My Year of Eating Like the World Ended – Report 7 of 13

Fri, 03.01.2019

A cold, gray day. Slept in, but when I woke up, I actually felt somewhat inspired to write today. Can’t say I got a ton done, but this was the first day in a while that I didn’t feel like the words were fighting back to keep from appearing on the page. Ate soup to help keep warm and kept at it.

Sat, 03.02.2019

Still chilly, but in order to mix things up, I decided to go out to the root cellar and do my monthly trade stuff. Got the pallets broken apart and delivered them to Mike. Took possession of this month’s trade goodies. I don’t really need them but I’m reluctant to let the deal die because I might need it later. And, it gave me a chance to actually talk to someone other than the cats for a while. That was nice.

Sun, 03.03.2019

Man, I’m certainly going to be glad when winter is over. Can’t believe how cold it still is. Crazy. Slept in again today, mostly because when I stuck my toe out from under the covers, I found the chill in the room to be very much NOT to my liking. Eventually made myself get up and get to it. Can’t say I made a ton of progress today but again, was glad to see that the words weren’t fighting against me.

Mon, 03.04.2019

A little warmer, and a genuinely productive day. Starting to watch a new YouTube video series called “Critical Role,” watching a group of voice actors play dungeons and dragons. It’s quirky, geeky and fun. Good background noise while I’m tapping the keys.

Tues, 03.05.2019

Back to chilly, but not outright cold. Even so, it’s not quite warm enough to leave the living room heater off. Decently productive day but not something I’d describe as award winning.

Wed, 03.06.2019

UGH. Man – just when I feel like I’m getting back to something like normal, the muse decides to vanish again. Almost no writing today. Bleh. Made a big batch of vanilla ice cream. Called Mike when he got home and talked to him and his wife about trading for some miscellaneous ingredients: chocolate chips, mint, and green food coloring. Gonna make me some mint chocolate chip ice cream. Remembered to start recycling ice trays so I can make the next batch.

Thurs, 03.07.2019

Got up early. Went scouting for another pallet. Found one easily (several, actually). Talked to the owner of the brake shop and he practically tripped over himself thanking me for taking them off his hands. It will take several trips but I’ve got room to stash them in the root cellar. (can only fit two at a time in the back of the Equinox).

Two trips today, and then some writing. Got a craving for some freeze-dried mac and cheese. Cooked up a venison steak to toss into the mix. One serving planned for dinner.

Fri, 03.08.2019

Spent the better part of the day making trips to the brake shop to secure the rest of the pallets (a total of 14, with two grabbed yesterday, so six trips today in all). I’ll be able to use the excess for additional trades as needed if I decide I want “extras”

Sat, 03.09.2019

Busted apart one pallet and traded it for my ice cream goodies. Haven’t finished the vanilla I made but have room in the little freezer for another batch. Trying my hand at some mint chocolate chip! (didn’t have a serving but couldn’t resist a taste test that did not get counted in the calorie totals. DELICIOUS!)

Sun, 03.10.2019

Okay, so I had a milkshake for breakfast – don’t judge me. LOL. Decent day. Got a fair bit done and it was warm enough to open a window and leave the heaters off. Aired out the house and did the first round of spring cleaning in between individual writing assignments. By the end of the day, I was pretty satisfied with my accomplishments.

Mon, 03.11.2019

Another decent day. Focused exclusively on the writing with no breaks or distractions. Finished off the mac and cheese.

Tues, 03.12.2019

One of my favorite sci fi shows of all time is “Firefly.” It only ran a single season, but every episode is pure gold. Love it. Today I purchased a role-playing game book based on the show. It’s arriving freight, so will take a bit, but looks interesting. A nice addition to the bookshelf.

Not a great writing day – managed to find ways to procrastinate most of the day. Just can’t seem to build much in the way of momentum lately. Slogging onward.

Wed, 03.13.2019

Starting to get chilly again. Closed the windows and brought one of the heaters back online. Another day spent fighting for every word written. Starting to feel the isolation creeping in again. Bleh.

Thurs, 03.14.2019

Drowning my writing sorrows in ice cream. Had some for breakfast, which was funny. It’s cold again, so after I got up and got dressed, I sat huddled by the heater…eating ice cream. Then tried to get to work. Some progress, but man…this is frustrating. Wasn’t sure what I wanted to eat, so broke out another can of ravioli just for something different.

Fri, 03.15.2019

Played at cooking this morning. Made an omelet. Turned out okay. After I finished the cleanup, I got to work on the writing. Another tough slog but made at least some progress.

I’ll be glad when the words stop fighting with me and things on that front return to something approaching normal.

Sat, 03.16.2019

I’m still struggling with the writing and the weather is staying chilly. It’s an evil combination. Not happy with the relative lack of progress and even less happy with the fact that every word seems to be a total struggle to get put down onto paper.

After spending most of the day making minimal progress, I knocked off early. Disappointing day.

Sun, 03.17.2019

Broke up the day with another round of spring cleaning and some time out in the root cellar, breaking up two more of my pallets. Went over to talk to Mike and traded for another dozen eggs and 2 loaves of homemade bread. Used some of the new eggs with some of my existing bread to make French Toast for lunch and pan fried some venison for dinner. Still chilly outside and didn’t feel up to firing up the grill. Some writing done, but today’s goal was mostly about fighting that evil isolation. Mission more or less accomplished and my house is a little cleaner too.

Mon, 03.18.2019

YAY! Starting to warm up again. Even better, I actually had another pretty good writing day. At this point, given the spotty and inconsistent nature of my Muse, I’m not going to rely on the fact that it’s here to stay, but I was glad it decided to pay a visit today. Day progressed easily with steady progress throughout. I like it!

Tues, 03.19.2019

Another pretty decent writing day. Late in the afternoon, I pressed pause on the writing to whip up a batch of the freeze-dried mango habanero chili with venison cut up to add some heartiness to it.

I also added a bit of extra water to create more sauce. After allowing it to cool, I spooned out the extra sauce and tossed it in the freezer. That will be sauce for the next batch of mac and cheese based DoomSketti I wrote about in earlier reports.

Wed, 03.20.2019

Since I have so much venison, I’ve been eating mostly from those stocks but felt like something different today. Took a pork chop out and cooked it in the oven, then turned it into a sandwich with one egg. Not bad. Something different at least. That and a heaping helping of my favorite chili has left me feeling full and satisfied. Not a great writing day but steady.

Thurs, 03.21.2019

More experimenting in the kitchen…I liked this breakfast even better with the pork on the side and a fried egg sandwich. Polished off the chili in the evening (man, I love that stuff!) and had another fairly decent writing day.

Fri, 03.22.2019

Wow. So today was brutal. Got a big order in today, and of course, the Muse decided to promptly vanish again. I hate not having reliable inspiration, especially when I’ve got tons of work to bed one. Minimal progress today, but hopefully I’ll be able to wrap it up tomorrow.

Sat, 03.23.2019

Slept in, but when I finally hauled myself out of bed, I actually did manage to be fairly productive. Kept meals simple today and just stayed at the keyboard. That approach paid off. Managed to get the work done and invoiced. Muse, why are you being so fickle lately?

Sun, 03.24.2019

Mediocre writing day, but really unseasonably warm. Almost hot. Feels GREAT! Finished off the last of the vanilla and blended it with a heaping helping of mint chocolate chip. I can’t say it was a super productive day, but the sunshine made it impossible to be in a dark mood. Went for a short walk to stretch my legs. After a long winter, the hills left me a little winded but it felt wonderful.

Mon, 03.25.2019

A genuinely super productive day. Got up early, had breakfast, got a ton of writing done in the morning, stopped for lunch, did some more spring cleaning, and then got a ton more writing done during the evening session. Big, huge progress. Best writing day in the month so far. Need more of those, but unfortunately, there aren’t that many days left. We’ll see how it goes.

Tues, 03.26.2019

And…there it went. The Muse, so active yesterday has completely fled again. I think I managed to write 500 words all day. Instead, I contented myself with finishing “The Unit” (Amazon Prime show I had started last month) and then took some time to set up my Google Home Mini (gift from Sharon I have been meaning to put into service for some time now). I’m disappointed that the Muse only paid a short visit, but made the most of it.

Wed, 03.27.2019

More limited progress, so spent a big portion of the day setting up my playlist on the home mini, using Google Play Music. Costs about as much as Netflix, but I can install the extension on my work computer and can use it both in the living room and in the bedroom (where I set the home mini up). Managed to get a bit of writing done but went to bed early and fell asleep issuing verbal commands to the home mini. Fun. I think I’m gonna like it.

Thurs, 03.28.2019

Well, the music helps. Stopped watching Critical Role, cranked up the tunes and got down to business. I think I’ve found a way to lure the Muse back…dunno if it will hold, but it’s working for today, and that’s a start. The tunes also helped keep the feeling of isolation at bay. It’s too late to turn this into a good month, but assuming the Muse doesn’t desert me again, I’ll be able to turn it into a decent one. At this point, I’ll take it.

Fri, 03.29.2019

Another solid writing day, courtesy of the magic of Google Home Mini. I did take a break to tweak a few settings, giving my device an English accent and naming her Elizabeth. She rocks. I think just the sound of an interactive human voice will probably to at least a little something to help combat the isolation. It’s a poor substitute for genuine human company of course, but it’s not nothing. At this point, I’ll take it. Gotta use every trick in the book to help make it more bearable. Can’t afford to go spiraling into a depression.

Anyway, steady, pretty productive day. I’m calling that a win.

Sat, 03.30.2019

It’s funny. I ran out of pop tarts months ago, but when I woke up this morning, I really wanted one. I mean, it was like an insane craving. Anyway, it passed and I got down to business. Good, solid, productive day. With one more day left in the month, unless the Muse decides to go on vacation again, I’m going to be able to turn the month into a decent one. Far from exceptional, but it won’t suck. So…there ya go. Made a new batch of chocolate ice cream and have the ice trays cycling to prep in advanced for the next batch. I’m really using my new gear quite a lot and loving it. The power of trade!!

Sun, 03.31.2019

I got the last day of the month off to a strong start, courtesy of cinnamon toast and chocolate ice cream for breakfast. The combination of that and lots of good music was enough to convince my Muse to stick around, which gave me a pretty strong end to the month. As I noted yesterday, it won’t go down in history as one of the best, but it’s decent. Officially closing this one out, and here’s hoping that next month sees my Muse back full time!