2020 Diary: Time It Was

6/12/2020: Prayers, Bible at 5 AM. When I went out for my turns at 7 AM, was met by a fellow from the city who asked me about coming on to the property to trim branches around the power lines; I got Andy and he talked to him. Made Kameron biscuits for breakfast and finished off the chicken soup. I had done some BI but couldn’t keep it up and took a nap from 10 AM to about 11 AM, then didn’t really feel up to anymore. I had got to Bed-knob and Broomstick and felt overwhelmed about what to say. Instead I finished reading The Black Hole of Carcosa, which I had started a couple of days ago.

 About 2 PM started in on frying potatoes. An extra piece of fish in the bag at supper (it happens sometimes) and I ate that too. Rosary. In at 8 PM to clean up. Then finally finished the three books (B&B was one) that I had taken out hours earlier. Now almost 10:30 PM. I’ve felt a little blah all day; usually I’d say allergies or a summer cold, but nowadays one must wonder if it’s the plague. The hilarious farce of CHAZ, almost a bad parody of The Napoleon of Notting Hill or Night Watch. At 11 PM sent John this e-mail:

No sooner had I signed off about songs (only half in jest - but not about your song-writing ability) that I began thinking about where to place a song and why. I think a nice little montage about "Making Home" would cover their preparations at the cabin, leading up to the storm which wrecks their work. Then years ago, when I wrote an outline for the story as a movie, I wanted to make a bragging/boasting song sung by the gang, "The Simplest Job in the World", to tempt Daisy to join, at the same time revealing their rather shabby operation. The next place that I thought of for a song is "Singing Life into You", which would fit in naturally with Daisy as she leads Thunder along, and the Triple Theophany of Fireflies, Owl, and Bear could happen (in pantomime, as it were) as the song unreels, ending in the Valley of the A-ka-ten.

I keep thinking of telegraphic ways to summarize stuff, and a song is a good shortcut. Maybe - but I am not sure - Thunder's tale of the Deacon could be a song, with a little strophe when he heals Whitley echoed in Daisy's song, and the main theme repeated in action mode as they are chased. There would be just music of course - I imagine some sort of theme bridging Frobisher's prologue and Daisy's school -which episode wouldn't have to take up a lot of time - just them arriving and finding her fighting, and then setting off - another pantomime montage. Maybe stomping music while the ‘bigfoot’ carries them off blending into morning music as they arrive back at the cabin. But these are only collaborative suggestions; I want to see what you write (i.e. I want to have you do the heavy lifting).

 

6/13/2020: Up one minute before the alarm went off at 6:30 AM, then whipped myself into shape and off to TX Cooler to spend my last dollar on a lotto ticket. Home at 7:20 AM and wrote down a dream and some notes on ‘American Prometheus’, the first time I thought on it in months, then settled down to BI [Book Inventory], then took a brief nap. Went in a little after 12 to get those 6 bananas and had 3 for lunch. Kam brought me a few leftover fries later. 

Watched most of Phantom of the Paradise and bits of Caddyshack in the afternoon, then tucked back into BI. Had a ramen with two slices of bread at 5:30 PM. Finished off bananas. Thought I was done with BI but tucked into another shelf of kid books; stopped at 11:10 PM. It’s a compulsion, but a pleasure. And now I realize it’s time for the rosary.

 

6/14/2020: By dint of sheer willpower (though with many awakenings) I was able to ‘sleep’ until 8 AM. Then I got up, prayed, read the Bible, and went out for my turns, although my right leg is very tingly and my knee very sore. Is this because of my long walk yesterday, or what? Also, my right eye is aching. Eyestrain, or what? I must say I’ve felt WORSE since following doctor’s orders, but does this mean my body is fighting the lassitude I may have been sinking into, or that it’s actually GETTING worse?  Feh. Whatever. Came in and partook of the St. James YouTube communion. Took my medicine and started making breakfast, those old sausage patties that Kam brought home from school. I snagged them when I noticed the garage was open. Made them in the microwave. They tasted pretty good for once (I must have been very hungry). I imagine that is the last time I will eat them; Kameron is done with that program, I think. Worked in spurts on the BI; the thing is that even when I am not writing I am researching and thinking about what to say. I have been getting strangely vivid flashes of memory as I recall stuff associated with the books, both scenes and emotions in real life, almost like film unreeled on the back of my brain. It took me all day to finish a shelf of 44 books. Grabbed a ramen with egg and bread at lunch, and then when I went in to patch the spine of the old Kalevala book at the table. 

S&A gave me their leftover half of a Sonic burger from yesterday. Did my turns at 7 PM, finished the shelf at 10:30 PM or so, and rosary at 11 PM. Leg feeling better than it did this morning. Keep finding strange insights as I think about old books, how they influenced me, putting my finger on key events in my reading life. Ah well, time for bed.

 

6/15/2020: Up about 6 AM, prayers and Bible, starting Exodus today again. Starting in on the high shelves behind the TV so got up on the bed and with some pain brought the books down from the top left shelf (except for the encyclopedias). Now to get dressed and walk at 7 AM. A pretty typical Monday, with the wash, making soup, making broccoli salad, and so on. Only did a little work on BI. Wrote John:

“Well, I must say that after a month of medicine and exercise and cutting down on starches I feel ... worse than ever, especially in my legs. But perhaps it is the difference of a fish settling peacefully down into the mud to die and one fiercely struggling on the line to live. Today is the first time I've slowed down a little on the Inventory of Books, probably because I spent my juice this morning on working on SocSec paperwork (which is 'due' soon), and Monday is one of my busier days what with the wash and making broccoli salad (which is quite a production) and my garbage and so on. Slowed down, but not stopped; I've done a few entries, and the evening is young. I have done a few more notes on Chapter Four, which is more than I've worked on Bob's Book 2 in a month. I'm thinking a person could extract a lot of biography from the Inventory. I know I've made some surprising discoveries from examining what to write about various entries. I'm using a lot of the longer observations from Power of Babel when I can.

Kam came in at 9:30 PM to stay the night. I said my rosary then put on the Jack Frost Mystie [Mystery Science Theater 3000].

 

6/16/2020: Kam did not sleep all night. I was up at 6 AM, prayers and Bible. I took him back at 7 AM. Turns. In at 9 AM for breakfast. Did some BI. About 1 PM I turned my attention to the SocSec paperwork and realized that this copy was for my records and need not be sent in. Tremendous relief. BI. Went in and made supper of sausages potatoes and cabbage. Ate. Worked on BI and finished just at midnight. Now to pray rosary. My thumb has felt weird all day, like something is tugging on it; from hitting the space bar so much?

“I always ate too much at [the Grimm’s] get togethers. I remember one New Year at the Grimm's house making an experimental brew of root beer, marshmallows, pretzels, and other stuff in that old blue plastic glass, disliking it, and having to find a way of quietly disposing of it.”

 

6/17/2020: After getting to bed at 2 AM, I got up again at 6:30 AM, got dressed, prayed, Bible, took down half of the lower left-hand shelf of books over the TV, then went out and did turns. Came back in, shaved my skull, and took a shower. Got dressed again and now it’s 7:45 AM. Back to the BI for a while. The notion struck me that I can go in and put in pictures when I’m done. Went ahead and prayed my rosary and worked on BI. At 9 AM made Kam bacon and eggs; the only time I saw anyone today. Had ramen and eggs. At about 10:30 AM SocSec called me, and I went over a few things and they’re sending me a few more forms in the mail. Finished off soup at lunch. For supper made pork chops and sauerkraut, and lentils (ugh). Rounds at 7:30 PM. Finished half the shelf by 11:30 PM, and that was using a lot of Wikipedia and Amazon quotes; still, it took me quite a while. Put the books back up. Legs kept hurting all day. Ah, worry.

 

6/18/2020: Woke up 6:30 AM after a troubling dream and sat a while trying to analyze it, decided to put it out of my mind, and got up. Prayers and Bible and getting dressed, then took down books for the daily BI, started a new story, ‘Omichon’, and went out for turns. Saw a brindled cat and thought for a moment that it was Kiki, but it was too greyish. Came in and started writing again. Made Kam breakfast, and he came in and watched (Mysties) Puma Man and Overdrawn at the Memory Bank. I finished five pages of the story. Made supper: chili, corn, and rotini. Rosary about 10 PM. In all finished 5 pages of ‘Omichon’ and about another quarter of a shelf for BI.  Bed at midnight.

 

6/19/2020: Up about 7 AM after forcing myself down a couple of times. Prayers, Bible, and turns. Got to work on BI. Went in at 9 AM and made Kam a breakfast biscuit and some toast. Arranged for him to come in and watch Mysties with me when I had finished shelf. Got myself a ramen with eggs and bread. War of the Gargantuas on Comet Channel. 

Finished shelf a little before 11 AM, putting books back and posting on F[inder’s] K[eep], and was telling Kam he could come in when we both saw it was raining, so delays there. It’s now about 11:10 AM, and it looks like it’s clearing up. I think I’ll compose myself for a short nap, then see about ‘Omichon’.

It cleared up and he came in about 20 minutes later. We watched Space Mutiny, and I had a lunch of leftover chili. About 2 PM I started to get the fried potatoes under way; at 3:30 PM got the Chi[huahua]s into the guesthouse, prepared the room, then let the Rott[weiler]s in at 4 PM, in preparation for the exterminators. It started to sprinkle a bit just then. Andy arrived and let them in, while Kam helped me manage the Rotts and fry taters at the same time. I let the Rotts out a little after 5 PM, but not before the Chis (of all things!) had done some damage to the bathroom door in their nervousness. Then Kam dropped off to sleep. I finished the potatoes and went in to start the fish. Susan was home by then and told me about how Fred had mishandled a case of Covid-19 at work for the past two weeks. Sheesh. Took the Chis back in (oh yes, they had peed and pooed in the meantime in the guest house) and had supper. Rosary. Cleaned up kitchen about 7:30 PM and managed to shift Kam back to the big house. Did a bit more BI and hit the hay (not quite sure when; 10 PM?).

 

Notes

Right now, I’m going through a five-year review of my SSI; these diary entries remind me of that anxious time when I was applying. About my subsistence on ‘lashings and leavings,’ leftovers and staples like ramen and eggs, with the occasional treat supplied by my old ‘twenty pages’ agreement with John. Man, that got me through some hard times. Where is that ‘copy for my files’? I may have to dig that up again.

I never did get to the end of ‘American Prometheus’, that fourth chapter of Bob’s Book 2 that I came to jokingly refer to as ‘Franklinstein.’ Maybe finally getting SSI made me less desperate to produce, to get that $20 every two weeks. My production has certainly slowed down.

I was drawing ever closer to that moment when the Book Inventory jumped over into its own blog, Niche of Time, complete with pictures of the volumes. “Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land. So the little moments, humble though they be, make the mighty ages of eternity.”

Summertime is always a good time for cheesy movies, and Kameron and I really enjoyed getting together to watch Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Youtube. I would explain some of the more esoteric jokes to him and we would have a good chuckle over the wisecracks and shoddy effects. That has slowed down too, but he still rather wistfully proclaims that we should do that again some time, but he’s often taken up with online games with his cousin and sister. “But we’ll have a good time then, boy, you know we’ll have a good time then.”