4/13/2020: Up about 6:30 AM.
Wrote down dreams. Andy came over about 7:40 AM to talk about chicken salad;
the upshot is, the salad is still on. Salmon patties, couscous, and pea salad
for supper. Prayers, Bible rosary, ramen, leftovers, Grimm’s, Frankenstein, and
a little writing on KK [King Korm], AFYHM [A Friend You Haven’t Met]. So it
went. Cold near the evening.
4/14/2020: Up at 6:30 AM.
Prayers, Bible. Andy came in and said I should make ham and use regular
potatoes [instead of red potatoes?] for the cabbage for supper. Ramen (w/eggs,
bread) for breakfast, and just ramen for lunch. Wrote a good bit on AFYHM and
sent a batch to John. Pretty cool all day.
The new use of potatoes
worked very well; everyone agreed it was very tasty. I finished off the pea
salad and made cucumber salad. Other than making Kam bacon and eggs this
morning I hardly saw him at all. Susan says he is pouting because he missed a
few online sessions with school and church, and she fussed him. Kenny read more
Grimm’s and Frankenstein, but I hardly listened.
John’s e-mail: Wow! This [A
Friend You Haven’t Met] is getting really way out! Reminds me a bit of
Robertson Davies. Fun stuff! So, is Old Bob really Bob Bob? If you get my
meaning, sir. I returned to work today, where wearing masks is now required,
which is a good thing, I suppose - but made for a kind of surreal night.
Interesting that the virus has made its way into the tale. But it is hard
to ignore it, isn’t it? And if you are in a surreal fantasy story writing
business, then it is kind of an ideal natural stage management to have it
presiding over things. I kind of like that you have put the damn thing to work
for you- empowering, that! I like it!
4/15/2020: Wow. April
already halfway over. Got up at 7 AM to clear streaming sun but a chill in the
air. Prayers and Bible. Washed dishes then watched some Perry Mason, while
catching up diary and checking e-mail. Cramps in legs when I woke up.
Made ramen at 9 AM. It was
almost 11 AM when Kam asked me to make eggs and bacon. Ate leftover cabbage and
taters for lunch, along with ramen. For supper made chicken breasts, rice, and
broccoli. Rosary. Yen started reading “The Three Mulla-Mulgars” [aka “The Three
Royal Monkeys”] today and continued “Frankenstein”. The day was chilly but
sunny. No writing.
4/16/2020: Up about 4:30 AM.
Prayers, Bible, rosary. I’ve been wanting to record lately that perhaps the
occasional hypnagogic vision of people bending over my bed might be the flashes
of a primeval memory of people bending over my cradle. Played a lot of WWF
[Words With Friends] and made a blog post. Dressed, then laid down a while.
Kam called me at 8 AM. Got
up, translated a page of KK, and listened to some Perry Mason while I waited
for 9 AM to roll around. Finished up the cabbage and taters, then the broccoli
rice for breakfast. Had a couple of sandwiches for lunch. It’s warmer today,
and perhaps my full stomach (or just my inertia) also accounts for my afternoon
slow down. I had intended to work on AFYHM and maybe even some Chapter Four [of
Bob’s Book] today. Much time-wasting with watching gameplay of DG8. Well, it’s
almost 3 PM and time to husk the corn, I think.
First, I grassed the dogs
and fed them. As I started on the corn, Andy came home; the exterminator was
paying a visit. Andy caged the Rotts and the Chis were going nuts, but it was
over fairly quickly. Made chili, rotini, and corn. E-mailed John:
I have at least three
projects I should be working on. I could write on Chapter Four of Bob's Book; I
could finish the new story of "A Friend You Haven't Met"; or I can
finish 'translating' [into prose] the script parts of "King
Korm". I seem to only be able to work on one at a time, and to have
very little inclination to go back to Bob's Book at the moment. What I would
like to do is force myself to work on a page a day for each at least, and if
one catches fire again to just fly with that. The onset of warmer - but not hot
yet - weather seems to be making me sleepy. Anything I do get done happens in
the morning. The absence of the few "time markers" [during the
shutdown] that I used to have - sending Kam off to school, going to the store,
getting to church - has kind of set me adrift in the doldrums. Routine, such as
it was, helped me set a schedule. I write this mainly to chide myself, but
also to explain to you what goes. Perhaps (though it is by no means a
sure thing) it will help get me back on track. This is certainly a period when
you think the atmosphere of impending doom could act as a spur! (I must confess
that it was also a fishing line, a hint, a toe in the water, floating out the
idea that the pay might start up again. But how could I spend it?)
Yen read 3MM, then I went in
to clean up and make Kam some toast. Then listened to Yen finish Frankenstein,
with much breakup of connectivity. Now it’s 10 PM, and I’m thinking about
hitting the hay.
4/17/2020: Up after
struggling with sleep all night, like Jacob with the angel, not letting it
depart until it had blessed me. I don’t think my apnea will ever let me have a
good session ever again. If only they would invent that half-circle recliner I
envision! Got up about 7:30 AM from a dream; the coronavirus is now officially
in my head.
So. Out of ramen. At 9 AM made
a couple of sandwiches. At lunch made a batch of rice with school butter,
onions, and spices. A new experiment but quite delicious. Did a smidge of work
on KK, AFYHM, and BB2C4 [Bob’s Book 2 Chapter 4], but mainly watched the House
marathon and DQ8 [Dragon Quest 8] on YT (watched it at twice the speed; perhaps
that’s what inspired my dream on the 18th), and wasted too much time
on FB arguing that Starfleet had a military dimension, if only defensive. For
supper, started frying potatoes at about 3 PM (a lengthy process, given my
facilities in the house). We had fish, fried potatoes, and cucumber salad for
supper. Kam didn’t eat with us. There was an extra piece of fish in the bag,
too. Bible, prayers, and rosary kind of late today – I had done half my prayers
in the morning). Kenny wasn’t able to read tonight. Started watching “Hail,
Caesar!” on Netflix. Bed about 9 PM.
4/18/2020: Up at 6:30 AM.
Wrote down dream, said most of my prayers, and caught up my diary. The rest of
my prayers and Bible. Cooked up some rice with last night’s fried potato oil,
so have a lump of grease and starch for breakfast. Stitched up the pocket in my
shorts at last, so if I do nothing else today at least I’ve accomplished that.
Ready for a shower.
So, rest of the day: watched
playthrough of DQ8, had a couple of gross sausage patties for lunch, watched
more “Hail, Caesar!”, prayed a rosary, got leftover cucumber salad, chicken
salad, fried potatoes and boiled eggs for supper, sent Kris Jerome “Mighty
Mikku”, watched a new Duck Tales. Worked on all three of my projects a bit. And
now I have to go and make that last statement accurate. Okay, did that. I’m
full right now, but I’m jonesing for something sweet, or a drink other than
water, or a big ball of cheese. Even some of my “sun tea” would be great now.
My cupboard is bare, and I have no ticket for tonight’s lottery, even though I
have money. Just not sure if the store is open, or if I could get there with no
mask. Let it go.
4/19/2020: Up about 6:30 AM.
Prayers and Bible, and at 7 AM watched Mass on EWTN. Then I looked up our St.
James Mass on YouTube; apparently it premieres on Saturday afternoon, so must
remember that. Afterwards I did my usual computer scrounging (DQ8 and Breath of
the Wild), then laid down for a nap. Andy woke me up about 1 PM, bringing me
ramen soups; I had a couple for breakfast/lunch, then a couple at 4 PM. Anoles
and squirrels frisky about. I went out on the front porch about 4:30 PM and
said my rosary. The day had grown quite warm (almost 90 degrees) but the wind
was blowing and birds and butterflies flitting everywhere. A big pigeon came
and perched in the lavender tree for a long time. I went in and a little after
5 PM I took my first dip in the pool. Cold and pretty cloudy water just yet.
After a while Susan came out and told me Andy was going to mow. We talked a
while. My left leg looked almost necrotic. I went in, and at about 7 PM Andy
comes in and says there’s pizza. I go in and we eat, and I have a glass of Dr.
Pepper. I listen to Yen read 3MM and Hound of the Baskervilles. Afterwards (it
might be the caffeine) I found myself able the write 3 pages on AFYHM. Read to
the end of 3MM on the Kindle and now (12:20 AM) am ready to lay down a while.
4/20/20: Up a little before 8 AM. Short prayers. Went in at 9 AM, started my wash, made Kam bacon and eggs, then boiled eggs and chicken salad, then made my Monday ramen (which tends to have chicken juice, an egg, and bread in it). Changed loads by 10 AM, then again a little after 11 AM. Went in a little after 12, and started broccoli salad. Had the last two pieces of pizza. Wrote a couple of pages. John called and we talked a bit; some about his worries about work, some about him wanting to contact Kenny. A little after 4 PM let the dogs out, fed the pets (Ditto the cat is back, after an absence). Made fish rings and couscous. Went in before 8 PM to make Kam supper, clean up, and tell Susan that John is dropping stuff off after work. Cleaned up my files from background page and changed it to Trodain Castle [from DQ8]. Time for long prayers, Bible, and rosary. Today warm again, with lots of birds, squirrels, and lizards running around. Still wondering if I dare go to Texas Cooler to get a lottery ticket.
Notes
Well, they have made the sort of recliner I envisioned, I never did get back to BB2 (the Franklinstein chapter), and I haven't played Dragon Quest 8 for longer than I'd have imagined. The birds and beasts are starting to come back again: lots of cardinals, squirrels, and racing lizards. And at least Covid broke me of the habit of getting lottery tickets.
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