Trying to sooth the cabin fever...

Been looking like snow for two days, maybe three, but nothing. Just more cold.

Put in a little bit of work at the keyboard this morning, then went off to the gym to help my buddy Solomon set up a new machine. Many hours later, here I am.

Feels like February, already, which can’t be a good sign. Or should I say a sign of anything good. Guess I need to hunker down and see if I can’t manage my output a little better. Get another story or two in the mail. The general slowness of the returns seems to have carried over into the new year, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Need to get a couple of letters out. Also need to write a couple of critiques. Should probably be the first thing on my to-do list for tomorrow. Meanwhile, gonna try and get a good night’s sleep. Arm’s been killing me, and last night was the worst in a long, long time.

Not much else going on. Not in my world, anyway. Here’s hoping for a nice quiet evening.

Yeah, Monday again...

Feeling good about the new stories, one more than the rest. Hope I’m right.

Worked hard all morning. Good progress. Killed the early part of the afternoon at the gym, then home to wash the truck and make schemes for the rest of the week.

No expectations, just hopes.

Amen to a new week...

Got a surprise FaceTime call from the boys this morning. Pretty nice. Was in the middle of revisions, so it came as a treat. Young Matthew is sick, but Jackie seems as though he’s on the mend. Only another four weeks before we go out there to see them.

Two of the short pieces are getting nearer completion. The going’s been slow, but it feels like improvements keep coming, so no complaints. Just want to finish them now and move on.

Weather’s still cold, still breezy. Spring seems a long way off. No snow for a while and that’s a problem too, as the grass and trees haven’t been watered in some time. Might have to drag the hose out if we get a warm afternoon one of these days.

Drove down to Canon City yesterday just to get out of the house. Turkey Creek was dry and brown, but pretty. Same with Canon. Had cheeseburgers in a pub then spent an hour kicking around Mainstreet. Did an art gallery, a furniture store…. All in all, not a bad way to kill a winter afternoon.

Had K over for dinner tonight. Watched most of the NFL championship game, though there wasn’t much to see that didn’t resemble a car wreck.

Looking forward to getting back to business tomorrow. Catching up on my correspondence and whatnot.

Better late than never...

Was doing some research this morning (trying to locate my Twitter handle) when I found out my story “Man of Letters” was listed at #5 in The Saturday Evening Post’s Top 10 Most Popular Contemporary Fiction of 2017.

Hope they didn’t put a check in the mail, cause that didn’t show up either.

On a different note, good work on two of the new stories this morning. Nothing ready to send out yet, but close. Maybe I’ll have a breakthrough one of these days.

Spent a good part of the afternoon at the gym. Weather still disagreeable, so no fishing or hiking tomorrow. Doldrums all around.

Going to K’s tonight for dinner. Be good to get out of the house.

What? It's Thursday?

Caught up with my old buddy, Bob, today on the phone this morning. He’s living in the Czech Republic now. Spent two plus hours jawing.

Made some revisions earlier in the day, then off to the barber and off to the gym. Can’t say I did a whole lot else.

Started a couple of new books. More about this later. Suffice it to say the day slipped away and me with it. Took the Jeep in tonight for an oil change. Hoping when they’re through with that they’ll be able to find the source of the squeaking and fix it.

Small expectations, for sure.

And why not? Aim for what you can hit.

Wins and losses...

An early rise for a change. Felt like the old days.

Made some quick revisions to the newest story, then trucked off on a research binge for the new long piece. Been shaping it in my head for days now, and the themes, plot, characters all keep getting clearer and clearer. Wish I could put a pin in one of the new drafts. Not sure why I’m having such a time of it, but don’t figure I’ll get an answer anytime soon either. Probably best to leave things as they are for the moment and move on to something else.

Text from D last night. Said he was going to be in Denver in April for a Peal Jam concert. Wanted to know if I wanted to tag along. First time ever our calendars have collided. The boys are going to be in from Pittsburgh the same week, and with young J’s birthday, I couldn’t accept the invite, but sure felt bad turning it down. Been feeling as though we’ve closed some ground over the past year.

Well into the Margaret Atwood Master Class. Similarities, subject-wise, to the Sedaris and Oats classes. Not really learning anything new, but enjoying the telling.

Nice day today. Sun was out, temps had dropped, and though it felt like winter it didn’t feel like winter. Been thinking about Wyoming a lot lately. Other places, most in the mountains. Think it’s a symptom of cabin fever.

Where is all of this going?

Tug o’ war with the other me all day.

Revisions good, but slow—the same with the research on the long piece. Beginning to think it’s the weather, though there’s no point looking for excuses because you’ll always find one.

Did finish the Lawrence book. What a terrific read. Has me in the mood for the Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Wonder if I have a copy anywhere and don’t know it? Should give a look while it’s on my mind.

Got in a good long workout at the gym this afternoon. Wish the weather would break so I could get out, but I’ll take what’s there to be taken in the meantime.

For now, it is what it is.

Just wish I knew what is, is.

Mired...

One of those days when you spin your wheels.

Got some writing in, but not as much as I’d have liked. Put in some time researching the new, long piece, too. Not sure where the afternoon went, except for a brief trip to the gym, but go it did. Need to keep better watch over my day tomorrow. Push a little harder.

New story came in from N this morning. Memoir. Surprised sometimes just how bad bad can be, but this one pushed the envelope.

Enough bitching.

I’ll pick up the thread tomorrow.

Finding my footing...

Good day. Slept well last night.

Put in early with work, spending most of the morning refining the new story. Between jobs discovered an old Gene Clark ballad I hadn’t heard before. “Your Fire Burning.” Knocked me out. Had to quit what I was working on to catch my breath.

No gym today. Went to the movies instead.

Easy day.

Friday...

Rough night. Didn’t really sleep.

Worked on the shortest of the new stories when I got up, then put it away to do some house cleaning. Hit the gym a little later but was too tired to get much out of it. Home early.

All quiet on the literary front.

Guess I’ll cash in.

Yeah, still punching...

Up at a good hour.

Refined yesterday’s story. Getting closer to a good end. Rest of the day attended to busy work, then off to the gym. Felt yesterday through and through.

Back home to a bit of reading and research.

More tomorrow.

Thinking ahead...

Lost track of Tuesday. Meant to make an entry, but got caught up in other business, large and small.

Started this morning a little later than usual, but made headway on one of the new stories and think I’m close to finishing.

Cool day, but pretty. Lots of blue sky and fresh air. Had me thinking about summer. Decided I’m gonna get a new two man tent and see if I can entice young Jack into an overnight fishing trip or two when he comes back this summer. Also thinking of packing it along to Wyoming. We’ll see. Gotta put in a little more research, and see what’ll work best.

Good day at the gym. My buddy Solomon’s got my arm feeling better, and I’m using the rehab time to work on other equipment.

Letters off to Dylan and the boys yesterday. Miss them all. February will come along sooner than I think, but Dallas has been calling for a while, too. Maybe I can work something out for late fall visit, depending on how things go.

M passed along some photography websites that feature pics of the old Meigh Ranch. One of the joints was even selling coffee cups and duvets with the images on them. Grandpa Bob would’ve been impressed.

Need to start working toward an earlier wakeup time if I wanna get a jump on the new long piece. Been waking around 5:00 pretty consistently, so it shouldn’t be a tough transition. Sore arm’s been keeping back, but can’t use that excuse much longer.

Yup, Monday...

Up, off and on, since two. Arm kept me up most of the night. Finally fell asleep around 4:30 or 5:00, and slept till eight. Little bit of writing in, then off to the landfill to get rid of the weekend’s trash.

Got to the gym early and stuck around a little longer than usual. Hit the grocery store afterward and came home. Small doing for a Monday, but it could’ve been worse.

Hoping for bigger things tomorrow.

Gotta do what you gotta do...

Basement cleaning, day two. Much accomplished. Actually, all but everything accomplished as far as cleaning and storage. Now for a trip to the landfill to jettison everything we threw away. That, and one last trip to the Arc.

Now back to work. And the gym. And the end of the Lawrence book.

Feeling the energy return and thinking maybe I’ll find a way to keep the tap open and running.

Only drag at the moment is the hurt arm. It gets better for an hour or two, then goes rotten again. Can’t quite figure out why, but gotta get it back online soon or it’s going to drive me nuts.

Monday tomorrow. A new week.

A trip to the underworld...

Busy day, lots to do.

Woke at a leisurely hour and put in some good time at the keyboard. Spent the rest of the day cleaning the basement. Really cleaning. Worked through till a little after six this evening, and still have plenty left. Funny what you find in old boxes. China, books, old dog toys…even came across R’s dress uniform from the Vietnam days. Quite the treasure trove—minus the treasure.

Not sure what the weather was like.—only got out long enough to hit up Home Depot for a crappy plastic storage shelf—but glad to have finally gotten around to the mess downstairs. It’s been staring at us for years now, daring us to do anything, and we finally struck back.

Finished the Sedaris Master Class this morning. A lot of fun. Looking forward to what’s next.

Baby steps...

Haven’t quite recaptured the hang of the early rise this year, but working on it. Up early enough to put in a steady stretch at the keyboard. Spreading things out between research, reading, and revisions. Making headway in all three, but still need to up my game. Things still feel like they’re at a standstill.

Giving serious thought to a submissions moratorium. Putting all my energy into work and leaving the placement issues by the wayside for a while. We’ll see. Tired of chasing down manuscripts that have been languishing in editorial offices, and working near free at times to help other people get ahead. Don’t want to sound bitter—I’m not—but gotta start taking better stock of my time management.

That said, good day at the gym. Getting back into the groove again after the holidays. Wish my arm felt better, but I wish I had a million dollars, too. Whatever comes, I’m looking to punch my way back into relevance.

Been thinking a lot about the boys lately. Need to post a letter tomorrow, or the day after. Get one out the door to D, too, along with my thank you notes. C & D gave us a subscription to MasterClass for Christmas. What a cool gift. Been watching the David Sedaris lecture on essay writing. Material’s familiar, but the presentation is all Sedaris. Really enjoying it.

Three quarters of the way through the Lawrence tome. Also enjoyable. Looking forward to the The Club, next on my list. Reading is the antidote to pretty much everything in life, and always has been, hasn’t it? Something to remember.

Mercifully, it's all coming to an end...

What manner of prick sends out a rejection slip four hours before the new year? After holding the piece for ten months? Yeah, 2019 can’t end soon enough.

Feels as if I took a step backward today, and looking at it objectively I probably did. Up late for no good reason, and never really got going with the notes and revisions I’d hoped to make. Not sure why, except to say I can’t shake this goddamned weariness that’s come over me. Starting to wonder if my thyroid medication is off. That or I’m aging at a new, unpleasant rate of speed.

Got in a decent workout, despite the lackluster tenor of the day.

Got in some nice reading time too.

No big plans for tonight other than a quiet salmon dinner and a glass or two of wine. Adaman Club will set off fireworks at midnight, but given the way the year’s gone, not particularly interested in staying up to watch. Think I’ll make it into a practice run for the November elections. Go to be early, and pray I wake up to something different, if not better.

A rejection slip, four hours before Midnight. Who does that?

Make a point of holding on...

Woke early from a better night’s sleep than I’ve had in a while, though the arm still hurts and there doesn’t seem to be any relief for it in immediate sight.

Worked till late morning, then left for the gym. Have an eye on hitting the place hard all week and see if I can’t get a jump on the new year. Figure to ramp up in a number of areas, and working out will be one of the first.

Need to move ahead with research, reading, and all the rest. Spend less time worrying about politics, personal and practical. Less time day-dreaming, more time doing.

Focus.

Control the narrative.

Almost Monday...

Yeah, so, another quiet day.

Put in some good work this morning at the keyboard.

Christmas tree down, off to Rockledge Ranch for recycling. Early taking down the ornaments and whatnot, but feels good after the year we’ve had. Looking to put 2019 behind and begin moving forward.

Lawrence book is holding up well. Halfway though, but still enjoying it.

Looking ahead to a quiet night and an early rise.