What Happened To Me?!: Volume 1, Chapter 8

WHAT’S ON MY MIND

Taxes. I haven’t received all of my 1099 forms yet, but I discovered I made more investment income than I thought in 2023. My mutual funds surprised me with how much taxable income they generated through dividends and trades.

In my mind, this justifies my decision to walk away from an employer that was killing me slowly. Alternately, that header image is me thinking about how much I'll pay in taxes this year despite being retired. I guess this will be the new normal going forward.

WHAT I BOUGHT

This spiralizer and slicer attachment was delivered to my front porch on Monday morning. I wanted to satisfy a certain food craving, so the Kitchen-Aid stand mixer will no longer catch dust in the corner of my kitchen counter.

WHAT I ATE, PART I

Zoodles, also known as spiralized zucchini noodles. I made a sauceless pasta dish a couple of times this week. The first time I made zoodles they were a soggy mess due to not drying them properly and overcooking them. The second time they weren’t quite cooked to al dente but were otherwise good. 

I’m making them again tonight with andouille sausage for a somewhat sinful dinner, and hopefully I’ll cook them just right this time.

WHAT I ATE, PART II

I used a spatula to spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on top of the salmon before pressing a crust mixture onto it. It was scrumptious, and I will now eat salmon this way going forward.

WHAT I LISTENED TO

No podcasts this week. I had to concentrate during my writing time.

WHAT I READ

I read my own novel in addition to this week's new manga. I’ll explain why later. Moving on…

WHAT I’M WATCHING

NASCAR’s Xfiniti Series. For the first time since President Obama’s second term (I think), I watched an entire NASCAR race on Monday night and enjoyed it. Shane Van Gisbergen, aka SVG, finished 12th at Daytona, and I look forward to watching him race at Atlanta this afternoon.

WHAT MADE ME LAUGH

Eric Hosmer’s “self awareness”. The recently retired baseball player stated during his first podcast this past week that he couldn’t play baseball anymore once he realized he couldn’t give 110 percent. 

Uhhh… San Diegans realized that about Hosmer not long after he signed with the Padres as a free agent back in 2018.

WHAT MADE ME CRINGE

Even though Hosmer is now retired, the Padres still have to pay him $13 million both this year and in 2025. At least the tale of Bobby Bonilla Day is hilarious due to Bernie Madoff’s involvement. This just feels like paying full price for Zack Snyder's Suicide Squad on Blu-Ray.

WHO’S IN SLAP COURT THIS WEEK

The defendants: Major League Baseball

The crime: The new uniforms are made with a special fabric that will let fans get more up close and personal with their favorite players this season. Especially the ones that don’t wear undershirts and/or shorts beneath them.

The verdict: Guilty as sin. For Commissioner Rob Manfred’s punishment I’ll “make it hail” sideways so it hurts.

FYI, Bryce Harper usually wears a baggy uniform so don’t get your hopes up too much the next time the Phillies have a rain delay.

WHO DESERVES A FIST BUMP

Aussie racer Thomas Randle. His wet weather driving during the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race convinced me he can contend for this year’s Repco Supercars championship as long as the Ford Mustang that races down under doesn’t run like dog shit like it did most of last season.

WHAT’S UP WITH MY HEALTH

I tested my blood the morning after eating the crusted salmon and my glucose reading was well within normal limits for a non-diabetic. I also lost 1.4 pounds despite fighting a lingering head cold most of this week and abstaining from exercise until I feel better.

WHAT’S UP WITH MY WRIT —ERR, I MEAN READING

This week I read the second draft of my novel, and I had an Open Office text document window open to take notes. I took no prisoners while reading my manuscript, and I believe the writing is still rough in some scenes. There were a few scenes that require nothing more than little polish, so that made me feel better about my writing. I’m glad I took this unflinching look at my novel. I have a better understanding of what needs to be fixed, and it also steeled my nerves for the day when an editor or a beta reader scrutinizes my writing. 

The fact is, I need to get better if I want someone to publish this novel. Even if that publisher is me.