I go back to work on Wednesday.  Yesterday was the last day with my son until Labor Day weekend.  So . . . I’m going to be restless.

The trip to the Finger Lakes was a lot of fun.  I’ll have a slideshow at the bottom with some choice photos.  The drive up was smooth and we started our trip with a walk around the lakeshore.  Playing Pokemon Go as expected.  There was a welcome center nearby, which we tried to get food at during our previous visit.  Got there too late, so we made sure to try the food this time around.  Really good for a simple place and we got to eat at a table near the lake.  Plenty of ducks and geese to watch as well as tourists.

Sunday was Rochester’s ‘Strong Museum of Play’ where they have the Toy and Video Game Halls of Fame.  This is where they have a 20 foot Donkey Kong arcade machine, which my son got to level two on.  We spent the first 3 hours in an area called ‘Level Up’ where you get a bracelet that you scan to do various game challenges.  You can scan screens to learn about the history of video games as well.  This time around, I tried harder at the challenges and did pretty good.  I screwed up a stealth challenge where you sneak through an area and have to type in a code when you get to the panel . . . I forgot my code and my son kept yelling the one for the next turn.  Oops.  An added piece of fun was they had a temporary miniature golf area, which we did and I won by a few points.  This was definitely the main event for us.

Monday wasn’t as exciting since my only real goal was to get to a Meadery and buy a few bottles.  After that, we got pizza from a local place to eat at the lake again.  Our goal for Monday was to rest in the hotel room and take a few walks.  My son got a Kindle for his birthday, which has made him enjoy reading for the first time since elementary school.  So, he took every chance to use it as well as drawing.  I used that time to read some manga I brought along and take a nap.  My ex-wife decided that my vacation with our son was the perfect time to message me about scheduling.  She set my son off as well, so there was a frustrating taint to the overall experience.  It still irks me that she couldn’t just leave us alone when she knew we were away.  You can tell since I’m not saying ‘the situation’ and am flat out stating what happened.

After the trip, we did our best to relax with movies and Pokemon Go.  My son finished his summer reading book while I did some November blog work.  Read over the Darwin & the Joy Path outline a few times.  Supposed to start writing that today, but it might be the afternoon since there’s a big Pokemon event this weekend.  Figure I’ll use the morning to participate until I run out of in-game energy to continue then come home for lunch and writing.  Maybe I’ll go back out for the last hour if I finish the section and repeat the process tomorrow.  Monday is going to be iffy as well since my son has a big appointment that I’m going to meet with him and his mom for.  So, my goal to finish the prologue and chapter 1 is going to be tough.

Okay, I may have lied a bit in the last paragraph because I write the first line of Darwin & the Joy Path.  I’d like to say it stoked the flames of creativity and got me excited to get back to writing again.  It actually triggered a minor panic attack and the idea that I’ve lost any skill I had.  The line is “A gentle chill ripples through the temple’s main chamber as the young followers of Gabriel file into the pews.”  I see no problem with the line and it fits my usual style.  Just can’t figure out why my mind spazzed out even though I wasn’t going to write another sentence.  This was just to lock in the formatting and make sure I can go to the right spot when I open the file today.  Will this anxiety continue when I get further into the story?  I hope so, especially since this is only the prologue and I won’t get to writing Darwin until Monday afternoon.

This coming week isn’t going to be filled with excitement.  School for teachers starts on Wednesday where we have meetings then and on Thursday.  I get my son for Labor Day weekend and family is coming over for an event, which means I won’t be writing again after Friday until the following weekend.  Seriously doubt I’m going to get any pages written on weekdays.  At least not until the school year progresses enough for various appointments and meetings to pass.  Just going to have to muscle through and hope I can get my mojo back.  Unless I was an untalented hack from the start, which I know a few reviews hinted at.

What are the goals of the week?

1. Start writing Darwin & the Joy Path.
2. 3 hours of Pokemon Go on weekend and 1 hour on weekdays for exercise.
3. Tinker with ‘Phi Beta Files’.
4. Return to work on Wednesday.
5. Retain sanity while dealing with certain individuals.
6. Puzzle time when I need a screen break.
7. Water the lawn.
8. Schedule some November blog posts if possible.