Two pieces edited down.  Three to go.  For the winery profiles.  Not taking an assignment like this again for a while.  Forgot how stressful the deadlines are, and appeasing editors.

Hour and six minutes left on timer.  Need more coffee.  Made one cup upstairs already, will need another for sure.

Line by line, my approach and how to preserve attitude.  Making coffee….

11:34 – gave self 2 hours and finished the last edit just as the alarm went off.  Sending to editor now.

……..

2:42 Errands and lunch out with self done.  Dad saying my curiosity should be more intense than my anxiety.  He’s right.  Not describing the reference and context, especially since it can apply to pretty much EVERYTHING.

Car appointment EARLY tomorrow, 7:15.  Not sure why I booked on so early, but it’ll be a boon to just get it out of the way.

Off phone with old AE buddy David, sharing concerns and stresses concerning telecom and sales, quota, the state of the company.  Of course I don’t concern myself with it anymore, but then I do.  I have several friends working there, and I’m worried about their coming weeks and months, how 2023 will start.

Lunch with lawyer buddy Paul yesterday, amazing.  New ideas, us sharing stories about divorce and relationships, plenty to expand upon later tonight when writing.  During the lunch learning my friend’s brother died.  Can’t remember if he’s older or younger, I think older but it doesn’t matter.  How goddamn short and fragile this life is.  So yes, Dad is right… curiosity should universally eclipse anxiety.

Eric Hilton on again to relax me, meditation… me here, the finite and the perceived, theoretical.  Everything a song, poems…   MORE POETRY.  Wrote one last night, posted part of it.  Away from the longer sentences and thick elephant-like paragraphs.  Coffee and pens, the cups themselves, this track and the window its view.  Newness and character composition aggrandizing.

Gratitude hitting me at the post office, after changing my address.  All the unfortunate souls on the street… not comparing my life to their and saying something to myself like “I’m so glad my life Is better than theirs…” Nothing like that.  Just organic and the purist of humility.  Still here with me, the feeling.  This office, the music, the espresso, last night having wine and listening to jazz, noting the wine I was sipping, Pinot from Martin Ray… then the wine shop idea that I brought up with myself and new friend Denise from CHI.