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What the hell happened to Day Forty.

I wrote it. I posted it. It was about feeling like I was a marooned sailor on a desert island. I remember because I couldn’t figure out if it was desert or dessert. And I was too proud to look it up –until I did.

It makes me sad that it’s gone.

I’m not sure I want to do this anymore, now.

I really like sandwiches. I like other kinds of food as well. But sandwiches never disappoint. I like it when people other food on a sandwich. Chicken-Parm sandwich –better than chicken-parm. Chicken Salad sandwich –better than chicken salad. It works with non chicken foods too. Salmon burger –better than salmon. I like mine with green onion and spicy mayonnaise. Plus sandwiches are inclusive. Other people get caught up in semantics. Is a hotdog a sandwich? Yes. So is pizza. It’s just an open face sandwich. Is a burrito a sandwich? Heck yeah. Welcome to the party tasty burrito. If you’ve got a bread like product that keeps your hands mostly clean and encasing some kind of filling with a sauce you’ve got a sandwich. Pie, you ask? Depends. Hand pies yes. Traditional pies, no. Tacos? Soft yes. Hard no. Have I ever figured out to put soup on a sandwich. Not yet, but rice noodles are in. Favorite sandwich? Shrimp po’boy. Ketchup but no tomatoes. Most often eaten sandwich? PB&J –strawberry J. Most often eaten sandwich not made by me? Turkey and cheese. I like Blimpie, Jimmy Johns, Firehouse, and Jersey Mikes. Chiba Hut is good too, but I’m not into their weed theme. It’s been said that the sandwich was invented by the fourteenth Earl of sandwich to help keep his hands clean while he was playing cards. There is a very similar story from Japan about the invention of sushi. The major difference being the gambling Daimyo in question did not name his invention after himself. For my money the inventor of the sandwich is a jewish guy named Hillel. He told people to put haroset (apples and dried fruit soaked in wine) and bitter herbs (traditionally horseradish) be two pieces of Matzo (unleavened bread) and get after it. He wrote down the recipe before the birth of Christ. So I think he wins.

There is a crystal blue sky today. The birds are singing in my back yard. My puppy dog is cuddled up next to me. And I’m getting ready to visit Brix. Feeling pretty good right now.

I was supposed to go to a meeting this afternoon; it got postponed for at least two weeks. Is there anything better in life than a canceled meeting –or at the very least is there anything better that doesn’t involve nudity, emotional connections, and human contact. I feel like I have so much found time. I’m going to get have dinner with my family. Sure I had dinner with them last night and the night before, but I’m going to get to do it tonight too. I wasn’t before, I am now. And that’s awesome. I may even bake cookies to celebrate.

So that’s me today, feeling good and ready to write hard.

I was without internet this morning, so I’m latter today than normal.

It was a good teaching day. I fed young minds the seeds of knowledge and then guided them through the intricacies of the day. Or I lectured longly and boringly to a captive audience that couldn’t give a shit about anything I said. Hard to tell. Either way, I did what I did with energy and an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.

It was a good day.

It’s still hot here, which is annoying. Here is Baton Rouge, by the way. October should not be hot, but it was hot and humid today. Over ninety percent humidity today. Muggy. I dream of living in other places. Cooler places –literally cooler. October should be in the seventies at the most. And nights should get cold. Not freezing, freezing is for January. But cold. I want to wear my baja. And I want to have a whole set of bajas to choose from. If it were cool enough I could justify the cost.

The hi today in Ball Ground was 74. It will only get down to the mid sixties tonight. We’ll be lucky if the low over here dips below eighty. Blagh.

I love a Monday.

Started early this morning with a early Dr. appointment. Settling in for some creative work right now. Got some record keeping to do later. Hoping to work out after that and then make dinner for my family after that.

I should be a great day. I enjoy everyone of those things for different reasons.

I really like the life I have set up for myself. It’s weird I’m not happier.

Everyone is feeling better.

It’s been more than twenty four hours since a heartbeat in this house, there are ten heartbeats in this house –five human, five animal –like I was saying it’s been more than twenty four hours since a heartbeat in this house has thrown up or had liquid poo. After seventy two hours of that not being true, it’s a nice change. The hardest part of the whole affair was managing the smell.

This house was built in 1963. We moved in for financial reasons. And it was a mistake. Not a financial mistake, but we should have chose a better property. Wife and I have three children and we had them close together. So this academic year, 25-26 we have three children in college. And that’s sucks up a large chunk of our disposable income. To lighten the load we moved back in with our kids for this year.

I made all kinds of financial sense, but I really like having them around. It feels like extra time with my favorite people. Other people ask me if it’s tough or hard. If I want to give them curfews and make them do the dishes. I is not tough or hard at all. I like my kids. I like that they are adults. I have no problem treating them like the best roommates I’ve ever had. And they are. Except for maybe Rick, but he’s in Baltimore now.

Anyway, I love my family. I don’t mind being unable to afford separate living spaces for them this year. Silver linings. And everyone is health today.

Off to grade a whole crap load of papers.

Up early this morning taking care of a sick dog.

She has an upset tummy, but is fighting through it like a champ. Walkers? Still barked at. Squirrels? Still chased. Little brother dog? Still bullied. It’s just today there is throw up between the activities on Girl Dog’s routine.

Plus Girl Dog is a Shih Tzu. And not a very big one. Apparently my Shih Tzu is all stomach. Not only as she been vomiting frequently, she’s been vomiting A LOT of undigested food. I can’t believe it’s still coming.

But I’m not worried. She’s drinking plenty of fluids. She’s resting comfortably on my legs right now –no shivers, no whines –I’m hoping the worst is over. But if its not, then we’re off to the emergency vet. My poor little sweet baboo…..

It’s been a frustrating week in that I have not had time to write since Monday.

My medical stuff that I mentioned. Family medical stuff last night. I’m out of routine and I hate that. I may be able to salvage some time this afternoon, but I’m not a great afternoon writer. I am a creature of routine.

I like to wake up, read the news even though it’s bad for me. I read national news, Superman news, Sports news, and movie news. Then I work out my brain, I’m told it’s good for me, but I just like to do it. Mini Crossword, Connections, and Daily Dominion. I used to add in wordle but I got bored and frustrated. If I miss it then I play Octowordle.

Then I start with a bit of my outline that is about hundred pages before where I’m currently working –my outline is on the computer, detailed to the scene level. I am not a slave to it, it changes throughout the process but the big strokes usually remain in place. Along with scene slugs and organization notes, I have percent happy column. I re-read and revise each scene until I get to about 30% happy. When I start writing for a day I start with a scene that is about a hundred pages before where I’m actually working and re-read, revise that scene until I’m 50% happy. Usually two or three more revisions. After reading that once scene, one time, (the two or three revisions happen over days) I jump to where I’m currently working, usually a forty to fifty page chunk. I re-read, revise those pages and then keep going adding new pages, new words. I shoot for a thousand a day.

I record my words total and words per day. I’ve been doing this since I started writing books in 2006. It’s comforting to me to see the record of my work. The whole process, news to recording progress, takes a few hours. After that I do all my other work for the day.

And that’s way I like my days. Today isn’t going to be like that, so we’ll see what happens.

I love October. I love fall. I love cool weather. Not bitter cold, but fall cool. Grey afternoons. Warm fires. Cookies and holiday cheer. Halloween is coming. And the best, Thanksgiving. I’m already working on my menu.

Christmas is good too. But I’ve always been a little disappointed by Christmas. It’s everyone in the worlds build up to just a day. Whereas we all build up to Thanksgiving and then we get baked brie and turkey. Pie and cookies. Asparagus Pea Casserole. Christmas dinner is fine too, but it’s not the star of the day.

And Christmas is Thanksgiving’s coda. January mostly sucks. New Years makes me feel bad. I don’t want to go to a party, I don’t like parties, but on New Years, I feel bad about it. My birthday is in January and I’ve reached an age where I don’t really like my birthday anymore. I don’t like the attention or the aging or the speaking to everyone who calls me. Yes I’m complaining about being loved, but it’s a lot of phone calls. I hate the phone. Send a text. January is the wettest month in Louisiana. So it tends to be cold and wet and sometimes bleak. January feels a long way from spring.

Every month after January gets a little bit better. I got married in February. February is awesome. March is a great excuse to buy more Irish films. April and May are perfect, from a weather perspective. June Brings summer. Swimming, the beach, late nights and summer movies. July is peak summer. Vacation or Summer School, both are awesome. August gets to be a little too hot and gross ,but it’s right close to September and September is just before October, so It can’t be all bad.

That’s the year as I see it. And love October.