Well, dear readers, I have begun proofing the new book and did 107 pages of that yesterday. Finding the usual typos or missing periods or punctuation marks. I moved two paragraphs – both were a couple of paragraphs later than they should have been. That happens occasionally because I’m a very stream of consciousness writer and something about what I wrote a few paragraphs up will come to me and I’ll just write it but when I read it I know it belongs with the other paragraph because that’s where it makes sense, and a lot more sense than this ill-written sentence I need to end right now. Happy to say that nothing has bored me so far and now, divorced from having written it, I’m having fun reading it just as a reader. That was pretty much all I did. I only got about five hours of sleep, got up, answered e-mails, did a few things, then began proofing. At one, I ordered food thanks to a 50% off coupon – my favorite chopped Eyetalian salad from CPK. It arrived thirty minutes later and was of the usual high quality. After eating, I went back to proofing, taking a few breaks here and there to rest my eyeballs. I didn’t really watch anything because that would have required actual concentration. I just kept proofing, had to call Muse Margaret to run something by her that I wanted to add and she thought my idea was very good and so I added it. The book is currently at 88,000-plus words but that will be going up slightly. I made the little bit of pasta that was left, with butter and cheese, for my evening snack. It was kind of gross, actually, and I really must stop doing this nonsense of eating when I’m not really hungry. At seven-thirty, my neck was hurting from all this sitting in one position, so I just got into bed and immediately fell asleep for over three hours, which is why these here notes are late. I listened to no music at all, even though I have music to listen to. I can’t play music or have any noise when I’m proofing. I’m also finding it easier to proof on the computer. Who knew? And now, let’s finish up these here notes and get them posted so the world as we know it can continue. I personally prefer certain aspects of the world as we used to know it, but that’s another story.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, then I’ll continue proofing and will definitely do another 100 or more pages. Then I can finish that on Monday and get it to the real proofers for the real proofing. At some point, I’ll leave the home environment and get something to bring home to eat – maybe Taco Bell, or maybe something from Gelson’s – we’ll see. Then more proofing, I’ll definitely watch something, and I can also listen and relax.
Tomorrow is busy. I’ll be proofing, but I also have a telephonic meeting, a Zoom thing with David Wechter that will take at least an hour, probably more. If it’s too crazy, I can always finish proofing on Tuesday. Once the book is on its way to the proofers for proofing, I can finally attend to some liner notes, catching up on stuff, and praying for several modern major miracles, which are desperately needed. As Mr. Sweeney Todd famously said, “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” although the saying apparently originated with Hippocrates, although he was a bit of a hypocrite, so who knows? Anyway, a busy week ahead.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, proof, eat, proof, watch a movie and listen and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as I continue proofing away and hoping the proofing continues to be positive.