Objective reality would be nice...

Cold one today. In more respects than I care to count. Sapped all the energy.

Up at a decent hour to write three reviews and a letter to the boys. Went off to the gym a little later, but quit after a long ride on the bike. Came home and took a nap instead. First time in a long time I’ve gone a whole day without working on a story, but figured I needed a break.

In literary news, saw that Tin House is backing out of the magazine business to concentrate on publishing. Also saw Kwame Dawes is now reviewing short fiction manuscripts for the low low price of $1,200. Imagine that.

Gotta keep reminding myself it’s not about anyone else. Or anything but the words. Everything else is only a distraction.

Have a thought for the New York Times and others. Forget the Pinocchio ratings, and sensitivity to nuances of mistruth in your columns. Let go of the “falsifications vs lies vs misrepresentations” crap, and just label the stuff for what it is: bullshit.

Looking forward to some reheated clam chowder, and maybe a baby goat video.

Wonder what my fishing prospects are this weekend?

Yeah, tired...

Up early—like three am. Didn’t get back to sleep until five, but this time it wasn’t the arm so much as insomnia. Not to complain. Got in some decent day dreaming while watching the night sky out the window.

Snow came, though not as much as predicted. Light and cold. Shoveled first thing, then brewed a pot and went to work at the keyboard. Research took up most of the morning. Never quite hit a good pace. Not sure why. Guess I’ll have to give it another go tomorrow.

Good day at the gym. Went at it hard, expect to feel it tonight. A few friends out with sore throats, so I’ve gotta be careful. Don’t want to come down with something before the trip to Pittsburgh. Not when I can pick it up there instead and bring it back to Colorado!

Funny. Was having a waking dream last night about paddling around in the canoe. What a great feeling. Hope I can get the boys out on the water this summer, maybe catch a few fish.

Happiness in small things...

Beautiful day, just beautiful. Sunny, temps in the seventies…. Couldn’t ask for more. Well, you could ask for more, but it wouldn’t get you very far. Weather people say it’s all going to be gone by tomorrow. Back to cold and snow again.

Close to finishing a new short. A piece I’m calling “Written Off.” Think it’ll be a nice piece if I can get it the revisions to work. Went minimalist this time. Trying to keep it under 2000 words, and so far so good. Got some organizational work done on the long piece, too. All in all, a short but productive morning.

Took a long hike in Red Rock Canyon this afternoon. Pretty place. Didn’t make it to the lake, but there’s always next time. Saw a guy packing in with fishing rods. Made me wonder if there was open water close to home I didn’t know about.

Got an early look at my sister’s thesis on Heart Mountain. Fascinating story. Hope she keeps going with it. Might make a detour up that way come summer if I get the time.

Looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Didn’t get one yesterday.

Well, the weekend's here...

So…a late night followed by a late rise.

All good.

Worked some, played some, dodged some. Put a few touches on a new story, did a little research, then went off and kicked around town.

No gym today. Just reading, writing, and running errands.

Took a walk around the neighborhood late afternoon, and found it much the way I’d left it a few weeks back. Nice to get outdoors. Pretty day, if a bit cool.

Heading out to Red Rock Canyon tomorrow for a hike.

Life's mysteries, abridged...

John & Karin coming over for dinner tonight. Should be a nice, laid back evening.

Some new stories from N found their way over today. Should help make for an interesting weekend reading.

Put in a good day making revisions, submissions, and poring over research. Hit the gym a little after noon, and got in a nice workout, too.

Haven’t hit the high gear I’ve been looking for yet, but getting closer to where I want to be. Need to sink my mind into something big, keep me from thinking too much.

On a comforting note, copies of Two Thirds North arrived in today’s mail. My short, “Frank the Redeemer” appears in it. Good looking issue. Need to see about extra copies

Weather guys say we’re looking at a sunny weekend. Maybe we’ll get outside, get that hike in Red Rocks Canyon we’ve been talking about.

Reached the end of the David Mamet thing yesterday. Something got hold of me after, shook me up. Wish I new what my heart was up to, and why, but I suppose I’ll never really know.

Miss my dad.

Ups, downs, and sideways-es...

Knew I got up for a reason this morning. Found it at the keyboard.

Slept pretty well last night. Hoping for more of the same tonight.

Day started sunny, got cold and overcast toward noon, and by evening looked like snow. Wish to hell we’d see some wet come out of the sky, but it’s been a dry winter and looks as if it’s going to stay that way for a while.

Learned Anthony Doerr is coming to the ENT Center next month. I’m a season subscriber, and the first time I hear it is today, on the radio, driving home from the gym. Needless to say, tickets are sold out. Man.

Still behind in my work, correspondence, etc. Nothing to do but keep plugging.

Wednesday evening, 5:29...

Restless night’s sleep. Arm again. Still, muddled through the day without any problems. Kicked out a reader draft of one of the new shorts, “In the Aftermath,” and surprised myself by composing an entirely new story this morning, before going off to the gym.

Had a nice email exchange with Dave Essinger, editor of Slippery Elm, about his novel, Running Out. SE is running a promotion highlighting some of their former contributors, yours truly included, so we killed two birds with one stone. Gonna pass the book along to Dylan. Think he’ll enjoy it.

Weather turned gray again. February. Keep hoping for either snow or rain, but my shaman skills seem to be lacking. Can’t remember a winter being this dry.

Note from the New Yorker this morning. Rejection for “X". But at least it was personal. Who knows? One of these days…

Meanwhile, Tuesday...

Had a nice time with the kid yesterday. A one-night shot, but we enjoyed the company.

Up early this morning to get some mss in the mail and do a little research. Time got away, but accomplished a few things in spite of a slow start.

Temps dropped at the day went on, and we drifted back into winter. Only consolation prize was a blue sky and lots of sunshine. Quiet around the neighborhood. Thought I might get out for a walk, but nixed the idea in favor of the gym.

Gotta get back on track. Owe letters so many people letters I can hardly count them. Time to punch a new story out the door, too. Get back on track with the long piece.

Keep the fire burning.

Bridges...

First good night’s sleep in ages. A few unsettling dreams about my dad, but at least they didn’t wake me.

Up early, making revisions. Solid work all morning.

Pushed one of my N critiques out the door before going to gym. Read a second piece (short short) that was pretty well written. Nice control of the theme, interesting language.

Found out it’s been four years to the day since my trip to San Francisco. Would’ve guessed longer, I think, if anyone had quizzed me. Still think back on that time with a smile.

Good day at the gym this afternoon. Hasn’t been all that crowded lately, so got a lot of good work in. Came back and ran a few errands. Had a chance to chat it up with Greg and Rich from Rich Designs, then home again for the night.

Quiet around the neighborhood.

Another cool night.

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.