How to mend a broken brain

Some days are like this:


I hate writing and my brain is broken. And I'm hungry. And also stupid.


(That's an email I sent to a friend earlier today.)

You just have to kick days like that in the snoot. This morning my brain might have broken for a little while, sure, okay, but it was nothing a shower and a nap couldn't fix. Or possibly this cure:
(Add "donut" to that sign and it's perfect :-)

The nap today was, in fact, more of a cuddling of sleeping Pie whilst my brain whirred loudly, like an old, old computer. I did not/could not fall asleep, which I attribute to the second cup of coffee I had at *my* cafe this morning in an effort to avoid eating a mid-morning pastry, or, as we hobbits like to call it, "second breakfast." Filled up stomach with coffee instead. Anyway, lying there not sleeping, my story issues were carouseling in my brain, you know, the same horses and gargoyles coming around again and again, and glory halleluja, new ideas started to stir themselves to life. Yay! Who knows if they will make it into the book, but they did perk me up with a sense of possibility and improve my mood. Plus Clementine's head was right under my nose and smelled really sweet, so that probably helped too.

The problem was then finding the time to jot down the ideas before they jumped out my ear and escaped -- I imagine them running serpentine, like in comedies when people are fleeing gunfire or alligators. Zig zag. I did jot down some notes, but I doubt I will be able to read them. A certain baby was trying to liberate my pen. But she is asleep again! And now is the time to capture those fugitive ideas! More coffee is right now being consumed by me, so I say fare thee well, have a lovely weekend. Eat fruit. Pet a ghost. Kiss someone on the ear. Snore. You know. Stuff.