It's been a weird day

It’s been a weird day.

Last night I went to bed a bit after 9 pm, because I was getting up at 3:45 am to catch a 4:45 am shuttle to LAX. I was supposed to be going to Oregon for a week-long workshop, at which Ken was to join me mid-week, riding back from Pittsburgh via a customer site in Illinois.

At about 11 pm, the phone rang—it was our friend Ernie, who was staying up to track Ken in to the IBR finish. He told me Ken had gone down, that the police had confirmed that he’d gone down but was “on his feet and talking” (or something to that effect), and that he might be going to the hospital.

It gets a little fuzzy after that. I know I was texting back and forth with Ernie, and eventually Ken got to the ER and I got to talk to him. He was a little groggy but actually sounded pretty good. The diagnosis so far: broken collarbone, cracked ribs, sore all over.

Although I wasn't sure whether I was going to fly to Virginia, I realized I sure as hell wasn’t going to Oregon. Sometime around 12:45 am I called the friend who’d insisted on taking me to the Oxnard Airport (where I’d get the shuttle) and let him know he could sleep in. I cancelled my flight (I love Southwest = no penalties).

Meanwhile, I’d been texting with the friend I was to be meeting in Portland and sharing a shuttle to Lincoln City. She was at the airport in Atlanta, debating whether she could even afford the trip (because she and I and another woman were to be sharing a room, and going from paying 1/3 to 1/4 of the room to paying 1/2 would put her in a bind). I told her I’d pay her my share, and we’d figure that out after I’d slept and could do math again.

I called the special insurance Ken had for the rally, which pays to get him and the bike home, and got the basic info we needed.

Then I tried to call Ken just before 1 am but his ER room phone just rang and rang (his cell phone is either still attached to the bike or is in pieces across I-95 north of Richmond). Finally someone picked up and said he was off getting x-rayed and would be back in about half an hour.

So every half hour I called and he still wasn’t there and about two hours later I finally got hold of him. I think by that time they’d transferred him into a regular room. We discussed the insurance info and goodness knows what else.

After that I had a glass of wine and stared mindlessly at the TV and put a note on the back door telling our tenant/cat sitter she didn’t need to come in and feed the cats. At 4 am I went to bed, setting the alarm for 11 am.

At 6 am, Ken called because he missed me.

Between 8 and 10 am, five different people called.

It’s a testament to the wonderful friends in our lives that I was fielding so many phone calls, texts, emails, Facebook messages, etc. (Plus other folks were keeping up via Ernie.) I don’t begrudge anyone’s attempts to contact me, even if every time the phone rang in those two hours, I wanted to weep from pure exhaustion. Thank you all for your love.

By 10 am, I gave up, and got up to feed the cats (Grimoire was going to waste away, don’t’cha know) and feed myself, because I was starving. Then started the next round of phone calls and texts and business, trying to sort out getting stuff off of Ken’s bike at the tow yard when the tow guy was about to go out of town for a day and a half, etc. We’re extremely fortunate that my eldest niece and goddaughter Megan lives in the DC area; she and her husband will head down to Fredericksburg tomorrow to see Ken and see to the bike. The tow guy said he needs a signed statement from Ken or I (although he doesn’t have a fax machine, so…?), and Megan and Josh are both JAG attorneys, so Ken and I laughed and laughed at what the signed statement might end up looking like (and how many pages it’ll be). If Ken is indeed released tomorrow, they’ll be able to help him out.

I made it through lunch before I passed out again for two hours, which made the cats happy. All of my sleep has been punctuated by weird dreams, which doesn’t surprise me.

I’ve spent most of the afternoon in a fog, poking around on Reddit and wandering around the house. There’s nothing I can do to help Ken, so I vaguely feel like I should be doing something useful, like finishing a short story (it was for the workshop, but even though I'm not going, I ought to finish it and submit it elsewhere) or designing some covers or…but no. The brain isn’t there.

It’s 7 pm, and I’ve ordered myself a pizza, and I'm going to pour myself a glass of wine and watch random stuff on Netflix until I crash. Tomorrow I’ll figure out what to do next.

Congratulations to Derek Dickson, the 2013 IronButt Rally winner. Well played, sir! And to all the riders, I raise my glass of wine to you. You all had a hell of a ride.

I’ve posted an update to Ken’s website as well.

Ken's off...and, oddly, so am I

Today Ken left for the start of the 2013 Iron Butt Rally. The actual IBR starts in Pittsburgh on July 1, although there are two days of tech inspections and a banquet and what-all leading up to that.

Many of you followed along as he ran the 2011 IBR, up to and including his accident. We’ve finally gotten his website set up, and I’ll be posting there (as well as, probably, little updates on FB and Twitter) for the 11 days he’s running. I can’t give specifics on what he’s planning or where he’s going or, often, even where he’s been, but I can let you know how he’s feeling and how things are going overall.

(This is because a few IBRs ago, someone had their friends track the top rider(s) and then followed them to try and match their route. This goes against the spirit of the IBR and, quite frankly, is poopy. We scowl at these people. But it means I can’t officially blog about Ken’s route/ride, and I respect that rule.)

If you’re reading this and wondering what the hell this goofily named rally is, go to Ken’s website, where I’ve posted the primer I wrote two years ago, with some updates.

As for me, well, I’m asking you all for a wee bit of support during this. I’m working on accepting that worry is a useless emotion, that it doesn’t help or hinder or change anything. It’s just an energy-sucking mindset. Intellectually, I understand that and agree with it. Emotionally…  ::deep breath::  My worry or not-worry had no affect on his accident two years ago, and I’m working on embracing that moving forwards. (Plus he ran two long rallies last year without a hitch.) So please think good thoughts, and if you can, be available and patient if I need some hand-holding.

I’m also not able to be at the final banquet where they announce the winner, as it’s in Pittsburgh and I need to be at a workshop in Oregon the next day, and finagling those flights proved prohibitively expensive. So I’m torn between wanting Ken to win more than anything else, and knowing that I’ll be gutted if he wins and I’m not there.

Nah. He damn well better win this thing!

Anyway…I’d forgotten (again) what it feels like when he’s first gone, how it takes me a day or two to settle in. My stomach’s in knots, as if I’m stressed, but intellectually, I’m not—it’s ore that I’m unsettled. Instead of coordinating my day with him, I can eat when I want, sleep when I want. I mean, I do that anyway, but usually we have lunch and dinner together, watch some TV together, run errands together. The house is quiet except for the cats, and they’re not very loud most of the time.

I have to make sure I don't fall into my frequent trap of becoming a hermit, because although I need alone time (especially to work), I need people, too. To that end, I’ve got the Neil Gaiman reading/signing tomorrow night (meeting people there), Morgana might come over Saturday, and Sunday I’m getting together with a couple other writers for lunch and a writing fest. Next week, I’ve got workouts with my trainer on Monday and Wednesday, and chiro appointment. Hey, that makes me feel better already.  :-)

If anyone wants to get together for lunch or a movie or walking/jogging, let me know!

Ken update: Hand, hand, fingers, thumb!

Sorry for the lack of Ken updates…it’s just that there hasn’t been much of anything to update. Until today, that is.

Rejoice! for Ken no longer has pins sticking out of his knuckles and a big clunky thing immobilizing his hand and wrist!  *\o/*

The pins themselves were almost anticlimactic—they just slid right out. He said it felt a little weird, but there was no pain. His hand’s swollen still, the skin is peeling, and the fingers are still stiff. He has his first therapy appointment on Monday, for both his hand and his shoulder. Twice a week for six weeks, and then we’ll see, I guess. He just wants his throttle hand back.  ;-)

Other than that, he still tires easily. For example, Tuesday we went to the Styx/Yes show at The Greek Theatre in Hollywood. We left at about 2:45 to miss traffic, and did so with such competence that we got there half an hour early, so we killed some time drinking tea at Starbuck’s. Styx went on first, so we ditched Yes (sorry…) but ended up going out for a late dinner with friends, so we didn’t get home ’til about 1 am.

He spent most of Wednesday napping as a result.

Thus we’re continuing to lie low and take it easy. Not too many outings, and keeping them short.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, visits are highly recommended to help him from going nuts. We can also go out for lunch or dinner, or the movies, if you’d like to meet up somewhere (provided we don’t have much else scheduled that day). Please. Really. We love our friends and we want to see you!

Ken update: Busting out soon

Sorry for the lack of update yesterday… We’ve been busy trying to coordinate things like transport and insurance and police reports and whatnot. Plus a friend took me to the Apple store to replace Ken’s twisted-up phone (whereupon I also bought a cover for my iPad, a replacement charging cord for my iPad, and earphones for Ken’s phone), then took me out for lunch and a long ride around and through Reno. I’m looking forward to visiting again sometime when Ken and I can both enjoy the scenery. (Plus I’ve promised the friend that the next time Styx plays here, we’re taking him and his wife.  ;-)  )

Big improvements yesterday: They removed the chest tube/drains and all IVs from Ken! That makes getting up and moving around so much easier for him. We took a walk down the hall and he got to see a view from a different window, too. He’s just taking oral pain medicines, and really isn’t in any major pain at all.

Today a therapist worked with his left arm. The muscles are stiff and sore (the scapula has a whole slew of muscles attached to it), but overall the broken scapula itself doesn’t hurt when he moves. Having relatively full use of his left arm also makes things a lot easier.

Thank you all for your recommendations for hand surgeons; I’ll be compiling a list and will contact some of you for additional information if necessary.

We should be out of here in a day or two, so Ken can go stir crazy at home instead of here. Those of you who’ve offered help will be getting an email or call soon….

Ken update: That damn coyote

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Baby, you’re a firework!*

Ken’s doing great.  :-)  Yesterday afternoon he announced he was sick of his liquid diet, so he had solid food for supper and then again for breakfast today. He’s off oxygen, sat in a chair for breakfast, and took a walk around the halls with a therapist. He’s fine using his left arm to eat, etc.—it doesn’t hurt bending from the elbow, just using the upper arm. (There’s no damage to the ball joint, but the broken scapula and no doubt torn muscles are causing discomfort.)

Several friends went to look at the accident site, including our friend Ernie who’s a trained accident investigator, and then they checked over the bike as well (which a friend got from the towing company and is storing). The verdict is that an animal was involved and, in fact, hit the bike, as opposed to the other way around. Looks like it hit the front wheel, which sent the bike into a skid. Ken went off the left side, causing the broken scapula and ribs, obliterated spleen, etc. (The broken right hand could have been just from his hand slamming into the ground.) Then the bike must’ve hit the soft sand at the side of the road, because it clearly went ass over teakettle before it came to rest in the desert.

Most likely culprits are jackrabbit, coyote, or mountain lion; for some reason my bets are on a coyote. (Many, many jokes are being made about roadrunners, ACME, roller skates….) We do have a few hairs and blood—anyone out there have the CSI equipment to determine species?  ;-)

Thanks to all of our friends for taking care of Ken, the bike, his stuff, etc. Now it’s just listening to the doctors and nurses and doing what needs to be done to get better.

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*Yes, I’m a Katy Perry fan, and proud of it.

Ken update: Thanks, hand info, transport

First, Ken would like to thank everyone for their outpouring of support—the blog/FB/Twitter comments, the emails (I hacked into his account), the folks who’ve gone out of their way to stop by. You are all freaking amazing!

Second, for some reason I can’t access the hotel’s internet in Ken’s room. I can get it fine in my “hotel” room, which is on the other end of the complex. I’m going to see if I can get it when I’m in the cafeteria…

Third, can anyone recommend a hand surgeon (either orthopedic or plastic) in the Ventura County area? Ken’s hand needs to be immobilized for about six weeks, then he needs to have the pins taken out and start doing some therapy. He should regain full function of his hand, yay! Oh, and we learned today that the broken bones were in his hand, not his fingers. Broken bones and ruptured tendons…. But again, full use of his hand will happen eventually. And his shoulder socket wasn’t injured (just his scapula) so he’ll be able to use his left hand in the meantime, once his scapula isn’t hurting quite so bad.

Fourth, to answer a popular question: He’ll probably be here in Reno for 3 or so more days. He was signed up for a mediflight service that will transport him to a hospital of our choice in Southern California, and then he’ll be released to go home.

That’s this morning’s update!  :-)

Ken update: Soon out of ICU

Ken will be moved out of ICU today (once the order processes through), which is a big step in the right direction! Now he can have clear liquids, which he’s really happy about because he’s been very thirsty (it’s very dry in the hospital). They also expect to get him up and walking a little bit. Wow.

He’s sore all over, which isn’t surprising at all, but thankfully no sharp pain; the drugs are doing their job. It hurts to breath deeply, but they’re pushing him to do that to keep his lungs in good shape. Turns out he did have surgery on his right hands so he has titanium pins in three fingers.

It’s occurred to me that with his right hand broken and his left arm in a sling (because of the broken shoulder), he’s going to require constant care for awhile.  O.o  Meep.

Re: phone calls and texts. There are several reasons why I’ve asked ya’ll not to call or text….

1. I’m already on the phone a lot keeping family updated, coordinating with local friends who are helping out, canceling appointments, etc. Sometimes I’m getting texts while I’m on the phone, or multiple calls, and I can’t juggle everything.
2. I’m talking to doctors/nurses/etc. and thus can’t stop to answer the phone.
3. I’m grabbing rest whenever I can. I can’t turn off the phone in case a nurse needs to reach me, plus I use the phone as my alarm clock.
4. I'm sitting with Ken most of the time, and if he's sleeping, the phone can wake him up.
5. I’m rapidly running out of phone battery, even w/frequent charging.
6. My earpiece died and I don’t have the charging cord (hoping to get another today, but we’ll see). It’s easier for me to hear and much more comfy to talk with an earpiece, so I’m less inclined to chat when I don’t have one.

Please believe me, I’m reading all of your emails and blog comments and FB and Twitter responses, and when Ken’s more awake I’m going to read them all to him, too. Right now there’s not a lot I need, and I’m getting hold of folks who can help when I do need something. When I get Ken home, I know I’ll need more help then.

Also, please check back here for updates on how he’s doing. This is the easiest/fastest way to keep everyone up to speed. I’ll post notes on FB/Twitter when I’ve updated here. I’m doing quickie updates on FB/Twitter (like when he got the breathing tube out) but full info will go here.

I simply don’t have time to answer individual responses, and you know why? Because I have so many fucking awesome friends that I can’t keep up. That’s what you all get for being too fucking amazing for words.

Oh, and more thank-yous:

• Nanci and Lenny for rescuing my car from the hotel in Ontario
• Brian and Brad for rescuing Ken’s bike
• Shannon and Stephen, Ken’s amazing nurses

Now, if I could just track down what happened to his wallet… It was in his motorcycle jacket, which according to the guy who rescued his bike is “only partial and in shreds.” I’m guessing it was cut off him at the scene.  O.o

Ken's going to be okay

First of all, Ken’s going to be fine. That’s the most important thing.

He was in an accident outside of Reno at about 6:30 pm last night (Thursday night). He was life-flighted to Renown Trauma Center in Reno. He was coherent enough to give the ER my name and phone number, and two different people said he was polite.  :-)  Neurologically he’s fine, and he also has no spinal injuries. The helmet, of course, saved his life.

However, they did have to remove his spleen; he has three broken ribs and some broken fingers on his right hand, a broken shoulder (which they haven’t been able to X-ray yet, but they don’t seem to think it’s bad), and one of his lungs did collapse. As of right now (2 pm Friday) he’s on a respirator but mostly breathing on his own, and they hope to take the tube out sometime this afternoon. In fact, the nurse just told me they might move him out of ICU as early as tomorrow morning.

He’s on really good pain meds so he’s a little loopy, but he smiles and squeezes my hand and indicates that he’s doing fine. That’s pretty much all I care about right now.  :-)

The ER person who called me last night has to get credit for being so damn calm, I didn’t freak out at all. In fact, I’ve been freakishly calm about everything; the only time I got a little weepy was when I thought about him being at the side of the road before someone found him. (He was on a not-well-traveled road, and we don’t know how long it was until someone came upon him, or if someone saw it happen, or whatever. We also may never know what exactly happened; most people don’t remember. The state troopers who were first on the scene may be able to shed some light…but it’s really not important, all things considered.)

I also have to credit our friends Ernie and Pauline, who’d come down for the IBR finish and in fact arrived just as I was getting the call—they sat with me and Ernie made lots of phone calls. Ken’s mom was there, too, and another friend. Lisa with the Rally booked my flight to Reno this morning and was also just calm and amazing. Here in Reno, bikers Brian and John have been at the hospital since last night, Brian picked me up at the airport, and they both got me situated here at the hospital (which turned one floor of one wing into a hotel, so I even have a place to sleep, shower, etc., for a reasonable rate).

Please feel free to leave comments and well wishes here or on Facebook, and when Ken’s more coherent I’ll read them all to him. For right now, though, please don’t call or text—I’m busy enough keeping family apprised and I can’t always answer the phone. I know you’re out there, and you care.

Right now I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do except send positive energy and well wishes. When we get home, I will probably have to ask for some help during his recovery.

He’s gonna be okay. That’s all that matters.

xoxo to you all

IBR primer

I’m going to be posting (mostly on Facebook and Twitter) about Ken’s progress in the Iron Butt Rally, so I thought it would be useful to do a quick primer here, to get everyone up to speed on what I’ll be babbling about.

The IBR is an 11-day, 11,000-plus-mile endurance motorcycle event, kind of like a scavenger hunt via motorcycle. Bonus locations are all over the US (including Alaska) and into Canada, and have different points, so part of the challenge is to figure out how to get the maximum number of points in the time frame you have. There are also mandatory timed checkpoints that you must make.

About 1000 people apply to run the rally every two years; 100 are chosen. Because there is a minimum number of points you have to get, you can conceivably hit all the required checkpoints and still not “finish.” About 60 people actually finish.

More people have gone into space than run the IBR. More people climb Mt. Everest every year than have run the IBR since its start in 1984.

Ken got interested in rallies a few years ago and began running shorter ones, which happen all over the country during the year. He applied, but wasn’t chosen in the lottery, for the 2009 IBR. Then he won four shorter rallies in a row—something nobody had ever done before. About a month and a half before the 2009 IBR, he got a call inviting him in. His response (as was correct) was “Let me check with my wife.”  ;-)

Everyone else had about a year to prepare. He had a month and a half. And on his very first IBR, he came in 9^th.

He headed up to Oregon last week to do final work on the bike in a friend’s shop, then ran the short Cal24 rally to give the bike a shakedown. (Yeah, and he won, too!) Tomorrow he’s off to Seattle for the starting checkpoint, where there will be tech inspections and a riders’ meeting and a banquet and all that sort of thing.

As I did 2009, before he left I took an official “start” picture. Unfortunately, he left after dark, and my camera flash had fun with the reflective material on his jacket…. This was the best I could do.

I will be posting FB/Twitter updates on his progress as I can. I’ll be at an intensive writing workshop for the first 8 or so days of the rally….

Emails of encouragement may be sent to him via email, but please understand he won’t be able to respond. Also, comments on my posts are unlikely to get to him, due to my workshop, etc.

The rally finish is in Ontario, CA, on Friday, July 1, from 8–10 am. If anyone wants to join me there, ping me privately for details!


Edited to add


Ken was still working on the bike in Portland when I flew in yesterday, so he came to the airport to give me kisses.  :-)  So I was able to take a proper "start" picture, which is also more proper because a few hours later he really did leave for the IBR start in Seattle.

What I've been doing and what I'm about to do

Good gods, ya’ll, I’ve been traveling so much I’ve barely had time to keep up on work, much less update about what I’ve been doing!

I spent this past weekend in Oregon at another workshop (this one business-oriented rather that writing-oriented). I swear, as soon as we hit Lincoln City, all I could think was “But I wanna stay the whole week and write!” but alas, no. The workshop was intense but hugely helpful and informative, and it was as always fabby to reconnect with old friends (there were five of us from the first Master Class in March 2002) and meet new OWN writers (there were several folks for whom this was their first OWN workshop).

Back in Portland, I spent Sunday night with friends, and now I’m on the plane home. Ken’s picking me up and we’re going to buy me a new motorcycle helmet to match his new one—both with Bluetooth so we can talk to each other without plugging in!—and I may have time to get a new tattoo (a motorcycle helmet and a tattoo in the same day would make me feel entirely badass), and then I’m going be on a radio show talking about fantasy and writing and fandom and generally being a geek. A badass geek, that’s me.

Then we’re home for 2.5 days, which will include two bootcamp workouts, one cat to the vet, one dentist appt, and as much work as I can cram in, before we hop on the bike and head for AZ and NM. AZ is a Styx show (110! which doesn’t have as special a ring as 100, but it’s one-tenth of the way to my second 100, right?!), and in NM is our dear friend Vicki-Marie, who lives in Paris but is visiting a friend in Albuquerque. Also in NM is my friend/fellow writer Pati Nagle, who is also a tea aficionado (one of the many things we have in common), so she’s making reservations for all of us at a primo tea shop in the area.

And then we’ll ride home and I’ll try not to collapse because what I’ll really need to do is writewritewrite! (And uploaduploadupload! more stories, and readreadread! more anthologies for the Short Story Workshop in June, and designdesigndesign! my first POD novel, and possible editeditedit! a copyediting job, and…!)

But right now I have to turn off the computer in preparation for our descent, where my beloved awaits me!

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Update, many, many hours later:

Did ya’ll listen to me on The Geek Agenda? If not, never fear! It will be rebroadcast and podcasted. Hopefully I didn’t sound too dorky. If I did, don’t tell me. Personally, I had a blast, and I hope I get to do it again!

I did stop at Sunset Strip Tattoo to discuss my tattoo, but didn’t have time to do it before the show. I decided towards the end of dinner (after the show) that I was just too tired. It was really the fiddly pre-tattoo bits of making the transfer and making sure it was where I wanted it, etc., that I didn’t have the energy I for. If it was crooked, I probably would have still said “Fine! Just do it!” and that would have a been a bad thing. So. Back to Hollywood at a later (but hopefully not too later) date for that.

Now, after several nights with not nearly enough sleep, I’m off to snuggle with my beloved and my kittays. Because tomorrow…see above re: writewritewrite! etc.

Come see Ken in Portland and Eugene!

Live in Oregon? Ever want to hear Ken's talk about his experiences on the Iron Butt Rally? Well, here's your chance!


Saturday, February 26, 6 p.m.
BMW of Western Oregon, Tigard
12010 SW Garden Place
Tigard, OR 97223


Sunday, February 27, 6 p.m.

BMW of Western Oregon, Eugene

2891 W 11th Avenue

Eugene OR 97402

The Iron Butt Association is a loose-knit group of riders dedicated to safe long-distance motorcycling. Entry into the club is obtained by documenting long-distance riding challenges, such as 1,000 miles in under 24 hours, or Coast to Coast in under 50 hours. Every two years the IBA hosts their premier event, the Iron Butt Rally. Billed as "11,000 miles in 11 days," this Rally tests the mettle of selected riders by sending them all across the US and Canada on a giant two-wheeled scavenger hunt. In fact, more people have gone into space than have completed an Iron Butt Rally.

Ken Meese has been riding ever since he snuck his parents' 125cc bike out of the garage as a teenager. He has logged several hundred thousand miles on BMWs and has ridden in Asia, Europe, and North America. Ken has ridden numerous Long Distance Rallies and Iron Butt certificate rides that have covered nearly every US state and most Canadian Provinces. 2009 was his first Iron Butt Rally, but definitely not his last.

This evening will be full of road tales, travails, and triumphs as Ken shares his experiences of competing in the ultimate motorcycle endurance Rally, and shows just what it takes to survive on a BMW for 11 days and 11,000 miles.

Braced for the insane fun

Ken and I just spent a few minutes going over calendars and plotting and planning for the busy month ahead. We’ll be away from home for about 13 days total, and will have company for 2 days. Add in packing, unpacking, cleaning, and other projects (curtains for the kitchen, trip to the garment district, new heraldic tabard [that’s really Ken’s project, though], putting my seat back on the bike [also Ken’s project, obviously]), and it’s going to be…fun!

So with all that in mind, I’ve also been putting together my writing calendar for the month. It won’t be quite as aggressive as last month, obviously, although I’m going to a 4-day Mystery Structure Workshop in Oregon that will have me writing like a fiend.

Let’s see. Next weekend is CP Prize, which is down in San Diego. We’re heading down the day before (because we are Very Not Morning People). Not sure if we’ll leave early enough to do anything down there, though. And I can always take the laptop and work in the hotel room Friday night. We’ll get home late Saturday night.

Then, on Monday, we hop on the bike and start heading to Oregon. We’ll stay one night with my sister in Monterey, and arrive in Portland sometime late-ish on Wednesday, with plans to stay with our friends Lev and Gayle on Wednesday and Thursday nights. I’m trying to arrange a joint reading/signing up there with fabulous writer Shanna Germain, but I’m hampered by the distance, unfamiliarity with all the bookshops up there (Lev and Shanna have given me some ideas), and lack of time.

Friday I head off to Lincoln City; the workshop starts that night. Ken is planning to give his BMW talk in Portland and Seattle over the weekend, after working at his client up there on Thursday and Friday. My workshop ends on Monday, and Ken will pick me up in Lincoln City and we’ll start heading south, staying again at my sister’s on Tuesday night.

We’ll get home Wednesday evening and then Thursday head down to Anaheim for Queensrÿche’s Cabaret show, which I am anticipating with an unholy glee. Then a day off to recover, then maybe Lyondemere Anniversary (right now we’re thinking not, because of work and everything, but it’s on the calendar just in case), and then my darling Meglet visits for two days.

Only then do we have a few days “off,” which of course are “Ack! So much work to do!” days. Along with a  hair appt and a dentist appt. The final Saturday of the month is our local Shire’s Pirate Tournament, hurrah! but of course the official premiere of Hard Miles 2, the DVD about the 2009 Iron Butt Rally, is that night in Santa Ana, so we’ll have to leave early, throw on bike gear, and dash down there. Because Ken’s in that DVD, don’tcha know!

Thankfully, August will be a bit quieter. Two Styx shows, including a trip up to Saratoga for my 100^th show (!!!!  *\o/*  !!!!) and a visit from Sara R (she’s going to teach me how to make origami boxes, and we’re going to watch The Breakfast Club, and and and…!).

Other than that, Ken may run a rally or two, and Crown Tournament is in there, too, but it’s not that far away. So August will be back to an aggressive writing schedule.

I’ll ramble about July’s goals later, because now I have to post this and go dig around the sewing room for a few things! and then get back to work.  :-)

What are your plans for the weekend, and the coming month?

In case you were wondering...

Remember those aggressive goals for this month? Are you wondering how I’m doing?

• get an overdue story to the editor (who kindly allowed me a few grace days) – decided, reluctantly, to let this one go. Among other reasons, the story was insisting on becoming a novella. So now I have an erotic steampunk novella to write at some point!
• get everything done for Out of the Frying Pan and back to Teresa – DONE! We have a confab tomorrow to plan the next steps.
• do the edits/rewrites for Waking the Witch and get them to the editor who requested them – to be printed and mailed tomorrow!
• write a story for the Mountain Magic anthology – some brainstorming done; this is next on the To Do list
• write a story for the Crossed Genres anthology – after some consideration, decided to let this one go, too. A balance of research time vs potential payment…and in the end, novel work won out.
• prep “In Her Hands” for Kindle, etc. (if time) – in progress

The upshoot? I’m on track and on target. I’ve adjusted a few things here and there, but flexibility is part of the program.

Also? Loving Llyfr. File transfer between computers is so much faster—previously, I couldn’t use my laptop to open a file on Arianbach (main computer) and actually work on it. Now, happy joy.

Life-wise…not much to report. I worked all weekend, not being in the household that camped out this weekend, even though I’m friends with most of them. Ken won his rally (Yay, Ken!). I went to the LARA meeting and out to lunch with Christine (at Versailles, natch!). I made lunch dates with two friends for this week, and will be making a couple of writing dates as well.

Onwards! Or as Jason and Grant say, on to the next!

Adventures now and then

Have I mentioned Ken’s off on another adventure? Yes, he is! Three weeks on the bike, going all over the place. (If you want to follow his movements, he’s got a tracker on the bike; e-mail me privately for the link.)

He left Tuesday afternoon and hit Arkansas today, where he’s visiting his 96-year-old grandmother and his aunt. Tomorrow he heads up to Missouri, out of which he’ll be running a rally over the weekend. Then it’s off to Boston to touch base with a customer. By Tuesday he’ll be in upstate NY, where he’ll be helping my mom out for a week. (Best. Husband. EVER.) After that, he’ll shoot across to Utah, run another rally, then come home.

Of course, July is already filling up, trip-wise. We’ll be down in San Diego for a couple of days to attend CP Prize, because as Kingdom Chronicler I kinda hafta be there.  ;-)  But the really fun trip will come after that…

I’m taking a weekend-long OWN workshop on Mystery Structure (since I wasn’t able to take the week-long Mystery workshop in May), so we’re making a working vacation out of it! We’ll ride up, hopefully visiting my sister on the way, and visit friends in Portland as well. Ken’s arranging to do some training/work at the customer site there, and also plans to do his IBR talk at a couple of BMW dealers. And, of course, Powells. Which we’ll have to do early, so I can ship the books home, because it’s doubtful we’d be able to squeeze them all into the bike bags!

Then we have to get back to southern California, because we have tickets to Queensryche’s Cabaret show! Whoo!

As the end of June nears, I’ll plot out my work calendar for July, taking all that into account. I won’t be able to be as productive in July…but then again, I know I’ll be coming out of the workshop with a few new novel proposals and stories!

Attention, San Diego friends

Ken will be giving his IBR talk at San Diego BMW Motorcycles this Saturday:

The Iron Butt Association is a group of loose-knit riders dedicated to safe long-distance motorcycling. Entry into the club is obtained by documenting long-distance riding challenges, such as 1,000 miles in under 24 hours, or Coast-to-Coast in under 50 hours. Every two years the IBA hosts their premier event, the Iron Butt Rally. Billed as "11,000 miles in 11 days," this Rally tests the mettle of selected riders by sending them all over the US and Canada on a giant two-wheeled scavenger hunt. Although the Iron Butt Association has over 40,000 members, barely 400 riders have successfully finished an Iron Butt Rally. In fact, more people have gone into space than have completed an Iron Butt Rally.

Ken Meese has been riding ever since he snuck his parents' 125cc bike out of the garage as a teenager. He has logged several hundred thousand miles on BMWs and has ridden in Asia, Europe, and North America. Ken has ridden numerous Long Distance Rallies and Iron Butt certificate rides that have covered nearly every US state and most Canadian Provinces. 2009 was his first Iron Butt Rally, but definitely not his last.

This evening will be full of road tales, travails, and triumphs as Ken shares his experiences of competing in the ultimate motorcycle endurance Rally. In addition, Ken's Rally-prepped bike will be on hand so you can see just what it takes to survive on a BMW for 11 days and 11,000 miles.

I don't know what time (early evening, I think), so call the dealership to confirm:

5673 Kearny Villa Road, San Diego CA 92123
Phone: 858-560-BIKE (2453)

Ken's IBR talk

4:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 12th, 2009

BMW Motorcycles of Ventura County
830 Tourmaline Drive
Newbury Park CA 91320

The Iron Butt Association is a loose-knit group of riders dedicated to safe long-distance motorcycling. Entry into the club is obtained by documenting long-distance riding challenges, such as 1,000 miles in under 24 hours. Every two years the IBA hosts their premier event, the Iron Butt Rally. Billed as "11,000 miles in 11 days," this Rally tests the mettle of selected riders by sending them all across the US and Canada on a giant two-wheeled scavenger hunt. In fact, more people have gone into space than have completed an Iron Butt Rally.

Ken Meese has been riding ever since he snuck his parents' 125cc bike out of the garage as a teenager. He has logged several hundred thousand miles on BMWs and has ridden in Asia, Europe, and North America. Ken has ridden numerous Long Distance Rallies and Iron Butt certificate rides that have covered nearly every US state and most Canadian Provinces. 2009 was his first Iron Butt Rally, but definitely not his last.

This evening will be full of road tales, travails, and triumphs as Ken shares his experiences of competing in the ultimate motorcycle endurance Rally. In addition, Ken's Rally-prepped bike will be on hand so you can see just what it takes to survive on a BMW for 11 days and 11,000 miles.