The hubby was home for three weeks. It was great. He did all kinds of stuff and really took the pressure off me. We had Robert's BFF who now lives in WA. come for two weeks or so, too. And now school is back in session.

I am hopeful that I'll be able to get my final revisions done on the novel a little more easily since the kiddos will be in school during the day.

***

Politics. Oh God.

My husband's middle brother visited from Florida last week. It was GREAT because I got to see my wee nieces who always greet me like a rock star. They are so cute and funny! They got me laughing so hard I almost wet myself. :)

But it was also bad because I always wonder what crap my in-laws are going to start spewing from Fox News. This time it was the Muslim Brotherhood Menace. It came up because they were talking about how Canada is doing better with jobs than we are, and wondering how hard it would be to go to Canada for a job. (My husband's youngest brother just got his degree, so, you know, it was relevant.) I said I knew it had been hard for my doctor friend to sort out her employment up there, but mostly because of special rules about certain positions which are funded by the government, and all countries are careful about giving certain types of government jobs to foreigners. But evidently our government is now overrun with Muslim Brotherhood infiltrators. Because Michelle Bachman said so. I don't think they knew that John McCain had basically told her off about some portion of her unsupported fear-mongering. I found somewhere else to be for a bit, with "Exhuming McCarthy" playing in my head. :P

***

I think the next few months may kill me. I was relatively indifferent to Romney (he's changed his policies often enough that it's hard to say what he'll do for sure if he wins), but I think Paul Ryan may have been grown in tank by a right wing extremest/mad scientist, his soulless flesh nourished to adulthood on a slurry of Ayn Rand novels and impoverished children's tears. Good GOD.

***

Someone on Tumblr made this and it found its way to Facebook, where I fell in love with it:



I may just have to leave FB and stare at this image until mid-November. :P

***

My sweet Stefano had some sort of recurrence of that infected tail bite from June. I took him to the vet and he had a fever. He's on antibiotics now and his fever is down. Poor woobie. It happened right after his neutering, so I though the swelling had to do with that. The bite had healed over and the hair had grown back, even. Now his tail is shaved and I have to push medicine down his throat, but at least he seems to feel better. He stays with me all the time, so I don't get lonesome and can pet him frequently.

***

While my Beloved was home, he bought me some new Nike Frees and upgraded my phone. It's all shiny now. We took the gang to see the Batman movie.I also got a haircut:
( picture below cut )

It was about time for something drastic, and I'm happy with it. Also, probably lighter. It looks good with my glasses, too.

***

In general I'm grumptastic. I guess that's normal with the hubby having gone and all. A cool friend from work and I are having lunch Thursday, so that is something to look forward to. I've just got to push through this ennui. I bought groceries in the rain. It was fun.

***

Watched a bit of True Love, which I think would have been more appropriately called Variations on Romantic Misery. Not the best diversion for me at the mo. :P

***

I'm up for any Sherlock fanfiction recs you guys want to throw my way, if you think of some. It would be diverting. :)

I have chosen my clothing and stuff, so that is out of the way. Still not sure what I'll do with my hair. :P

I also applied for a job closer to me, but likely with more stress and less flexible work hours. My applications for three possible jobs downtown have not been decided yet. Didn't get an interview for the one in New Orleans, which is just as well under the circumstances. *snicker*

***

My review stats on my opening chapters are holding steady at 4 out of 5 stars on average. Though the genre fans have been slightly more positive, the overall stats are exactly the same on average. I now have 7 reviews and I only need 8 to qualify for the contest, but they have to be assigned by the system and I have to have them before the last week of the month... or something. I'm not really sure about that. I read their explanation, but it wasn't entirely clear.

Honestly, I think I'm just focusing on this contest so I don't run around in tight circles shouting, "Fuck, oh fuck, oh holy fuck." That wouldn't be good for my employment prospects, I suspect. *grin*

It's not that things are bad, mind you. Just incredibly stressful, and this contest is my displacement activity.

But what I really need to do is finish the second draft. :P

***

The boys seem to be doing fine with school. Neither one is over the moon, but things seem to be going well. The big fella rode the bus today, and that went okay. We got them each keys, so that they can get in when we're working and not here. That's going to be a huge change for them, because I've almost always been there when they get home from school. But they are big fellas now.

Due to various life-related hiccups, I'm not finished with my re-write yet. Twelve days is a fairly short time in which to do a re-write of the magnitude I was attempting, so I don't feel bad about it. It was kind of impossible on the face of it really, considering the other obligations I had this week that I couldn't wriggle out of.

The thing is, the attempt was very exhilarating. I think attempting things we don't already know how to do is a fabulous way to learn to do them, provided we shake off the societal stigma and grant permission to fail. I mean, I don't think I'd have attempted it in the first place if I was still truly afraid of failure.

So, now I have a new schedule, one that should work for me, even in the context of me taking care of everybody else and teaching Wee Boy at home. (The first week of my two week odyssey, both boys were on Mardi Gras break, but this week I had to teach Wee Boy, who still seeks a lot of guidance with his work. I think it comforts him to have me watch over everything, even though he is fully capable of self-directing.)

They held the Lusher lottery this week, and Wee Boy did not get in again, though he once again qualified with a high score. Boo, but also Yay. Because I suspect he would no longer be a good fit for a traditional school anyway. I signed him up for the k12 public virtual charter school program, and am hopeful he will get in. I also signed Big Boy up for it, though he seems to want to stay at Lusher. He's just coming out of another period of forgetfulness (doing his homework and forgetting to TURN IT IN) and we had to have a talk about that. All of his teachers talk about how brilliant he is. Most of his work is A work, then he deliberately drops the ball on something simple, sabotaging himself. His History teacher was pulling his hair out, because he failed an open book test. "THAT boy should not have made THAT grade," he said. I had to agree. But if he really wants to go to Lusher next year, he has to do better this quarter, and I told him so.

In any case, I'm still digging through the manuscript and doing the mommy thing at the same time. Should be interesting. I'm right at the part in the MS where all my notes say things like "Condense this" and "This is pointless." So it will be generating new material to get through this spot where the MS really flounders. I've learned so much so far, I know I can do it. About 25 pages a day is a bit more do-able than fifty. To arms!

Just trying to keep all my balls in the air! That sounds naughtier than it is, sadly.

So here goes!

Nightsky shared a Clip from "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer"! which we loved to bits.

Then we had a great review by Sweet Clementine, The Expendables: Explosions? Yes, please!. Mea culpa for the delay in getting it up on GC. My life is a tad... interesting at the moment.

And today we have Mv2.3's The Dow of Mouseloaf, which I confess I did not really understand at all.

But life is like that sometimes.

***

I finished the basic, 'Tetris' edit of what I had of the novel yesterday, so today is all new ground. I'll let you know how that goes.

***

Last night I went to a book club called New Orleans Books and Booze at the Columns hotel. They had read the book Babylon Rolling and the author, Amanda Boyden came by and was grilled by uninhibited bibliophiles for more than an hour. It was an *awesome* thing to behold, and she held up pretty well, probably because they bought her drinks. ;)

It was funny because, not only had her editor made her dial back the annoying, transliterated patois of her African American teen drug dealer ( TWICE, so I can only imagine that his POV sections had to be unintelligible as she first wrote them) but they also demanded she use an English title, instead of the French one she wanted to use. I think both were good calls, saving her from her own pretentiousness (and probably some cries of racism). I still don't get why she wrote that one character in such a marked patois when it was written in third person. First person, I would get, but third? Aaaanyway.

I did like that the title was a reference that New Orleansians would get. Babylon is the Mardi Gras parade that runs just before Chaos. Since it is set just before Katrina, it's an oblique reference that chaos was not far behind. Clever.

***

Big Boy seems to be handling school well, which is the best I could hope for. I guess we'll see what happens as time passes.

***

We went over the weekend to do some clothes shopping. It was lovely. Big Boy shows all the signs of growing out of everything before Christmas.

I had to take him to see his endocrinologist, who was impressed by his size. He's as tall as his doctors, or taller, now, and above 99th percentile for height for his age (and 90th percentile for weight, the string bean). Have to take him for blood work next month.

Basically, between running around doing errands, various meetings and appointments and generally meeting my obligations, I have had little time for anything else. I have tried to keep up with you guys and see how you are doing.

Maybe things will settle in soon.

In GC news, so far this week we've had Pearce's ....okay, Predators?, in which she comes to the whole Predator thing fresh and contemplates a ripped Adrian Brody.

AND! Nightsky's exciting breakdown of Comic-Con! which was evidently Femme-Geek rich in content, so much so that there are hopes of more next year. WOOT!

****

I'm finally back from der hinterland, and boy, was that a trip. It was great to see friends and family, but in my absence the hubby, who had insisted that he would 'cherish the silence' got all weird and grumpy and isolated. I came home earlier than planned.

Then Big Boy got homesick, and the in-laws brought him back earlier than planned, and spent the weekend. It was fun. We got to go to the WWII Museum, which was great. It was also very traumatic for me, because going through the part of the place and the film that dealt with the Pacific, I couldn't help but think of my Grampa Robert, who was on Iwo Jima and other places, and traumatized to the point that we were forbidden to ever ask him about the war. Once he got lost in Atlanta, and forgotten who and where he was. In his mind, he was back in the war. I don't know what happened, whether a mugging or something set it off.

The only time he ever mentioned the war was in the 80s, when the famine in Ethiopia was all the news. He said there were children starving, everywhere they went in the Pacific, and he got in trouble for giving them his food.

So, yeah. I was affected by what I saw at the museum, but I could not help but think about how the same media that helped me understand what he went through could have been very destructive to him had he seen it.

***

In other news, I got nothing accomplished on my novel while traveling -- too many people to see and too much to do. I did not escape several calls from writing group people wanting to talk about stuff. Seems they have staged a sort of revolution to set up new rules and not listen so much to the organizer. At least I was out of town for the fireworks.

I like the group, but I suspect they are all too kind to me when it comes to critiques. I suppose I have some decisions to make.

***

Soon my oldest will be going to school, and I'm all tense about it. He's not. I know he'll be fine, it's just... being a parent is tough. I mean, we all have our defenses - people strike out at us, and we can take it. Our kids can take it, too.

What they don't tell you (or maybe they try, and you just don't get it) is that having a child is like having your tender bits hanging out there, defenseless. When Big Boy was six weeks old, I realized that I would be capable of killing to defend him, and not even think about it until afterward.

He's a teen now, and I'm trying to keep the Mother Bear on a short leash, but it isn't easy.

***

So now I'm back and I'm feeling behind on everything, like nothing is getting done. But that's not true. I have stuff going forward. My novel is still almost complete, though no closer than when I left. I'm in a better place to tackle it.

Testing is over. It amazes me how open the Wee Boy is to new friends. Several days running he was greeted like a rock star by teh kids he was testing with. One even texted him, like, eight times. Even the proctor stopped me in the atrium to tell me a story of something he said.

That boy has charisma, I tell you. My guess is he got it from my mother. It must skip a generation. *smirk*

In any case, I was a frequent visitor to a nifty coffee shop called "My Corner Office" though it was mostly to guide the kids through their online schooling for the week (so we can take next week off with a clear conscience). Long enough to get a frequent customer card and purchase enough drinks to get a free one. I tell you, they make the best mango smoothie I've ever tasted (and Wee Boy was fond of the strawberry one, too). They called me by name and chatted with me a lot, as did the other moms and dads. Even knowing I would probably never see any of them again, I allowed myself to become inquisitive and interested in them, and it helped me realize how cool people are. Some of them were quite friendly with me, too, even knowing there would likely be no pay-off for them, ever, since we're living New Orleans now.

So, anyway. People are cool. They're like big fleshy boxes full of interesting thoughts, ideas and ambitions. I could have been reserved and stand-offish, but I chose to be natural (for me) and realized that every day has its little treasures, its gifts and insights.

***

Oh, and I'm back on the novel wagon again, making with the words. Roughly 66,000 or so now, with probably 40,000 more to go. Maybe less, maybe more. I'm still terrible at guessing how many words it will take to get a story out. I usually grossly underestimate.

In any case, progress was made on Form and Void and on HMOWK, so I feel pretty decent.

***
Also, my friends who have put us up (and put up with us) this week are the best ever. So cool about letting the kids have their old friends over and stuff. I've made dinner several nights and a pie to kind of make it up to them. :)

They are yet another example of the "I have the coolest friends EVER" phenomenon.

***
I have a bunch of GC links to catch up on, too, but I'm leaving them for another post. OI!

I'm stoked to be beating the GeekaChicas drum today, because Nightsky's new article, Doctors with Dalek Bumps: Femme Doctors well and truly kicks bootay.

You know why? I'll tell you! It's not just a typical, "Oh, look, women are cosplaying as Doctor Who, only in dresses." It goes enough beyond that, and shares enough personal experience, for it to really make me think. Cosplay and crossplay are one thing, and really not that atypical. But female fans re-imagining The Doctor in their own image is something different, if not something new, and Nightsky's take on it really had me thinking about all the BS I've put up with as a woman who digs scfi/fantasy (i.e. 'boy stuff') for pretty much my whole life.

It resonated, dudes, is all I'm saying.

***

I am now the proud owner of a Louisiana driver's license. The picture doesn't even suck. Go figure. Since I was 7 months pregnant when my last DL picture was taken (after standing in line in Georgia heat for two hours), almost anything would be an improvement.

The tags and things on the vehicles are all nice and legal, too. It feels odd, like my last ties to Georgia are severed. And I have to go back to Georgia Saturday, where I will mooch off friends for a place to lay my head. For a week. Oy.

***

In other news, my homeschooling buddy from the UK's flight was canceled, so she's here for another week. I'm crazy pleased about this, because it means we get to see her off in better form. I'm really going to miss her. She's a pip.

As sorry as I am that my friend and GC blogger Pearce had to have laser surgery last week, it sure has been a boon for GC. She's the sort of person who has trouble being still, so her recovery has generated a lot of cool stuff for GC.

First up is When Did Parents Become So Lazy? which is all about why ratings systems are nobody's friend, and why overprotected children become whiny emo Death Eaters.

That article makes me happy on so many levels. Pearce is not a parent, but she has a firm grasp of teh free range philosophy, and why giving kids some freedom to make mistakes when they are young gives them the tools to make better decisions when they are older.

Also, if you think your kid might catch TEH GAY from Lady Gaga... Oy, I'm not even going to go there. Lighten up, folks. Make the effort to raise thoughtful, caring men and women and stop fixating so much on who they might do it with. Because that's just creepy.

***

Still ridiculously happy for Ty Frank, who co-wrote a novel with Daniel Abraham and recently sold it for bookoo duckies. I can't hardly wait to interview him, and get all pimpy on GC. This book will be a great fit for GC because the lead female character is awesome. (I haven't finished reading it yet, but woo-ee.)

***

Hitting the beach with the unschoolers today. I'm actually feeling very good about the home schooling path I've taken so far. I appreciate the unschooling philosophy and all, but... On Friday I happened to overhear a girl a little older than Wee Boy counting the times she skipped rope, and she literally could not count to a hundred.

Now, I get that forced, coercive learning can suck the fun out of the really cool, natural high of discovering information on your own. But dood. There are some things people need to know whether it interests them a lot or not. So I give my kids tests and worksheets and stuff. Sometimes they whine about it. But they can freaking count to 100. I'm just sayin'.

First up, the GC articles I have failed to pimp. Today we have Cyanide's Facebook and Social Status, in which she explores the existential angst of having Facebook replace more immeidate forms of social interaction, like email and texting.

O_O God, I'm old.

Last week we had Nightsky reporting on Star Wars: The 10th Century Icelandic Saga, which is really quite awesome. I must wear the paper sack of shame for not pimping it in a more timely fashion.

The there was Jesse's Today's Music Spotlight (Flower Travellin Band), which made me go a bit crazy on several levels. First, since this is a Japanese band, there are about six different ways they legitimately spell their own name. (Flower Traveling Band, Flower Travellin Band, Flower Travelin' Band - stupid double L (not the right way to spell the word 'traveling') drove me nuts.) Then of course there is my VERY low tolerance for sounds in upper octaves, which rendered me unable to listen to the music all the way through.

I am really, REALLY Old.

*headdesk*

***

Also, I thought I lost my quite expensive watch that the hubby bought for me ages ago when we were flush with cash and childless. Thought I lost it a McDonalds on the West Bank, and was mentally trying to find peace with it by hoping that whatever poor person found it would get enough out of it at pawn to help them through a tough time.

All the while my sons were telling me it was at home. I'd looked everywhere I thought it could be at home, though. Then, much later, I found it in a drawer where it should not have been. But I'll take it. I need a not-expensive watch for everyday wear. The clasp on this one just isn't secure.

***

With the writing, I've kept up the 1000 words a day until yesterday, when the day was just too full. I'll try to catch up by the end of the week.

***

We found out Wee Boy was wait-listed for his second choice school. He met the criteria, but they have to wait to see if any of the current fourth graders leave the school for 5th grade. Won't hear for another week whether the first choice school had room. If he gets in, I'll let him go, but the rising 4th graders from within the school get the first slots for 5th, and they may all be full.

Emotionally, I'd like to homeschool them both again next year, but we'll see what happens.

Well, today at GC we have a book review by Alpha Lyra, Starcross:If You Don't Read YA, You're Missing Out. Those books really sound like a hoot.

I'm hoping to organize a kind of GC birthday party for sometime in the summer. :) we'll see how that works out. AND, we're meeting with a t-shirt guy who will do custom shirts on demand at a very good price. I'm anxious to see samples, because this could be good.

***

The hubby called me during my writing to say that Big Boy has been accepted to the first-choice school. O_o I'm ashamed to be surprised by this, but with his horrible test anxiety, I had feared he did not do well on his entrance exam. I suppose my fears were unfounded. The odd thing is that it's a good two weeks before they said they'd be sending out acceptance letters, and we only got his first report card for this school year at the beginning of this month. It was all As, which was good, but being from an out-of-state, public charter home school program... well, it seemed like it might be a handicap to his application.

We have not yet heard about Wee Boy's application, but we were not really worried about him. He tests super well and is always top of his class. He'd have been in the gifted program at his old school, except they didn't want to deal with his social issues. His teacher last year was quite irate about it, because he was kept out of it for being too 'wiggly' even though he's scary smart.

Anyway, I think that's good news. I hope he likes it there. If I send him. And the school/parenting angst begins... NOW!

***

Writing stats for today:


and overall progress: