I will be keeping a trip diary and posting irregularly… I have decided not to take my computer because I simply cannot afford to have it confiscated by the US government. I have NOTHING on the computer which would warrant that, but I’ve been complaining under my real name about the US government for 10 years now. Most hotels have a guest computer room.
If I do write any George stuff while I’m gone it will be cursive, or uploaded to Google drive…. they aren’t likely to confiscate that. I will take my phone and charger.
I pack today. It will be a big batch of weird stuff I take, I hope the TSA and Customs can deal with it all.
I’m going to drop the keys for the business off with the landlord. I have been trying and trying and trying to sell it, and almost 60 people enquired, and I showed it to at least 30 sets of people, but I can’t pay rent any more. I closed the file with Fraser Health yesterday. It has been a year out of my life, and we only operated for three months. I learned a lot, got my heart and my shoulder broken, and I really think I’m a better person. I certainly have more self-knowledge, a lot more respect for restaurateurs. Knowing that I will never ever step through that door again is, candidly, more of a relief than I can say. Anything else I say will be oversharing.
I am practicing and writing every day – music or one of my other projects. That’s really the only thing that counts.
Jeff can handle getting a bolus into Eddie by himself with no difficulty, so I don’t feel like I’m abandoning Jeff over that. Eddie is moving as little as possible to accomplish his goals of just barely eating, just barely drinking, and getting to the litter pan. I’ve taken to leaving a hot water bottle next to him as he was cold to the touch the other day, and lifting him up into the chair he is sleeping in pretty much 24/7 these days. Margot is being very sucky towards us and practically knocked Eddie over with her tail the other day, a liberty he simply would not have tolerated a couple of months ago.
So many people have told me how much they are looking forward to seeing me at GAFilk! I feel genuinely underrehearsed, but I recently read that if you’re feeling nervous, make yourself MORE EXCITED. So I will.
ATL is not currently experiencing delays in or outbound with the exception of international flights outbound. Travel will be icky, but not impossible due to weather.
I’d like to call out Patricia for helping arrange a drinkypoo on my return, and a very warm hug for mOm and Chipper, who have been extra specially supportive beta readers for George, and for Tammy, who provided me with the book that unblocked my last objections to the writing. I have something very specific to say on the subject of first contact, which is that we’ve had 100 years of science fiction in popular culture, and we have to start writing first contact fiction that allows humans to respond intelligently to aliens. Not to freak out or say stupid things. To say, “Cool! Weird! How can I help? What’s in it for me? Where’s your ray gun?” when somebody who really does think globally comes along.
Everybody who can, have a good day!