Books Read in 2009

Living with Ghosts, Kari Sperring
Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Flesh and Fire: Book One of the Vineart War, Laura Anne Gilman
Graceling, Kristin Cashore
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Cape Storm, Rachel Caine
Rosemary and Rue, Seanan McGuire
The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Laurie R. King
Larklight, Philip Reeve (decorated throughout by David Wyatt)
Sabriel, Garth Nix
New Amsterdam, Elizabeth Bear
The Mirror Prince, Violette Malan
Narbonic Six, Shaenon K. Garrity
Conspirator, C.J. Cherryh
Thirteenth Child, Patricia C. Wrede
Nine Years Among the Indians, Herman Lehmann, J. Marvin Hunter, and Dale F. Giese
The True Meaning of Smekday, Adam Rex
Edison's Eve:  A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life, Gaby Wood
Undone, Rachel Caine
From Dead to Worse, Charlaine Harris
Shambling Towards Hiroshima, James Morrow
Codespell, Kelly McCullough
Cybermancy, Kelly McCullough
Carousel Tides, Sharon Lee (manuscript)
Fine Prey, Scott Westerfield  (re-read)
Web Mage, Kelly McCullough
Uhura's Song, Janet Kagan

Why it doesn't pay to take time off, and other tales from the day-job

Those playing along at home will recall that I borked my knee last week and so won three days in the comfy chair, with intermittent ice and rotating coon cats. I got Not One Damned Thing Done, though I did rest the knee and -- as a special bonus -- the chewed up arm. Which felt better today, when I climbed the hill to the library. A lot better.

That was 100 applications-and-pieces-of-applications ago. My student worker was ace, filing like a mad filing thing, and getting stuff out of the bottom file drawer so I could put it into a more accessible-to-me file drawer, but, yanno? That's a lot of data entry. Started in at 8 a.m., my gimpy leg propped up on an empty paper case, stopped for 15 minutes to eat lunch, then went right back to it, finishing up at 4 p.m., an hour later than my usual quitting time.

But! All caught up, now, on the data entry, and tomorrow I can do what I had been expecting to do today -- two posters for (rapidly) upcoming talks.

After all that excitement, I took myself down to PT. Now, some here will remember the floater incident of this past summer. I still sometimes "see" what appear to be ants in my peripheral vision, so it was with annoyance, but no surprise, as I was waiting for the PT receptionist to finish up a phone call and open the window, that I "saw" an insect in peripheral vision -- just above my left eye, in fact. I tried to ignore it; it persisted. Finally, I took off my glasses -- to find a tiny brown spider perched on the rim.

Well, that was a relief.

I detached him, gently, by his silk, and reattached him to the counter, from which location he speedily disappeared. Go in peace, little spider. Do well.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield having increased the cost of its group plan to mine employer by more than 25%, Steve and I spent some time when I got home from PT choosing our new coverage from Cigna.

And so the day-job finally looses its hold, just in time for dinner.

I really need to start writing Ghost Ship, but I'm thinking that tonight is not the night.

Early to bed.

That's the ticket.