For those who remember my post from last week, I tested negative for Covid just in time for July 4th.  Don’t start cheering yet.  While my son and I got to play video games and have fun, it was still a low key day.  We got out to the lawn and watched local fireworks though.  Then, it was off to bed.

Uh . . . What else happened?

Guess that’s the crux of my problem.  While I had Covid, I had a cough and some congestion, but not a lot of fatigue.  Now, I feel like I’m being sapped of energy every few hours.  Last night was the worst, so I didn’t get any of the nightly writing done.  I wrote this post and I’m barely able to focus.  My mind wanders off or I plain forget what I was going to do.  Words are elusive and I’m just all around tired.

A good night’s sleep helps out, but I can wear down really fast.  I probably pushed myself too much once I got the negative test.  My son started art camp, so I was driving him to and from there.  Dealt with some unexpected drama as well, which resulted in the first bout of utter exhaustion.  It was around Thursday when I noticed that I had very little in the tank and my appetite isn’t that big.  Surprisingly, biking didn’t wear me down nearly as much as grocery shopping.  The heat might be a factor too.

What does this mean for writing?  Well, I got into Chapter 11 of Darwin & the Halfling Hunt.  I screwed something up though.  An item showed up in the wrong chapter and I wrote an entirely section around it.  My choice was to scrap or alter things going forward to factor in the oopsie.  I went with the latter because it takes less work and it could add a curious dimension to this series-long plot point.  Basically, I might have the items more connected to Darwin’s magic than previously expected.  In fact, his powers have changed to being more about ‘whatever he can rationalize as sleep-related’ instead of a rigid structure, which works for his mind.

I didn’t really answer the previous question.  Well, I still want to write 2 books before school starts up again on August 30th.  I should be able to finish the first one by the end of July if not the middle.  Technically, I only need 10 ‘3 sections per day’ days . . . That is a horrible sentence.  Anyway, a lot of this will depend on my energy.  If I go running around or even just have a few errands, I’ll probably only get a little writing done. I’ll be happy if I hit the school year with 75% of Darwin & the Avenging Elf done.  Things won’t start off crazy for me or my son, so I should be able to clear that before it gets messy.  No ‘I plan on resting until January’ stupidity this time.

In other news, I don’t think I’m doing very well with the diet.  I can’t tell exactly because my appetite comes and goes.  I am doing yogurt and fruit for lunch more often.  My 64 ounce water jug is being used every day and I’m usually finishing it.  I wasn’t drinking a lot of colas to begin with, but this feels like a good step.  Food-wise, I’m working on limiting going out for food.  This week didn’t work out well because Covid stopped me from grocery shopping and then I had a strong desire for Taco Bell and pizza afterwards.  Going to behave this weekend and only get fast food one day.  I think I can do okay with all the yogurt and grapefruit cups I have to cover a lot of other lunches.  One day, I need to check out a local market that has good salads too.  That could be a nice change.

Nothing else really happened this week.  Played video games and watched cartoons with my son when he wasn’t in camp.  By the time he came home there wasn’t much else to do, especially if he had appointments.  We’re slowly working on favor boxes and other things for his 13th birthday party at the end of the month.  Excited about that and really hoping it works out.  No reason it shouldn’t since it’s a mobile arcade and then pizza.

What else?  I’m going to try to watch ‘The Boys’ Season 3 this weekend when I’m not writing.  I’m already up to episode 4 and I don’t think much worse can happen that what I almost saw in the first one.  I say almost because a friend warned me and I averted my eyes once I realized that he wasn’t exaggerating the yikes.  This is a really graphic and over-the-top show, but I find that oddly appealing.  It’s really the story and how well the characters are written/acted though.  The gore factor isn’t a sell for me, but just being horribly creeped out by Homelander during his first scene got me interested.

Okay.  I keep zoning out and wandering off.  What are the goals for the week?

1. Time with son!
2. Write more Darwin & the Halfling Hunt
3. Rest up when needed.
4. Biking.
5. Finishing watching ‘The Boys’ then ‘Soul Eater’.
6. Start watching either ‘Umbrella Academy’ or ‘Bastard!’ on Netflix.
7. Get favor boxes done for birthday party.
8. Shake fist at Amazon for not selling One Piece birthday banners separately from the stuff I can’t use.
9. Work on puzzle at times.
10. Cook a few dinners since I bought the ingredients.
11. Really should vacuum around here.
12. Laundry!
13. Stop writing this list and get some rest.