Florida Heat, DST Fog, and the Best‑Laid Plans

Monday, March 9, 2026, Orlando, Florida

Hi, everyone.

My internal clock is still wobbling after yesterday’s switch to Daylight Saving Time, so I’m running behind my usual blog‑writing rhythm. I’m groggy, sluggish, and more than a little irritated—not just because I forgot about the time change, but because today is one of those hot, sticky Florida afternoons where the air feels like warm soup. At 85°F (30°C) with 53% humidity, the “feels like” temperature is a toasty 95°F (36°C).

Ah, well. It’s Florida.

Before sitting down to write this, I had hoped to get some editing done on The Jim Garraty Chronicles, even though the heat and humidity are doing their best to sabotage my daily agenda. I’m already annoyed about the late start. Normally, I follow a comfortable routine: blog in the morning, “real writing” in the afternoon, with a breather in between. But here I am in mid‑afternoon, only now tackling the blogging portion of the day.

And because I’ve only got a couple of hours before I need to switch gears and help around the house, any editing I attempt will be done with one eye on Kindle Create and the other on the clock. That’s a recipe for missed subheadings, overlooked oddities in narration, and the kind of rushed work I try very hard to avoid—especially this close to the next stage of the pre‑publication process.

Honestly, I don’t think I’m in the right physical or mental space to wrestle with those lingering glitches today. I take writing and editing seriously, and I’d rather not force myself through a compressed, distracted work session just to say I “did something.” I’d rather let my body and brain catch up to the time change and start fresh tomorrow, instead of pretending I’m still that 20‑something college freshman who could juggle a full class load and four or five hours a day at the student paper without blinking.

Some days, the most productive choice is simply to pause.

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If you’ve been following along with my writing journey and want to explore the world I’ve been building, you might enjoy spending some time with Jim Garraty and the people orbiting his life. Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, and Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen are all available now, each one offering a different window into the quiet, human moments that shape us. They’re stories close to my heart, and I’d love for you to discover them at your own pace.