I am back today after nine days of rest from blogging. It was kinda weird. I was able to pound out some blogs for a client while in the airport and they were way too long. I can tell when I don’t blog at all, I have way too much to download! Thus, I’m happy to be back.

In the past nine days I’ve been to the east coast and back, lost my luggage, had four cups of mint tea to calm my stomach (jet lag is the worst when you hop over and then 36 hours later, skip back), partied with my sis, celebrated hubby’s birthday (today!) and our buddy A’s birthday, thought we had a new puppy (we don’t; it was a joke), tried to sleep through fourth of July fireworks displays going off all around us, got my eyebrows done twice (stupid growth serum makes them all crazy), and grabbed a few last-minute books before going on a six-month no spendy that technically started July 1.

Oh and had several cups of Boston clam chowder, which is almost as good as Maine’s, although not quite. We ate at the Charter House, a very old building on the edge of a very expensive marina in Boston’s Back Bay, around the corner from the USS Constitution and the site of the Boston Tea Party. I saw the church where Paul Revere hung his lantern as well. Very amazing. What a gorgeous city. I’ll definitely be heading back as soon as possible. I just don’t want to take another cab. Thirty dollars to go 4 miles! Crazy spendy.

But the delays on the way home enabled me to read a lot and to watch Fool’s Gold (a waste of my brain power, I assure you) on one flight, which helped me in my novel work. I got ahold of Gail Godwin’s writing journals and once again realized how long it takes to incubate a novel. This may take me years or more. I need to not be in such a hurry and let it just flow.

I push too much and thus lose sight of life as it is unfolding. Look, there it goes. I am not changing any habits because of that realization, but I am going to be more careful about how much I push. As a good friend said, if you’re pushing, you’re usually trying to force it. I think Frances Mayes learned that in Italy too. Only her lesson was ladybugs.

Off to my day.

So I fly early Monday and I have not even started to think about packing. I am so relaxed about traveling. Good grief. I need to try on my new summer suit and make sure the pants don’t need hemming. If so, I’ll drop them today at the dry cleaners on my way to the gym.

I’ve never been to Boston. I was 3 hours away in Maine a few years ago, jealous that some friends made the drive to see Harvard and I didn’t know about it until they were back (I could have gone! Well, not really.) and although I’m going to be in meetings the entire time, I have carved out a morning to do a hop-on, hop-off bus tour of the city, hopefully setting eyes on Harvard. (Long-time dream of mine, and a silly thing.)

But, before I go I have a zillion things on a to-do list, and nothing is going to get done if I don’t get to it. I did pick a mind mapping software this morning. Sheesh. And I’m not walking quite as funny as I was earlier this week. My muscles are figuring out that screaming at me will get them nowhere. Finally, cooperation!

If I get enough done today, I can write! Onward, forward!

So, I got a personal trainer. I know, everyone shakes their heads. What are you doing? Well, you know what? I want to do this, so get over it.

I dropped off my winter pounds in May with daily cardio workouts and after testing out as athletic with really good BMI and body fat percentages, I just decided I wanted to be fit this summer.

My trainer is awesome. We found my ab yesterday too. (yes, just one so far) After just one session–it’s quite amazing how defined things get. And I have hurting muscles, but it provides entertainment for the hubby every time I fall down the stairs.

No, I’m totally kidding. But going down stairs is tough today. I can’t wait to get back on the elliptical today and do some cardio and stretch those muscles again. Yeah, I’m odd.

I also had no idea I had so many writing muscles. I’m flexing them all and it’s a little painful stretching those this week. I can write, and the writing is good, but it’s back to what I talked about yesterday: what makes it on the page and what doesn’t make it on the page. That matters! It can’t just be beautiful writing. It has to be larger than life in a way to translate across to a reader.

I didn’t even know I had these writing muscles. It’s very exciting.

Combine all this with the 70-degree weather we’re having and it feels like summer for sure. I am a little nervous about going to Boston next week. I hear it’s hot back there. But it’s a little coinky-dink that the writing I’m doing on my novel takes place back east near Boston. It just came up too. Something in the back story that I need to figure out so it comes across on the page. And here I go. I’m excited and I haven’t even begun to think about packing or preparing. After London, Boston seems like a piece of cake.

Happy writing!