Well, dear readers, I’m happy to say I got through yesterday just fine. No miracles yet, but I had a little respite from hell, which was nice. Sorry, I just took a brief break and wrote another page, since I had a good idea I didn’t want to forget. I’m very tired but I shall endeavor to write sparkling notes that sparkle and shine like the top of the Chrysler building. What am I, Annie all of a sudden?
Yesterday was slightly better than the day before. I got seven hours of sleep, got up, and futzed and finessed the previous day’s fourteen pages. I smoothed out quite a bit and did the usual cuts and additions. The helper came by briefly, and then I got ready for the meeting. I didn’t get any new pages done because I still hadn’t made a decision on which restaurant this next sequence would take place in. Juliana Hansen picked me up and off we went to Agoura Hills, where the ALS offices are.
It was a very productive meeting, many things were discussed, and now we have to prepare a budget to submit, but we did set the date and have decided that we’ll remain at the Pasadena Playhouse. The date is August 22. That meeting lasted well over an hour, and then we drove back to my house. I then went and had a turkey sandwich and a few onion rings, after which I came home. I did have one annoying e-mail, which I read and put aside to answer later in the evening, but I knew exactly how I would answer and later, I did exactly that. I hope that will preclude any further e-mails until next week. If another e-mail comes in prior to that I shall nuke it without reading it. My focus has to remain calm and positive while I’m in the home stretch of the book and while we’re doing this Kritzerland show. I have no time to have any negativity around me and hereby banish it to the four winds.
Then, I finally began writing around four o’clock. I thought I’d finally figured out the restaurant, but something about it didn’t feel right to me, so I did a quick Google search and found the perfect choice almost instantly. In fact, I could not have found a more perfect choice. I think when this book comes out we will do a dining adventure, where we go to each of the restaurants featured in the book. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Once I knew the restaurant, I quickly wrote four pages. Then I took a brief break, then wrote six more pages. Then it was short breaks and writing for the rest of the night and I ended up, with the page I just did, writing fifteen pages. It took me a little while to get the first part of the chapter right, but once I was on my way, then it was really fun. This will all become very clear to you when you know what the book is and I will reveal that as soon as it’s finished.
Today, I will write right up until the second Kritzerland rehearsal. At some point I’ll eat, then we’ll have our rehearsal, and then I’ll write more. Depending on how much I actually write tomorrow, it is conceivable that I will either just be approaching or will have just passed page 200. Then, if I keep this pace up, I could conceivably be done Tuesday or Wednesday, which I would love, or it could be Thursday or Friday. I’ve kept next week pretty open, though, and as I’m coming down the home stretch of the last forty pages or so, I do tend to really just go for the gusto.
Tomorrow will be all writing, save for a brief meeting to meet and hear a singer who’d like to work with me at some point. She’s in the cast of The Bridges of Madison County and was recommended to me by Kerry O’Malley. Saturday we have our stumble-through, but it’s not until five so I’ll have plenty of time to write prior to it, and then after it. Sunday, I’ll get up by ten, print out pages, Xerox pages, and take them to Muse Margaret. Then it’s sound check and show and I’m sure a few of us will do our usual Little Toni’s supper afterwards. I believe we are either sold out or just about sold out.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, eat, have a rehearsal and write. Today’s topic of discussion: What is the longest vacation you ever took? Where was it and did you have a great time for the entire length of it? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to be in the home stretch of the book.