Plans, Roads, Button Punching and Life

The plan was... uh right... STOP right there! The Plan? You're STILL trying to PLAN???

Me and plans... kind of like Politicians and the truth... cooperation really don't seem to be a likely outcome of the combination of those particulars.

You'd think, as many plans as I've made... and watched go PPPFFFFFFFFTTTTTT! that I'd Stop doing that! ;) I mean, frustration is the general crop you harvest from such doin's. And I'm pretty sure we can all agree that such is a crop most of us can do without.

Well anyway, The Plan had us pulling out today. But here I sit. Didn't pull anywhere. I'm mired in the muck of waiting.

I got notified that the saddle bags I've got coming would be finally be delivered tomorrow. It don't take even the few neurons I've still got working to figure out that it don't make no sense to go running off and only have to turn around and come right back... so we sit waiting.

Then just to keep the level of excitement simmering the BRAND NEW water heater craps out. Ten days new and done.

Not a testimony Atwood wants to have sifting around the internet...though there's not a hell of a big option... Since the hole in the side of a rig is kinda permanent and particular... the only thing that will really fit in there... is what you took out. And considering that the last one went 11 years I can't really complain can I?

11 years good... ten days? NOT so good. ;)

Now... with warranty work needed... can I find a single, authorized, warranty service tech or shop to deal with it? Half don't answer their phone... the rest say; "Just Wait... We should be able to get to it... in a few days! We'll call you and let you know." grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

In case you hadn't noticed... Waiting is not one of my greater attributes. In fact... My Waiter is wearing out... I'm like the hungry buzzard that was heard to say; "To hell with patience! I'm gonna go kill something!"

I can honestly say it didn't help when the tech I finally got on the line told me to go pop the pressure relief valve on the tank to see if there was hot water in the tank! Seriously? So... the fact that I'm telling you... on Monday Morning... that the heater has been inoperative since Saturday... doesn't really mean a whole lot huh?!!!

Well that and the fact that I just told you that I called because I have NO HOT WATER from a BRAND NEW hot water heater!!! But I should go check to see if I HAVE ANY HOT WATER IN THE TANK?

Knock! Knock! Knock! (wrapping on the phone) can you HEAR me? Hello???

If I didn't understand dealing with the "General Public" from his side of the fence I think the neighbors would have heard something SNAP! for sure.

So... just climb on the bike and Cool Out... Right?

Yeah... Not so much. I planned to make another circle up through the fire zone and try and do some video/photo work... but... The rains of the past few days keep closing the roads with the landslide/erosion muck coming down...

Then of course I have to stay by the phone waiting on one of the RV Techs to call me... since because of the warranty requirements the work must be done by an Approved Shop or Technician...

I'm beginning to think a tent and a pot sitting on a coleman stove is the way to go! :) or maybe even just wet wipes! and forgo the hot water all together!

There is a light spot in the rain... all this waiting opens up a lot of opportunity for button punching...

One of the problems with editing a manuscript is familiarity... You have to let the thing sit for a while so that you can look at it with fresh eyes... While allowing that Literary Fermenting to happen I got hit with some inspiration for the continuing stories...

The end result is... As I sit waiting for an RV Tech to do some RV Teching... and While "Heart of a Man" works its way through the editing process... Two new stories have started finding their way onto the pages of the continuing series! :)

The Third installment of the Jeb Taylor series has been born and the Second installment of the Ben Jensen series is well started. My "Plans" are to complete those stories after Heart of a Man is published (later this month) and have them published by early fall.

THAT would be shining times for sure! :)

This is something a bit different for me. I've not had two stories working at the same time before. I just had to go with it. When the "Movie Reel" is running in my head I've no choice but to take notes before the inspiration fades away! :) At first blush it seems likely to overload the limited capacity of a cowboy's brain pan... How-some-ever, so far it seems to be working.

I work for a few hours on one in the morning... then break mid day... and in the later afternoon start whittling on the second. Ideas that pop into my fevered brain while working on one story... but that don't fit it... seem to slide right into the second! It's almost as if they are stimulating each other.

We shall see. Creative Inspiration or simply the fevered psychosis of a gypsy cowboy's battered brain.

Not sure that overloading a damaged brain pan is the correct treatment to counteract excessive frustration... but the resulting fireworks might be interesting to watch.

Somewhere in here is the opportunity to rise above it... right? ... I keep hearing that impatient Buzzard...

Growling over the keyboard in a Cold Water Rig
Brian