Goal Post: Sleep. I Definitely Need Sleep (Took me 4 tries to spell ‘Goal’ correctly)

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Charles Yallowitz

Not even going to beat around the bush . . . I AM EXHAUSTED!

Monday through Thursday went the same.  I woke up around 7 AM to let myself wake up and then got my son moving.  We had breakfast and then off to school, which was the desktop and dining room table.  The basement was the gymnasium.  I bounced among the following roles:

  • Teacher
  • Parent
  • TA (Both for my son and when messaging with coworkers)
  • PE Teacher
  • Cafeteria worker
  • Tech guy

I might be missing some things in there.  Typically, we would be doing schoolwork from about 8:15 AM to 1:45 or 2 PM.  The afternoon would be either video games, cartoons, or some form of well-earned play.  Night went the same as usual to keep him on schedule and then I jumped onto a Google Meet or Zoom meeting with coworkers.  Going over ways to help the students and checking in with each other.  Had to learn Flipgrid this week and a few other things.  Needless to say, I ended every day tired, but wanting a little quiet time, so I stayed up an extra half hour for TV time.  At least it was only four days . . . Nope!

Thursday afternoon is when my son goes to his mom’s, so she’s in charge of school stuff on Friday.  I can still watch what’s going on from here and I have some packets he’s ahead in that I scan and send to her.  Technical issues made it so that I had to keep an eye on his progress and double check.  That meant no resting in the morning.  Can’t even figure out where the time went, so no outlining for War of Nytefall: Savagery happened.  I had a department meeting in the afternoon and then another webcam appointment 2 hours after that.  It totaled 6 webcam meetings in one week, so I’m about to drop as I write this Friday night.  Next week might be the same.  We’ll see what happens after that since the New York schools are closed until April 15th now.

Can’t say I wasn’t productive though.  I finished War of Nytefall: Ravenous last weekend and began the next outline.  That’s the plan for this weekend.  My original goal was to do the outline during the week and start writing today.  Didn’t happen and I’m sleepy.  So, I’m going to take my time outlining and work more on the fantasy tip book then start writing Savagery next weekend.  We’ll see how things go with that in terms of timing, especially since I’ll need to to edit Ravenous at some point.  My hope is to still release that one in September and the next in December, which may be super lofty goals considering my bad luck.

That’s as good a segue as any.  With everything going on, my birthday is really just another day.  Whatever.  I’m annoyed that I can’t do some of my favorite activities.  I would normally go to a bar with one friend and wander NYC with another.  Neither of those are going to happen.  Nobody is coming out for the day either, so it’ll be a small affair.  I enter my 40’s with very little fanfare.  Guess the plus side is that I made it this far int he first place.

Back to successes . . . I finished another puzzle.  Got a bunch of posts scheduled for June, so I don’t have to worry about that.  Unpacked my sword collection and decorated my room with them.  Moved a lot around.  You’ll see pictures of the collection for tomorrow’s post.  That’s really it for victories since it was such a busy week.  Barely had time to breathe most days.

Jumped around a few animes too.  Started ‘Overlord’, but gave up because I got bored with it.  The hero was untouchable and didn’t even have an emotional/mental weakness.  The fights got boring with him and his people simply showing off how much stronger they were than the villains.  Watched another called ‘Monster Musume’, which was more adult and goofy than I expected.  Heard it was a harem story with monster girls . . . I think I stuck it out because it was only 12 episodes and it was plain weird.  Now, I’m working on Season 2 of ‘Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’, which is fun and totally corny.  I have a bunch of shorter series that I can tackle when that one is out.  10-12 episode things that I can toss on while I outline.

That’s really all I’ve got this week.  I’m struggling a bit with my outline to make sure I touch on the three stories.  Clyde is on a journey, two others are on a quest, and the rest are handling the big threat.  I’m trying to jump around without leaving too much time between the sections.  I can’t leave Clyde alone for too long because he’s the main character.  The two on their own are important and can be spread out, but I worry that ignoring the third thing means the villain is going to fall flat.  The person made a massive impact at the beginning and is forced to stop his initial plan because it involves them knowing where Clyde is.  Hoping this works out since it’s a rough one.  Having them cause death and destruction in every appearance should help even if those are limited.  I should have it fixed up by the end of the weekend.  Maybe I’ll have a title for the fantasy tip book too . . . Doubt that one.

So, what are the goals?

  1. SLEEP!
  2. School with the munchkin.
  3. Be long distance TA for my school.
  4. Fun in the afternoon
  5. Get outline ready and then start writing War of Nytefall: Savagery
  6. Probably some webcam meetings
  7. Stay inside
  8. Venture out for fast food once or twice.  Need some fresh air.
  9. Watch anime
  10. SLEEP!

About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.
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39 Responses to Goal Post: Sleep. I Definitely Need Sleep (Took me 4 tries to spell ‘Goal’ correctly)

  1. jenanita01 says:
    March 28, 2020 at 9:31 am

    We are all finding ourselves in a very different world to what we are used to, and for one, I can’t say I like it much. I supposed we will put on a brave face and carry on regardless, but I can’t wait until my version of normality returns. (and if you don’t slow down and get some sleep, you will be worn out, Charles…)

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. John W. Howell says:
    March 28, 2020 at 10:31 am

    I think you get more done than the average person. Hope you find rest over the weekend.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. kirizar says:
    March 28, 2020 at 11:03 am

    I was tired just reading your schedule. You either have the stamina of an ox, or access to excellent caffeinated products!

    Also, I’m tired because my kid decided sleep was overrated last night. So blurry and typoing up a storm here too!

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  4. Priscilla Bettis says:
    March 28, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    Congrats on finishing Ravenous. Good luck with the edits. I hope you get some good sleep!

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  5. C.E.Robinson says:
    March 28, 2020 at 1:34 pm

    Charles, you’re a regular super hero getting so much done. And the successes keep rolling in. Awesome! Get some rest this weekend, you deserve it. Aren’t we learning how to do things differently during these COVID-19 challenging times? Some really good & some frustrating. Social distancing so strange out in the real world. Tight rules in essential stores, masked faces & gloved hands. Standing in line & no one talking. Somber people everywhere. Stay safe, and get some rest. 📚🎶 Christine

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    • Charles Yallowitz says:
      March 28, 2020 at 1:59 pm

      We are having to relearn some things. Also, adopt new habits. I’m glad I’m kind of used to crazy days. The social distancing thing is tough. People are still getting close in public because grocery store aisles aren’t very wide. You always get those people who stop smack in the middle and don’t let others through either. Glad I rarely go out. Stay safe yourself.

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      • C.E.Robinson says:
        March 28, 2020 at 2:06 pm

        Thanks, Charles. True, some grocery store aisles are narrow, with all the closeness uncomfortable. Costco has a great system. Long lines of people with carts waiting to get into the store. And only a number of people let in as those leave. The aisles were wide open! Have a good weekend. 📚🎶 Christine

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      • Charles Yallowitz says:
        March 28, 2020 at 2:20 pm

        Only thing with Costco is that it’s bulk supplies and you need a membership.

        Liked by 1 person

      • C.E.Robinson says:
        March 28, 2020 at 4:47 pm

        Yes it does. I have storage space for paper product bulk buying & it’s worth the membership cost to me. It’s not for everyone though.

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  6. L. Marie says:
    March 28, 2020 at 4:15 pm

    Like everyone said, you’re doing well to get as much done as you do with as little sleep as you’re getting. Hope you get some good pizza!

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  7. coldhandboyack says:
    March 28, 2020 at 10:06 pm

    You’re a rockstar. I thought I might be productive, but I was wrong. I sense a little bit of depression creeping into my mojo. Glad you safe and productive. You should have a birthday drink anyway, even if you have to FaceTime with a friend who also has one.

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  8. Victoria Zigler (@VictoriaZigler) says:
    March 29, 2020 at 2:50 am

    All things considered, apart from the lack of sleep thing, it sounds like it was a reasonably successful week. I know it probably doesn’t feel like it – especially given the lack of progress on your books, and need for sleep – but you were juggling a lot of roles, and it sounds like you did so successfully, so well done. Good luck with the coming week… Hope more sleep is involved than last week.

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  9. Elle Knowles says:
    April 5, 2020 at 11:08 am

    Happy 40’s Charles!
    My daughter is a teacher and said that she is busier now than when she was in the classroom. She also has two young ones and two college students at home. I’ve also learned Zoom. Not for me, but for H to teach his private music lessons. And I’ve learned a lot this past month as I wrote in my blog this morning. Not sure if was all good stuff! Ha! Hang in there. School will be out soon. ~Elle

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    • Charles Yallowitz says:
      April 5, 2020 at 11:15 am

      That’s the thing. Here in New York, we no longer know what’s coming. Will we be back in May? Is this the end of the school year? Do we get a summer break? After what’s happened, many aren’t taking anything as a given. That adds more stress.

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      • Elle Knowles says:
        April 5, 2020 at 11:25 am

        I have two daughters in Georgia. They are out doing digital learning until the end of the school year, but they are also waiting to hear if the school will even finish out the year. There is talk of cutting it off early. There will be some bored kids in those two households if they do. For the kids sake I hope they don’t. I can say this because I’m not the one homeschooling at the moment! Ha!

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      • Charles Yallowitz says:
        April 5, 2020 at 11:33 am

        I’ve heard rumors of school ending early, but I’m not going to believe it until I see it. To be honest, it would help because everyone is stressed. We need time to rest and come to terms with what is happening. I think getting bombarded by schoolwork keeps the kids occupied, but also prevents them from spending time with family and talking about the pandemic. It’s almost like we’re distracting them from it.

        Liked by 1 person

  10. Brandon says:
    May 22, 2020 at 9:38 am

    Nice job, Charles, way to stay on top of things!
    😊

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