So, this was the week between end of the school year and the start of summer school.  I got my schedule and it isn’t bad, but I’m still going to be tired.  My hope was to relax, write, and get some big things done.  Once next week starts, I’m going to be struggling to set appointments and events.  Unlike the regular school year, I don’t get paid for any days that I’m out.  No sick days or PTO this time.  I’m already having to give up one day and will probably have to give up at least one more.  Really hoping to minimize the loss of the money I typically use for an end of summer father/son trip.

All of that isn’t to say I got nothing done.  I did manage to write the prologue and chapter one of Darwin & the Deadland Queen.  Took me longer than I expected to get back into the flow. Still needing to take long pauses after 10-15 minutes to ward off the brain fog stemming from my stress.  Well, it’s either brain fog or my brain keeps wanting to go back and redo things.  Maybe I’m just more meticulous and paranoid about what I’m doing, so I write slower.  I also needed to check Darwin’s spell list, Darwin & the Joy Path, and a few other resources for continuity.  Still, I got 5 sections done and hope to get at least half of chapter 2 done this weekend.

We’ve been battling a heatwave here for a few days, which I know is nothing compared to other regions.  Still, I don’t do well in the heat, so I had to struggle with running errands that I didn’t get to earlier in the week.  Today is supposed to be the last of the rough ones and then a week of rain.  I’m still going to try to go out for an hour this afternoon for the Pokemon event, but I’m going to stick to the side of the park with a lot of shade.  I have two water bottles in the fridge and will pick up instant ice packs to use.  Definitely not going to push myself too hard.  If I have to come home after 30 minutes then that’s what it will be.  Tomorrow will be easier, but no event means I don’t have to go out if I don’t feel up to it.

Another reason I didn’t get more writing done was that I had my son for the week.  I didn’t plan on this, but it happened.  He had his art lessons and other activities, but we still wanted to do things together.  Watching movies, playing Pokemon Go, and teaching him a variety of life skills.  That last part took more time than I expected and we’ll have to go over things again. It was really just chores and shopping on a budget, but those are important to learn.  This coming week is when I leave a task list for him, so we’ll see how that goes.

This coming week is also the 10th anniversary Pokemon Go-Fest, which means there are events every evening.  My son wants to go to them and I promised I would do my best, but I’m also trying to get some appointments in there too.  This aren’t easy to set up for reasons I can’t get into, especially since summer school starts and that might require some extra set up time.  Not a good week to have appointments popping up.  Anyway, this will culminate in the big Go-Fest next weekend, which runs from 10AM-7PM on Saturday and Sunday.   I have my son for it too, so we’re planning on having fun.  Though, we’re still working on how to figure out lunch.

My hope is that I can tinker with Coven of the Gray when I have some time this week, but Darwin & the Deadland Queen might get some attention.  It really depends on how things go after school.  If I only get the next two sections done then I’m not going to worry too much.  It’s a decent place to pause for a week.  I still don’t know how easy it will be to write on weekdays since I might be exhausted.  Days when I have my son won’t be writing ones either because we’ll have things to do.  Oh well, I’ll be happy if I can get half of the book done before the school year starts in August.  I might even do some book writing during the father/son trip since he’s bringing his computer to do art lessons when we want to rest.

Goals of the week:

1. Spend time with son.
2. Start summer school with positivity.
3. Eat lighter lunches as often as possible.  Need more yogurt.
4. Enjoy Go-Fest activities.
5. Handle appointments if they pop up.
6. Work on Darwin & the Deadland Queen.  Should it be ‘Deadland’ or ‘Deadlands’?  First version sounds better.
7. Tinker with Coven of the Gray.
8. Stay cool in the heatwave and dry when the rains appear.
9. Look out the window to see fireworks, go ‘wow’, and then get back to writing.
10. Puzzle time to relax.