Some good, some not so good

All those errands I worried about yesterday got done today in a timely fashion--which shows me what happens when I sit back and stop being compulsive, controlling, whatever. That message came through again loud and clear when I had lunch with Fred, my lifelong reader and advisor (he does not like the term mentor though that's what he is). I told him I was rethinking my career, and he agreed that since I have no immediately pressing deadlines, it's a good time to sit back, pull away and consider. I mentioned a possible new project I was interested in, and he did not throw up his arms in alarm. Instead he said, "You've had that on your mind a long time. This may be the time to do it." He also took my latest Kelly O'Connell manuscript for a beta read, so I'm not even going to think about it until he returns it to me. So that part of my day was good, and I came home ready to pull back, do some serious study and considering on some things that intrigue me, and read some of those marketing books I've been meaning to read forever. Basically, I'm going to try to keep myself from feeling so pressured.
The less good part of my day wasn't that bad after all. Jordan and Jacob (and Christian, though I didn't see him this afternoon) left today for Coppell and will fly to DisneyWorld tomorrow. Jacob is excited out of his skull, and I'm delighted for him. I hope it turns out to be every bit as wonderful as he wants it to be. Our difficulties of yesterday weren't repeated after school today--I secretly threw out the blasted sugar-laden donuts and rejoiced that Hostess would stop producing such atrocities--though I grieve for 18,000 people out of work.
But I think the green-eyed monster has bitten me, or at least nipped. I was feeling bad all day that Jacob's other grandparents are now the literal incarnation of Disneyland grandparents. They have taken him to the State Fair, Legoland, movies, and all kinds of places, so this is kind of the penultimate. I don't do that for several reasons--I'd need another adult to go with me (a lot of things are harder and less enjoyable when you're alone with a young child), I can't afford most of it, and such places as DisneyWorld and the State Fair have no appeal for me--at all! In fact, I think I'd be fairly miserable. But I am left feeling like the grandparent who instead of offering great excitement says "No,  you can't go out to play. You have to do your reading and spelling." Jordan assures me this is a figment of my imagination...and I suppose it is. I really hope they have a good time.
Meantime after they left I decided to float through the weekend. I did my yoga slowly (can you hear Elizabeth applauding?) instead of always feeling that I had to get it done to move on to somethng else. Then I did some kitchen chores, watched the news, and made myself pea salad and salmon croquettes--yum!--for dinner. Tonight I've caught up on emailing friends, and I'm about to read a book about how to grow your audience (I hate that use of the word grow, but the book is pretty helpful!).
It will be a good weekend. I hope yours is too.

Sundry thoughts

My apologies to G. M. Malliett, even though I didn't criticize Death of a Cozy Writer. My reaction was a purely personal one to the genre. But I have to say she threw in a twist in the plot that was totally unexpected and really got my attention. I won't say more of course because I hate people who give the plot away. I recently was talking to my older daughter, Megan, about Marley and Me. She said she hadn't seen it and I said I wanted to even though it's apparently really heart-wrenching when the dog dies in the end. She got really angry and said, "Don't tell me the end!" And I thought, "Well, Meg, it's about a dog. They don't live that long. Of course he dies in the end, but that's not the point of the movie. It's about what a wild, crazy, loveable dog he was." But back to Death of a Cozy Writer, I won't say any more except to recommend it to all my friends who love Agatha Christie and British cozies. And to add that I'm still reading it.
I am pretty sure G. M. Malliett is a woman (I think her name is Gina) but it made me think of some correspondence I had the other day with a publishing person. When I said my production manager would attend a certain meeting in my place, he wrote back, "Be sure you give him your proxy vote." My production manager is of course Melinda. Gender bias lives on!
An odd note on book reviews: I read today that a reviewer in Russia was sued by an author who claimed the negative review damaged his reputation and caused him and his family emotional and physical suffering (migraines, etc.). He asked for the US equivalent of $150,000 and got $1,000. Both sides are appealing. I'm not a fan of truly negative reviews--they are often more about the reviewer showing off how smart he or she is than about the book, but then again suing a reviewer sets a horrible precedent, even if it is in Russia.
My Frisco family is still at DisneyWorld, and I heard this morning about torrential rains in Florida, but the pictures Jamie posted on Facebook tonight seemed full of sunshine, and the girls certainly looked happy. I joined Facebook to keep up with my children, but I've found lots of other friends on it and am enjoying checking it once or twice a day. One friend has offered to give me a tutorial on using it in a more sophisticated way and I may take him up on it.
Anxiety is still with me. I think I'll call the doctor in the mornng and make an appointment. This is a silly way to live.