THE DAY
So I see that I was sufficiently flummoxed not to have posted anything yesterday. My bad; I’ve been so good but broke that danged streak again. I think I was just tired. We had a lovely time with the husband’s mother, and took her to a nice brunch before dropping her at the airport on Sunday. Then it was off to the gym where we exercised our brains out after not having done so on Saturday. Once at home, I think I just went around putting the house to rights: doing laundry; assembling a bookcase; baking my Sunday’s Cake (Lemon Bliss, which was apparently “brilliant,” according to the husband).
While she was here, also had a really interesting conversation with the MiL about antisemitism. Her idea is that anyone who doesn’t support Israel is being antisemitic. For example, students who urge college campuses to divest from Israeli companies because of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. She had a hard time with my pointing out that not supporting Israel in that instance in no different than, say, withdrawing support from companies doing business in South Africa back when there was apartheid. In other words, I see a real distinction between a government’s actions and people being against Jews, though I see her point that Israel is always called a Jewish state. But I also think that’s problematic because while it is a place for Jews to go and finally be the majority, there are a lot of Arabs there, and Palestinians. I think it’s very hard for even Israel to distinguish between “Jewish” and “Israeli.” The country should be about all its citizens, not simply those who belong to a certain religion.
So today, it was back to work.
As always, when I’ve had a break, I don’t do as well. I always start second-guessing myself: is this REALLY a good idea? REALLY? As it happened, I had re-thought some of the dynamics, though I only made a note of them in the outline rather than rework the thing. I know where I’m headed. At any rate, flipped and flapped and paced for a while and then finally got things rolling, only to have the Surface overheat–I was sitting outside–and shut down. Thankfully, I only lost about ten minutes worth of work and was able to easily reproduce it.
Now, thought, I’m at another one of those junctures: just how does this work again?
WRITING OUT LOUD
UNTITLED HORROR/SF BOOK
(Previously had 1500 in outline)
Day 1: 2400 (outline) Day 11: 500
Day 2: 2400 (outline) Day 12: 1600
Day 3: 2000 (outline) Day 13: 1860
Day 4: 2000 (outline) Day 14: 1800
Day 5: 0 (Nu, I was busy) Day 15: 1750
Day 6: 2400 Day 16: 1400 (dang)
Day 7: 1500 Day 17: 1690
Day 8: 0 (but a lot of Day 18: ?250?
plotting and reading done)Day 19: 0
Day 9: 1500 Day 20: 2200
Day 10: 1600
Blog Post: 635
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What I’m Watching:
Back to The Americans (always a good bet, though I can see that this season is going to be a bit…tedious, with the whole Paige thing). Also watched the very first episode of Motive on Friday, I think, or maybe Saturday; I can’t remember. But that wasn’t bad either. Anything to keep me entertained on the machines.
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What I’m Reading:
Finished Lichtblau’s The Nazis Next Door; nice accounting of the Rudolph case. Reading an article on Reindeer Tungus in a book on ethnology, and to be honest, I think the author has conflated Evenks with The Reindeer People of Mongolia (the Dukhas). Although I guess it’s possible that they share many of the same customs, from my previous reading, it seems that he’s talking two different tribes. No matter; it’s still interesting.
Also found a really interesting book on tent living in Siberia. Trying to understand the water routes, too. But that’s the nice thing about fiction. It’s fictional.
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What I’m Listening to:
The news, mostly. Probably the NCAA finals later tonight after I feed the husband.
