Friday, November 30

Got a little wrapped up with my Raymond Chandler last night, and stayed up way late and couldn't drag my ass out of bed till 5:45, which meant I had to ride the bike to the gym which resulted in a face full of chilly! I will say this, it's an excellent way to wake up. It was a great workout, and I got back to the hacienda around 9:30. Out of all my new electronics from this past weekend, the surprising has been the blender (yeah, yeah I know, I'm easily entertained). I whip up these whey protein shakes every day, the old blender just sort of smacked the frozen banana's around, where the new one really liquefies. A new level of contentment.

I polished off "The Big Sleep", and a new passage jumped out at me, Marlowe on the phone with the wealthy sister of the first murder victim, she's going to Paris for a quick divorce.

"Goodbye, Linda. I hope you find what you want."
"Goodbye," she said coldly. "I always find what I want. But when I find it, I don't want it any more."

Chandler kicks unholy ass, the final twenty pages of this novel is packed with more elegant, fraught prose than anything I can remember. Every character, a deep reservoir, complex, both deeply attractive and repellent.

Thursday, November 29

Had a nice surprise visit from neighbor Jennifer (and sweet puppy Gracie) this afternoon, I wanted her to see the new TV (I know Alex had been thinking of getting one of the same size) so she could see how it "worked" in our apartments. And as often happens it resulted in a nice long conversation, I bounced some of the ideas I have for the Nucleus story off of her, which was nice since she's a trained artist and is in touch with her creative muse. At one point she made the comment "you know, you're sort of like a super hero" , which was a short-hand way of saying my journey has element of the "hero's" path, but I really liked the way it sounded! Gracie was in a typically love-sponge mood, and found many ways to lever her body against mine to give me access to as many rubbing spots as possible.

I was also able to get some metrics around my goals, and given how simple they are, it's bogus it's taken me so long to get them down on paper (well, get them down on pixels in the Overview). So now I can begin a legit scheduling process for the next few months, at least till the first draft of the novel is completed, then I'll reassess.

Alrighty people, I'm ready for the sack and "The Long Goodbye".

Wednesday, November 28

Just plain spaced out the journal last night, action packed day at the office and I was dragging when I got back home. I worked on Friday of last week, so as a result, had a two-day workweek with today being the first day of a five day weekend. I love my life!

I had to take a quick detour to my Arlington office, to take care of some payroll shenanigans, and I noticed an interesting thing. Arlington is a town of caged children! On the short, about a mile, trip to the office I saw four separate groups of children fenced in. First the elementary school, which looked fairly humane, the fence looking more like it was there to protect. Then two random daycare facilities in quick succession, at one the kids were being lined up for some reason, and there's nothing as hilarious than the expression on kids being forced to stand in a line. The next group just looked like a concentration camp with toys. And finally, the Catholic church kids looked like they were all having a blast. I think the reason this all hit me was I don't believe I was ever caged as a child, all of my schools were basically open, and fences if they existed at all, were always so far away you didn't have a feel for them. Of course, I grew up out in the 'burbs and didn't have semi's hurtling past the schools front door.

I'm in the process of making concrete the goals for the "Vision:2007", which will roll into "Vision:2008" given the late date. But the overall purpose is to put some numbers to what are currently some pretty amorphous goals, which will enable me to have a greater sense of success on a day to day basis. Which is important given the duration of my current projects and fitness regimes. It'll all be revealed tomorrow, then I'll plug those into the little black boxes shown in the right columns of these posts.

Monday, November 26

Had an interesting excursion to an old client site for an emergency intervention, which amounted to little more than "no, look THERE" and all was solved. Also noticed they put up a number of huge TV screens above the Chinatown Metro stop, which looks like a bid to "Time Square-ize" the area. Looks kind of wacky on the low-slung buildings of DC, places like NY and Tokyo have an advantage with all the concrete and steel surfaces. I'm curious to see how this evolves, could be cool, could be sad.

It's the end of a long day, and I'm whipped. And I'm looking forward to diving back into "The Long Goodbye" before hitting the sack. Decided to re-read it to get me in the right head space to dig deep into my own novel come Wednesday.

Okay, enough of this gibberish!

Sunday, November 25

Okay, so I finally caved and got the 37" flat panel, now all my electronic jones have been satisfied. I'm beat as I write this, and it's only 6:16, but I've been at it since early. A classic Sunday (with the exception of the side trip to Target for the tube), laundry, apartment clean, grocery shop, cooking and a Redskin's loss.

I've been digesting this "deep inner game" seminar, which covers a broad range of concepts, and what I'm finding very interesting is putting some concrete actions to the idea of creating a more robust social network. There was a long period where I was surrounded by interesting and amusing folks, but that ended a good four years ago, and I haven't been able to refill that glass.

I also had a chance to get in touch with brother Charlie, and friend Jenny, both of whom left messages on Friday and I was just able to get back in touch. Kind of funny that both are from Colorado, and those were the only calls I got when I was at the office. I love those guys!

Jeez, I'm beat, need to grab some chow and explore the new tube, think I'll throw in the new "Die Hard" and see how it handles big booms!

Saturday, November 24

Microwave-Crisis 2007: The Long National Nightmare is Over!

Hot-diggity, I'm the happy owner of a functional microwave oven (and a new blender, another long overdue purchase), so I can stop whining about using conventional ovens. The last thing on the list of things I've been thinking of purchasing is a flat panel TV, which I drooled over a bit today but eventually decided I was being impulsive. I'll check the Sunday paper and see if there are any deals.

Also put the chirping smoke alarm to rest with a new battery, so my home now only has sounds I choose to have made.

I decided to take the bicycle to Georgetown and then the gym this afternoon, and wanted to make a note of an interesting visual. As I crossed the Key Bridge, the late afternoon sun was low and behind me, and pushed my shadow ahead of me. So, as I looked to my right I could see the entirety of my silhouette cast upon the thin iron rods of the guard rail, through which I saw the lovely Potomac and shoreline of Georgetown. It had an effect I don't recall seeing before.

Need to get my Sunday scheduled, I've got about five nickel and dime things I need to get done, and they're the kinds of things that I could easily space out, but come Monday would be annoyed were they not done! Hope ya'll are doing well, and I'll talk to ya' soon!

Friday, November 23

Day 5 of Microwave-Crisis 2007: A Nation In Turmoil

Got home from work today to a high-pitched chirping noise, sort of like an introverted canary, assaulting my ears. Took me a minute to figure out it's the smoke alarm, an instrument I don't quite understand, it has a battery but its also wired into the electrical system. I'm hoping the chirping is the result of a weak battery, which I'll purchase tomorrow. It did get me thinking that it would be nice if all random chores had little, annoying alarms built in, seriously if I were to ignore this chirping I'd be driven progressively mad like some kind of Poe protagonist.

Another interesting thing, since I began this journal, I've been experiencing powerful and vivid dreams, and there obviously a connection given the precise timing. The dreams are both cinematic, and fraught with meaning, though I haven't been writing them down I'll need to start. Its funny how dreams recede so quickly, so different from memory, yet made up of the same "stuff" of the mind. One persistent, the other ephemeral, both important.

Yeesh, that's a little too Jack Handy "Deep Thoughts" for me at the moment, need to get my act together and hit the sack.

Thursday, November 22

Happy Thanksgiving! (Day 4 of Microwave-Crisis 2007: The Tragedy Continues)

Awesome feast at sister Diane's today, Randy once again created a culinary spectacle and Mom's pies were delicious. I am seriously stuffed, I'm so used to eating smaller meals now, my body gets seriously rocked by a "full meal". It's 7:19 and its been many hours since the last morsel traversed my yap, and still I'm swollen like a particularly thirsty tick. It was interesting discussing nephew Josh's entry into the world of 401K's, it's a peculiarly modern right of passage, and I'm glad he's taking it seriously (unlike his spendthrift UncleG.).

I have to say, this day was one of pure pleasure, and little of note beyond the pleasure of family and food took place. Although, at the beginning of my day's journey, I witnessed the equivalent of a squirrel action movie on route 110. It didn't end well for the squirrel, but it was a spectacular end. The driver of the car did their best to avoid the drama altogether, but in the end was the deus ex machina of the play.

Okay, need to wrap this up and prepare for getting back to work in the morning, need to fire up the writing of the novel on Saturday after which I will be buying some serious appliances!

Wednesday, November 21

Day 3 of Microwave-Crisis 2007: Had a truly tedious day as a worker, resulting in what might have been the worst nightmare EVER...I'm going to MISS BLACK FRIDAY and my future Microwave!

Seriously, I really want to replace my trusty 'crowave, and it'll have to wait till Saturday due to some shenanigans that'll require me to return to the office on Friday (creating a five day weekend next week, my life is awesome). I'm really getting tired of only getting a hot meal at the office, the oven is a wonderful thing when you can kick back and take your time, but when you've only got 15 minutes it results in vaguely warm chicken breasts with cold centers!

I was delighted to find out that my crazy-late birthday presents for Nephew Ellory arrived in time for Thanksgiving enjoyment, I'm just hoping he doesn't already have all the books I sent! Also got the presents I bought myself, two volumes of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a truly guilty pleasure and I enjoyed "Hercules Unchained" last night.

Okay, I'm late, gotta' scoot!

Tuesday, November 20

Day 2 of the Microwave crisis. Have learned to use my toaster oven, which is efficient, if not speedy. Can't wait till Friday so I can get my cro-wave on at Best Buy.

Anyway, had a good day, though I am operating at a sleep deficit, and I'll need to adjust my bedtime next week. Bought a surprise birthday gift (surprise because it's two months late) for a family member, which will be delivered tomorrow afternoon and went ahead and bought myself a present while I was at it. I love impulse buying on the net!

Talked to my old pal Todd in Vegas tonight, sounds like he's entering a good period of life and that makes me a happy man. He's on his way to Detroit to spend the holiday with his sister and family, then returning to a new job which I hope will prove to be profitable.

Okay, this entry is pushing it a little, I had nothing to say of note, but I made a promise to myself to make this journal happen and I keep my promises. See ya' soon.

Monday, November 19

Sweet Jesus! My microwave is on the fritz, and my ENTIRE lifestyle is predicated on the assumption that I can heat food in nanoseconds. That's why I freakin' cook for three hours on Sunday's! Oh well, looks like I'll have to wait till Black Friday and hurl myself against the unwashed masses at Best Buy, not the most attractive of propositions.

I'm heating my chicken breast, old school, in the oven and the wait is interminable. Hilarious how what was once a futuristic convenience, has turned into a requirement of modern life. Now that I think of it, that's a terrible indictment of modern life, why do I rely on that stupid microwave so much? Cuz' I stagger into my house at 7:30, and my bedtime is 8:30, that's why!

Okey dokey ya'll, I've done this four whole days in a row, and I will see you tomorrow!

Sunday, November 18

Okay, come to jesus time, this is the end of the seventh week since I changed my work life by becoming a part-timer. It's also the seven week anniversary of me getting nothing of note completed, and the proof will be in the pudding if this is to be a week of change.

I've spent the day taking care of foundational elements, shopping, cooking, clothing, cleaning, working out. So I've got no reason not to be on my game, in particular making that 4:40 am wake up call.

I heard an interesting quote from Ben Franklin in a seminar I'm listening to, "the perfect day is one devoted to eight hours of work, eight hours of play, and eight hours of rest", and I plan to take this to heart. I've been dawdling at the office, often leaving after 6:00, and I need to draw a more rigid boundary to ensure proper evening time, to at the very least, write my journal entries.

Okay people, I've cooked 5 servings of eggs, eight servings of chicken, and packed 5 servings of cottage cheese and it's time to do a little reading then hit the rack.

Saturday, November 17

Hey people, writing this on Sunday morning to make sure I don't fall off my journal wagon! Went on a mini-adventure to Berkeley Springs West Virginia yesterday, listening to a seminar called "Deep Inner Game" along the way, then dinner with friends Alex and Jennifer. I'll need to think of an appropriate way to describe the shenanigans in WV, at the moment it's eluding me, but "fun" seems like as good a description as any. The drive was lovely, the foliage was aflame and deep, and I didn't get caught in any heinous traffic.

Dinner was at the Fish Market in Old Town Alexandria, and Old Town was in fine form last night, lit with tiny white holiday lights and bustling with life. At the Fish Market, I crossed the line into gluttony which I believe I will cross again come Thursday, but with those two exceptions I'll be focusing on getting my dietary act together. The new job knocked me off my game a little (strange how a little detail like not having a sink with a disposal and no access to water cooler can derail one's plans), and need to get my food preparation done today so I have a fighting chance.

Okay, my laundry is nearly ready for a hot, spinny ride, I'll be back soon.

Friday, November 16

Hilarious. That's what I have to say about my "Daily Journal", looking at the navigation bar above I've only created pages for five months of the past 11. Not sure why this dropped off my radar so much, but if you put a gun to my head I'd have to say it was probably because I haven't been leading a goal driven life for the past few months, and I've been known to avoid drawing attention to that (the term "procrastination" comes to mind).

But the unrecorded time has been eventful, and I find myself at a point in my life where I'm in the best postion to acheive my goals that I've ever been. And will be using this journal again as a way of tracking how I go about acheiving those goals. The areas for acheivement and expression are my novel, my visual art, expanding my knowledge and continuously improving my physical condition. And finding the productive balance for all of these areas is where I find myself tonight.

So, in many ways, this tediously dull entry is here for two reasons, 1. so that there IS and entry, and 2. get the pages of my site updated so I can regain my rightful place in the number one spot in the Google results for "Greg Gillis". Some dude who's a musician/DJ and evidently has a propensity for stripping during his shows (spells his name Gregg Gillis aka Girl Talk) took the top spot while I neglected my web empire, but Daddy's back, and I will be on top soon!