2020 Diary
3/9/2020: Woke up at 6 AM
and decided I was up. Prayed, Bible. Took a shower and got dressed. Grassed the
chis, then headed to church. Thanks to the time change it was dark and misty.
Put the paper in the mailbox to ensure its’ safety until I got back. Due to the
Lenten nature, early hour, and cautions about the coronavirus, things were a
little subdued. Came home, ate breakfast (ramen with bread and eggs), started
some wash (the sheets under the couch) and at noon started waiting for John,
who came at 1 PM. At first we sat and gabbed a while, then we went and got a
couple of sandwiches at Schlotzsky’s. Brought them home and ate them, and John
broached the idea of us doing a podcast sort of thing, perhaps on Tolkien as a
nominal subject but ranging around. I like the idea, largely because maybe we
could spend more time together. Almost on an impulse we went to Half-Price in
San Marcos. I looked around, but it seemed very sparse for my subjects; I
bought nothing, but at least I know now there was nothing to buy. John was able
to sell some of Morgandy’s books and found a few things. We came home, by
rather a long way as they are now building a bridge along John’s regular
shortcut. He dropped me off at about 6 PM and there was still plenty of
daylight. I released the Rotts and grassed the Chis. Had some Frooty Loops [a
knockoff brand] for supper; got to use up that milk. Still no word from Kelsey
& Ryan. Could not stand watching the animation line-up; instead more Like
Trees Walking (the Mike Nelson podcast), and then bed, or should I say
couch. Legs kind of wobbly from the long day. At least tomorrow I do not have
to do wash, get Kam off to school, or make broccoli salad. I do have to allow
for the pool man, rotate the dogs, mail Susan’s bill, and put out the bins.
3/9/2020: Up about 5:30 AM,
prayed, Bible, got dressed. Caught up Diary. Now have to wait until it gets
light enough to begin my stuff for the day; could write, I guess, and get a
start on that.
Went in at 7 AM, let the
Chis out and fed the pets, then lured the Rotts in and penned them up. Vader
was very good, but Kylo had to be lured in with her ball. Then I waited out on
the front porch for the mailman and maybe hand them the bill. At 9 AM I walked
out and checked the box in case I had been distracted and mixed it, and right
while I was at the box a mail truck passed by. Didn’t stop, so I decided that
was that and started to walk back. Then another truck passed, and finally
another that was OUR truck, and I was too far by then to catch him. So then I
decided to just walk out to city hall and send the bill, and so I did, and was
done with it. Came home and start to wait for the pool guy.
Watching DS9 [Deep Space 9],
and pool guy came about noon. Let the Rotts out and grassed the Chis. Started
brewing a stew with the leftover potatoes, wilting bell peppers, and some of
the meat the Hoffmans haven’t picked up yet. What’s going on there? A little
drippy, on and off, but not bad. Max Von Sydow has passed away at 90 years old.
For an e-mail to John: You
ask, “What good would it do?” and I finally think I have an answer: it wouldn’t
have to DO any good, it would BE a good. Like a work of art, or a flower, or an
act of kindness even if it really leads nowhere, it is a positive good in
itself. In other words, perhaps not utilitarian, but good. Also, 1) it would be
enjoyable, 2) it would allow us to spend more time together, 3) it might –
conceivably – amuse or enlighten a listener, 4) it could allow us to clarify
our minds and opinions, 5) it could make for good memories (you know how
difficult it is capture a conversation and here we’d have an actual recording),
6) it would be an act of creation, and so on and so on.
So I paced out my tasks
(cleaning out the pool, grassing dogs, taking the bins out, positioning the
Rotts for the night) along with my amusements (DS9, the YouTube shows) and I’m
pretty much set for the night. Still have the Rosary ahead. And I said it,
watched more DS9, and went to bed.
3/10/2020: I had most things
done by 9 AM, including prayers, Bible, pets, bins, and mail. Meals: cereal,
ramen, and sausage patties. John came by at 3 PM and we talked more about a
podcast (he liked my idea of the name “Dancing in Chains”). Kelsey came by at 5
PM on their way home and picked up the meat and some pistachios and dropped off
some paper for me and a couple of shirts for Susan. Said they’d be back in 2
weeks. Listened to more “Like Trees Walking”, the YT shows, and watched the end
of the DS9 saga. It was weird seeing it again. I watched it back in 1999, which
was an eventful year in itself. It strayed so much into fantasy territory with
the Pah-wraiths. No writing as yet; I may take a little nap here at 8 PM and
see what’s what.
Instead I prayed the rosary,
listened to some Like Trees Walking (hereon in LTW), and drifted off
about 10 PM, I guess.
3/11/2020: Woke up about
4:30 AM, wrote down dream, and now record this thought: Perhaps the one
unforgivable sin against the Holy Ghost is to refuse to be forgiven. It
comprises the pride that won’t acknowledge that you were wrong and the lack of
faith that God can forgive you.
Did the usual things during
the day, including a Novena for Saint Joseph. The weather was cloudy in the
morning, then partly cloudy and warm through the day. “Dusted” the leaves off
Susan’s car, along with my other chores. I wrote to John:
I haven't done much work this week so far, I'm
ashamed to confess. There are several reasons why, I think. One is the usual
trouble of getting the machinery moving. More than that there's 1) the sort of
added stress of being "the man on deck" here, which makes it hard to
relax; 2) because I have a fair store of food and money I lack that impetus to
try to create; 3) the constant interruption of having to tend to the pool, the
dogs, the mail and so on; 4) it's early days yet, so what's the rush; 5) I've
got the notes, so it's all scribbling; 6) I have a vision of how it should be,
which makes me afraid that my actual writing won't live up to it. [And the time
change has upset my inner clock so my delicate balance is haywire.]
The answers to which are:
I've got to prime the pump to get it started; 1) so what, utilize that
alertness; 2) that should give me more leisure to create; 3) I've written with
'rests' to do chores before, and it can help; 4) why not get an even further
hop on it, because who knows what next week will be like; 5) the notes should
make it easier to write; 6) it's a first draft, for corn's sake, you're allowed
to be imperfect. Also: John wants to see it; you find it hard to sleep
anyway, so why not use that time; you don't want to be slain by the coronavirus
and leave the story unfinished; when you finish ‘King Korm’ you can get back to
Bob and The BoS.
I don't think one of these
vacations goes by that I don't think of a story I think I read in a Second
Grade Reader: used to be rabbits had short ears. Then one day a young rabbit
was left all alone at home. He was a nervous type. He thought he heard a noise
at the front door and stretched an ear out to listen. Then he thought he heard
a noise at the back door, and he stretched out the other ear to listen. When
his mother got back, she found that he had been stretching his ears so long and
so hard in opposite directions, that they had grown as long as a donkey's. And
that's why all rabbits now have long ears.
He answered: I understand
your reasoning- both in avoidance of, and getting to, your work. I've
been doing a lot of fiddly things around the house- things that need doing, and
are good when they are done, but not vital. I have to confess that the
uncertainty of the world situation has me on a low boil of worry. I'm not
as afraid of the personal impact of the virus as I am all the societal
ramifications, both economic and political. A lot can happen - a lot has
happened- none of it good. And of course, I worry for all of you nutty loved
ones. Ah, me. I forgot to tell you, Amazon Prime video has "Mind Your
Language" on it- I've watched about half a dozen episodes- very evocative
of the time, complete with liberal, nice guy hero. Those quotes were great,
they are helping in the back-burner stewing of our mission. Must keep
stewing- eventually will have stew, God willing!
3/12/2020: So did all the
usual things today (all my prayers in the morning), as well as a trip to FD at
9:30 AM, where I got one jug of Big Red, some Pringles, some cheese doodles,
some chocolate graham cookies, and some Ritz crackers. Finished off the jug of
milk in the house. Watched the first episodes of DS9 on Netflix, and in the
evening wrote four pages of King Korm in script form, which broke my blockage.
A warm, sunny day, with oak leaves pattering down all the time. Now at 9:30 PM,
when everything is settled for the night, Vader is barking, just to mess things
up. Or is something going on? [No, it wasn’t.]
3/13/2020: Friday the 13th.
Decided NOT to ride the bus to HEB today. Instead, after morning prayers went
to Dollar General (with a side-jaunt to get a TX Lotto). Left at 8 AM and back
at 9 AM. I have so many snacks in my pantry that the thought entered my head
that if I died right now, people would have a very wrong idea of how my life
was lived. THIS IS A RARE SITUATION, only possible because of my $20 writing
payment from John and the $20 Susan gave me for emergencies. And since the week
is just about up and supplies are low, I feel justified in a bit of indulgence.
I certainly paid for it with weary legs, which are already smarting from the
extra miles the dogs and the leaves and the pool are putting on. Got almost 2
pages script written this morning, introducing the Watchman.
Breakfast at 11 AM (but
what?), then at 2 PM lunch (ramen), then at 6:30 PM fish sticks (it is Friday).
Listening to LTW much of the time today. Sheesh. I swept all the porches and
‘dusted’ the leaves off Susan’s vehicles, and 2 hours later they were covered
again. E-mailed John:
Yesterday I managed four
pages and today (so far) almost two, so my block is at least broken. I did it
by using the old trick of scripting, where I set the scenes, then focus on the
characters and what they are doing, reveal by dialogue, give stage descriptions
of tone and emotion. This shows me all the notes that have to be struck, which
can later be elaborated (but not too much) into prose. It kind of cuts the
Gordian Knot of "How do I tell this?" by simply showing. And it's
fun.
Still, what I have done has
not reached the end of the scene yet; when it does I shall probably send it on
to you and then begin the next scene (probably writing again in prose, but who
can say for sure), even before I work this scene into prose.
I'm still not sure if the
Shanafelt's are going to take that one more day before the parks shut down or
just head home. I wonder if they'd call ahead to tell me. I need to clean up
those cigar butts and wine bottles before they get back, but I'm too lazy to do
it before I really have to. It's sort of a dubious question, isn't it? On the
one hand they're already there, on the other it might be better if they left
now. And one has to wonder about Yen's livelihood and his situation.
I've been kind of poking my
own lungs and wondering. I did NOT go anywhere by mass transit today. And I may
not go to church on Sunday which, believe it or nay, I really enjoy. But it may
be my duty.
About 5 minutes after I sent
that I saw an announcement that Amy has passed along on FB that gathering at
church was suspended with a dispensation from the Bishop.
I think you might be
confusing the meanings of two different words, “dispense” and “dispensation”.
One means to manage without or get rid of. “Dispensation” means exemption from
a rule or usual requirement; or permission to be exempted from the laws or
observances of the Church. In this case it is the promise to gather and “do
this in remembrance of Me, until I come again.” This has been suspended for a
short period in time, in charity and reason, and Catholics are being dispensed
(another meaning of the word!) forgiveness for being temporarily unable to
fulfill this promise.
3/14/2020: Up at 6 AM, did
all my prayers and Bible, including Novena and Rosary. Went through the day as
usual; temperatures in the high 60’s. Sent off KK Mog section to John at 1 PM,
but here it is 9:30 PM and I hain’t heard a word out o’ him. Well, it is
Saturday, and Joseph Loth’s birthday to boot. When will the Shanafelts
reappear? I know not for sure but guess in the middle of the night. Did enjoy
the writing I got done. My right leg feels pretty bad. And that’s all I got to
say about today in this Journal of the Plague Year.
And they just rolled in at
9:35 PM, not 5 minutes after I wrote that and was ready to lay down!
Notes
Apparently I didn't put anything on for the 8th; it must have been a very ordinary day. While I did finish King Korm, I never did get back to Bob's Book 2.
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