stuff n stuff
==The Helliday==
My plans for today are to mop the kitchen, make a cherry pie, try again to make a non-runny pecan pie--I bought new pie plates on the theory that the deep dish is what's causing the filling not to set up. and keep the critters out of the tree.
It's not that kind of a tree, guys.
Yes, it's true I hate $mas. But I decided to do $mas like an Al-Anon meeting. I admit that I am powerless over capitalist greed masquerading as a religious holiday, and that my life has become unmanageable. I'm also going to take what I like and leave the rest. So I'm just going to have the things about the holiday I do enjoy (trees, lights, cards, food, and very occasionally songs but only when sung by choirs and never when sung by country and western stars) and skip the parts that piss me off (the piranha-like gift frenzy.)
My $mas gift to myself is the realization that if someone can only be happy during this holiday if I'm miserable, that's their problem and not mine, so no more of this, "But you're ruining MY holiday!" guilt trip crapola.
It's your holiday, so if you choose to let my partial- or non-participation ruin it? You're an ass.
Ha. Take that, Scrooge. The student has surpassed the teacher! You may call me Grasshopper now.
==The Family==
In other news, yesterday Zor turned 18. Did I think we'd make it? I really wondered at times.
My son-in-law was admitted to the hospital and spent a day in ICU because the docs believed he'd had a heart attack. It turns out he probably didn't, but they don't seem to know what caused all that pain. He's home now, and I'm hoping for zero encore performances. I don't know him well, but he takes fair care of my spawn and their spawn. Also he's on the surprisingly short list of people I've never wanted to punch, not even once. So I'm good with him not suffering.
==Critters==
Kelly is being a Tyrant. She's been hogging the dog bed. I've been getting up and holding her so Cobie can lie down and then letting her go. Then she snuggles right up to him. What a little borderline personality dog she is at times! Mind you, they both eat from the same bowl, chew at opposite ends of the same bone, share toys galore, cuddle up on the sofa for naps...but the dogbed suddenly is the location of a turf war. I think it's their age. I'm really glad Cobie is hugely patient with her, and that she is very small, or things could be ugly.
I have learned so much about dogs this past year. Strange, because I've had dogs before, and there was (and is) still so much I didn't know. Like all that CHOMPing Cobie did. I was afraid of his teeth! But as soon as I stopped retreating from them, he stopped hurting me with them. He actually has the softest mouth of any dog I've ever known.
Oh, another thing Kelly does is hoard toys. She takes them all under the sofa where Cobie can't get them, and doles them out as she sees fit. Well, we were at Meijer and I saw this enormous tennis ball for dogs, really heavy and hard, not like a regular tennis ball. It's bigger than Kelly's head. And even though it seemed kind of mean, I bought that ball for Cobie. After all, it's kind of mean for her to take all their toys, the little greedo!
She goes bananas trying to pick that ball up. Once she managed it, for about five seconds. We could almost hear her tendons groan. Then she started playing soccer with it and rolled it under the sofa.
They're both good dogs though. She gets these hideous knots in her ear fringe, and she's pretty good about letting me try to get them out, she never even shows teeth although I'm sure it smarts. I actually bought a mat comb which helps, but some still have to be trimmed. I love her ear fringe. I hate to butcher it. But I hate the thought that the knots are pulling her fur, too, so.
==Writing==
Finished godlight, or at least as much as I can do without professional guidance. I sent queries to two agents, just to get past the anxiety of submitting before it had a chance to grow. I received one form rejection. I somehow expected to have a stronger reaction to that than I did. Maybe it hasn't hit me yet? Or maybe I just need to be slapped more times than normal people before I start to sting?
Oh well. I decided not to send any more until after the holidays, since some agents are on hiatus anyway.
Also, I'm busy too. There's that whole keeping critters out of the tree thing, and pie physics.
In between that I can work on a list of places to submit and try to come up with something new to write.
And that's about it for now. Til next time, Happy Whatever Makes You Happy!
My plans for today are to mop the kitchen, make a cherry pie, try again to make a non-runny pecan pie--I bought new pie plates on the theory that the deep dish is what's causing the filling not to set up. and keep the critters out of the tree.
It's not that kind of a tree, guys.
Yes, it's true I hate $mas. But I decided to do $mas like an Al-Anon meeting. I admit that I am powerless over capitalist greed masquerading as a religious holiday, and that my life has become unmanageable. I'm also going to take what I like and leave the rest. So I'm just going to have the things about the holiday I do enjoy (trees, lights, cards, food, and very occasionally songs but only when sung by choirs and never when sung by country and western stars) and skip the parts that piss me off (the piranha-like gift frenzy.)
My $mas gift to myself is the realization that if someone can only be happy during this holiday if I'm miserable, that's their problem and not mine, so no more of this, "But you're ruining MY holiday!" guilt trip crapola.
It's your holiday, so if you choose to let my partial- or non-participation ruin it? You're an ass.
Ha. Take that, Scrooge. The student has surpassed the teacher! You may call me Grasshopper now.
==The Family==
In other news, yesterday Zor turned 18. Did I think we'd make it? I really wondered at times.
My son-in-law was admitted to the hospital and spent a day in ICU because the docs believed he'd had a heart attack. It turns out he probably didn't, but they don't seem to know what caused all that pain. He's home now, and I'm hoping for zero encore performances. I don't know him well, but he takes fair care of my spawn and their spawn. Also he's on the surprisingly short list of people I've never wanted to punch, not even once. So I'm good with him not suffering.
==Critters==
Kelly is being a Tyrant. She's been hogging the dog bed. I've been getting up and holding her so Cobie can lie down and then letting her go. Then she snuggles right up to him. What a little borderline personality dog she is at times! Mind you, they both eat from the same bowl, chew at opposite ends of the same bone, share toys galore, cuddle up on the sofa for naps...but the dogbed suddenly is the location of a turf war. I think it's their age. I'm really glad Cobie is hugely patient with her, and that she is very small, or things could be ugly.
I have learned so much about dogs this past year. Strange, because I've had dogs before, and there was (and is) still so much I didn't know. Like all that CHOMPing Cobie did. I was afraid of his teeth! But as soon as I stopped retreating from them, he stopped hurting me with them. He actually has the softest mouth of any dog I've ever known.
Oh, another thing Kelly does is hoard toys. She takes them all under the sofa where Cobie can't get them, and doles them out as she sees fit. Well, we were at Meijer and I saw this enormous tennis ball for dogs, really heavy and hard, not like a regular tennis ball. It's bigger than Kelly's head. And even though it seemed kind of mean, I bought that ball for Cobie. After all, it's kind of mean for her to take all their toys, the little greedo!
She goes bananas trying to pick that ball up. Once she managed it, for about five seconds. We could almost hear her tendons groan. Then she started playing soccer with it and rolled it under the sofa.
They're both good dogs though. She gets these hideous knots in her ear fringe, and she's pretty good about letting me try to get them out, she never even shows teeth although I'm sure it smarts. I actually bought a mat comb which helps, but some still have to be trimmed. I love her ear fringe. I hate to butcher it. But I hate the thought that the knots are pulling her fur, too, so.
==Writing==
Finished godlight, or at least as much as I can do without professional guidance. I sent queries to two agents, just to get past the anxiety of submitting before it had a chance to grow. I received one form rejection. I somehow expected to have a stronger reaction to that than I did. Maybe it hasn't hit me yet? Or maybe I just need to be slapped more times than normal people before I start to sting?
Oh well. I decided not to send any more until after the holidays, since some agents are on hiatus anyway.
Also, I'm busy too. There's that whole keeping critters out of the tree thing, and pie physics.
In between that I can work on a list of places to submit and try to come up with something new to write.
And that's about it for now. Til next time, Happy Whatever Makes You Happy!