In the doldrums

I decided to post this picture because the only other one I took today was of the washing machine in the laundromat in which my week-long accumulation of dirty t-shirts and underwear were cleansed, if not sanitised. That would no doubt have been a better picture – and certainly a more truthful representation of the day.
 
It wasn’t so much that the day was bad, just that I seemed to be treading water in the writing and had to make a decision or two about future travel – decisions which I didn’t want to make but are, in honesty, the right decisions to be making. In essence, thanks to some good advice from my friend Raheny_Eye, I have decided not to make my insanely extravagant EasyJet return trip to London to see my friends Mark & Sarah and go to the Damien Dempsey and Ian Prowse extravaganza in Camden. Even as I write this, it is not a decision I want to make – but it is, unquestionably, the right and most responsible decision. I’d not forgive myself if I brought the virus with me to my friends’ house and helped its spread. Some travel is inevitable – and I do travel well protected, if not in an astronaut’s suit as previously claimed – but some is not. On balance, the risk outweighs the reward, and it is worth sacrificing a couple of flights and tickets to have peace of mind and a clear conscience.
 
Still, this did not make it any easier to focus. I went for walks, contemplated going for a swim – and thought better of it, no point going mad just because I can’t focus – started a new book (Simenon’s The Late Monsieur Gallet, part of the excellent series Penguin released of his Maigret novels – all with new translations, all of which appear to be excellent) – none of it to any avail. I found myself strangely missing the characters in Monsieur Ka, and then that just pissed me off even more because I doubt whether I will ever create characters that someone misses.
 
So I played an hour’s “Klondike” on my computer – the things an addict will do to feed an Internet addiction –, made some dinner, called Mrs. Ottawacker, and decided to go to do my laundry.
 
Then, near the end of the day, some good news. Ottawacker Jr. had passed his try outs for the Under 9 Ottawa Internationals team. The coach gave him good comments, noted his skill levels and work ethic, as well as his coachability. He is just seven (just), so I am very proud and a little taken aback. Especially his coachability… it’s only his parents he doesn’t listen to.
 
Then I decided to go for a walk and watch the Liverpool match in the Champions League. It is shown on screens outside cafés, so I could grab a drink and stand well away from people. I got there to find it is tomorrow. The perfect end to the perfect day.