Smurglets--they're everywhere, plus Friday the 13th

In September, TCU Press will publish a book of children's poetry titled Smurglets Are Everywhere, poetry by 2005 Texas poet laureate Alan Birkelbach and illustrations by my neighbor, Susan J. Halbower. It's absolutely a magical book. So the picture above shows six of my seven favorite smurglets. When the seventh, who was sick, made it to the picture, his oldest cousin made awful faces, so I chose this one to post instead. I wanted to post the book's front cover, but it's a pdf and they won't post to blogger. Take my word for it--it's wonderful. And if you look closely enough, you can make it out on the T-shirts above. Maddie's T-shirt somehow didn't make it to Frisco so I gave her my XL shirt. She clowned about the way it hung on her, but tweens are so clever--she rolled up the sleeves, tied it in the back, and it looks great. She opted however to give it back to me and get one that would really fit her.
Computer dependency is awful, but boy do I have it. Last night when I turned my computer off, it froze at "Please do not power off or unplug. Updating 2 of 11." I went to bed, but this morning it still said the same thing, so I did the unforgiveable and powered it off. It wouldn't start. A long weeked of no e-mail, no writing on my novel, no Facebook, nothing, loomed before me. Sure I could spend it reading, and I have a lot of cooking to do, but still. I called Jamie, because he bought it and I didn't know whether to call Sony or take it back to Best Buy or wherever he got it. He talked me through turning it off, taking out the battery, and putting it back in. Magic! The computer worked, though it's made me nervous all day. It's only five months old, so I didn't think it should crash. Of course, Jamie began the conversation with "Do you have backup? You've lost everything," followed by "Just joking." He's so good at that. So there I was back in business. When he returned my call this morning, I was in the bedroom and asked him to hold on while I went to the office. He said he would but by the time I got to the office, the phone was dead. I thought the world was conspiring against me, but he called back quite quickly. Then when I scanned my card in the little machine at the grocery, the machine went beserk. I'm afraid to touch anything else mechanical today. It's truly Friday the 13th. I think it was also 105 today. Both good reasons to say in, which I've done since the grocery store.