The Week Ahead

Today goes down as the first time in 2009 that I've felt a serious pang of desire for high school football. It came when, for some reason, I was thinking about the days of living in Bowling Green and driving down for each Troy game nonetheless, and, more specifically, the long contemplative drives back on the occasions when I'd return to Bowling Green the same night after the game. Although I'm extremely glad to be back in Troy, and that I don't have to rush in order to make it to the game in time for kickoff each week (particularly for away games), I do miss making those drives sometimes.

I'll be making a similar drive tomorrow morning, though, as the time has come 'round once again for my monthly trip to Toledo to spend two days in the office. Hopefully the weather won't make trouble, although I have to make the trip regardless. This has been kind of a strange winter so far in that regard - I don't feel like it's been too bad, but I've already skipped traveling to two BG basketball games due to the weather (including one this past Saturday), and I can't remember that ever happening before.

I'm not a huge fan of audiobooks, much preferring the experience of actually sitting or lying down with a book in my hands, but I've decided to give it another go. Mainly because my reading time conflicts with my PlayStation time, and this seems like a way I might be able to do both at once. That said, I'll probably get started on my drive to and from Toledo over the next couple of days. If I can stand to drive that long without music, that is.

The book I'll be listening to, by the way, is World Without End by Ken Follett. I just read (actually read) his Pillars of the Earth, and this is the follow-up. The audio version spans 36 discs, and transferring it to my iPod has been a very tedious process. I've only done half of it so far; I'll do the rest as it become necessary, should I make it that far.

I mentioned last week that my intention was to start setting more short-term goals for myself in terms of my writing process, so here's the first. My goal for this week (meaning sometime between now and, let's say, Friday) is to start getting down on paper (or screen, as the case may be) the story that's been kicking around in my head for quite some time. Not notes, ideas, or character outlines, but actual narrative. I have a feeling this one is going to write itself once I get going. I could be wrong about that; I'll see how I need to progress once I get some sort of start.

Along similar lines,when I get back from Toledo later this week, it's probably time to start getting back into an exercise routine. I'll be restarting my aborted Power 90X regimen from a few months ago. That time I think I derailed myself by trying to stick too rigidly to the schedule, and I lost my groove when I had a couple of days I couldn't exercise because I had other stuff going on. This time I'll try to be more flexible, and hopefully I'll be able to see it through to the end this time.