Thursday, March 16, 2023
Thursday, March 16, 2023
The day I finished drafting SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK WITH MURDER.
7:30: Wake up.
7:45: Bowels.
8:00: Ablutions.
8:15: Yoga.
8:45: Laundry.
9:00: Breakfast.
9:30: Practiced Chopin Nocturne in E minor, Op. posth. 72 No. 1.
Learned that applying the highest possible standard to the first five measures, no matter how long it takes, allows one to carry that standard into the next five measures.
Also learned that I should probably follow the pedal markings as written.
10:00: Practiced Mozart Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K. 332, first movement.
Learned that so-called “endurance issues” may actually be issues of not-yet-knowing.
10:30: Practiced Mozart Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K. 332, second movement.
Learned that even at the end of a practice session, when you may still be processing your previous ideas and may be too tired/overwhelmed/etc. to generate your best new ideas, you can still generate a new idea.
Any new idea!
And then you can apply it and see what it yields.
11:00: Read Tyler Cowen’s post (on Marginal Revolution) about why Matt Yglesias should be a classical liberal.
11:15: Inbox Zero. Contacted potential interviewees for upcoming freelance articles, contacted past clients about unpaid invoices.
11:45: Lunch.
12:15: Correspondence chess. Current moves are:
d4 d5
Nf3 Nf6
Bg5 Ne4
Bh4 c5
e3 Nc6
dxc5 Qa5+
c3 Qxc5
Nbd2 Bf5
Nb3
Am debating between Nxc3 and Qd6.
12:45: 2,732 words in SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK WITH MURDER, the third Larkin Day Mystery. This finishes the draft, with 58,496 words in four months.
Favorite chunk of writing, from yesterday:
The something better turned out to be an all-expenses-paid cruise.
“Not quite every expense will be covered, of course,” Anni said, setting the plates on the coffee table that had once taken up the majority of the floorspace in her apartment. “Only the stateroom, the food, the non-premium beverages, the 24-hour game room, and the nearly 24-hour entertainment. You’ll still be responsible for the flights, the excursions, the souvenirs, and any premium beverages you choose to purchase.”
“What’s the difference between a premium and a non-premium beverage?” Ed asked.
“Thirteen dollars, on average,” Anni said. “Plus tip.”
“Let me rephrase Ed’s question,” Larkin said. “What are the chemical components of a premium beverage?”
Anni, whose mouth was full of her freshly-baked bread, passed the responsibility of answering to Elliott. “Carbonation, alcohol, or both.”
3:45: Discords.
4:00: Walk, in the rain (no bad weather just unsuitable clothing).
5:30: Ablutions.
5:45: Make cornbread.
6:15: Dinner, with Larry.
6:45: Piano practice coaching. To quote one of my students: “I know what the notes are. It’s getting to them that’s the problem.”
7:45 Research into Ghost vs. Substack vs. WordPress.
8:00: Laptop shutdown, house shutdown. Burners off, doors locked, etc. etc. etc.
8:15: Intimacies.
9:00: Text Mom.
9:15: Read Cory Doctorow’s post (on Pluralistic) about why Big Business can’t stop its illegal, lucrative gossiping.
9:30: Ablutions.
9:45: Folding laundry.
10:00: Read (or, technically, reread) Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow. No, this has nothing to do with the upcoming miniseries. It has more to do with ChatGPT, and the strategies one might adopt in a rapidly-changing society. Will explain later.
11:00: Thinking.
11:30: Sleep.