Friends

The weatherbeans still calling for two to four inches of snow to materialize in Central Maine sometime between now and 6 a.m. tomorrow. If this were not Maine, one would begin to suspect that the weatherbeans are seriously deluded, if not dangerously insane. As it is...We Shall See.

Despite the attitude of persistent delusion, it was pleasantly sunny for most of the day and warm enough that I went for an extended walk. Mmmm, walk. I then retired to the couch to read what little there presently is of Ghost Ship. Lunch was a sliced egg, tomato and cheese sandwich on whole wheat toast, and, after the enjoying of same it was back to the couch to noodle out the Next Bits. The story's a little lopsided at the moment, but I expect that to fix itself shortly.

*stares meaningfully at the Plot Elves*

In other news, Mozart is asleep in the cat hammock, Hexapuma is asleep on the fleece blanket on the couch and Scrabble is killing the Fearsome Scrumble up and down the hallway.

Wunderground claims that the weather station at the Robert LeFleur Airport is reporting an air temperature of 72F/22C. Uh, no. The rest of the state is reporting temps in the low-to-mid 40F, which is Plenty Warm Enough. It's been raining like a sonofagun all day, with intermittently nasty winds and some Interesting pinkish sky.

Regardless of what the temperature Really Is at the moment, the weatherbeans foresee a plummet into the 20sF/-6C on the overnight, followed by. . .snow! On top of what will then be. . .ice! Total accumulation, once it's All Over With, sometime Monday evening, in the three to five inch range. What fun. I'm staying Right Here and hoping that the lights stay on.

The apple tree across the way was host to fifteen or so wild turkeys in the middle of the afternoon, and about the same number of deer, moving in family groups of two-to-four. I may need to plant an apple tree where I can see the action from my office window, which is kind of funny, since this land used to be part of an apple orchard. All that's left are a couple of ancients, in and among the new growth of ash and pine, but the turkeys remember.

Got another few hundred words written, did some re-arranging, and my exercises; signed about a hundred, hundred-fifty Halfling Moon -- it's funny how it hurts to write -- not an activity I associate with shoulder movement, but there you are. I was just sitting down to map out the next book chunk, but my sister called with news from the south. Talking with Listening to my sister always leaves me scattered and often exhausted, so we'll get with planning the next story chunk tomorrow morning, I think. In the meantime, I need to go torture a cat and see if Steve wants to watch "Easy Virtue."

Progress on Ghost Ship

16309 / 100000

She never intended to come back to Surebleak, once she got free of it, but she'd remembered the address of that Learning Shop. Just in case.

Raining, here at the Confusion Factory; the Waterville airport claiming temps of 45F/7C. Hello? Yes, I know the clerk who routed our weather to autopope has been re-assigned, but there was supposed to have been a re-calibration along with... Excuse me? It's back-ordered?

Uh-oh.

Last night Steve and I knocked off early and viewed "The Remains of the Day." I'm still thinking about it. I do take issue with the implication that Mr. Stevens could have Altered The Course of History, had he only broken with his own melant'i, or that he was implicit in his master's. . .delusions. As I said, still thinking.

(I had forgotten to mention that we had watched "Inkheart" on...Wednesday evening, I think. It wasn't what I had thought it would be, but any movie that wants to talk about the debt and balancing between an author and the characters he creates is bound to engage me, and so it was.)

More Ghost Shipping here today, in-between bouts of staring out the window, and the ever-popular elastic band exercises. I'll have to get with the end-of-the-year bookkeeping one of these days realsoonnow, but -- today is not that day.

Also? Tomorrow is Monday.

And I'm sleeping in.

Progress on Ghost Ship

15738 / 100000

Father had never lied to her before.

Another gray day. Steve went into the city to take on supplies, notably light bulbs -- appropriate to a festival of light. I stayed at home, did the dishes, and started the laundry. The rest of the morning was spent rectifying the description of a common event from the POVs of the two characters involved, both of whom are telling the truth, though one is trying to spin for sympathy. This is not as easy as you might think, and gives me a whole new appreciation for investigative police work.

Now back at it, having broken for lunch with Steve, who is returned from the Outer Grayness.

I thought I might suggest some Sherlock Holmes action tonight at the local movie theater, but not with the forecast including: Freezing rain and sleet likely in the evening...then occasional rain and freezing rain after midnight. Sleet accumulation up to 1 inch. Near steady temperature in the lower 30s. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent. ...which translates handily into "Not a fit night out for man nor beast."

Perhaps we'll have one of the Netflix movies instead.

Everybody stay warm -- or cool, as geography dictates.

Grey day, despite promises of sun. I've spent most of it right here at the dining room table, with short breaks for tollhouse cookies and grilled cheese sandwiches. It is, I discover with some bemusement, time to think about getting ready to go out to eat, the travails of the holiday being what they are.

Hope everyone is having a pleasant and relaxing day, wherever you are, whatever you're doing.

Progress on Ghost Ship:

15125 / 100000

"See, Boss?" Jeremy said, jerking his head at the guy. "No trouble, no chatter. Nothing. Sleet, he's even naked."

An eyebrow twitched in that carefully bland face.

"It's what we say here," Penn said, keeping his voice friendly, "when somebody's not carrying."

...or the man from Mars. Did Marvin have a lady friend?

Anyhow!

Who has a Wii? How does it work? I see people saying that they exercise with their Wii, how's that happen; does it need to go for a walk?

I think the highest temperature I saw today was 42F/5C. And me without a bathing suit.

Steve and I slept in, arriving at Eric's restaurant sometime before 9 to partake of breakfast. I highly recommend the spinach, tomato and feta omelette. The crowd was convivial and the atmosphere cheerful, sort of like breakfast with the extended family, except without an argument

After breakfast, having abandoned our jackets to the back seat of the car, we drove out to Hillman's Bakery in Fairfield, where Steve had cannily reserved a mince pie (Sharon) and a pumpkin pie (Steve) for a ten o'clock pick-up. The line when we arrived, at 9:35 ended just inside the door, snaked into the "side bakery" and back to the front in an extended SSSSSS. This community gathering was also notable for its general attitude of cheerfulness; no one misbehaved or jumped line or insisted that their order had precedence. Once the line had shrunk a bit, it wasn't obvious to newcomers where they should stand, but advice was generally forthcoming, and accepted with a really amazing lack of rancour. Steve and I amused ourselves by watching cakes being decorated and window-shopping the display cases. There was a pastry swan -- but, we were there for pies, and these we achieved, walking out the door with boxes in hand at two minutes past ten.

Since it was still sunny and warm, after a week of cold, ungiving gray, we went into Waterville proper, stopped by Childrens' Book Cellar to chat with Ellen, dropped by the Framemakers to wish them joy, and then over to Barrel's Market to pick up some tomatoes and a wreath to make the house smell good. We stopped by Tardiff Jewelers, which specializes in estate and art jewelry ("It's research!" I said to Steve), and so to home, by way of Subway to gather lunch.

A nap, with coon cats, rounded out the afternoon.

Tomorrow, we have reservations at the Lucky Panda for dinner and a clear schedule. I could get used to this.

What are your plans for the next couple days?

Cover art for Mouse and Dragon. I just brought the giclee of this home from the frame shop yesterday, and it really lights up the room.

*is pleased*

Today, we do dusting. And the ritual changing of the calendars. I'm playing seasonal music 'waaaayyyy too loud into an empty hallway. Eventually, I'll walk my time card over to payroll, wish the kind ladies there a Merry Christmas, pick up the mail, if any, set up my away-from-the-office messages, and, probably, read my book.

Hope everyone is having a similarly quiet day.

Jack the Giant Killer is back home; the operation to install a new motherboard was a success. He is not yet online, due to a Situation with AVG, but I'll take care of that this evening, or possibly tomorrow evening, depending on the relative state of Other Things.

The weatherbeans are calling for maybe-snow today, and more of the same, to the tune of two to four inches, tomorrow. Today, I think, is the day to pick up the framed art for Mouse and Dragon from the Framemakers.

Only today and tomorrow and then we have winter break. *deep breath*

I figured out that one of the reasons I'm soooooo looking forward to this break is the opportunity to actually and really rest the arm with the rotator cuff injury. My physical therapist complained more than once that patients would get better soon if they would just rest, which, even he admitted, wasn't going to happen in this, the Real World. The day-job obligates me to carry heavyish things up and down from the mailroom, and to move cases full of job applications from here to there, and sometimes from Hither to Yon. Ten days without those obligations may get me the increased improvement I'm hoping for. Right now, I've hit a plateau, where I have more-but-not-complete range of motion, and much-less-but-still-some pain. I'd really like to get back to the full range of motion and pain only when I do something Stupid. Especially being as this is my good arm.

My mother-in-law called the other evening to find out how many inches of snow we'd gotten from The Big Storm(tm), and was slightly put out to be told that we hadn't seen a flake. Y'all who did get dumped on -- are you all dug out now? Are the lights on?

Two brief snippets from Halfling Moon may be found here

Thanks for the suggestions and the sympathy -- very much appreciated.

Steve, who is a braver man than I am, opened up both computers, and swapped his hard drive out for mine. The hard drive boots, ergo it's probable that the motherboard in my machine has fried. Tomorrow, a trip to the computer repair place and hoping that the fix can be done quickly. This close to the holiday...who knows. If it can't be fixed quickly, then we'll go to plan b and get us a USB drive dock -- which sounds like a handy thing to have around the house, anyway.

Since chapter seven (which was, even before this happened, a Cursed Chapter) is more-or-less confirmed safe, if out of communication, on Jack's hard drive, I will proceed on to chapter eight, via The Leewit, watch the snow, and attempt not to do or confront anything that will pluck my nerves today.

And now, to breakfast.

My desktop has stopped. Just stopped. I had opened my mail program, which downloaded the mail, reporting that some idiot wanted an acknowledgment that I had received hisorher email...then the whole machine just locked up and -- quit. I couldn't even control-alt-del out of it, I had to hit the off button.

Reported at length in case there's a fun new virus out there that's deployed with the pop-up of a return receipt box.


Anyhow, the machine won't come up, and every! single! word! that I had written today is gone, and I am...beyond sick.

Those of you expecting email from me -- it'll be an undetermined while. I have most of the book backed up to dropbox and have gotten it down to The Leewit. Not today's work of course; I'll have to totally rewrite that from the ground up.

*cries*

Could somebody with time on their hands and a copy of I Dare close by compile a list of the Bosses of Surebleak, the territory each controls (if known), and their estate (quick/dead)?

Wow, that's a lot.

First one in with a complete list gets a paper arc of Mouse and Dragon, if and when.

...he drinks!

Please Ghu, this water fountain will last a long, long time.

It's gonna be a book!

Hex still Does Not Believe In the new water fountain, though the water bowl remains acceptable for brief drinks. The black mountain has been disguised and put away. Thanks to everyone for their advice; I'll keep you posted on progress, or lack thereof.

The weather today is a bright, sunny and perfectly calm 0F/-17C; tomorrow to be a thought warmer. I see that my old hometown, Baltimore, is about to get whacked with a nasty snowstorm; everybody down that way stay safe, 'k?

Yesterday, or the day before, I was, as is my habit, perusing the Apple trailer site. I believe that I may wish to see the Tim Burton Alice in March, in an Actual Movie Theater. On the other hand, there's no way I'm going within ten miles of the new Robin Hood. Anybody seen Avatar yet? Is it something more than Noble Blue Indians being Exploited by an Evil Corporation? Should I put it in my Netflix queue?

...that it is frelling cold out there? And that I have already been up and down the damn' hill twice, schlepping boxes? And no way I feel like going out there again, especially since my reward will be to drag fifteen pounds of green books (formerly blue books) uphill in the teeth of a minus five wind?

Why, no, I don't have a particularly good attitude. They can make me do it, but they can't make me smile while I do it.

*gets hat and gloves*

Asyouknowbob, we rejoice in the company of three cats: Scrabble, the calico cat of all work; Mozart, the elder cuddleme; and Hexapuma, comic relief.

Scrabble prefers running water to drink, so a couple years ago, we bought a cat fountain. The fountain we bought had a waterslide design -- a black plastic mountain rising out of a central bowl. A pump at the bottom of the mountain sent water to the top, where it ran through a filter before running down the waterslide. The filter, and the reservoir bottle, were covered with a black plastic cap.

In the last month or so, Hexapuma learned how to take the cap off the mountain, revealing the filter pack. Shortly thereafter, he decided that drinking from the water around the filter was his preferred method. I didn't think that ingesting nylon/polyester fibers with one's water was ultimately a Good Idea, and so a Battle of Wills ensued.

Which culminated in the acquisition of a new fountain. This one had two bowls: the water bubbles through a hole in the top bowl and flows over the sides to the bottom bowl; pump and filter are securely enclosed in the base of the top bowl.

Scrabble has given this fountain the Calico Cat Seal of Approval. Mozart has allowed himself a sip or two.

Hex won't go near the thing.

He cries. He gets up on the kitchen counter to drink out of the sink. He sits mournfully beside the dismantled, cleaned, and dry old fountain (also on the counter). He watches in Great Amaze and Puzzlement when the other cats avail themselves of the free-flowing elixir in the new bowl.

I put down a plain bowl of water, and he did drink from that. He will sit next to the new fountain, but drink from it, he will not.

We're -- well, Steve, since he's home -- moving the plain bowl of water closer to the new fountain, and hope that Hex will eventually Get the Picture.

What else can we be doing?

I have a new cell phone! It is beautiful. It has a slidey case, and a camera and bluetooth and web browsing and texting and a calendar and all kinds of other things that I'll probably never use, and! a screen that's big enough for the Hopelessly Nearsighted to read, in pretty! colors!

*has gadget love*

It is, of course, a Tracfone, because Who in Ghod's Name can afford a monthly phone contract with T-Mobile? My last cell was also a Tracfone, and the one before that, stretching into the chilly mists of time. I transferred the number and minutes from the old phone to the new one, and Now I Wait, phone-free, for 72 hours. I did lose about 1,000 minutes in the process (use your cell phone, much?), because they'd been transferred from the previous phone to the now-newly-previous phone, and sorta fell off the end of the table. Still, I'm not gonna starve, and it was totally worth it to get the big screen in pretty! colors!

*sigh*

In other news, our film viewing of late has been Unremittingly High-Brow. We have in recent evenings viewed Wall-ee and also Race to Witch Mountain, both of which we, and Hexapuma, enjoyed profoundly. Yes, we are shallow -- all three of us.

Today it is sunny, but cold, and I really need to find my scarf.