Ready to roll

I'm getting the holiday spirit, which is strange since I haven't had it in years. I have no idea why. Maybe because we get to stay home and fill the house with Thanksgiving smells. Maybe because the work is going well after a long period (for me) of relative stagnation. Maybe because I'm doing something else new this year, which is making New Year's resolutions. Maybe because I have a virus. Who the hell knows?

But I have the holiday spirit. And I mean it, I can't remember the last time I felt the holiday spirit during Thanksgiving and/or Christmas.

I have two hard weeks + two days and I should have my grades in -- and then a month out of the classroom. I have high expectations to get a lot of writing done over the break. I'd like to finish the Maupassant chamber opera and make a lot of progress on Sally and catch up on reading/research for various future projects. Mainly, I want to get as close to my old rhythm and energy as possible. I have accepted that I'm too damn old to match it but I can do better than my slow period recently. If John Dos Passos can outline a series of 12 novels in his 90s, I should be able to do my own modest output.

Ah yes -- the first deadline over the break is to get the new review published! Lots of work to do yet.

I'm being interviewed soon by a high school writer for whom I've been an Official Mentor for some kind of senior requirement they have. She wrote a one-act play that was quite good! She knew nothing about correct format and such but it was a strong story with strong characters. She's very talented. So I did the easy part, told her how to format the script, and her new draft looks professional -- she's a quick learner. I look forward to having coffee with her and being interviewed so she can complete her requirement.