his car stolen from a parking lot in Denver. Been down that road late last year, and it wasn’t much fun.
No workout today, but should be in for a nice one tomorrow before PT.
Need to catch up on submissions, applications, reviews and more.
Looking forward to a quiet evening.
Rickety night’s sleep, but a solid morning at the keyboard with the newest short. Also put in some research/background time on the new novel. Still not back to full productivity, but damned close and happy for it.
Got to the gym early this afternoon as well. Again, improvements. Upped my workout, avoided any injuries, and treated myself to a short nap when I got home.
Caught up on some miscellaneous paperwork. Went for a late afternoon walk, too. Neck still feels good, and that’s the best of all of it.
Cool temps today, and no snow forecasted. Warmer weather’s supposed to blow in toward the end of the week. Talked about snow-shoe-ing on Saturday if the conditions are right. We’ll see. Meanwhile, onward.
PT tomorrow.
Tonight, a throwback dinner of tuna casserole.
All things being equal, I’ve decided it’s the lack of production, and not the sundry aches and pains that have me down. I’ve been putting in a lot of work the past month, but much of it feels like wheels spinning. Grasping for what isn’t there, or that I can’t see. I’m never sure what inspires the episodes of negativity, but they’re real insomuch as they can get inside you’re head and poison everything you’re working on, so you have to respect them. That said, I believe I’ve finally come to see the purpose in the newest short I’m working on. Made good progress today, and hope to continue with it tomorrow. Meanwhile, the new novel goes through its own fits and starts.
Have been reading pretty widely of late, and I’m crediting time spent with the work of others for helping me (partway, anyway) out of the hole I’d dug for myself. I’m deep into the new Best American Short Stories now, caught up on the latest NYer pieces, and even getting in a little friend reading on the side.
Weather’s been cool of late, but the sun came out today and we got in a nice stroll around the neighborhood. Not sure what we’re looking at for the rest of the week, but hope whatever it is includes some sort of precipitation. Had a face-time call from Matty when we got home. Didn’t see Jack, but that’s the way it shakes down sometimes. Sure good to see their faces when we can. I'm already eager for summer.
Spent the morning working on projects I’d set aside a while. Late afternoon, went to PT for the first time in weeks. Much progress, I think, since the last session.
Came home, sent off an N review, and wrote a letter to my grand niece, E.
Stuck with the keyboard a few hours longer then took a break and drove to Starbuck’s. Cooked up a pot of stew when I got home.
Nearing the end of the first volume of McCartney’s The Lyrics. Enjoying it quite a bit. Read the short in this week’s NYer as well.
Still trying to find my footing.
Long day, short leash.
Progress here, regression there.
Good news is, we’re in a healing pattern. I can feel it.
Up early, at work when an unexpected phone call came in. Spent the next three hours talking.
Went to an early afternoon movie afterward, and that was that. A pleasant Sunday gone to seed.
Early rise, early to the keyboard.
Finished the second of the shorts I’ve been working on, and will look to get it into submissions tomorrow. Meanwhile, finished letters to the boys, and made an abortive trip to the art store looking for watercolor paper.
Dinner with K tonight.
Tomorrow, more of the same with a few exceptions.
Working through this neck thing. Not sure where it’s gonna go but maybe I’ll be able to find a compromise between the drugs and the PT. Guess it’s gonna take more time than I thought.
Meanwhile, got my short-short out the door. The one I’ve been working to clean up the past week. I’m calling it “Riddle Me This.” Pretty happy with the way it turned out, but I may be an audience of one, as I frequently am.
Got in a decent workout at the gym, plus a run to the grocery store to pick up a new prescription. Wish I could say I did a whole lot more, but I didn’t.
Tomorrow. There’s always tomorrow, right?
Gonna shoot for an early rise and a productive morning at the keyboard. A game in the afternoon. Peace on earth and all the rest.
Early meeting with the orthopedic surgeon this morning. She had all the charm and personality of paper cup.
The good news: most of my problems are the result of age. Which means I needn’t cease doing what I’m doing. I can still work out, etc., without worrying about damaging the bone any further. Need to resume PT, however, and consider chiropractic and a change meds. If things work out, great. If not, pain management, cortisone injections, and possible radiofrequency ablation. One step at a time.
In other news, learned that a tooth implant failed. Surgery next week to remove it. Where we go from there will be dictated by time and money, both of which are currently in short supply.
On a pleasant note, got to FT with the boys this afternoon. Jack continues to amaze, but so does Matty, who’s become more and more affectionate over the past year.
Look forward to seeing them again. They’re still the antidote to all the rest. Meanwhile, it’s on to the next speed bump, eyes wide, caution to the wind.
A got-up-late, never-got-going kind of Monday. Slept through the night, but not without being wakened by the neck a couple of times.
Worked on some story drafts early, then went off for a haircut and a brief session at the gym. Read from the McCartney book for a while when I got back.
Made an exploratory drive across town sometime after three to try and figure out where I’m being examined tomorrow. Eight o’clock appointment with the doc. Hope I come away with something useful.
Still mired, fighting each and every manuscript. Guess it’s the distraction of the neck pain, but whatever it is I need to push through it and start something new. I keep telling myself the pieces are getting clearer and tighter, but when I read them they seem to make less and less sense.
Been there before, so I know it will pass. But meanwhile it’s not much fun.
Wasted a good part of the afternoon watching a football game, though I’m not sure it wasn’t a good waste given I didn’t have much else to do.
Went to the gym and lifted early in the morning, then spent some time grocery shopping later in the evening.
Took care of a few housekeeping chores in between.
An uneventful day, I guess you’d call it.
Cracked the McCartney book, The Lyrics, eager to get into it. The volumes are large and a bit unwieldy, but I’m willing to sacrifice another vertebra, reading, while waiting for the digital version to come from the library. (Thank you, Santa!)
No nap today. Maybe that’s progress, I’m not sure. Feeling better and better, except for the neck.
Up later than usual, but to a pain-free neck for a change. Not sure what brought me that two hour window of carefree living, but hope I can find a way to replicate it some day.
Still haven’t found my post-holiday footing in terms of work output, but hope to correct that, too. Need to put these two new stories to rest so I can get back to the novel.
Weather got a little warmer today, and the overcast skies finally produced some moisture. Not much, but enough to wet the grass and pose an early morning traffic hazard when it turns to ice tonight.
Took it easy most of the afternoon, and plan to continue on with that trend this evening. Christmas tree is down now, ready for Rocky Top, and the house is nearly back to normal.
Spaghetti tonight. Wine. Maybe even some revelry.
Weather warmed a little today, but it took a while. Was out to the cottage in good time and made the most of the near-early rise. Wrote for a while, answered a couple of pieces of correspondence, then went off to the gym to see if I could make something of this mostly lost week. Had the best workout I’ve had in days, and was thinking I’d turned a corner, but this afternoon’s long nap proved I still have work to do.
Made a trip to Maggie’s Farm late this afternoon looking for some medical chewables, but turned around and headed home when I saw the reception line. Never thought I’d find myself buying cannabis from a retail outlet, yet there I was. Funny where chronic pain will lead you. Hope to get up early and score when the queue is smaller. Keep myself rested until my Tuesday appointment with the orthopedic folks.
Late start, but not too late.
Put in some good revisions before heading out to the dentist. Spent the rest of the afternoon messing around. Took a long nap (what’s up with the fatigue?), not expecting to doze as long as I did, and lost all ambition to salvage the day once I woke up.
Friday tomorrow. Time to right this ship.
Gotta say I’m tired of being tired. Had a good morning, a decent run at the keybboard, and a short but okay workout at the gym, but haven’t been able to squeeze anything more out myself. Not sure if it’s the lingering effects of the flu, or whatevever, and not sure it even matters. But there it is. I’m still dragging, man.
A decent night’s sleep can cure almost anything. Woke today feeling better, and got a good way into the afternoon before the neck became bothersome again. We’ll see what comes of it. Meanwhile, pushing ahead with the stories I have, and trying to get things back the way they were.
Made a pot of asparagus soup. Looking forward to a quiet evening.
