Last night was the latest meetup with my writing group. People had very little to say about my story. Now is that a good thing or a bad thing? Are they not finding much with it or have they grown tired of it and are merely going through the paces.

IMPOSTER SYNDROME ANYONE?

Oh, today is April 20th. Happy 4-20 to you if you’re a patron of the willie-weed.

What else…

I’m going to try and see the Renfield movie today. Let’s see if one of my kids screws it up by going to their school’s office and calling because they need chapstick. YES, THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED YESTERDAY. My family is a bunch of weenies. Now I’m not going to go and say I’m the roughest-toughest person around, but sucking it appears to be a lost art.

I’ve been watching season 3 of both Picard Season 3 and The Mandalorian. I’m finding both quite captivating.

Have I mentioned I’ve added something to my bucket list? I’ve decided I want to do the PCT. I’m currently 52 and have about 10 years left before I retire. My plan is to go within a couple of months after retiring. That way I can go on some shorter duration, just as intense daily hikes, in order to get myself physically ready. Back when I was under 14, my dad would take us out on backpacking trips, they weren’t that long and the most we would travel was about 5 miles. I enjoyed the hikes and the quiet you would find yourself in. Back in the army days, we did 20-mile hikes with 50-pound bags once a year. I was always one of the first to finish. Granted I’m no longer in my 20s and I know things have started getting slower. Still, just this morning I did a 1.33-hour walk and cleared 4.55 miles. Yes, I’m aware that I wasn’t carrying any weight on my back. I have ten years to ready myself. I’m just saying, that at this time, I don’t see any issues with undertaking it, provided no health issues develop. The last backpacking trip I took, I was 36. My dad and I went together and I carried close to 70lbs of gear, with me carrying the bulk of it. We only went about 6 miles but I was outpacing him the whole way. What can I say, I’m a walking machine.

So… what else…

Jessica Day.

I’ve been reworking the last few chapters of Jessica, starting from the 90% mark and working onward again. I’ve been sitting on it for a while and didn’t like the way it was feeling. I had gotten to the 95% mark and had petered out. Going back to the 90% mark and moving forward again, it’s allowed me to get a better handle on the story. I’m liking the way it’s moving now and has reached the 95% mark again. This time I have a better focus on how it’s going and where I want it to go. Now my biggest issue is if I want to change its name from “A New Day” to “The Next Day.” I’m still leaning toward the original but both work for me. I think I’ll put the question in my final “The End” submission at the end for my peer review group.

Okay, I think I’m done for now. I’m in the mood to get back to Jessica again. I was feeling guilty over ignoring this blog for over a month… again.

What can I say, life is full of stupid, and I’m waist-deep in it.

Tootles all

Dave

😛