The white stuff...

Well, the snow finally came. Three, maybe four inches. A beautiful white blanket of light fleecy powder.

Got a lot of writing time today, and made the most of it. There's a story that's been rattling around in my head that I haven't put down on paper yet. Maybe I'll make that tomorrow's project.

Found a letter I wrote to my dad but never sent. It was supposed to be for his 90th birthday. He never got there, and I forgot I'd even written it.

Olympics began last night. Didn't catch any of it, but who knows. Maybe tonight.

It's all in how you look at it...

Got a chance to crank away at the keyboard today. Made the most of it. Had a bit of a detour toward noon after finding out my AMEX card was compromised, but other than that, the day went pretty well. Even got a nice workout at the gym. 

Trying to keep eyes forward and not get tangled in the extraneous. When did my expectations swing so low, I wonder, that a little bit of peace and quiet became the monumental achievement of my day?

Olympics start tonight. Weather people are predicting up to four inches. Between the two, something ought to look different tomorrow. 

 

Between the lines...

Up early, busy day. Some time at the keyboard, then on to small stuff for most of the afternoon. Brief trip to the gym.

Another warm-ish day. Hope we start looking at snow soon or it's going to be a tough summer. High country's been getting some moisture, but nothing down here. Or next to nothing, anyway. With luck we'll have a long, rainy spring.

Pushed a handful of mss out the door the last two days. Now need to catch up on drafts and long overdue letters. Don't know what happened. Fell into a funk, I guess. Never have a problem with revisions when that happens, but starting anything new is always rough.

G.O's new script a bang-up treatment. No surprise there. RR's story/poetry collection also a terrific read. Wish I could say the same for the N piece that rolled over the transom yesterday. 

Working it...

Didn't get out today, except for a quick run to Staples to pick up office supplies. 

Day was overcast. No snow last light despite meteorological predictions to the contrary. Peak looked  like a silver print with the cloud cover and gray skies. They say sunny tomorrow, so go figure. Fine with anything as long as it's not another night of wind.

Coming close to the end of Lincoln in the Bardo. Wish I liked it as much as everyone else, but I'm sure it was me, not the book. Bad timing, or something.

Close to ready on the new short. Calling it "Kings of Exile" for the moment. A nod to G.K. Chesterton. 

Rods, hot and otherwise...

Off the radar again. Visitors, obligations, chores around the house...and oh, yeah, time at the keyboard.

Was rummaging the garage the other day with young J. and found a flyrod I didn't know I had in an old rod caddy stashed in a corner. Bonanza! Thought I was going to have to fix him up with my antique bamboo rig when we go fishing this summer. Nice to know I can make due with something a little more expendable.

Bashed away at the new story yesterday and managed to come up with a readable draft. Still needs help. Maybe some serious cutting, too. But for the moment it's finished. On to green woods and pastures new, as Mr. Milton would say.

Wind blew hard last night, but managed not to peel the roof off the house or knock down any trees. Tonight, they're predicting snow. Doesn't look like it, but one of these days they're going to be right. We'll see if this is their lucky guess.

Got the Jeep out of the shop tonight. Nice to have it back. Really nice. 

Dream state...

Working on fumes. Young J here for a sleepover last night. Pizza, popcorn, and a special screening of Horton Hears a Who. Late to bed, early to rise, and not a whole lot of shut eye in between. Even so, managed to get some decent writing in, and later, a short trip to the gym. 

K coming for dinner tonight. Chicken and dumplings. Figure it to be a short night as she's recovering from the flu. Not sure what tomorrow's gonna bring, but I hope it sees the last bit of revisions to the new story. At least for a while. Came within a page and a half of getting it where I want it to be, but couldn't quite put it to bed.

Maybe try for a movie tomorrow.

No surprises...

Temps dropped today, but the sun came out and kept everything cheery. Had a good morning at the keyboard. Spent the afternoon looking after small stuff and researching new markets. Made a few submissions, then hung up the laptop and went off to pick up young J. Close to finishing with the revisions on the new (untitled) story, and hope to have a reader draft by tomorrow evening. Meantime, want to jump into G.O.'s latest treatment and get started on R.R's debut story/poetry collection. Nice to have talented friends. Keeps me in reading material. Now if I could only pal up with some sort of time-travel wizard who could add a few more hours to my day! 

Slept through the night last night. No bad dreams. I'll take that.

Midweek musings...

Hid out most of the day. Didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked, but still managed to move the needle forward.

Another warm one for January. Need snow. Not sure if or how we'll catch up before summer, but I guess there'll be time enough to worry about that come July and August.

Successfully avoided the State of the Union address last light. Just wasn't up for it. Went to bed early and forged ahead with Lincoln in the Bardo.

Soup to nuts...

Up and out the door early for a meeting downtown. Back home before nine. Didn't sleep for beans last night, but everything turned out fine. Did some okay work at the keyboard, picked up the package, and the rest went according to Hoyle.

Got a few minutes at the gym, then back home to watch after small stuff. Not too exciting, but there it is. A day in the life.

Tired and looking forward to tomorrow. Tomato basil soup on the burner.

Make Good Choices, Wear Good Shoes...

Later than usual start on the day. But made up for it at the keyboard with some solid revisions on a couple of old manuscripts. Unseasonably nice weather, though I didn't get as much of it as I would have liked. Did manage some time at the gym. 

Been having a lot of family dreams of late. Wonder what that's about? A lot of dark dreams too, but I expect that's winter fatigue as much as anything. Ready for some time outside. A trip to Wyoming.

Miss Huck Out West. Lincoln in the Bardo's been all right, but I'm not as enamored of it as everyone else I know. Feel like there's a strange, unhealthy sentimentality to it. One I'm having a difficult time getting around.

Early appointment tomorrow morning. Gonna hit the rack early.

 

Sunday evening coming down...

Made some headway clearing out the storage unit. Still a ways to go, but at least a start. Been missing a number of books for a while, most notably a hardcover copy of Thom Jones second story collection, Cold Snap. Hope it turns up one of these days. Like to see it back on my bookshelf.

Had some good revision time this morning. Wrestled with a couple of pieces, one of which I'd like to get in the mail before week's end. Like to figure out what's happening with the health insurance, too. Be a good week if I could get both out of my hair for a while.

Off the wall, off the road, off the clock...

Started the morning with a teleconference call to a potential new health insurer. Does it get any better than that? 

Got some organizational work done this morning, then off to Enterprise for a rental while the Jeep's in hock. The loaner's a Dodge RT. Muscle car. Looks kinda funny sitting out front.

Made it to the gym, but late. Been fighting time all week long.

On a positive note....

Man. Lots of goings on. Jeep back in the shop, maybe for good this time. Steering issues. 

Raced back and forth all day trying and only half succeeding at pretty much everything. Been getting lots of sleep, but can't seem to shake the doldrums. Need to get outside I guess, breathe some fresh air.

Good news. Got an acceptance slip for "Dead Drift" from the Good Works Review, a new iteration of the old Kentucky Review. Nice way to kick in the new year.

 

Unplugged...

Another brisk day. Sun came out in force, but the temps didn't give much. Spent the best part of the early morning in a teleconference with a health insurance salesman. We'll see where it goes. Haven't got much confidence in hopping on a new plan, but don't have any choice either.

Worked till almost two, then abandoned the keyboard. Post office, gym, and home again. Trying to get the last touches on a couple of stories, but can't seem to get where I want to be. Not sure if it's the stories or me. Probably a bit of both.

Been thinking a lot about Wyoming lately. Don't know why. Everything seems to be shrinking except the mountain. Looking forward to getting lost up there this year, maybe for a long time if circumstances allow. Could use for or five days in the middle of nowhere.

Plumb, level, and square...

Stuff started to fall back into alignment today. Weather turned tolerable, got a thumbs up on my last batch of work for the Philharmonic, knocked out some good words at the keyboard and made it to the gym before gassing out. Cooked up a pot of split pea soup in the bargain. Figure to get slowed down tomorrow what with taking the truck into the shop and looking after small stuff, but who knows? Maybe I can end the week strong. 

 

Tuesday evening coming down...

Woke this morning and looked out the window and saw the neighborhood had been turned into a silver print. Not much to account for in the way of snow--just a light dusting--but the sky was gray and frost had covered pretty much everything.

Temps never got better than the mid-thirties. Felt like winter.

Managed a little work at the keyboard, but not much. Sent one project out the door and stalled with another. Guess tomorrow's gonna have to be a big day with the week closing in. Need to get a jump on things.

Up and at it...

Busy day. Did my best to avoid distractions and keep to the keyboard. Put a draft of the new Propaganda piece in place, and noodled out a rickety version of a blurb for the Philharmonic's annual brochure. Hope to clean up both tomorrow.

Hit the gym late afternoon. A lot of new members. Guess the holiday brought them out.

Been wondering about D., down in Texas. Had a dream he wanted to talk about something. Caught me off guard. Never think of him needing me for anything.

Cold blew in today. Light snow flurries. We'll see if it comes to anything. Calling it quits for tonight.

 

Out of the dark...

Felt like nothing worth writing about the past three or four days. Been putting in the time, but man, it's like the world's going backwards on a spool. The weather folks say cold tomorrow, maybe snow. We could use the moisture, so I'll keep my finger's crossed. Drove up to the mining museum yesterday with young J. Had a nice time. Like to go back there on my own someday and spend a few more hours getting to know the history of the place. Picked up a couple of rejection slips over the weekend. Acceptances would have been nicer, but good to see things breaking loose. Project work tomorrow. At last, something billable!