Jeff O'Handley

The Doubting Writer Finds His Voice

Weekend Update: Themeless Edition

Greetings! Hoping this Monday morning (or whatever time it is wherever you are) finds you well. I find myself this fine Monday with no cohesive post, and no ‘seemingly random thoughts that are actually part of a theme’ kind of thing happening today, so here are some truly random thoughts.

The RiP and the WiP are not making a whole lot of progress. Actually, yesterday afternoon, I had a good run of thought about a near-end-of-the-story event for the WiP that turned into about 1,600 words or so, so that was good, but overall, these projects continue to millimeter along. Time to get serious.

The Weather does what the weather does at this time of year. On February 23, we did a program for kids in a state park, and it was near 70 degrees out. This past weekend, we did what was supposed to be a snowshoe hike in the same state park. There was no snow (at least, not enough to warrant the snowshoes), but it was cold. Five-ish miles on the trail with high temperatures in the teens and wind chills below zero. After three hours of hiking, this was me (hang on to your breakfasts, folks):

That’s all water, folks.

Yes, it really is water. Warm, exhaled air gets caught on the mustache, condenses, and freezes. I knew there was some ice there; I had no idea how much ice there was. After a very cold weekend, we’re due to pop back up into the forties the next couple of days, so this scene will hopefully not be repeated–until next winter, if we’re lucky.

The Bruins made one minor deal at the NHL’s trade deadline last week, adding depth forward Drew Stafford to the team for the cost of a mid-round draft pick. Sometimes, the benefit of adding a player is less what that guy brings to the team and more that he’s able to push a guy further down–or out–of the lineup. In Stafford’s first game, he got more shots on goal and created far more scoring chances for his line than the guy who had been there before. Will the Bruins swoon as they have in March for the last two seasons, or will they solidify and hold onto the playoff spot they currently occupy? Time will tell, but as of today, the playoff spot is theirs to lose.

Some music! Why do songs get stuck in my head? I don’t know! This one has been rattling around all week, an oldie, but goodie. Joe Walsh, Life’s Been Good. How’s life been for you?

8 Responses

  1. Wasn't sure if I'd know that song (I'm lousy with titles), but hearing the beginning I said, "Oh, that one!" I listened to the whole thing. 🙂

    Life is just starting to get busy-busy for me. Hubby most likely starts chemo and radiation this week. The clinic is about 40 miles away. Lots of driving ahead for the next 5-6 weeks. Radiation treatments won't be so long, but they're daily (Mon-Fri). Chemo takes 7-8 hours, but at least it's only once every few weeks. And while this is all going on, Hubby will most likely stay home (to prevent him from getting any kind of infection). I do not see me getting a lot of writing done (I rarely do when he's home), but hey, he might surprise me. Then again, we might get a lot of TV watched. Hmmm… 🙂

  2. We got about freezing for about a week or so, and we're hovering around freezing now – a mix of rain and some snow. Nice to see the snow banks slowly disappearing now!
    My writing is going slowly as well – hoping it will pick up with the temperatures!

  3. Brrr! Yeah, our weather can't make up its mind either. That's just late winter/early spring in the Rockies. lol

  4. I can't imagine the hikers walking three hours in that kind of cold. I'm prone to bronchitis and cold air condenses in my lungs and it's a short trip to infection and loads of meds. Ugh. Have a good weekend! (And go get new glasses – you'll be glad you did!)

  5. -Stacy–music just comes back, doesn't it? Since you listened to all 7:56, I'll assume the reaction wasn't "I hate the bleeping song!" I'm hoping for smooth and successful treatment for your husband.
    -Jemi–we're heading back into a deep freeze tonight. Up-and-down March weather. I hope your writing picks up, too!
    -Donna–you may well get it worse out there! I hope you get good weather.
    -Nick–I've had a beard, and it got icy, too. Not as bad as the stache, though. Thanks for the good wishes!
    -Lexa–it was a good workout, believe me. Yeah, I'll get the new glasses one of these days!

  6. A song about life being good seems like the best kind of song to be stuck in your head (Much better than Nirvana's "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" stuck in there).

  7. Gee, thanks a lot for getting that song stuck in my head, Jenny! Probably the only thing worse would be "One, eight seven, seven Kars for Kids"–crap!

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