Monday, July 15, 2024

Up to the Minute: Diary 2019

 


7/9/2019: Up at 5:30 AM. Got up with thoughts about ‘Barek and Dunwolf’ [a new short story] and wrote some notes and a couple of pages. Kris Jerome messaged me and said he had sent for the proofs by expedited means, so they’re coming to him; I asked him to go over what I need to do when I got them. I continue to squirm under inaction: if you’re not going forward, you’re going backward.

At supper, sausage and potatoes and cabbage. When I went in to clean and grab some more cabbage, the sprinkler came off the lemon pepper and dumped almost a half-bottle on my cabbage; luckily, I was able to salvage most of it. This evening saw [The Day the Earth Stood Still], The War of the Worlds, and Forbidden Planet. Finished a little more than 5 pages on B&D, or Shutting the Door [now available here on the Niche in final form], as it’s now titled. Devotions done at about 11:30 PM, so just under the wire.

My communications for the day:

Kris Jerome to me:

K: I did rush shipping so I should have the proofs tomorrow. If they look good, I will forward them the following day!

B: Thank you for keeping me updated - my mind tends to race around about what's going on, otherwise! Please set my mind at rest and remind me exactly what I need to do when I receive them.

K: Just look them over, if it all looks good, we can launch! This is mostly so that you can see what they look like in person before they are available for sale.

B: All right, thanks. The hot weather here in Texas is doing all it can to boil my brains and make me sluggish!

K: I can imagine! I might be sent to Texas for a training for my day job sometime in the next few months. If so, we will have to meet up and celebrate the release of the book!

Me to John:

 My Antsy Pants

Well, how are things going? Are you still on vacation, or is it back to the grind? I'm still squirming, waiting for things to happen; the gears are turning away, but so quietly. But now Kris Jerome messaged me today that he sent off for the proofs by express, and that once he gets them, he will send them on to me. I wonder if I will have to mail them back.

In my writing I seem to have hit a wall in the story that I was working on, but the water of another story (Barek and Dunwolf) has oozed around that wall and is flowing along quite easily of its own accord.

I have been having oodles of dreams, which does tend to happen in the summer, what with the heat and restless nights. In fact, one of my dreams was about receiving the proofs of my book directly from the postman's hand. In another I get to see a young dynamic Mom moving around in a very energetic manner; quite a change from how she has usually appeared in my dreams. And again, for some reason, the coveting of old wooden blocks.

As I don't know what your schedule is like, I almost hesitate to suggest we have that trip to Half Price as soon as possible. Again, not so much for the money, but to get rid of the pile of books out in the open in my room, get rid of clutter, foster at least an illusion of 'progress', and of course have a visit face to face. Saturday would perhaps be best, as the greater chance of not having Kameron attached (delightful as he is). But I can see how the trip might not be feasible just yet.

My ID license expires on my birthday. Can't be done by remote control this time, and I'm going to have to reserve $16 to renew it. Sheesh.

 

He to me: Yep, I'm back to routine, yesterday was the first day back, actually.  This weekend is supposed to be my weekend off, so a Saturday book trip is probably doable - it is one of those coupon weekends, so it may be busy, but we will have coupons, too! I actually dreamed two separate dreams last night wherein in one, Stephen King was hanging out with us in our old "boys room" at home, and in the other, in a slightly fancier version of the same room, none other than an unexpectedly jovial Tolkien was hanging with us! What the …? Very odd... Yen said he was going to call me today to chit chat, but, you guessed it, he never called. Glad to hear some Goldfire [Ortha stories] is impressing itself unto your pen - I get a real kick out of your pure fantasy, and to see the old dudes in action again is just a thrill. We need to get you down for that I.D. sooner rather than later, as they say - I'll let ya know about this weekend and maybe a trip to the DMV as soon as the near future is more concrete - until then - patience, my friend, much good cometh soon!

Me: Somehow it is not surprising to find those two - after all, in the heyday of "the boys’ room" they had a great presence there! I know what you mean about finding a jovial Tolkien 'surprising', even though in real private life he was known to have quite a droll sense of humor and a genial quality. The few times he's turned up in my dreams he's always seemed rather severe, perhaps because he represents a standard which I don't feel I'm living up to. If he is a saint - which some people have suggested pressing for - that might explain his trying to get me to pull my boots up. 

At 11 PM learned that Rip Torn had passed away. Went to bed at 1 AM.

 

7/10/2019: Got up at 6 AM. Prayers, then read the entire book of Hebrews, except the first two chapters, which I read yesterday. Read as a whole, as an address or dissertation, it hangs together so well!

Went in at 9 AM. The chihuahuas (and Kam) seemed so deeply asleep I left them for the time being. Went back a bit after 10 AM and let the dogs out, having to carry Cricket, who seems to have gotten ricketier in proportion to Ginger getting spry after her trim. Turned the AC on at 11 AM. A little more done on B&D [Shutting the Door].

Spent time getting books ready for a trip to HP and wrote a bit. Just at 8 PM, as I was getting ready to go in and clean up, I checked FB and saw Kris Jerome had sent me pictures of the proof copies of my book! I sent them straight off to John on e-mail and Kenny in Messenger, and a little later right on FB. Exhilarating! Rosary at 9:30 PM. Still flying a bit.

 

7/11/2019: Woke up about … um … 6 AM? Wasn’t really thinking about the time because still a little distracted about the book – when was the earliest I could expect the proofs, whether I should start a blog dedicated to it, who would be a good Native American actor to play Thunder (found an actor actually named David Midthunder, who, aged up a bit, looks the part). It’s now just about 8 AM, so after getting dressed, checking FB, e-mail, and so on, ready for devotions.

Kris Jerome, 11:32 AM:  Books are in the mail to you. Should be there Monday. The text needs to be centered on the hardcover a little better, so I will make that adjustment. If everything else looks good to you we can launch!

Told John about the books via e-mail. He at 3:48 PM: “Very exciting, indeed! Yes, the pay is something that needs to be nailed down pretty soon.  Puss that I am, I'd probably wait until the book "drops"- just to avoid some unforeseen queering of the birth. It is easy enough to get a free checking account if you no longer maintain an account somewhere.  Let Art be loosed, that Commerce may quickly follow!” [As it is, not much came of it monetarily.]

At supper, Kam made me swat a wasp that was hanging around the kitchen door. Finished the 7th page of B&D, so that fulfills my 20 page obligation – in three weeks.

 

7/12/2019: Wake up at 4:40 AM. Restless, so plunge into updating BoS Timeline by going over Diary and noting the progress of AGODP over the past few months. It’s now 9:09 AM, so time for breakfast.

Found out today there is a store in Seguin called “Dragon’s Loot”, put up, I think, in the very place I had wanted to put Babel’s Books and selling basically the same kind of stuff! This might be the place I can ‘consign’ my garage sale fodder. Okay, looked it up, it’s not the store I was thinking of, it’s even closer; in the offices a little way down from the Silver Center.

Wrapped up Nanny’s Bible to send to Kelsey for her birthday. John confirmed he (and Joey) will be here at noon tomorrow to go to HP. Kam came in about 7 PM; Joey and Morgandy are here, but he didn’t want to go swimming with them at first. Eventually I got him out there, and I straightened the back porch.

Went in and baked cupcakes for Kelsey’s birthday at 9 PM; finished at 10:20 PM.

 

7/13/2019: Up at 5:30 AM. Devotions. Calculated that if I lived to June 7, 2020 I will have lived exactly as long as Mom. Spent the morning watching Boston Legal. S&A&K left before 9 AM. At 11 AM I moved the Rotts in, then shifted the enormously heavy bin of books and two Wal-Mart bags of books to the kitchen porch, then waited on the front porch. Saw the mailman a street over and kind of worried that I wouldn’t be here to get the mail. John came and we loaded up. Much good talk and then we got to Half Price. Almost immediately I found 3 DVDs that I wanted, that were on my Amazon Wish List: The Whole Wide World, The House with a Clock in its Walls, and An Awfully Big Adventure. Then I found the translation of The Song of Roland by Dorothy L. Sayers. I found all of this in like the first 20 minutes, then nothing really necessary after that. Found Kameron a German Phrase Book (used the money S&A sent for that). I sat down while John finished his searching, and then my offer came up: $25.80. Among the other things John found was a hardback Burl Ives Songbook, so that finally replaces the one Alan borrowed so long ago. We checked out and went over to Dragon Palace to eat, which I thought was great, but John was a little put-off by its run-down nature. We had a good discussion, in which I tried to encourage him to write, and he talked about philosophy. My fortune cookie: Great things happen when men and mountains meet. (7-13-2019) (Or men and peaks?)

We drove home, and he stopped off to get me $20 for the pages. We came back, I asked him to check the porch for packages (nope), and then once I was out of the car and getting my bin, I couldn’t stop farting (human, all too human) and we parted in a cloud of gas (not uncheerfully). I hustled inside to poop and peep and let the dogs out and feed the chihuahuas. When I finished all that business, I came back to the Guesthouse to start up the AC and the computer, then went out to check the mail. 

6:21 PM: Opened the mailbox and saw the proofs had come early.

I called John immediately and we both groaned over the fact that we could have shared the moment of opening it together. Couldn’t quite make it out (bad connection) but it sounds like he might drop by later to check it out. It’s lying right now, unopened, like an offering before my picture of Christ and my christening candle. I can wait. It is a moment I would like to share with someone. Altogether, a red-letter day.

S&A&K got home just as I was trying to remember the right switch for the outside light. They gave me a leftover corn dog. “I opened [the proofs] with a less than excited Kam - he was more interested, I think, in the new German phrase book we got him! … To see it in print makes it REAL, like it's gotten away from me out into the outside world, like Pinocchio running off from Geppetto.” Kelsey messaged me, thanking me for the Bible. Can’t get my computer port open again, so no movies just yet. Finally killed that yut-dang roach that’s been crawling around.

Started actually reading the book at 10:30 PM and got caught up in it; chortling and squealing as I went along until I looked up at 11:30 PM realizing that the book was a BOOK and seemed to have legs. Noticed, though, when they met Thunder Bob said he had no rocks, and then when they were looking for a sacrifice to Onari, he had some. Change them to nuts? Bed before midnight.

 

7/14/2019: Kelsey’s 24th birthday. Waking up at 3 AM, I didn’t feel I could go back to sleep, so am puttering around. Considering going back and starting a more systematic reading, but I’ll need to do it when I can read it at one sitting, I think, to get the entire effect. Look up exact pages: page 81 “I reached for my sling and cursed myself when I realized I didn’t have any more stones.”  Page 104 “… the contents of my pockets … two or three rocks …”

Left for church at 7:10 AM; rosary. After service walked [home]. Already pretty hot. Brought up the paper, went to the guest house, turned on the AC and flumped.

Spent much of the day giving AGODP a wide-angle reading, as it were, and an all at once reading, to look for any hiccups or inconsistencies, and found a few: most egregious an entire two pages somehow dropped! Sent notes to Kris Jerome that evening.

John called me at noon to set up a visit tomorrow; Andy came in at the same time to give me bananas.

 

7/15/2019: E-mail to John: “Typical Monday for me so far. Bringing Susan's packages in off the porch - 3 more cookie jars, with only one of them arriving broken this time (you might be surprised how often that happens), doing the wash (at least three trips in and out, and then folding of course), making the broccoli salad (takes about an hour altogether). Cleaning the cat box, getting my trash together, and so on. All the time thinking, thinking, thinking about the book and the consequences of being published, although I had already spent much of Sunday going over the proofs with both a microscopic and wide-angle lens. I append the list of errata I sent Kris Jerome on yesterday evening. 

“Every now and then I burst out with joyful chortling, although I also feel the compulsion to tamp it down and not really "feel good" until it's absolutely a done deal: book published, brisk sales, and the acclaim due to a mortal god. But then, my life has always been good at slapping down any hubris. But it also tends to slap down any well-earned rewards, as well. Ah, me. (Rueful grin.) I get the feeling I'm being watched somehow to see if I get to feelin' uppity.”

John had called me earlier to say he couldn’t make it today, as he was taking care of Alfred. 


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