Miscellaneous Things & Final Sneak Preview
I’ve struggled to come up with an interesting topic of discussion this week. Usually, the inspiration hits me (for secular discussion) or the Holy Spirit guides me (for evangelism and biblical topics). But my mind and my focus have been elsewhere recently.
So today’s (one day late) post is a bit of a change-up. I’m calling it “miscellaneous things” because it’s a hodgepodge of what I’ve been involved with lately.
I got a new cat! His name, funnily, is C.J., and he’s super sweet. I adopted him from a PetSmart back in Longview, TX. He’s been a little shy around the house, but started to come out of his shell a couple of days ago. Not sure if he’s part Maine Coon or just a long-haired tabby, but he’s a sexy beast (if you will indulge the corniness of that statement). Sissy (my Calico female) isn’t very approving of him, but he doesn’t seem to dislike her. Hopefully she’ll come around to his presence.[image error]
(Most) video games aren’t doing as much for me as they once did. It’s good that I devote less time to it, but it also means I’m straining to dredge up the will to do much of anything but scour the web for articles and discussion forums to peruse. The methods are different yet the results (lack of ambition) are the same. I want to do things, need to do things, but the hand of complacency and procrastination seizes me even when I don’t appreciate it.
I’m realizing more and more that my future may not be as an author. Don’t misunderstand me: I love writing. The sequel to The Shadow Over Lone Oak is still underway, albeit becoming a nuisance in the last stages. This blog will persist as long as I’m capable of updating it with new content. I will always be a writer. But the next Stephen King/J. K. Rowling? A millionaire/billionaire auteur known around the world? Barring a miracle, that’s not going to happen. And I don’t want it. The love of money is the root of all evil. I’d rather be poor and alive (in Christ) than rich and dead (in sin).
With regards to wrestling, I’m ambivalent. I do enjoy seeing great nostalgic acts and truly capable up-and-comers, but the favored stars of the higher-ups leave a lot to be desired. Bobby Lashley (Impact Wrestling’s current Heavyweight Champion) and Alberto Del Rio El Patron are not an entertaining main event pair for me…and the less said about Roman Reigns aka “The Big Dog” aka “Two Moves of Doom” aka “Mr. Unlikable Face” the better. As far as I’m concerned, these guys are (don’t take this lighthearted statement too seriously) dummies, yeah!
I’m often more tired than I can understand. This ties in, I think, with my unwanted slothfulness. It’s an ongoing cycle of waking up, trying to engage with work, failing, loafing around, getting sleepy early, going to bed at my usual hour, and then repeating. It’s like I’m imprisoned in a jail of my own making. But I firmly believe that I can break free as long as I keep trying, keep tunneling with that metaphorical spoon of hope, and come out the other side smelling a little dank but otherwise the better.
Finally, here is the very last sneak preview for my upcoming sequel novel (and yes, one day it will have a title, but that day is not today):
He was never a Starbucks junkie, so Finch took Kasey to a low-key joint sandwiched between a rundown department store and an antique shop. The Meister’s Brew, run by an elderly hippy couple for more than thirty years, had that old-fashioned beatnik feel. Dim lighting, poetry readings, and whispered words greeted them as they entered the establishment.
She insisted he pay for drinks. Had to be a gentleman, didn’t he? He never minded, but it was another example of how she always got her way. Until he ended the relationship.
The price was a bit steep. He’d rather support this place than a conglomerate, but twenty bucks for two vanilla lattes and a cinnamon bun pushed his charity to its limits. He forked over the dough, trying to reconcile how he’d lost one hundred twenty dollars on his first day back to work.
Kasey picked out a table adjacent to the “Lover’s Corner” section of the room. He was starting to wonder if she’d purposefully gone deaf considering what he’d told her in the elevator.
Finch seated her first, careful to avoid lingering eye contact. He didn’t need her getting any untoward ideas. This was strictly professional, just two operatives planning out a strategy. He hoped that was enough for both their sakes.
“This is nice,” Kasey said, loosening her ponytail and letting her golden strands rest on her shoulders.
“Yeah.”
“It’s so you.”
“I suppose,” said Finch. Truly, he was the king of conversation today.
“You don’t have to be a stiff,” she said, twirling a lock of hair. “We’re still friends, aren’t we? We can talk like normal without dredging up any…memories.”
He wanted to believe that. But the last things he’d said to her, after that night’s tussle, hadn’t been pretty. How could she forgive him so easily? He hadn’t even forgiven himself. Never could.
The latte was icy, the polar opposite of how he liked his usual black coffee. Kasey’s frothed as she swirled a plastic spoon around the rim like it was the carousel at an amusement park. Her cinnamon bun looked delicious, dripping with sweet, buttery goodness. She bit into the roll with elegance befitting a debutante at a ball.
“I’m sorry,” he said, not certain if he was apologizing for his current behavior or for what happened years ago. Maybe a bit of both.
“It’s fine, Llewyn. I mean, I wish things were different but that’s the past. I get it. You’ve moved on. No crying over spilled breast milk, you know?”
Kasey had a way of being crass that somehow wasn’t offensive.
“If you’re sure.”
“I am,” she said, firm and succinct, so unlike her. “We were partners and friends first.” Lovers second went unsaid.
I’m now completely without anything to share that won’t dramatically spoil (in my opinion) the plot of the novel). But I hope you’ve enjoyed every tease, every sidestep, in today’s meandering blog post. Have a great Tuesday, a wonderful week, and God bless you for always taking the time to read my (sometimes) baffling musings.
