Lots of nothing

I haven't posted in days. Brandon, the Austin son-in-law, asked me once if I wouldn't lose my audience if I didn't post for days, and I told him I hoped not. But this time it's a combination of being busy and not having anything significant to say, unless I wanted to get on a poitical soapbox. Okay, I'll begin there: I read a letter to the editor the other day where someone wrote that they would never vote for Sara Palin to be a heartbeat away from the presidency because she uses poor grammar. The writer was offended because before the vice-presidential debate Palin approached Senator Biden and said, "Can I call you Joe?" Well, clearly, as the writer pointed out, she should have said, "May I call you Joe?" I laughed out loud. I can think of a hundred reasons not to vote for Sarah Palin, but that's pretty low on my list.
Tonight is the first night all week that I have stayed home alone--Monday I went to dinner with friends, Tuesday Betty and I went to the same restaurant because it was Lobsterama, where they sell a whole lobster for $13.95. It was delicious, and we're going back next week while the event is still on. Last night Jordan and Jacob came for dinner, and I laughed at Jacob when he left. After sweet hugs and kisses, he said, "Bye bye, Juju. Bye bye, dinner." I think he meant a phrase he's recently learned which is "Thank you dinner."
Work has been busy but unremarkale. We have a huge, sold-out author event next week, and that's taken a lot of my planning. I feel good about it--which is always a good sign--but there are a thousand ways it could go wrong, and I'll breathe easier when it's over.
And I'm trying to get back into that second novel. I've learned so very much from the Sister in Crime list, the Agent Quest list, and a cozy class I'm taking online. One of the things stressed is to profile your villain first, then profile the other suspects--something I hadn't done. I just leapt into it. But now I'm going back and doing that. And it all works out in my mind, but I find myself reluctant to actually get back to writing. Maybe it's because I've had no luck at placing the first novel--though I realize I haven't tried as many agents and publishers nor been rejected as many times as many many other authors have. Maybe I'm getting lazy, and maybe I'm too easily seduced into reading other people's mysteries. I need some self-discipline, which I've always prided myself on having at least a fair amount of (oops, a sentence ending with a preposition).
Cool weather--well, cool for us--has finally arrived in Texas. When I came home this afternoon, the house felt cool, and I closed some of the windows that have been open for a month. After a nap, I woke up cold and put on a sweatshirt. I think it's a sure sign of fall, though it is really late this year. Whatever, the cool nights make for wonderful sleeping.