Ten days ago when I shared my last blog post on Facebook, I wrote that I'd be back tomorrow with more news.
That obviously didn't happen, but here we are. (#TimTime)
I've been super busy with projects. Lots of them. It's crazy.
My Tulsa People story about adrenaline junkies is on newsstands and online. It's the one I previously mentioned in a blog. Anyway, it did the rare thing of become a news story because it featured my friend, Tess, who is a News On 6 reporter an avid outdoorswoman. (Spell check tells me "outdoorswoman" isn't a word, but "outdoorsman" is. Let's fix that spell check.)
So the article was brought up on a newscast and Tess gave me a shoutout. It occurred during the morning broadcast, which a lot of people must watch because I awoke to quite a few texts about it. That was a really cool feeling! Thank you again, Tess.
Also, I wrote about abstract painter Anna Rutherford, who has taken her talents to Chicago.
I just submitted a new story to Tulsa People, which will drop in a couple of months. I just started researching the next one, which I'm really looking forward to sharing with everyone soon. Oh, and there's a new one coming out at the end of the month.
I'm working on another magazine story, and I'll share more info on that at a later date. It's really stretching my skills, which is good.
Last week, I started doing a storyboard for a short film that has been taking up a lot of brain space the last month or two. It's also going to showcase my friend Madison's talent, which is an essential piece to the short film. I'm really excited to work with her and some other friends. It may be the fall before it's finished, but I believe it will be worth it. I know this is vague, but who doesn't love some suspense? More details at a later date.
In the last few weeks, my first draft of a novel has been pulled out of the drawer and now rests on my desk, where I've been flipping through it and considering diving back in. I've edited about 60 pages of the 250, and inserted a new chapter. It's not dead, but it is on life support because I'm really wanting to move forward.
Last Monday, I wrote a short story in a day. Technically, the first page was written months ago, but I wrote 14 more and really love how it came together.
So with that, the big announcement:
I'm going to add a fiction tab to my website! I currently have five short stories that are finished. A few might go back under the knife, but there's a couple just waiting to be read. Some of you may have read a couple of them, but they've all changed since you did.
I plan to add the tab and drop a short story in the coming days. Maybe this weekend. Then I'll hopefully drop more in the coming weeks/months. It'll be a good test on my nerves as I expect to receive honest feedback from those who give them a chance. Plus I want to keep writing them. Short stories are a lot of fun.
I've been researching a lot of stuff about what I intend to be my next novel. It's going to take a tremendous amount of work, so I'm scared to begin typing, but there is an outline and notebook started. It's starting to look like it could be an epic. We'll see. (Again, I'm being vague, so I will add that it's a fictional period piece built around real people and events.)
There's still a plan to launch a different website at some point, and I'm continually writing down project ideas for it. There's also more things I want to do on this site to help me prepare for launching that one. Lots and lots of things on my plate.
On to a mom update: She's still homeless. Something bad happened a few weeks ago, and it really got to me. I don't know how to tackle the topic, but it's been on my mind a lot and hopefully one day soon I'll attempt to wrangle it into words.
I'm still working on the food truck part time. It gets super hot in there.
Oh, and I'm doing social media for two local businesses. It's a lot of work, but a lot of fun. I've turned down a few other businesses because I don't want it to turn into a full-time job. So if you love doing social media, there are tons of opportunities out there. I would maybe add one or two more if it's the right fit.
OK, that seems like it was a lot of stuff, so I'll wrap this up.
You may be wondering why in the hell I led with a picture of a Braves hat?
A year ago on July 3, one of my best friends from college died.
Geron was one of the smartest people I've known. He was a numbers guy. He was also a diehard Braves fan.
Growing up, there was a kid in the neighborhood who loved the Braves. We'd always trade baseball cards, which meant he got all the Braves and I got his Rangers cards. Well, I did keep a lot of Braves cards like the Chipper Jones rookie card.
One semester into school at OSU, I met Geron. Suddenly I had a friend who was as obsessed with baseball as me. Our friendship helped bridge my past to my new adventure away from home. We spent many nights talking about Braves and the MLB while drinking whiskey and watching or listening to a game.
He was also the most patriotic person I've known. He used to paint his finger and toe nails for the Olympics and World Cup. He wore absurd red, white and blue apparel and decorated his home.
One of our last chats (typically through social media) was about the upcoming NBA playoffs and the baseball season. He was excited because the Braves looked like they were starting to return to the winning ways that spanned most of our childhood.
After I received the news of his death, I made a promise to him that I'd take over his fandom for the Braves. I didn't abandon my favorite team, but I added another. I have another friend who is a lifelong Braves fan, so it's been really hard not to talk trash for the last year.
This season, I started following the team and some of the players on social media and have been checking the scores and stats daily.
Then I decided it was time to get a hat. As I browsed through the choices I saw the above one, which was this year's 4th of July hat. I couldn't pass it up. It screamed G Daddy. I could hear him telling me how much he loved it and that every person should have a Braves hat.
Geron had addiction issues. He battled them and ultimately lost. I really wish he was here today, so we could message each other about all that's happening in the sports world. I can only imagine how excited he'd be about the young talent playing in Atlanta. I wish we could talk about Chipper Jones going into the Hall of Fame next week. I wish I could give him a hug and tell him everything will be OK.
It's now the start of the second half the season, and the Braves are a game out of first place.
Go Braves!
In closing, Geron wasn't the only friend I have who struggles with addiction or battles mental health issues. I've had a lot of conversations with friends recently, including some that have gone until nearly sunrise. I'm always down to talk with someone. I've been better at being open (obviously), but I've also worked hard to ask friends if they're OK and let them know they can vent to me anytime. A lot of times we dwell or hold on to even the smallest things that somehow sometimes grow into monsters inside of us. I understand I'm not alone and neither are you.
Hug a friend. Text (or call) them and let them know you love them. Reach out to a lost friend and offer to chat.
We're in this together.