writer
Roller coaster ride of a day that ended on the upswing.
Made headway at the keyboard on the long manuscript, got FaceTime calls from Jack and Matty to bookend the day, and in between, hit the gym and found some time to read.
Had a nice walk around the neighborhood, too, to celebrate an unexpected victory.
I’ll take one this this anytime.
Writing this at end of day, as always. But more tired than usual.
Good day. Made some decent revisions, got in an pretty good workout, came home for a late afternoon walk, and cooked up a pot of leek and potato soup.
Also got to FaceTime with young Jack.
Biding time till the weekend now. New tests coming in tomorrow. Lots left unanswered for, lots more to come.
Woke to a dusting of snow for the third day in a row. Not sure if we’re stuck in a pattern here, but things are supposed to warm up by Monday. Maybe even enough to put down the keyboard and head out to the Arkansas and get in some fishing.
More edits on the long ms this morning, then on to a few more N critiques. Took a break mid-afternoon to clean the house. Picked up some groceries after that, and killed a little time prepping dinner.
Caught up with my buddy S today, and had a nice chat. Helped smooth some things out for me. Got a lot on my mind. Good to be able to check in with someone who knows what he’s talking about.
Not sure what tomorrow’s supposed to bring, except the garbage men, but at the moment I’ll settle for that.
Missed working out today.
Bring on tomorrow.
Woke to another half inch of snow, but it’s gone now and, except for the cool air a pretty nice day.
Hit the ground hard this morning, and continued with the good luck streak I’ve been having (or think I’m having) at the keyboard. Revisions are coming along, and coming closer to the end. Or at least the end of this particular round.
Picked up another acceptance this morning, too. New Plains Review wrote to say they want “Money Shot” for their Spring 20201 issue.
I think that’s my third this year. Third? Forth? I’m not sure, but it came at a nice time and it’s a terrific pub I’m happy to have the story married off.
Got in a nice workout at the gym this afternoon. Only two other people in the place, so I got to move around like the old days. Felt pretty good. Came home to FaceTime with the boys.
Other good news, too. So a pretty okay Tuesday, all things considered.
I don’t know. I feel like I’m sinking deeper and deeper into this “place.'“
Even so, moving forward. Or moving.
Lawns were aerated today, fertilized with great love, and snowed upon later this afternoon.
Woke early, continued on with revisions, and was cold cocked with eight new N submissions, all of which were, blessedly, Six Word Stories.
Haven’t read many six-word stories before. So, eager to see what I have.
Meanwhile, went to the gym, the grocery store, and came home to a nice hot shower.
Easy night, tonight. Gonna take them while they’re here.
A little bit of the same.
Early rise, revisions, and some good reading followed by a long coffee break.
Still cool today, but warmer than yesterday and decidedly sunnier. Supposed to be cool all week, but maybe we’ll get some rain.
My fishing license is still sitting here on my desk, unopened, and I’ve gotta wonder if I haven’t jinxed things by not stuffing it in my fly vest and looking up for the task. Something to think about, for sure.
Meanwhile, got in a nice quiet workout at the gym with weights, the bicycle, and even the heavy bag. Didn’t push too hard. Don’t want to muck anything up. But all in all, it felt pretty good.
Be nice if a few other things turned the corner.
Looking ahead to an up and down week.
What week isn’t, anymore?
Earlier start than usual today. Made the most of it. Good revisions on the novel, good progress reading and critiquing stories. Caught up on some correspondence. Cleaned the house. Made a late afternoon run to Starbuck’s. Doesn’t sound like much, but in times of Covid it’s a glorious day.
Pizza tonight. Maybe a bottle of wine.
Will worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes.
Yeah. Still here.
Put in a good early morning at the keyboard, then went off to the gym.
Came home and it was back to work.
Snow melted between the early and the late, but the cool temps stuck around. Weather people say things will stay in or around the forties for the next few days.
Nice talk with my sis, Moya, this afternoon.
Some correspondence to catch up with, a story or two to read, and other things. Can’t believe the days have been slipping by so fast.
Vet says Kit has hypothyroid issues, but is good otherwise. Like the rest of us, he’ll be on an exciting new regimen of pills.
Taking it easy tonight. Wonder if there’ll be any decent movies this weekend.
Restless night’s sleep, and an early rise. Hit the keyboard hard with revisions to the novel. The words are lining up in the right direction, but it’s slow going.
Matty called to FaceTime around 8:30, so i got a chance to catch up with him while his brother was off at school. Had a nice visit.
Brought Mr. Kit into the vet for his annual wellness check. He’ll be sixteen in a couple of weeks, and I wanted to make sure I had all of his charts up to date. Overall, he scored pretty well. The vet discovered a heart murmur, so they drew blood, but she didn’t seem overly concerned. Hope to get the results sometime tomorrow.
Couldn’t get my focus back after the veterinary stuff, so went to the gym to get in a workout. Came home afterward and cooked up a batch of beef stew for dinner.
Cloudy, overcast day. The weather folks predicted and early rain, but the precipitation didn’t come until much later, and in the form of tiny round snowballs.
Looking forward to a quiet night.
Maybe it’s my imagination. Or maybe my circadian clock is off. Or maybe I’m just getting old and lazy, but this whole week’s been an exercise in near futility—I think.
That said, was up early at the keyboard working on the novel again, reimagining the diction in the sub-plot, hoping I can make it mirror the rest of the story a little more closely.
Worked hard till noon, then took a break and went to the gym. Much sloth there as well. Did a good half hour on the bike, but have been cautious about the weights until the arm feels better. Don’t think I did anything to compromise it, but after surgery, you can’t get that particular unpleasantness out of your head.
Quiet day otherwise.
Weather was cool, which kept the neighborhood kids inside, but the heavy equipment was still beep, beep, beeping away.
Hmmm. Up at five, then six.
Down to the cottage to work. Thought I had the novel mystery figured, but of course doubt always creeps in and you don’t know until long after it does you any good.
Long and short of it, wrote as long as I could then went to the gym to push things in a different direction.
Never did get where I’d hoped.
Need to get organized and start over again tomorrow.
Not sure why, but this one turned into a clunker.
Put in some okay time at the keyboard, but never quite managed to get where I hoped to be. Maybe tomorrow, right?
Anyway, got some writing time and that’s what counts.
Made a late afternoon run to Costco, and Starbucks, and that was pretty much it. No yard work, no gym. No anything.
Gonna hit the rack early tonight and see if i can’t make a more competitive run at tomorrow.
Must’ve been the trip up to Denver yesterday, but my ass was dragging all day today, and I didn’t have much excuse for it.
Up early, nonetheless.
Hit the keyboard around 6:30, and kept punching until S. came and fetched me for coffee.
Worked on the newest of the new stories and didn’t quit till I found the end. Put it aside and went to work on yard clean up, giving back to some of my more boisterous with a non-stop two-hour symphony of leaf-blower music.
Hit the gym after we put away the rakes and trash bags, but didn’t have a whole lot of energy left. Rode the stationary bike a while, lifted a couple of weights, then came home and call it quits.
Looking ahead to a quiet night. An early rise, and a new look at the novel.
Longest day of the month. Don’t know why, don’t care, just glad it’s over.
Up early to the keyboard, off to Denver.
Many hours later, home waiting for a call from Jack.
Beat up, worn down, and ready to pop a bottle of wine.
Wishing mom was still around.
Happy birthday, kids. Happy, happy birthday.
Thank god for the garbage men or I wouldn’t have known it was Thursday.
Put in a good day at the keyboard. Was thinking maybe I might go fishing, but the temps in the mountains were pretty cool, so put it off for another time.
Revised a story, revised a pitch, wrote a couple of lines to the boys, then took off for the gym to get a quiet workout.
Got in some reading, too.
Denver tomorrow.
Big power outage last night smack dab in the middle of the Hemingway documentary. Read today a transformer blew.
Up early to the Broadmoor to meet with my buddy G. Had a great time, as always. Got home a little after 10:30, in time to chat with S. and K. Thought I might have time to do a little writing on one of my stories, but found another story in my N. queue so tended to that instead.
Strolled off to the gym a little after one and got in a nice workout. Still rehabbing the arm and shoulder while trying to remain cautious I don’t re-injure it.
Home now.
FaceTime with Jackie.
Guess this post is over.
Full day.
Up early to revisions and reviews, then off for a short walk and a trip to the gym.
Cooked up a pot of split pea soup.
Weather took a turn, but hell, it’s spring.
Leg’s bumming me out.
Early morning coffee with my buddy G tomorrow.
Not much else going on.
Day started out well, but took a regrettable turn not long after I was busy with revisions.
Got an email from the firm who hosts my business website, with some pencil-neck-tech-geek telling me they were going to charge me an entire year of renewal fees before locking it down. I have the name of this BS company, should anyone wish to know who they are. Just go to my contact page and I’d be happy to tell you.
Things improved somewhat after I mailed back a terse reply, but the world didn’t properly mend itself until I blew off steam at the gym. Hoping to take a better run at things tomorrow.
Tonight, the Ken Burns Hemingway documentary.
A quiet Easter, just the way you like it.
Up early, writing, then a sunny brunch with K, outdoors on the patio. Thought about a fire, but the temps were close to eighty even by 10:30.
Had a great time, all the way around, but needed an early nap thanks to the bottle of prosecco we drank.
Wrote a couple of review this afternoon. Watched a bad movie. Listened to the neighbor kids shriek, and had a nice FaceTime call from the boys.
Taking it easy tonight.
Busy week ahead.
Feel like I’ve been up for three days.
Was up early, to work early, too. But somewhere along the way the day took a slow turn. Revised one of the stories I’ve got in progress, wrote a couple of critiques, and deep watered the trees and shrubs in the back yard.
No gym today. Thought I’d give my arms a rest. Did get out for a nice walk, though, and a trip to Starbucks for a hot latte.
Pretty day. Ended it with a glass of wine at K’s.
Easter tomorrow. Hard to believe.
