It’s not all about the book. It certainly wasn’t supposed to be.
This blog was and is supposed to be about different factors in my life – writer, pirate, family man and guy trying to get into shape. Or as I put it – The writing life, the pirate life, family life and clinging to life. (Ha ha. Little hyperbole there.)
It’s just that for the last few weeks the book – Chrissie Warren: Pirate Hunter – has been my life. Going through the last weeks of constant editing, formatting it, getting it up online and setting up distribution so that I could eventually get it available to sell.
But of course, there’s so much more going on. So let me quickly catch up on the other things.
Family life – Unlike the rest of the civilized world, which begins school just after Labor Day, New Orleans schools have been in session since the beginning of August. Those are some damn hot days to be sitting in a classroom. It’s not clear to me what they’re thinking, other than to observe:
a) This allows the school to finish the first semester at the start of winter break, instead of having them come back after New Year’s Day and have to take finals;
b) It gives them a slightly longer winter break;
c) It gives them a pad if they lose significant time to a tropical storm;
d) And it lets them take both spring break and a week off for Mardi Gras.
Max has got his work cut out for him this school year. He’s a junior and this semester he’s got four classes – An honors class, an AP, and two “early start” classes that give him college credit. He’s taking it seriously, working harder than he’s had to in a few years. He knows what’s at stake.
On the pirate front, I’ve got my reservations for a trip to Los Angeles this Talk Like a Pirate Day. Our friend Clay – who in well known in the pirate community as Talderoy – is hosting his annual TLAPDay party at his shop, Studio City Tattoos. And Mark “Capn’ Slappy” Summers and I will be there. It’ll be the first time we’ve shared a stage – or even a time zone – in seven years. And that’s also the official release party for “Chrissie Warren: Pirate Hunter,” although it’s already for sale and I certainly don’t want to stop people from buying a copy – or many copies! – right now. All they have to do is click this link!
Sorry – back to “other things” than the book.
In terms of health – Back in February I met with a doctor for the first time in ten years. We agreed that there wasn’t much wrong with me that couldn’t be fixed by me losing some weight and getting my cholesterol down. It’s been six months and I’m due to go back. I lost about twenty pounds, not doing anything radical, just exercising regularly and watching what I eat. But that was weeks ago, and I’ve been hung up, or plateaued, since then. I wanted to drop ten more pounds and it just wasn’t happening. I don’t step on the sca le every day, but when I do I like to see just a little progress. For weeks – nothing.
Until two days ago, the first time in weeks that I saw the needle on the scale creep down. Not much, but a start. (So naturally, I had an ice cream cone. Hmmmm.) I’ve got a few weeks before I go back to the doc, and that ought to give me enough time to move the needle down just a little further and then I’m right where I want to be in terms of my weight, and I can brag when I go back in.
So yeah, there’s other stuff going on. It’s called life, and all of it’s important. Just that sometimes different parts take the front seat for a while.
BaurLife 