Freelancer to Base Camp:

More Days in the Life of a Freelance Writer

FTB Monday, May 16th, 2005

11:00 a.m.—lie in bed re-hashing frustrating conversations from the weekend; soundly tell off perpetrators of bad ideas or rude behavior; fantasize about getting treatment for sciatica; feel anxious about the potential for living a lot more days/months/years in this pain—or worse; feel angry at U.S. "health care" system; feel frustrated by limited financial means; feel frightened that pain is so intense so early in the day. Has grace period disappeared? Will it now take over every waking moment, instead of just most of them?

11:10—get up. Check porch to see if final camera for CE Lifestyles has arrived. (Yay. It has.) Find Puck sleeping on porch; pleased when Calvin doesn't completely freak out and beat him up. Check e-mail. Open drapes so plants can get sun. Get dressed. Try to stretch a little, but quit because too hard. Realize didn't drink enough water yesterday. Wish was warm outside instead of cold and damp. Why does New England have to be so relentless?

Do some dishes.
Call Jon.
Set aside yesterday's coffee grounds for garden.
Try to ignore Calvin's screechy demands. (He believes bowl of eggshells and coffee grounds for garden is really a delicious treat am maliciously keeping from him.)

Make coffee. Try not to feel bad that after going through slow, difficult weaning process, fell off the wagon and am now drinking more coffee than before I tried to quit. Am like Oprah with her weight. One story all-nighter and a visit from my family and I was back where I started—or worse. Remember that Dr. on Oprah said 24 oz of coffee a day is good—but how strong is that coffee, I wonder?

Find check from neighbor for our Pedal People. Must find my checkbook. Has been at least a week and still, no sign of it…grrr.

Tidy up kitchen. The noise causes Calvin to re-issue his demands.

Make oatmeal.
Give Calvin medication.
Norman joins the picket line and begins squeaking HIS demands for different/more food than what is in their bowl.

11:30—Feel surprised that have no e-mail. Wonder if is a problem? Wish knew how to make better coffee. Move sitting ball from office to dining room where have been working in hopes will relieve sciatica. Read through Freecycle e-mails.

11:43—Remember oatmeal is cooking.
Add vanilla soymilk, cinnamon, molasses and fresh strawberries to super-overcooked breakfast. Try to ignore Calvin, but break down and yell at him before kicking both cats out of house so can eat overdone oatmeal in peace.

Regret cutting strawberries on same board as last night's onions…

Remember Anna saying once, "You're the poster child for smart people who do stupid things" and smile as eating onion-flavored overdone oatmeal.

Go through Freecycle inbox. Make postings and responses.
Work on clothing swap plans and invitations with Joan.
Practice French.
Imagine being able to study abroad.

12:26 p.m.—print, sign, fax back CE Lifestyles contract.
Hang photo in DR.
Decide to go get haircut.
Renew quest for checkbook.
Brush teeth.
Discover cat vomit on papers on office floor. Drat. Wish had filed those papers sooner.
Move new jade plant to bedroom.
Write C. to thank him for plants and books.
Work more on Saturday's clothing swap plan.
Find checkbook! Hurrah!
(Was buried under notebook and bank receipt on dining room table.)
Check bank balance online.
Pay overdue electric bill. Feel good about finally being caught up with that.
Change clothes.
Make appointment with chiropractor for tomorrow to treat sciatica/CT!
Feel bad about not (yet) doing yoga today.
Go to grocery store.
Search for French language learning tapes I took off the shelf this morning but now can't find.
Yell at Calvin for trying to eat groceries.
Put away groceries.
Go to post office. Six weeks after invoice, checks from Wi-Fi Planet have still not arrived.
Go to get haircut and discover hairdressing school is closed today. Drat.
Go to Deals N Steals instead. Buy lots of fantastic supplements because buy one get one free (BOGO).
Go home. Change clothes. Drink water.
Re-arrange medicine cabinet to accommodate new tissue salts.
Arrange to pick up items offered in freecycle.
Coordinate Saturday's clothing swap with Joan.
Go to dump. Pick up load of free mulch.
Pick up Freecycle items.
Check e-mail, voicemail.
Regret drinking so much coffee.
Distribute mulch in flower beds all around house.
Weed beds.
Plant sunflowers, rhubarb, Echinacea, geranium, lillyturf, rose of Sharon in new herb and flower garden.
Water new plantings.
Add coffee grounds and eggshells to soil.
Go to hardware store to replace spare truck keys, which seem to have been lost.
E-mail.
Wonder how to make back feel better.
Receive telemarketing call from Verizon employee, who tells sad story about losing his job, but does not convince me to purchase any new services.
Work on Wi-Fi story.

5:09pm—Decide to do stretches for back while watching Oprah and eating pistachios.

Jon calls, but I miss it. Call him back and get vm
C. calls. We're going to BBQ.
Discuss what to cook.
Call Jon—invite him.
Call Beck, Sal, Annie—invite.
E-mail editor at CE Lifestyles.
Showever, shave. Dress.
Clean house. Drink wine.
7:30—C. Arrives
Chop veggies, etc.
Beck and Sal arrive.
Jon arrives.
Have lovely BBQ.
C. helps me with my back pain.
Fall asleep for a bit.
11:23 p.m. C. leaves. Put on jammies. Watch taped episode of The Contender. Feel torn between rooting for Alfonso and Peter. Decide to root for a good fight so they can both feel they gave their best.
Talk to Jon.
12:55 a.m. watch taped episode of Desperate Housewives.
Talk to Jon.
2:49 a.m.-write in journal.
3:00 a.m.-fall asleep.
11:00 a.m.-wake up to bad classic rock blaring from alarm clock.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2005

10:45 a.m.—awake from delicious but strange dream about John Mayer. Feel the heat of the day before I can even see it. get up, dress, feed cats, open windows and curtains, check porch for new arrivals. (none.)

—do yoga, PT, and prayer.

—make coffee, apply sunscreen, contemplate getting a haircut.

—feel very pleased by yesterday's feng shui alterations to dining room.

—sit on porch, drink coffee, work on book/creative time.

—call Mom, leave message.

12:30—cook oatmeal. check e-mail. write e-mail, remember oatmeal. (damn!)

—return phone call to friend who wants to brainstorm (she's not home), contemplate going thrift store shopping as means of procrastinating.

—eat overcooked oatmeal made delicious by the strawberries Jon brought by last night.

—begin Wi-Fi story

—more e-mail.

—check on graychase.com.

2:24.pm. — brush teeth, change shoes, go to post office, mail bailey's birthday gift, overdue wi-fi checks still not there. (damn!)

2:45 p.m.—move firewood, transplant hostas, weed beds, water beds, feel somewhat fascinated and a teensy bit dismayed by flagrant procrastination on my part.

4:08 p.m.—birthday present arrives!

—copy edit Wi-Fi site; more e-mail. e-mail editor about missing checks. feel restless.

4:55 p.m.—wonder what is wrong with workstation that causes pain in shoulder so quickly?

—drink soda, which is bad idea, but in house because was on sale; do neck stretches; sit on porch feeling anxious, tired and buzzy. Decide to sit in sun and read for a few minutes as would like to have tan rather than splotchy red and white patchwork skin, which is current result of careless sunscreen application and reckless weekend sunbathing.

—think about ways to find agent, publish book. feel intimidated.

—read anne lamott. do creative writing. go inside and do volunteer/activist work that was actually due yesterday.

—make lunch. eat lunch, watch tv even though nothing (i mean, nothing!) is on.

—wish C. were around to play tennis with. wish had hammock.

—work on CE story.

8:30(ish)—go running. stretch. ice. listen to voice mail: mom, jon. call jon, leave message. call mom, leave message. reheat leftovers. watch tv. ice, PT, stretch.

—work on CE story.

11:30—shower.

12:08—watch taped TV.

12:43 a.m.—feel v. nauseous, sick, woozy, exhausted. work on CE story.

12:52 a.m.—decide to sleep instead of working more. difficult choice, but feel too fried to write well. have to finish tomorrow. Fall asleep.

2:00 a.m. —Jon calls.

2:40 a.m. —back to sleep. ringer now off.

10:45 a.m.—awake, but just barely.

total meaningful, in-person human contact on this day: 0 minutes.
total casual, in-person human contact on this day: approx. 10 minutes with neighbors who are moving.

To learn more about Graychase.com, click here.

Photos by Elizabeth Solaka.

Jewels by Pieces of a Girl.