It is finally getting to look like life is returning to normal. Yey! We made it through the pandemic without catching the virus. I hope you, your friends, and your relatives faired as well. Both Anita and I are fully vaccinated, now. We are finally getting out to restaurants and seeing friends again. Last year has taken a toll on our bodies. We were in great shape before the virus hit. We used to go to our fitness center just a few doors away four times a week, we did yoga one day a week, went skiing twice a week, and getting out even to go shopping kept us in shape. Anita didn’t ski at all this past season because of the Covid restrictions at our ski area. I only skied three days. I had to put my boots on in the parking lot because of Covid regulations and that aggravated my cranky hip.
Since January, my hip started to hurt. I found out I have arthritis there. Recently, I returned to the gym and my hip has improved considerably because I’ve been walking once again on the treadmill. On my birthday, I went bowling for the first time in many years. That resulted in a good time but some strained ligaments in my wrist and lower arm. That too has gotten better. For those of us in our senior years, it’s important to keep up our physical conditioning. It’s a lesson I have learned after a year of lockdown and social distancing. I also observed over the last few weeks that eating in restaurants again has caused me to gain four to five pounds.
I’ve also gotten back to writing regularly. I struggled to write during the pandemic. However, even during the lockdown, I did make significant progress on my new book Our Hollywood Tales. Last week, I got the motivation I needed to work harder towards its completion. My friend Arvin Ram, who co-owns Townie Books/Rumors Coffee & Tea in Crested Butte, Colorado, with his wife Danica, called me. Arvin is an excellent young writer whose talent is getting the recognition it deserves. He has earned several writing residencies and his work has been published in several literary journals and magazines. Arvin is launching a literary journal entitled The Slate River Journal. Arvin asked me to submit something for its debut issue.
For the new journal, I decided to publish excerpts from my new book Our Hollywood Tales. Together with Anita, we are writing a memoir about our life in Hollywood. The book talks about the time we lived and worked in Hollywood, the fun we had, the people we met along the way, the things we did, and our friends. These stories and tidbits are written in an easy-to-read essay style.
You can look forward to seeing the new journal around Labor Day. There will be an event in Crested Butte to commemorate its publication. I’m shooting for an early 2022 publication of the new book. I will keep you informed about the journal and the publication of the book.