Well, blurkers (a borrowed term from my friend Riz)...here we are in early February, and I return to the blog partly to keep from actually doing something I should be.
Monday has arrived, and with it the potential death of my Gateway computer tower. Joy...I'm writing as we speak on my MacBook Pro, and glad that I have the big-ass Verizon package so I can snag wifi.
Computers are a weird thing; we need them for so much, and yet we hate them when they break down. Kind of like cars, when you think about it.
Anyway...where have I been the last several weeks. Busy in some ways, other ways not.
There's been good news on the health front: about ten days ago, my doctor gave me a clean bill of health. Blood pressure, cholesterol, this, that and the other all normal or close to where they should be.
Nice. My knee is troubling me again, and I'm not sure if it was injured during workouts or what. I'm having to be mindful of it.
Workoutwise, I am a little slower, due to the meds, but getting used to that. I'm now feeling after about five months of hard training (for this body) that I'm where I should be. I feel a lot better than I have in years, and the regimen of sauna (love the sweatbox and what it does), swimming and work on the bike seems to be alright for me.
I do not need to be one of the iron slammers; I have the option of doing similar work if it so drives me, but I leave that to the others.
Work is strange; still doing weekends for Radio PA, WITF has now and then work, and Clear Channel is potentially stripping half the baseball season from the producers, because of ideas the Senators have. Need to wait and see what that does.
I am job hunting, and I did have lines on work back in New England; personally, I'd rather stay here because it negates the need to rip up stakes and move. If I have to, well, we'll see.
My landlord passed away a couple of weeks ago; Warren Harding was nearly 90. A really nice guy, and amazingly active up until the past year or so. He and his wife have been very good to me, and I wonder what the future holds for the Mrs., but I'm not going to be asking questions too much. Not a good thing to do.
I'm back to writing again...I'd been writing a story called "The Complete Unknowns," but I've changed it. That title actually belongs to another story outline, which I recently found. Not sure if I'll use it or not.
The work is now called "Time the Healer," and it fits what I'm driving at in this latest fictional whatever it is. I would guess I'm halfway done, but changes keep coming; I'm dropping some plot vehicle ideas that are too easy to do, and I can do better than that.
I'm working on getting up a new website, hopefully; I need to do more preparation for when we do get it up there, but we'll have to deal with that when the time comes.
I just finished Stephen King's "On Writing," last night. My sister gave it to me for Xmas a couple of years ago, but I finally got down to finishing it. One of those reference works you take in every so often. I will say it is a fascinating autobio, because now I know where all that weird shit comes from in King's stories!
I was never a fan of his writing; I just flat don't like horror. "The Shining" was a good book; I read that in high school. "On Writing" is also most instructive, because King lets you in on his secrets, by and large however they're not.
Writing is something that needs to work for each person that does it; sure, there's things you can learn from the masters, but beyond that you have to use your own imagination and skill and bring it out.
In any case, I rate it highly and suggest anyone considering a writing career of any sort to read and have it. "Elements of Style," that one, too. It hasn't changed in 50 years, and it's well worth it.
Okay...I gotta go see about this poor tower. I'm afraid it may have shit the bed for good; it is about six years old...or is it seven? I don't remember. That comes from getting old...heh.
