writer
Dropped yesterday’s post. Wasn’t feeling well.
Woke early and got back to work. Took my first shower since the surgery, then went off a four-hour meeting downtown. Also found some stories in my N queue. Haven’t finished the projects currently sitting on my desk, so I guess I’ll need to get back in gear. Fast.
Need to put in a good day, tomorrow. Make some progress.
Today? Just thankful it wasn’t a repeat of yesterday.
Gonna take it easy tonight. Watch a little TV, go to bed early.
So. Tough day yesterday. Arm came on with a vengeance. Muddled around at the keyboard, got in a couple of walks, but paid the price in the end.
Saw the doc’s PT team this morning. Nice folks. They removed my bandages, checked the wounds, and passed off a few exercises. Got home and went to work on a new project. Tried to nap, but no go. Arm hurt too much. Went back to work, and, later, tried to catch up with mom.
Will be able to bring both hands back to the keyboard soon, but with limited mobility. Was cautioned several times to take things slowly, or risk re-injury. This is not a push-through, make it hurt therapy. At least not for the next six to eight weeks.
We’ll see what comes next. Have PT with Brian tomorrow.
Here’s hoping for sleep, an easy rise and a quiet night.
Yeah, so, the nerve blockers wore off. Had a lovely fourth, nonetheless, with a splendid dinner at K’s. Up a little later than usual. Wrote a few quick lines, then went for a nice walk across the CC campus. Got in a few more lines after coffee. After that, surrendered to the arm and took a short, painful nap.
Muggy day. Overcast.
First rehab session tomorrow morning. Eager to see what the scars look like, how many of them there are. Temps are supposed to blow up this week. we’ll see what comes.
Made it through the night without much discomfort. Nerve blockers still holding, though feel a knife scratch along the top of my shoulder, which I believe will present itself less gracefully, and more potently before morning. Woke later than usual, but got in a nice early walk and a short chat with Robin, who’s been looking out for us.
Managed some time at the keyboard, but most of it housekeeping. Got a wonderful and unexpected call from the boys that went nearly two hours. Made my day.
Took a long nap this afternoon, made a brief jaunt to Walgreens then Starbucks. Lovely neighbors Trudy and Hank surprised us with dinner.
Couldn’t ask for a better day. Here’s hoping the night goes as well.
Okay.
Pitching southpaw for a while now. Went in for surgery at 9:45, hit the OR at 11:45, and woke from the most wonderful sleep around 2:00. Home before 3:00 and out for a walk. A little discomfort on the inside of the triceps, but the nerve blocker is still holding so the real pain hasn’t set in yet. So far, so good, right? Here’s hoping the worst part of the next three days will be the doc’s non-shower orders.
Woke early from a combination of the arm and the 30 pound cat lying on it. Made some decent revisions before abandoning the keyboard. Looking to do the same again tomorrow if all goes well.
Know what the difference in cost is between Medicare and non-insured prescription Percocet? Wth, it’s $5. Without, $183. Who says the healthcare system is broken!
New installment tomorrow. Gonna chill with a bowl of chicken noodle soup tonight.
Keeping this short.
Surgery tomorrow.
Today, up early, good work at the keyboard, disappointing rejection, happy phone call from Jack and Matty, and more work to finish out the day.
Short walk this morning.
Nice day—except, you know, for the heat.
Be glad to get the next few days in the rearview.
Stuck in the dead zone now.
Worked on the book this morning, then got in a short walk around the neighborhood. Nothing too exciting.
Worked a little more when I got home, then whipped up a pot of vichyssoise, talked to the surgeon’s office and laid down for a nap. The life of Riley, right?
Looking for a quiet night. Stuck at home until the COVID test comes in, but have this strange feeling something’s going to go haywire. As in, the surgery’s going to be postponed to next week.
News around the world too depressing to watch. So guess what? I won’t watch. Queue up the Great British Baking Show.
Weather wasn’t bad today. A little hot, but not bad. Even so, couldn’t quite muster the energy to get out there for a second walk. What the arm hasn’t taken out of me, the respiratory thing has.
So the strange days go on.
Good day all around.
Up early, got a little work out of the way, answered some correspondence, then went fishing.
Was on the water by 10:30, and a couple of hours later had three nice brown in my creel. Decided to forego the flyrod for my spinning gear with the hope it would hurt the arm less, but no such luck. Be paying for those three trout for the rest of the night, I’m afraid. Even the neck is chiming in. Oh, well, only three more days till the real pain kicks in. But at least it’ll be for a good cause.
Smoky and overcast most of the day, but it was good to get out. The water was low and clear, and while the fish weren’t exactly going wild, it was a decent way to spend a Monday.
Gonna take it easy tonight, hope for a good night’s sleep. Ham steaks and sweet potato for dinner.
Okay. So screwed up and misinterpreted the COVID testing time. Means I’ve gotta get over to the clinic early tomorrow and make sure it gets to the surgeon’s office by Thursday.
Wrote well this morning, but not as long as I would’ve liked. Got to the end of the novel draft, and feel pretty good about the prospects. It’s coming in a little over 77 thousand words, so should hit the sweet spot by the time I’m finished. Lots of work to do yet, but it should be fun. For a while, anyway.
Got in an early two-mile walk, then came home and sat out the heat. Mostly. Did take a trip to the grocery store to stock up for a couple of weeks. Place was tolerably uncrowded, and we got what we wanted without running into any bozos, so hey, thumbs up.
Took a nap when we got home. Rest seemed to do the arm some good. Gonna take it easy tonight as well. Maybe pick up a noodle bowl from Saigon Cafe and watch a movie.
Up three hours when, at 9:00 am, I get a call from the surgeon’s office. When do you want to come in for surgery?
Wow. First nothing, then everything.
Long story short, going in next Thursday. Providing I pass the COVID-19 test I take tomorrow.
Walked this morning, worked out this afternoon, stopped by the gym to talk to my physical therapist, Brian, and came home and FaceTimed with Jack.
Failed in cutting my lawns, but will set that straight tomorrow.
Looks like things are moving. Need to keep it that way.
So. No call back from the doc. Again.
Put a rough night’s sleep behind me, and got up early to work. Pounded out some good pages. Got another acceptance, too. Red Rock Review picked up “Rocky Mountain Sweetheart Murder Ballad.” They’ll be publishing it this fall.
Took a nice walk this morning, skipped rope later on. Later later on, took a nap. Also wrote a letter to the boys.
Gotta start pushing some submissions out the door tomorrow. Start thinking about a new short story.
Sent off the last of my N critiques this morning, but figure I’ll find a few new ones in my hopper by the weekend.
Maybe I’ll get in some good reading tonight.
Slept better last night. Nothing to underrate, believe me.
Up early to do some good work at the keyboard. Structure of the new book feels sound, the writing passable and getting better. I like what I’ve been doing and only hope I can repeat those word at a later time.
Worked out skipping rope this afternoon, but have abandoned all lifting for the time. Got a call from the doc’s office while I was out front talking to the TrueGreen man. Missed it and called back, but of course no one answered.
Uncertainty has been the theme this whole year, hasn’t it? Even if you manage to get something going, it’s never sustainable.
Nice to be able to lose myself in work. Feel for people who aren’t as lucky. Think it’s gonna be a long time before the world feels normal again.
Looking forward to a quiet night.
So here’s where it stands. Slept in the guest room last night, giving us both a chance to rest. Was up early, coughing, and went down to the cottage straightaway. Put in another decent morning of writing. Got antsy around noon and called the doc’s office. Left a message and waited for a call back. Skipped rope in the meantime, and when the call did come it was to tell me they’d call me back to discuss the surgery in four or five days. Screw it.
Did a few more chores, talked to MP about a new scriptwriting gig, then went upstairs to read a while and nap. Also drew up some new cartoons for Jack and Matty.
Need to give mom a call soon. Only been a few days since I spoke to her, but it feels like weeks.
Wyoming seems like a distant dream at this point. Probably won’t get up there this year the way things are working out. Should probably try and get in a couple of days of fishing when I have the chance, though I’m not sure what sort of figure I’m going to cut with my casting arm being what it is.
No, no. Not the time to throw in the towel. Gotta keep a clear head and keep punching—even if it means punching with one hand. Still have a novel to finish and new stories to write. Lucretius suffers no whiners or malingerers, and neither will I..
Another rough night with the arm. Can’t seem to get ahead of this thing.
In the office a little after six, and got in some good work. Had coffee on the back patio then went for a nice walk over to the college. Thought I might work out, too, but when the afternoon heat came the best I could muster was a short nap.
No word from surgeon’s office on scheduling. I’d have been annoyed about being ignored, but since the doc called on Saturday, I’m giving them a break.
Dark edges starting to gather around this summer. Gotta do what I can to beat them back. Find some new ways to keep the days productive.
No idea where this one went.
Up at 6:00, working. Took a break mid-morning to finish cutting the lawns, now that the mower’s decided to work again.
Face-timed with Matty—not sure where Jack was (the dog house, probably)—then took a nap. No workout today. Thought I’d rest the arm. Should hear from the doc’s office tomorrow about surgery.
Gotta start thinking ahead to a post-op world. R suggested an audio-transcription software yesterday. I wasn’t keen on the notion at the time, but have come to realize she might be right. Think I’ll install one and see if I can’t start acclimatizing myself. If nothing else, it should help with the composition of letters and critiques. Who knows, I might even come to like it.
K coming for dinner tonight. Ribs, corn, wine. What’s not to like, right?
Might get some rain this evening. Hope so. Could use the moisture.
Good day. Sort of. Got up early and made headway with the novel, took a brief excursion into editor land where I wrote one of my N reviews, and even started cutting my lawns before the mower expired. Hoping it was a flooded fuel line, but you never know.
Surgeon called while I was editing. Told me I’d torn my rotator cuff, front and back. Also partially tore my biceps. All good news—in that it wasn’t bone cancer. They’ll schedule me for surgery on Monday.
Was going to write more, but the arm is bad tonight. Pain keeps reaching up into the neck. Can’t wait to try and write with one hand.
More tomorrow.
Shouldn’t have made so many wishes in yesterday’s post. Ended up having one of the slowest days in weeks.
Didn’t get a chance to work on the novel today, nor did I manage either of the N critiques. Put some polish on the short story I talked about, but even there I’m running behind.
Gym? Nope. Home workout? Nope. PT? Nope.
Major accomplishments of the day were getting dinner prepped in advance, and taking a drive out to Lowe’s to pick up a new weed whacker.
Guess I’ll have to get a jump on things tomorrow.
Weather cooled. Rain!
Not sure what the rest of the weekend will bring.
Woke up twice last night with searing pain in the arm. Man, this is getting old. Didn’t sleep afterward but still managed some decent work at the keyboard this morning. Also worked through my PT, etc., without too many drawbacks.
Thought I might get some work out of the way this afternoon, but fell into a long desperate nap instead. Didn’t wake until just before five.
Need to figure out a new metric here. Maybe turn in later, I don’t know.
Like to get a jump on my work tomorrow, and turn in the critiques on the N stuff. Settle in and finish the last of the revisions on “Existential Question.” Put it in the mail and start on something new.
Got a couple of cards today. One from D, one from my Uncle Joe. Smile just thinking about them.
Drove to the liquor store tonight to pick up a bottle of wine for dinner. Noticed how few folks are wearing masks. Curious times.
Pikes Peak vanished overnight. Smoke from the California and Arizona fire came down hard on us today. Didn’t hear any air quality reports, but let’s just cut to the chase and say it sucked.
Got in some good revision time on the new book. Also had a chance to read both new N stories, one of which will move forward.
Heard from the doc’s office just before noon and was told the MRI results are in and I’ll be contacted by the surgeon in the next three to five business days for a consultation. Was hoping for something sooner, but at least the thing is moving forward.
Went to the fitness center for the first time in two months and did a little lifting. Wore a mask and gloves the whole time, and had limited contact from a nice social distance with the other gym rats. Nice to handle weights again.
Things pretty quiet otherwise. Might have a meeting for a new project next week. Meantime, I’ll keep plugging away at what I have.
Garbage men come tomorrow. That makes it Thursday—for what it’s worth.
Hot one.
Up early working on the new novel, liking what’s there. Spending most of my time on structure, making sure the plot’s moving forward as it should, but addressing other details, too, along the way. Just trying to keep it smooth and efficient.
Got in an early workout, but tried not to press to much. Skipped a lot of rope, kept the lifting to a minimum.
No word from the doc’s office on the MRI. Will call tomorrow if they don’t beat me to it.
Throat’s raspy from the forest fires and heat. Nineties already, and it’s only mid-June. Ought to try and get out fishing before week’s end, but want to get the medical stuff in line before I disappear into the mountains.
Two new stories came in from N this afternoon. Haven’t read anything exciting for a while, so look forward to sitting down with them.
Been thinking a lot about Wyoming. Wondering what my chances are of getting up there. Guess I’ll just have to wait and see.
Funny. Got an email from an editor early this morning, unrejecting a rejection and telling me they loved the story. A glitch in the system. Anyway, nice to know. Fingers crossed it turns into a full-fledged acceptance.
