Attempt #4 our hero learns he is going to retreat

Doug strolls into cube. Rests elbow on cube wall holding cup of weird rich people coffee or drink.

Makes small talk. Makes work talk. Drops bomb:

"You'll need to get the *project* taken care of before (date)." Doug Flaherty

"I thought the deadline wasn't until (date)."

"Yes, but you'll be in (place) then." Doug

"(Place)?"

"Team building retreat." Doug

"I don't go to those."

"You do if _______________. So I'll expect the *project* (date.)" Doug walks away.

"Shit."

"What was that?" Doug asks.

"Great!"

Non-fiction post about my life and state of mind atm

Have been feeling kind of panicky about life lately.

Husband has good job, but since we are putting money into 401K, emergency fund, and medical savings, in addition to paying a decent chunk for medical insurance, etc things have been pretty damn tight.

We don't have a mortgage, but our house has a leaky roof and no furnace. Heating bills are horrible.

We planned on fixing stuff with tax refunds but forgot how early they stop giving tax credits for kids. Three of our four kids are now 17 and up, so tax refunds are pretty sad now.

I have a lot of free time, but am still on call and am the gopher/support person for the family. Feeling frustrated, kind of trapped, and completely at a loss as to how I can better contribute to our family's well-being. Paralyzingly so.

BUT I was thinking about some things I *can* do. I can get some distilled water and make soap because I have a bunch of mats for that, so the cost is already sunk. I also have some fabric and all the stuff for one whole project that I could, along with the soap, attempt to sell on etsy.

I need to make a flyer for cleaning services and I really think I wouldn't mind driving/running errands for senior citizens. I could add that.

Also considering donating plasma. Not sure I weigh enough or how it would make me feel, but it's a possibility.

AND, if I can write a 40K word story, that's really big enough to try to sell on Amazon. I want to try to do that.

So my goals:

Buy distilled water
Make soap
Make something from current fabric stocks
Make outline for story
Write a little five days a week
Try donating plasma
Make flyer put it up at credit union and grocery store

Attempt #3: In which our hero awakes

[Name] woke to find himself in a strange bed in a strange room. He had an IV in his arm and [monitors] hooked up to [computer/monitor]. And he was restrained. Why was he restrained?

"Hello?" [Name]

 Silence.

"Hellooooo!" [Name]

Silence.

"Hello! Is anyone there? Why am I tied up?" [Name]

[The sound of keys or beeps or something security sounding]

The door opened. [Medical person] came into the room. 

"Ah. Mr. [Name] I see you're awake! How are you feeling?" [Medical person]

How was he feeling?

"Pretty good. Kind of hungry. Why am I tied up? What happened to me?" [Name]

"Hunger is a good sign. I will order you some [meal] and then I'll get started on your questions." [Medical person]

[Medical person] makes call from [phone/radio?]. Orders [food].

"Alright. What is the last thing you remember?" [Medical person]

"I fell off the raft, then I swam ashore. I was walking through the forest . . . and then . . . there was a dog! A really big dog. And it attacked me!" [Name] begins to raise hands to rub at his neck, but can't move.

"Can you let me out of these restraints?"[Name]

"Yes, of course." [Medical person] approaches and begins to remove restraints. 

"It would appear that you suffered no neurological damage from your accident, or at least not to your memory." [Medical person] 

Attempt #2: In which our hero encounters the local wildlife

[Some kind of sound disturbance] a tug on leg and teeth tearing at throat. Shouts. A shot. Thing collapsed on head a chest.

People applying first aid. Transport on board to vehicle, then to medical facility.

Few days of delirium. Wake up confused and ravenously hungry, Hospital room, staff strange. 

[Name] heard a rustling behind him.

"Great! Now wha"

As he turned to look, he felt a painful tug on his leg and found himself looking at the canopy of leaves and branches above him.

He hadn't realized before, but it was kind of pretty. Then the view was replaced with a snarling face full of teeth and tearing pain in his neck.

"Pain in my neck . . . ha ha." He thought.

He heard voices and a [gunshot sound] and then a heavy fur thing was crushing his face, neck and chest. Then nothing.

He woke, groggily, once again looking at the pretty branches and leaves. Found himself bouncing along on a board carried by people [describe people?].

[Describe a few bazaar delirium dreams.]

[Waking up scene]

Attempt #1: In which our hero is lost in the woods

"Shit shit shit shit shit!"

[name] [past tense verb:speaking], tripping over another [noun found on the forest floor].

He hated the outdoors. Hated social interaction with his peers. Hated working in groups. That's why he [solitary computer profession]: working in a climate controlled environment with inanimate objects alone.

Until the [insulting adjective] management decided it was time for a/n [insulting adjective] team building retreat. Outdoors. With other people. Doing things.

Like whitewater rafting. Which was bad enough. But they had to go with the lowest bidder.

And now [name] was slogging through the woods in sloshy [?] sneakers tripping over [noun found on forest floor].

"Shit."