Devon Ellington's Blog, page 56
August 30, 2023
Wed. Aug. 30, 2023: A Blue Moon, A Shock, A Frustration
image courtesy of Pexels via pixabay.comWednesday, August 30, 2023
Full Moon/Blue Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Chiron, Mercury, Uranus Retrograde
Heavy rain
Blue Moon today! Got an ear worm of the song yet? You will!
Today’s Process Muse is about Fictional Food. You can read it here. Apologies that it went out about a half hour late this morning. For some reason, Substack’s scheduling glitched, and I had to manually send it. Mercury Retrograde in action.
We have two serial episodes going live today.
Angel Hunt serial episode:
Episode 63: When Teenaged Boys Don’t Do Their Homework
A pair of teenaged boys found a spell that calls for poison. Only they don’t know they’ve been given multiple names for the same poison. What could go wrong?
Deadly Dramatics serial episode:
Episode 13: Nina Resents Charlie’s Digging
Nina equates his investigation into her bank account with rummaging in her lingerie drawer.
In other circumstances. . .
I was dragging yesterday. It was difficult to get going. And the fucking beeping heavy machinery interfered every time I started to find a rhythm.
I got out a flash fiction submission first thing in the morning. So it felt like maybe I got a little bit done.
I tried to write, but the unfinished paperwork from the previous day weighed on me. I changed gears and did it, then wrote some notes that were sadly late. I had to order more notes from Peter Pauper Press (where I get my stationery and most journal books), because I’m almost out of notecards.
It took three hours to get the paperwork done. But it’s done, and I walked down to the Post Office to send the paperwork via certified mail (the notes just went out with cute stamps). I still have a few more notes to write, but they are not as urgent. I can spread them out over this week.
On the walk back, I meandered down Church Street so I could photograph some of the wonderful architecture. Of course, the batteries ran down partway through, so I was changing batteries on the street, but at least I’d brought an extra set!
It was sunny and hot, but it was nice to be outside for a bit, and taking photos that I will then use for a variety of projects.
After lunch, I revised/polished/uploaded/scheduled the next four episodes of ANGEL HUNT and did all the paperwork that surrounds that. After that, I jumped in to two of the Kindle Vella groups and participated in group promotions. I did my bit (and a little more) on both. Let’s hope others choose one of my serials in return. I need to get my numbers back up. Had a conversation with a radio producer, too, so that was all good.
I had a series of small epiphanies over the day, which made sense with all the retrogrades and the gathering full moon/blue moon in Pisces energy. I have to sit with them for a few days to figure out how to put what I learned into practice.
Scampered off to yoga, where we had a shock. One of our regulars went in for surgery that morning, and did not survive. It was a blow – we’d all been laughing and talking together just last week. As our instructor put it, we had a good “stretch and cry” together. At least we could hold each other in our grief and shock, and not try to navigate it alone, or pretend it wasn’t a part of the day’s experience.
When I got home, I found a play a friend asked for some feedback on, and I had to tell her that I’d look at it today; I was in no shape to give any worthwhile feedback, and telling her made more sense than either trying to push through, or not responding to the email. I will look at it this morning, because I know she needs to get the script out the door.
I had to just sit with the sadness last night.
Managed to sleep through the night (first time for a long time). However, I was awakened at 5:15 by a terrible crash. One of the cats knocked over the altar table in my room. It was either Charlotte or Willa; Tessa grew up with the altar and knows how to deal with it. Willa is nosy, and Charlotte rummages in that part of the room. Charlotte looked guilty and hid, but she often does that when Willa is the culprit, because Charlotte is more likely to be caught/blamed.
Only one item broke – a seashell shaped dish out of glass. I cleaned it up, and all the shards. If that’s not a demand by the universe to get over the disappointment of my Cape Cod life and get on with things, right?
I located almost everything else – crystals and other bits and bobs scattered all over the place. The stopper for the small water decanter hasn’t been found yet, but it’s got to be in there somewhere. It’s a finite space.
The top priority was to make sure there was no glass left on the ground to get stuck in little cat paws (or my bare feet). So I was thorough.
I’ll be pulling crystals out of the radiator for weeks.
Okay, universe, did you HAVE to be so loud to get my attention to rearrange the altar for tonight’s blue moon?
Eye roll.
Fed those cats. Tessa made it clear that her breakfast shouldn’t be late because the other cats are clumsy. But she had to deal.
Because of the weather and the crash, I didn’t go to the laundromat this morning. I will go tomorrow.
I realized the Process Muse post hadn’t gone out, so I went back into the dashboard and sent it manually. Don’t know what that was all about. Because I’d confirmed the scheduling of the post when I tested it. No matter; it’s out now.
I will read my friend’s script first thing, then get back to my own writing. I have to work on Legerdemain. I have to work on the Llewellyn articles. I want to get more of ANGEL HUNT up. I have to polish the pages for tomorrow’s Nightwood session. I have to do today’s serial promotions. I also have three client projects that I need to turn around. It won’t add up to much this pay period, but at least it will be something.
One of the things I need to sit and contemplate is what kind of clients I’m looking to add to my roster for fall and winter. I want to do yet another pivot in the freelance work. And a pivot, rather than an expansion or contraction. In order to do that well, I need to clarify it for myself. Good topic for the upcoming Ink-Dipped Advice posts! That blog will start up again next week.
I finished reading a book by an author whose work I’ve read for years. Possibly decades at this point. I absolutely adored the first book of hers I read years ago, and that whole series. She wrote another series about a topic that didn’t particularly interest me; I read the first book, and while it was well-written, it still didn’t pull me into the topic. She’s been writing a long running series for a few years now, that’s doing well, that I mostly enjoy. This book was a stand-alone, in a different genre, which I applaud. However, I struggled with the book. I had trouble respecting the protagonist at times; the growth was slow for most of the book, and then suddenly, everything was fixed and wrapped up in the last ten pages, which didn’t quite work for me. But the big thing was that the characters who were supposed to be sympathetic and relatable constantly demeaned other women by using “witch” as a derogatory.
Again, this is something that I’ve watched the traditional publishers do, particularly Kensington and Berkeley, as their cozy mysteries become more performative about diversity and inclusion, while actually moving harder and harder to the right. This was not a cozy, nor was it published by either of those publishers; it was published by a firm who should know better.
I am deeply disappointed in both the author and the publisher.
At the same time, as the character gained some insights into necessary life changes, it got me thinking about some changes in progress, and some that are still necessary. Which is always a good thing. But I cannot recommend the book, due its pejorative use of “witch.”
Which makes me sad, because I have often recommended this particular author’s books, both publicly and privately, over the years.
I have a lot to do today. A lot to think about.
And a lot to clean up – I have to put my altar back together in time for tonight’s ritual!
Have a good one, my friends. Hug your loved ones tight, because you just never know.
August 29, 2023
Tues. Aug. 29, 2023: A Swirl of Retrogrades, Theatre, and Words
image courtesy of Rachel Burkum via pixabay.comTuesday, August 29, 2023
Waxing Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Chiron, Mercury, Uranus Retrograde
Cloudy and humid
Yes, we are now up to SEVEN retrogrades. Uranus went retrograde yesterday. Ick.
Did you have a good weekend? Are you ready for our regular Tuesday morning catch-up?
Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain:
Episode 115: Is It Worth Saving Him?
Shelley faces the dilemma of putting her life at risk to save the assassin’s, or letting him die.
I’ve been looking at hotels and air b&b information for the reading in Easthampton. The prices are about the same. Frankly, I think I’d be more comfortable being anonymous in a hotel than staying in someone’s spare room. But I also want to see how the weather is, how the twilight holds up, etc., closer to the date, to see if maybe I can just make it home that night and not spend the money.
It’s the day before Mercury goes direct, so there are bound to be challenges.
I’ll take another look at hotel prices after Labor Day. Maybe they’ll go down a bit.
I drafted an episode of Legerdemain before I headed out to the Clark. The staff is getting to know me there, which is fun, because I can hear all about the stuff that’s important to them when they’re not working at the museum.
Of course, I was down at the Munch exhibit again. Checked in with my WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE. But spent time with several of the other pieces, too. The woman in SUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (THE VOICE) started telling me her story. Not sure if it’s going to be a monologue or a prose poem or a flash fiction yet.
And spent time with the SEPARATION oil and lithos, getting the beginning of that play started, based on that sad snippet of conversation I heard in front of it a few weeks back. Got about a half a page of that play (it’s a short play) and some notes.
Read some of the catalogue, and I will have to buy my own copy, because the text is every bit as amazing as the photos of the art.
It was sunny when I emerged from the lower level gallery, so I sat by the reflecting pool watching them set up for this weekend’s concerts.
On the way home, I did a grocery shop. Of course, it was back to threatening to rain again. After lunch, I did the rounds to promote ANGEL HUNT, and then got the next four episodes of AH revised, polished, uploaded, and scheduled. Did the log lines. Did the graphics for next week’s Legerdemain episodes. Did the episode videos for Legerdemain, Angel Hunt, and Deadly Dramatics, and uploaded/scheduled them onto TikTok.
Doing some research for something else, I discovered that the house we live in was originally built in 1890.
It was past 4 then, so I called it a day, at least as far as the computer was concerned.
Started reading THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES by Sangu Mandanna. Absolutely adored it.
Up early on Saturday. I worked on the next two Process Muse posts. I think I may rip one of them apart completely and restructure it.
My mom was so excited to get dressed up to go to the opera. It was very cute.
We made good time driving to Pittsfield, but, of course, parking is always an issue at The Colonial. I dropped my mom off at the theatre, and drove around a few blocks to park on the street, hoping I wouldn’t get a ticket. I managed to cut through some private parking lots and the back of the theatre property, so I didn’t have to walk all the way around some very long blocks.
We were up in the nosebleed seats, up in the gallery. We took an elevator all the way up, but then had to descend some steep, scary stairs to get to our bench (bench seats, not theatre seats). Once we were in them, it was fine, but getting to them was a bit fraught, due to the steep incline.
The theatre dates back to 1903, and its opening production was the opera ROBIN HOOD. It’s been lovingly restored; basically, anything that didn’t move was gilded.
We were among the few who masked; there were way too many of the unmasked who were obviously sick and shouldn’t have been there. Plus, they were fucking rude, acting like they were in their living rooms.
I continue to hate the general public.
The opera itself was lovely. Very good voices, and it was nice to see a cast that wasn’t all white. Musetta and Marcello were exceptionally good. Rodolfo was more subtle and good. Mimi was a beautiful singer, but not that great an actress. Colline had a gorgeous voice, but mugged his way through it.
The set was fine, the directing a bit heavy-handed at times, but, hey, opera. The tech was abysmal. They needed more rehearsal. I expect they got a one-and-done, and didn’t get a chance to work anything out. The scene changes were far too long. But then, there was no stage crew listed, so perhaps it fell to the chorus to shift the sets. The top of Act III had to stop and start again, because someone hit the wrong button/pulled the wrong fly rope, and as the curtain went up, the supertitle frame crashed down and got stuck. They brought up the house lights and fixed it, kudos to just getting it done, and the audience rooted for them and cheered when it finally got fixed. The supertitles were basically useless, because charcoal gray lettering on a black screen isn’t particularly visible.
The opera was Puccini’s La Bohème, which is sung in Italian and set in Paris. And, I decided, watching the second act, should be subtitled “Men Acting Stupidly Yet Again.” Because Rodolfo and even Marcello created reasons to fight with Mimi and Musetta that had nothing to do with who those women were and their behavior. I wanted to bitch slap the two of those characters, even though the performers did an excellent job.
But it was overall well done, and my mother was so happy. I’m glad I got to take her to something that made her happy.
Then, of course, we had to get out of there.
Instead of crawling back to the top of the gallery (which was the only way we could have gotten up), we sidled to the side aisle and went out the door to the stairwell. Which meant we (and all our fellow, mostly older patrons) had to walk DOWN two flights of concrete stairs, rather than getting to an elevator. But the stairs spit us out into the parking lot.
My mom felt well enough to walk the shortcut through the private parking lots to the car. Which I’d parked under a tree, so it wasn’t too hot, and I didn’t have a ticket.
So that all worked.
I stopped at Adams Fresh Market to pick up some baked goods, and we made it home before the rain started again.
Old friends called; they are going to stop by in early October to visit. I will be in studio at the time, but I’ll leave baked goods, and they can visit with my mom. They’re coming up for the weekend to see the Munch exhibit.
Cooked dinner and read IRREGULAR WITCHES until bedtime.
Woke up around 2:30, fretting and worrying. Charlotte did her best to purr me back to sleep, but it didn’t work. By about 4, I gave up and moved to the sofa, where I dozed off and dreamed about studio work.
Woke up around 6 to incessant feline demands for breakfast, and then was on the couch, finished IRREGULAR WITCHES, which is a book I love so much I may have to buy my own copy (I read a library copy).
Polished, uploaded, and scheduled four more episodes of ANGEL HUNT. I’d hoped I could get eight up, but I ran out of time.
Got dressed and headed out for Lenox again. Traffic was okay; not too bad, but there are still a lot of tourists, and it tends to bottle up around Pittsfield. But I made it to the Mount, arriving just a single minute before the house opened.
The play was good, a one-woman show built around Julia Ward Howe called REPRESENTATION AND HOW TO GET IT. It is not a traditional play in the way it invites the audience in and takes a turn near the end, which then led into the post-show discussion with the director and two women who are local political activists/representatives. One I had met before, at the small business expo. The director is someone of whom I have fond memories, when we were both at the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation in NYC decades ago. I said a quick hello after it all, and will follow up with a note.
There was some information in the play that I did not know, and which was chilling. When the Declaration of Independence was first written, women had the right to vote. One by one, the states removed it, with the final state being New Jersey, where unmarried women could vote until 1803.
The current Republican party wishes to go back to those days.
I had put a chicken in the crockpot late morning, so I didn’t have to worry about dinner when I got back. Made stock after.
Jeremy Rock Smith sent us a video about what’s going on with him; I owe him an email anyway, so it was good to have this additional information.
Tried to read in the evening, but had trouble concentrating. Had a bad night, where I woke up around 1:30, worrying. Didn’t get back to sleep until nearly 4, and then overslept, upsetting the cats.
Was completely unsettled, not knowing where to start first, with a giant list of what has to get done this week.
Also worn out by the whiny “I want to be a full-time writer” posts on social media. No, boo, you do not. Or you wouldn’t make so many excuses not to write. You want the fantasy of having written and getting acclaim. You don’t want to do what it takes to actually be a full-time writer, which means putting the work first, and, if you have a non-writing day job, treating the writing as your second job until it is your only job. You want to HAVE WRITTEN, and be praised for it. You’re not about the actual writing.
Scroll past. Not worth getting into the argument.
I dithered for a bit, wondering where to start first. Then, I figured, just start SOMEWHERE and work from there.
I drafted an episode of Legerdemain. I wrote 3 of the short Llewellyn pieces. I submitted a proposal to a theatre company in Philadelphia for a two-year community project. I revised, edited, and polished “The Forest Library” short story and sent it off to two potential markets. I looked at a bunch of other submission guidelines, and noodled ideas for three teaching project proposals I need to get out the door.
After lunch, I started tackling ANGEL HUNT. The four episodes needed a good bit of revision, and wound up broken into six episodes. Polished, uploaded, scheduled, series bible updated, along with all the other paperwork, log lines written.
I’d thrown an email at a radio producer in Chicago for future submission calls, and he invited me to submit now for 2024. He wants BBC format, so I needed to convert a couple of pieces, and then off they went. I hope they fit what his company is looking for. He did a stint at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. I’m telling you, we are all six degrees of Kevin Bacon.
The Cultural Council has more funding opportunities opening next month, so I will see if there’s anything that makes sense.
By late afternoon, it started raining again.
And I still hadn’t gotten my admin work done.
Cooked dinner, tried to read at night. Started reading the latest book by an author whose work I’ve read for years, and who is trying something different. Good for her. I was too tired to get very far, and went to bed early.
Woke up around 3:30, managed to Yoga Nidra myself back to sleep, and dreamed I was on a theatre retreat and some of the actors started playing hockey. Makes no sense.
Up a little late this morning, and having a slow start. I need to do some writing this morning, then do the paperwork I didn’t finish yesterday, because it has to go out certified mail today, so it arrives where it needs to before the holiday.
I will tackle each task as I can, until I have to leave for yoga.
A white supremacist shot three black people at a Dollar store in Jacksonville. It’s the guns, you assholes. Stop letting these murderers buy guns and then use them. And then a faculty member was killed at UNC yesterday. I hope it’s not the professor I studied with a few years back. It’s the guns.
I would rather go back to bed, but too bad for me. Have a good one!
August 28, 2023
Mon. Aug. 28, 2023: Intent for the Week — Live Gently
image courtesy of Penny via pixabay.comToday, Uranus joins the other retrogrades, bringing us to seven retrogrades.
Wednesday is a full moon in Pisces, AND the second full moon of the month, also known as a blue moon.
Emotions and tensions are likely to run high.
My intent (and I’m sure I will be constantly challenged) is to live gently. I will try to give myself and others as much physical and emotional room as possible.
I’m working to clear a bunch of things off my desk, not making additional plans, and finish as much as possible before the holiday weekend.
What is your intent for the week?
August 25, 2023
Fri. Aug. 25, 2023: Upcoming Theatrical Weekend
image courtesy of David Mark via pixabay.comFriday, August 25, 2023
Waxing Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Chiron, Mercury Retrograde
Rainy and cool
Rain. Again. I’m trying to be grateful: grateful it’s not snow. Grateful there’s no drought this year. But I’m tired of the rain.
Anyone else feel like we’re being “over-adviced”? I just want some peace and quiet. We should be burning down the corporate model, not training ourselves to acquiesce.
Today’s serial episode is from ANGEL HUNT:
Episode 62: Another Day Begins at the Shop
Lianna warns Beau not to let himself fall into the jealousy trap.
Tomorrow’s serial episode is from DEADLY DRAMATICS:
Episode 12: Dinner with Detective Charlie Greer
Nina would rather this was pleasure, but Charlie gets down to business.
My computer is running poorly. I have a feeling it will head back to the repair place during this retrograde.
I had trouble focusing this morning, but I wrote a micro-fiction, and did about 4 drafts of it, and got it out the door.
Then I headed to yoga at the library, which was really good.
Picked up a book, came home, ate a quick lunch, and settled in to the Nightwood Creatryx session. I wrote about 5 pages in the writing portion of the session, and did some tweaks on the pages leading up to them. Then, the three people who didn’t share material last week shared their pieces. All very different and vibrant. I read one role and one set of stage directions. I need to improve my cold reading skills. I want to do right by my fellow playwrights!
Exhausted and exhilarated after the session, but I still had things to do that needed my attention.
Did the social media rounds for Legerdemain. Revised, edited, polished, uploaded, and scheduled next week’s Legerdemain episodes.
That was about all I got done. I was cooked.
My friend’s cat came through surgery well, and is home. Lab results will take one to two weeks. Thank you to everyone who supported the GoFundMe. Vet bills are overwhelmingly scary.
Made butter chicken and rice for dinner. Sat on the porch for a bit, then tried to read, but I was too tired to really concentrate.
Weird dreams (about doing laundry, guilt much for skipping this week?).
It started raining yesterday afternoon, rained all night, and was still raining this morning, although it’s supposed to clear up later. I’m going to get some writing in this morning, spend some time at the Clark, pick up a few things at the grocery store, and then write some more. I also have to do next week’s episode videos for all three serials, and get them up and scheduled.
Tomorrow, I take my mother to the opera. She loves opera, so it will be a treat for her. Sunday, I go to see a one-woman show at the Mount. I’ll write around all those forays, and try to catch up with what I fell behind on this week. I have A LOT to clear off my desk before September 1.
Have a good weekend, and I’ll catch you on the other side!
August 24, 2023
Thurs. Aug. 24, 2023: Intense Writing Day
image courtesy of Anja via pixabay.comThursday, August 24, 2023
Waxing Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Chiron, Mercury Retrograde
Cloudy and cool
The latest post on the garden is up over on Gratitude and Growth.
Today is Griddle’s surgery. If you can throw a couple of extra bucks into the pot, that would be great. Because it’s always more than the estimate. Thank you.
Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain:
Episode 114: Another Morning After
Shelley and her new lover part ways, and Shelley heads back into work, facing a dangerous new development.
Yesterday was an unexpectedly intense writing day. I expected to just plod along.
I got an episode of Legerdemain drafted. I dropped off a dozen books at the library – and picked up a dozen books. I did a quick grocery shop to pick up fresh fish for dinner, and was pleased to see about 60% masking again, including staff. That makes me feel better, going into the fall. I mean, I’ve kept masking anyway, but still. Numbers are going up again, and we have to be careful.
Swung by the liquor store.
Home, dealt with the mail I hadn’t picked up the day before, put in the Chewy order for cat food. They no longer carry the size of bag I ordered, so I had to do MATH and figure out which other size to get. I’m trying a 16-pound bag. That SHOUND last around 6 weeks or so. And, of course, I ordered more treats, because Charlotte and Willa love their bedtime snacks. (Tessa won’t touch them).
Turned around a small client project. Another one showed up and when I went to confirm, it vanished, so who knows what’s going on there.
Read through the pages of BRIDGE. It has decent bones (and will get a new title; it can’t keep the painting’s title). I made a few tweaks, but, overall, it’s going in the direction I want and need it to go.
Worked on FROZEN (another piece in desperate need of a new title). I tweaked what I had per the notes from last week’s Creatryx session, which I’ve been thinking about ever since. I rewrote the pages I’d written beyond the pages that were critiqued, again, applying the notes from that first session. And then I wrote on. I got about 8 pages done. I don’t need to share any material today, but I’m looking forward to having another “writing in community” session and maybe doing a few more pages today.
I took a quick break. On Bluesky, I read through some of the small lit magazines who are posting calls. Three of them in particular struck me; one is a very short piece (again, 250 words). I need to roll it around a bit, so that when I sit down to write, it’s mostly there. But an idea I’ve sort of been playing with bloomed by two of the other calls.
I sat down to write the opening. A couple of hours and a little over 3100 words later, I had a complete short story. It’s a weird little piece, but I kind of love it.
I did some tweaks, and, later today, I will do a rewrite. I need to add more tension and danger into one particular scene, and use it to underline one of the themes. But it’s in pretty good shape, and I should be able to get it out early next week, before deadline.
But afterwards, I was exhausted. That was a lot – writing about 5K over the three projects, not counting the client project. I cooked dinner, enjoyed a glass of wine on the front porch, tried to read, and had trouble concentrating.
So, the head of Wagner group died in a plane crash? Really? It’s a little too simple, especially since the guy’s second plane landed safely. The whole thing, since the supposed attempted coup has come across as staged. I think something else is going on, but whatever. Not my area of expertise.
On today’s agenda: no online meditation group, so I will write until I have to leave for yoga at the library. I need to draft another Legerdemain episode, and then get next week’s episodes polished, uploaded, and scheduled. I have to do the social media rounds for Legerdemain, too, at some point.
This afternoon is the Nightwood Creatryx session, and by then, I’m sure I’ll be exhausted.
In the best case scenario, I’d get some Llewellyn work done, along with uploading more Angel Hunt episodes, but on a realistic level, I doubt that will happen.
Have a good one, and we’ll catch up tomorrow!
August 23, 2023
Wed. Aug. 23, 2023: Mercury Joins the Retrograde Lineup
image courtesy of GooKingSword via pixabay.comWednesday, August 23, 2023
Waxing Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Chiron, Mercury Retrograde
Sunny and cool
Mercury goes retrograde today, so take care with communication, travel, electronics. Try not to sign any contracts. Good time to go shopping in thrift stores, though.
There’s a Process Muse post on Draft Numbering here.
Griddle’s surgery is tomorrow. Please help if you can. Every $5 to $10 makes a huge difference. And please share any social media posts you see about it.
And, we have TWO serial episodes going live today on two different serials.
Angel Hunt
Episode 61: With the Devil in the Park Planting Doubts
Lianna meets with Lucius in Central Park. But who is planting doubt in whom?
Deadly Dramatics
Episode 11: A Long Day At The Office
Office politics make Nina glad she’s a temp.
The retrogrades and squares hit HARD yesterday, my friends. It was like trying to swim through molasses.
I answered some regular emails, and I had two long research emails to compose and get out the door, both of which took me longer than I would have liked. But I got them done and out.
Bluesky is still invitation only. Someone who did not give me an invite code because she was “bringing on the cooler people first” is now coming to me asking me for my invite codes. Sorry, boo, I’m offering them to MY people first. Why would I give them to someone who is 1/3 of my age and demeans me? Nope.
Moving into Virgo energy was about details and getting things done, and that was my morning.
It felt like I got nothing done, but I actually did quite a bit, like write and submit my review and work things out about the reading in Easthampton, and send off the flyer. Also got my next book for review.
Because everything took longer than hoped (retrogrades = slow down), it was afternoon before I focused on writing. I wrote the first 8 pages/2 scenes of the play inspired by the Munch painting “The Women on the Bridge.” The bones of it work, although there will be plenty to rewrite. But it relieved the pressure of worrying that I’d lose the play if I didn’t start getting down what was swirling in my head.
The original plan for this play was to be a seemingly frothy 10-minute piece that twists into something darker at the end, but the play itself, and its characters, have other ideas. I will trust the characters, and see where we end up.
Yoga was good. My classmate was thrilled with the information I found for her. The class itself was excellent, and helped my back a lot.
Heated up leftovers for dinner when I got home, sat on the porch with a glass of wine. Started to read a book that was dark academia, but written by a man who was very much in “blame the victim” mode against the young women who were manipulated and abused by their professor. Nope. Checked the ending to see how it resolved, but it was still in blame the victim, so that’s going back unread.
Started another book, a fantasy, about which I’m still on the fence.
I’ve ordered more Carol Goodman novels, and will order more Simone St. James. Lots of books to return today, and also to pick up.
On today’s agenda: new episodes of Legerdemain, work on FROZEN, work on the Llewellyn articles, another couple of pages on BRIDGE.
The day Mercury turns retrograde is a day to avoid the laundromat, so I will let laundry stack up until next week.
I’ll do a few rounds of social media for Griddle’s surgery, The Process Muse, and the serials. I have a quick client project to get off my desk. I’d like to get some more ANGEL HUNT episodes uploaded/scheduled today, but not sure that will happen.
I’ll just deal with one thing at a time. Have a good one!
August 22, 2023
Tues. Aug. 22, 2023: Emerging into the Week with Care
image courtesy of annca from Pixabay.comTuesday, August 22, 2023
Waxing Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Chiron Retrograde
Mercury turns retrograde tomorrow
Sunny and pleasant.
Today would have been my father’s birthday. He died in 1972, but I still remember days like this.
Griddle’s surgery is on Thursday. Please donate what you can or share the link on any and all social media.
Ready for our regular Tuesday natter?
Today’s serial episode is Legerdemain.
Episode 113: The Botanical Garden’s Healing Energy
Shelley checks herself out of the hospital and goes to the garden to heal – with a surprising companion.
Friday’s storm cleared away by the time I headed for The Clark. I spent some time in the Munch exhibit, specifically with the paining “The Women on the Bridge” which I’ve mistakenly been referring to as “Three Women on a Bridge” because there are three of them. I’ve named them; the personalities are emerging. But I need to know the secret they share, because that is the fulcrum of the play.
I managed to write a half a page of the play, but until I know the secret, I can’t go much further. And I don’t want it to be something that’s easy, or a cliché.
I need to do more research on the painting itself, and the social/political issues around the time it was painted.
I took the shuttle up to the Lunder Center to see the rest of the Humane Ecology exhibit, and the garden that was up there. I took pictures for my friend, because it reminds me of her pollinator garden. I also went to see the exhibit by artists with disabilities, which a local artist I met through the various meetups here helped curate, and taught the workshop(s) in which much of the art was created. It was vibrant and happy and exalted. I’m so glad I saw it.
Wandered back down, visited my favorite Renoir in the collection, went downstairs to the wall about Sterling and Francine Clark and how the museum was born. His grandfather was a partner in the Singer Sewing empire, and built the Dakota apartments in NYC. Sterling was also a horse breeder and thoroughbred owner. Francine was an actress in Paris. They married nine years after they met. The photos of them together are great, because they have such joy in each other’s company. So different from many wealthy couples, who can barely tolerate each other.
I restrained myself and did not buy anything in the bookshop.
I did, however, mask at the museum; it was crowded. It’s good to see an uptick in masking again. I mean, I haven’t stopped masking indoors in most situations, except for yoga and the rare time I’m in a restaurant.
Picked up groceries on the way home. Did the social media rounds for Angel Hunt.
MailerLite is forcing a migration to their new platform. It doesn’t work the way the tutorial claims it does. Although they claim that anyone needing help with the migration will get it, they only actually provide it to paid accounts. The mailing list signup integration with WordPress is now mucked up, and the whole thing is a mess. I should be able to do the September and December newsletters on the platform; after that, in January, if I continue to have problems with the migration, I will be on the hunt for yet another mailing list platform.
It won’t be Brevo (what used to be SendinBlue). I really don’t like Constant Contact, but I might have to do it with them or with MailChimp, neither of whom really serve my needs. The French platform Mailjet is looking pretty decent, but we’ll see.
I was so pleased with MailerLite when I started using it; so, of course, they had to fuck everything up.
Which meant I lost the time on Friday afternoon I’d blocked off to work on something else, because the migration was only supposed to take “ten minutes” (which I figured meant an hour). Four hours later. . .
Cooked dinner, and then read in the evening. My brain was tired, and basically out of words.
Up early Saturday morning, to another dreary, rainy day, but at least it was cooler.
Intense dreams – one, where I was experiencing the dream inside a person definitely not me, whose boyfriend was a hockey player who sustained a serious head injury. The second dream I was me, and new landlords came around with a BINDER –like a large, 2” binder – with all the transition information. That was definitely a stress dream.
My lower back was quite painful; I ended up taking Tylenol to get a little relief.
Drafted an episode of Legerdemain. Drafted the first episodes of THE VICIOUS CRITIC, the second season of Deadly Dramatics. It’s good to be in Nina’s world again. Revised, edited, uploaded, and polished the next four episodes of Angel Hunt.
Got next week’s six episode videos made, uploaded, and scheduled on TikTok. Added some material to the Legerdemain website.
On the couch most of the evening, trying to get my back to cooperate.
Up early on Sunday; my back was still cranky, although it was a little better, because I’d kept it warm overnight.
Couldn’t sit up much; I managed to write/polish/edit/upload two Process Muse posts, and that was about it.
However, lying on the couch, I figured out the secret shared by “The Women on the Bridge” and I now know what has to be done in the play. I can even combine it with the information from early Croton Heights days that interests me so much. Almost the entire play fell into my head. Originally, I was going to start early in the piece, but now I think I’ll have the opening scene on the bridge, and then the rest of the play.
All I have to do now is be able to sit up long enough to write the damn thing.
I also figured out the next section of FROZEN AT THE PALACE THEATRE.
Sunday night, we had a plumbing emergency. I tried to turn on the shower; it sputtered, but then I couldn’t turn the water all the way off. I called maintenance, who said there was nothing that could be done; it would have to run all night until tomorrow morning. But the water wasn’t draining fast enough, so I called back, two hours later, and said they had to come and shut the water off. They shut off the hot water, which was most of the pressure. They couldn’t shut off the cold water without shutting off everyone’s water. But it was a slow enough trickle that drained, and I checked it every couple of hours to make sure. I set my alarm for every two hours. Which meant very little sleep.
We’d planned to spend Monday morning at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield; that did not happen. Instead, we waited for the plumber. Who was on time at 8, then had to leave to look for a part, came back, had to leave and get a different part. . .you get the idea.
There went my morning, and my prime writing time.
AND, Chewy is out of the special cat food the cats eat.
I HATE MERCURY RETROGRADE. That is all.
I need one fucking year of no fucking Mercury Retrogrades to recover from all the crappy retrogrades that hit every year.
Anyway, but mid-day, we had a shower that only ran water when I asked it nicely, which was a much better situation than we had for the previous 15+ hours.
A friend of mine said, “You’re a Pisces under stress. OF COURSE there are going to be issues around water.”
Since I lost my best writing hours, and my back hurt like hell, I spent a few hours coming up with more options for the flyer for the reading, and sent them off to the coordinator, who picked the one she thought worked best. I will send it to Assets4Artists and the Bear & Bee Bookshop to make sure I didn’t miss any necessary details. Then we can get it printed, and start getting it out there.
The listing won’t go out to the papers until just after Labor Day.
I’ll do a graphic of the flyer for the social media rounds.
Next weekend, I’ll work on the program.
It felt good to get it done.
Tessa was on the sofa, and my back hurt too much to sit at my desk, so I withdrew to the sewing room; the bed there has headboard and footboard, so I could put cushions there and lean, or slide down and lie down, depending on how bad my back was at any given moment. I read the book for review there, and will write and submit the review today.
At one point, Charlotte jumped up onto the small table serving as a nightstand in that room. She admired her reflection in the glass doors leading to the living room, princess that she is, before stealing Tessa’s catnip carrot. I had to retrieve it, because otherwise Tessa would be Very Upset, and I’d have to buy Tessa a new carrot (she doesn’t want toys with Charlotte’s cooties on them). Those two!
Willa stays out of it.
Started reading BROKEN GIRLS by Simone St. James, and it’s really good. I’m a little tired by books that structure alternate chapters in different time periods, because of the way it’s used to give information to the audience while hiding it from the book’s protagonist, but this book does it really well. It integrates and weaves the timelines together beautifully, rather than running parallel tales that sort of make sense at the end. St. James uses this structural choice to its best. It was hard to put the book down this morning and go to the desk!
Especially since I overslept – finally slept well last night, but didn’t wake up until 7 this morning. Tessa Was Not Amused.
Today I have to get some emails out, get the review written and out, draft another Legerdemain episode, work on the Llewellyn articles, work on the play inspired by “Three Women on a Bridge” and, hopefully, get a little work done on FROZEN AT THE PALACE THEATRE.
We’ll see if I can sit up that long.
I’m looking forward to gentle yoga to stretch out my back this evening.
Have a good one! This is a challenging, dynamic astrological week, with retrogrades and squares causing all kinds of tension. Be thoughtful rather than reactive, watch unnecessary spending, and be kind to yourself and those around you.
August 21, 2023
Mon. Aug. 21, 2023: Intent for the Week — Stay Fluid
image courtesy of Karolina Grabowska via pixabay.comI’ve already been dealing with a plumbing emergency in the shower since last night. But the flowing water is a reminder that this week, I have to stay fluid, be ready to flow with whatever’s thrown at me.
We’re in five retrogrades with Mercury ready to go on Wednesday — the next two weeks are likely to be rocky, on multiple fronts.
Flow, kindness, gentleness. Difficult to remember, but less embody at times, but this week? Necessary.
August 18, 2023
Fri. Aug. 18, 2023: Exciting Words and Wonderful People
image courtesy of 超凡 余 viz pixabay.comFriday, August 18, 2023
Waxing Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Chiron Retrograde
Rainy and humid.
Throw a few bucks Griddle’s way, so she can have surgery and continue to run my friend’s household. Link here.
So. Much. Rain right now.
Today’s serial episode is from Angel Hunt.
Episode 60: Coach Drogo
Drogo has useful suggestions to handle Lucius DeWitt
Tomorrow’s serial episode is from Deadly Dramatics.
Episode 10: In Nigel’s Den
Nina asks one of the company partners for advice.
Yesterday was full of many wonderful things. Meditation was cancelled, so I tried to get some other work done in the morning, although it was more of practicalities than creative, although I did another pass on my pages to share with Nightwood.
I headed for yoga at the library, which was challenging in the right way, and very full. They are extending the class into autumn. However, my Thursdays in autumn are pretty tight, and, with COVID numbers rising again, the lack of protocols make me uncomfortable. I will finish out the summer session next week, and be done. I need to ask my teacher at the studio to help me with some lunge alignments. I’m doing something incorrectly, and it’s making my knees unhappy.
I left yoga, drove like I was doing an obstacle course because of heavy machinery blocking the street to the post office. Technically, I shouldn’t have driven down there, but you can’t block off the post office, and, as I said to the worker who tried to stop me, “Bite me.” The cop was just fine with me driving through. In fact, he was laughing his ass off. I’m sick and tired of construction workers fucking everything up all day every day, acting like no one else exists. I navigated through, mailed my letters, picked up some wine at the liquor store, and came home.
Barely had time to eat a quick bite before the Nightwood Creatryx session. We were split into two groups, after the initial talks, and got to work. We had 40 minutes of writing, and the rest sharing/commenting on each others’ work. I wrote about 3 more pages of FROZEN AT THE PALACE THEATRE.
Everybody’s work is so interesting and vibrant and exciting! We had a great time. When it was my turn, I got great notes that make total sense, and I will apply them before moving forward. Gotta shake up the process, right?
But at the end of the two hours, I was a limp dishrag, both exhilarated and exhausted.
I gave myself a break, then forced myself back to the computer and got up next week’s Legerdemain episodes, and the various paperwork that goes along with that.
Heated up leftover gumbo for dinner, then settled back in front of the computer for the Strong Women, Strange Worlds reading. It was a great group of women, with very interesting and different pieces. Exciting. It was great to hear J. Dianne Dotson/Jendia Gammon read her work – the piece was good, and she did such an excellent job reading!
I did a little reading for pleasure after, but my brain was tired.
Up early this morning, and out the door to the laundromat. Worked on edits for CAST IRON MURDER while I was there.
It started bucketing down with rain, and I had to go through ankle-deep water in the laundromat’s parking lot, and then later in my own parking lot. So I started my day cold, wet, and grumpy.
I need to get a lot of writing done this morning, and then head off to the Clark Art Institute for my day there. I want to get started on the play around “Three Women on a Bridge.”
I need to get back to uploading the ANGEL HUNT episodes, so that I get that all uploaded and scheduled, and then Legerdemain is the only serial to worry about on a regular basis. I’ve been invited to be part of a Kindle Vella “bouquet” read, where we post our links, and read 1000 tokens’ worth on other serials by Tuesday. I’ll have to purchase more tokens, but I haven’t done enough promotion on the FB groups lately, so I think I need to. I also want to do a few more roughs of flyers for the reading.
The second copy of the book for review arrived yesterday, so I will read that this weekend and send off the review Monday or Tuesday.
I SHOULD do some running around this weekend, but what I really want to do is rest and concentrate on writing, so I think my energy will be better spent in that way. I want to incorporate yesterday’s Nightwood Creatryx notes and move forward on that play. My colleagues said they were all excited about what happens next. We really did have a strong, immediate connection.
I’m noodling with ideas for a couple of other short plays, a short story, and the short story for the submission call, so we’ll see what demands attention.
Have a good weekend, and we’ll catch up next week.
August 17, 2023
Thurs. Aug. 17, 2023: Words, Wonderful Words
image courtesy of Suzy via pixabay.comThursday, August 17, 2023
Waxing Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Chiron Retrograde
Dreary and humid
If you haven’t had a chance to contribute to the fundraiser for my friend’s cat, Griddle’s, surgery, here’s the link again. Even a few bucks go a long way.
The latest on the garden is over on Gratitude and Growth.
Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain:
Episode 112: He’s a Doctor
Shelley’s mother approves when Dr. Josiah Hickey visits to fill Shelley in on Jed Smythe’s progress.
I did so damn much yesterday, and yet it felt like nothing.
So much of it was damn paperwork. I rewrote (several times) “The Spectre of Lavender” flash fiction piece, wrote the necessary bio, and got it out the door. I filled out the paperwork for the other producer interested in FALL FOREVER, and got that out the door. I rewrote today’s pages for the Nightwood Theatre Creatryx Unit. I filled out an application for another artistic opportunity that would be a five-month commitment, beginning in November. I have a feeling they’re filling it with younger artists, but nothing ventured and all that. I worked on the poem some more. I realized I still had paperwork to fill out for this autumn’s residency, and I did that. Which was a magilla of vaccine cards and license plate numbers and work samples and all the rest. I put together a list of Vaudevillian resources for someone in my yoga class who’d asked me questions about archival research based on family photos of Vaudeville she found. I dealt with some emails. I got two radio plays out to the producer in Australia who was interested in my work.
I’d signed up to be part of a new directory for serialized fiction on Tuesday, but hadn’t had a chance to upload any information. I had to resize all my logos for it. But that’s all up and entered, and I worked on my profile.
Worked on the poem, honing it, making some more cuts and trims, and more specific words. Chose what I would wear – because when you read, it IS a costume, no matter what.
Fretted about the new owners, who are going to fuck everything up, especially now that I’m on the cusp of so many wonderful opportunities for which I’ve worked so damn hard.
A little after two, it started bucketing down with rain. It cleared up by three and was almost sunny.
I got dressed and did the makeup thing and all of that. Left on the early side, because I wasn’t sure what weather and rush hour traffic would do. Good thing I did, because Pittsfield was a nightmare every which way possible. The rain was so torrential I thought I’d have to pull over into a parking lot a few times (only I couldn’t get out of my lane). And the traffic was heavy, mostly because other drivers were making poor choices.
I’m glad I left myself the extra time, because I needed almost all of it. I did my vocal exercises in the car, and figured where to place my voice to hit the opening lines, and then I could work from there as I read. All that time with singers in the dressing rooms warming up their voices pays off!
But I made it to The Mount in one piece. We were in the event tent, which was good. There had been a lecture earlier in the day, and it was set up with 400 chairs! We didn’t need all of them.
There were 15 of us slated to read. I went up second; after Bill Yehle, one of the organizers. Since he is basically the coolest person on earth, in addition to being kind and a terrific poet, that was a little intimidating. Still, I like to go on early in a program, because then I can sit back and enjoy, with my whole heart, everyone else’s work.
The topic was book burning and gun violence, so there was a lot of passion, and many ideas. It was also interesting to see where the pieces intersected – on Shakespeare, Toni Morrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the like.
My poem got a good response. I was unhappy with my performance on the last third of it (didn’t pay attention to the breath marks), and, as always, because I’m uncomfortable performing, I’m always unsatisfied with that element of it. I write for others to perform; I like to stay in the background. However, in this situation, reading my own work is part of the gig, so I need to keep improving. I do improve, each time I do it, but I never live up to my own demands, because I am not a performer (and I spent decades working with really good ones).
As far as the poem itself went, there are places that need more work. I think I will take it in to the residency this autumn, and see how I can hone it. I like the bones of it. I think I may expand it (since I no longer have the 3-minute time limit), and then make a lot of cuts.
There were poems by a couple of trans poets which were strong and visceral. There was a piece written as a radio broadcast, which would be an excellent radio play. There was a poem from the point of view of a mass shooter’s gun. I met the wonderful Joanne Spies, who performed a song she originally wrote for Occupy Wall Street in 2011. She’d asked me to video her performance; I hope it wasn’t too wobbly, and she can use at least some of it.
It was a lot of everything that makes a wonderful evening. The end was hard, to just have it stop and then pick up and go. As Joanne said, “Where do we put all this now?” She went to talk to Bill about a way to do a kind of a “cool-down” at future events.
Some people could just kind of talk and hang out – they’re the ones who are regulars and only see each other at these events, so they’re always eager to catch up. I’m still too new for all that.
And, as Joanne said, it was a lot.
I also wanted to get home before dark, since my night vision has become almost non-existent. So I left pretty abruptly after, and then felt bad that I hadn’t at least told several of the poets how much I liked their work.
The drive home was much easier, both because the weather cleared up (although the humidity was oppressive) and there was very little traffic.
Home, dinner, sat out on the porch for a bit, to think about all the poems, and what actions we can/need to take on these issues, and just have my own kind of cool down.
I got a puzzling email from an artistic director to whom I’d sent one of my plays. I will figure it out in the next day or two. I also got a call for submission from a friend connected to the publication, and, if I can get my act together to write around 2K in the next week or so, I’ll do it. The theme hit an idea that’s been in the back of the percolation tank for a few months already, and now I have a reason to do something with it.
Woke up around 4 from intense dreams about a young woman trying to heal a toxic dynamic between her father and a friend of hers who works for her father. It was very much a dream not about me (directly), although I lived the woman’s emotions in the dream. I can’t talk about it too much, or I will lose the essence, but there’s a story there.
No meditation group this morning (we’re not meeting again until September 7). I’ll leave for yoga at the library in about an hour or so, then make it back in time for Nightwood’s Creatryx session. I have to do another rewrite and prep the pages for the screen share. I had some ideas on tightening the scene.
I also have to get next week’s Legerdemain episodes up and scheduled, and get some writing in. I’m cutting it a little too close on the Legerdemain episodes.
Tonight, I’m attending a virtual reading, with Jendia Gammon (who invited me) as one of the readers. It’s the first time I’ve been able to go to anything of hers, although we chat back and forth on social media fairly regularly.
I’ll write in bits and pieces in between commitments today, and it leaves me quite a big stack to get done tomorrow, especially when it comes to next week’s serial episode videos for Tik Tok, and a bunch of other things.
But tomorrow’s priority is at the Clark Institute, to work on that project. I think I will start the short play inspired by “Three Women on a Bridge.” I’ve named them, so now I have to find out what they’re talking about (and hope it’s dramatic enough to sustain a 10-minute play).
There’s so much to be happy about and grateful for. I just wish that the stress of the new landlord and worry about whether or not we’ll have a place to live within the next few months would stop.
Have a good one!
