I'm an Addict...

Quickly:

1) The stories are progressing nicely. One nearly finished, a second coming together. For the third I decided that I would pull something from my archives and rework. Before reading any, I mentally made a selection and then sat down and read it. Written in 2003, "The Tragic End of Beulah Pear" is a surrealistic piece that I was quite proud of when I finished it. It's complete crap, but worthy of being rewritten. What this piece makes clear though is that I've significantly improved as a writer -- good to know that $45,000 in education can do that -- but that some fundamental issues still remain. Again, crediting the education, the ability to identify these problems is invaluable.

2) Work is an ever-evolving nightmare. It's bonus week and no one but me seems to be happy. We lost 4.5 million dollars last year and the fact that the board of directors approved any bonuses is a minor miracle. But, because I work with a bunch of over-privileged, middle-class morons they are all lining up in front of my office to whine about "more." It's interesting to see that the least deserving are those doing the most whining.

3) I'm hating being in the chorus right now. It's taking up way more time than I want to give it. My little specialty number is more difficult than I want it to be. And I have to dance. I DON'T DANCE! And yet they asked me anyway.

4) This weekend I'm making my pilgrimmage to Home Depot to exchange the toilet seat. I asked for the same salesperson who did the order and I'm working with her on my kitchen stuff now. Ordering a new floor, stove, and refrigerator.

5) I've decided that my graduation treat to myself is going to be a laptop computer and a week-long trip to a little fishing resort in Minnesota. More about the resort later. During that week I'm going to polish my collection of short fiction and work on my third novel. A year from now I'm going to be a published author.