Tues. Aug. 20, 2024: That Corridor Keeps Getting Longer

image courtesy of tan Madoré via pixabay.com

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Last Day of Full Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Mercury Retrograde

Cloudy and cool

Hopefully, you not only survived the weekend, but it was a good one!

Mercury Retrograde feels like one of those corridors in horror movies that is never ending, no matter how far you run. Hence the photo.

Friday morning, I did about 6K of rewrites on THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE. That felt good. I also wrote and submitted my book review, and received my next assignment.

I was out the door mid-morning. I did a drop off and pick up at the library, then headed to the Clark. My friend and I wandered the Degas exhibit. We were curious as to what opera was being performed behind “Two Masked Dancers” in the hooded cloaks. It wasn’t in any of the labels or the exhibit guide, but one of the staff looked it up, and it turns out it’s the ballet in the opera DON GIOVANNI. Now the hooded cloaks make sense, and it was definitely a kindness above and beyond by this staff member.

We ran into an acquaintance, which was fun, and had lunch in the museum café.

I did some grocery shopping on the way back, and then spent the afternoon reading this month’s Agatha Christie book club pick, A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED. I hadn’t remembered that one.

Cooked dinner, played with the cats. Went to bed too early, which meant I was awake at 3:30. It was humid and still poor air quality, so I moved to the sofa and fell asleep again, until Charlotte woke me at 7 by tap dancing on my ribs.

Put on the air purifier, because the poor air quality was giving me a headache, and we were coughing.

Did some website and marketing work. Did some scheduling work. Paid some bills and dropped them off at the post office. Worked my way through some books that had to go to the library. Helped a friend with a project.

Semi-fixed the vacuum again, because we needed to vacuum the place. It was Bea’s first close encounter with the machine, and she did not like it. She joins Tessa and Charlotte in hating the vacuum. It doesn’t bother Willa at all; she watches and then points out where I’ve missed a spot.

Cooked dinner, using up most of the rest of what was in the CSA box. Yummy.

Slept okay, and up at the usual time. Morning routine. I’d skipped morning meditation with Bea on Saturday (I did it with Tessa instead). As much as Bea keeps a safe distance, she still doesn’t want to miss that part of our morning routine. So I did Sunday’s meditation with her.

It’s so difficult not to start decorating for autumn, but we are still in summer, and I don’t want to rush the seasons. Summer is a lot about stripping back and lightening up, while autumn and winter are about layering and coziness.

I’m so irritated with the corporate overlords who are intentionally trying to push us toward recession. First thing that should happen is all CEO salaries should be slashed by 50%. Put that money where it should be – to the people actually working – and then let’s see where we are.

On Sunday morning, I completed the final galleys of TAPESTRY and sent them off. Release date is set in early November, and pre-order links will be available soon. I updated the website, which I will start promoting in early September. I will start working on the marketing materials for it this week (videos, media kit, graphics, etc.) while I work on the MURDER BELLS galleys and get back to work on THE VICIOUS CRITIC.

Taking careful tracking notes and keeping the series bible, the style sheets, and all the rest updated as I work is saving me so much time. Plus careful notes on the style fonts. There are a couple of style things that can’t be adjusted in the formatting that I would like adjusted, but too bad for me.

Woke up around 2:30 Monday morning, and couldn’t get to sleep. Worried about a lot of different things. But some of them are out of my control; I’ve done my bit, and now I have to wait for a response. But I like to have Plans B, C, D at the very least in reserve.

Tried to put aside what’s currently out of my control and focus on what is.

Up early feeling like an 18-wheeler rolled over me, then reversed and did it again.

Got everybody fed, submitted the book review, invoiced this last batch of books, put together everything we needed for the doctor’s appointment. Dropped books in the book drop at the library on the way to the doctor (it was an early morning appointment).

The appointment was okay; I don’t feel much progress is being made. The doctor is very nice, but there’s not much progress. But my mom is being shifted to another doctor in the practice, so here’s hoping. She had to have a blood test, too.

Came back and found my invoice paid, which is the way I like it. Friday’s payment, from another job, cleared and is in the account, so that’s all set. At we were just past 9 AM at that point.

Put together a pitch for a part-time, temporary job and sent it off. I definitely have the writing chops, but possibly not the graphic. Of course, they should be hiring a graphic designer to partner with the writer, but that’s a different issue. We’ll see. Took care of a bunch of admin and fiddly things that needed attention and were irritating, but now they’re handled, so they won’t still irritate.

Bea was confused, because the morning’s schedule was all out of whack. She got her breakfast on time, but everything is was out of alignment, and she wasn’t sure what that meant. The others weren’t upset, so she was wary, but overall, took her cues from them.

The pre-order links for TAPESTRY are coming in; by the time I start promoting/revealing the website in early September, I should have a nice batch of links. Updated the website with them, did the day’s promotion for the Topic Workbook THE SERIES BIBLE.

Turned around two large coverages. Heated up some dinner, tried to read a little, but was tired. Glad I got the coverages in, because the site was down for a few hours in the evening.

I was supposed to attend a virtual informational seminar about a grant I’m interested in, but the Zoom link they sent out was invalid. I let them know, and didn’t receive a new one, so that’s that.

It rained heavily on and off all day. I think it’s the very edges of Hurricane Ernesto, but I’m not sure.

Up at the usual time this morning. Got everybody fed, did the morning writing in longhand, did the morning meditation with Bea. Tessa tried to crash it, but no, honey, not yet.

Debating whether I want to run errands this morning or put it off another day or so. I keep thinking today is Monday, but it’s Tuesday. It’s Mondaying, though.

I have work to do on various projects today, It’s been so rainy I haven’t been able to do the painting that needs to be done (practical, not artistic on canvas). I need to get to work on the MURDER BELLS proofs and get those out the door this week, and I want to get back to work on THE VICIOUS CRITIC. Somewhere in there, I need to get back to work on the synopsis for CAST IRON MURDER so that can go out on submission in early September. Months later than I hoped it would, but there we are.

This afternoon, I pick up the CSA box for the week, and tonight – two hours of yoga!

Hang in there, friends.