Day 594

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Up at 7:30.  Wrote most of the day, tackling these issues:

05 - Ch 18 - Read Ch 18
15 - Ch 18 - Lauren asks Lani what's wrong.
15 - Ch 18 - Edit L & L Conversation
05 - Rest
60 - Read Notes on Everything I have
15 - Write Ch 18
15 - Read Ch 19
25 - Plotting End of Novel
60 - Lunch
60 - Write Ch 24
10 - Read Ch 25
15 - Rest
60 - Write Draft of Ch 25
15 - Read Ch 26

I stopped around 5:30.  I'm in that writing space where every minute is spent writing, thinking, revising, or resting.  Not much time or energy for anything else.  Off to San Bruno this evening for a dinner that Alice's Uncle Bill holds every year for his family.  Should be good.  Looking forward to it.

11:15 p.m.  The dinner was very good, 12 courses at Mayflower Restaurant.  30+ people were there.

Day 593

Friday, August 29, 2014

Up at 4:45, racquetball until 6:30, then getting ready for a long day of work.  Varinsky from 9-2, Wendel from 2:30-6, then dinner with Alice at Michel Bistro, our second time, which was good.  We drove back to SF at 8:30 and fell asleep before 10.  Looking forward to several days of writing!

Day 592

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Wrote in the morning, then worked at Wendel from 2-6.  I then went with Alice to a reception for parents at St. Mary's College, where Austin's starting school.  We mingled for an hour or so, then went back to Oakland and had sushi Mijori.  Alice drove back around 9:30.  It was a busy day with very little writing.  

Day 591

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Up at 4:45, racquetball until 6:30, then another full day of work, 9-2 at Varinsky and 2-6 at Wendel.  Not much else today, though I did get some writing done in the afternoon and evening.  

Day 590

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Another busy work day, 9-2 at Varinsky and 2:30-6 at Wendel.  Woke up at 6:30 and wrote from 6:45-8, then another hour or so in between jobs in the afternoon.  Talked to Chris from 8-9 and Alice from 9-9:30.  Austin leaves for St. Mary's on Thursday.  Working on chapters 11 and 12 now.  

Day 589

Monday, August 25, 2014

Didn't go into the gym this morning.  Instead, I wrote from 5-11, tackling four or five chapters in the morning, then revising another two chapters at Wendel.  The rewrite is slowly coming along.  Ended up watching more of the Emmys than I wanted to.  Seems so many repeat winners won tonight.  Jimmy Kimmel's intro was my favorite moment.  He kills it all the time.  He's so funny.  Bill  Crystal's tribute to Robin Williams was first class.  Bryan Cranston is great!

Day 588

Sunday, August 24, 2014

I drove over to Alice's in the a.m. after a good night's sleep.  We went shopping for groceries, then stayed at her place the rest of the day.  I wrote for three hours, then closed up the computer and relaxed with Alice the rest of the day.  We watched American Hustle, which already seen last January but wanted her to experience.  Great film!  Very well shot.  Fell fast asleep by ten.

Day 587

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Played in our summer doubles tournament this morning and didn't even make the playoffs.  Not our day today.  Had a great lunch with all he racuqetball players, then came home and slept for two hours.  Watched Nebraska after dinner.  Great film!

Day 586

Friday, August 22, 2014

Up too early to mention, wrote for two hours before racquetball, then checked the courts and practiced serves.  Steve showed up at 5:30 and we played a few games.  The floors feel fine, but the side walls are still super slippery.  I hope whatever's on them is gone by tomorrow.

Worked at Varinsky from 9-2 and Wendel from 2-6.  I'm home in Oakland tonight writing, then playing in the doubles tournament tomorrow.  Should be fun.  I love playing with Brian.  He's so good and inspires me to play my best!

Day 585

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Wrote from 6:30-11:30 a.m., then did chores, got gas and went to Wendel for four hours of work.  In the evening, I met Alice at Richard & Lisa's where we had a little pizza party and get together.  Lisa wasn't feeling well, so she didn't participate, but Richard, Trey, Sophia, Rossana, Alice and I had Zach's za, B&J ice cream and a small glass of beer.  Good times and great company!  I drove Alice home and stayed in SF for the night.  I was out at 9:45 and woke up early the next morning.  Nonstop writing until the rewrite's done.

Day 584

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Up at 4:35, racquetball this morning until 6:15, cut short by poor, slick floors.  The cleaning crew put some kind of chemical on the racquetball walls, causing everything to spin and slip, creating for a dangerous playing surface.  Rather than risk injury, we stopped playing early and lodged our complaints to the club.  Hopefully, they'll get everything fixed by game time Saturday.

Wrote in the morning until 8:30, then Varinsky from 9-2 and Wendel from 2:30-6.  In the evening I plotted the entire rewrite of TC, all 26 chapters or around 27k words.  Now I'll devote roughly two hours to each chapter.  Looks like Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are my best days to get things going.  Wednesday-Friday of next week will be busy like this week. 

Day 583

Tuesday, August 19, 2014


Up at 6, writing until 8, work from 9-2 and 2-6, then home for more writing before talking to Chris tonight.  In bed at 10.  I've pieced together all the chapters for TC version 2, around 24-26 or so.  I need another month to complete, maybe less. 

Day 582

Monday, August 18, 2014

I woke up at 4, drove home, went to the gym for 2 hours, came home at 7, slept another hour, wrote from 8-1, had lunch, went to work from 2-6 at Wendel, came home, had dinner, cleaned up, took down some notes for the day, and now it's a little before 9.  I'm tired so it's time for bed.

Day 581

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Wrote for a few hours, also had lunch with Alice after her massage at a ramon restaurant on Geary Street.  Very good!  I wrote a few hours more in the afternoon, then we have Rosanna and Trey Young over for dinner, which was a lot of fun.  Rosanna just landed the perfect job for her.  I couldn't be happier for her.  After our guests left, I watched a Frontline documentary on Iraq which was depressing but necessary to view.

Went to bed at 10:30.

Day 580

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Wrote from 6:30-3 today.  From 3-4 I did chores, including this, then headed over to Alice's for the night.  I'm working on the middle of the revision now.  There are some brand new scenes that I actually like a lot.  I'm glad they're in the book.  I hope the ending is still a page turner.  The faster I finish the revision, the sooner I can get going on Julia and a new project I've been eager to write after spending a few days on the set of Dog with a Blog.  

Day 579

Friday, August 15, 2014

I love days like these where I stay home all day and write.  I did have a short 60-minute visit with Michael and Patty Bell for breakfast this morning at Lynn & Lou's.  They are in the Bay Area traveling for a few days.  It was great seeing both of them together.  Other than their visit, I stayed home all day and wrote.  Racquetball was tough this morning because I was still sore from Wednesday's match against Ivan.  Now that I know all the scenes of the rewrite, things should move quickly.  Once I get going on something, I see it through.  The problem for me is getting going.  

Day 578

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Worked from 9-2, then came home and wrote for three hours.  Also took a 90 minute nap.  Started a movie before bed.

Day 577

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Busy day.  Woke up at 4:30, at the gym at 5.  Steve, Glenn and Brian showed up, so we played doubles, splitting a game each.  Brian and I are playing in the doubles tournament next week.  He's an incredible player, but sometimes puts too many shots in the floor.  He also has stamina issues; however, he should be ready by the 23rd.  We'll play a few more times next week.  Worked from 9-2 at Varinsky and 2:15-6 at Wendel, then played my finals match at Mariner Square against Ivan.  I arrived at 6:30, practiced for 30 minutes, then began our five-game match at 7:15.  We played until 8:30, going all five games.  I ending up on the winning side of the match, taking it 11-6, 9-11, 11-3, 10-12, 11-3.  Ivan's a great player, so it was a real accomplishment beating him in a match at his club.  I'm now the current champion at both Club One and Mariner Square.  That's sweet!  Came home at 10 and talked to Alice for 15 minutes before bed.  I'm going to be sore tomorrow. 

Day 576

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Up at 5:30, wrote, worked from 9-6, wrote another hour or so, then talked to Chris from 8-9:30.  Lots of revising and rewriting now, adding new scenes and connecting the dots.  Creating a new book, actually.  Different, simpler, tighter.  We'll see how it turns out.

Day 575

Monday, August 11, 2014

I wrote the entire day, which was nice.  I have the new version of True Colors blocked out, with most of the new scenes in place.  We'll see how it all comes together.  I feel I'm redoing so much of the story, but that's how it goes.  That's the process.

In the evening I watched episodes of Louis CK.  Some scenes were so hilarious, like the large kid Louis looks after one afternoon who's never told "no" by his mother and asks to take a bath, which he does, to disastrous consequences.

In one episode, Robin Williams starred. He and Louis attend a guy's funeral.  The irony of stumbling upon this episode less than 12 hours after the sad announcement that Robin Williams took his own life.  Depression is such a tough thing.  On any given day, thoughts go there, and then the next day you're reminded how short life is to begin with and how much there is to do and experience before we go.

Day 574

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Breakfast at Alice's, waffles with berries, sausage, tea, then drove Sophie home by noon and spent the rest of the day writing.  Wrote from 3-8, then watched a film on Netflix:

Very good.  Lots of nice moments.  He may be strange, but Joaquin Phoenix sure is a terrific actor.  

Day 573

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Alice had an MRI this morning due to her increased back pain, part of her piriformis syndrome she's been living with these past few years.  Poor Alice.  It's been a real problem for her this summer.  Afterward, we went to Costco, then to Oakland for a few hours.  We picked up Sophie and headed to Walnut Creek for a party at Chester and Rose's house, part of Alice's bicycle gang.  We ate great food, sang songs, played the ukulele and shared lots of stories.  A really great group of people!

Day 572

Friday, August 8, 2014

Up at 4:45, racquetball until 7:00, then a few hours of writing, 2200 words toward a new ending to TC that will be about 3-4k words long.  Worked only an hour from 1-2, then took care of some chores and picked Alice up at 4:50 in SF.  We're having dinner at Alice's sister's house tonight.  Their cousin Fiona is in town with her daughter.  Tomorrow, Alice's bike gang is getting together for dinner.

Returning some library books I didn't get a chance to read.  Next time.  Alice's back has been bothering her a lot lately.  She has Piriformis Syndrome, which can be quite painful and last for a long time.  We're doing exercises, heat pads, ice packs, massaging, and inversion table exercises.

Dinner at Karen's was wonderful as always!

Alice's Family at Karen & Kenny's House

Day 571

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Up at 6, writing from 7:30-8:30, then work from 9-2.  It was slow today, so I worked on two chapters of the revision to True Colors.  Came home at 2:30 and spent an hour with Sophie on a new novel we're working on together, based on a great idea she came up with about a girl  who knows everyone's deep dark secrets and collects fees from them much like the neighborhood paper carrier.  It's a neat little premise that has lots of potential.  We're calling it Socio-7eventh Grader and it's loosely based on Sophie's experiences in 6th grade.  Between, that, TC revision, Julia Milan and Confessions of a Hollywood House, Vol. 1:  Dogs in the Fog, life is busy.

After an hour with Sophie, I made dinner, wrote, read, planned, then hit the hay by 11.  

Day 570

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Up at 4:30, racquetball at 5, breakfast at 7:30, work from 9-2, then I slept for 2 hours.  I organized my thoughts for True Colors, then went to Mariner Square for my quarter-final and semi-final matches.  Played Dennis first and beat him 15-5, 15-9, then played Alex and beat him 15-2, 10-15, 11-5.  Ivan beat Carlos, so Ivan and I play in the finals next Wednesday at 7:00.  Ivan's a tough player and the #1 player at Mariner Square.  It should be a good match.

Came home at 10:00 and had some dinner, then went to bed.  

Day 569

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Back home after a full weekend of travel.  Went to work from 12-2.  Spent the rest of the day unpacking, organizing and getting back into writing mode.  Watched Captain Phillips in the evening.  I didn't realize Paul Greengrass directed it, though it had his style all through the film.  Very good and Hanks, as always, was a standout.

Day 568

Monday, August 4, 2014

We flew back home today.  Our flight was delayed two hours, so we spent more time in the Calgary airport than we cared to.  Once our plane left the ground at 1:30, we were airborne approximately 2.3 hours, reaching San Fran by 3:30.  We picked up the car and made it home before rush hour traffic.  We both crashed early.  We were dead tired.  A great weekend trip!

Day 567

Sunday, August 3, 2014

At Calgary Chinatown with Heather, Jackie, Connie

Calgary Chinatown

Stopping for lunch at the Regency Palace

In front of Calgary's Jaume Plensa's sculpture Wonderland

Where we had lunch

We started Sunday morning at 8 a.m., had a light breakfast, got ready, then headed to Calgary's Chinatown, the 4th largest in Canada.  We walked around for a few blocks, taking in the area, which had been affected by last year's horrible floods.  Lunch was excellent, especially the deep fried squid dish.  Very good!

After lunch, we headed back to Heather's for an afternoon of games which it rained outside.  We played Therapy, Apples to Apples and a Volcano game Jackie got in Hawaii.  Lots of fun.  We ended the day with a video of The Proposal, which was cute.  A great day!

Day 566

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Today, we drove to Markerville, Alberta to visit with family members at Karen and Janet's house.  We were there from 3-9.  It was a treat visiting relatives I see perhaps once every three or four years, which is no where near often enough.  Many had seven children, the last being little Julia, who is only a few months old.  Mandy's husband last March and from what I've heard she has breast cancer which she isn't treating.  Oh dear.  Not happy situation for her or her children, yet she always smiles and looks on the brighter side of life. I hope she takes care of herself and does more than consult with her prayer group about her cancer.  When it rains it pours.

It was fun talking with Kathy and Jack about the past.  They have many stories to tell and remember the past with great detail.  I also enjoying seeing all three of my aunts in one place.  I haven't seen them together since Kimberley in 2009.

Little Julia

Cousin Mandy and her daughter Angelica

Auntie Kathy with Juila photo bombing us!

Aunties Karen and Heather

The Rock:  Jack Evens

Inside Karen and Janet's house

Kari, Ross and Karen

Kari's Daughter Kita

Day 565

Friday, August 1, 2014

Alice and I drove to SFO at 5 a.m. and flew out to Calgary, Alberta to spend the weekend with my Auntie Heather, Rick, Jackie and Connie.  Our flight was delayed an hour, so we arrived around noon, walked through customs, and met our welcoming party (Heather and Connie) around 12:15.  We spent the afternoon at Heather's, eating, catching up, telling stories and watching a superb Wes Anderson film:

To bed by 11.