I wanted to post at Honey & Quinine Saturday after spending nine hours burning aviation history book pictures onto two CDs I’d be sending to my editor Monday, but I didn’t.
I wanted to post here Sunday after writing the final four chapters and a long introduction — where I let it ALL hang out so to speak – from about 11:10 to 8:20 and not even bothering with lunch because I knew if I ate anything I’d become lethargic and not come back to the computer, but I didn’t. I did fire off an e to my editor after two tasty peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (because I’m saving my lunchmeat for Ramen noodles) and the last of three stacks of Pringles I had purchsed Friday late.
Then I packaged some photographs that had been loaned by Corwin Meyer down OcalaFla way, wrote a “thank you” note and set it aside to mail Monday.
Then I discovered I could not log onto my email or the internet. DANG.
I lay awake this morning, waiting for 8:00 so I could call “technical support” at SpringNet1, good people every one. After I heard Jimmy Carter’s voice on NPR for what seemed like the sizth time in two hours of Monrning Edition (that’s really so PBS of them, bummer) I couldn’t take it any more; got up and read the morning edition of the SJ-R.
I’m down to one strip on the Comics page — Doonesbury. I miss Tumberweeds and Boondocks. Where have you gone, Calvin & Hobbes? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you! WISH Opus did a daily in the paper. I’m not complaining as long as Dan Faulkner keeps sending snappy one liners to the Letters to the Editor Page.
I remembered wrong. Tech support didn’t start until 9 but Trish kindly took my number. They’d call when my request came to the top of the tech sup heap. In the meantime, I was stuck at home.
The Substitute Teacher Service called, and I had to decline a gig today. Eighty fripping BUCKS, kissed goombye. I’m a AWTHA, dewn tyu gnew? i couldn’t schedule a UPS pickup because I had to stay near the phone in case tech sup called back. Finally about 11:15 I called back and Trish put me right through. Like I said, they’re good people! Dan solved my prob in 2 minutes. A tip for my dedicated legion of fan: when your email and Inet connection won’t work, disconnect the power cord from the back of yoru DSL box, wait a minute at least, reconnect and try again after your greens settle into solid (not flickering) glow. It worked for me.
BOOM to the phone to call UPS. Did you know you won’t find them in the phone book? You must go through their internet site which lists the phone number to call for a pickup. It all went fine. They promised someone would come by between 5 and 7 today, and that meant I would be enjoying my front porch for the first time this year since my office is so far back from the porch, the UPS person could bang all day, and I’d not hear it. They called back. The pickup would be between 3 and 4. Excellent.
So I grabbed a tall glass of Lipton iced, my Vachel poems and set out to enjoy the afternoon porch. Practiced some poems and savored the warmth and productive time. UPS arrived about 3:20; another excellent person.
NOW THAT he’s taken my pictures and I’ve sent all the text to my editor ins big ol’ Word files via e, I am done for awhile with the book. I will be sent a proof to check and correct, and after that is returned to the publisher, the rest is up to them. WHAT A LOAD off my froggy little shoulders! Producing those 209 photo captions by only three weeks after the deadline I set last DECEMBER is my major accomplishment of my literary life. I felt I had a cattle prod doing its thing in a most inappropriate place since mid-freaking-MARCH. Not that I’m complaining, you understand. They asked ME to write the book and I was absolutely delighted to accept. I’m even more delighted to have the really hard work completed!
Another piece of advice for aspiring writers. If you’ve never written a book in the Arcadia format, don’t IMOGENE — maqe that IMAGINE — you know how to set a realistic deadline. WHEEEEEEW.
I have an hour & 40 minutes between now and anyihing I want to see on PBS. So I’m going to brush up my Lindsay.
I will be posting more frequently now that that cattle prod has been removed.
But drop by anyway.
Live long . . . . . . and proper.
