What a day. Office uninstalling and reinstalling randomly on my work laptop, power outages, internet outages, VPN outages, brain outages.
On the plus side, I got a little time to catch up. So that’s nice.
Sometimes, the best technology is no technology.
Target: 1600 words
Written: 1598 words, novel: Father LightningThat’s all I can say about today. It started off with nothing going right and everything else deciding sideways was the direction to go.
And it never got better. By the time I gave up and sat down with a beer, it was too late.
It’s times like this when the oblivion of alcoholism and drug addiction look enticing.
Target: 1600 words
Written: 1560 words, novel: Father LightningWe’ve been pretty chilly since they condemned our furnace last week for excess carbon monoxide in the flue, but today is the day for many good returns, I hope.
Ductless heating. No more gas. No more messing around with radiators that never seemed to work right upstairs, no matter how many fixes we did.
Mini-splits, they call them. Heating and cooling, all in one, and after rebate, less than the cost of a new boiler.
No more tick-tick-tick, no more wondering if I’m going to end up like Jack Torrance.
Metaphorically – our boiler didn’t need to have the pressure released periodically to avoiding blowing.
Just me.
Target: 1600 words
Written: 2034 words, novel: Father LightningOh, shit.
Target: 1600 words
Written: 1738 words, novel: Father LightningYep, got a case of them. Trying to remember to be nice to myself and others anyway.
Of course, in my opinion, the nicest thing I could do for myself would be to sleep in an empty house, surrounded by books, video games and loud music in my headphones.
But that’s unlikely to happen, so I guess shitshow it is.
Target: 1600 words
Written: 1756 word, novel: Father LightningWe are locked up tight here. Boxed in. Closed off.
Ready to hibernate, and say fuck it to the world at large.
Target: 1600 words
Written: 1658 words, novel: Father LightningTonight, I have the house to myself, for roughly FOUR STRAIGHT HOURS.
I’m giddy with anticipation. I CAN READ.
I CAN PLAY A VIDEO GAME WITHOUT INTERRUPTION AND FOR LONGER THAN FIFTEEN MINUTES.
It’s going to be glorious.
Target: 1600 words
Written: 1557 words, novel: Father LightningAnd yet, it feels like the soft wind of decades since last I saw time alone, and unchallenged by work or drama or the demands of a relentless and hostile planet.
Midweek is enough.
Target: 1600 words
Written: 1944 words, novel: Father LightningI have nothing left in the tank. Everything seems to be falling apart around me. Is this post-Mungk malaise? All I saw was fatalism during its creation; the lesson I learned is how hard it can be to be utterly hopeless.
I was hoping the good Father would teach me different, but I guess that’s the idea: we don’t live our lessons until after we’ve learned them.
And all I’ve learned is trauma and desperation.
Target: 1600 words
Written: 1285 words, novel: Father LightningThis week’s work is brought to you by total exhaustion.
Great for kids and adults alike. If you live in this world, you’re probably exhausted!
(Smiley face, thumbs up, slightly crazed look in the very red, very baggy eyes).
Target: 1600 words
Written: 2250 words, novel: Father Lightning