Monday, Bloody Monday

UGH. Today was one of those days.

Tuscon was fun on Sunday and I stayed a bit later than I expected, talking to friends. On the drive back up to Phoenix I got to listen to a Sun’s game (exciting 1 point win in the last 35 seconds) and stopped at a huge wine/beer/liquor store to check out their Scotch and Irish Whiskey supplies. They had a large variety selection, including a bunch of things I’ve never heard of before. I was good and didn’t buy anything, but there were a couple Scotches that I want to try. I might have to have a Scotch-tasting—invite a couple folks over, invite them to bring a bottle, and we try different varieties.

Unfortunately I did not sleep well last night. I tend to keep carbohydrates as low as possible in my diet, but at conventions trying to keep the total low is very difficult. The free buffets tend to be a carboholic’s dream. The only non-carb stuff was sausages of some meat, and what were once supposed to be scrambled eggs.

And the waffles just called out to me. There were these neato devices to make them. Pour the batter, flip them over, watch the timer. I’m a gadget slut. Sue me. (And pass the syrup.)

As a result, last night I was suffering from what I refer to as a “carbohydrate-hangover.” Despite the fact that it was cold last night, I was hot, waking up every couple of hours, and not getting enough sleep. It did not help that my left knee and hip were hurting, too. That happens, but makes sleeping uncomfortable.

And I would have slept in, but today and tomorrow I am telecommuting to the Game Manufacturers Association Board Meeting. That consists of hours-long Skype calls planning out all sorts of things. It’s a different type of work, and it’s eating up time when I would normally be writing. By the time the meetings ended I wanted to take a nap, but found myself too tired to sleep, so the day was a waste.

Well, not entirely. The mailman did deliver three copies of the German edition of A Secret Atlas. But when I went to scan the image in, my scanner wouldn’t work. Had to re-download drivers from HP (since I have a new operating system), so it just seemed like one thing after another. Still, the book looks great, and I’m sure Reinhold Mai’s translation is fantastic. I really love the cover, especially the logoization of my name. That’s very slick.

So, no writing done today. That means I’ll really have to step it up over the rest of the week. These sorts of delays happen, but what this requires is for me to figure out what I’m doing tomorrow, sleep on it (and do that well), and then be ready to launch right in once the meetings end tomorrow. The job, after all, is grinding out the words. It feels so good when I do write, and lousy when I don’t.

And, besides, I really want to see how this story is going to work out.