2019 Diary: In the Gentle Wake of Publication

 

8/15/2019: Up about 4:30 AM and couldn't sleep. Caught up diary. Starting planning the morning; today is the Assumption of Mary, a holy day of obligation, so church this morning. Hope my leg holds out. I shouldn't have stressed things so much during birthday week. Devotions, did a catch-up rosary, and left at 7 AM.

Got to church, and found out that today was the first day of school for St. James, so lots of kids in the front pews. Fr. Greg came over and congratulated me on my book before services started! I was so surprised I didn't know what to say, just mumbled something about "That's how it goes." What was that? Mike Stewart gave me a ride home afterwards. No books today. [I was expecting my author’s copies.] About 2 PM I let the Ranft service guy into the garage for the washer, grassed the dogs, and sewed up Kam's beanbag. No call ever came through about E-mail from John: It's nice to have a larger family of friends, isn't it? I'm sure you are a bigger local celebrity than you even suspect! People hereabouts are aware of Babels somehow, through various means, not solely on account of Kenny, but I would suspect primarily so, and you're "out there" now!

The millipede infestation continues, with me cleaning up about 100 from the side of the bed and on the bins under the AC. At least the Bengal spray seems to be killing them.

 

8/16/2019: Well, that's half of August gone already. What I really need to do is hang out a while with my psychiatrist John and talk about life for an unhurried session.

No books, no calls about Bible study. Went through a long search for a quote (I think by Robertson Davies) about 'how few people realize what a struggle and an accomplishment it is to be even third rate'. For one of the few times in my life I've felt the attraction to drink or some other kind of mind relaxer, but I know I won't. Too afraid to relax, too afraid that I have an addictive streak.

Finally remembered to watch "Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus" as it had finally come out today; I think they said almost 14 years to the day after the last episode. It was good, full of satisfying character arcs and a lot of the funny dramatic pointlessness of the old show. It would be a satisfying ending, with the smug, hedonistic Almighty Tallest trapped in a flaming dimension by their own thoughtlessness and Dib at a good place with his family and the oblivious Zim happy in his gormless efforts.

 

8/17/2019: The Millipede Invasion continues, but as they are perishing after they pass the Bengal Interdict Zone I'm not too worried. But it is a chore cleaning up their smelly little corpses. I think they get in by the AC window, where the water condensation lures them. [They were getting in by the air conditioner window, whose panes had been loosened by the last freeze.]

Devotions, then got dressed and headed out at 7:40 AM, which, after I bought a TX Lotto, got me to Dollar General almost exactly at 8 AM. Got some supplies and 1 autumnal potholder [which I only lately had to throw away]. Got home right arm quaking from carrying stuff. Watched the beginning of 'The Master of Ballantrae' (Errol Flynn). 'Tis now 10 AM, and me mind wanders to a nap on a full belly.

Didn't take a nap. Went outside to check the porch for deliveries, went to the back yard to straighten up, Vader barked, so went back to front porch and finally found my author's copies! Immediately inscribed one for S&A and took it in to them; they were very pleased. We talked a while and then they had to leave. Came back out and over the course of the afternoon searched for this quote:

 “Ah, critics! How unforgiving they are toward anything that isn't, in some special way, known only to them, absolutely first-rate. Do they ever guess, I wonder, how much energy and guts and sheer talent it takes to be second-rate?”

― Robertson Davies, Murther and Walking Spirits

Susan gave me a bunch of paper she was cleaning out of her cabinets and I can never resist blank paper. Also she gave me my new TX ID that arrived in the mail today. Spent the evening making a "Writer's Round Table" file of quotes I think I need to be reminded of. It's now 8:40 PM and Vader is barking at the blabbering neighbors over the stream. When tomorrow comes, what will it bring?

 

8/18/2019: How August is running along! Up about 4 AM and knew I was awake. washed my few dishes, swept, de-millipeded the house, moved and swept under the couch, and folded my dirty laundry so it could fit in the hamper more easily. At 5 AM ready for a shower.

Showered, dressed, devotions. Now a little after 6 AM. Left at 7 AM. After mass I saw in the church bulletin that Fr. Dennis congratulated me on my book; another bit for my scrapbook!

At 3 PM Kameron called me to get him an apple. Now it's 4 PM and I'm feeling bored and a little blue. I can't wait for fall. Dipping in and out of "My Fair Lady". Andy brought me 4 bottles of Diet Big Red and when I offered to pay and he said nay, and also gave me a plate of chalupas (I know it's from Susan, too). Now it's 5 PM. Later Susan brought me some Whataburger fries. After I napped for a few hours, woke up and couldn't get to sleep again until I found and put on Brian Blessed's Absolute Pandemonium on Youtube. I often think that if it weren't possible to be Bryan Babel, I would like to Brian Blessed. He's absolutely mad, but it's such a genial madness that I'm convinced that once he meets God that the two will like each other so much that Brian will immediately see where he'd got it wrong, God would forgive him, and that he'll go right through the Gates.

 

9/19/2019: Up at last at 7 AM. Got dressed and preparing for the day to start. Now that I've got my copies I'm planning how to donate one to the library, so that means at least a phone call. Lots of laundry to do today. I've been thinking of a frame from "The Gilded Bat" by Edward Gorey, about a ballet prima donna's career, all glitter and costume, but the drawing of her quietly sewing alone behind the scenes with the caption "Her life continued to be rather lonely."

"That's a very important ingredient in professional life, though; I think you have to NEED it as well as WANT it." -Brian Blessed, "Absolute Pandemonium".

A little restless today. Tried calling the library lady about donating a copy of my book and waited all day for an answer. I must confess my call was a little wandering and weak, but even so. Still, with catching up on 2 weeks of laundry, listening to Brian Blessed and catching up on today's political podcasts (which seem like a combo of dull and alarming; culture wars) and GGACP, there was more than enough to engage me, if not to complete distraction. Devotions in the morning and rosary at 10 PM. In the early hours (say 7 to 9) the weather was almost fallish, but soon beat back pretty bad. Fairly early in the morning picked up my blog after an absence of 2 weeks or so; just images [and so that blog (Power of Babel) has pretty much remained to this day]. Went to bed with Brian Blessed talking genially in my ear.

 

8/20/2019: Woke up about 5 AM with unrecoverable dreams running through my head, but while I was thinking came into an insight for Herbert Rank in BB2. Wrote it down, caught up my diary, and now it's 5:47 AM.

Spent much of the day listening to the second part of "Absolute Pandemonium", then Stephen Fry's "More Fool Me".

In the evening got an e-mail about an interview with an Oregon newspaper about Kris Jerome and his company:

Bryan,

I'm a reporter with the East Oregonian in Pendleton, Oregon. I'm doing a story on Kris Jerome and I wanted to talk to some other Dark Tidings Press authors to get a better sense of what it's like to work with Kris and the company. Would you have time for a quick phone interview on Wednesday or Thursday? My schedule is pretty flexible, so let me know what works best for you and we can go from there.

Thanks,

Antonio Sierra

East Oregonian

My reply: I would be happy to share my experience with Kris and Dark Tidings Press; it has been nothing but enjoyable. Wednesday at 11 AM (local time; would that be 9 AM in Oregon? Is that too early?) would be fine with me but let me know if you would like it later. I shall be standing by. It's (830) 3**-7***.

When I went in to wash up at 7:30 PM Susan was reading my book while Andy and Kam were playing video games. Susan had a few notes for me and may very well have a few more later. As I told John, "Susan is reading her copy of AGODP and to my delight is questioning several words and details; this shows that she is actually paying attention to it!"

It's now almost 10 PM, and I am resisting opening my last jug of Big Red, and thinking about the new 'junk shop' that is going to open next to Family Dollar. Well, it's not a junk shop but one of those resale-craft-secondhand stores, which might prove interesting [A-a-nd now it’s closed].

 

8/21/2019: Up at about 6 AM for sure. Got dressed, did the short form of prayers (In the Name, Lord's prayer, and Glory Be), then headed out at 6:50 AM. Joked with the clerks at store about buying Lotto tickets ("7000th times the charm!") then to home, to meet Andy on his way to get paper from the end of yard. Ginger tried to follow me into the back yard. Finished out my prayers and read catechism. Picked up Stephen Fry again, wrote out notes for interview as a guideline.

So 11 AM rolled around (9 AM in Oregon) and the interviewer called; I read my prepared statement, and then he asked me a few questions. Personal questions (not deeply personal), but unconnected with my interactions with Kris, so threw me for a bit of a loop. I don't like to lie, but surely I can SPIN, can't I? Confessed my fast-food past; should have mentioned my college years. Oh well. Now 12:03 PM, and I've finished Stephen Fry.

I have some furtively nasty bits in my mind. Every time I hear about the death of some celebrity I don't like or never heard of, I have the sneaky thought (if he's old) that at least I've outlasted the bastard, or (if he's young) that for all his youth and success, I'm still alive and he's not. Apallingly small-minded.

At 6:30 PM got call from Library Lady who talked about my book donation.

Went in at 8 PM and cleaned up, then Susan and Andy got home from their walk. Talked about me helping get Kam off on the bus to school tomorrow. I will go in at 10 tomorrow to walk him down to the end of the driveway, and then wait at 4:20 to welcome him back. Susan had finished reading the book and showed me several places where it needed correction and clarification.

E-mailed John: Susan finished reading the book and she liked it! Also her eagle-eyes picked out a few more errata that need correcting. Now she wants to leave a review, but, as she puts it, she always left her writing assignments to Mike or me, so could I write a review for her to place? What she really liked about it was the same thing Donna said, its readability that makes one go on from chapter to chapter to find out what's next.

Don't groan, but could you please write a review that I can pass on to her? Not only will it feel less duplicitous to me, but I also honestly think I'm too close to it to know what to say. I mean I know it's good, but I am still too book-blind, too partial and yet at the same time too aware of some weaknesses to assess it correctly. I know in some ways you're almost as close, but I think you have better insight than I.

Has Amy read it yet, and if so, what does SHE say? I've been trying to figure out an easy way to describe it, something like 'Little House on the Prairie meets Hellboy'.

 

I now think "Little House on the Prairie" meets "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is better. Rosary at 10 PM.

 

8/22/2019: Woke up and lolling about in bed thinking about corrections to AGODP and came up with the last paragraph for BB2. Wrote it down and forced to "shut down for updates". Morning devotions, then turned computer back on. Continued to listen to Carrie Fisher's "Wishful Drinking". E-mailed John my notes.

I saw that today was Morgandy's first day at regular school. Today was also Kam's first day at those supplementary life skills classes. I went in at 9 AM to peel him an apple, then waited around with him as he got ready and so on. He was rather obsessively chattering on about Spongebob the whole time; probably channeling nervousness. I went out to wait with him for the bus (supposed to arrive at 10:30); we went out a bit earlier(10:15) to be sure he caught it, and it was almost 11 before it got there. Me. Standing. In the heat. On an incline. With Kameron constantly worrying about wasps (of which I never saw a one); possibly deflecting his anxiety. Ah, me. At least it won't be me going out every day, just these first ones to oversee the process and make sure "first day bumps" are overcome. The bus driver said they were delayed by unexpected construction. When Kameron came home, though, he seemed to have had a pretty good first day; it seemed to have been mostly introductory and procedural.

Got a FB messenger message from Kris Jerome that he is excited about the sequel [alas, still incomplete!].

Kameron came in a little before 8; S&A had gone to get him stuff for school. When I took him back in at about 8:30 it was raining; fairly well, fairly long, enough to lay the dust. We discussed when I should go out with Kam tomorrow, and if there can be a seat put under the tree that wouldn't just be stolen. I'm to go out at 10 AM tomorrow. Put music on to get to sleep; the first time in a few days.

 

8/23/2019: Up about 6 PM, left arm numb from laying on it. Up and dressed, washed dishes, caught up diary. It should be 'breathy' after the rain, the sun-withered lawns smelling like straw; I can sniff it even from just a glance out the door. Has the season taken a little turn? A little show about Miyazaki at the period of making 'The Wind Rises'. Went in at 9 AM, peeled Kam's apple, then more or less kept him company till he caught the bus; copied Susan's notes on AGODP. Waited for Kameron at 4:15 PM. John stayed home from work because of his gout.

 

8/24/2019. Cloudy but warm day. Leg panging and twinging. Let out chihuahuas at 12:30 PM. Saturdays are always my loneliest days because everyone is always doing their own thing. Wondering what Mike would think about my literary endeavors. Keep hoping someone will take me to dinner in celebration or something. Blah. Guess I'll have to wait to see if I ever get any money and then take them out. I feel like I should be happier.

To John at 3:30 PM: My right leg is giving me kind of harsh twinges and alarming numbness too (sorry, more Babellian "You've got troubles? I'VE got troubles!"). Don't know if it's related to changing weather or because I've been walking a little more than usual.

I know what you mean about Kris Jerome. Our conversation over Messenger on Facebook could probably be put on two pages, but I know more about him from what he posts; I've even friended his wife on Facebook just yesterday.

We need to get together soon so we can review this whole phenomenon together. It's ... complicated, and not what I might have expected if I had ever really thought about expecting something. Not bad, definitely not bad, but not positively, rapturously good just yet (though there's no reason I should have expected champagne and roses at this point).