Rolled out of bed with a bit of reluctance this morning. For some reason a 6am appointment with the gym didn't look as rosey as it usually does. Fought through it and went anyway, and as is often the case, it wasn't near as bad as imagined. Had a good workout, then came home and hit the keyboard. Worked until one, then drove the pickup load of yesterday's sod out to Rocky Top and unloaded it. Hope to put in the new sod before the end of the week so I can take advantage of the alleged snow and rain that's coming. Worked a little more when I got back, took care of some correspondence, and went for a walk. The new round of prednisone and amoxicillin is doing its stuff. Feel like I'm getting my breath back.
Remains of the day...
Long day at hard labor.
Up a little later than usual, but managed the final revisions on "Woke!" and turned it out the door. After, helped K move some furniture around in anticipation of the carpet layers. When we finished there, came home and dug up the grass on the west and southern sides of the house. Gonna lay down new sod sometime in the next couple of weeks and start the whole yard fresh. With luck it'll be the last major work on the lawn I ever do.
Tired now. Looking to clean up and relax for a while.
Blowing in the wind...
Up early, straight to the keyboard. Got in some good writing, including a near-finished draft of a new short, "Woke!"
Did a little shopping (grocery and otherwise) this afternoon. Gonna help K move some furniture around tomorrow, so picked up dolly at Lowes to save some wear and tear on the back. Winds were high again today, otherwise might have been tempted to get some work done on the yard. Weather people say things will die down later tonight. Hope so.
Hit the gym late, but found a sudden burst of energy I didn't expect. That was nice. Went out shopping again afterward but couldn't find a chive to save my soul. Defaulted to Chinese, instead. Kung pau chicken, California style.
Quick Friday post...
Thought it was joke yesterday when the DJ said eastern Colorado was looking at a blizzard warning. The temps were in the mid-to-high seventies when he made his announcement. Tonight I'm looking out the window at snow flurries and a big-ass wind.
Got some good work in today. Around the house as well as at the keyboard. Didn't make it to the gym, but will try and remedy that tomorrow. Gotta get at that garage, too. God, what a disaster!
Found myself slowing down in the reading of the Denis Johnson book. Don't want it to end.
Still here, still punching...
Raucous day. Started early with a trip to the gym, then back home playing tag-team looking after the little guy. Managed some decent writing on a couple of pieces, and while I didn't quite get as far as I wanted, I think I may have a reader draft of a new story tomorrow. Have to wait and see.
Nice morning until the wind kicked up. Not sure what tomorrow's supposed to bring but it'll be Friday, and that in and of itself is the great equalizer.
Boys stayed for dinner tonight. What a zoo. Young J comes back tomorrow morning for an adventure to Canon City. Theres a new dinosaur exhibit he's hot on seeing. Don't know much about it, but figure to learn.
Down to the last story in the Johnson book. Have enjoyed the whole collection so much I feel like starting all over again and I'm not even finished. Still can't believe he's gone. What a writer.
Smooth, even at the corners...
All right, all right. At last. A nice long uninterrupted day. Progress on all fronts. Even the gym was light a few regulars this morning, translating into a nice quiet workout for a change.
A stiff wind blew in during the afternoon, but the sky stayed blue and the air was warm and everything was okay. Starting the new regimen of pills tomorrow. Should be a good day to test them out.
Been drifting through a lot of pages wondering why I can't find more wrong with them. I know from experience they can't be as passable as my mind is currently making them out to be, but what's the cause of the lazy eye? Am I tired? Distracted? I don't feel like I am.
And what's up the rest of the literary world? Are there no rejections to send out? I must have ten pieces in the mail, some of them months and even years in the works, and haven't heard a word about any of them.
Busy day tomorrow. Best to leave things as they are.
Medication time, again...
Up early. To the gym and back by 7:30.
Spread the day thin looking after small stuff and finishing the last of the N reviews. Not much else. Seemed like a nice spring day from what I saw of it, and maybe the last for this week. Pretty sure there's rain in the future.
Asthma seemed to back off today. That was nice. Starting on a new round of antibiotics and steroids tomorrow. Three weeks worth.
Hey, it's monday!
Back at it.
Gym. Work. Doc.
Polyps galore. Need surgery, or so I'm told. Could use a winning lotto ticket, too, when you get right down to it. Stuff to think about, for sure.
Sunday...
So, yeah. I was looking for more. Today. But you get what you get.
Tomorrow, the ENT specialist. Expectations? I expect not to get fixed, but hope to get out of the clinic before my whole day goes down the drain.
J's birthday party today a revelation.
Small doings...
Young J's birthday tomorrow. Got him a fly vest and had his name embroidered over the breast pocket. Hope he likes it.
No gym today. Up late and at the keyboard late. Just tired, I guess. Did some good things revising a couple of older pieces, then went off to see a movie. The Death of Stalin. Which took me completely unexpected. What a hoot.
Started raining lightly on the way home. Looks as if it might keep on into the night. Hope so, anyway.
Second thoughts...
Man, oh man. Where did the day go?
Up early to the gym, home in time for a cup of coffee, then the rest. Out the door, up the stairs, in the shower, at the keyboard.
Wrote and edited into the afternoon. Took a late break and went to Starbucks, downtown. Came home and wrote critiques for my N stories. Some near misses this time around. Finished sending them off and found three new ones in my inbox.
Hoped to get more reading in, but didn't have time. Tonight maybe. Still have another story or two in the Sea Maiden collection.
All that hope I was feeling at the beginning of the week is starting to wane. Why is that?
Out and about...
Out the door early to the gym. Been crowded there for the past few weeks. Didn't know that many people could talk themselves out of bed at 6:00 am. Gotta do the alter-ego drill sergeant routine to rout myself out of the sack.
Little guy came early. Barely had one cup behind me when the front door popped open. Spent most of the day going back and forth between the cottage office and the house, but managed some decent revisions before hanging things up. Went for a nice walk late in the afternoon with M in tow. Wagoned around the neighborhood for about an hour. Weather was crisp when the wind came up, but not bad for early spring.
Grass is beginning to green up. All looks good except the patch I begged off replacing last fall. Don't know what I was thinking, but it's gonna take some serious elbow grease to bring it up to par with the rest of the lawn.
Penance.
Mixed bag...
Got run down by allergies today. They decided to ride the coattails of my chronic sinus infection, so I've been hiding behind the keyboard (and a generous dose of Sudafed) most the day.
Managed to finish the draft of another new story. That's two in less than two weeks, and both pretty solid efforts for early efforts. Hope the final revisions come as quickly and neatly.
The long haul projects are coming along, too, but it's still too early to guess whether they have any merit. Important thing is to keep plugging.
Cold weather expected tomorrow. Not sure what the rest of the week is supposed to hold. Whatever it is, as long as it isn't hail I'm okay with it. Like to get the sprinkler system up and running before the weekend. Maybe get some yard work in.
Easter Sunday...
The big one. Easter! Pretty nice day given the cool weather that drifted in. Put in an hour or so writing, then went off for a late brunch with the younger set. Good food, good conversation. Lollygagged around the keyboard most of the afternoon, but got some good work done in the process. Took a walk around the neighborhood around 4:00. Called Mom when I got back and caught up on all the family happenings without having had to be subjected to them in person.
Haven't been to the gym in two days, a rarity! Gonna have to hit the rack early if I want to talk myself out of bed tomorrow morning. Gotta start working toward my summer regimen.
Not sure what it is, or why, but feeling good about the new week's prospects. Looking forward to whatever comes. For starters, the temps are supposed to get into the seventies. Who knows, maybe I'll get an acceptance, win the lottery, and strike oil all on the same day. It could happen, right? Right?
The day after...
Up later than usual this morning, feeling a bit under the weather. But put in some long hours at the keyboard just the same. Hope I'm heading in the right direction with a couple of these projects. Sometimes it's hard to tell until you're well into them. Anyway, pounded out some words, put in some research time, and read a little. Went out grocery shopping this afternoon. Came back and cooked up a batch of home-made beef vegetable soup for tonight's dinner. A definite contrast to last night's affair at the Penrose Room with S and K.
Starting to look like spring out there. Still daylight and it's well past six. Grass is beginning to green up, too, thanks to the recent snow. Won't be long before I'm back out with the lawn mower, but for now it's just nice to see the sun and feel the warmth.
Easter tomorrow. So far no word of what the day's supposed to bring other than salvation. Dropped some stuffed animals off for the boys, anonymously, this evening but don't have any plans to get together tomorrow. Might try and get up early to write, then steal away to a movie later on.
Digging on the Johnson short stories. Big time. Need to find a new novel to climb on soon. Got a couple of ideas but nothing firm. Meanwhile, two new treatments came in from my buddy G. As always, looking forward to reading them. Never a disappointment there.
The come and gone...
Back in Denver today. The Aquarium with young J. Quite a change since the last time I was there, a lot of it good. Some (piped in music, sfx), not so much. Saw some beautiful animals, and had a nice lunch on the patio.
Drafted a new short. Haven't done that in a while. Calling it "Woke!" Think it's got legs, but as always will have to wait for the final draft to find out. Got word over the weekend that "Dancing with the Devil" has made it to the final round with one of its potential suitors. The editor said they'd be in touch in two weeks. We'll see. Been down that road too many times to think anything's a done deal.
Weather folks are talking snow tonight. Or rain. I think they're leaning toward snow, and it wouldn't surprise me. I was forced to take the scraper to the windshield this morning before going to the gym, so maybe winter isn't finished with us yet. God knows we can use the moisture.
Reading Sam Shepard's Spy of the First Person. Almost finished with it, actually. Quite the piece of work. Glad I picked it up.
Time off for good behavior...
D's birthday today. Have a good one, son.
Back from a day off in Denver. Kicked back at the Oxford Hotel, had a terrific dinner at Rioja, and slept through the night for the first time in months.
Had a croissant and a latte at the new Union Station. They did a beautiful job with the remodel. Made me want to hop on a train back to San Francisco. Pick up some new material to write about. Hit the Tattered Cover before checking out. Picked up a hardcover collection of Denis Johnson's last stories, and a hardcover of Sam Shepard's final work. Two of my all time favorites. Gone.
Dropped by the Denver Art Museum to see the new Degas exhibit before going home, and spent half an hour or so at the WWII monument in the March for Our Lives rally. Funny. Haven't been at a gathering like that since the 70s in Washington.
Home now. Gonna do a bit of reading. Nice to be back.
Feels like losing ground...
Beat. Absolutely useless, and don't know why. A lot of bad dreams last night. Maybe that had something to do with it.
Out the door early to the gym, then off to the office. Bludgeoned my way through piece after piece when I got back, until I finally felt as if I were making progress.
Hard afternoon with the boys.
Maybe tomorrow's the thing. We'll see.
So there...
Beginning to feel more like spring every day. Still dark in the morning when I leave for the gym, but the light comes on fast, and sticks around long after five. Saw some daffodils and crocus popping up around the block. Silver maples have begun to bud, too. A little cool most of the day, but not bad. Looking forward to seeing the trees leaf out.
Put in some decent time at the keyboard, though still not where I was before all the visitors. Not sure why it's taking so long to find the groove this time around. Picked up a new commercial project today. Fingers crossed it's the start of a new trend.
Dropped a letter and card in the mail for D this afternoon. Big birthday coming up. Hard to believe how much time's passed since we saw one another. Like to have a long sit-down one of these days, but don't expect it will ever come. Don't figure to win the lottery either.
Back at it...
Mom off to Albuquerque this morning after an an action-packed four day visit. Spent Thursday with the little guys, Friday down in Canon City touring the old Holy Cross Abbey, Saturday up in Denver at Uncle J's wedding and Sunday at the movies.
Never did get into the swing of work this morning. But that's what happens when you take four days off.
Not to gripe any more than usual, but found a rejection in my email this morning from Salt Hill Journal. This after holding the manuscript for fourteen months. Fourteen months. The lack of professionalism in this business is simply astonishing at times.