New Bloggy Update! 6/29/24

Retirement is a funny thing.

One one hand, it’s great for all the reasons you can probably imagine. On the other hand, folks in general tend to believe that being retired basically means that every day is a vacation. I suppose that’s true for some people, but neither Charlie or I have found that to be the case.

I’m the type of person that NEEDS to accomplish SOMETHING most days. It can be writing, hitting the grocery store, practicing horn, doing cardio and/or weights, working on another project, or any combination of the above. While I can spend a day or two simply lollygagging around the house, by the end of the second day, I have a seriously gnawing feeling that I’m wasting precious time.

That’s what vacations are for – to do all the cool and fun stuff, right?

So, when people ask me if I spend my retirement writing every day or just lazing around relaxing, I have to say no. Of course I write….SOME of the time. Of course I sleep in…SOME days. But an entire diet of “doing nothing”? I hope it never comes to that! 🙂

I’m currently 13 stories into Draft #3 of my latest book, In a Corner, Darkly: Volume 3. I have two more to go before Charlie gets the chance to read them for the first time. I’ll be heading into Draft #4 sometime in August which should give me a handful of weeks to step away from the writing and let it settle. Overthinking a plot, characters, or dialogue is a common issue for authors of all genres. A little time away can be helpful.

And now that it’s officially summer, I’ll be transparent: this is my least favorite season. (lol) Too hot. Too leggedy. Too many bad hair days. Where is October when you need it? 🙂

We’ve been hitting television series lately (instead of movies). I won’t detail them because there’s just too darn many, but I will provide our rating. Here’s a few that have made it to our radar:

Barry – I gave it a 7.4 and Charlie gave it an 8.0. (decent show with some GREAT scenes intermixed with some goofiness)

Lady Parts – I gave it a 4.7 and Charlie gave it a 7.3. (interesting take on a female heavy metal band. A bit too cliche and forced for me. I just didn’t buy into it)

The Last of Us – I gave it a 7.4 and Charlie gave it an 8.3. (post-apocalyptic drama that works most of the time)

Fallout – I gave it a 5.0 and Charlie came in at a 7.9. (another apocalyptic show that is based on a game. I limped along on this one. If you dig fantasy/sci-fi, this might be up your alley)

Loop Track – I gave this a 6.8 and Charlie gave it a 7.9. (yes, it’s a movie, not a series…snuck one in! I had to go back and watch the trailer because I had completely forgotten this one – a standard “no one believes the guy…until it’s too late” film)

Anthracite – I gave this a 3.7 and Charlie gave it a 4.0 (again, I had to go back and remind myself what the heck this was…lol. A beautifully filmed series that lacked pretty much everything else. No wonder we couldn’t remember this…)

The Bear (current season) – We are 7 episodes into this 10 episode season…and are finding it to be good…with some reservations (no pun intended). Since it’s NEW, I won’t spoil anything. I will say that reviews on the interwebs are conflicting, so your mileage may vary.

Sopranos – We’re currently doing a re-watch and I have every confidence that it will once again, be amazing.

Okay, I better get back to Draft #3 while I’m in writing mode. Have a groovy weekend and stay cool, peeps! 🙂