What Lies Below

I had one of those mornings where I woke up not entirely sure what day it was, probably because I worked most of the weekend. I'm proofreading, which means reading the book out loud to myself to make sure I'm reading every word and not just skimming and to see if there are any awkward phrasings. That's also where it becomes really obvious if I use a word or phrasing too many times. I can only do it about a chapter at a time because otherwise it's a strain on my voice. I also need breaks so I can stay fresh instead of zoning out. But then that limits the amount I get done each day, and thus doing a little every day. I need to get the rest done today, though.

And then I have something to tweak in another project before sending it to a beta reader. And then my slate will be clear for the moment. I may get back to researching mysteries while I do some spring cleaning and finish doing my taxes. I may even allow myself a spring break of sorts before I plunge into a new project. I'm getting kind of itchy to start something new, since I've spent the past six months or so revising various things.

I did take a break from the work to take a walk yesterday. As I've mentioned, my neighborhood has a system of canals running through it, with landscaped walking paths beside them, little bridges crossing them, etc. I was enjoying walking along by the water yesterday and seeing all the signs of spring -- the turtles sunning themselves on rocks, the baby ducklings (including one all by itself that had me worried), people out fishing. I'd always wondered why people would bother fishing in these canals because the most I've seen have been tiny little fish. Well, yesterday I was walking past when a guy got something serious on his line. He was having to play it out before he could reel it in, and when I was there, he had it almost up to the surface. It was a catfish that was probably longer than my arm and much wider. I had no idea we had behemoths lurking at the bottom. Now I think I'm a little creeped out. There are probably sea monsters down there, too. I think I'm also a little glad my house doesn't directly overlook a canal. The canal's about a block away, so it's close enough for convenience, but I won't have to worry about Nessie crawling out of the depths and sunning herself on my porch.