One more hodgepodge...

This morning seems so long ago I can’t remember its coming.

Combed through one of the new stories, then took a long break to read and catch up on my N assignments.

Went to the orthodontist to see about the broken wire in my upper retainer. They said $150 to replace it, and said no thanks. Won’t make much difference in the long run, and if teeth do start to move I can always change my mind and go back.

Missed out on the gym, but should’ve see that coming.

Too much else going on.

Got a little more work done this afternoon, then squandered an hour or so watching the congressional hearings.

Was hoping to feel better today, but the new front coming in brought allergens with it and god knows what else. Might have to pound down a Sudafed to get any sleep.

Got some nice news. Gonna have guests for Thanksgiving. J&K. Hard to believe we’re only a week away.

Another brick in the wall...

Up early working on one of the new drafts. Getting closer all the time.

Spent most of mid-morning reading and writing reviews. Broke out of the house a little after noon to hit the gym. Got in a decent workout, then came home and picked up firewood for K. Spent the rest of the afternoon unloading and goofing off over a cup of tea.

Drove past the Broadmoor on the way home, but they’d only gotten a start on the Christmas lights. Still, place looked pretty spectacular.

Taking it easy tonight with the hope I’ll get an early rise. The cold’s still there, but I’m feeling better and better all the time.

Have a 12:30 appointment tomorrow with the orthodontist to have the broken wire in my retainer fixed. After that, who knows. Might do a little more cleanup around the house. Looks like we might have a leak in the water line in the basement. Wanna be prepared.

No word on the long piece. Hoping that’s a good sign.

Note to self...

Don’t know where this day went, but managed to make a lot of it count just the same.

Put in some good revisions, read a couple of N stories and made notes…even made a trip to the gym. Guess the cold must be losing its hold on me.

Finished lining the bedroom closet yesterday. Looks great with the cedar. Smells great, too. Now on to the guest bedroom and the great clothes throwaway.

Pretty day today, from what I saw of it. Shirtsleeve weather. Hope it sticks around for a while.

Got a chance to FaceTime with the boys over the weekend. Jackie, anyway. Matt tried to work his way in, but didn’t have a lot of success. Wish we weren’t so long and far away. But always happy to see them.

Progress of one kind or another...

Beat.

Spent the early morning catching up on revisions, the rest of the day installing cedar paneling in the bedroom closet. Thought we had a good shot at finishing if we kept to it, but didn’t quite make the cut. Ran out of daylight two-thirds of the way. Looks like we’ll have to finish up tomorrow.

Sprinkling now after a nice sunny day. Not sure what the forecast holds, though I don’t think snow’s on the horizon. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. Would welcome the moisture, but if it could wait until I’m finished with the chop saw, I’d be most appreciative.

Gonna try and catch up with the boys tomorrow. My sister, too. And mom. If I manage that hat trick, I’ll be out of pocket most of the day.

Cold’s still hanging on, but feeling better. Not great, but better.

Let's leave it at this...

Fell like maybe I turned a corner this morning. Slept through the night for the first time in a long time. Still packing the baggage, but the cold seems to have let up a bit. Hope so, anyway.

Spent a lot of time digging up research for the fourth of the new pieces I’m working on. Did a little bit of rewriting on the others. Every now and then you fall into a place where you can’t see the end of a piece, and this is one of those times. Difference this go around, compared to times past, is I’ve learned how to wait it out.

Headed over to the gym a little after twelve and got I decent workout. Not as good as I wanted, but good enough, given the circumstances. Feels nice to get some energy back.

Hanging back tomorrow to install cedar lining in the bedroom closet. First step in the big facelift. Hope to finish the paneling, then get to work on some kind of organizational system.

Caught some of the impeachment hearing before going off to the gym. Gonna be an ugly winter, I fear. Might have to blow up the TV.

Nope, not happening...

Couldn’t get it going today. Up early and all the rest, but didn’t get a whole lot further. Started a new story, revised on the drafts I’d been working on earlier in the week, and that was pretty much it. Thought I might take a trip to the gym and clear my head, but even that didn’t work. Ended up downing a sudafed and going back to bed.

Fingers crossed for a better tomorrow.

Tired writing makes for tired reading...

It’s like there’s no losing this cold. Two weeks in now, and only the slightest bit of improvement. Even sleep doesn’t help much.

Up later than usual, but did some good work once I got going. Started another new short. Started a third I’m gonna piece together tomorrow.

Made it to the gym , but didn’t have a lot in the tank. Muddled through, is the best you could describe it. Maybe things will pick up tomorrow.

First day of formal impeachment proceedings. Fear it’s gonna be a long, long time before we have another “normal” news cycle.

Missing my boys.

Plugging, punching, scraping, clawing...

Put in some decent work this morning.

Two radio spots, an ad and one collateral piece out the door before 1:00. Even got in a little bit of revision time on the new short. Too bad this cold is punching back, or I might’ve gotten further. Wish to hell there was something to do other than wait it out, but so far I haven’t thought of it.

Bagged going to the gym in favor of rest. Put in some market research, made a few submissions, then went off for a walk around the neighborhood.

Nice afternoon. Better than I’d hoped. Sun was high and warm, and there wasn’t much of a breeze. Got in a close to a mile, then drifted over to Starbucks for a late day latte.

Time to punch away at the N stories sitting in my queue. Take on some of the other miscellany I’ve been dodging.

Hope springs eternal, right?

It's still fall, right?

Easy does it day.

Up at 6:00, off to the keyboard. Worked on the new short a while, got some paperwork out of the way, then went grocery shopping. Killed the rest of the afternoon making soup and watching a ball game.

Gonna rest up tonight and hope for another chance to sleep away this wretched cold.

The say snow tomorrow. No worries. Have a lot to keep me busy.

Not sure where the next few weeks are heading, but feel a definite pull in the general direction of the holidays. Looking forward to getting in a little more writing, a little more reading.

Meanwhile, need to stay focused on what’s in front. Fine-tuning the work. Not listening to the chatter.

K stayed for dinner. That was nice. Made some good plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Quiet around the neighborhood. Moon looked pretty tonight in the haze.

Fighting through the cold...

Be nice to divest myself this cold, but it seems to have stalled out in my head. Been sleeping better, but by better I mean sleeping at all. No gym two days running, trying to rest myself into health. Hasn’t done much except leave me two days out of shape, and a long way back to the heavy bag when I finally pick myself up.

Did get in some good writing this morning. Feeling better and better about the new short. Think I’m pretty close to a reader draft. Hope so, anyway.

Thought we might drive south and put the canoe in, but just didn’t have mojo. Spent the afternoon at the movies instead. Saw a joint called Jo Jo Rabbit, which was surprisingly good, though why I say “surprising” I don’t know. Critics were giving it pretty high marks.

Talked to Mom for a few last night. She’s down in Tucson visiting friends. Was nice to hear her sounding strong and energetic. Gonna give her a call a little later in the week, do a little more catching up after she gets back home.

Haven’t heard much about the long piece. One note, and that’s it. Fingers crossed, right? It’s all you can do.

Friday notes...

A day of mild comebacks.

Commercial projects off in the mail, TTN manuscript back to editor, an easy workout at the gym, and letters to the boys. On hold with the Social Security Administration now, trying to figure out what’s wrong with their online registry portal.

Slept better last night. Cold moving from head to throat. Hoping to rehab over the weekend and come back strong in the new week.

Started the new Leif Enger novel, Virgil Wander yesterday. Quite charming. The perfect story to follow up the Trevor book.

Been thinking about a drive south tomorrow, down to Lake Isabel. Try and get in a little canoeing. Gonna have to wait and see what the weather holds, thought, before loading anything up.

Quiet day, otherwise.

Quiet and pretty.

Nice to have fall back for a few days.

A little of this, a little of that...

Geez. Another night not sleeping. Woke a tad after midnight and with the exception of a half hour here and there, never went back. A solid week into this cold now, and sick of it.

Finished a couple of radio spots today and an ad, and worked my way one step closer to the last edits on the TTN ms.

Give anything to be able to breathe.

No gym today.

Thought I might get a little more done, but ran out of time.

Hoping for a good night’s sleep.

Signing off.

Hoping to catch my breath...

Hit hard by the crud. If I could manage a good night’s sleep it might help, but you can’t sleep if you can’t breathe. Up at midnight. Tossed and turned the rest of the night. Was up before six, and spent most of the morning catching up on billing, etc. Also got a good start on the radio spots for C.

Drifted off to the gym early afternoon, did a little grocery shopping afterward, then came home and wrote more.

Found out my story, “Kings in Exile” was named a finalist in the Sequestrum New Writer Awards. First bit of decent news all week.

A big wind blew in, cold weather with it. Temps will drop tonight, for sure. Still supposed to be a nice weekend, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Pretty decent day up until late afternoon.

Finished the William Trevor novel yesterday. Felicia’s Journey. Wow. What a writer the guy was.

Gotta push hard to finish the commercial stuff tomorrow and finish my notes to TTN. Best to cash it in for tonight and take a strong run at it tomorrow morning.

Wish I weren’t so damned tired. Add that to the endless list of other wishes, right?

Signing off.

Beat...

Fighting off the new cold.

Downed some Sudafed last night and crashed early only to wake at 1:00 and never get back to sleep. Oh, well. Put in some early time at the keyboard, then went off to a meeting. Back home, moseyed off to the gym and then to the barber. Not much of a day, but nothing to complain about either. Pushed a few things out the door, and prepped for a few more coming in.

Weather was nice today from what I saw of it. Warm, sunny, with blue skies.

Weekend’s supposed to be in the 60s.

Who knows, maybe fall will make a brief return.

Meanwhile, looking at an early bedtime.

Home...

Back in town, back in the saddle, back to work.

Pittsburgh seems like a million years ago already. Long day coming home, but maybe because of the cold and maybe because of three and half hours in the air and maybe because it just feels that way. Anyway, had a great trip. Seeing the boys again was terrific. Glad to be home, but sorry for how long it will be before we get together the next time.

Had a nice, spirited dinner at K’s last night.

Went to be early, but woke early too.

Meetings tomorrow. Scripts. Lots of good things going on. Just need to find a way to keep pace with all of it.

On the road...

Pittsburgh, day two.

Woke to the happy creaching of a three-year-old barreling into the bedroom at six a.m. Spent the day in the house with the boys—rain was falling in sheets—but had a pleasant, if cold night, Trick-or-Treating, talking, and goofing off. Great seeing them again. Tomorrow, off to the aquarium.

Got an unexpected acceptance today from a literary journal out of Stockholm, Two Thirds North, letting me know they’ve accepted my short story, “Frank the Redeemer.”

Lots going on.

Thrilled to be here, but tired of wet weather all around.

Seeing white...

…and the weather people were finally right. Woke to a ton of snow. Spent the morning shoveling instead of writing. But no complaints. The neighborhood looked particularly beautiful today.

Leaving for Pittsburgh tomorrow. Well, leaving for Denver, anyway. More snow’s predicted for tomorrow, so we’re getting a jump on the drive. Spending the night in a hotel. Flying out Wednesday morning.

Can’t wait to see the boys. Seems like they’ve been gone a year already. Got a home-made Halloween Card from Jack today, and couldn’t believe how far he’s come with his spelling and penmanship. Haven’t seen much of Mattie since they moved. Hope he remembers us.

New short is coming along well. Still have revisions before I can call it a reader draft, but I like the direction it’s heading.

Rejection from the BFR. Sixteen months after submission. 2019 will, in most respects, be a year I’ll happily bid farewell.

Gonna sit back and chill tonight. Hope tomorrow’s snow doesn’t arrive until I’m sitting in my room in Denver.

Over, under, sideways, down...

Played catch up most of the day.

Up late. Spent most of the morning researching markets and mailing off manuscripts. Took a pleasant timeout to sit in front of the fire on the patio and drink coffee.

Cleaned the house while waiting for the sprinkler maintenance man and the Xfinity tech rep to show. All good. Sprinkler blown out, software update on TV successful, house spic ‘n span.

Like to say I accomplished more, but it would be a lie.

Head all full of Pittsburgh at the moment. Can’t seem to get around it. Keep telling myself not to think beyond the moment, be the mountain. But it’s gonna be a long time before things come correct on that account. A very long time.

Now that I think about it, I’m tired of exactly as many people as I happen to miss.

But that’s a conversation for a different day.