Fri. Dec. 20, 2024: Invoking the Typing Gods
image courtesy of Roy Buri via pixabayFriday, December 20, 2024
Waning Moon
Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter, Mars Retrograde
Cloudy and cold
Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice! Yay!
Yesterday morning, we were out of the house so my mom could have her first appointment with her new primary care physician. I was afraid they would turn us away, because of the dispute with the hospital bill, but everything was fine. We paid the co-pay and there we were.
The new nurse is very nice, but we miss the former nurse, a guy my mom just adored. The new doctor is young and energetic. My mom is his first patient who is 100, and he’s eager to have her healthy. He listens, ask questions, responds specifically to questions I asked with actual information. None of the waffling the way the previous doctor did. Her numbers were good, and he thinks she’s doing well, especially for her age. We’ll come back in April, and he might actually take her off one of her medications. She had to have a blood draw, but other than that, the whole thing was smooth.
We came home, I took care of a few things, and I went back to the ghostwriting project. I finally finished the draft at 10:30 PM. And then I couldn’t get to sleep until after midnight. And then felt like I’d been rolled over by a truck who then backed up and did it again.
When I woke up, I realized I’d used the wrong year to mark the dates (part of the outline requires day/date chapter headings). So I had to go back and fix all of those. I think I have to do another pass to take out some semi-colons. While I love my semi-colons, their style guide suggests they are not fond of them.
This morning, I will do another polish and proof. I need to get it out the door in the morning, so it’s not landing on someone’s desk the Friday afternoon before the holidays.
And either I am someone they think will fit their voice, and we move forward, or I’m too far off the mark, and they won’t. I hope we can at least have a few editorial discussions to see if I can move into their house style.
I get paid for the trial no matter what, after a few rounds of edits. I hope it won’t be pushed too far out due to the holidays.
Because no coverages came in this week at all for me, even with a contest deadline last Monday and one today. And I have bills to pay in January.
Some of our packages have arrived, ahead of time. One, to Greenwich, made it to Stamford and is now back in MA for some reason.
Got a rejection for a residency which was not unexpected; had I received it, there’s a good chance I would have had to refuse, depending on how some other things shake out. I also was rejected from a development/reading series about an hour east of here with a very nice letter, but I kind of rolled my eyes at the “we had 25 scripts and there’s no room for you” when, last year, SERENE & DETERMINED was chosen out of 700. It just makes room for something else in that time period, even if I don’t yet know what that is.
Once the ghostwriting trial is out the door, I have to go to the grocery store to get our goodies for the holiday next week, and the supplies so I can make my infamous devilled eggs for Solstice. Which means I have to sit down and actually make a list.
I have a few more cookie platters to deliver tomorrow, and also the ones for the neighbors.
Once I come home from Solstice on Saturday, I’m hunkering down for the week. I’ll do coverage work if it comes in (and it better), and work on the contest judging. If edits on the ghostwriting come in next week, I’ll work on them around the holiday.
But mostly, I need to rest.
Growing up and then working in theatre, I was ALWAYS sick around Christmas. Once I left working in the Petrie dish that is backstage, I could actually enjoy the holidays. This year, I’ve run myself down, mostly due to financial stress, and I don’t want to end up sick and miserable. I want to be peaceful and cozy instead.
I’m not even discussing the looming shutdown in detail except to say I’m tired of unelected, moneyed bozos calling the shots.
Have a good weekend, friends!
