12/19/2019: Up about 5:40 AM
and wrote down dream. Caught up diary. Face the goal of at least 7 pages today.
Prayers, catechism, and Bible. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on AMC; saw bits. At
9 AM made Kam eggs and bacon, and then my own ramen. Saw him off at 11:40 AM
and grassed the dogs. Susan brought Andy sick home at lunch and Kam came home
early (last day before Christmas vacation) and I grassed the dogs again. Ramen
and broccoli salad for lunch. Managed to write two more pages, then gave up.
Day nice and clear, and not so cold. About 4 PM I straightened up the back yard
some, then went in to feed the pets and grass the Chis, and Andy asked me to
uncover the plants on the porch and Nanny’s plant [what you might call a legacy
bush, transplanted from our grandmother’s years ago; the last big freeze
finally killed it, despite everything they tried]. Nanny’s plant put up quite a
fight, but I managed it. Went in and later Susan brought me a Monterey Melt
from Whataburger. Watched most of “The Fourth Wise Man”. I went to bed about 9
PM.
12/20/2019: Up about 5:30
AM, wrote down dream and caught up diary. At 6:30 AM began prayers, catechism,
and Bible. Writing in the morning is the way to go, thinks I.
"One can't help saying with the Russian
philosopher - 'How is one to know what one doesn't know?' " --Ivan
Turgenev, The Diary of a Superfluous Man.
Went in at 9 AM and
confirmed that Kam was going to school again, but for short hours. Peeled him
an apple, got my ramen, and went out. Finished up my pages (slightly over 21,
as it turned out). Got Kam off to school (weather grey, cool, and with a drop
or two in the air), then came in, finished out a paragraph, and sent it off to
John at 11 AM, 2 hours earlier than I promised. So that’s that for a while. Kam
said he’s bringing back food project food later. I need to decide if I should go to DG today or
tomorrow or have John take me to HEB and catch the bus back. All’s I know is
that I want me some eggnog.
S&A came home for lunch
(unusual for a Friday) and Kameron called me when he got near home. So they
were here when I struggled outside (with a towel for mud and my trash to take
out and an umbrella in hand (which I knocked down a ton of swords and canes in
the closet to get). By the time I was outside Kam was already halfway down the
driveway. I took the heavy basket and he brought in the tin of popcorn. After
we got the food put away, they left, and I went back to the guest house. Later
about 2 PM I went in for a couple of apples, an orange, and a grapefruit. It
just struck 3 PM and I’ve been waiting 2 hours for John to get back to me about
the writing; I hope he didn’t think I meant 1 PM when I meant 1 AM as the time
I’d have the writing sent in by. I went out to the porch at about 3:20 PM on
the off-chance, and while there one of those spam calls happened. While looking
to delete it, I noticed a voicemail. John had called me and the stupid phone
had gone to voicemail, even after I had waited all afternoon for this very
call. Not three minutes later John drives up. He gives me the $20 cash, and a
$25 Walmart card as a bonus, then we start talking. Mostly about reading and
writing. He’s reading The Archipelago Gulag and enjoying
it quite a bit. I tell him I am reading ‘Taras Bulba’ and Turgenev’s short
stories, and Proust on and off. Finally, he has to get to work; he’ll be off next
week, except Thursday. I go in to feed the animals and grass the Chis, then I
go in with the leftover cabbage.
I find I can’t face the cold
cabbage while I have any alternatives, so I eat the citrus fruit and candy corn
while I can. Later I pick the potatoes and mushrooms out of the cabbage and eat
them. I spend the evening flipping between Christmas specials and South Park
and TMC movies. The Shanafelts left in the evening to watch the newest Star
Wars movie – good Lord, I had to go back and look up the title, “Rise of
Skywalker”, even though it has been plastered everywhere for the past 2
months; it’s such a non-event to me. Rosary at 9 PM. I hit the hay about 10 PM.
12/21/2019: Woke up a little
after 3 AM and found this from John: Wow! That was delightful! Fun,
fascinating- I haven't a clue where the plot is going, but I'm certainly hooked
into it. Philo is a cool and unique little character. The various
reactions are coloring in your characters nicely as well. I love that rather
than the horror of the supernatural, or the diabolic, the newbies are
encountering the mysterious and odd, (although for all I know it can go in a
different direction from here) , it is an aspect of phenomenological study that
is fascinating and unnerving at the same time. I can see why you had a lot of
fun with this. Very well done, my boy! By the way- was it Thomas Hardy you were
trying to summon earlier? His name popped into my head a little while ago.
I replied: As for where the
plot is going - not for this chapter, but for the book in general - keep your
eyes on that cat!😉 Mr.
Wheeler (I may speak of him, since he is gone from the narrative) is loosely
based - at least his head is - on Andrew Klavan. And the author who I was
trying to think of, and who popped into my head just as I was reading your
e-mail, was Anthony Trollope, the studious and somewhat stodgy, important, less-colorful-and-thus-less-appealing
than Dickens to modern audiences ... in short, the Gooper [elder brother in Cat
on a Hot Tin Roof] of the Victorian authors. No wonder I couldn't recall
him right away, even though I've enjoyed what I've read of his. But I don't
feel compelled to read much of his vast body of works, though I have many
waiting in the Kindle wings.
So I sat down and caught up
my diary, put these e-mails in, and ponder whether I should lay down again, or
get the day started. I want to be at DG when it opens at 8 AM.
I went ahead and laid down,
slept till about 7 AM, got up, prayed, catechism, Bible, then headed out about
7:50 AM. Went in got stuff at DG, $11 worth; returned and ate a bunch of egg
nog rolls and some Tortillas with salsa verde, and a tube of Pringles. House
is on. Should I go to FD to get some Big Red? 10 AM right now.
Watched House until 1
PM. In the meantime, Kelsey called, and so I found everyone was headed out to
the Shanafelt Family Christmas party down the street; later I found out they
were using the front yard as a parking lot. I laid down and napped until about
3:45 PM, then I walked over to FD and got a couple of jugs of Big Red, and two
more tubes of Pringles. Clicking between Harry Potter and The Simpson’s; a kind
of a deserted day, when you know that everybody else (probably including KT and
KS&RH) are off partying and haven’t even stuck their head in to say hello
yet. It’s 5 PM, and I hear them coming home.
Rosary about 6 PM. Star Wars
everywhere on TV and YT. Flipping from “Revenge of the Sith” to
Simpsons. Had ramen about 8 PM, jazzed up with salsa verde and tortillas. What
I’m really craving is meat and cheese. Now about 9:30 PM and considering
hitting the hay soon, if the jug of Big Red I’ve consumed will let me sleep.
No-one at all has come out to even say hello, but then, why would they? Nice
attitude, Shleprock [the depressive character from The Pebbles and Bam-Bam
Show]. 10:30 PM made new playlist:
On the March.
12/22/2019: Up at 1 AM and
decided that while I was awake to go ahead and say my prayers, read the
catechism, and then the Bible. Took a shower, and now it’s almost 2 AM. Will
try in a bit to get more sleep.
Finally got to sleep about 3
AM, after worrying about church schedule for about an hour and not finding the
answer anywhere. Drat my sieve-like memory. Awake at 6:30 AM, and got dressed,
determined to abide the adventure and go as usual. Got dressed and ready to
leave at 7 AM.
Glad I went ahead and went,
because it was church as usual. And I actually had two dollars for the
collection. A nice sermon on St. Joseph. Home a little after 9 AM, and made
some more salsa tortilla ramen for breakfast, and watched several Simpsons. Now
11 AM. Andy came out and got me and I helped Susan make the holiday shopping
list. Hurray! Finally saw Kelsey.
Ben Shapiro’s cousin played
“Matilda”!
I only realized a couple of
days ago that the “Teens” of the 21st century would soon be over.
That means one-tenth of a hundred years ended. It’s gone by so fast! In other years
ending with ‘9’ I would have been thinking about it on and off all year; this
time, what does the calendar really mean to me? [ I remember in 1979 I filled a
little purple bottle with ‘Seventies Air’; that lasted about 3 days before I
opened it again] Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’, into the future.
Kept thinking all day I
might get a visit from Kelsey, or at least they’d bring me some leftovers, but
no dice. I did get to sew up Susan’s Christmas shirt at 10:30 PM, though. I
don’t know if it was my hands or the wonkiness of the hole (I could use a table
and a strong light over it, but the kitchen table is covered with cookie jars
[Susan’s hobby]) but the stitching wasn’t my best. I vacillate: tomorrow walk to Walmart and
catch the bus home or rely on a ride? Or just do nothing? Did a little bit of
writing, on my school memoir and a sci-fi tale. Watched the new FXX version of
“A Christmas Carol”. They managed to turn Mrs. Cratchit into a mystical
mumbo-jumbo mama and eliminate any boring old ideas about redemption out of the
story. Lots of swearing and a little nudity. What would poor Charlie think?
12/23/2019: Dear Father in
Heaven, here, at Christmas, we think of Jesus, the new life that is
continuously being born in our hearts in the Bethlehem of this world, through
which we pass for only a short time. Here we pause with angels and animals,
wise men and simple folk, and most of all with family, to marvel over the
greatest gift and mightiest work we could ever receive: Himself, and in Him,
You. May we not pack Him away with the ornaments for another year or throw Him
unheeded onto the pile of our possessions, but always hold Him dear and enjoy
Him every day of our lives, and at last join with You in the joyous family
gathering and eternal glad morning that is Heaven. Amen.
--composed right after I
woke up and finished at 7:11 AM. Then said prayers, read catechism, and Bible.
Now 7:41 AM. Ate apples and the last of the coconut macaroons.
Went in at 9AM and started
my wash and grabbed some ramen. “The Maltese Falcon” on at 10 AM; at
about 10:20 AM Kelsey knocked on the door and asked me to watch the Chis whom
she had let out in the backyard. She was heading home. The Chis escaped to the
front yard and I followed and was able to say goodbye to Kelsey again, then put
my wash in the dryer and peeled Kam an apple. Listened to GGACP.
The rest of the day – well,
folded my wash, dipped in and out of the Simpsons Marathon, had cheese
tortillas for lunch. At 4 PM grassed the dogs and fed the pets; made salmon
rings, couscous, and riced cauliflower for supper. I had my cauliflower and couscous
with ramen. Rosary at 7 PM; made Kam
supper. Watched some of “The Shop Around the Corner.” Read more
Turgenev. Bed about 10 PM.
12/24/2019: Christmas Eve.
Up about 6 AM. Prayers, catechism, and Bible. Watched “The Boy Who Became Santa
Claus”. Went in at 9 AM and started
boiling eggs. Then started putting the pea salad together. Finished that at 10
AM and began making the deviled eggs. Finished that at 11 AM. Cleaned up, came
in and finished eating breakfast. At 1 PM I plan to make the cheesecake, and
that’s all the prep I need for today.
So, I went ahead and started
the cheesecakes a little after 12 Noon and finished (with washing up and taking
out the recyclables) at 1 PM. Now nothing between me and Christmas Vigil Mass
at 4 PM but getting dressed and walking over there. Must remember to fast.
I got dressed and left at 3
PM and got home at 5:30 PM. It was quite a nice service, including a pageant by
the children. On my walk home talked to a nice couple going into St. Andrews.
On coming home K&RT’s dogs are here, so I guess they are too.
I felt good over the
evening, and over the time I set up a few of the Christmas action figures to
make things look seasonal. Bed fairly early, after a rosary.
12/25/2019: Christmas day.
Up about 6 AM, got dressed, prayers, catechism, and Bible. Went in at 7 AM and
started making Christmas breakfast: bacon, pancakes, and fried eggs. “Otto, the
Ugliest Christmas Egg [there’s always one left to the end].” Kelsey and Ryan
came about 8 AM, then we all gathered for breakfast (including Kaitlyn and her
Ryan). Cracked one of my back tooth-stumps on a bit of hard bacon and it nagged
all day, but not insuperably so. Then we gathered in the living room for
presents. $100 dollars for me, and a new
coat with a hood (just what I’ve been needing for years). We all lolled around
watching Christmas movies. RH had to leave a little early, and Kelsey later.
Then at about noon I started making the ham, boiling the bone for gravy (which
made some of the best gravy for years, I think), preparing the rolls, and later
(I had forgotten) opening a can of cranberry sauce. We ate at about 2 PM, then
sat outside with the dogs a while, watched more movies (The Grinch – Jim
Carey edition), and then cheesecake. Kaitlyn and Ryan packed up and headed out
by 4:30 PM. It is almost 5 PM, and I’m ready to lay down for a bit.
Kenny called about 6:30 PM
and he and his family wished me a Merry Christmas. They were having a
“Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra” Christmas supper after he finished worked today. I asked him
if he’d read my new chapters, and he said he and Isabel were reading them
together. When I went in to pass along his greetings to S&A, they had just
finished trying to eat more supper, but were still too full. I myself was still
feeling full, but I agreed to finish off what they couldn’t, and it was a nice
little “filling up of corners” as the hobbits say. Came in and finished reading
“Taras Bulba” then said the Rosary at 8 PM. Then I tried to sleep but
kept waking up (a jug of Big Red will do that) and at last I woke about 11:50
PM and caught the diary up. What will tomorrow look like? Well, some yummy
leftovers and Kam asked for bacon and eggs.
I found Taras Bulba
to be rather horrible, with the nominally Orthodox Cassock protagonists filled
with a rather pagan vigor, stealing and subsisting on the work of the Catholic
Poles and the Jewish people while despising them both. While the punishments
the Poles meted out to the Cossacks were brutal, you can understand why, when
you read about how this pirate band raids and pillages on the flimsiest of
pretenses. Of course, this is Gogol's fictional account.
Sheesh. I just took a minute
to write down a dream and then spent 2 hours proof-reading the 2019 Dream
Journal. Now almost 2:30 AM.
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