Return Of The Creativity Tsunami

In my last post on seizing each day, I made mention of getting fully back into the writing mode of my books. I think I may have understated just how much the creativity is flowing. 

There are so many story lines and I find my mind just flowing each time I sit down to write. In fact, it is somewhat like those heady days in 2014-15 when I could barely jot down the ideas fast enough. In just three-weeks, I've already written down 13 pages of general outline. In the past for example, 45 pages of outline led to 425 pages of writing, so just a bit short of 10 pages of writing for each page of detailed outline. The current outline is still general. So I can assume we have at least 130 pages of material...and I'm just getting started. 

Stay tuned. Details at Seven.

 

Savoring Each Day

The days are full. 

The remodel is constantly requiring adjusting one's daily schedule to deal with workers coming and going, discussion with the two key contractors, and various follow-up activities. 

As we need to replenish funds from the remodel project and fund on-going travel, I've been in a more active business mode than I've been for quite some time. So there are meetings as I work the network to drum up new clients. 

Theodora and Rotary continue progress at a steady pace. Both need on-going attention to get them to a next level, but neither are requiring huge amounts of time and effort either. 

I have doing various interesting cooking things (like my recent poached eggs) that pique my creative curiosity. I find myself in a mode of continuous improvement attitude, trying to refine and improve things I've been cooking for a long time. 

The Book (or I should say Books), my fantasy writing, has undergone a complete 180. After the six year ordeal, book #6 in the series completed and I have suddenly reentered a period of intense creativity. I am furiously (well as furious as and hour and a half of work a night can be!) outlining all the aspects of book #7. In fact, I am thinking there is so much material that I may need to structure it into two books.

And I am in HAPPY TRAVEL PLANNING mode. We threw together a minimalist little trip in May to Sweden once we knew Wife was healthy. (It's going to be three weeks. I've told a lot of people that for those who know Wife and I well, this is like a weekend trip LOL!)  I really didn't have time to do much planning and because of the lead short time, we got hammered on the airfare. But, then I shifted my focus to our big Fall Spain trip. You may remember that we've already booked the same apartment in El Campello for the same month as we had last year. Here I have done the kind of travel planning job I expect of myself.

• First, we scored a really good airfare to Europe.
• Second, based on how I've scheduled our arrival departure, I think we are going to get an equally killer deal on a rental car for the whole time.
• I've found a really good Airbnb for a short stay in Bilbao.

So, yes, I'm pleased and excited about all this.

Last night as I was contemplating all this, I remembered where my head was in December in the full throes of Wife's blood clot incident. All the thoughts that maybe our life would be permanently altered as happens as one ages. So to be back in this space as before is not something I take for granted. It is something I am determined to enjoy and savor each and every day.

Remodel Update

This week's work.

 

The demo is done. Plumbing and electric installed. Drywall put on. Next week, they begin tiling the bathrooms.

Early Adopter

 

Poached Eggs Perfected

 This dear followers is PERFECTION

Wife and I normally do our own thing for breakfast...except on Sunday. Then we eat together a breakfast I cook. We've been doing this for so long, we can't remember when it started. We have a three meal rotation of which poached eggs are one. Wife likes hers plain on a toasted English Muffin. I like mine with some kind of additional flavor element. For all the times I've done this (hundreds I would say), there has always been some flaw - the bread is too toasted, not toasted enough, the egg is too cooked or not cooked enough, the cheese is too melted or not melted enough, flavor elements get lost or are out of balance.

Somehow, this last Sunday, with a combination of rye bread, ham, asparagus, American cheese and the eggs, I FINALLY got it right. It tasted as good as it looked

I probably should stop eating poached eggs now because I only can go down from here.

Remodel Project 2025 @ D-1 and D+1

D-1 

Before it starts. The two major bathrooms in the Tower.

The Master Bedroom Bath

Second Bathroom

 D+1

After the first day of demolition

The Master Bath

 The Second Bath

Remodel Project at D-2!

Wednesday morning is D-Day for the remodel to begin with the demolition of our current two primary bathrooms. Wife and I have been busy emptying everything out of the bathrooms and the master bedroom. It has been lugging a lot of stuff around which has been tiring and tough on our aching backs.

Figuring where to store everything so it is covered in dust that is inevitable from any kind of remodel project (this being our third!) has been a challenge. I will be taking a huge load of stuff to Goodwill today. We have junk removal people getting rid of our antique, barely working exercise equipment tomorrow. 

Based on advice from #3, we have decided to NOT include the full house painting as part of this project. Wife was going nuts trying to figure out the colors with only a few small samples of the new flooring. #3 advised we live in the house for a while to get an idea of the best colors. So there will be another project that will essentially be an interior design project with painting, throw rugs for the hardwood floors, revamping of furniture and rooms that will come after this. 

Wife, who has been our purchasing agent and has saved us big bucks in the process, still has some last minute plumbing things to buy. We are going to a rental for two days during the demolition process.  

Finally happening.