This is my journal entry from August 28, 2025, part of my daily autobiography Author in St. Petersburg — my real, unedited days, published in order.
I believe this will be the final diary entry for this book. Today I tested Amazon’s publishing tool for turning manuscripts into submission-ready files. I moved through the process and submitted all the basics: description, categories, and details. Using ChatGPT to draft the description made it surprisingly smooth since the model already had most of the information from earlier work on this project. The main task remaining is to reorganize the structure of the book. I need to decide whether to use each day as a chapter title, which would create twenty-eight chapters. I hesitate because on Audible that would mean breaking the files into many smaller sections. Still, the excitement of getting this book finalized outweighs the uncertainty. I can already picture holding the printed copies in my hands. Once this one is complete, I’ll begin the next book and also continue dictating I Was Famous on the Internet.
Alongside book work, I continued dismantling parts of my online presence. Today I deleted my Twitch and Cameo accounts, and I posted final updates to Steem and Hive, which unfortunately cannot be deleted. My aim is to guide anyone searching for me toward accurate and current information rather than outdated fragments of my past. It feels good to have my website expanded to over 4,000 characters of text, giving visitors more than just the basics while also improving my chances of appearing in Google searches.
The day began with tennis at 7:30 a.m. with a friend. His serve was ferocious—one shot clipped the net tape and bounced so high it sailed over my head. I was proud to win at least one game during the set. Playing with such skilled athletes pushes me to improve, and we both took time to compliment each other’s athleticism. Another person commented to me today, asking if I had been an athlete my whole life. The answer is no. For years I sat around drinking alcohol and playing video games. Even after I got sober, most of my physical activity consisted of walking the dogs with a bit of personal training. Only recently have my lifestyle changes unlocked this new level of athleticism, and I feel grateful every time I notice the results.
After tennis, I came home for a quick shower and went directly to a yoga flow with a yoga instructor, which felt more like a power class. From there I headed straight into an AA meeting. By noon I was home again, where I enjoyed a large salad for lunch and then indulged in a glorious two-hour nap. Later, I picked up the kids from school and managed to avoid their temptation of McDonald’s on the way home.
My son surprised me with his enthusiasm for work today. He spent an hour and twenty minutes doing dishes, earning $54 in total—$27 base pay plus bonuses he unlocked through birthdays and going to bed on time. He washed every dish in the sink. I resisted the tendency to micromanage or demand perfection. If he enjoys washing dishes, then I can accept that a little food residue might remain. My life coach, my life coach, reminded me last session that this is the perfect stage for me to practice delegation. My son wants extra money, I want the dishes done, and there is no one I’d rather pay than my son or my daughter for that kind of help. Today I felt proud of how well it worked out.
That extra time gave me space to focus on this massage student’s website. I built the gallery with the thirteen pictures she provided, and she gave me feedback on the arrangement and colors. Next, we’ll move on to drafting text for the site. It feels rewarding to offer her something that comes easily to me. I look forward to the massages she has promised in exchange, once we can meet again in Sarasota. That might be weeks or even months away, but I enjoy building credit and preparing for future opportunities.
If you connect with how I live and think, you can follow the rest of my days on YouTube in my Life playlist.