Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell
Lucy and Twiggy
“We’ve looked high and low for Friday, Lucy and guess what?”
“What Little one?”
“It’s here. Look up.”

 

We made it to Friday. That is always a good thing. I hope you are looking forward to something interesting this weekend.

The Producer got her first shot this week, and today, I get my second. In Texas, 17% of the population has had both shots and 30% at least one. We are a long way from herd immunity. I will be resting easier after the series is finished in our house and way easier when 70 % of the population is fully immunized.

I don’t know about your town, but we still see random shortages at the grocery store. There is no rhyme or reason for them. For example, there were no limes except bagged. The producer and I will take up margarita drinking since we had to buy a bag when we needed one. Other items like selections of hamburger buns, kinds of breads, and reasonable sizes of half and half. Maybe it was the boat caught in the Suez Canal.

I have reverted back to my old discipline on my WIP. That being 1000 words a day before anything else. I don’t know why I thought I could handle doing my 1000 words in the afternoon after all the blogs had been visited, e-mails done, and my post of the day complete. I found I was too tired to put in a 1000 word sprint. Since I’m turning eighty in May,, I think mother nature tells me to put first things first. So I have begun reading comments on my blog with coffee. Writing on my WIP till I have 1000 words. Doing e-mails, visiting blogs, and my daily post. Hitting social media last. So I may be showing up at your place a little later. Anything that comes in after 6:00 may not get handled that day. So far it is working.

Today’s JohnKu talks about making adjustments when necessary. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Change by John W. Howell ©2021

When the schedule,

Is not producing results. . .

You know change is right.

88 thoughts on “Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF”

  1. So glad to hear that you and the Producer are getting your jabs, John! My parents are safely vaccinated now, too, thank goodness. Daddy got his second shot on Monday and Mom her one and only J&J jab on Tuesday. Relieved to know they have some level of protection at last. Good luck with your new schedule…discipline when self-directed is essential. ☺️

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  2. I’m glad to hear that you and the Producer are getting your shots. We’re not out of the woods with this thing yet. Good luck with your new schedule. A writer’s gotta do what a writer’s gotta do!

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  3. So glad you’re both getting your shots. Hubby has had his first dose. Because of shortages, I won’t be getting mine for at least a month unless something changes.

    Your new schedule sounds good. Here’s to happy writing! Have a great weekend 🙂

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  4. Today being Good Friday and a public holiday here in the UK, my schedule will be… exactly like every other day: flexible. Major excitement yesterday – a phone consultation with my doctor (okay, his triage nurse, but it’s the thought that counts) then a chance to fire up my electric chariot to take a trip to the pharmacy. As for writing, I remain a hobbyist and refuse to submit to anything that even smells like a schedule (excepting during November, of course).
    First injections done here a while ago – I think my second will come towards the end of this month. I’m so glad to hear that yours are happening, too. There are a lot of people to do and a finite number of doses available and of people to administer them. From what I read, it looks like the rollout is going well so far. We are involved in a big study on antibodies; we sent this month’s samples off a couple of days ago and are waiting for the results to come back.
    Have a great weekend, both of you.

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    1. Thank you, Keith. I think the roll-out is finally getting better organized. My shots have been administered by a pharmacy chain that is a publically traded corporation. The Producer is by a hospital. There is no comparison between the two. The pharmacy is 100% more efficient. Neither of us were called by the public health agency and there are tons of complaints and a 300,000 person backlog. . So we have non-profit, government, and private sector administrators. The best organization is private and they are asking for more doses since their capacity is still not filled. I still believe had the roll out gone totally private (Doctors, and pharmacy) we would be closer to the 70% for herd immunity. I hope your antibodies are well established. Happy Easter.

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  5. All the best with your second shot and the freedom it offers. I’m in awe of your discipline, John. I write when I can, tuck it in between life’s demands. Sometimes hours will pass while tapping the keys, but often that’s not so. Time can be so bewitching. 😊

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  6. Firm schedules went out the window once I began working on boats 30 years ago — it’s the weather that’s mostly in control, and if I could predict that, I’d be in the weather-predicting business. Still, a schedule of some sort’s important. Annie Dillard, in her book The Writing Life, calls it “a net for catching days.” I’d say that’s right.

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  7. Almost 80 and still going strong – cheers to you! You know what’s best for you, so in the words of Larry the Cable Guy, get er done! Do you think Texas will reach 70%? I don’t think my state or the country will, but maybe I’ll be surprised. Enjoy your weekend!

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  8. We see random shortages as well, and there is no rhyme or reason.

    Sounds like a good plan for your writing schedule. I try to read blogs first thing in the morning, then it’s time to leave the house. And sometimes I’m too mentally exhausted to write in the evenings.

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  9. Anytime you visit is fine with me, John. If you miss a day, that’s ok too. There is too much to read on most days. I settle into work after my walk with the dog. I get back to blogs and social media later. Just make sure you keep your priorities straight. We need that Wednesday story update, and the Lucy and Twiggy show 😏

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  10. Well, we need to throw you a big birthday party, John. I’m glad you’ve had your vaccine and the Producer is half way there. I don’t know what is going on with the groceries. I can hardly find what I’m looking for. Also, prices are all over the place. I bought jumbo eggs for $1.49 and a week later when I shopped for the same eggs, they were $2.49. I thought about the boat in the Suez Canal too, but who knows. Don’t even get me started on the mail.

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    1. The mail situation is terrible. We have shuttled anything important to paperless including bill paying. I’m at a loss to understand what has happened to the supply chain. Thank you, Jill. 😁

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      1. I think we need to make the switch to paperless too, John. We’ve always been old fashion and pay by check the day the bill arrives in the mail. Lately, all of our utility bills never reflect our mailed payment from the previous month. I might need to mail your birthday card today to endure you receive it by May!

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  12. I am amazed at your stamina. I hope to be as productive at you when I reach 80… Hell, what am I talking about? I wish I were that productive NOW!
    Happy you and The Producer are getting your protection. It made me look up the stats in Quebec and they are not lovely at all. Supposedly 16% of the population has been vaccinated – but only with one dose. There is a four-month window between both shots. I dunno when my turn will come as they are still in the 65+ age group…
    Happy Good Friday to you and your gang!

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    1. Thank you, Dale. I thought Texas was behind. That four month window has to be nerve wracking. Keep up the pandemic protocols and sooner of later it will come. Saty safe. 😁

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    1. Thank you, Teri. I expect some reaction because my body is going to wonder what this stuff is and want to fight it. I usually make margaritas with key limes so this will be different for sure.

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  16. I empathise entirely with your predicament, John. I never get any writing done unless it’s first thing in the morning. Happy Easter.

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  18. John, I admire your ability to stick to a schedule. With a new puppy, of course, all bets are off — he sort of controls things right now. I hope things settle down a bit because there’s no way I can be productive with all the chaos around me. Happy weekend — hope the shot goes well!

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  19. Happy Good Friday, John. I’m glad you guys are getting your vaccines. I’m still searching for mine. They are very elusive around here. 🙂 I have come to the same conclusion about my schedule, John. I can check my blog and answer comments, but after that, I’m off the internet and writing first. I find that I’m not making it to some blogs and some as late as 9 or 10 at night, but I’m writing and that’s what is most important. I cannot believe you will be 80 in May. Wow! I’m not too far behind you.

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  21. Life is a series of adjustments. Glad to hear the vaccine adjustment is falling into place. I hope the vaccinating continues at accelerated pace. Eventually we should get to a safer place with this damn virus. The re-ordering of the schedule favoring your writing makes sense. Enjoy the weekend and keep sneaking up on 80. As for the sporadic shortages the latest claim is there will be a shortage of containers for the container ships. One of the dangers of just-in-time-shipping when things go a wry.

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  22. I’m right behind you, John, having turned 77 two weeks ago, and I totally identify with what you are saying. I’ve been developing a new and improved Work Schedule that I hope will let me take care of the “Need To” list first, and the “Want To” list as time allows. I’ve had to fine tune it a bit here and there, and cut back on the number of times a month I run certain blog series, etc, but I think I’m getting there. Hopefully, I’ll be back to writing every morning again very soon. Being stuck on a plot point has hindered that somewhat, but I expect to resolve that soon. Must write while I still remember what words are!

    Great post, great pic of the doggies, and perfect JohnKu! THANKS!

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  23. May it be the happy end with this vaccine adventure, dear John! Your JohnKu is so right. We need adjustment from time to time. The Twiggy Resort’s photo shows it very well: while Lucy is in her ordinary schedule, Twiggy looks up snifting changes ahead.

    Have a calm Margarita week-end! 🙂 🙂 🙂 And spring is finally approaching to us! 🌸🌺🌷

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  24. So glad you and the Producer will soon be both fully vaccinated. It is somehow empowering to have that feeling of being safer to be out in society. Shortages here have been random here too; we will stock up for hurricane season early. Put yourself first, John. I don’t know how you keep up with everything! We need to organize a virtual birthday party for you. Maybe your Producer could make it happen. Have a good Good Friday!

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  25. I try not to hold myself to schedules of word counts. I take it by how I feel. Good idea to do that first and everything after. I got my shot yesterday and my husband today. Unfortunately I’m feeling it today, but still glad to get it. I hope more do and we can put this behind us.

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  27. Enjoy your margaritas. Experimenting is fine, but if it doesn’t work you aren’t required to stick with it. Sounds like your prior system is the way to go. I’ll get my second shot in a few weeks.

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  28. I’m glad you’re done with your vaccinations, John. Your schedule is a lot like mine now. I find it’s a lot easier to get my writing done first thing in the morning. A thousand words a day is super. Happy Writing! 🥰

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  29. I’m about three weeks behind you, John. I just got my first vaccination today (Pfizer). It involved standing in line for ninety minutes in Walgreens. Not the most efficient system, but everyone seemed to tolerate the wait. My wife got vaccinated at the same store last Saturday. She got the Johnson and Johnson (not because she asked for it, but that’s what they had), so she’s happy because she is done.

    I haven’t been following you long, so it sounds like your wife was a producer. What industry?

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    1. I call her The Producer because she is behind many of the Views of the Neighborhood ideas. Her background is Market Research and Marketing in Consumer products. She last worked for a Major Winery as a Product Manager. Her brand became the number one varietal in the US.

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  30. I hope when I’m 80 which will happen to me also in May some years from now- I hope my brain is as sharp as yours and my Mother’s who is going to be 83 this year.

    Best of luck to you with the new schedule I hope it works better for you and getting those 10,000 words a day out of your head and onto paper…so to speak. 😀 Happy Easter!

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  31. I’m glad to hear that people are getting vaccinated in your area, even though the going is slow. I agree with you about the writing schedule. I have to do it the same way (WIP) first, or I’ll fall behind. Stay safe John, and enjoy the rest of the weekend. 🙂

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  32. Here’s to the vaccine! Hubby and I finally got our first shots two weeks ago (NOT easy to schedule), and we’re looking forward to #2. I don’t know what percentage of the population here is vaccinated, but I sure hope it’s more than Texas. I like your schedule change, John. Makes perfect sense. How can you be nearly 80 already? I put you at barely 60. Barely!

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  33. I’m glad you’re getting your shots, John. I’m still waiting for mine, but should be eligible now. Can’t wait! I don’t believe you’re 80, either! And stick to a schedule that works for you. While I’m still working, I can’t seem to keep up with blog reading, but I do my best. Please forgive me for any missed posts. I’m so ready for retirement. A few more years. Anyway, stay safe, and wishing you a Happy Easter! 🥰🐣

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