👋🏻

I am back on the mainland. Ocean air and no Internet were indeed good for writing. We don't have that final script, but I have made serious headway. The draft in Obsidian is sitting with 4,600-ish words; cut out my notes to self and we are closer to 3,500~.

I kept my routine out at sea. I woke up early. The ship was almost a ghost ship at those hours, the only people moving about being the crew and myself. I tucked myself away at a table on the lido deck with a cup of the most mediocre coffee; just strong enough to ward off headaches and wake me up. Mediocre flavor aside, these cruise ships are quite the feat of engineering, capitalism, and excess. It's a miracle that I was able to get a hot cup of coffee in the middle of the ocean.

Once again, no internet really forced me to write. I am so thankful for my rich, offline notes. I wish they were richer at times, but having extensive quotes and notes organized and accessible let me get the shape of the piece without having to disengage from Obsidian. When I didn't have exactly what I needed, I left myself a note to go back and kept on writing.

Besides the sunrise rituals, I read. I ripped through Stuart Turton's The Devil and the Dark Water, which is a murder mystery set onboard a 17th century East India Trading Company ship.

I know.

Stuart has quickly become a favorite author of mine. I am so glad I asked the lady next to me on a flight last year about the book she was ripping through—The 7 ¹⁄₂ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I am already into his third book.

Being able to read 30-35 chapters a day was a dream come true. More reading vacations please. This was time I needed to recoup from my last trip. This was my vacation from my vacation. Now I just need one from the cruise...

Getting this video done in two weeks feels unlikely, but I am still gunning for it. If the remaining tasks were a broad list, it'd look a little like this.

• Finish first draft
• Proofread, get feedback, incorporate
• Record VO
• Slice and dice video in Final Cut Pro
• Publish

That list doesn't seem too long, but it's all the tiny tasks that lie between those bullets. We shall see. For now, I need to go get ready for Christmas festivities. Lots of family gatherings and dinners between now and New Year's Eve. I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Until next time...