As stated above, this was the last week of my summer break. I’ll be putting a mask on and going back to work on Monday. My son was nice enough to point out that this break wasn’t even 10 weeks long. Feels like it was a blur with everything that went on, but here we are.
From Sunday through Wednesday, I was away with my son. We went up to Oswego, NY, which is on Lake Ontario and where I went to college. Last time I was there was April 2013 to try to sell Beginning of a Hero at a local convention. So, it was more of a business trip where I got to see a few friends while standing behind a table. Prior to that, it was 2003 until I moved back to Long Island. The town was both the same and different than I remember. I’ll admit to getting hit by the nostalgia bug and I’d just stare out the hotel window at the river whenever my son was still asleep. Maybe I miss the quiet scenery compared to my life here. Either way, it was fun and hurt a little when it was time to leave.
Just to get the driving part out of the way, it wasn’t easy since I was the only driver. Keep in mind that my shoulder was, and still is, in bad shape. It’s healing very slow, but the 6 hour drive was brutal even with the breaks. Didn’t help that we left just as Hurricane/Tropical Storm Henri was hitting. Seriously, the rain started coming down just as we pulled away from the house. Felt like every time I dropped below 60 mph, the rain would get stronger, so it was like we were being chased. This resulted in us getting up to Oswego much earlier than expected, but we made it. Got to give my son a tour of the town and campus by car . . . This was done mostly because I got lost.
The full days we were up there were Monday and Tuesday, which I learned was when some of the places I chose were closed. So, no Fort Ontario or bumper cars in Syracuse’s Destiny USA mall. We did get to go to two zoos. One was the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, which I’d been to before. It was great and we were able to go around it twice before we left for lunch. My son got to feed a camel and got a lot of use out of his new camera. There were a bunch of animals he’s never seen before like Golden Lion Tamarins, Stellar’s sea eagles, and gray wolves. We went to the mall for lunch after that and hit up an arcade to make up for no bumper cars. Got lost finding the exit, but managed to get back before my shoulder gave out. Then it was resting in the pool, which we did all 3 days we were up there.
The second zoo was the Wild Animal Park in Chittenango. This was smaller and more expensive, but it had more first times for my son. He got to hold a baby kangaroo (yes, I know it’s a Joey) and we went on a small train that went through the deer area. They had every big cat there too. He fed a giraffe too. New animals to him included binturongs, badgers, fishers, and pygmy hippos. Also, he got to see this:
That would be a white tiger. We had to go back a few times before leaving for this, but the white tiger still lost out to holding a baby kangaroo.
The second day included going to a mall I used to work at and finding out that it was open, but a ghost town. Stores were there, but the food court and anchor stores were gone. It was both sad and creepy. Just headed back to the hotel and grabbed lunch nearby. Got to have dinner with two friends from college who I haven’t seen since 2013. They never got to meet my son either, so it was a big event. Good memories were forged before the long drive home.
Nothing else to really say about the rest of the week. I had no time to write and it was hard to muster the energy for it with other things going on. The notebook I brought on the trip got no attention and I still don’t know what grouping of ideas I’m going to put in there. It may be a while before I tackle that. Thinking of slowly printing out War of Nytefall: Eulogy and edit when I have downtime.
Next weekend will be the release of War of Nytefall: Anarchy and I’m planning to announce it on Sunday. That gives me Friday evening and Saturday to get everything in place. Not sure if Sunday is a good day to announce, but it doesn’t feel like I have good timing on releases at all. At this point, I’m simply doing this for myself. Still, it’s nice to think that someone will catch wind of my books and that could create a little buzz.
Didn’t watch any TV while away or after my son went to sleep when home. I typically went to bed soon after because I was drained. Probably toss on an anime called ‘Combatants Will Be Dispatched!’ starting tonight and then another when that’s done. I don’t know exactly how next week will go with everything, so I’ll play it by ear. Maybe I’ll start fiddling with ‘Phi Beta Philes’. Nah. That spelling isn’t going to work. ‘Phi Beta Files’ looks better and less . . . I keep thinking ‘philes’ is short for pedophiles. Might want to remember that thought for the book.
Goals for the week:
- Start work.
- Prepare son for first day of school.
- Get back on sleep schedule.
- Maybe some notebook work.
- Release War of Nytefall: Anarchy. I only have to hit publish at this point. Want to wait until my son starts school because that requires my full attention.
- Drama . . . It’s inevitable.
- Seriously, I will get on that exercise bike now that my shoulder isn’t in agony with the slightest twitch.
Legends of Windemere 
Those Stellar’s Sea Eagles are something else. I was so impressed by them, I’d love to see them in flight. I think it’s nice that you got away. We both tend to push ourselves to be productive, but some of that downtime is important. I’m not talking about being unproductive because of interruptions either. I mean really just taking time to do other things and enjoying them.
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They were cool, but rather docile when we saw them. It was rather hot. I’m looking at another week and a half of no real creation. School starting and a 5-day weekend with my son takes priority.
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Best wishes fo rback to school and work.
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Thanks.
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The white tiger would be a draw for m, though who could resist a baby kangaroo?
So many malls seem like ghost towns these days. One mall not far from me is mostly closed. Before COVID, the movie theater was the only place still open in the mall. I’m guessing it never reopened.
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I didn’t know about the kangaroo until we passed the area a second time. Would have missed it entirely if we were walking any faster.
Long Island still has many malls staying strong. Only one nearby is dead, but it happened before covid.
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You sound to have had a great time. Good luck with the start of a new school year.
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Thanks. Really hoping the school year goes smoothly.
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I’m glad you managed to get away and enjoy some downtime. Shame some of the places you’d have liked to go were closed, but it sounds like you and your son had a fantastic time anyhow. Glad you beat the storm, and your shoulder at least held out (even if it’s probably still rather painful, especially after all the driving). Good luck with the coming week.
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Thanks. I’m really happy the trip worked out too. Not sure when we can do another or where we would go. My son wants to go to Oswego again one day, so we’ll see what happens. Really hoping my shoulder doesn’t give me any trouble this week.
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Summer is ending and this year is going by way too fast. Also, I hope you’re alright where you are after the East Coast got slammed with the floods and tornadoes recently. I saw the pictures and some of that stuff looked like something from a post-apocalyptic movie.
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2021 really is trying to rush itself. Wonder what it doesn’t want us to notice. I’m okay over here. My area got rain and wind, but we aren’t in any flood zones.
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Definitely and COVID still being a thing really hasn’t helped. In my home state, people have to wear masks whether they are vaccinated or not indoors as of earlier this week. Glad you’re okay. Some of those videos and pictures looked scary.
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Same thing with masks here. Some places in NYC can’t let you in without a vaccine even with a mask. I’m waiting to see if travel bans or required quarantines if you go to certain states make a return.
It’s definitely been frightening to see the damage.
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I see. I wondered how NY was handling it. I did hear that EU countries were starting to ban Americans at the moment, but I don’t know how it is when it comes to America or everything from a state level.
Very much so and I don’t blame you.
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Curious how the traveling turns out too. I have a feeling no politician will do anything though. Been there, done that, and people will riot.
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Yeah, I do wonder how that will play out as well. I also have my doubts about politicians handling the situation.
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They’re basically screwed. Covid has become such a political issue that the health and safety of people aren’t even considered most times. Think it’s a great and terrifying example of how a disaster can be made worse by politics and divisive rhetoric. Not that we needed it since it’s fairly obvious.
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Definitely. You would think that people would realize that COVID can hit anyone regardless of political affiliation and class. One can’t shoot, bomb, or erase a virus. I can’t believe people are this naive and ignorant about these issues.
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I can believe it. Seems the issue isn’t even down to intelligence. Some smart people refuse to believe the danger or the level. So, they look for articles and videos to show them what they want. It’s all about accepting what supports your belief and denying everything that can change it.
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Sadly, I can see that where people have their echo chambers for any situation.
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