And then...

Let’s review yesterday’s list:

• …finishing a short story. I wanted to be done with it today so Teresa could crit it before I sent it off, but I didn’t know she’s busy through New Year’s… So technically I have a little leeway, although I shouldn’t really allow myself any, as the story’s due 12/31. Update: About 500 words to go, and by the gods it’ll be done tonight so Ken can eyeball it.
  
• …going to our Shire’s Twelfth Night party tonight. We made the coleslaw last night, so we’re good to go there, at least.
  
• …hosting overnight guests tonight.
  
• …having a writing meeting with a friend tomorrow. (I’ll finish the story then, absolutely.) Update: Writing date was fabulous, story’s almost done, considering doing this on a regular basis!
  
• …cleaning the entire frakking house. Ken will do most of this since I can’t do a lot because of my back. But still. I’ll be rushing about, tidying and whatnot. Update: Um. We took a nap this afternoon…
  
• …buying food and prepping the house and food for our party.
  
• …meeting with my trainer for another gym session. Update: That’s tomorrow.
  
• …going to a friend’s NYE party (need to make guacamole for that; avocados are ripening on the windowsill as I type). Update: Ditto.
  
• …going on a bike ride on New Year’s morning, culminating with various riders following us home to kick off our New Year’s Day open house. Update: Forthcoming as well.
  
• …hanging out with friends, doing some kumihimo, and making chili and rice and corn bread during the open house. Update: Don't feel like making cornbread, so there.
  
• …finishing two one library book and return both by 1/2/08.

To elaborate on some of that…

Twelfth Night was quite fun. There was a metric ton of food ranging from ricotta and spinach pie to egg rolls to several meat dishes (astonishingly, though, nobody brought a roasted chicken from the grocery store!) and rice dishes and baklava and… Oof. A bunch of us sang carols—the hall is quite nice and echoey—and there was a bit of gift exchange and whatnot.

Afterwards, Cat and Mel were crashing with us, and Morgana and Brian and Sabas also came over. We sipped drinks and laughed and did handwork, and I told the story of Umberhilde and the story of getting drunk on what amounted to cheap cooking sherry for my birthday in Britain in 1987 (Mel cried, she laughed so hard). Then Cat wanted to see the bizarre and hilarious interview with Kate Bush about being a vegetarian, so I had to find that tape. Kate is an inhumanly brilliant artist, but in this particular interview she comes across as a brainless airhead. It doesn’t help that the interviewer is utterly useless herself.

Samples:

Interviewer (slowly stirring a bowl of nuts and seeds): “This looks like an assortment of nuts.”
Kate: “Yes, nuts and sunflower seeds.”
Interviewer: “How do you eat it?”
Cat & I: buh?

Interviewer: “This looks like a fruit salad.”
Kate: “Yes.”
Interviewer: “What’s in it?”
Cat & I (shouting at TV): “Fruit, you idiot!”

Then we watched “Hamsters of Rock,” Ken’s computer graphic final project from 1988, which has to be experienced to be truly understood. By this time, we all had tears streaming down our faces.

Cat and Mel left early this morning, although they had to swing back to pick up something they’d forgotten. I once again woke way too early and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I thought my writing date would be a bust, but once fortified with a caffé mocha and some exuberant chatting about projects, I was away and typing contentedly. Since we have several LARA members in the area, I’m thinking this might work well as regular thing, maybe twice a month or so.

I picked up some groceries and came home to find Ken had scrubbed the kitchen, removing the last vestiges of the ants. We had lunch, and then everything started to move verrrrrry sloooooowwwwly. Eventually I gave up and staggered back to bed, where Ken joined me. I read until my eyelids drooped, and then I actually lost consciousness a couple of times for a few moments. But then I had to go to the bathroom, and all hope of napping was gone. I tossed and turned for a while longer before I finally admitted defeat and went downstairs with my book to make popcorn.

I can highly recommend Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert (Iuliana, I think you’ll particularly like it), and will be seeking out more of her work.

Now Ken’s off to get our water bottles filled and pick up the one item I forgot at the store (ground turkey) as well as a take-and-bake pizza, so I’m going to toddle downstairs and make salad and work on the story until he returns.

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Currently Reading: Wizards anthology (about to start)
Lately Listened To: cats purring
Recently Watched: Hamsters of Rock!