Countdown 13 Days (The "B" Beta Deadline)

Well, news reports this morning about a good chunk of the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens being without power for most of the weekend completely made me feel bad about my whining over the heat.  I did not have it nearly as bad as they did.  They have my sympathies.

So do the people of Norway.  More so, actually.  Much more so.  Their suffering is awful.  I feel for them.  I wish their recovery to be as swift and painless as possible.  I wish their mourning to be exactly as they need it to be.  My sympathies for each and every loss they have been forced to endure.

And um, yeah... that was a somber note to have before leading into my update of The "B" Beta Deadline.  My apologies if segueing into this topic seems odd or remote or anything else unpleasant or inappropriate.

The writing of "B" is moving at a good and steady pace--another 2,000+ words added today.  I have a lot of gigs scheduled this week and the next, which of course makes me nervous about my ability to make my deadline.  All I can do is plug away and hope for the best.  That is especially so after knowing about the troubles over in Norway.  How bad is the possibility of lateness on a self-imposed deadline be in comparison to that?  It's pales... It pales enormously.  Again, my condolences to all those who are suffering real traumas.

Current status includes:
13 days remaining until deadline
28 chapters completed
(chapters 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 38, 39 & 40* partially done)
107,646 words
289 pages** (single spaced)

*Estimated chapter numbers.

**New page for every new chapter, including those that are incomplete.

Thank you for indulging... (me).