STAYCATIONS

One of the benefits of being the caretaker of the non-human intelligence that cohabitates Casa Claire, is that I have the imbedded excuse not to travel anywhere. If I’m not here to cater to the other inhabitants, like when I traveled back east for those readings last fall, Lisa is compelled to handle it. Lisa does not like to do that for any extended period. As a result, Lisa and I usually travel separately, with the other spouse staying behind at Casa Claire.

Most would agree that the creatures here who rely on actual sustenance, like Claire and Honey, and Bandit and Smokey, have me trained in a way that no other human substitute caretaker – except for possibly Eddie Roell (yep, the namesake for the character in The Claire Saga whose personal connection to Claire just about rivals my own) – would ever accommodate. Middle of the night mule feedings and canine bathroom breaks are not a common practice in animal husbandry. For a short period, Lisa will perform those duties only because it is just slightly less arduous than disappearing me. Add to the fact that bringing in Eddie R from Florida would be prohibitively expensive with airline flights, etc., it would force me to have to perform housecleaning beyond the minimum which I am already compelled to do by Lisa, when the dust bunnies in the basement evolve into dust elephants, because Lisa would never allow anyone into our home if I haven’t given the basement a thorough cleaning. Although Eddie being, like me, a man, really wouldn’t give a shit about the dust elephants.

Applying a cost-benefit analysis to that scenario results in Lisa’s begrudging acceptance of the fact that I prefer to stay home and allow her to perform our obligatory familial visitation obligations. And anyway, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

On Tuesday Lisa left for the East Coast to visit the remaining living members of Wallen Witches Coven in Jamestown, New York. The others will make their appearance spiritually. I love Lisa’s sisters. And their much more accommodating husbands. I have been blessed by great brother-in-laws who have always accepted my eccentricities and my Bronx bullshit. Indeed at the end of FJM I gave the character Gina my BIL Lori Buccola’s surname, and the evil Twins from KMAG are based on my mischievous BIL Seth Beausigneor and his twin brother Victor.

At some point – I believe today or tomorrow, after she completes her Sister Coven duties, Lisa will fly to the middle of the state and visit with our youngest, Mark, his wife, Sara, and her parents Jimmy and Liz Moran, in Warwick, New York. Warwick is an absolutely magical town, which is how I came up with the name of the central human character, Jimmy Moran, and the name of the town for the McCarthy/Moran backstory to the WITSEC relocation. Lisa returns to Colorado late Thursday.

Which brings me to the staycation part of this blog.

Lisa and I have very different tastes in entertainment.

Given my profession over the past four decades, I spend a lot of hours each day reading and problem solving. So, by the close of business, it is hard for my tired eyes and more tired brain to reach for a book, unless I have promised a review or blurb. I default to my recliner for televised respite.

I love any film or television series produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and all of the subtitled series under the Walter Presents (“WP”) banner. I escape from my daily life in the legal world into the world of fantasy. I love watching well written and acted shows and films. I love stories. They feed my creative soul.

Lisa is a far more practical 24 hour news person, with the occasional visit to reality show TV to demonstrate that she is human. She lacks the patience for the extended storyline of a series, and if you add a foreign accent it annoys her. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy catching up on current events with cable news, and I have been a fan of 90 Day Fiancé and Sister Wives for quite some time. However, the former can be stressful and the latter are empty mental calories for me. Neither can sustain the creative me in the long run.

So, when Lisa does leave town, I binge watch as much BBC, ABC, CBC and WP content as I can cram into an evening. I even find myself falling asleep in my recliner when I push it past my usual 8 pm bedtime.

I never get to watch enough, but the binging nonetheless provides that creative inoculation I need to get me through. It is my mental staycation.

So, I’ve burned through Dept Q, and am now starting another British cop show which is promising. I love it. I also keep current with Mob Land and The Last of Us.

So when Lisa returns to NoCo, I will be mentally rested and refreshed from my staycation.

Well, it’s Friday, a reason for us all to celebrate life.

I’ve got to get a swim in and then some Green Acre chores before the legal world comes knocking.

But I wanted to get this blog in if only as repetitive movement practice for the next novel.

For those few folks that have actually noticed my return, let’s make today a great one.