My writing work continues, though slower than I’d like it to. Last night was a good example. This was my last night before having to devote all my efforts to the Christmas trip we will take. Yet, preparations for that trip were already necessary: making three batches of Chex Mix. This is a task that has lots of down time. Mix the mix, put it in the over, stir it every fifteen minutes, done after an hour. In an hour and ten minutes you have about 55 minutes to do other things. So in three and a half hours that would be 2 hours 45 minutes of “other things” time.

What other things could I do for writing? My novel In Front of Fifty Thousand Screaming People is begging me to edit it. I’m hoping to e-self-publish it in March, cover permitting. The two items I’m eSP-ing before that are ready to go, waiting only on covers. So I can spend time on FTSP, and have let it sit enough time since writing it to have some fresh eyes on it. This seemed as if it would be the best thing.

I could also have taken a little time to make some minor edits to this website. Several things are needed, some of which I can do myself, some of which I’ll need help with. The things I can do myself I should get going on.

I also have a few publicity/promotion things to do for Documenting America. I’ve let those go this month, doing a little research into places where I want to promote it, but not near enough to decide what to do. I could do that in 15 minute chunks.

But what I decided to do instead was something I wanted to do for some time: try to figure out these indecipherable explanation of benefits forms from Blue Cross/Blue Shield. From the couple of procedures I had from the ehrlichiosis and the rheumatoid outbreak that followed, I have a bunch of medical bills. It seemed like way too many. But I was dreading doing it.

But I used those fifteen minute chunks to do that. I gathered all my EOB statements (well, I might be missing one or two from early in the year) and put them in order. I found the group health insurance policy and any amendments that have been issued since the policy was. I began going through the two. The policy was, as expected, more indecipherable than the EOBs. I think, however, I finally figured out the EOBs, and understand what the policy covers, where the deductibles apply, etc. Looks like I have a bunch of money to pay out.

Over the Christmas holiday we will be with our son in Chicago. He’s going to help me with website corrections, and hopefully we’ll have some time to discuss covers and even for him to do some work on them. Hopefully I’ll have a few hours to edit FTSP. And to read for enjoyment as well as for writing craft. I’m looking forward to it, even to the long drive.