Stormy day

It was a dark and stormy night . . . okay, no, it was a dark and stormy morning. I heard the thunder about six this morning and thought with dread about getting Scooby to go out. He is terrified of storms, but I can't leave him in because if I'm not watching him, his house manners are out the door. He has a secure, safe, dry doghouse outside, plus I know he has to pee and he wants his breakfast. But when 50 lbs. of frantic dog resists you on a leash, it's touch and go. I told Jordan she should call me every stormy morning to make sure he hasn't pulled me down. I try to hang on to something as I drag him outside--a piece of furniture, a counter, etc. Once this morning I thought he'd pull me down and I almost let go of the leash, but I righted myself and finally got him outside. After which I called a cheery, "Thank you." Not sure if I was thanking Scooby or the Lord. Tonight of course, he's lying sweetly at my feet. Here he is in his summer haircut--looks so cute. My friend Gayla has a standard mahoghany collie that when we first saw was shaved--I had no idea how beautiful and majestic she'd turn out to be. I told Gayla she should never shave her again--but majestic is a word we'll never apply to Scooby, and he really looks good with short hair and seems more comfortable. We're supposed to have scattered storms tomorrow--pray they don't come at eight a.m.

Lisa called just after I got Scooby out and I told her I was anxious to hear about their weekend but didn't want to talk because it was lightning. When Colin called tonight I told him that I'd hung up on his wife and why, and he said it was an old wives' tale. But once when Megan was insulted I said that to her, I found internet evidence, sent it to her, and both she and Brandon apologized. You are NOT supposed to talk on a land line or take a shower when it's lightning. Cell phones are not perfectly safe but better.

A busy work day. I got a lot done, including some things that were difficult for me, like rejecting a friend's manuscript. Still have more of that kind of thing to do, but I made great progress today. Academic publishing these days is a lot more complicated than it was ten years ago. I did office work when I came home, had a nap, did my yoga, fixed supper, and then really did write about six pages. Feeling good about that.

And the best news is that after six days on Weight Watchers I've lost not quite two pounds. I'm learning about free foods, etc. And I'm feeling good about being in this for the long haul until I lose twenty pounds. Just think, only 18 to go.

A potpourri

Busy day at the office, catching up on all kinds of things I don't like to do, such as budgets, trying to figure ways to cut costs and still produce quality books, trying to ignore the large database that A&M wants us to provide on all our titles, wondering why print-on-demand titles have been so easy and now the process suddenly seems complicated. We took Susan for a delayed b'day lunch at Cafe Aspen--her actual birthday was one of the days we were iced in. Had a good time and traded barbs with the owner, David Rotman, who told me he had a special seat for me, way in the back--under a tree and about six feet from the dumpster. Good lunch though, and we had a pleasant time.
Tonight was supposed to be the night that Betty and I went for our weekly dinner, but Jordan called to ask if if I could Jacob. So Betty agreed she'd love to come here and have dinner with Jacob. I defrosted groud chicken, preparing to make chicken burgers with basil mayo, and then Jordan called to say Christian would get Jacob and I didn't need to worry about him. After a long time, it occurred to me that Jacob and Christian could come eat supper with us, since the chicken was already defrosted--Jacob ate almost a whole chicken patty by himself, and Betty loved his company though she couldn't understand him (who can?) and asked Christian, "Did I do all right?" In short it was a pleasant, comfortable evening.
I wish I had something intellectual to add to the day's post, but I don't. I'm reading a so-so mystery, not getting far on my own but moving in small jumps. I am indignant about the partisanship that is showing up in Congress already--I agree with President Obama's plea for quick action, but I just wish I knew enough to know what quick action is right. Maybe none of us know, and any action is better than stalling. What I do know is that budget cuts hit hard at the press, and I am forced to make some difficult decisions. The suggestions that I cut back on ourside readers for manuscripts brought howls of dismay from the scholars on my board, so I'm rethinking it. But their suggestion that cuts be made in other areas is easier said than done. At the same time, it's dismaying to read of all those who are losing their jobs, and I feel fortunate and safe. Hope I'm not fooling myself.
I'm going to try to finish the so-so mystery because I've ordered the new Julia Spencer-Fleming on my KIndle and Jacob is coming tomorrow night. Perfect reading while watching him.

Jacob

Jacob is spending the night tonight--I can hear him singing to himself in his crib. He does so many adorable things that I will lapse into an adoring grandmother role and wish I'd had the camera ready. He ate linguine with goat cheese sauce (left over from last night), smoked turkey (left over) and canned green beans; then he wanted my chopped sirloin patty, and I gave him part of it. Then he eyed my salad and I gave him some--his idea of eating salad is to hold up a strip of lettuce and lick off the dressing, though he finally got so he would just stuff the lettuce in his mouth. Neither blue cheese nor a fairly sharp vinaigrette seemed to bother him.
I've decided Jacob thinks my house is chill-out time--he spends his time watching DVDs, and I used to worry about that. But he's so comfortable doing it--and I can sit in the same room with him, work, read, whatever. As I confessed before, I was never good at playing with my children. So Jacob and I have an understanding--we talk, we roughhouse a bit, we giggle, but pretty much we leave each other alone.
At bedtime--this is so cute--he goes and gets my kitchen stepstool and puts it by the pack-and-play. I help him from the stool to the bed, but it makes it easier for me. I do move it away just in case, but I expect he'll sleep soundly until 7:30 or 8, once he stops singing and talking. He's so agreeable about going to bed.
It's been an enormously busy week at work, and I've done office work at the office and at home almost all day every day, still have some to do tonight. I find I am really tired. But there's still so much more to be done, and next week is a mess of an AT&T installation, doctor's appointments, lumch engagements, and a big launch party in Dallas. I' even more tired thinking about it. What did I say about the pace pcking up in November? Double that.
And a lazy weekend? Well, sort of. But I have to start cooking and freezing for my annual Christmas party, my neighbor is coming for happy hour Saturday, and I have dinner guests Sunday night. I guess there'll be a few lazy moments--and some naps--in there.

'Tis the season--early

It's only early November, but I can feel the pace of things picking up. Maybe it's because we've all been in sort of suspended animation until the election, but now Obama has withdrawn to do his planning and Sarah Palin has gone home to Alaska amidst many stories, and we can put all that behind us. Well, maybe, sort of.
But the last few days I have felt overwhelmed by all I had to do, much of it office business, so that I worked until ten o'clock one night and 8:30 tonight on office business (with time out for a lovely dinner). But then there's a huge launch party next week and lots of review copies that should have gone out last week, and I feel like I'll never catch up or get back to my own personal work.
Thanksgiving will be upon us before we know it. We will all 16 of us go to my brother's, where there will be about 30 people. Such fun to watch all the little ones together. I presume my kids will spend the weekend, so I have to start thinking about meals. And then my annual Christmas party is Dec. 6, much earlier than usual, for various reasons. So I have to plan for that. Intend to get the invitations out this weekend and start on some cooking that can be frozen. It's the time of year when I give up being a writer for a while and turn domestic, but my office still is sooooo busy. I figure I might better enjoy than complain.
Betty and I went to a local bistro tonight, one where we usually split the tapas platter, but it had several things I didn't like, and Betty is always agreeable. We had Ceasar salad--a reall spicy version--and then split a linguini dish with goat cheese, spinach and artichokes--absolutely delicious, but even splitting it we each took home a portion. It was fun to relax and laugh and forget I had to write three tipsheets when I got home.
Now the tipsheets are done, and I'm going to have a glass of wine and read a book. I did my yoga today, hoping to slow down my motor. I think it strengthened my muscles--I can almost stand on my left foot without any bracing from the toes of the right. But I'm not sure what it did for my internal motor.

The election--what else?

I was way too tired to blog last night. I had friends over to watch, because I was nervous and didn't want to watch alone. My neighbors, Jay and Sue, complained about the small size of my TV and wanted to move the party (I hate big TVs that dominate the room). They were so noisy, the rest of us were glad when they left. That left five of us watching, enjoying talking about what was going on. They left a little before ten, and I swear I went to brush my teeth and missed a historic moment. By the time I'd gotten ready for bed, let the dog in, and settled at my desk, they were saying McCain had conceded. I couldn't believe it! I had expected to go to bed with the election unsettled, but hey! I got to watch McCain's speech--he was incredibly gracious and charming and was the McCain I had once admired, not the mean-spirited man who campaigned. And then of course I watched Obama--as a child of Chicago, the Grant Park setting was sentimental for me. And the speech was wonderful. Most of my friends--why are all my friends liberal?--woke up feeling euphoric this morning, but I didn't. I felt relief but a certain uncertainty--Barack Obama has so much to prove now that he's gotten this far and he has such an enormous task before him. I desperately want him to be equal to it, but I know that nobody can turn the course of this country in months, perhaps even years. Yet I am hopeful, and I'm very aware of the importance of the historic moment--I saved the newspapers, probably for Jacob, because his parents don't subscribe to the weekday paper. Someone needs to remind those children that even though they were too young to remember, they lived through a historic moment.
I asked Mel if Maddie and Edie, being older, stayed up, but she said no, they were tired because of the time change. She put them to bed and told them when they woke up Barack Obama would be president. Then in an email this morning, she confessed she was a weepy mess last night--so were a lot of people.
One of the things that most impressed me was the expression on Jesse Jackson's face as he stood in Grant Park--almost tears, but a look of wonder, of quiet satisfaction. I've not always been a Jackson fan, but I tried to imagine what it must feel like, for him, for others like him, to see an African American elected president. It was truly a night to remember, and I think it will take time to sink in.
Everything else, including writing mysteries, seems to pale in the face of the election. I brought home an incredible amount of work from the office today, have made pretty good headway but don't expect to get anywhere near my own projects tonight.
And my thoughts are on Christmas, which will come incredibly soon. And so will Thanksgiving. Fun, but lots to be done.

Hurricane Ike and a good shoulder report

These are pictures of Colin, Morgan and Kegan boarding up their house in Kingwood, north of Houston. Apparently when Rita missed Houston, Kingwood had lots of flying limbs, etc., so they decided to board up the expanse of windows at the back of the house (a south exposure, I think, though I'm not good at those things!) I love the painting on it, and Lisa says it's the first time they saw Morgan write her own name (lower right hand corner). Jamie suggested they should leave the boards up at least for Halloween, sort of like people who leave their Christmas lights up until March. Colin retorted that he was mad he had to take down the Christmas lights to put up the boards. The closet is one they've emptied for an emergency shelter and stocked with necessary (?) supplies. I'm sure Lisa won't leve the Blue Bell Ice Cream there all night and she says she has no idea why the piggy bank is there. I am of course worried about them and will be sorry when they lose power, cell phones, etc. I asked them to keep in touch as they could. Colin says they're fine except that he's worried about the tall old pines around their house. I asked if they didn't want to come up here, but Colin countered that I should come down there because they'd promised Morgan a hurricane!

Aside from worrying about them I'm feeling the residual caution that creeps up here--I found myself impulse buying in the store--extra tuna, though I have more than I'll eat, more bottled water (again I'm well suppllied). I got out flashlights, tested them, and stashed the extra batteries I bought today. Also got out candles and matches, but I really hope we won't lose power. I don't like being alone in a dark house. But my biggest worry is Scooby--if we have the peripheral tropical storm rains, he will refuse to go out and yet I know he'll need to relieve himself. If my neighbor Jay is home, I may have to call him for help. I hope to get to Central Market in the morning before the heavy rains hit--some things are essential, and I'm almost out of chocolate. Then it's a weekend of hunkering down.

I have plenty of work to do. I spent the better part of two hours today separating three-fold greenbar sheets into three piles--the unspearated stack was probably 10 inches high. Now I have to go through each of the three stacks and sort them for various purposes. I maybe need to do some of the sorting myself, but an adminstrative assistant sure could have done the sorting. I wonder how TCU is going to find the next director who will do such, but then again I can't let the royalties get shoved back into oblivion as happens to too many things in my office.

But there is good news today. The orthopedic surgeon (who specializes in shoulders) said surgery is not the right option for my shoulder. I have torn two of the four muscles in the rotator cuff, one of them the major top one, so one result is there is no cushion between two bones, which is why I feel a crunching. He gave me a steroid shot that had a bit of anaesthetic in it, so for an hour or two I could fight bear with that shoulder. Its now back to its normal state of twinging if I do various ambitious things but in general not bothering me. The steroid should kick in a couple of days from now. Meantime I am mightily relieved. Maybe euphoric is the word.

Writing a mystery? What writing? I'm not getting to it today. I tell myself I will over the long weekend, but there are those darn greenbar sheets to deal with, a novel I'm reading, and a lot of being lazy to do.