writer
Went to bed last night thinking I’d lay off the stories for a day or two and get back to the novel, but after a late start I took care of other business instead.
Got cards off to the boys, cleaned house, went to the gym for the first time in a long time, and settled some HSA business at the bank.
Fell short of getting done everything I’d wanted, but it was good to get out and clear the head for a day.
They’re saying snow again tonight. We’ll see.
Another warm day, old snow melting away.
Was up to work early, but got distracted by machinery and voices. Neighbors were having their big old ponderosa removed after watching it die back the last couple of years. Sad to see it go. It had a twenty foot lightning scar that ran jagged down the east face of the trunk, and red tail hawks used the top limbs for a hunting roost. Not sure what caused its demise—old age, maybe—but its absence will leave a sad looking hole in the sky.
Made reservations today for our trip back to Pittsburgh. Gonna be late March, ten or so days after our second Covid shots. Boys don’t know yet. Figure to keep it a surprise until the last minute.
Have put in about as much time as I can stand on the new story. Taking a break from it tomorrow and redirecting my attention to the novel.
Not sure what sort of year the short fiction will yield, but so far it’s been slower than usual. Got a bunch of pieces out there close to a year in consideration.
Strange dreams in the middle of the night. Woke and stayed awake probably two hours before falling back to sleep. Up later than usual as a result, but still made some nice headway on the newest story.
Got in a nice workout a little afternoon, and a pleasant walk around the neighborhood afterward. Beautiful day. Lots of sun, lots of warm. Supposed to snow again mid-week, so we must be getting close to spring.
Coming close to the end of The Last Tycoon. Glad I decided to pick it up again. The notes on the text aren’t quite as extensive as I’d like, but they’re well presented and even more interesting this time around.
Arcadian Nights is also proving to be an entertaining read.
Have some new stories in my N queue. Have read all but two, and need to get on the critiques.
Looking forward to another quiet evening.
Up early. Worked on the new story, then went off to a movie.
Not much in between.
Hoping to maybe make headway tomorrow.
Found an end to the new story this morning amid other comings and goings. Not sure it works yet, but not especially worried about it. The piece is enough of a story to find a alternate/better end if need be, so I’m just going to ride it out and see what happens.
Got in an okay mid-morning workout. After, went off to settle some unsettled business. Spent the afternoon running errands to the bank, the pizzeria, gym and grocery store.
Temps got warmer today, melted a lot of the snow that came in the other night. Not sure what tomorrow’s supposed to bring, but Spring doesn’t seem that far away. Hope not, anyway.
Looking for an early start tomorrow, then an afternoon movie. A nice quiet weekend.
Woke up to a beautiful, quiet snow. More than we’ve had in a long time.
Worked a little on the new story before lacing up the boots and shoveling. Pretty morning with a high blue sky.
Got in a nice workout around noon, then drove down to Fountain so S could get her first Covid shot. Took a while to get the thing done, but we managed and now we’re only a few weeks away from being able to travel again.
Took care of some old business when we got home, then did a little pre-emptive homework for some of tomorrow’s projects.
Have some new N stories to attend to, some old reading to catch up on, and some critiques to write. Tonight, just gonna hang back.
This is, in some way, a time of great disappointment. People both close and close enough have let me down in ways I never expected. Not in small matters, either. But as the world’s been at odds with itself, and everyone in it, for a while, I’m willing to turn the other cheek. Got the first of my Covid vaccines this morning (Moderna) and all’s suddenly, infinitely more tolerable. S gets hers in two days, and before the end of March we should be able to breathe a little easier. Who knows? A trip to Pittsburgh to see the boys might even be in order.
Need to get back to work, I think. Finish the shorts I’ve started, finish work on the novel, and get moving as quickly as possible on something new.
Also need to order that fishing license.
Cold snap’s broken and the skies are blue, and the temps should hit the mid-forties before the end of the week. All I need now is a winning lottery ticket.
Here, Monday.
Long involved nightmares made for a short night’s sleep.
Put in time on a new short most of the morning, then worked out, went for a walk, and headed off to Starbucks.
Cold again, but sunny. Not a bad day if you stayed out of the wind.
Going in for the first of my Covid Vaccines tomorrow! 8:00 am. Hurrah!
Slept in this morning.
Fielded a FaceTime call from the boys before going to work, and got a chance to talk to both.
Jack finally lost his front tooth—the first. Very exciting. Matty? On his own planet.
Worked through the afternoon. Took time out to skip rope and lift, then went back to the keyboard again.
Cold. All day. Temps started out minus one, hit a high of seven, and have gone back to near-zero again.
Snow flurries, but that’s all.
Got a chance to talk to my bro, Joe about a trip to the mountain. Looking forward to it.
Okay.
Made it through.
Another chilly morning.
Worked out a decent, near-reader draft of the new short I’m calling “Born Blue.” Providing I can get the kinks ironed out, think I might have a story here.
Hit the workout early this afternoon. Broke my jump rope midway through, but shadow skipped and lifted to a pretty good conclusion anyway.
Later, pushed some paperwork, and went for a three-mile walk downtown.
Saw our neighbor, R, today. Been a while. Always worry about her, so it was good to get a visual, make sure she was doing well.
FaceTimed with young Jack this afternoon. Wild as usual. Matthew? Invisible again! Gotta make time to hunt the boy down.
Woke up to cold that only got colder.
Temps supposed to be below freezing for the next few days, but so far no sign of snow.
Getting closer and closer to having a reader draft of the new short. Think it’s gonna be a decent one if I don’t blow the ending. Have another short in the wings, but haven’t looked at it in a few days. Maybe tomorrow.
Braved the cold long enough to get in a workout, then spent the afternoon picking up the pieces of yesterday’s life. Well, that and going to the post office.
Impeachment trial in its second day. If I live long enough to look back on this post, I wonder what the world will look like?
Managed to get through the weekend unscathed, and back in the saddle early this morning. Figured to make hay before the rest of the world got up, but had my plans derailed by a couple of surveyors searching for a metal corner marker.
Won’t go into a long rant here, but there are certain people in this world who insist on making it hard on the rest of us, and at the moment—you know, a year into isolation and all— that sort of BS doesn’t play especially well. Our house is one hundred twenty-five years old. The neighborhood is even older. Looking to redraw boundary lines that have been here longer than the city’s sewer system so you can gain an extra foot of fence just doesn’t make you many friends.
Okay, enough.
On the bright side, had a nice walk this afternoon followed by brief but exciting FaceTime call from Jack, followed by a decent workout with the jumprope and weights. Everything comes to balance, I guess. Just not necessarily when you’re hoping for it.
Up a little later than usual this morning.
Coffee at the keyboard while I worked through revisions, submissions, and all the rest.
Forewent a workout today, and stole off to the movies instead. There were only six people in the theatre besides ourselves, and no one within rows of us, so it was probably a good deal safer than going to the grocery store, which we also did.
Tried taking a nap this afternoon, but no luck. The arm started speaking and never let up. Funny, but I think it hurts more the one day a week I don’t work out.
Coldish day. We were off the hook for snow, but the days ahead are supposed to be wintry too, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
New lotto daydream: A guided, week-long fishing trip in Montana.
This one spiraled out of control, but it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment. I know I got up. I know I went to work. But the rest is a blur.
Wrote, worked out and all the rest. Even took a trip to Costco to stock up on water and fruit. Still, it seems a big chunk of something is missing from the middle. Liked to have made more progress on the new short, but maybe two days back-to-back will help. Gonna put together a reader draft, for sure, before getting back to the novel.
Weather cooled off today. Think there’s supposed to be snow tonight. Maybe all weekend.
Sometimes the day just gets et up. This is one of those days.
On the good side, I got in some decent work at the keyboard, caught up on a few much-needed phone calls, FaceTimed with the boys, had a nice a workout, went for a walk, and took a late-afternoon break for a latte at Starbucks.
Looking back, I may have done better than I thought.
Weather took a turn. Twenty degree drop from yesterday. Not sure what the weekend’s supposed to bring, but it feels like snow.
The groove goes on.
Another good day a the keyboard. Another good day with the rope and weights.
Still fighting off the blues, but so far it’s a draw. Which makes it a win.
Getting my groove back.
Up early making revisions on the new short. Putting in time on research. Have almost all my submissions in place now, with a few more to go before the weekend.
Got in some reading later in the day, and returned my proofed ms of “Astray” for the folks at the Westchester Review. They tell me the story will be out in March. Something to look forward to.
Not a whole lot else going on at the moment. Looking forward to some homemade tomato soup, and a relaxing read before bed.
Low hanging fruit, for sure.
One of those days that started out like a bunch of other days I’d rather not remember, but redeemed itself in the end. Put some nice edits on the new short, and got in some reading and research, too.
Arm was a little sore after a tough night’s sleep, but managed a decent workout and a walk afterward. Trying to up my weights. Have to keep reminding myself I’m starting from zero, and take it easy. Looking at all the hashmarks I’ve penciled on the garage door, it’s hard to believe surgery was seven months ago. Have a new appreciation for what it takes to mount a comeback.
Need to order my fishing license, like, this week. Wanna be ready to toss my gear in the truck the first nice day that comes my way. Also need to shake off this black attitude.
There. I’m good now.
Ready for tomorrow.
Went to bed with a touch of the blues, woke early and pounded out a draft of what I hope to be a decent story.
Been stalled out for a while, so it felt good looking at a new piece and knowing where to go with it.
Took a long walk around noon. Helped clear the head, and kept me from dinging up my shoulder with the weights.
Jack and Matt called late afternoon and we had a long, goofy chat. Chased away the clouds, for sure.
Tomorrow, back at it. Only better.
