Category Archives: Weather, Seasons, & Celebrations

Proposal Done

It’s dark, it’s grey, it’s gloomy, and I have a vaguely nauseous feeling that’s probably directly connected to the amount of food I ate last night at my in-laws’ place. It’s now pouring and HRH probably still won’t come home early, just as he hasn’t the last rain days this month.

I finished the rewrite of the proposal and sent it off, so I’ve done some sort of Real Work today. Let’s see if the pub board is a bit more comfortable with a book which talks about using the seasons to support spellcasting.

Flip-Side

Don’t get me wrong; there were bad things too. We left three and a half hours later than we had intended to thanks to the idiocy of the regie d’assurance automobile; we drove in a blinding rainstorm; the portable CD player and the tape adapter hook-up didn’t work; we set up in the pouring rain, and were subsequently damp all weekend (I’m just throwing my rotting sneakers out); the air mattress had a hole in it and deflated completely within two hours; more people showed up than registered so that there weren’t enough sites for those who *did* register, forcing people to double and triple up on soaking, flooded, bog-like sites; one of the catered meals was rancid, forcing us to default to breakfast food on our barbecue (which was yummy, and a good bonding experience); and due to unclear communicaion about scheduling, we left five hours later than we had expected to leave, forcing us to drive through the night instead of just the evening, and on not a lot of sleep at the end of a draining weekend.

That’s just so you know I’m not romanticising. There were as many downs as ups. However, dwelling on the downs isn’t constructive.

Bits and Pieces

Reese Witherspoon as Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair? I don’t know whether to be thrilled because Vanity Fair is coming out on the big screen, or to shudder because of the casting of the central role. I’d’ve liked to have seen what Cate Blanchett could have done with the role, for example. For those interested, the movie is rated PG-13 for Some Sensuality, Partial Nudity, and A Brief Violent Image (which is, no doubt, the scene where Becky throws the book out of the carriage window).

B12 is back from its month-long holiday!

We leave for our annual spiritual retreat before the sun rises on Thursday morning. They appear to be having the same weather we’re having: fair, cool nights, and the chance of scattered thunderstorms. At least I know what to pack: layers. We picnicked in Angrignon Park last night after the CMS Lughnassadh ritual and graduation ceremony, and I’m really glad that I wore socks and runners instead of sandals, and that I brought a sweater. People who complain about not having our usual sweltering heat should be shot as a public service to others.

Present In Body

I woke up, organized my whole day while I lay in bed, got up, and now have absolutely no idea what I was planning to do.

Irritating. I was happy with the original plan, too. While I try to remember, I’m doing book work: the publisher sent me the back cover copy for my book to edit. I’m trying to figure out how to re-state the bulleted information without repeating the info that’s everywhere else.

Yesterday was the first writing jam in about six weeks, and although both Ceri and I were remarkably uninspired, we managed to get things done we wouldn’t otherwise have accomplished if we’d been alone. I transcribed eight hundred words of handwritten work to the computer. Ceri made some adjustments to the story that On Spec asked her to rewrite, and chaperoned two reluctant characters through the beginnings of a conversation that will eventually turn into something useful. Neither of us committed as much jamage as we’d hoped; but then, we’re out of practice. And t! was not present in body, although he called.

And yes, HRH walked in, damp and unimpressed, partway through.

The day was capped by a very productive CMS co-ordinators’ meeting. Blade makes a mean ice cream/Jello dessert which finished things off nicely. And I not only slept through the night, I slept well.

Now, if I could only remember what was on today’s agenda…