I fell asleep just thinking of what to write. Goodnight!

It's such an irony to me that 35% of my hits this summer have come from people on search engines looking for "swamp cooler" or something of that nature. I get people looking for "why doesn't my swamp cooler work well" to "homemade swamp coolers." I could create a blog dedicated solely to swamp coolers. Oh, except for the fact that I absolutely despise swamp coolers. I forgot.

The last few days, I've noticed that the source of all my frustrations wasn't working very well. I have to admit, it's done a pretty good job so far this year, and I've gotten farther with it than last year when I rigged up several window-mount air conditioners, but the last few days haven't been so good. It's been a little more humid in Utah, and I could tell there was something else going on.

Earlier in the year, I replaced the spider-shaped tubed water dispensing contraption they use to place water along the spongy filter material. I also added a water filter to keep the crap in check, and a de-scaling agent. Earlier in the month I had to replace the V-belt that turns the air-moving drum, even though the belt was only a year old.

And yet, for some reason, the unit went to pot in the last few days.

Today, I discovered the nastiest of nasties inside my swamp cooler. I don't even know what it is. It was a cloud of frothy white floating just under the water, near the pump. I wish it were the least of my problems.

The inside of the cooler looks like the beginnings of the inside of a cavern. Everything is covered in a yucky white substance that reminds me of the calcium deposits that form stalactites. Not to mention, the blue filtering / spongy material that collect the water and causes the entire evaporative cooling process to happen, is almost entirely covered in grey slime. And moss, of all things. Or, well, something like moss. We couldn't figure out what, exactly. And there was a layer of sand-like sediment clogging the input of the water pump. All things I haven't seen in the past.

Jill and I got the filtering replaced today, as well as the in-line filter. I cleaned off the pump as best I could, though it's still covered in calcium deposits. I set the pump inside a basket I found in the evil swamp cooler section of Home Depot which is supposed to help cut down the crap on the spongy filtering material. I also added a scent freshener, cause swamp coolers smell like ass anyway (and mine smelled like dead fish today).

I know it's all in vain.

You see, my parents and my brother are coming to visit in a couple months. We're hoping to replace the roof (as mentioned in the same post where I worked on the swamp cooler earlier in the year). Among the list of things to do up there, the swamp cooler is going to be a big issue.

Aside from the chimney on my roof that has no purpose (I don't have a fireplace - some idiot who lived here previously took it out, but left the damn chimney to leak water into the garage whenever it rains). Aside from the much-needed electric gable vent I purchased today which will draw out hot air from the attic and prolong my roof's life. Aside from the drip edge around the roof which only serves to wick water in behind the fascia instead of over the edge of the shingles. Aside from the moss that grows on the layer of shingles that sits below the visible shingle material. Aside from the very squishy section of the roof I'm sure I'll end up replacing. Aside from the gutters I need to install. Aside from the horrible state of the shingles on the west side of my roof... Aside from all that - I have to work around the swamp cooler - the one thing I really don't want on my roof.

See, the swamp cooler sits in the peak of the roof. It has feet which are attached to the roof. I will, most likely, need to remove the swamp cooler just to fix and re-roof the house. Am I a complete idiot if I simply put it back on?

And so... the AC unit calls me once again. It would be so much easier if I just had one installed. Sure, I don't have the money. Sure, I don't want the added cost. But I sure as hell want that AC unit, and the make-or-break moment is quickly coming at hand.

And yet, so is moving. I bought this house with my ex. I will soon be starting a new life, and find myself in need to shedding the old. I find it so frustrating that I'm about to sink money into something I'm not going to keep. And it's equally frustrating that I'm sitting here, writing this, in a complete sweat, just before bed.

Damned swamp cooler.

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"Your best investment is in yourself"

- Panda Express Fortune Cookie

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Well, duh.

This was so vague that I almost dropped my kung pao on it in jest.

And then, I thought about it. And slapped myself in the forehead. Then people started looking at me funny.

No, really. It did make me want to slap myself in the face. And that was because, about an hour previous to lunch, Sideon sent me an email with the following quote:

"Writing is your job, just like your postman has a job. He delivers the mail every day, rain or shine. Successful authors sit down and face that blank screen every day. You don't actually have to do it every day, but you do have to do it on a firm schedule. …If you write only when the muse strikes or when you feel like it, you will have a very hard time finishing a book."
Irene Goodman

The only way I can overcome my own shortcomings, insecurities, worries, and distractions - those things which stand resolute against my growth as a writer - is by choosing so.

In other words, if I'm going to invest in my own writing career, I need to invest in myself.

Damn you, Panda Express fortune cookie!

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On Saturday, I was wearing one of my favorite dress shirts and tore a hole in it.

I had propped my elbows up against a counter while talking to a coworker. I slid my elbows to the left a bit, and heard a rip. Suddenly, I could feel the counter against my left elbow. I looked down and found a nice tear in one of my best shirts. Granted, the shirt was well-worn (being one of my favorites), and the elbows were a bit thin, but seeing as how I've never had something like this happen, it was a little frustrating.

So, today, Jill and I went to Kohl's to buy some new shirts.

It was overdue, anyway. When I finished remodeling the bedroom closet, Jill noticed that I had quite a few shirts that I never wear. So it's time to clean out some of the old stuff.

Tonight, I pulled 14 old dress shirts off the closet rod. I'm going to spend an hour later in the week determining if I keep any of them. I expect most of them will end up going to good will.

In the group of shirts I pulled aside are the four shirts I bought when I got my job with my current employer. I haven't worn them in some time. On one of my favorite green shirts sits a nasty oil-based stain. It's hard to see, but it stands out, to me, too much for me to wear it. Also, a golden-colored shirt I wore way too many times - a former favorite shirt. A deep blue shirt that's been ironed so many times the edges are almost white, also one of the original four, sits among them. Lastly, a very nice light yellow shirt, which has never kept a wrinkle away, sits in the pile. These four shirts got me through a tough couple of years, until they looked too worn out to wear.

Also among the group is one of my favorite shirts, a shirt that looks black in some light, or extremely dark blue in another. It's an oxford style shirt - a rarity for me. It was THE shirt I wore whenever there was an important function I needed to attend while I worked for Utah Valley State College. I went with a black pair of khakis and a black tie. What can I say, I worked in a slightly more liberal academic environment than the competing university down the street - that combination worked at UVSC.

There are many shirts in my pile to be donated away. And like many of my clothes (including my shoes), many memories gravitate around some of the shirts.

Today, I bought six new shirts, including ties. I don't know what memories these new shirts will bring, but I look forward to seeing what happens. I'm at the point of needing a long-overdue promotion, or finally finding that spark that will start a writing career. I'm on the verge of major changes in my life. Who knows what memories these shirts will bring me in four years.

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http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Slip-Knot

Last night was an interesting one.

I went to bed early. Well, early for me. I haven't been sleeping well lately, and it seems like I'm not tired until after midnight (even if I wake up before dawn). I decided to try it around 11 PM. I didn't fall asleep immediately, but after a little restlessness, I fell asleep.

And then, I woke up at 1:00. I'd been having a dream, and for some reason, I just woke up in the middle of it. It took maybe 10 minutes for me to fall asleep again.

Then, I woke up at 2:30. A different dream.

Then, I woke up again, this time at 4 AM. I realized there was a pattern - every hour and a half I was waking up during the middle of a good dream. I noted that, at this rate, I'd be awake again at 5:30.

I woke up at 5:30. For whatever reason, I felt light - meaning, like I could fly out of the bed because I was weightless. I got up, and went to the kitchen. I had a cup of yogurt, worried about the heartburn I typically get when I wake up too early. I had a little Gatorade, and then some milk. I went back to the bedroom, and realized the blanket was on the floor. I pulled it back up, and laid down. I finally felt heavy enough to stay in my bed, and fell asleep.

I woke up again, at 7 AM. Then again at 8:30. Finally, the kids woke me up not long after that and I was up and about by 9:30.

I woke up from a deep sleep every hour and a half.

I had the most interesting dreams in each of those blocks of time.

When I got up this morning, I wrote the ones I could remember down. They were perfect writing fodder. After writing them in my book for notes, I started writing.

That's right, for the first time in over a month, I was actually writing. Not just notes, not just thoughts - writing. 1,573 words kind of writing. I wrote from about 9:30 to noon. It's the most I've done, save the few decent blog posts I've managed to hammer out, in a long time.

The kids even distracted me a little, and I kept going. It wasn't until Jill came to me and mentioned that it was noon that I realized I'd planned on getting my car registered today and stopped.

At some point during the day, I remarked to Jill how much writing I'd been able to do. As I mentioned it, I realized that I'd actually been up all night, writing away - at least, in my head for the majority of the time.

I'm still beside myself.

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