Fri. Aug. 8, 2025: Contemplating Notebooks

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Friday, August 8, 2025

Day before Full Moon

Pluto, Neptune, Saturn, Mercury, Chiron Retrograde

Hazy, humid, not too hot yet

And we’re at Friday again!

If you haven’t done so already, this weekend is the perfect time to listen to the 30-minute “Effie Effect” to relax and have a laugh. There’s even an interview up with me on the channel.

Subtle, right? 

Today is 8/8, the pinnacle of the Lion’s Gate Portal, and all the fuss just makes me tired. As a colleague pointed out, any day can be a portal day, if you choose change. We are the portals.

It rained yesterday morning, which meant the Sidewalk Chewing Demons were delayed, at least for a little while. I was trying to figure out how I’d get from the house to the car out of the parking lot to the grocery store, and then back in.

Since they weren’t there, and I left for the store right after breakfast, it was all good.

I did a big grocery shop, restocking basics and buying specifics for the week’s meal plan. One of the cookbooks I took out of the library has a lot of terrific recipes I’m going to try in the coming weeks.

The Sidewalk Chewing Demons were still nowhere to be found when I returned, so I parked in the lot, unloaded the car, hauled everything across the street and up the stairs, and put it all away. Willa wanted a partner to play with her catnip strawberry, so we did that for a few minutes, too.

I had a bunch of admin to take care of, and some research. I considered putting together a proposal pitch toward a new client, but when I did some digging into the company, there were red flags raising concerns for me, and I decided not to pitch there. Managed to get a play out on submission. Hopped on and chatted with #FreelanceFriends, which is always fun.

The rest of the day was about finishing the ghostwriting, giving it a final proof, and getting it out the door, which I did by 6 PM. I could have waited and sent it this morning at 9, but I just wanted it the hell off my desk. I know there’s some good work in it. Whether it’s what they want is something else, since the goalposts keep shifting.

Tried a new-to-me recipe for kielbasa (per my mom’s request), potatoes, and corn from the Weekday Lunch and Breakfasts Cookbook, which I recently got out of the library. Yes, it’s for lunch and breakfast, but some of the meals are big enough for dinner. It turned out well. There are a whole bunch of recipes I plan to cook from it while I have it. It’s about to get hot again, so I figured I’d make this recipe while it was cooler.

Next week is supposed to be brutal, with the heat and humidity. Not looking forward to it. I’ve enjoyed this break of slightly cooler but still summery weather.

Started reading after dinner, but was too tired. Slept reasonably well (it was cool enough) and woke up naturally (well, cat-urally), at the normal time. It gets lighter later in the morning now, so Tessa’s not yowling at 4 AM.

Morning yoga and meditation. Bea lets me give her a solid petting session as part of the breakfast ritual, purring the whole time. It’s the only time all day she wants to be petted, but it’s progress. She did join Tessa on the yoga mat this morning, so I had to work around both of them. She looks at me like she thinks yoga is just the weirdest thing ever.

Today’s priorities are the pieces for Llewellyn, finishing class prep for tomorrow and printing out handouts, and working on the poem. If I have time after that’s done, I will work on the poem due next week and/or the revisions of the short story due next week.

Tomorrow, I will do some writing on the Llewellyn pieces, and then I’m teaching, mid-afternoon. Sunday, I will take it easy until I have to head to the Mount for Word X Word. Monday, we go back to the writing routine. I’m not sure which ghostwriting project I’ll be working on next week, at least to start, and I have to talk to them about partial payment for something. I’ve coughed up 40K in a month. I need some $$.

I will also get out some pitches and LOIs either today or early next week. I’ll be juggling projects next week: the poem for LAVA, the short story edits, the other anthology story, the work for Llewellyn, ghostwriting, work on ANGEL HUNT and on VICIOUS CRITIC.

I considered, instead of making the original, larger version of “Human Compass” into a quilt-like piece, stretching it on 1x and then doing a felt backing on the frame. But where the hell would I store it? Maybe the large version just needs to rest for a bit, until I decide what to do with it.

I don’t have to worry about errands to the grocery store or the library, because I did all that earlier in the week. I can focus on tomorrow’s class and other things. I’m sure the Sidewalk Chewing Demons will show up today and cause chaos, so I’m just as happy not to have to try to maneuver the car around them.

One of the ideas in WILL WRITE FOR FOOD is to keep a taste journal (an idea from Molly O’Neill, one of my favorite writers). The idea intrigues me. The first big question is: when would I start?

Which would be, anytime I want. I doubt I’d keep one for ten years, like Molly did, but I’m sure the details of such, even kept for a few months, would add texture to all my writing, but especially the poetry. It would also encourage me to expand out into more interesting foods, in order to have new things to write about!

The second big question is in what to write it? What kind of notebook? A spiral bound seems to make the most sense, although that’s not very inspirational. But that could be lugged around just about everywhere, and I wouldn’t feel bad if something spilled on it.

There’s another big project I’m considering starting in November, and I’m trying to figure out the perfect notebook in which to keep it. Contemplating notebooks and pens is one of my favorite daydream pastimes!

Have a great weekend, and we’ll catch up on the other side.

If I can just make it through these last days of Mercury Retrograde. . .