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Checking in 51: 01.22.2022

New Steps

Things are progressing with the plan to publish The Reservoir by the middle of next month. I contacted a few graphic artists with the design concept, and I’ve chosen one to work with. She should begin work on the initial sketches this week. So, fingers crossed, I won’t have many adjusts for her to make and I’ll have the art in hand in time for my planned release date.


I’m almost done with the final proofreading of the manuscript. Yes. I am doing it myself. No. I am not one of those writers who thinks they have no need for a proofreader, but I am financially easing into this. My current business budget is very small, so I’m doing what I can, with what I have. Hopefully, that won’t always be the case and I can invest more in the future, but right now it is what it is, and I need to start somewhere. If I continue to wait until everything is perfect, I’m afraid I will never pull the trigger. Once the manuscript is finalized, I can do the formatting.


The Breakdown

101 Essays that will Change the Way You Think by Brianna West


Brianna West is a prolific writer in the self-improvement, philosophy, and self-care genres. This book is a compilation of some of the author’s works. The essays are mostly philosophies about how to look at life, gain perspective, or common assumptions people make that are not necessarily correct. Many are interesting, though hardly groundbreaking and read like the ‘Top 10’ click bait lists that are scattered everywhere. Some are prose that are more insightful, but after listening to almost seventy of them, I have yet to have an ‘a ha’ moment. Nor have any of them ‘changed the way I think.’ Being a person who is familiar with most of these concepts, it doesn’t have the depth I’m looking for. Perhaps this book would be a good overview for someone who hasn’t already heard all of these concepts before.


If you do pick it up, I would not recommend listening to the audiobook for this one. Each essay is given a number. Because many of these essays are actually in list form, which are also numbered, it can be a little confusing to listen to particularly if your mind wanders for a moment.


Overall, I think it would be a valuable resource for someone looking for a high-level overview of a variety of topics in this area.


Living Life

Coffee is life. That is all…


Okay. Not all. Sleep is also important. Mine has been restless lately, and the sleep I do get has been punctuated by crazy dreams. That in itself isn’t new. I’ve always had wicked vivid dreams. I once read somewhere that people typically only have sight and hearing in dreams. Touch is rarer and taste and smell are hardly ever present. When I read this, I was shocked. I have always had all five of my senses in dreams. For instance, last night I dreamt that I was at some kind of high school reunion. But people were doing singing battles, like in Pitch Perfect. This old woman, who came across like the Don of a mafia family, pulled me aside and had me eat the most delicious fish tacos I’ve ever had followed by a shot of tequila. The marinade on the fish was limey and spicey and the fish was it was crispy and tender, and the cabbage slaw was crunchy, the tortilla was chewy, the avocado sauce was creamy…and now my mouth is watering. I should probably eat lunch at some point. Anyway, my point was that my dreams have been even crazier than normal lately and I am waking up feeling like I’ve been up all night.


Oh, and apparently, I was abducted by aliens. I noticed a weird bruise on my arm last night. It’s on the back of my right forearm. Three pencil eraser sized marks in a straight line equidistant apart. They are more faded now so I can’t get a good picture of them but are still visible. They don’t hurt, and I have no clue where they came from… so I’m going with aliens.


As always, thanks for checking out the site, and I hope everyone is doing well. If you feel so inclined, check out my social media.

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