Just as I was falling asleep, I thought of the mistake I had made: I referred to the Mushroom Test when it should be the Marshmallow Test. I just corrected it now for any future readers, but for those few of you who read me promptly, take note.

As usual, lots to think about, lots to do. I have scattered pieces of paper with a word or two printed on them - words for me to look up and try to remember. It takes several runs at a word to make it mine, although I do find instant ones i’ve been waiting for. My father used to be my dictionary. I’d ask him a word and he would define it and then use it a couple of times in context in different sentences. Kids at school used to accuse me of poring over a dictionary. I didn’t have to; had a walking one.

I haven’t had my swim yet. Anon, anon.

It’s wonderful to be back at work. Thinking again. I have a lot to think about, and to share. Soon.

Well, fairly soon.

I swept through the footnotes yesterday but the bibliography is taking longer. I read a lot, stocking my mind and reinforcing - or breaking down - my attitudes.I refer to a lot of writers who have given me insights or to core layers of thoughts that are part of my psyche now. Some of my comments and asides and references rightly belong in my idea of footnotes; others, more immediately informational, go into the bibliography. I had to separate them and then get the details about the writer and the book in question for the biblio.

Tedious and time-consuming, but what would I be doing if I weren’t doing that? (Working on the screenplay, culling and sorting my files, polishing my mystery, thinking about my next book, in that order - oh,forgot the screenplay I wrote for my course last year. Have to tweak and finish that.)

You all know what deferred gratification is:

“Delayed gratification, or deferred gratification, describes the process that the subject undergoes when the subject resists the temptation of an immediate reward in preference for a later reward. Generally, delayed gratification is associated with resisting a smaller but more immediate reward in order to receive a larger or more enduring reward later. A growing body of literature has linked the ability to delay gratification to a host of other positive outcomes, including academic success, physical health, psychological health, and social competence.” Wikipedia

These days we simplify it by calling it the Marshmallow Test which i passed long ago before it even existed.

It’s not fun.