6/26/2019: Up at 5 AM, ready to start the day. A trip to
DG is on the agenda later this morning.
Let me describe a typical summer morning right now.
Whenever I get up (usually pretty early), the first thing is a trip to the
bathroom. Then I take an aspirin with a gulp of tea. I might do a quick run
through the TV channels, not to really watch anything but to see if anything is on that will help
me ‘float along’, carried by the force of its narrative and the awareness of
time passing as its story unfolds. Or a quick run through my usual computer
sites. After (or sometimes before, if there is nothing compelling on the air
waves) I say my morning prayers, read 2 chapters in the Bible, and say a rosary
if I feel up to it (I ‘tell my beads’ sometime later in the day, if not). I
record any dreams that stick with me, then update my diary. I get dressed, after
a night usually skinned down to my underwear. There is no set order to these
activities (except the bathroom visit); they occur as I feel up to them.
At 9 AM when Susan leaves, I go in to get a cup of
noodles and a pack of ramen and two slices of bread to make my morning meal. Usually,
I’ve gone back in the house to boil my noodles when Kameron calls me to grass
the dogs and make his breakfast, which can be scrambled eggs, French toast,
pancakes, or a combo of these elements. After I finish making his meal and
cleaning up, I can continue with my own. It’s after 10 AM when I can finally do
so.
In the morning hours, if I feel so inspired, I can get
some writing done before I run out of ‘juice’ for the day. But more often I
watch Boston Legal (when it’s on) or podcasts or just play Words With Friends
or other time fillers, or even nap if I woke up particularly early. By 1 PM
it’s time to make lunch (2 packs of ramen, sans bread), and if it’s a Monday
make the weekly salad about 2 PM. At 4 PM it’s time to grass dogs again and
start supper; by 5 PM take my share and come back to the guest house; by 8 PM
go in, clear away supper, and wash dishes. I try to sneak in some writing past
watchful dragons at various times of the day, more and more as the story
progress. If it’s close to a Friday ‘payday’ I may pour on more serious
sessions, in order to earn John’s much needed $20 for the weekend. Otherwise,
if it’s right at the end of the story, I really give it all I’ve got, carried
on by the momentum and the urge to cross the finish line. I typically do this
last burst of effort in one day, that can last for up to 10 hours or more and
can produce fifteen pages or so.
I lay down at 10 PM (and this is every day) and try to
get to sleep, reading, or if there is something good on, watching TV. I get up
during the night every two hours or so for urination, until sometime in the
morning (4-6 AM) I decide I’m awake for the day, and the cycle starts all over
again. Oh, and when I write down times in my diary, all times are general
unless written down specifically.
Now, today I’m going to head for D(ollar) G(eneral) about
7:30 AM. I need soap and artificial sweetener for sure. I want to pick up a
Texas Lotto at the convenience store. Most hold back $10 for Stewart family
spaghetti dinner on Sunday. But I do feel I must get at least one indulgent
item, if only to sellybrate the proofs going on.
Finished Bible, prayers, and rosary at 7 AM. Am now
loaded up and ready to head for DG at 7:30 AM, and not a moment before, as I
have no desire to have to wait around much for the store to open. Cloudy right
now, with thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon.
I left about 7:40 AM, and met Andy on his way in. Said he'd been mouthed by a raccoon this morning (didn’t break the skin) but they’re
getting so bold they’ll have to be trapped and removed. Walked to town and
there was a homeless man sitting to the side of DG when I went to get a lottery
ticket at Lone Star. Then, even though it was past 8 AM, had to wait a few
minutes for them to open DG. Did my shopping (still no corn chips!); got 4
boxes of pasta salad mix, a bottle of DG Ranch, 5-pack of ramen, artificial
sweetener, soap, two cans of cheese Pringles, and an apple pie. When I left and
went to sit and repack at my usual seat the beggar passed me again on his way
into town. Although he took another way, we crossed paths in the park. Three
times is fate, so I gave him a dollar for Jesus’ sake and went on home.
Once home I ate the pie and started on the chips. Then
Kam called me, and it was grass dogs [let them out to relieve themselves] and make French toast AND a pancake. We
hung out together and watched the last half of Diabolik MST3K, and D(ragon)Q(uest)8
Longplay. He went in when S&A were here for lunch at noon. I took a nap
until about 3 PM. Grassed dogs and started supper at 4 PM. Salmon patties and
couscous. I took my couscous and added a ramen (I hadn’t had a formal lunch,
because I had eaten both tubes of Pringles as well as the pie and ramen!). John
was hinting at the dedication, what I’d already settled on for him, but I
teased him about it a bit.
Didn’t do a darn thing all evening but watch DQ8.Went in
at 8 PM to clear up; Andy hadn’t eaten because he was hauling cars all evening,
but Susan put his food on a plate in the microwave. Checked TX Lotto at 11:30
PM, but no go again. Didn’t rain much either; nothing like the promised
thunderstorms in the weather report. Tried to settle me down, but here it is
1:30 AM and I’m still awake. Listening to TV music channels to stun my mind to
sleep.
6/27/2019: It was just a typical day. Calculated that if
I got all the books and DVDs on my wish list it would cost about $12,000, and
that’s not counting shipping (and about $2000 of that was for rare out of print
volumes). I did tell Susan about the spaghetti dinner on Sunday, and she’s
seeing if Fred might spring for that for 4 plates or so. Rosary at 10 PM. Late
evening started to watch the English Dragon Quest 11 Longplay.
6/28/2019: A typical Friday, but with a few chips and
some deer sausage and a cheese sandwich for lunch, which was a bit of a
departure. Having freed myself from watching DQ8, I now enslaved myself to
watching DQ11, which now has an English version. Bible and prayers in the
morning, rosary at 19 PM, brought S’s latest packages in in the morning, Kam
joined me most of the day. He fell asleep at 4 PM and wouldn’t get up till 7
PM, and then went in the house when I went out to throw the old cabbage away.
Not a jot of writing done all day and no e-mail from John yesterday or today.
It unexpectedly rained in the evening, with thunder, after a clear blue day all
day. Went to bed about midnight.
6/29/2019: Got up 5:30 AM after interesting dreams and
morning thoughts that vanished away as I got up. I should really visit my mind
someday; it must be a fascinating place. What I call me appears to be a little
skittering spot that during my waking hours runs from room to room, not really
looking around itself but trying to get business done; or like a drop of water
dashing around on top of a hot skillet. During the day, the mind seems kind of
hypnotized by the world around it; at night while it dreams it seems just as
accepting as what it’s presented there. Perhaps the trick while awake as well
as when you’re asleep is to keep being aware of your own power and free will
instead of slumping into acceptance and going with the flow. Not to say that it
is magical (like Laura Ridings believed) and can affect reality other than
yourself, but closer to what Colin Wilson has speculated about the more
integrated alert self. The difference between hoping the elves will come in the
night and straighten up or that you’ll win the lottery, and actually doing
something that will help bring the hoped for change about. I say this under the
influence of my renewed morning dose of “brain juice”, the rejuvenated creative
and thinking power that flows most freely in the morning, though not only in
the morning; I only seem to have so much of it in a day to use, and a lot of
non-creative stuff can fritter it away. How will I use it today?
Andy
brought over $20 for spaghetti plates tomorrow and some leftover taco salad
with chicken about 5:30 PM. I did manage to write a page of JABS at 10:30 PM. I
must try to get to bed not too long after midnight now, but I feel dreadfully
awake.
6/30/2019: Last day of June. Some rain and thunder last
night, and possibly throughout the day; just when I’m walking later in the
morning, for once! Woke up about 5:30 AM. Showered, dressed, prayed, Bible,
rosary. Connectivity poor as I try to look at my usual sites. I did manage to
write one page: Bazz meets Stella. I’m going to leave about 9:20 AM, weather
permitting; that’s kind of early for a 10:15 Mass but it’ll give me some leeway
in walking time and time to sit and pray, not to mention good pew pickings!
The weather was very good: cool, cloudy. On my walk over
I passed several old friends: a bat that’s been drying up on the sidewalk next
to the Wells-Fargo Bank since before my baptism and some full cartridges in the
old cable car tracks between that bank and Starcke’s furniture. Today Ginger
led the rosary and I saw many of my old RCIA mates, including the other Amy and
the other Mike and his Wife and the older lady [Joanna] – my goodness, I’m
forgetting their names already. After mass went over and picked up the
spaghetti dinners; saw Mike Stewart and family. I had luckily supplied myself
with a bag to carry S&A’s plates home, as they didn’t have any there. I ate
mine on site. Walked home, put plates in fridge. I had forgotten to turn my
phone up again, though, and A came out at about 1 PM to check on me; apparently
Kam had been trying to call me all morning. Did nothing all day but watched
DQ11 on YouTube until 11:30 PM. Tomorrow it’s July, with all that entails; I
must really work on buckling down and progressing, as I was doing with cleaning
the house. If I do nothing, I’m going backwards; tomorrow I must apply myself
to projects. Remember stupid joke I told Fr. Greg. [What was it? – 2024]
7/1/2019: The first day of July, the long month of heat
and birthdays. Woke up at about 5:30 AM, almost the first thing I did was start
a project of 25 Haiku, autobiographical in nature, one a day leading up to my
birthday, in which I hope to encapsulate my life experience so far. After I
finish BAPS [which I never have] I really must take a break over the rest of July and take the time
to really work on thinking combined with some real organization. Projects:
Scrapbook my scraps, at least in some order; organize my papers, both writing
and drawing; maybe organize the Family Files of photos, etc.; get the ‘attic’
sorted out; see about new clothes, shoes, belt. Always much to do, not all of
it necessary or compelling, but it would be nice to have it done. Watched some
of “For the Love of Spock” on Netflix. On to Bible, prayers, and Rosary. Think
about how I present myself. Be upbeat or be beat up.
By 11:10 AM I had finished my morning devotions, made Kam
French toast, started my wash, grassed the dogs, got in the daily cookie jar
packages from the mailman, listened to
GGACP[Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast], changed the wash, and
written a page on JABS and four haiku. Feeling a little sleepy but will make
Kam lunch and prepare broccoli salad at 1 PM.
All right! A&S came by early, and between 12 noon and
1:30 PM I managed to write another haiku [Never did manage 25; what I did has now been posted here on Niche of Time], make Kam biscuits, prepare the broccoli
salad, and finish my wash. The big projects of the day are fulfilled.
Everything else done is gravy.
Went in and grassed dogs and started supper at 4 PM. Went
in at 5 PM. Washed dishes at 8 PM and Susan cautioned me about the frying
smells from the French toast. Outside, it’s getting cloudy again; we have rain
scheduled for tomorrow. Watched documentaries on C. S. Lewis and Pamela
Travers. Played much WWF. At 9:40 PM got this Messenger message from Kris
Jerome:
The e-book [of A Grave on Deacon's Peak] is finished, and the print files are at the
printer. Once they sign off on the formatting proofs will get sent out.
(I wrote: Oh, my. I’m started to get excited again!)
I’m excited too! Once I have proofs in hand, I’ll send
pictures (and then the physical copies). If everything goes well it will be out
by your birthday!
Sorry it’s been such a long process. Next time it will go
faster.
I wrote back: Well, NOW how I supposed to get to sleep?
With many smiley face icons.
Called John and told him the news. They are on vacation to Carlsbad Caverns.
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