Well with the Mystery Dinner Improve performance well behind me (once again, I venture to guess that I played the character people most loved to hate), the Diamond Nationals behind me, and things generally settling down, I have no more excuses.

     I’ve been digging into fall cleaning again, and I’m back on phase one of The South Beach diet.

     Weight loss stalled out briefly around 173, and I’ve been ping-ponging alarmingly between that and 183…generally due to how much salt I’ve consumed recently…but that’s neither here nor there.

     As my medically ideal weight is 130, and my goal is 140, I would say I’ve got more work to do…so enough is enough.  I’ve been pretty good about staying within the phase two/phase three guidelines…but the “cheating” had gotten more and more frequent and egregious.

     Also, the daily gym habit has slipped, and while that’s fine this time of year because I get plenty of activity anyway, that habit had better get re-asserted on my ass before winter.

     Also, the daily two-hours of writing needs to begin again as a daily habit, as my friends and family constantly remind me.

     I’m gearing up for November National Novel Writing  Month.  That’ll be a good way to jump-start my recommitment to honing my craft.

     Until then, plot…plot…plot…my least favorite thing to work with.  Description, dialogue, scene setting, and character development I think I’ve got pretty much nailed, but none of that is much good without a plot.  Sigh.  I may never get out of the short story ghetto and into the novel.

     But maybe November will see me reach escape velocity and make it work…here’s hoping.

     The single greatest bright spot on the self-improvement front is that Rocky finished Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson, (finally!) and I have another truly dense, rich, and chewy novel to devour…ah bliss!