Tues. Dec. 31, 2024: Just Another New Year’s Eve

image courtesy of Gustavo Rezende via pixabay.com

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Waxing Moon

Uranus, Jupiter, Mars Retrograde

Chiron DIRECT (as of Sunday)

6th Day of Christmas = last night’s dreams are for June

6th Day of Kwanzaa – creativity

8th night of Hanukkah

New Year’s Eve

Cloudy and mild; snow expected later

Boy, we had a lot going on all at once, didn’t we? If you’re wondering why I always mention Kwanzaa, I got into the tradition of celebrating it with my neighbors on the floor of my 42nd St./8th Avenue apartment building way back in the years I lived there, and have kept it up.

I’m getting better about dealing with New Year’s Eve. There were many miserable turns of the year over my years, due to pressures, expectations, and later, once I had to work and couldn’t have people over for parties to see the ball drop (which I could see from the apartment), when they blocked off Times Square for the festivities, I couldn’t get home after my show. I was forced to go out to an overpriced restaurant to “have fun” until I could get home around 1 AM. Not my idea of a good time.

I mean, there were some good times, too, and then, after a certain point, I started taking New Year’s Eve off work/shows so I didn’t have to deal with it all and going to yoga retreats and doing mindfulness things instead. I keep elements of all the things I liked about these various experiments to build a celebration I can enjoy. And there were some years where I had the all-night parties, where people floated in and out all night, and then a whole new crew came in around 4 AM for breakfast, and we hung out as the day dawned. That was always fun.

Friday started cloudy, but wound up getting sunny. After breakfast, I did my day’s quota of contest judging, and turned around the miniscule coverage.

Then, it was time to head out into the cold for errands.

I put the bag of books in the rolly cart, along with reusable grocery bags, and off I went. I walked up to the library, dropped off and picked up books. I was comforted to find out that many people are having car trouble right now, with this weather. I also got a chance to see the pieces on display from the library’s knitting/crocheting/weaving/quilting group, which were lovely. I want to go back and spend more time with them.

I continued on to Big Y, where I did a light grocery shop. I was worried about the cart bumping along the road breaking the eggs, so I made sure the eggs were buffeted by bread. Rolled home after, which was fine. It’s not all that far. I would not have been able to do it without the cart, though. It would have been too much to carry.

Hauled everything back up the stairs and put it away. Went through the mail (which I hadn’t picked up on Thursday).

When I checked my email, I found that I received the revision notes for the ghostwriting assignment. They liked a lot of what I did, and now it’s about aligning with their structure and voice. I went through the notes once and they made sense; it’s just whether I can execute them in the way they want. That puts a lot of pressure on me this week, but it will be worth it, if I can pull it off.

It means, however, I won’t be paid for the work until the revisions are turned around (in spite of the okay to go ahead and invoice I was given a week ago), which means the next few weeks will be very tight. And puts even more pressure on me, on multiple fronts – to do the revisions both quickly and well enough that they want to keep working for me. While juggling everything else.

I did some work on the notes. Then, I gave myself the afternoon to read Louise Penny’s newest, THE GREY WOLF. While the book itself is good, I disagree with a choice she made about a tertiary character who appeared in a previous book. I mean, it’s her series, she can do whatever the heck she wants, but that choice for that particular character doesn’t sit right with me.

Again, it’s a chance for me to ask myself, what can I learn from this? How can I apply it to my own work?

We had pizza for dinner, which I hadn’t made in a bit, and that was good.

Slept reasonably well, although I dreamed about being in a large wardrobe area for a show. I’ve been in that place before, in previous dreams, although it’s no place I’ve actually worked in my career. I was helping to strike a show, doing the packout, and, for some reason, there was a lot of white felt involved. And a stage manager friend was also there. I’m figuring it must be allegorical for March, since there isn’t time between now and March for us to get on a show, run a show, and close a show. What it’s supposed to mean, I don’t know. I mean, I have theories, but nothing to back them up. There were also wasps or hornets or some such involved, but I don’t remember the details. Wasps are about productivity, control, and new beginnings, which would be a good thing, especially in contrast to the packout stuff. Hornets are strength and protection. Either one is positive, although I’m not particularly fond of those insects in real life.

It was cold and there was icy rain on Saturday.  I was glad I’d planned ahead and run all my errands on Friday, when it was bright and clear.

Charlotte stole Bea’s breakfast. Charlotte won’t eat wet food off her own plate; only if she can steal Bea’s.

Sigh.

I turned around three small coverages and did my judging quota in the morning, so I wouldn’t have it hanging over me all day. By the time I was finished for the day, my second of the four categories was complete.

I did a couple of hours’ worth of work on the ghostwriting rewrites. I listened to some of the score of ONE TOUCH OF VENUS and percolated that story.

My old home library on the Cape contacted me to renew the card. Which is weird, because the week before the move, I’d let them know I was moving. So I emailed them back, to remind them that we no longer live there, and are part of the CW Mars network now. I mean, I still get books from the Cape via Commonwealth Catalogue, but. . .

I read the next book for review, which was quite good. I skimmed through some library books which didn’t satisfy me and went back into the return pile.

A quiet day, and I actually got a few things done. Read Kelly Bishop’s memoir THE THIRD GILMORE GIRL in the evening. Of course, I’d seen her play Sheila in the original A CHORUS LINE. I worked a show off-Broadway with her years ago, and really enjoyed working with her (although I had mixed feeling about the show). I was curious to read what she had to say about it, and gave an ironic laugh when it was given just a few paragraphs. But then, the show had been a year and a half of my life, whereas she was only in it for a few months. And she’s worked on plenty of bigger projects. It’s all about perspective.

Slept reasonably well. Weird dreams about undercover work (tied to what I’ve been reading lately). I hope that means April is about writing, not about, you know, being undercover! I’d be awful at being undercover.

Charlotte was impossible in the morning, and all during meditation. She’s started using meditation time to sneak into Bea’s room and eat Bea’s breakfast. So, today, I kept Charlotte on my lap during meditation. Not a very peaceful time, with Charlotte squirming and wiggling for the entire time. This from the cat who can sleep on my lap for hours at a time without moving – and who, as I write this, is curled up fast asleep on the couch.

I did the day’s judging quota, finishing the third category, then switched over and worked on the ghostwriting revisions for a couple of hours. After that, I adapted about eight episodes of ANGEL HUNT into three chapters. A decent morning’s work.

I need to rejig the content calendar for January. I looked at it, and whatever logic I applied when I came up with it a few weeks ago escapes me now. I will look at it again later this week. I suspended promotions shortly before Christmas because there were so many out there, mine wouldn’t have had impact, especially the way I had them running. It made more sense to give exhausted shoppers a break, and start again after the turn of the year. I have to be consistent about it, though; keeping my pieces in front of the potential readers means sales, and sales help pay bills. None of the current social media channels have the conversion rate Twitter had in its heyday, and that means my income has taken a hit there. It’s more time intensive and harder to craft the individual piecemeal campaigns structured for each channel’s strengths, which then cuts into the money, because time is money. Hopefully, when some money comes in, I’ll be able to have a reasonable paid advertising budget this year. And maybe some swag.

Read the second book for review in the afternoon. It’s good, if somewhat difficult to navigate at times.

Bea revealed a fondness for Gouda cheese in the afternoon, when she stole a piece off my plate before Charlotte could get it. I was, in fact, trying to keep Charlotte from snatching it when Bea made her move, stopping Charlotte and me in our tracks. It’s the first time Bea showed any interest in the humans’ food since she arrived, and I’m wondering if it was simply to thwart Charlotte (who does love her specialty cheeses, especially if they are from Cricket Creek Farm over in Williamstown). Bea was trained by the feline equivalent of Fagin. My friend in Beacon, who originally rescued her, said Slick was probably the one who trained her, when he wasn’t running dice games out behind the garage. (Slick is the cat who brought her to my friend’s place, part of the Ridge Runner Gang).

We are the rest of the Coq Au Vin for dinner. Charlotte, of course, wanted some. She doesn’t care about regular chicken, only the fancy recipes. She didn’t get any, because Coq Au Vin is cooked with both Cognac and burgundy.

I was very sorry to hear about the death of former President Jimmy Carter, a truly decent human being. I got on social media to read what was going on, and the tributes (I’d stayed off it for most of the day – I’m trying to go back to Digital Detox Sunday).

Slept reasonably well. Had a dream about working with someone with whom I definitely do NOT want to work with again (we’d worked together on the show with Kelly Bishop, which is what must have triggered the dream). I hope that’s not a genuine portent for May.

It still rained on Monday, although it was reasonably mild. I got up late, much to Tessa’s dismay, and had a bunch of ideas for the anthology story. I posted the links to the Community Tarot Reading (it’s here if you missed it). I wrote and submitted the two reviews, and asked for more work.

I could feel myself slithering into the End of Year Pit of Doom, a place from which I don’t really want to start 2025.

I did, however, get a nice thank you email from the librarian at the Clark, where I sent her information she mentioned she needed a few weeks back. I’m glad she can use it, and the email cheered me up somewhat.

I did my day’s quota of judging. I looked for the Excel workbook with my monthly work totals, and, of course, it was gone. Because electronics fail me EVERY time. So I put together a new document in Word. Just putting in the numbers depressed the hell out of me, and I’m sure it will do so even more when I sit down and add them up in a few days. Not because the numbers are small; I worked hard this year. But the return doesn’t justify the numbers.

The sun sort of came out for a bit, which cheered things up.

Finished judging the final category for the contest. Sent that off. Turned around 3 tiny coverages. Had all kinds of issues getting my next books for review. They were assigned just fine, but I was having technical issues. I hope the computer’s not about to die, on top of everything else. Got in a couple of more tiny coverages, which I turned around.

Received an invitation for the next steps for the For the People Leftist Library Project Cohort. I have an interview on January 7th, where I talk about my experience with libraries and present a plan for working with my home library.

Received the link to the rough cut of “The Effie Effect” which I will listen to later today. Looking forward to it!

Was sad to learn about Linda Lavin’s death. We worked together off-Broadway – on the same show with Kelly Bishop, although I think Linda had left by the time Kelly came in, because Valerie Harper, who took over for Linda, played opposite Kelly. Linda was very strong and specific. We got along well, although some others on the show found her difficult. Her artistic instincts were right on the money, and she knew how to both stand up for herself, and advise those around her to set strong boundaries. I learned a lot from her.

Woke up at 2:30 this morning, and could not get back to sleep. Gave up and got up once the coffee got going. This does not bode well for staying up past midnight tonight. I will probably take a nap this afternoon and further throw off my sleep schedule. Don’t remember my dreams, so I hope that means June will be drama-free.

I got my Hoopla sales figures for November. Can’t retire on them or anything, but they were reasonably strong, and hopefully December’s will be even better. Hoopla and Kobo have the best sales figures for me at this point.

On today’s agenda: a small coverage; hoping that more coverages come in before the pay period ends at midnight; work on the ghostwriting revisions; work on the short story; listening to the rough cut of “Effie.” A light grocery shop (especially since I’m walking and using the rolly cart).

I always cook special meals on the Eve and the Day. We will stay up to welcome in the New Year. Tomorrow morning, I will make Eggs Benedict for breakfast, a New Year’s tradition. And then start the New Year.

As discouraged as I feel here, toward the end of the year, and as much as I’m bracing for what’s to come, overall, 2024 had a lot of good in it. I will go through that tomorrow, as I finalize my goals, dreams, and resolutions for 2025, and celebrate the good things, using them as a foundation to build a solid 2025.

New Year’s blessings to you and yours!