Category: goals

The Edge of Heaven

The end of the year is nigh.

I have a lot to do (of course, as always) over the next few days. I am already tired, just thinking about it, of course, but hey–such is life. I have to work late tonight again, and really should have made a grocery run this morning but I overslept, so there’s that. There is, of course, still time, if I get my act together and get moving, but right now that doesn’t sound particularly appealing. Heavy sigh.

But–probably better to get it done today than to try over the weekend. Nothing will be open on Sunday because of the holiday, and I can’t imagine that Saturday morning before out lunch at Commander’s Palace would be any better. Possible to do, but still most likely a madhouse.

Although Monday is a paid holiday for me, and apparently Costco will be open. Hmmmm. If I can do the grocery store this morning, and Costco on Monday…

Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men.

Anyway, I feel confident I can get the errands run I need to this weekend around writing and football games….although to be honest, I don’t really care about the bowl games other than LSU’s this year; I may watch some to kill some time or while reading, but other than that–meh.

I am going to read George Pelaconos’ The Way Home next, and then I am going to start trying to get caught up on series I have fallen behind on–I’m looking at you, Ranger series by Ace Atkins, in particular–and of course, January’s goal is to read and write about a short story every day, so I am gathering my short story collections and anthologies close. I don’t want to write about a story I’ve already read and written about (alas, “Don’t Look Now” by Daphne du Maurier will have to be excluded from this as I’ve talked about it ad nauseum; but a reread of “A Rose for Emily” is definitely in order), so the idea is to read stories that are new to me, and then write about them.

And now, I need to get ready for work and mine some spice.

Here’s today’s hunk:

Faith

I feel very good today; working late last night apparently was a good thing as I was able to sleep really well and get up this morning feeling very well rested and a-rarin’ to go. Which is a good thing, as there is a lot of spice to be mined today. Woo-hoo!

Let’s see how long this lasts, shall we?

I am also thinking about my goals for the year 2017. As you know, Constant Reader, I don’t make resolutions, I set goals. Unfortunately, the goals I tend to remember from year to year are the one I make no headway on: being healthier (eating better, doing more cardio, going to the gym more regularly); writing more short stories; getting an agent; and organizing my time better. I suppose I shall set some of the exact same goals this year, but hopefully this year I will be able to get going on those and doing something about them. I’ve already decided to no longer sign contracts for books as yet unwritten; write the book and see if someone will publish it is my new mantra, and in a worst case scenario, I can always (shudder) do it myself if need be.*

*I don’t have anything against self-publishing, I just know it’s a LOT of work, and I don’t think I have the time to self-publish, self-promote, self-market, etc.

Time management is the really important thing here; being able to get work done without allowing laziness to take over, or allowing myself to be quite so easily distracted, is key. It frightens me to think how much I could get done if I actually stopped wasting so much time–and justifying the waste of time as ‘thinking’ or ‘plotting’ or ‘planning’; which is something I also do. Of course, I am now fifty-five years old. What are the odds of making significant life/lifestyle changes at this point? I do think the healthy thing could happen; I used to be able to manage the gym a minimum of three times per week, and again, it’s a scheduling thing. If I can manage to stop wasting time, I can get to the gym and do some extra weights and cardio in addition to my time with Wacky Russian. And I know, from experience, that cutting back on my food intake while increasing how much I exercise will trim excess fat from my body–even now that I’m older and my metabolism has slowed, it’s simply a matter of taking longer than it did before.

And frankly, I can live with that. It’s a process, not an instant gratification.

And hey, I also managed to get my finances under control in 2016, which was one of my goals for the year–so it wasn’t all failure. 🙂

Okay, I have spice to mine.

Here’s a hunk for you, Constant Reader: