Beating it the Hell Outta Dodge

I have one workday left until my vacation and I cannot tell you how hard I am chomping at the bit to get going. Saturday morning I am beating it the hell out of Dodge, a suitcase full of books, my alphie, a notebook and stash of pens. And then I’m off to the wilds of Pictou County to spend five glorious days holed up at my family’s camp with nothing to do but read and write.

I can’t tell you how badly I need this break. My brain feels fried, my emotions halfway frayed and my motor running on fumes. I just want to get away. I think there’s a song in that...wait...why is Love Shack by the B-52s going through my head now? Great.

Anyway, the plan was to have Brimstone completed before I left. I have the scene caps completed in some detail but I still have about 14 scenes left to write. And I need to do it in 50 pages. Yeah. Can you say ‘going over page count once again’ boys and girls? I can. But I’ll worry about cutting back in the read through. Either way, chances of me whipping off those 14 scenes in my 2 hours tomorrow morning is probably not going to happen. But I’ll work on it while I’m at the camp in between reading and plotting out Saving Grace.

Wednesday I come home and meet with my CP and then the rest of the week I’ll kick back and putter about the house, probably doing more reading and writing than actual puttering, although those two back bedrooms are in dire need of being cleaned out.

I’m still trying to get used to Coop not being in the house. Not actually being very successful at it. I guess 12 ½ years of habit is hard to break. I’ve been looking at breeders for golden retrievers and have found a few I feel comfortable with, but most of them having litters now and I can’t really afford to take on a new pup until later in the year after I get some bills paid off and some money stashed away. If I wasn’t in the mood to be fiscally responsible I’d be sitting on their doorstep now demanding one of their furry bundles. After nearly 30 years of always having a dog I’ve discovered I’m not very good without one. I feel aimless and pointless, like I used to have a purpose and structure and now it’s just all gone. And I think we all know how badly I do when I don’t have structure. It ain’t pretty.

But I’ve promised myself to wait until the end of the year and so that is what I will have to do. Unless of course I find a really good deal, or some gut feeling tells me this is the right puppy and you have to buy it now, the way it did with Coop. But unless I get that, I'm waiting.

I hate waiting. Not a good waiter...not a good waiter at all...

Oh - and if I miss any of you conference goers before you leave: Have a great time in Dallas!!