I will never give that answer when asked what I’m up to lately.
I just finished a new audio book, RAIN by Dana McNeely. It should be coming out for sale on March 8th. It’s pretty danged good. The story is excellent, and my babbling is up there in quality. Links to the recording when Audible posts them.
Here’s one video review by Brock Bevell, that Rodger and I really liked:
So, here’s the good news: Rodger and I are producing an audio book version of the devotional. I have about 2/3 of it recorded, and we hope to have it available in early April, if not sooner. And, yes, I am finding mistakes that I missed before when I read it out loud. Such is life.
Now, out to the tree farm to water the plantains and mangoes!
This past Saturday I walked the Ave Maria 1/2 Marathon. I finished with a time of 4:45:09, a blistering 2 seconds faster than my time last October in the Sebring 1/2 Marathon. (Although, I did finish first in my division for age in Sebring. Nobody else 60-64 Male was entered….)
Big deal, right? Yeah, it is. It was freaking hot by the end of the race, about 88 degrees. I don’t know about most of you, but that’s at the upper limit of what I can handle. During my daily walks, I cut the temperature off around 80-82. Anything more makes me sick.
And…. well, today I look like I drank an entire bottle of tequila and have end-stage alcoholic bloat. I am not a pretty vision as a result of becoming completely dehydrated and then filling the tank back up. It goes well with the blister on my right foot – about four inches wide and two inches across. The entire ball of the foot to be precise.
However, and this is important to me, it was way hotter than expected, and until I hit the 1/2 way point, I was burning along at a 20 minute/mile pace. For an old guy who walks, that’s fast. The speed fell off as the temperature passed 80 and by race end it was a chore to schlump along to the finish.
But I did. I set the goal of doing the race and did it. I even trimmed a little time off of last fall’s race in much warmer conditions. I practiced what I preach in Navigating Adversity. (I missed my time goal by less than 16 minutes, so pretty happy still!)
The best part of the race? Justin Morris, a young friend (who is a fire fighter) from church was running his first marathon and told me his goal was 5 hours. I told him I’d wait for him at the finish line and cheer him on as my goal was 4:30. He lapped me three times during the race. He finished an hour ahead of me, and took 3rd place in the standings! Now that’s one heck of a first marathon.
I got to the finish line and he and his cousin, a young lady from my church named Codie, were there cheering loudly as I crossed the timing strip.
I’ve finished countless 1/2 marathons – I mean, I literally lost track at around 20 of the things. And of all those 1/2 marathon finishes, I don’t remember a sweeter experience than seeing those two there at the finish line. It was a complete, and wonderful, surprise.
And here we are at the finish. I love doing this, I love my wife, my church, my work, and these two friends. Life is good.
That when you ask an author how their day went writing they recount laundry, shopping, grooming the dog, making phone calls, and “plotting some stuff out in my head.” They never actually got around to writing.
So it is today with narrating my latest audio book. I got the signed copies of the devotional ready for the mail, browned a chuck roast, cut the veggies, and got it in the crock pot, and took a 7 mile walk to get ready for the 1/2 marathon on Saturday. (Which, may be my best time in years, as the predicted starting temperature is 48 degrees! Joy when it’s below 70 around here!)
Now, as I sit at the desk to edit the audio for chapter 20, I realized no blog in a week. I am a bad blogger. But let me tell you about the narration: it’s cool. The book will be announced soon, but it is well written with many, many different voices. I am not allowed to slack on this work.
I enjoy it. I have a list of 10 projects for 2023. Yikes! I will be super busy, as I’m mentoring students in Navigating Adversity as well. Thankfully, I can do this at times when my wife is likewise engaged so it doesn’t get me in too much trouble.
Well, gotta go. Chapter 20 isn’t going to edit itself.
Next, I was rucking past the Sheriff’s range today when the gaggle of SWAT team types ran by on their way to the weight sets in the parking lot. I smiled and thought about how I once was young and shaped like that group. I hadn’t remembered my friends anniversary until I got home. It was kind of an impact, remembering that they were also at the peak of their young lives physically.
I came home and talked to a potential client about a new audio book. Then headed into the studio to work on the current one. A rush job was waiting in the queue of my email, and I blasted that out. The audio book is next. I’m very thankful for that work. I decided to keep my head small and went to read the negative reviews on Audible. It’s not clear if I’m truly the worst narrator ever, because the people that accused me of that leveled it at other narrators. So I have that going for me. I’m content with an overall 4.5 rating on all the books I’ve done. Works for me.
The voice is strong, and the work rewarding. I’m excited about all the books I’ve got lined up for the next two years. Yes, that much work waiting for me out there. It’s going to be a busy 2023 and 2024.
Now back to the old: the rucking has been paying off, and there’s less of the old me and more of the new me. I’ve gained core strength, muscle mass and lost some fat. It feels pretty darned good.
Well, thanks for wandering by, but I’ve got to get editing: those books don’t do themselves.
Well, actually there’s nothing there to show you. I have maintained my very long streak of catching not a darned thing while fishing.
My last recorded catch was in 1990. I might be wrong about that, it’s very likely my wife caught the actual fish, but I was there. Come to think of it, I’ve never caught a fish except with a net at the pet store.
This past week I joined my boss for a deep-sea fishing expedition. We went about 12 miles offshore, fairly shallow water (does that qualify as deep sea?) in the Gulf of Mexico. It was chilly out on the water until the sun painted us. But getting up at 0400 so I could make it to the boat on time was not fun. It reminded me of the Navy. It was a 0700 show for a 0800 go. One hour of sitting around.
But it was a good break. I’ve been working on a couple of audio books the last month, and the devotional Rodger and I wrote finally published. I hadn’t had much of a break in months and needed it.
I’m back, real blogs to follow. I even have an inspiration for a gory story to share, but I have to carefully evaluate it before I publish it. Something about going to jail… Well, it is fiction.
