RE: Up In Flames
Well, I think my wife will be occupied for the rest of the week with the granddaughter, so that's good. It will give her something to do that she enjoys. I think they'll have some fun. :)
I'm shaking my head about the performance bonus money. So neither were accused of anything. Okay. I'd have to take up drinking for the treatment deal to stick. Maybe I could get some psychological help, though. I'm sure there would be a few who would think I'm out of my mind. :)
I'm finding it increasingly unfair as my body continues to wear out that I don't really feel that much older. I mean, it's more like I'm still in my 30s or so, but without the energy or abilities I had even at that age. There's still a lot I'd love to do, but the maintenance required is mentally prohibitive. I could do it, it would just take up time I'd rather being doing something else. I keep telling myself that if I can get this going, or something else, I'll have the time I need and want to do all of the exercising and so forth, but so far, I think I'm just putting things off.
I'm just not very good at giving into the inevitable. :)
That is exactly my decision process. I feel as energetic and adventuresome and intellectually ready to tackle anything but when practicality hits, this familiar body I occupy simply will not comply with the demands I put on it and I run out of energy and motivation far more quickly than ever. That's a strange feeling, I don't like it, and I'm forcefully determined to ignore it...but I get pooped out and goals dim because my wrists and ankles don't cooperate, my back hurts like blazes and my energy level takes a nosedive.
Any magical suggestions you have, feel free to share.
I see to have been transported into a non-compliant body!
We sat down last night to watch a movie. The first 15 minutes were interesting and I was amazed that I was not tired or sleepy. When she nudged me as the final credits were rolling, the world turned on again.
The good side is that I have no desire for an all-night party lately :)
I wish I had suggestions, magical or otherwise. I'm not quite at the point where I'm falling asleep during a movie, except when I'm drowsy going in. That would be irritating, especially if I wanted to watch it. :)
Well, in my case, when I know something is going to take time to accomplish, like making something on Steemit, it's a decision of just how much time can I dedicate to this endeavor versus how much time do I really have left, period? When I was younger, I'd spend way too much time on one thing or another because I had plenty of it. While I'm now middle aged, there's still some time, but time keeps ticking away, and I feel like I need to be a little bit choosier where I end up spending my time.
I'm afraid I haven't felt like an all night party since I was a teenager. :) And even then, it wasn't going to happen anyway.
To be truthful, I only attended one all-nighter in my life and that was when my wife and I gave ourselves a going away party when we moved from NC to Florida. It was a good party, if standing around munching snacks, drinking beer (except I don't drink it) and talking until four AM constitutes a good party. We said our goodbyes and when the guests left, we left also and drove to Tampa, FL for my new job.
Thinking back, I only attended two parties while in high school: one in the 8th grade and one in the 11th after the class play. I was never interested since I was in class with the people who would be there... I never found out who attended or what they did, so there was one, I ddn't go and it was an invisible event to me.
I go through spells of not sleeping and am in one now, helping the occasional dozing along. Getting up at 2:30 puts a kink in my evening schedule when S.O. wants to watch a detective drama on Netflix. I enjoy the quiet, early mornings and my brain is best then. For the past months, if I do any creative writing, it happens then. I have more free time after the weed-growing season passes and the yard work decreases. I spent yesterday battling a new, invasive Nutsedge grass that comes from microscopic seeds that seem to be everywhere. They have become quite widespread and lawns everywhere are infested with it. Today, S.O. and I worked on the landscape sprinkler system, that is fed from our well pump. It is mostly a drip system and the tiny outlets are easily clogged by a grain of sand, so that takes regular maintenance. It's always something!
The bad part is that I don't want to do any of that! I really would like to clear my head of those maintenance tasks and think about my characters and plot development and take as much time writing as I need to make me feel like I have made an honest effort at it. I have no illusions that I have any talent at it, but that does not make any difference to me. I enjoy the mental process of creating new places and people and that's reward enough. If only I had the time!
We are generally our own worst critics. I haven't seen much of your fiction, but I have read the couple stories about incidents/people in your life and I think they were very well told. Not that they're fictional, but they read much better than a non-fictional book that basically exists to impart information. I think it helps that it's your personal story, but still, it comes through much more than just something that took place.
I think that's a talent in and of itself.
Of course, loving the process and enjoying the journey of storymaking, regardless of talent or success is very important. Essential. In my case, it helps to see some kind of reward, more than just a finished book.
My wife is home for the rest of the week and I've been gently resisting suggestions that we do this or go there. I'm hoping to hold out for as long as I can, but will probably end up doing something for a few hours. If that's all it is, I will consider myself fortunate, since I'm trying to spend as much time on Steemit as I can and maximize my efforts here.
Late night parties, especially among youth, generally signal and spell trouble of some kind. The party you describe with your wife sounds about my speed, though I don't see myself being able to stay up talking to 4 AM. :)