The Muse is Tired

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

Yes, that’s muse the cat. In this case, she is indeed sleepy. This is her favorite place to sleep when I’m here, downstairs, probably because it’s very convenient for me to pet her while working on other things.

BTW my kids have taken to making fun of the poor little girl because she’s a little chonky. Like they have room to talk.

Anyway, in this case, non-literally, the truth is the writer is sleepy. I either need a nap or more coffee, and your bet is as good as mine.

I had a brilliant idea for a post, but it was the middle of the night, and I didn’t write it down, and now my mind is full of cotton wool.

It’s a relatively (Ah) low run-around day with only one brief medical appointment, to which I’ll leave in probably half an hour, and the work of refinishing the living room tables in abeyance, due to my not being able to find the mouse sander fine pads (trust me, that sentence does mean something) and therefore having to wait till Amazon delivers tomorrow. (Well, yes, I could in fact go to home depot, but that would make the chances of working on it today zero, since it’s all the way across town.)

So, if I can get a short nap in, it’s sort of an ideal day to write fiction after the (hopefully) nap. And I’m going to try just that.

Treat this as an open post, because there actually is a lot to discuss and my commenters are the most interesting part of this blog.

I’ll be upstairs, working on novels. If you need me, those of you who have my phone number, text.

If not, I’ll see you this evening.

62 thoughts on “The Muse is Tired”

  2. I keep a dollar-store notebook and a pencil beside the bed. Only takes a minute or two to turn on the light and scribble down a couple dozen words — much less time than I’d spend kicking myself the next day for not doing it. 😁

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  3. I kind of hate the fact that it’s frequently easier to get exactly what you’re looking for from Amazon than it is to find it in local stores.

    And I have tried to find what I’m looking for in local stores, even to the point of considering kludging together things from parts.

    Buying the exact item designed for the purpose on Amazon… is cheaper in money and in time.

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    1. Corollary: I just demonstrated that the stuff you usually don’t find at your usual store will be there if you shop all around town getting those things and then go to the usual store for the usual stuff. Usually. Oh, and its about 20% less expensive at the usual store too.

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      1. An ask at the local Box O’ Stuff:

        Me: “Why don’t you have ‘X’ in stock anymore?”

        Red Shirted Guy:”Nobody buys it.”

        Me: “Bull fuzzy! I came here every week and bought two!”

        RSG: {shrugs}

        Random Person: “Yeah, I always had to get ‘X’ because my daughter-in-law always needs it,”

        Random Person No. 2, totally not an extra in the torchmob: “I always bought it here because it was cheaper here than online, and more convenient.”

        RSG, starting to look nervous: “Look man, I just work here.”

        Long story short, the local Box O’ Stuff got bought out by Bigger Box O’ Stuff and the BBOS thinks that since it’s not a big seller in X,Y,Z counties it’s not worth it where it sells well at decent profit in D county. Thus the only place to get it is via teh interwebz. Which old farts don’t prezactly trust, thus the not-a-torchmob incident.

        I gots my widget thing delivered, yay, but had to pay shipping, boo, because BBOS pulled a stupid and made things stickier than they need to be. Grumpy man is grumpy. But eh. As such things goes, it’s not the end of Whirled Peas. Small spherical green things still spin when Doofus bats at them, thus the planet remains on proper axial tilt.

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        1. Oh, dear Bob. That’s what happened to book stores. They stocked for “Three states.” If I remember it was Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska? Something like that. And they couldn’t figure out why I lost my mind at that. The market wasn’t the same in DENVER and COLORADO SPRINGS, much less in three states.

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          1. Something with the MBA degree factories borked, methinks. Always seems to happen once things get up to such a rarified space that things seem to make sense at the higher altitudes of management that cross-eyed Joe working the receiving dock could have told you was bunk.

            When you look close at the local level, which the local management is supposed to do, they could tell you that what sells in even this district of Colorado ain’t gonna move at that one when the first is way out in the ‘burbs and the second is either by the big college or out near the hoity toity ‘hoods.

            “But we can’t cater to small markets when we make our money in volume!” Bull puckey. This is what distribution centers and proper supply chain logistics is for. What those degrees in aforementioned disciplines, plus business folks, is for.

            Giving the customer access to the things they are willing to pay filthy lucre for is business 101. Consistently failing at that is what makes my brain hurt for the poor noodle headed fools that think you can make MOAR MONEH providing cookie cutter sameness to wildly individualistic populations.

            Bah. I’ll cop to there is a point where ROI ain’t worth the squeeze. But when I’m looking at the numbers and 2 + 2 adds up to something in the negative it really, really puts sand in my metaphorical britches.

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      1. When we came to Flyover County, F-Falls had one JC Penney catalog store, and a rather shady Sears in the strip mall. Flyover Falls used to have the nickname of Catalog Flats for a good reason. With the ‘zon in place, I dread having to go to town on Mondays. The incoming pile at the mail drop is impressive. And moderately scary.

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    4. This is something that has driven me nuts about the “but you’re short-changing the local stores by going to Amazon!” argument.

      Yes, I’m not patronizing the local stores when I go to Amazon. Do you know when I go to Amazon most often? It’s after I’ve gone to three or five stores, and I couldn’t find the item I’m looking for!

      Look, I prefer local — I get to see the things in person, and I get the thing I’m looking for immediately — but I can only do local if local meets me halfway, and stocks the things I need, darn it!

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  4. Real fun in the USA:

    The wild enthusiasm that some Europeans are having at seeing the smaller side of the US. Granted, the Tartan Army is just nuts [No surprise – they’re Scottish.], but the absolute ball people seem to be having as they travel and discover the US outside of the big cities.

    Along those lines, this is the centenary of the designating of Route 66 as a cross-country highway. People all along the route, and those traveling the route, are throwing parties, enjoying the cultures and sights, and generally having a weeks-long celebration. It is totally non-political, non-partisan, and pure Americana kitsch. The Arts at the Sunset in Amarillo, for example, has a quilts of 66 show in progress, showing 100 art quilts with Route 66 and America 250th themes. As well as an enormous street party last weekend on one of the few still-commercial stretches of 66 that remain. It is all truly family-friendly, and people seem to be having a blast.

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    1. There has been the English guys that have been posting their American experiences for awhile now. Explaining America to Europeans, particularly the England. Different states, different weather conditions. The ones on the “Great Lakes” were hilarious. As was the one on “why American’s do not have passports”.

      The “World Cup” visitors, are also posting:

      • “Heat is no joke!!!! Wait? This is only spring?!?!?” (this was from Florida, and Texas), “Bundled up because freezing due to air conditioning.”
      • “What? Water, with ice no less, is FREE?!?!?!”,

      • “What do you mean we can’t walk from our hotel to the stadium? It is just over there (across I-95, which one does NOT cross on foot, per the locals).”,

      • “How far is it? TWO HOURS?”

      Just a small sampling.

      So far very little on “why can’t Americans drive on the left side of the road?” About what one would see for American driving for the first time in Europe.

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    2. Back in 1967, Dad took Mom and me down Route 66. We made it as far as the Grand Canyon before we had to turn back, but it was a fun trip. About 4 years later, 4 of us went from U of Redacted to California on the interstate version thereof. (I stopped at San Diego to visit a friend, while the rest made it to Modesto-ish and Yosemite.) Not quite the same; some of the most beautiful country was traversed around midnight, but we did our best. Fun, despite car troubles. (Mercifully, our road disaster was 10 miles from one of the guy’s extended family. Did not have to find a motel in metropolitan Blythe, California. Blythe, where a Pontiac was too exotic for the local auto parts store…)

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  5. You realize, of course, you will find the fine mouse pad sandpaper now that it has been ordered. The only question is whether they appear before or after the delivery.

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    2. maybe? the problem is the little pickle has taken over vast portions of my workshop, so things got shoved where I can’t reach them without walking on boxes. This too shall pass.

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        1. She’s younger, but the Younger Pickle sounds odd.
          TBF she needs the space for business stock, and they’re moving here as we move out in about a month, so it all comes out in the wash.

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          1. Somehow, I had an image of Little Pickle being 6’2″. It’s been a day; had to take Kat-the-dog for heartworm test, but they forgot about the lupus-on-the nose check. Not critical; we can review it in October. (Two kinds of canine lupus, this is the not-so-bad one.)

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  7. So the Reader is a month out of surgery and his resting heart rate is running about 110 bpm. Today the cardiologist ran an EKG and an echo and saw faint signs of an atrial flutter. So tomorrow the Reader will undergo an outpatient procedure called Direct Current Cardioversion. As the cardiologist put it, he is going to hook a car battery to the Reader and attempt to shock his heart back into a normal rhythm. This is apparently a rare complication of valve repair (rare enough that it wasn’t discussed pre surgery).

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      1. According to today’s echo, the repaired valve is working like a champ. Somehow along the way something got out of sync. When the Reader saw his surgeon for a 2 week followup, he thought this would just fade with time. Today, regular cardiologist added the Reader to tomorrow’s outpatient load as a forced add to the schedule.

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      2. It does help.

        The heart team (OMG, I have a heart TEAM), recommends the mechanical valve. Lots of reasons, not the least is my mom is a healthy 91.

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        1. The Reader notes that his surgeon told him that in the unlikely case the Reader needed the valve replaced (he didn’t) that it was relatively easy to go through a leg vein and do a second pig valve replacement if needed 20 years down the road. The downside of a mechanical valve is blood thinners for life.

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          1. “mechanical valve is blood thinners for life.“

            –

            Unfortunately, 100% truth.

            The problem the team pointed out is that in my case, they could, do the TVAR but they’d be replacing it again in a year to 18 months, and then it’d be OHS regardless.

            Good news is my veins are clear. Bad news is naturally small valve.

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        1. I hope the shocking experience is well worthwhile. (Sitting with a resting heart rate of 53. Better than my mid-30s first thing in the morning.) Yes, “pacemaker” comes up every time I see the cardiologist. So far, “it’ll be 20 years out, maybe”. OTOH, it used to be 30. That was 14 years ago, so I’m good.

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      2. That’s when you sell your little Chevy electric car, but you found you needed it for your round trip from Burkina Faso, so you bought it back.

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        2. That’s all?

          Say on

          All men hate the wretched.

          How, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us. You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life? Do your duty toward me, and I will do mine toward you and the rest of mankind. If you will comply with my conditions, I will leave them and you at peace, but if you refuse I will glut the maw of death, until it be satiated with the blood of your remaining friends. Have I not suffered enough that you seek to increase my misery? Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.

          Be sure to pay your cardiologist in currency.

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    4. Glad everything is going well. Prayers up for the follow up procedure.

      I’m still 7 weeks out from my procedure happening. When I read the material on mechanical VS tissue valve replacement, AFIB is a possible complication with either, but slightly higher with mechanical. My take? Well that ship has sailed. AFIB is what started me on this whole mess. Then they found the valve problem. I get the open heart surgery for mechanical valve and the ablation, etc., that stops the AFIB.

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      1. You’re still eligible for ablation? My ship sailed on that long ago and is at the bottom of the Pacific. (Suspect I had AFIB several to a dozen years before I was diagnosed.) An acquaintance had the procedure, and it worked really well for him.

        Cardiologist says my valves are “good enough”. OK.

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        1. The AFIB is two-step. Not medical knowledge to repeat all of it. The ablation, plus there is a pocket in the heart where blood pools, and a source of the clots. That pocked is closed off to prevent blood from pooling.

          While I have AFIB, I am lucky enough that isn’t constant. I thought having an episode every 10 days, for 8 hours, before it self-resolved, was bad (started out once every 8 to 10 weeks, once I realized “um, this isn’t right”). From what I gathered, based on techs conversations, that is relative mild. Came up pre-stress-Echo/EKG. I was afraid the test would trigger AFIB. Didn’t. Was interesting to hear and feel the difference.

          My Aunt’s, one is 85, the other is 80, have had the ablation more once. Only related by blood to one of the Aunt’s (dad’s younger sister).

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    5. May your beloved plague doctor be as useful and worthwhile as any could ask. May the storms be friendly, the bolts in your neck not ache when the barometric pressure changes, and may the stitches be relatively well camouflaged in the mean time.

      And if the plague doctor runs into problems, might I recommend a good auto mechanic to advise him on proper valve timing? I’m given to know that such things can make or break the mechanical heart, so, considering the amount of automation coming to the health field it might be worth a shot.

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  9. OT, but we have had a day:

    Woke up to thunder and rain. Went to devotions (we’re at a project) in semi-finished “hut”, listening to thunder and rain. We’re running out of work, as sometimes happens, so beloved and I got tasked to go install half a dozen towel hooks in the girls’ shower.

    While the senior maintenance guy was talking to us, there was a loud noise and the lights went out. Maintenance guy goes outside. Says, “Sh**!” I ask why, he tells us a tree has come down and when I asked which one, said, grimly, “You’ll know.” It turned out to be half a large tree between the shower house and the RV park, and once the rain slowed down you could see the power line the tree was now holding down. Meanwhile, along with the wind, the temperature dropped and the wind chill was in the 40s. And a barn swallow had somehow gotten into the shower house, so the door had to be open so it could get out.

    We finished the job with battery-powered tools and cell-phone flashlights. Came back down the hill and discovered the guys had put benches together which needed painting. Somewhere in here I started smiling, because Somebody was obviously working hard on making the day interesting. (About the time the hiccups set in).

    About the time the team leader suggested we go up after lunch to work in the (warm) dining hall, the ConEd guys showed up, and blocked the only road up the hill.

    Power is back, all is now well, but it was definitely Day , Those, One Each.

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