Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Wednesday Bliss

You gotta love a day like today. Although I have one more test to give and grade tomorrow, I finished the grading for my other tests last night and was able to turn in the grades early this morning. That gave me the rest of the day off. And it's amazing how much you can get done with a day off.

After visiting some blogs and handling some of the business elements of writing, I headed out to a new Sushi place that just opened up. This was "Kazoku Sushi" and I will definitely be visiting again. The white tuna wasn't terribly good, but the pepper tuna and California roll were exquisite. It turned out that the waitress remembered me from when she used to work at a different sushi restaurant so I also got very good service. (Hey, being a man with long hair sometimes works in your favor.)

After lunch, I returned home and folded a couple of loads of clothes, then had a most excellent two hour nap. By 3:45, I was ensconced upon my deck with the laptop at hand working on the galleys for a book called Bitter Steel, which I've mentioned here before and which I hope will be published some time this year. It's a collection of my fantasy short stories. It was a beautiful sunny day, about 70 degrees, with lots of birds flitting among the feeders in our yard. I worked pretty much straight through until about 6:45, making very good progress, and am now taking my supper break.

Who knows what I'll do next. Read? Watch a movie? Write some more? That's the beauty of a day off. Time to relax and time to write. Man, I could get used to this kind of schedule.
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35 comments:

Stewart Sternberg (half of L.P. Styles) said...

I think it's time to get in touch with the inner Charles. I'd like to suggest making a list of fun things to do, things that you would not normally put on such a list. And things you might not want to share. I do this each summer. I remember receiving inspiration for it from Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine"

Travis Cody said...

What a fantastic day!

jodi said...

Charles, bliss indeed! And a two hour nap? Perfecto! Good for you-sounds like you needed it!

X. Dell said...

Wouldn't it be nice if you could somehow manipulate time, so that you could enter that schedule whenever you wished?

Cloudia said...

You get a LOT done!



Aloha from Waikiki


Comfort Spiral

ArtSparker said...

A Two hour nap? Is that legal?

Good to hear you're relaxing.

Bernita said...

Beautific, Charles, and certainly you deserve it.

Harry Markov said...

Sounds almost magical. I have made me some weeks of those days and it felt wondrous. Though I can say that the bliss has ended.

I am starting the summer job and I have two more months to deal with in the university. Pretty busy times ahead, after Friday.

ivan said...

Heh.

When I was busy unloading peanuts in Georgia, they used to call a day like that "fartin' around."

But you so much needed a day to just lay back. Gruelling work schedule.

David Cranmer said...

Good for you! Your day off sounded tops with the exception of sushi. I just can't dig that no matter how hard I try.

pattinase (abbott) said...

It took me a while to come around to sushi but now I'm a fan. Wish I could take a nap without being up all night afterward.

Charles Gramlich said...

Stewart Sternberg, that’s a good idea. I especially need to drink a few beers before I start that list. It’ll be more creative.

Travis, indeed. A most enjoyable day.

jodi, I’d been running on low sleep levels for a while so it was nice to get that solid nap.

X. Dell, I’ve often thought of that, of having the ability to speed up and slow down time at my whim. Two hour meetings would last 5 minutes. A 20 minute break would be 4 hours.

Cloudia, when I’m able to do my own work I really can churn the chores out. It just doesn’t happen that often it seems.

ArtSparker, not only legal, but the law, if I were making the laws.

Bernita, I indulged and am better for it.

Harry Markov, sorry to hear that. I will occasionally try to spare you a kind thought as I live on my deck! 

ivan, Yeah, my farmer brother would not see that I got much accomplished that day. But, you know, I’m OK with that.

David Cranmer, I’d do sushi three times a week if I could. But I know you aren’t supposed to eat it more than once a week, which I typically do during the summer.

pattinase (abbott), my nap might have been a touch long because I did have trouble sleeping last night. If I nap for an hour that doesn’t seem to happen and it really refreshes me.

laughingwolf said...

fishing on the agenda, charles ;)

Heff said...

You're more productive on your OFF DAY than I am at WORK, Lol !

BernardL said...

Days off are so good I try not to string more than a couple together. I'm afraid I won't be able to shuffle back from the brink. :)

SQT said...

Naps are the best thing ever.

We can't seem to keep a sushi restaurant in business in my neighborhood-- which is strange considering how many people claim to love sushi around here. The recession has hit restaurants hard around here. We went out to dinner a couple of weeks ago and the first two places we went were out of business.

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Here's to good days.

Looking forward to Bitter Steel.

Wonder if the shared karma is why I woke up thinking about Tuna to eat? Weird.

Randy Johnson said...

Sounds good. After the way things have gone for you, and everyone else in the area, the last few years, it must indeed be heaven.

Drizel said...

Sounds like heaven......2 hour nap....hmmmm.
Not a big fan of sushi, maybe I havent been to a good restaurant yet.

Harry Markov said...

You simply have to. :) It has not been day one and organizational disasters sprung up. :)

Steve Malley said...

Glad to hear at least one of us is living the dream. :)

Charles Gramlich said...

Laughingwolf, definitely. And soon.

Heff, yeah, but after three days off I turn into a pumpkin.

BernardL, I know, when summer is over and I'm going back to work I feel like crying.

SQT, there have been some restruants going out of business here, and at least two that burned down under mysterious circumstances. But new ones are also opening.

David J. West, Oh man, the pepper tuna was incredible. I've gotta go back tomorrow.

Randy Johnson, yeah, I'm not gonna feel guilty at all. I be deserving a bit of relaxation.

etain_lavena, naps rock. As for not liking sushi, that leaves more for me.

Harry Markov, sorry to hear that. I hope things will ease a bit.

Steve Malley, yeah, especially if it's me, dude. :)

Erik Donald France said...

Sounds like a wonderful day, man. Life should be so good all the time. Can we change it to that permanently?

Sushi rocks!

Hope the latest oil slick doesn't ruin everything along the Gulf Coast.

Charles Gramlich said...

Erik, I guess if every day was like that we might not appreciate them. Yes, the oil spill is looking nastier every minute.

Greg said...

sounds like a nice day! good luck with the collection.

laughingwolf said...

best go quick, oil's already on the beaches :(

sage said...

Two hour naps area always excellent! And the sushi sounds wonderful.

Charles Gramlich said...

Greg, I'm hoping for another day like it soon.

Laughingwolf, maybe I'll start fishing in the Lake!

Sage, ah a man who knows his priorities!

Spy Scribbler said...

A day with a nap is a WONDERFUL day. It just makes the whole day awesome. I can't wait to hear more about your book.

laughingwolf said...

good plan, charles...

Scott said...

Charles,

Sounds like a great day. You deserved it!

Charles Gramlich said...

Natasha, indeed. I'll talk more about the book later for sure.

Laughingwolf, yep.

Scott, Good days are to be savored.

Barrie said...

That does sound like a wonderful day!

Lana Gramlich said...

Enjoy, baby. :)

Charles Gramlich said...

Barrie, indeed!

Lana, thankee sweetness.