My Weekend in Bullet Points:

• Twenty years after Freddie Mercury dies I discover what an amazing person he was and am obsessed with the song “Who Wants To Live Forever”.  I was going for a record of listening to “Jar of Hearts” for 72 hours straight but then my friend Tracy Bush posted a video of Queen performing and I have not been able to stop listening (and watching) since then and Have done lots of research on Freddie for two days and have looked at tons of pictures of him.  My respect and fascination grows, but I will admit I still don’t love most of his music.

• I’ve canned 5 half pints of peach chutney, 5 pints of peaches in light syrup, 11 quarts of marinara sauce, and 28 pints of pickled jalapenos.  All this weekend.

• I’m reading a really boring book but I have to finish it because I got too far and now I need to know how the author is going to wrap it up.  I will not read this author again.  My mom insists I must like it enough to finish it even though I explained that once I start a thing there is a point of no return where I feel compelled to know what will happen not because I’m interested but because my brain needs closure on things or it will irritate me.  It will be like an unending itch that is always there.  Always.  They don’t go away.  They just collect in the bin of unfinished business in my head.  I’m almost done with it now.  Last few pages.  I can’t wait to read something better.

• This heat wave we’re having is stupid.

• Max doesn’t go back to school until next week due to some administrative issue the school is having.  Everyone else’s kids in the county started today.  This is the longest summer in the history of the world.  I am pretty much the only person who thinks this.  The roar of disappointment and the predictable parental tears being shed everywhere are like a symphony all around me that I can’t enjoy or relate to.   (They are lamenting how fast time flies and how their kids are just growing up WAY TOO FAST.  God, I’d like to be part of that universe, please.)

• Doing a lot of writing in my head and not so much on the page.  My head is getting over-full and yet it’s having trouble shifting gears.  I also haven’t compiled a list of agents to query as I promised myself I would do this week.  I’m thinking I am going to have to finish canning tomatoes and then call it quits on food preserving so I can get back to focusing on moving forward with my “career” as a novelist.  I take those air quotes back.  I need to focus hard on my career as a novelist because I know I’m going to have one.  I just might be a lot older by the time it happens.

• The tomato eating is pretty incredible right now.  My mom has done so much work in the garden so that even though I can’t be out there helping- she’s transforming it and we have lots to eat from it.  That feels fantastic.

• Fleas.  All the animals have been treated.  We waited too long.  They are still scratching like crazy.  The dog is so loud with her thumping scratching that she wakes me up with it.  But why blame her for poor sleeping?  I sleep poorly most of the time anyway.  It’s always been that way.  Anyway- I seem to recall a similar situation last year.  A dreadful combination of going too long without treating the animals, flea season going strong, and eventual carpet infestation.  Gross.  So today I’m treating the carpets.  The good news?  That means I have to vacuum.  I haven’t done that in a very long time.

I’m going to sign off now because writing is distracting me from listening to Freddie sing and that’s really all I want out of life right now.  May this song never end!

(Where the hell did I put my butane lighter?)