Looking ahead...

Big week ahead. Lots of visitors. Don’t expect to get much writing done, but that’s okay. Figure to have a rollicking time with the boys.

Heavy winds the past few days, and more in the forecast. The only thing about springtime in the Rockies I’ve never enjoyed. Easy to picture those wind-crazy pioneers in their sod huts murdering one another after a week or two of this stuff.

Going to work now. Still have a couple of hours before the plane lands.

Still recovering from the long weekend...

Never quite hit stride this morning. Was up early, but not early enough, and production suffered on a account of it. Sill, did manage to get 1,500 words into another new story, and write a critique for N, so can’t complain too much.

Put in some time at the gym, just after noon, then came home and ran a few errands in advance of the boys’ arrival on Friday. Picked up some groceries, too. A lot left to do before they get here, but making the garage my number one priority. It went into decline after they left last summer and never quite recovered.

Weather cheered up, and except for a hard breeze coming out of the south it was a nice, blue-sky day. Don’t think it’ll warm up enough to go fishing anytime soon, but hey, fingers crossed.

Looking forward to a quiet evening.

Life in the slow lane...

Getting back up to speed.

Woke late, and spent the early part of the morning doing Q&A with the London editor of The Forge.

Worked out early afternoon, then came home and drifted off into a nap with Mr. Kitcat.

Talked briefly with Jack, and made plans for his end of week arrival in the Springs.

Didn’t break any records, but hope to amp things up tomorrow.

Tonight, taking it easy.

Snoozer of a day...

Lots of doings today, few of which involved actual work.

Was up later than usual, but still in good time to write and get to the gym.

Did a little bit of reading, ran a few errands, and took a walk.

Nothing much else to say.

This one's in the books now, too...

Late rise. Slept in after a night of restless dreams.

Working on the short pieces, but making progress with all of them. One of these days I’m gonna have four or five come to fruition at the same time.

Squeezed an early workout in before my doc’s appointment.

New X-rays of the lungs look good. No residual badness from the pneumonia.

Happy St. Patrick's Day...

Spent a long afternoon in Denver yesterday visiting my uncle. He’s 91 and still punching. The Parkinson’s has crumpled him up pretty good, but he gets around all right with his walker. The toughest thing is his speech. Parkinson’s has taken that, too. He’s still able to summon up a sentence or two if he puts his heart into it, but you can tell it isn’t easy. Anyway, good to see him again. Really good.

Woke up to snow yesterday, and again today, but an hour or two in the morning sun and most of it melted away. Not sure what sort of weather the weekend’s supposed to bring. Sunshine, I hope. But I wouldn’t mind a little rain either.

Had a good morning at the keyboard. Near to having a reader draft of the story I’m calling "Nobody’s Business But His Own.” Might give it one more quick read tomorrow before letting it rest. Then I’m moving on to the next one.

Revisited “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” this afternoon. After, put in a decent workout at the gym.

Corned beef and cabbage tonight. K’s coming, too, before she leaves for the east coast. Used to watch John Huston’s The Dead on St. Pat’s Day in years past, but find it’s a hard sell anymore. Wish it weren’t, but it is. Brilliant story in so many ways.

Coming to grips...

Good day all around.

Weather got a bit iffy toward the end of day, but the snow hasn’t begun yet. Hope it doesn’t make my drive up to Denver tomorrow to visit my uncle too hairy.

Feels like the fog’s dissipating. Been doing better with the writing the past couple of days. At least one of the new short pieces feels closer than I remembered. Maybe all of them are and I just didn’t know it.

Looking ahead to a quiet night.

Braising some pork chops for dinner.

That's all, folks...

Watched the Oscars last night. Would’ve wished I hadn’t, except that I’d prepared myself days in advance and a bottle of wine was already open.

Slept well, woke early. Worked on one of the new stories and headed off to the gym about an hour too late. (It happens.) Took a short rest when I got home, then went back to work until my cousin J.J. called. I’m getting the feeling it’s going to be stop-and-start week. Hope I can make a good push to finish something.

Copies of the Ocotillo Review came. Good to see another story in print. Two more on the horizon.

Making plans to see my uncle on Thursday. He’s ninety-two and winding down, I’m afraid. Looking forward to catching up with him.

It's all behind me now...

Did it.

Sucked down for liters of the foulest tasting shit I’ve drunk since my first glass of Ouzo (last dose 2:30 am) , caught about two hours sleep, and was at the colonoscopy clinic a little after 8:00 am. Procedure wasn’t bad, but the prep was awful. The worst I’ve had in three different outings. The juice came in what looked like a gas can from some cold-war warehouse. I asked the tech about it, and she said yeah, it was old technology. The new formulas—the ones I didn’t get—are a fraction of the volume, and some even come in pills. Pays to ask ahead, I guess.

Looking for an early turn-in time tonight. Real early.

All Quiet on the Front Range...

Overcast and dreary today. Cold, too. Not sure what the forecast is for the rest of the week, and not sure it matters, but I’d like to see the sun again, and soon.

Worked hard on some new stories today, revising one and drafting the other. Still having a strange time with the brain fog of from December’s pneumonia, but working through it the best I know how. I’m finding it’s more productive if I abandon a piece after a hard revision and not coming back to it until many days later. The missteps seem clearer then.

Read a new story from N this afternoon. Not what I’d hoped for, but then few of them are. Kicked it down the road for someone else to consider.

Running off to see Casablanca at Tinseltown tonight. Popcorn and Coke for dinner.

Busy with being busy...

Got more out of this one than planned.

Put in decent work at the keyboard, got a nice long uninterrupted workout at the gym, and even managed some quality reading time.

Juggling three stories at the moment, but need to give the long work another look soon. Would like to get a new piece in the mail this week, but not convinced it’ll happen.

Meanwhile, have another new story from N to critique.