#NoNothingNovember: Day 26, “Burrito Belly” or “Look, up in the sky!”

Here at Legends of Men and these journal entries I try my best to not be overly vulgar. While I don’t self censor for the sake of “not offending” the overly sensitive, I also don’t go out of my way to swear or be disgustingly uncouth just for the sake of appearing edgy.

That said, I got diarrhea yesterday. Everyone has had one of those “gas station burrito” type foods that was a kind of “meh, why not” choice at the time and almost immediately you regret it.

After I got home yesterday I settled in to do some reading for a blog post I have planned. At some point, I dozed off doing the research. The next thing I know I’m waking up an hour later with massive stomach cramping and being afraid to trust a fart.

I used the bathroom a couple times within an hour and grabbed some gatorade to replenish some electrolytes and fluids.

I wasn’t feeling well but I got a great deal of research done. I’m becoming more and more tempted by the day to give up on the story I’m writing just for the sake of starting a new one with a different subject matter but the truth is that if I was the type of person who would abandon this one, I might abandon the next one too.

I would rather get one book I’m sorta bored with now out of the way so all my previous work isn’t just wasted, and the irreplaceable time along with it, rather than move onto something more exciting.

That said, I have made quite a bit of progress, but with the story I’m on I’m sort of stuck. I don’t really know where I’m going with it and I’m reading a lot and all, but the truth is that I just can’t find inspiration for where I want to take the story. Having a general ABC plotline worked, but getting them from point A to B to C is the rub.

Exercise went well yesterday. My supplementary pushups that I decided to do? I switched the style of them from regular, military style to diamonds. Why? I feel more of the workout that way, it seems.

A workout can be a very visceral thing and I don’t want to miss the sensations and being “in the zone” just to have an easier workout.

I didn’t mindlessly scroll or anything like that yesterday but I did happen to catch Superman (1978) on last night and it had probably been 20 years since I’ve seen it. I decided to give it a watch and see if I got any inspiration from Big Blue for my novel.

I didn’t get any fiction ideas but what I did get was some more inspiration. Part of Legends of Men is not just looking back at the historically documented men like Ford and Benjamin Franklin, but also the mythic men. The fictional men who teach us a lot.

My own handle is after a hero from Greek myth, Herakles after all. So mythology and movies and comic books are definitely ripe for things they can teach us and lessons that we can apply when it comes to being men.

Can we learn how to leap tall buildings in a single bound by watching Superman? Not likely. Can we learn a lot about Alpha Male posture and how you carry yourself? Oh, I’d wager most definitely.

Plus, Superman is an American icon and changed pop culture forever. He has lasting fame. Everyone knows Superman. It’s Superman for God’s sake.

George Washington is arguably the most famous American President in history, but you don’t see people getting “W” tattooed on their chest because it looks “badass, bro.”

Rock the “S”

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So after switching up my exercise regimen a little bit and feeling a little sick yesterday that has hopefully passed by now, I also made well on my goal of sticking to the plan. The only real thing I can take points away from is for writing. I’m stuck, but I’ll be docking points to keep myself accountable. If anything, it should spur me further into finding some inspiration and get the story moving again. Given that, today’s scores are

1) Foregoing of mindless media consumption. 10/10
2) Having a clear daily plan and deadline goals to meet. 10/10
3) Exercise and write everyday. Period. 7/10

Daily Total: 27/30
Yesterday’s Total: 28/30
Total To Date: 640/780