writer
Good day. Got some decent writing in, made progress with the SF project, hit the gym, and scrounged up goodies at the grocery store for New Year's Eve dinner. Don't expect I'll make it to midnight, but who knows. Been a while since I've seen the fireworks on Pikes Peak. Might make an effort to stay up.
Weather still on the chilly side. If it warms up this weekend, there might be an afternoon of snowshoeing up at Mueller. Feeling strangely energetic. Wonder why?
Wednesday? Already? Can't believe it's mid-week.
Another cold one. Felt like temps were in the 30s pretty much all day. But sunny, so there's something to be said for that. Dug deep today having the morning to myself, and managed some serious revisions on the newest of my untitled pieces. A long one, coming in close to 10,000 words. (Gotta do something about that.) Also worked on a standard format for the SF critiques, which should make the process better and more uniform. Took a break mid-afternoon and hit the gym, getting in a good solid workout. Went out later looking for hardware, and ended up misplacing my glasses. Sheesh. Good thing I have extras.
Wonder what the odds are of a good night's sleep? Been restless for a week now, maybe longer, and besieged by stupid, ugly dreams.
Last of the Christmas revelers are out the door, on their way to Rome. Sigh.
Tomorrow, work begins in earnest.
Cold start to the week. Slow one, too. Still, managed to get some good revisions going. One of the new untitled stories feels closer than I thought when I put it away. Knock wood, but it feels like it's got legs. Gotta keep pushing until I get it right.
Short workout at the gym. Crowded tonight. Expect it to get worse between now and the New Year, then peak and start dying off again. Should be cleaned out pretty well by the time I get back from SF.
And speaking of SF, got the first of the full page critiques drafted. Feels good knowing all the stories now. Who knows, maybe by the time I ship out I'll have something worthwhile to say.
Nice rejection from the Sycamore Review today of Working to Beat Hell. Figured it'd be a tough sell, so it was good to know it's not being dismissed out of hand. Keep plugging, right?
Woke up early, revised a bit, had lunch at the Broadmoor (clam chowder), and said a few goodbyes. Another holiday season come and gone. Almost. Have no affection for New Year's Eve and never have. Except as a signpost it's time to move on.
Ready to dig into some new projects. With luck, score a few victories. Work tomorrow. Good to get back into a routine.
Christmas in the rearview. One day past. Many fetes, as F. Scott once wrote, and now comes the inevitable winding down. Guests making ready to go home, or off to other places.
Hard to believe the days and guests have come and gone so quickly.
Did some work on the SF stories today, then a little on my own. Went to a movie this afternoon. Enjoyed it. Chicken soup and a ball game tonight.
sitting back as
Early to the office. Piecing together yet another new story. Something with a new-west flavor. Also working on critiques for the SF pieces. Second reading complete on eight of the stories. Notes compiled. Summaries begun. Still a lot of work ahead, but happy for the chance to hone my reading and editing.
Took care of little things this afternoon, then off to the gym for an early evening workout. Look forward to snowshoeing again one of these days. Got in a good walk this afternoon, but completely appreciate the nuances between a treadmill and simple shoe leather.
Looked over some old drafts today with a small degree of disappointment. Need to move along. Get to a different place. Push for better, deeper stories.
Early coffee tomorrow with an old friend. Look forward to catching up.
Good night's sleep last night. Good morning's work, as well. Like the direction my newest story is going. Ending seems perfect.
Did a little Christmas shopping this afternoon out in Manitou. What fun! Love that town!
Read another of the SF stories and began making notes. Also read a fine story in the New Yorker, "Bedtimes."
Taking it easy today. Thinking ahead, wondering where my stories will go this year. Want to simplify. Get back to the modern westerns again. But don't want to think too hard in the process. Need to get back to the basics.
Early morning despite having stayed up entertaining guests last night. A good evening. No fire, no carols, but lots of interesting conversation, terrific hors d'oeurves and fine wine.
Revisions this morning, a brief jog to the gym, then off to the movies.
Home now, and ready for a bite to eat. Tomorrow, Christmas shopping. As always, the season takes odd turns, emotionally and otherwise.
Bit of a cold snap. Temps never got out of the teens today. Sunny, though, making it all bearable.
Into the office early. Made some small revisions on my new story, then delved into research for a new commercial client. Later in the afternoon, began second readings of the SF stories. Enjoyed playing editor for a while. Home now, getting ready to do a little more decorating. Guests coming tomorrow evening. Need to have the joint looking tip-top.
Busy morning at the homestead. Not much writing. Got out for an early walk, though, and couldn't complain about the cold, the sky being so clear and sunny. Been thinking a lot about Wyoming lately. Looking forward to getting back there, maybe earlier than usual. Like to get started on a long piece, and that would be just the place for it. Nice and quiet. No interruptions.
Had a nice time at dinner last night. Went to Summit at the Broadmoor with the gang. Nice seeing Mr. Jessop again. Always makes for a nice conversation. Had escargot for the first time in years. Couldn't get enough. Arctic char for the entree. Also splendid. The others had a proper dessert of profiteroles/creme brulee/etc., but your truly went for a tawny port. Much happiness all around.
More decorating tonight. Gotta get dinner going. Nothing special. Andouille sausage, wine. Whatever else finds it way to the plate.
Wild day! Woke up to snow. Shoveled the walk(s), hustled off to the gym, came home for quick shower and cup of coffee, then headed for the office to write. Short but productive morning. Back home at 12:30 to take care of matters around the house. Got some research out of the way for the SF trip. Starting to feel organized. More about this later. Taking clients to the Broadmoor for dinner this evening. Gotta run and dress.
Savage journey into the heart of King Soopers in search of mushrooms this evening. Would gladly eat a bowl of poison ones before ever venturing back into that store again. What a horrible place it's become! No way to make a quick break in and out anymore. Need to try the Safeway up in Old Colorado City from now on. Biggest disappointment? The egg nog. It was either lactose tolerable, light, sugar-free or some other bastardized recipe the food Nazis have decided to foist upon us. Need to make a special trip to the dairy for the real thing.
Not much writing today, but did manage to get cross town and have three pair of glasses repaired. No one downtown does that sort of thing anymore. Now if only the lab can get the prescription right on the new pair.
Back clicking on all cylinders after a good night's sleep. Crazy. Woke up expecting a pair of unsteady legs, but felt stronger and stronger as the day went on. Got some good revisions in on the new story. Feel like I might have a good draft by week's end, holiday schedule providing. More decorating still ahead, a party or two to attend, guests arriving. We'll see how things go. Trimming the tree tonight. Should be fun, as always.
Got sicker as evening wore on last night. Turned in at 8:00 pm, woke this morning still feeling lousy. Had a single cup of coffee and went directly back to bed. Up around 11:00. Wonder what it is that's got hold of me? Whatever, no one else seems to have it.
Christmas tree up! Decorations ongoing! House is looking fine. A beautiful snow started about an hour ago, and everything's blanketed in white. Looking forward to a quiet night in. Maybe a fire.
Been a little under the weather today. Still, got in some writing and brief walk. Conference call with a possible new client. Fingers crossed. Bought a new iphone 5c hoping to upgrade my current connections and, with luck, make it possible to find a cell somewhere on the mountain next summer. Reception up there's been getting progressively worse with AT&T. Each year a new low. Last summer couldn't catch a cell until just outside Casper. Anyway, lowered my rates and got a free tablet into the bargain. Now I'll have something I can read when I hit the rack at night. Hope so, anyway.
Got some sleep last night. Amazing what some shut-eye can do for you. Back and forth day at the office, but got enough accomplished I'd call it a win. Still trying to hook up with a new phone and carrier. Maybe tomorrow.
Read about a marathon reading of War and Peace taking place in Russia. Smithsonian Magazine carried the story. Pretty cool. Each participant logs in a three minute stretch, then passes it off to the next guy.
Almost at the end of N. Maclean's Young Men and Fire. Not a brilliant book, styistically. But full of heart. It's going to be one of those reads that stays with me the rest of my life. Really sad to come to the end of it.
Need to move on to the second round of readings for the SF stories. Have thought about all of them, and can't wait to dig in again. Lots of good stuff there.
Nice day today. Warm again. Can't believe Christmas is only 15 days away.
Up at 2:00 am. Back to sleep after 5:00. Not good. Early to bed, late to bed, no difference. Still can't seem sleep through the night.
Made some progress on the new/old story at the office. Not a lot, but enough to feel as though something was accomplished.
Called the English department of Northern Kentucky today to see if I could find out what happened to my contributor copies of the Licking River Review. "Stuck" was supposed to have come out in # 45, last year, but have no idea whether the issue even ran. Last I heard, there was a death on the editorial staff, and the publication date had been pushed back. Looking forward to a call back to see where things stand.
Should have been a warm afternoon--weather reports called for temps in the 60s--but I swear it didn't reach much over 50. If that. Got in a mid-afternoon walk and quick workout at the gym after work. But tired. Had a difficult time getting motivated.
New phone. Gotta get a new phone before SF.
Much excitement. Iron works guys showed up with hinges for the back gate this afternoon, followed by the plumbing team who roto-ed a ball of tree roots from the back yard clean out. Now if we can only get the bricklayer to come back and finish the porch!
Not much writing today, but a decent round of revisions. Who knows, may finish a new story yet.
Hit the gym late afternoon, then went back to the office to take care of some housekeeping chores. Quite there. A nice wintry evening in Old Colorado City. Printed the last of the materials needed for the SF workshop. Want to plunge back in soon, and begin making notes.
Restless night's sleep. Heard one of the kitties cry around 3:00 am, sat up and didn't go back to sleep until 5:30 or so. Never did figure out what the problem was.
Made some progress revising a draft that's been hanging around for two summers now. Think I finally discovered what it was that needed fixing. Still a long way off from finished, but much better in pace and form. Feels as if it might come together quickly now. We'll see.
New glasses had faulty lenses. Prescription reversed or something. Everything corrected, so should have new eyes in two weeks. Looking forward to that.
Cool today, but sunny. More of the same tomorrow..
