Cherie Priest's Blog: It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion, page 38

Might've known what you would find

Here’s today's progress on my fin de siecle gothic epistolary about Lizzie Borden fighting Cthulhu with her trusty axe, now with Bonus! ghosts, guilt, arcane science, and an accidental villain who's losing his mind and his humanity in tandem:
Project: Maplecroft
Deadline: October 15, 2013
New words written: 1725
Present total word count: 94,468 words



Things accomplished in fiction: First roller coaster car has slipped over the hump of the highest hill. So to speak. From here on out, it's gonna be a bumpy ride. Bumpier, I mean.

Next up: Finish Lizzie's quest, keep her from drowning. Get the doctor - and who's with Emma? Wait...

Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; returned loose dog to its appropriate owners (this makes six); got a visit from Jolly (Basset Hound - Greyson's buddy) and lo, the pooches did go frolicking in the yard; did some yardwork, in the wake of frolicking dogs + the roofing guys having been here for a couple of days; went to Taco Bell because of reasons.

Other: The roofing work is done, hallelujah! But we're not quite wrapped up yet - there's a repair that still needs to happen, alongside the house; we have some rotted wood that needs to be removed/replaced before the gutter can be fixed and we can call this "finished." The carpenter dude (from the same company) will be over either later this afternoon or tomorrow morning. I'm guessing tomorrow morning at this point. I might actually have a word with him about doing some trim repair/replacement while he's here. What the hell, right? We're already this far down the checkbook rabbit hole ... what's another few hundred bucks? May as well have a sharp-as-hell house when all the dust has settled. [:: sigh ::]

Beyond other: That having been said, the new roof looks killer. Very nice job. Vastly better than before.

Bird other: I haven't checked on the finch nests since I hung the flower-baskets up in the dogwood tree the other day; I figure the least amount of disruption to them, the better - and since the carpenter will be working where they ordinarily hang, I'll just leave them where they are for now. I hope the mother birds stayed - I've *seen* them, hanging around the tree - but there's no telling. On the definite upshot, there's a robin nest which I assumed was done for, but no! The nest remains (the guys said there was no reason to move it - she picked a lucky spot) ... and she's still on it. So there's that, eh?

Randomize Other: Roofing guy is coming over soon to pick up his check and make arrangements for the repairs/carpenter. Once he's paid and all's settled, I'll post about who it was and give them my recommendation. I'm very happy with the work; we'll just see if the carpenter gets everything sorted out in a timely fashion, and then we'll be golden.

Fiddly bits other: We picked up some extra trim paint, enough to more than cover the carpenter's repairs. For one thing, the garage work has left exposed wood around the door frames (main and rear), and for another - we plan to paint over the built-in flower boxes (which flank the front porch, taking up quite a lot of space). Can't imagine what possessed the previous folks to paint them vivid yellow/green. Looks like 7-Up racing stripes on a lavender wedding cake.

Number of fiction words so far this year: 90,330

We Are Family

So we aren't getting our new roof started today, for the work has been washed out by the weather - but the roofers will begin bright and early tomorrow. Frankly, I'm kind of relieved. Don't get me wrong: I'm looking forward to having that job out of the way, but right now I could really use a day off to recover from this past weekend.

It was a busy weekend. The kind that requires a good long nap (or two, or three) and a good stiff drink (or two, or three). For you see, my cousin Chelsea graduated from college.

That may sound like cause for celebration, for there is now a new nurse out there in the world! And yes, it's a joy to be sure - but it also means that my mom's entire family came to town for the event.

And now a side note on my mom's family. When I say "everyone" I mean the following: my family matriarch grandma; my grandma's little sister; my mom; my sister, her husband, and her toddler son; my mom's sister #1; sister #1's four kids (including the graduate herself) plus sister #1's oldest son's daughter and youngest son's wife and son; my mom's sister #2 and sister #2's three kids, plus her daughter's husband and infant son.

By my count, that's about twenty people - all converging upon Tennessee.

Now, let's be real - under the best of circumstances, managing twenty people staying in five different locations around town for two days would be An Undertaking; but if you've ever had any passing encounters with these people, then you're probably laughing your ass off right now.

(Dad, I'm looking at you.)

Even the most ordinary task can devolve into a math/logic problem rejected by the SAT board on the grounds of BULLSHIT nothing that ridiculous would EVER HAPPEN.

SO LET US SAY prospective college student that you have people in need of lunch. Your party contains several vegetarians, a vegan(?), someone who violently loathes red Italian sauce, one person who eschews garlic with the vehemence of a vampire, and a large number of people who keep kosher.* Therefore Italian food is problematic, seafood is largely off the table, BBQ is right out - and you need to find a place that will host an indeterminate two-digit number of people because one branch of the family is participating in passive-aggressive feud-type behavior and may flounce off. There was a big fight a few years ago - death threats, gun quests, and a visit from the swat team on Thanksgiving. No one will mention it, because it upsets Grandma.

NOW let's say you have only five cars. But three of those cars have one seat occupied by car seats or booster seats, at least two are so full of luggage that their capacity is compromised; in addition to this, one of the older ladies is mobility impaired, and cannot get in and out of vehicles without the assistance of at least one strapping man - but there are only a fixed number of men to go around.

NEW PROBLEM: One person has other people's luggage in his car, but he has to take off for the airport before the family convenes for food after the graduation ceremony. Whose car can hold the extra luggage (for the people who are NOT headed for the airport) and take over passenger duties now that we're one car (and only two warm bodies) short? Can arrangements be made to swap the luggage before the ceremony ends and the crowds let out - when everyone tries to leave the parking garage at once? HINT: The two vehicles needing to make this exchange are parked a couple of blocks apart. Have fun with that.

EXTRA CREDIT: No one over the age of fifty can hear very well, half the people with cell phones aren't answering them at any given point in time thanks to service issues in the conference center, and no one has made reservations in advance.

HONOR ROLL: No one knows where to find the graduate in the crowd of thousands at the convention center, due partly to lack of planning, and partly to the extra credit complications.

NEXT: Your head count for lunch remains uncertain, but someone needs to pick a place and make reservations NOW. A cousin and his wife - let us call them Red Leader Team - commit to finding a food-place that will take us all. They look up likely phone numbers and make calls, even though their son has pooped his pants (I think?) and now they're headed off-site with the Bonus! luggage to try and maybe put everyone down on a waiting list someplace. Can you and your sibling/remaining cousins cat-herd the rest of the family and (a). figure out how to get perhaps as many as fifteen people into three cars? (b). nail down that head count, for that matter, (c). make sure you have one Strapping Lad, so you can get mobility-impaired aunt in and out of your vehicle, and (d). track down the graduate somewhere in the convention center?

GOOD LUCK. Oh, by the way - coordinate this from the ceremony itself, whispering back and forth down two aisles of people, some of whom more or less refuse to talk to one another, and some of whom are absent - walking fussy babies who have had it up to HERE with all this sitting still and being quiet ... while everyone around you glares, hisses for you to SHUT UP, and generally hates you. You totally feel them.

HINTS: Once you've retrieved your vehicle, you have as little as 2-3 minutes to complete the task of loading all pertinent parties and securing them, for you will be evacuating from not-exactly-a-loading zone that blocks a lane of traffic, otherwise the Itty Bitty Biddy Committee will be forced to exit through the expansive, crowded, winding halls of the conference center and this will not happen any sooner than oh, say, June. So, really I guess you have however long it takes the cops to notice what you're doing. Should you accomplish this particular feat without being ticketed or arrested, you must get them on the road and await word from Red Leader Team - while hard-of-hearing people repeatedly make cell phone calls from your vehicle to other vehicles, primarily to ask "What's going on? Where are we going? Who's in charge here?" and you give up answering them, in favor of just driving them to a location and trusting that one way or another, everyone will find some-goddamn-thing to eat wherever Red Leader Team has found enough seats to hold them all.

DEAN'S LIST: Upon locating the graduate, you find that she's retrieved her boyfriend and he (a). has no ride back to campus, and (b). will be joining the family for after-commencement food-times. How will he accompany you?

(Teacher's edition answer: Your sister will rock out and save his day - he will ride shotgun in her car, with the graduate sitting on his lap ... so that one was kind of a trick question. This arrangement holds until it's time for everyone to part ways, because the graduate and her mother - plus Red Leader Team - are going back to Atlanta and literally could not bring him unless he was folded in half and shoved in sideways. Then you notice that you will be bereft of strapping lads to help elderly ladies in and out of cars, and you still have to take them back to their hotel and load up their room - and you tell the boyfriend [a lovely fellow, mind you] that if he'll share the back seat with your mom and grandma, you'll take him home. And then you use him for his good-natured strappingness, for it will become his job to load the car with the ladies' hotel room contents and also to lift older ladies in and out of SUVs.)

Gentle readers, this was just four hours on Sunday.

I just ... I can't even. I mean, look - it's always great to see everyone, and of course I love them all dearly; but it makes for an exhausting couple of days, and I wasn't looking forward to spending the next three days getting up at 7:00 a.m. for roofing work and/or some work on the garage (which coincidentally overlaps the roof work a bit).

So I say all that to say this: Today I am trying to relax, and tonight I am going to bed early. Tomorrow morning bright and early, I'll relocate the hanging flower baskets which have become bird nest baskets ... thirty feet away, to the dogwood tree in the front yard - where it is to be hoped the mother-birds will follow. (The eggs haven't hatched yet.)

When all is said and done, we'll have a new roof - and we won't have to worry about it for another 25 years. We'll also have a garage that functions as something more useful than a shed, and we'll once again have the peace and quiet I so cherish.

But that won't be until Thursday at the soonest. So don't expect word counts or anything.

Something tells me, they aren't gonna happen.
[:: collapses ::]


* We were raised SDA, but not all of us remain in the church, cough cough.

But when she left gone was the glow

Here’s today's progress on my fin de siecle gothic epistolary about Lizzie Borden fighting Cthulhu with her trusty axe, now with Bonus! ghosts, guilt, arcane science, and an accidental villain who's losing his mind and his humanity in tandem:
Project: Maplecroft
Deadline: October 15, 2013
New words written: 1411
Present total word count: 92,743 words



Things accomplished in fiction: Thought I was finished with the backfill, but I was wrong. Oops.

Next up: The beginning of the end. No, for real this time. I sat around and mapped it out last night - which was when I realized I was missing a piece or two of backfill, which I fixed today. This whole book-making business ... it can be imprecise. Yanno.

Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; yardwork; lots and lots of Fiddlehead line edits.

Other: YARGH. So this morning I go to water the hanging flower baskets on the front porch, and WHAT DO I FIND? Two more bird nests with eggs in 'em, that's what. [:: headdesk ::] They can't be more than a couple of days old, and the eggs won't hatch before the roofing guys come on Monday ... so I don't know. It's warm enough they might be all right without a full-time sitter, but I'm afraid the parent-birds will be chased off for good by all the commotion. And unfortunately, I can't just leave them where they are and hope for the best; the baskets are immediately beneath the worst of the damage, and they have to come down. I'll try to put them somewhere safe and cross my fingers, I guess. We can't put off the work any longer.

Bonus! other: At least the new birds are camped in baskets. Hell of a lot easier to move a basket than a nest wedged up in the eaves. (And I don't really care if the flowers die. It's not that big a deal. I can get more flowers when the birds are gone.)

Fiddlehead Other: I hate line edits. I mean, they're important - and how! - but I hate them. Sword of Damocles, up in here. Can't do much of anything else while they're hanging over my head; but regardless, I'm not sure I'll be done by the time my editor wants/needs them. My mom/family/etc. arrive Friday, and as soon as they're gone, it's two days of roofing work stomping about overhead. I'll do my best, but I may have to weasel an extra couple of days next week.

Number of fiction words so far this year: 88,605

It's your big, bad secret, your crown of thorns

Here’s today's progress on my fin de siecle gothic epistolary about Lizzie Borden fighting Cthulhu with her trusty axe, now with Bonus! ghosts, guilt, girlfriends, arcane science, and an accidental villain who's losing his mind and his humanity in tandem:
Project: Maplecroft
Deadline: October 15, 2013
New words written: 1260
Present total word count: 91,332 words



Things accomplished in fiction: Finished the necessary backfill. Tomorrow, we move forward again.

Next up: Bad things. Regrets, confusion, and an advancing foe who won't give the Maplecroft crew a chance to recover before he attacks.

Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; went back to Walgreens for prescriptions; lots of Fiddlehead line edits; not much else.

Other: The rear-entry frame and door for our garage has finally arrived. Now we just wait for the installation guy to make an appointment and do his thing. Much like the main door, this one was a custom job - because that's what happens when you have a house/garage that's old and wacky. *sigh*

Bride of Other: In another week, we'll celebrate our one-year anniversary of moving into Rosebury Haunt. In that time, we sure have dumped a bunch of money into the place. I don't mind it that much, I mean, it's all been important stuff ... I just wish we could've sprung for some of the more frivolous things on the wish-list, like "getting rid of the guest room carpet."

Fiddlehead Other: Over the last couple of days, I've gotten halfway through my first pass of Fiddlehead line edits. I say "first pass," because I give the doc one go-over that tackles all the easy stuff; then I go back and handle the trickier things on a second pass. I'm hoping I can wrap this up by the end of the week, since I have family coming into town (and then the roofers) - but we'll see.

Animal-Related Other: Woke up this morning and realized the bird nest was empty. I've seen them hanging around on the power lines and whatnot, still sticking close to the area - but they definitely seem to have all gone flying for now. I'll give it another day or two to be on the safe side, then knock the nest down. *sigh*

Number of fiction words so far this year: 87,194

Sense the crowd expecting something more

Here’s recent progress on my fin de siecle gothic epistolary about Lizzie Borden fighting Cthulhu with her trusty axe, now with Bonus! ghosts, guilt, girlfriends, arcane science, and an accidental villain who's losing his mind and his humanity in tandem:
Project: Maplecroft
Deadline: October 15, 2013
New words written: 2034
Present total word count: 90,072 words



Things accomplished in fiction: Backfill - I can't send my heroes into battle unarmed, and I somehow tunnel-visioned my way past that part. Derp.

Next up: One more major scene of backfill, and then we move forward again, toward the climax.

Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunts around the neighborhood with the dog; went to Walgreens; went grocery shopping; went to the nursery for more irises; went to Ace for birdseed and whatnot; worked on the yard.

Other: Line edits have landed for Fiddlehead, huzzah! I mean, "huzzah for it is all in process and going smoothly," as opposed to "huzzah look at all this extra work I have to do right as I have family coming into town and a new roof going up."

Yard-Related Other: Took a pruner to the remains of HedgeHenge; don't want to go at it with the electric trimmer yet, for it's still recovering from the huge cut-back earlier this spring. It's looking good, don't get me wrong. So good that it's getting bushy/straggly and needed a gentle trim. After that, I planted another round of irises - some in the naked spots, some here and there for a pop of color. I also relocated a stray set of hostas that magically appeared where they shouldn't be. (Conveniently enough, I have a naked patch in a row of hostas; these fit the bill nicely.) Not sure if they'll survive the move or not, but we'll see how it goes.

Animal-Related Other: I'm afraid there will be no more baby bird pictures, for I went to take a paparazzi peek yesterday, and learned that at least one of the little stinkers can already fly. (She made a beeline for my face, this is how I came to this knowledge.) Mom and dad are still feeding them in the nest for now, but they're getting more adventurous - and this is good! They'll be long gone by the time the roofers get here.

Number of fiction words so far this year: 85,934

Through the zero hour we'll walk

Right! So. Where were we?

Oh yes: I was taking a little break. In my defense, it was a very good little break, for I received a visit from my old roommate/darling dear friend Lynelle, who I hadn't seen in person since 2005 or so. She's been in Australia, and then England - where she resides at present (in London). Therefore, it's entirely logical that the in-person shenanigans gap has been so great.

It's sucked, though.

ANYWAY. It was awesome to catch up, and awesome to do all our old goofy things - like troll the mall, stuff our faces here/there/everywhere, and even revisit various assorted halls at our alma mater.

Much has changed. We hardly recognized any of the names on the plaques by the English teacher doors, and all the decor/fixtures were different, and there was a big TV installed at the end of the corridor, and there were vending machines, and it was A WHOLE NEW WORLD, PEOPLE. And did I mention how much younger the college students are now, as opposed to when we attended? Totally true fact. Very weird.

But then, some things haven't changed. Brock Hall's third-floor ladies bathroom is about the only thing that hasn't gotten a remodel, for example.



And we did recognize one name in the English corridors: a gent who's now the department head. But this position of power did not in any way prevent him from merrily letting us camp in his office like old times for a couple of hours, playing catch-up and marveling at how familiar and how strange it all was.

We also dropped by the History department and found a couple of familiar faces,* and poked our heads into some of the new buildings which had sprouted up in our absence. We even managed to meet up with our third roomie (Mikhaile) for lunch - and yea verily, we were the veritable picture of dignity and poise.



At this point I'd like to make some silly disclaimer, and say that I'm sure we looked like a couple of creepy old ladies - but you know what? Everywhere we went, we were accused of looking exactly the same as we did in 1998.

I choose to believe that folks were not merely being polite, but were being dead freaking correct; because we remain every bit as juvenile and awesome as we ever were.



To sum up, the visit was all too brief - but I am terribly grateful and happy that it occurred.

____________

Hm...what else have I missed updating about? Well, let's see. Apart from Lennie and the Great Nostalgia Tour of 2013, there's not much new to report. No new writing, which would worry me ... except that it doesn't. I'll be back on that pony come Monday, if not sooner. I figured a way around that plot tangle that was driving me crazy, and I'll bust out the big ol' tub of LogicSpackle(tm) as soon as I can. Must get zen with that.

We also have baby birds, which I believe I may have mentioned here before. They're very nearly grown birds, or at least you can see it from here - which is good, because they have not quite two weeks to fledge and find new lodgings before the roofers arrive.

Yes, I planned it that way. Here's a family shot, taken this afternoon.



Initially, there were four eggs. I think only three hatched, but I don't know. I could be mistaken. I don't spend a lot of time staring down into the nest or anything; I don't want to bother them, and anyway, I can't really see them.

(In order to get a picture, I have to stand on a chair and climb up onto a column's base, then hug the column with one hand, hold the phone/camera over my head with the other, and pray like hell that I snap something good before I fall and break my neck.)

____________

So what's up next?

Well, like I said - I'll get back to writing this week, but that'll taper off toward the weekend. This is because I'll have company again, for my youngest cousin is graduating from college nearby, and the whole family is caravan-ing into town for the occasion. I'm not 100% sure who will be staying at my place yet, but we'll have my mom for certain; and whoever crashes here, we'll all be off at the other end of town for the festivities and mini-family-reunion more often than not.

Immediately following that - we get a new roof.

In short, I predict continued upheaval in my schedule for a while, but I will do my best to stick to a routine and be productive, and blog about it accordingly. No promises, mind you. I am only human, and I'm an easily distracted human at that. We'll see how it goes.

But for now, have a good weekend, everyone.
Thanks for reading.


* She was a double English/History major; I was an English major/History minor. We graduated in 1998.

Another brief hiatus

No, really! Just a brief one. My old friend and college roommate is coming to town for a few days, so you can reasonably expect that I won't be posting much, if at all. I will take pictures of our shenanigans, though - you may rest assured of that - and probably post them over on my Twitter feed. I mean, if you're interested in such things.

Anyway. I ran into a plot tangle re: Maplecroft and have spent a few days sorting through it. I think I know how to fix things now, and I'm quite happy with the solution at hand; but no, I don't have any significant new word metrics to post. A terrible desert of them, yes, I know. But I'll be back in action soon - and from here on out, it's just a momentum-gaining cruise to the end. I'm not terribly worried.

So! Yes. I'll be back later this week.
Pardon me while I go take a few short days to goof off with all-too-distant friends, eh?

Listen to the words long written down, when the man comes around

Here’s recent progress on my fin de siecle gothic epistolary about Lizzie Borden fighting Cthulhu with her trusty axe, now with Bonus! ghosts, guilt, girlfriends, arcane science, and an accidental villain who's losing his mind and his humanity in tandem:
Project: Maplecroft
Deadline: October 15, 2013
New words written: 4142
Present total word count: 88,038 words



Things accomplished in fiction: She's gone.

Next up: He's coming.

Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunts around the neighborhood with the dog; made a run to the hardware store; went to Lowe's; finished off the last of the big push on the yard; hosted a D&D game that lasted all yesterday afternoon/evening (okay, the husband hosted it - but I was *here*); went to the bank; went to the post office; picked up a prescription at Walgreens; filed taxes and paid taxes, so thank God that's all out of the way - if just under the wire.

Yard-Related Other: Trimmed/edged all the things; mulched everything else; and I'm calling it "done" for this season - apart from routine maintenance. I'm just not adding anything new, dammit. I'll nurture what's there, let it grow in, and wash my hands of it for now. It's under control if not quite perfect. It'll have to do.

Pet-Related Other: Greyson's getting his first real haircut on Thursday. I predict drama and woe, but he'll feel a lot better when he's a lot less shaggy. Poor little guy has been cashing out on his afternoon walks - the warmth (in the seventies and sunny) is already getting to be too much for him.

Number of fiction words so far this year: 83,911

Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with

Here’s today's progress on my fin de siecle gothic epistolary about Lizzie Borden fighting Cthulhu with her trusty axe, now with Bonus! ghosts, guilt, girlfriends, arcane science, and an accidental villain who's losing his mind and his humanity in tandem:
Project: Maplecroft
Deadline: October 15, 2013
New words written: 1550
Present total word count: 83,895 words



Things accomplished in fiction: Emma's had it up to HERE, y'all. But there's nowhere to go, and something awful is headed her way. She needs a better plan than "sit here and wait for what will come."

Next up: Not 100% confident which section goes next. Will sleep on it.

Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; tried to empty my inbox; worked on the yard a little, because it's about to storm - so I battened down the hatches, so to speak; put away the last of the laundry; did the dishes; took forever to get dressed.

Other: Heard from the nice lady at the historic zoning office. Looks like things are okay re: the new roof, so I ought to have all the right approvals within a couple of days. Honestly, it wasn't a big deal. The worse deal will be two days of men with scrapers and hammers and the like. (I say that, assuming nothing new and wacky will happen between now and me getting my Certificate of Appropriateness. Knock on wood.)

Bride of Other: Another somewhat early day, but like I said - needed to get out ahead of this afternoon's storm, and besides, there's a guy coming to measure for the garage door in a few minutes (in the storm? MAYBE), so I wanted to wrap up first. Besides, I'm kind of dragging today. Hellooooo allergy season. Woke up miserable, but am successfully medicated now.

Number of fiction words so far this year: 79,769

Who truly stuck the knife in first

Here’s today's progress on my fin de siecle gothic epistolary about Lizzie Borden fighting Cthulhu with her trusty axe, now with Bonus! ghosts, guilt, girlfriends, arcane science, and an accidental villain who's losing his mind and his humanity in tandem:
Project: Maplecroft
Deadline: October 15, 2013
New words written: 2172 (not bad)
Present total word count: 82,345 words



Things accomplished in fiction: Return of the villain. You think he's bad when he's coming apart at the seams...just wait until he's pulled himself back together.

Next up: Emma's fury; a doctor's visit.

Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; soaked down all the newly planted things; went to pick up a prescription; got a quick lunch; called a door guy about making an appointment to measure for a new entry door on the garage (not the big main door, but the one we use to come and go from the yard); got formal word/arrangements/airline confirmation re: a cool visit from a groovy friend later this summer.

Other: Getting back into the swing of things over here, after a couple weeks off the usual routine. My husband came and went from town, and the weather was perfect for rebooting the yard ... which took a LOT more time and work than I was prepared for ... so my writing was sporadic at best - but here we go again, and I suspect my word counts are about to start ticking upward. I'm not in the home stretch yet, but I can feel it from here; and the closer I get to a book's end, the faster I tend to write.

Son of Other: Call it a day early, as I have another errand or two to run. Besides, I'm happy with the daily count. Could I do more? Maybe. But I am determined not to rush this, like I so often end up doing. Three books in 14 months? You just watch me.

Yardwork-related other: Now that we've had a week of mild/warm days, everything is really taking off. The formerly-ailing-hydrangea has almost doubled its greenery growth since Saturday, so I'm confident in declaring it "out of the woods," and the worrisome young forsythia lost its blooms in that last late frost, but it's showing a great deal of new growth - so I think that one'll be okay too. Everything is doing great, knock on wood, and within another few weeks it's going to look really amazing up in here. I'll take pictures once it's all settled in and filled out.

Pet-related other: All is well in the pet department. Spainy's fluff is growing back, from the spot where she had the skin surgery - and speaking of fluff, Greyson has a haircut scheduled for next week (soonest the large dog "stylist" would be available). It's only in the seventies so far, but if you're a mostly black 80-pound long-haired monster dog who likes to hang out in a sunny back yard ... it's almost too much already. (Last year he was clipped shortly before we adopted him, and he still spent most of the summer lying atop his favorite AC vent indoors.) It'll probably take us awhile to get used to his new 'do, but I daresay he'll feel a whole lot better once he's a tad more naked.

VideoGame-related other: We're only playing 2-3 hours a night, but we're several evenings deep in B:I and still loving it. So pretty! So interesting! I'm told that the game isn't a terrifically long one, and if that's the case, we'll probably be through it in another week or two. Already have a couple of friends fidgeting in the wings, hollering at me to HURRY UP so they can chat about it...

Number of fiction words so far this year: 78,219