As my long lost friend to the wiles of the north would say: thumbing it tonight. The iPad is currently undergoing another iOS update. That’s like three in the past three days…though to be fair, I think that’s because I put it off for like two weeks 😛

707…my home area code (I’ve got hoes). It’s a special number, it makes me think of Humboldt. Makes me think of memorizing my first phone number, though back in those days, nobody was memorizing the actual 707 part. It was all “444” this, and “441” that. You know, olden times. Back when all you had was a land-line.

It’s actually a little weird to think back to that time. Cell phones were around very early-on in my life, to be honest. I was 16 when I got my first one. I mean, that’s half my life now that I’ve had a cell phone. Continuously, too. They really were that much of an innovation; you could call or be called from anywhere. I also remember how nobody used to use text messages at first. I didn’t for several years…I was down here in LA going to college when I started finally.

So much has changed. At least in specifically how we communicate. WHAT we’re communicating hasn’t changed one bit in my lifetime…and conceivably several lifetimes before that.

It was a busy day today with apartment stuff. I went in to the office for rent, pow-wowed with my boss about how to handle something in my building that’s been bothering me and a growing issue, found a leak up on the roof with my boiler…oh, and someone had to be 3-Day Noticed for not paying their rent yet. I always hate posting those…it’s such awkwardness. But, you gotta do what you gotta do, you know? And rent, it must be paid.

All that stuff really took up my whole day. I hadn’t really scheduled anything, so it was all good. I was telling Liz that our new system we have with her covering the building while I’m working and me doing the same when I’m taking “off” days has been a game-changer for me and my stress-level. Like, today didn’t stress me out at all because I knew if anything spilled over into tomorrow, a work day, Liz would be able to handle it for me and I could focus on getting work done. I mean…it’s huge. HUGE I tell ya!

I have to re-do my calendar of goals here soon. I was thinking about that today, how I want to reset them. For some reason, the idea of outlining my next novel is feeling very overwhelming. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t outline my first novel, it was already done. Or, perhaps it’s because the outlining process has been a long, cantankerous one for my last couple projects…so, you know what? Maybe that’s the tiny first step to conquer with this newfound optimism in the world of writing novels. Maybe conquering the outline is the digestible morsel that I can push aside the feelings of overwhelmed-ness and fear and chew and digest it. Find my own process that works…perhaps.

I like that idea. I seem to do best, actually, when I stop looking at the big picture and just focus on the micro, the day-to-day, the getting started. Any story must be told one word at a time, after all. Such is the nature of creation…and if I am to be a professional about such things, I cannot sit around and wait for inspiration to come and visit; I have to make my own.

I have before, and I will do it again.

That’s my mantra, guys, whenever I have doubts about myself, or feel like I’m being paralyzed.

Let’s start with a kick-ass work day tomorrow, productive writing hour included. Tomorrow is my Monday. Good night, y’all!

Ps- I’m finally back in the right day-count. Huzzah! No more “re-dos”