Let’s start at the writing side of things:

I finished typing in the edits for Darwin & the Beast Collector.  Got it done earlier last weekend than I expected, so I was able to put in some extra Pokemon time.  Then, I tried to do some notebook work and . . . feel asleep due to exhaustion.  Thankfully, I didn’t land on the notebook and smear the words like I’ve done in the past.  I did make the names for the characters I need in ‘Phi Beta Files’ and will work on a bit this week.  I might even finish that while my son and I are away, which means I should be tackling Darwin & the Joy Path around August 23rd.

Needless to say, I’m still nervous about trying to write a new book for the first time in about 2.5 years.  This doesn’t feel like a bicycle where things will fall back into place within minutes.  I’m going to have to take it slow by maybe trying for one chapter section a day until I get back into the flow.  I’ll be happy if I have the prologue and chapter 1 done by the time school fully starts on September 2nd.  There’s exactly 5 days without work (Superintendent Conferences) or my son, which is just what I need.  Maybe I’ll get lucky and Darwin will come back naturally.

I mentioned that I fell asleep when I tried to use my notebook.  Well, this ended up being a running gag.  Knocked out by accident when I laid down to watch TV and another time when I was working on a new puzzle. Part of this was because I’m still having 3 am panic attacks and not getting back to bed easily.  Another issue is that work and life were pretty crazy at points.  Two field trips and preparing for a farmers’ market at work while dealing with personal issues can be draining.  A final nail in my energy’s coffin was the terrible air quality due to Canadian wildfires.  I was still going outside for Pokemon Go, so it was hitting me harder than expected.

Probably didn’t help that I started drinking these:

Poppi prebiotic soda

I only really like the Doc Pop, Cherry Cola, and regular Cola.  These are prebiotic sodas, which I tried before and liked.  Figured I would get a few and have one each day until I got a better idea of what was going on.  As someone with a lifetime of stomach issues, I was hoping it would help.  Well, I ended up dealing with a lot of weirdness all week.  Felt bloated then hungry then acidic and back to bloated.  Not sure if this was the soda, but it was the only thing I changed.  Things finally did a rather rough guttural reset that I usually describe as angry eels squirming in my lower abdomen.  Muscled through work and things felt great by the time I got home.  Some prebiotic/probiotic gummies arrived today, so I’m hoping to start those tomorrow night.  This could be another solution to a life-long health issue.

Today, I’m going to be seeing the new ‘Naked Gun’ movie with my son and then we’ll be spending the afternoon catching Pokemon.  Tomorrow is Pokemon for a bit as well, but we’re aiming to finish the new episodes of ‘Wednesday’ before Sunday night.  He got his first Kindle and wants to keep reading, so I’ll be finishing the October blog posts when he takes time with it.  For a kid who has openly hated reading, he’s really diving into the new activity.  It’s a color one too, so I might be able to buy a few manga that my old, long dead Kindle could never handle.  Have to make a deal to use it when he’s with his mom though, so we’ll see how that goes.

This coming week is the last one for summer school and camp.  I won’t predict if it will be smooth sailing or not.  Just need to reach the end of the week with enough time to pack and then we’re heading out Saturday morning.  A few days away for some father/son time will do us some good.  My son asked that we simply relax and only requested one outing to a video game-oriented activity nearby.  Weather looks like it will be nice for walks too.  I picked a hotel that sits between a big park and a small ice cream parlor while also being a 5 minute walk from a bunch of restaurants.  Think we both desperately need this time after a rough year so far.

Goals of the week?

1. Spend time with son.
2. Pack!
3. Finish summer school.
4. Finish October blog posts.
5. Work on ‘Phi Beta Files’.
6. Catch Pokemon.
7. Finish puzzle.
8. Buy more prebiotic soda?
9. Enjoy movie today.