Tuesday, June 29, 2021

More Retirement Chronicles

 


Morning!
So with the Top Chef finale approaching Thursday night, I am gonna blow if I don’t talk about it so here’s your warning to snooze me for thirty days if you don’t want to read any spoilers today and for the next several.

For now, I am just going to say one thing.  

Maybe.  I may say more.

Ready?

Weeks ago in a post I made here, I predicted the winner would be Dawn.

I’m now positive I am right. So is Julie, who has been watching along with me.

Omg, I’m going to hate when this season ends Thursday night.  It’s all Julie and I talk about.

Because I am a dork, I follow most of the chefs on Instagram, and I am also almost positive Chef Shota and Chef Sara are an item.

Gosh I hope so.

They’re both adorable.  

Anyway, because I am distraught about Top Chef ending this week, I watched my taped episodes of Master Chef, which just started a few weeks ago.

Oyyyyyyyy.

It’s like watching Biden v Trump, comparing the two shows.  One refined and educational, the other a hot trashy mess.

Master Chef would like you to believe that one of the fifteen best home chefs in America is a young lady named Autumn with enormous breasts who has never touched, cooked, or eaten fish.

She somehow had one of the top three fish dishes of the night.

It was monk fish, yet.

One of her fellow competitors is Michael, a circus freak of a body builder who says he is a “life coach specializing in sex.”

You know I had to Google him for creds.

Zero, zilch, nada.

Yeah, I don’t think I will be watching this year.  It will sully the kumbaya memories of this season’s Top Chef.

So in other news, I’m going to Seattle a week from today.  I’m ecstatic about that on so many levels it’s not even funny.

I forget what normal life feels like.

I think Gary does, too.

This 24/7 togetherness stuff for sixteen months is a little much, I feel like a loony agoraphobic.

Uh…if the shoe fits…

And I’m just a little over the moon about seeing Julie, too 😜

My daily writing is going really well.  Things took an interesting turn last week when I realized once again, I wasn’t exactly writing fiction.  The problem was, I was trying to.

And I was struggling.

Many years ago, I gave a couple chapters of the first draft of Daddy Left Me Alone with God to a writer friend for his opinion.

His reply?

“That’s very nice, Rob.  Now how about reaching down into your gut and writing the real story.”

Of course I never forgot that, even years after Daddy was published, because I wish I could have rewritten it and told the whole, true story.

I thought about my friend’s comment again recently when that agent praised my writing but told me I didn’t break any new ground.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, I started writing something very real, so real it required less than a morning to set up an outline.  I’ve been averaging 2000 words a morning which for once I’m editing as I go, though only for words used twice and clunky sentences here and there.

It feels mahvelous.

I’m actually going to write this thing.

Maybe some of us are not meant to write fiction.  I was so fucking happy last year, writing my daily quarantine posts.  It was natural organic writing from the heart, every morning the words flowed out of me.

It’s happening again.

I still want to go back to work a day or two in September, though. I have Gary kinda talked into doing the same. I saw Ardmore Music Hall is looking for all kinds of help, if that’s still an option this fall, I could see him doing that.

I just think it’s good for our brains and relationship to have somewhere else to go once or twice a week.

I miss the cerebral workout of legal writing.  A lot.

So what else.  Let’s see, Jake is hanging in there but we have to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist to see why his ear infection keeps coming back.

Yay.

Okay, if I’m talking about the dog’s ears, it’s time to end this post.  I thought I had all kinds of stuff to report, either I just went brain dead or maybe my life really has become nothing but thoughts of Top Chef this week.

Oh, well.  Whatever.

Onward!







Monday, June 21, 2021

Retirement chronicles

 Man, two years ago today, this was us:


We were on the way to Virginia Beach for Eric and Natalie’s wedding.

Time fries, huh.

Anyway, I got nothing today.  We were supposed to go to Lowe’s, I hate going to places like that so much I made myself sick and now I’m too nauseous to go anywhere.

Anyway, while I suck on a saltine, enjoy this lovely clip of Julie and Eric as very young teenagers performing Inca Roads by Frank Zappa.



Saturday, June 19, 2021

Retirement chronicles

 


So on Thursday morning, we drove six hours to Roanoke, VA on the first leg of our journey to Nashville to see Eric and Natalie and tonight, go to their first live show since the pandemic.

Except today we are back in Philadelphia, having driven all the way back home Friday morning at 4:00 a.m. when Jake got deathly ill.

Without going into it, he’s okay now but he’s almost 12 years old, has had an insidious ear infection all year, and maybe we didn’t use the best judgment taking him on this trip.

Of course I’m devastated about not going to Nashville but I have nothing but time now, I will fly down there shortly.

Anyway, that’s my sad story for today.

Other than that, retirement is going great.  I’ve gotten into a solid schedule of daily writing starting at 5:00a.m., which is why you’re seeing less of me here.

I’m playing around with a new idea that has me excited, a love letter to someone who is shocked to receive it, causing a series of crazy, unexpected life changing events.

That’s not the official synopsis but I am still working stuff out. 

We’ll see.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I sent out a few chapters of a book I wrote on getting older called What the Hell Happened and I got very favorable agent reaction - “really funny and well written, but….

not breaking any new ground.”

Woo, that stung.

As you can imagine, I’ve been thinking about that a lot.

Obsessively.

And I got invitations from two agents to send future work.

So, onward!  I’m fired up now.

Will I try another agent, though, or go at it myself?

Don’t know.

I do know one thing.  I would never publish without hiring a professional editor.

I have never read a book by a self published or small press author where I can’t tell if they’ve used a real editor.

It’s beyond embarrassing when they don’t. 

Just don’t do it.

Yeah, so we’re in a groove now at Casa Slick.  I write for around 3-4 hours until Gary wakes up, and while he drinks coffee upstairs for an hour, preparing for his rigorous 😂😂😂 day, I watch my food tv shows.

Omg, Top Chef.  I’m not giving any spoilers but not only is this my all time favorite season, this week was my all time favorite show.

I cried.

Woo, speaking of crying, I’ve been doing that a lot lately.  Between Jake and the state of our country.

Listen, I’m (mostly) done discussing politics here, but if you go back and read my posts between November 3-January 6, I was hysterical with fear over what I perceived could happen on said January 6.

Yeah, I was right.

So just a warning, I am ten times more positive we are getting #2 in August.

I really hope I’m wrong.

Oy vey do I.

Let’s see, what else.

Oh yeah, I do miss working. I think ideally in September I will look for something I can do a few hours 1-2 days a week downtown to get out of the house so I don’t get too loony.

Nah.

Hahaha, seriously, I might.  

It will depend on Gary.

If at any point he makes me watch Matlock with him, I’m outta here and working a day or two.

All kidding aside, I wasn’t going to get into this, but I am noticing more and more how the pandemic has changed us and how Gary and I have gotten even weirder and less social.   

I have to force myself to be around people and for the most part, other than the kids and a handful of friends, I still can’t do it.

I can’t stop my brain from overthinking everything and now it appears Gary has joined the club.

We talked the entire ride home from Roanoke.

Usually we listen to music and halfway home on long trips, he starts yelling at me to talk to him to keep him awake.

Under pressure to keep us alive, I suddenly run out of interesting things to say.

“Boy, that cheese was good last night.”

Nope, this time, when not talking about Jake, we discussed everything from Gary protesting outside of Fox News all summer to painting our upstairs bathroom bright, aqua turquoise with an old school diner black and white checked ceramic tile floor.  And new retro style fixtures, etc.

We are so doing the bathroom.  

I think we’re either going out today or tomorrow to buy stuff to start the process.

And now to bore you further:

We’re having blueberry pancakes for dinner tonight.

I’m beyond excited.

Okay, that’s enough of my silly life.

Have a great Saturday!

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

A dream realized



Welp, here’s another dream realized - donuts in Ocean City with the dog on a Tuesday. Because that’s what we do now.

The Rooftop Party

So in the insanity of weeks of ten hour work days leading up to my retirement last month, and, two misses with new glasses and contacts until my eye doctor and I got it right and I can finally see out of my blurry left eye, I was waiting until I could enjoyably read my friend Ellen’s new book, The Rooftop Party.


Oh man, I read it in one afternoon.  I couldn’t put it down, it was such an awesome summer escape. It’s absolutely the best beach read of the summer, as one astute reviewer noted.

Ellen is so smart and funny.  I heard her voice throughout this book and I kept chuckling and patting myself on the back that she’s my friend of almost 20 years.

Here’s the link to pick up your very own copy:


Speaking of reviews, Ellen got the kind writers dream of for this book:

“Meister creates an engaging mystery in the unique setting of the home shopping world. It’s as fun to watch Dana piece together the clues as it is to see the behind-the-scenes details of her life as a TV host. Dana juggles a relationship, family drama, and a high-profile job, making her likable and easy to root for. Meister imbues her (and many other characters) with a quick wit and plenty of laughworthy lines. Perfect for readers who like their mysteries light on the murder but heavy on the humor.”
- Kirkus Reviews

“A wickedly entertaining rom-com/murder mystery from start to finish. It promises to be a contender for beach read of the year.”
- BookReporter

“A fast and fun read with an engaging heroine and supporting cast.”
- Library Journal

“Charming and ensemble-driven, Meister’s witty novel eliminates suspects while exploring the layers of Dana’s ambition as she decides what’s most important in her life. Fans of Janelle Brown’s Pretty Things, Julie Valerie’s Village of Primm series, and Sonja Yoerg’s Stories We Never Told will have a tough time leaving Meister’s latest behind.”
- Booklist

“This quickly became my favorite read of 2021… could not put it down.”
- Socrates’ Book Reviews

So that’s my PSA for today,   If you can’t kiss and hug a writer today, do the next best thing and buy my friend’s book.  

Oh, and here’s a bonus pic of me in the first glasses I returned.  The new ones are bright green titanium.  Pics will follow, but I still wear my contacts, too 😎






Sunday, June 13, 2021

Two years ago tonight

 


Two years ago tonight, and one week before marrying my son, my beautiful daughter-in-law Natalie Prass did this ❤️

https://youtu.be/nIvtus0rkoA

Tuesday, June 01, 2021

More post pandemic life


 

So here it is Tuesday, June 1, my brain still thinks I’m working and I’m having a hard time relaxing.


Well, okay, not that hard. Actually I’m sprawled out on the sofa listening to music while Gary’s in the kitchen, putting up a second pot of coffee.

Man, did he kill it at our Memorial Day dinner for two last night.  Never think a vegetarian can’t enjoy a good barbecue type meal.


The hot dog recipe was courtesy of Julie, who made the same thing last night and we tasted simultaneously.

Minds blown.

I’m not sure if we’re doing anything today or not. Jake is doing okay but it’s hard to make any plans, really, until we see the vet tomorrow afternoon.

Sigh...good times.

Okay, not complaining, the sun is shining and it’s gorgeous out and I heard Gary mention something about pasta, roasted lemons and fresh ricotta so I suppose I can survive.

Happy June.