Eagles Over the Kennebec

What went before: So! Two-thirds packed in clothes. After I finish this letter to the internets, I will finish getting the laptop prepped and packed.

Or -- a sort of productive day with intermittent flashes of: I can't do this/Who thought this was a good idea?/I am going to get so lost/I'm going to forget my speech/and several other variations on We're All Gonna Die. I wish my brain wouldn't do this, but if wishes were fishes, we'd all be eatin' chowdah.

Tomorrow: Early doctor appointment; possibly wash car on the way home; update the prices of books at Amazon; change out the cat fountains; pack the Big Bag with Con Clothes &c. Honestly, I have about ninety bags to take with me, each one embodying A Thought (for instance, I have bottles of distilled water to feed the CPAP machine -- in a beverage bag). Perhaps I'll be able to consolidate some thoughts. If not -- ninety bags it is. The Subaru is commodious, or, in the local dialect, "You can fit two men anna boy back there."

On that note: Everybody stay safe; I'll see you tomorrow.

Monday. Dim, cool, and damp.

It took forever at the doctor's office, which, given that the hospital is closing down around them I guess was to be expected.

I did eat a cheese sandwich before I went, and that turned out to be a good call. Cup of tea brewing and, yes, I do believe I will be having an oatmeal cookie with that. Or two.

Next up is updating the cover prices on those books that are, according to the Wisdom of the River, underpriced.

After that, I'll swap out the cat fountains, and then I'll start in packing the Big Bag, and trying to make some order on my desk, so I don't come home to Compleat Chaos.

Oh. And I need to call the practice in Bath to find out what their preferred format for receiving my health records from Inland might be.

I should also look at the TBR pile on my tablet, to make sure I have enough to read while I'm away, given that I'll probably finish the Earl this evening.

So, that's the shape of my day.

What's the shape of yours?

It pains me to report that Young Rookie Transgressed yesterday evening and pushed Tali off of the cedar chest, Just Because He Could.  Tali left, came back with reinforcements and A Chat ensued, which included Staring, Smiting, and Being Utterly Unimpressed with Upstart Voids, no matter how cute.

What went before:  So, a low-key day. I did some This, some That, read, put the finished sampler into the embroidery book, ironed some con clothes. I'm still trying to decide if I'll wear black-and-grey, or black-and-maroon for Opening Ceremonies, a decision I can put off for a few days yet, as both outfits will be coming with me.

For those who are coming to BaltiCon -- I have Interesting News. We have a possible location for the Stuffed Animal Tea, but! We don't have a time or day. So, at this point, it's kind of a Heisenberg Tea. More news will be forthcoming, possibly on Wednesday. As soon as I know something firm (bearing in mind that I will be spending a large amount of Wednesday and Thursday driving), I'll let y'all know.

We're getting up toward ASL time, and I still need to close the windows.

Everybody stay safe; I'll see you tomorrow.

#

Friday. Dim and damp.

Letters dispatched. Finished reading The Mysterious Marquess, and have pulled The Elusive Earl up for tonight's reading, unless it turns out to be a Dr. Who night. Zoom call upcoming, and a couple other such things as people are suddenly realizing that I'm going to be away. Laundry needs to be sorted, laptop charged and systems brought up to date

I have more this 'n that to do, including puzzling out some bits for the book after the current WIP, which may not be Jethri after all, if I'm gonna do mumblemumble with the current WIP, which I think may be Forced, given that I need to at least produce a soft landing, if not a Hard Wrap Up, and there are only three books remaining under contract (Current WIP, WIP After, Jethri Big Finish). And now you know why writers stare out of windows.

I'm slowly remembering the convention traditions -- pins, con clothes, tote bag, pens, ribbons, badge jewelry... For those who are coming to the con, I will have with me some "I Met Steve Miller" ribbons, so that those present who had, in fact, met Steve Miller may acknowledge that connection.

The cats are being very snuggly and maybe even a little clingy, which I'm guessing the memo I sent out has hit. If the teleporter worked, I'd bring them with me, but the geezinfluke is still on backorder.

I think that's most of what's going on here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.

How's everybody doing today?

Today's blog post title courtesy of Mr. Bruce Springsteen, "4th of July, Asbury Park"

After breakfast cat census:

What went before ONE: Contact made with painter. Letters writ. Duty to the cats retired. Car vacuumed; mud trays removed, rinsed off, and drying in the breeze.

I may not have mentioned this before, but ... I have a snow shovel hanging on a coat hook in the foyer. And Rook has decided that bumping the shovel with his cheek (which makes the shovel swing slightly and go "bump-bump-bump") is An Announcement that Coon Cats Are OR Should Be About To Be Fed.

Which is cute, even though he's pretty often wrong. However, he's right often enough that the other cats recognize the bump-bump-bump as treats and come rushing in from wherever they were to make sure they don't miss out.

This brought to you by, I just put my dinner on to warm, Rookie decided turkey breast smelled good to him, hit the shovel -- and I was awash in coon cats. None of whom are getting my turkey, and they've already had treats.

What went before TWO: Got a little bit of work done -- +/-840 words, bringing the WIP to +/-38,690.

Still need to sort out my sewing basket, and one of my letters has generated a couple things I need to watch, so I think I'll do the pots 'n pans, serve up happy hour, pour a glass of wine and watch those.

#

Tuesday. Damp and grey and chill.

Trash and recycling at the curb.

Breakfast was a raisin bran muffin. Kettle on for my second cup of tea. Lunch...I think there's leftover quiche.

Chatting a little with the gentleman who will be interviewing me at Balticon (11:30 Saturday morning in the Maryland Room, immediately after the Friends of Liad Breakfast), and he mentioned that he may talk about the Carousel books, which is very cool. But, that inspired me to go back to find when the Carousel books were published -- Carousel Tides, 2010; Carousel Sun 2014; Carousel Seas 2015. So the newest was published a decade ago.  I was in Old Orchard Beach in September of 2012, the year and month that I turned 60, writing Carousel Sun. Leaving aside the obligatory How Is That Possible? -- that's eleven Liaden books ago.

I dunno. Maybe we weren't slackers, after all.

So, today I'm going to record my adjusted reading to make sure I fall within time, sort out my sewing basket, perform one's duty to the cats, answer a couple letters and remember to go to the library this evening.

That doesn't seem to be too difficult a day.

What's your day look like?

Blog post title brought to you by Matchbook 20, "3 a.m."

Pictures: daffodils and Rook (who was helping me watch those youtube samples)

First things first:  This is for the purposes of planning the Friends of Liad Breakfast on Saturday morning of  Balticon at 8:45 am

If you are planning to attend the breakfast (you do not need to be a member of the con to come to breakfast): say "Yes" in comments.

Things you need to know about the Friends of Liad Breakfast:  (1) This is a family gathering to catch up with each other and news. Everybody pays for their own breakfast.  (2) It is not a con event.

Go!

#

What went before ONE: Old/new snippet: "Was that too long?" Theo snapped, worry sublimating into temper by a process he understood intimately. "You smashed the rack-and-tile array with a starbar. The doc had to do repairs at the cellular level! You should be dead, except you got lucky."

Lucky. Of course, he had gotten lucky.

What went before TWO: So, lost +/-230 words on the day, bringing the total WIP to 34,440, more or less. And! I have a follow to a new scene that did not appear in Salvage Right, and which will address something that we glossed over in Salvage Right because deadline and if we kept on going we'd have written a 200,000 word book and, just -- no.

There are already /1/0 15 people who say they'll be attending the Saturday morning Friends of Liad breakfast at BaltiCon. Hoping the in-house restaurant is more amenable to reservations than the Boskone hotel, which, the last time Steve and I hosted a FOL breakfast, adamantly refused to take a reservation, and therefore doomed themselves to constantly rearranging the room for two hours, as folks kept arriving.

I am scheduled to be interviewed at 11:30 on Saturday at the con, according to the Less Drafty Schedule, so that's something else to bear in mind.

Trooper was unfortunately messily ill this morning, which means that there will be no Happy Hour this evening. Because explaining to cats that they need to not gorge on gooshy food because it will make them sick isn't exactly an Easy Sell, I think I will be on the couch watching Dr. Who and ignoring the protests of felines whose throats have been cut, rather than trying to read, or write, or do ASL homework.

And that's all I've got on the day.

#

Saturday. The 'beans claim it's raining. The weather over the Long Back Yard is mostly sunny and a trifle cool. I've set the Awesome Chair up on the deck.

Breakfast was a ham and cheese sandwich (which finishes the ham, which I am now tired of, so it will be easier -- for a while, anyway -- to resist temptation) and veggie chips. Yes, that does sound like lunch. Actual lunch will be quiche and salad.

Thanks to everyone who pitched in on the name of the movie. Kill Bill it was. Nasty piece of work. Bearing in mind that I also did not think Thelma and Louise was "funny." I think I may have mentioned that I am not the person they make movies for.

Speaking of movies, I watched The Church on Ruby Road, and the difference between now and 1997 is ... wow. The cats all joined me, and we had a lovely viewing. Firefly has already asked that we do it again this evening, so I've got that inked in.

I stayed up a bit late last night, to finish The Teller of Small Fortunes. I also made the executive decision not to finish the book club book. This is slightly awkward, because I'm going to listen to the author read from this book in a week or two. OTOH, there always exists the possibility that I'm reading it wrong -- reading protocols are A Thing, after all -- and that the author's performance will inform me.

Having gone to bed late, I slept late, and woke up to the realization that I need to start Making Lists for my upcoming perambulations, and for my duties to the con. Since I will apparently not be doing itinerant readings, I think I will read Blays and Majel's Excellent Adventure officially, and perhaps carry with me "The Last Train to Clarkesville," in case there's another opportunity to just sit and read for an hour (it's a long story).

This still leaves me with packing (1) the big suitcase full of con stuff and (2) the duffel bag, for my mini-vacay on the way home. I have engaged one of those apartmenty things, with a kitchen, and there's a Wegman's somewhere in Corning which I'll try to hit before I check in. I have my tickets for two days at the museum, and two classes booked -- one at the museum, and one at a studio in-town.

I still need to come to terms with how to get out of Baltimore. I'm thinking that Steve and I left BaltiCon 50 at, like, 4 o'clock in the morning and just shot out the Jones Falls well ahead of rush hour. That may be my best plan.

Today, I intend, mostly, to write. I have a few chores, as per usual, and one's duty to the cats, and I will honor Firefly's request for Moar Dr. Who. Oh, and I have to find something to read. I think I have the most recent Sebastian St. Cyr in the electronic TBR pile, the second Bad Heirs, a couple of cozies, and a Celia Lake to test drive. Yeah, I won't starve.

What's everybody reading today?

Oh. There are four cats in my office.

What went before Part One:  Spoke to the hospital billing office, which, predictably, blamed the insurance company.

Spoke to the insurance company, which originally said, "$X? You should owe +$X!" I asked if they would please look at the previous incident of my going to the walk-in clinic a week before to see how much I had been billed for that. She did. The insurance company has Opened A Case. I may, for 30 days at least, ignore the bill. Insurance company will call me when its investigations are complete.

Went out to get the mileage on the car so I can call the dealership.

Part Two:  All of my phone calls are made; all of my reservations are finalized.

As our navigator, Steve of course used to do all the route planning and hotel reservations. Even basing my route on one that he had refined, it's exhausting.

I am now free to heat up and eat my lunch. After which I will perform my duty to the cats and possibly take a nap.

Part Three: No writing today. I am completely wiped out. Into the blanket fort with me!

Tuesday.  Gloomy and already nearly as warm as it was yesterday. The 'beans tell us we're looking at 44F/7C today, and rain.

Trash and recycling are at the curb.

Breakfast was oatmeal with dried cranberries and walnuts. Lunch will be the rest of the chicken pie.

Tali and Rook are chasing each other around the house. Firefly is on the back of the comfy chair in my office, and Trooper is in the copilot's seat.

I do need to go out this morning to get my meds from the pharmacy. Prolly should get cat food and milk while I'm there. Maybe drive past the car wash. Surely, people won't be getting their cars washed on a day when it's going to rain? Heh. Heh.

For those who collect such things, my headshot and short bio are up at www.balticon.org

BaltiCon is very organized; I've already heard from the Guest Liaison, and this morning have a letter in-queue from the head of programming.

I know it's early days, but could I see a show of hands -- who thinks they'll be coming to BaltiCon?

raises hand

For today -- I have the above-said errands, one's duty to the cats, answering the programming letter, and writing.

Tali is now standing on my lap and nibbling my fingers -- and off she goes.

What's happening with you today?

Today's blog title brought to you by The Blue Jays, "I Dreamed Last Night"