Blah Day

I'm sitting here trying to work on revising my next book, and it's frustrating. I have a tough editor. She's good, but she's killing me. Her notes in my manuscript stir up all my old failure-to-please issues.

I had a bad bout with diarrhea this afternoon. I think a multiplicity of stress just got to me. I had a doctor's appointment at the end of the day, follow up for the mild case of shingles I have had the past couple of weeks, and ended up with a prescription for some cortizone cream to help with the residual itching.

But I had a very productive and enjoyable lunch with my boss and a local minister, whose company I enjoy immensely.

Work is stressful--we're about to launch our newly revamped website, trying to put together information for two big meetings next week and a big recording day, and lots of other odds and ends. But I'm taking off Thursday to fly to Chicago for a few days to visit friends... I can't wait.

Meanwhile, the whole election campaign is getting to me. I keep hoping for a Kerry surge, and the polls seem to indicate a possible victory (maybe just the electoral college, not the popular vote--wouldn't that be sweet irony). But anything can happen. I see a Bush-supporting 527 is putting $14 million behind a kitchy TV spot using the tragedy of 9-11 to manipulate emotions and encourage votes for Bush. It is shocking in its lack of restraint.

I jump from blog to blog to read about Bush's supposed health problems (heart? brain? stroke? untreated alcoholism? or just stupid?), his still unexplained back hump (talking points transmitter? heart monitor? alien lifeform?), and those wacky polls.

It rained hard most of the day today in Atlanta. A small plane crashed in an auto repair shop in downtown, not far from Martin Luther King's birth home.

My life is harder than it's ever been. So many personal issues to deal with, so many responsibilities. Yes, there are glimmers of joy, of hope, of love. But they are paradise islands in an ocean of fear and stress.

Oh, I'm sure things will work out okay. I'll get on, even if Bush is elected. Probably, life will settle down. And there'll be something else to blog about.

I hope so.

This is just a snapshot of my life today. How are you doing?