I'm Baaaaaack:)

Well, this will be a short post because I have once again stayed up way too late.  I have finished my last book edits and the manuscript is going into production.  I heard from my editor, and she or her assistant will be contacting me about "editorial choices" and "promotion".  So that's what they do. . . hmmm. I have never written a whole book before, so I am naiive about the process, though I have published several shorter essays. But those are nuts and bolts details.

When I finished, I had a stream of memories that came rushing up consisting of the life's events that led to stops and starts in getting this done.  I must admit that there were many more stops than starts over the past ten to twelve years.  I thought I would be dancing in the halls, but I stood quietly in my office crying softly.  My boss came in and I asked him if he would mind sharing a moment of reflection with me.  He saw me cry for the first time and said, "awwww, c'm here. . . let me give you a hug."  You have no idea how much that small expression from someone I respect and laugh with daily meant to me.  He GOT it. He knew that I had spent the last nineteen days straight in writing purgatory and three weeks before that doing the same thing, minus weekends. He also knew that the ten years prior to that I had remained committed to finishing while allowing myself to get sidelined at fairly regular intervals. The intensity and focus required makes everything else seem easy.   Don't remind me I said that when I have a hard day, please.

I am now moving into a period of tasks and back to back obligations related to the start of school.  On Monday, the halls will once again be filled with cute young things in their "trying not to look like they're trying too hard outfits", sporting suntans and eager eyes considering new social lives.  I will literally throw the class together that I am teaching because the section was added to the schedule just three days ago.  I have until Tuesday to put that together between our all day faculty retreat tomorrow, our new faculty orientation Thursday night and our First Year Student Convocation on Friday afternoon, regalia and all. 

These are concerns I am facing now and I want to breathe, exhale, take a walk, ride my bicycle, sit on my favorite rock to hear the lapping water in Lake Michigan, watch the sailboats and to see the beautiful skyline.  I am unhappy with myself right now because I took two days off this week to do just that. . . and I have paid bills, grocery-shopped, cleaned the place up and shopped for some flat shoes (because with the current state of my knee, I am still not able to wear the ridiculous number of heels nested in a hanging canvas shoe storage on my closet door).  I got a facial, but mainly because my face acne is out of control. That quiet little cry of relief in my office was not enough.  I am like a top wrapped tightly holding myself together to get through the next thing. And I know that all it would take to get out of my paralysis would be to take the first step on the sidewalk, pull my Schwinn cruiser out of storage and push the pedals into one full circular motion, even drive out to the Northwestern parking lot that would situate me about fifty yards from "my" flat rock in the sun.

I have a weekend coming.  I have a class that is not ready.  This is the pull . . . but I will burn out by middle of September if I continue to choose work over balance, sleep over walking and fresh air, holding it all in instead of pushing myself into some kind of relaxation.  I need a voice to give me permission to do something good for myself. . . playful, relaxing, happy and mine.  I miss summers.  I missed summer this year. I want a little bit of summer, still.

And this

This says it all. . . .

Stupid but so funny it got to me:)

Imagine an urban black guy's voice. . .

"I call her Beavis cuz we always Butthead".

Last Day. . .

I spent the whole weekend in my office finishing up the writing parts. It's good enough, I think. . . . tomorrow, I have to do references and write a note to my editor about the changes I've made. Very "doable". I am so sick of "hearing" (reading and re-reading) what I have to say that I am very tired of myself. I am never going to write another word. . . never:) Ha!!!!

It will be good to come back, blogland. . . after a little while.

Afraid to say whoooooo hoooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter six mess is cleaned up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thres last things to do:
1) Write the "main matter of my introduction" Pretty basic and know where I'm going.
2) Write a current and interesting "front matter" introduction to my introduction. Kinda have an idea where I'm going but will probably take as long as the "main matter"
3) Update a few resources. . . . and do last bits of cleanup.

This is doable and will be worth missing most of these beautiful summer days I hope:))))))). . . .


SEND MANUSCRIPT TO ROUTLEDGE PUBLISHING SO THAT IT CAN GO INTO PRODUCTION!

The Short Story. . .

I guess I'm writing this so that I have a record of this process when I'm done. So please forgive me for the boring details I am about to share.

I have finished ten pages of a methods section, so my appendix is done. I have gone through over a hundred pages to make line edits, most of which I have corrected. I found a hot mess in chapter six that must be corrected whether anyone who reviewed it said so or not. I. . . yes, I, who wrote it cannot even understand my key points. I have begun that process. I have written my acknowledgements. What's left?
1) Write my introduction, starting with an overview of the chapters--then go back and write the front matter. Probably a day and a half.
2) Find reviewer 2's list of updated resources and find places to use them as references. Probably an 8 hour day.
3) Go back to the half-fixed hot mess in Chapter six and finish fixing it; it needs to sit while I do other things. Probably a five hour job.
4) Find out how to cut and paste three footnotes and make them endnotes, like the rest of the book. Easy peasy with the right help.
5) Include one more name I forgot in the acknowledgements. Easy peasy.
6) Write an explanation to my editor about what I have done since receiving the reviews.

If all goes well. . . I may be looking at this coming Friday???? I had hoped I could finish by the end of tomorrow, but some things just cannot be rushed (she says after ten years:) Waaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!