The NHRA Mello Yello tour is in Dallas this weekend, which means there are only three races left in the Countdown and in the season. I’m not in Dallas this weekend, but I am also nearing the finish line with “Bats, Balls, & Burnouts” and the coincidence startled me this morning. When I sat down at my desk in early January this year, I began to write a book. I really had no idea how to do that, nor did I have a clue how long it would take. And here we are, in mid-October. The NHRA season and my book are on the same pace.

A lot of people have asked me a lot of questions about this process. One of the most common has been, “How did you even know how to do this?” The answer is: I didn’t have a clue. Maybe that’s a good thing.

I just sat down and started writing, first with an outline to give me a road map but I then quickly transitioned into the actual writing of the book. I just dove in. I’ve never written a book before. I’ve never written anything close to this deep and this long before. But, and this was key, I had it all “up here” (points to his head) when I started. I just needed to find the right words.

I didn’t do any research whatsoever in terms of the writing process. I figured that would come naturally and I’d sort it out as I went. Very quickly, I fell into a routine and I’ve kept that routine going almost every week for the last 10 months. Rarely do I write on any days other than Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On those days, I typically write in the afternoon after spending the morning doing research or just reading. And, I’ll admit it, I sleep in a little late as well. I’ve NEVER been a morning person. Today is Thursday Blog Day. Tomorrow, I look back over the chapter I wrote earlier in the week and I “clean it up” a little. It’s a good routine. It works.

If I write four or five hours during the afternoon, that will generally produce about 10 pages. Three days of that will generally produce a chapter.  I’ve been writing for about 38 weeks and I’ll finish Chapter 34 tomorrow, so I’ve done a pretty good job of keeping the pace. What a coincidence. And then Chapter 35 will come to life next week (fingers crossed) and that will wrap up the principal writing of the book. That, my friends, is hard to believe.

There is still a bit more to write. After Chapter 35, I’m going to write an epilogue and it will be all about the actual process, and the people who have helped me through it so much. But for the book itself, Chapter 35 should be it.

Once that happens, the real work begins. The process of laying it out, copy-editing it, selecting photos, and finishing the cover all still have to happen. There will be proofs to approve, alterations to make, and before that there will no doubt have to be a difficult editing session with Greg Halling, unless we want the published book to be so long no one can finish it.

Fact: Todd Myers can’t finish the cover until we know how many pages the book is going to be. Until that number is decided, he won’t know how thick the spine needs to be. The front, spine, and back are all part of one design layout. Details…

And here, at the same time, the NHRA season that started yesterday (right?) is coming to a conclusion as well. Krista Wilkerson just called me from Dallas and it startled me to think that everyone is there, at the Texas Motorplex, and there are only three races left. I’m sure the crickets are there as well. I wish them all the best, and hope none of them get trapped in the hospitality flooring for an unexpected ride around the country.

It also surprised me to realize I’m going to be on quite a few airplanes in the coming weeks, especially for a guy who has been “off the road” for most of this year. Next weekend, I’m going to Spokane and Liberty Lake to spend a couple of days out there with Barbara. The next Tuesday after that, October 25, I’m taking a morning flight over to Detroit and flying back that night. I’ll never actually leave the airport there. Why? Because I’ve applied for a Global Entry number to go with my passport. Global Entry makes you a “trusted traveler” and keeps you out of the worst lines when traveling internationally, and Barbara and I are headed to London in December.

After I applied for it online, it took a week for my application to be approved. The next step is a face-to-face interview, and you need an appointment for that. When I checked Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, the first available date was at the end of March. That wasn’t going to work. I checked Las Vegas and LAX, because I’ll be at both in the coming weeks, but couldn’t get in there either. Finally, I checked Detroit because Barb had actually flown there to do her interview last year. I got in. It’s worth it to fly over there and then straight back just to get the number.

I’ll attend the Las Vegas race at the end of the month, and then I’ll finish the racing season in Pomona. For a guy who “retired” from racing at the end of last year, I’ve done a lousy job of staying away from the track. Pomona will be my seventh race of 2016. Crazy? I most certainly seem to be.

And here’s something you might not know. Most of the blogs from the decade of writing at NHRA.com are still there. You just can’t see them without a link to the “back way” in. That’s a good thing for me, because some of the toughest research for the book has been in the area of timelines. When you’re thinking back to 2009, it’s hard to remember how non-racing things happened, and whether it was the chicken or the egg that came first. The racing stuff is easy, because those stats are archived online and in my files. Remembering the exact timing of vacations, visits from relatives, injuries, surgeries, and other personal details is a little harder. By going in the backdoor to the old blogs, I can look back through the years and the months and find specific entries that bring all those things back to life.

They’re not all there, mind you. Some of the links are broken, but I can at least see the headline and the date for every blog installment and sometimes that’s enough to provide me the info I’m after. It’s like forensic detective work, sometimes.

Here at the ranch (which isn’t a ranch at all) things are good. Yesterday was a big day in a lot of ways. I wrote six hours yesterday, which is more than I ever write, and it stunned me to look at my watch and realize it was 6:30 when I thought it might be closing in on 3:00. You lose all track of time when you’re that immersed in it.

I really didn’t even want to stop for dinner, but I had to eat. Barbara was traveling back from Spokane, so I didn’t want to go to any trouble but I also didn’t want to order pizza or have a frozen meal, so I went to the store and bought a pint of cashew-chicken salad. That was my dinner. I probably ought to make up for that, in some way, today. Sounds like a salad is in my future.

And today…  Drum roll, please… The HOA sent their irrigation guy out to finish the blow-out procedure on the sprinkler systems in our neighborhood. Some of them got done yesterday, but ours happened earlier this morning when Barb and I were having coffee at the kitchen island. We heard a whooshing sound and water running, and it scared us both. But, a quick look outside explained it all. No more sprinklers for us until probably April.

And that means winter is almost here. I’m okay with that. I was just writing about winters in Spokane yesterday and how they were much warmer than the winters here, but also much more depressing because of the near-constant overcast. As I tell anyone who will listen, “I don’t care if it’s 10-below zero, as long as the sun is shining.” Winters in Minnesota are okay with me, because the sun shines a lot.

And speaking of Minnesota (or more precisely, “writing about Minnesota”) this past weekend Barbara and I were able to attend the Vikings game against Houston Texans at US Bank Stadium, and a great time was had by all. All 66,000 Vikings fans. The team that lost its starting quarterback before the season opener, and then lost its Hall of Fame-worthy running back in the second game, while also losing its starting left tackle and a few other players, is now 5-0.

The real star, though, in a lot of ways, is the stadium. I’d been lucky enough to buy Mary Beth and Joe Gillis’ tickets for a preseason game as well, but this time Barbara got to go and she was blown away. It was my second time there, and I was blown away again! Maybe the difference was that the game counted, but either way it was a ton of fun and really exciting. We’re also learning the vintage Vikings fight song everyone sings after a touchdown, and the cool “Skol” chant the fans picked up from the Icelandic soccer team. And we’re getting to know our way around the place pretty well, too.

It’s also a good thing to have dear friends who have such good season tickets. I should just put in a standing offer to buy any additional games Mary Beth and Joe can’t attend. Money well spent.

On a totally different subject, I’m thrilled to learn that a new documentary about my favorite band is coming out this fall. It’s by the same production company that won awards for the previous Rush doc “Beyond The Lighted Stage” and this one will be about the final full tour, the R40 tour that wrapped up their fourth decade of performing, last year. I wonder if I’ll be buying that? Maybe, huh.

I leave you today with this photo. We visited the Vikings team store at the stadium, and Barb did buy a pullover there, but not before admiring this understated but elegant Vikings dress jacket. Talk about pure class. Who doesn’t need one of these?

I think it would be perfect at a formal party. Or a wedding. Or a job interview! That’s the ticket. Walk into that interview for an accounting position wearing this bad boy and you’re sure to get the job. I guarantee it.

Now, time to look for typos within everything I’ve written above and then hit the “Publish” button at the bottom of my screen. At which point, I will look at this post on the interwebs and spot at least a dozen additional typos. That’s just how it works.

See you all next week!

Bob Wilber, at your service but not wearing that Vikings jacket.