j_cheney

Oof! I woke up with a horrible start this morning at 5:50, at the climax of yet another vivid, pregnancy-linked nightmare. Needless to say, the sensible thing would have been to go back to sleep until my alarm was due to go off (at 7:45). The second-most sensible thing would have been to get up and Do All the Things! (And with a freelance deadline staring me in the face, believe me, there is plenty of work to be done right now.)

Well. Instead, I eventually got up, got breakfast, and spent a long time cuddling Maya. It's worked for me so far. In 20 minutes, I'll go wake up MrD and get him ready for school, but in the meantime...

Here's a list of things that have made me happy in the past few days, because honestly, I'm still feeling jittery from that nightmare (oh, how I hate the vivid dreams of pregnancy!), plus I've been pretty stressed-out over my freelance deadline and all our practical house-moving issues, and I really need this reminder right now:

1. Watching MrD in his nursery school's spring show yesterday. Possibly the most adorable sight ever (in my clearly unbiased and objective opinion)! And ohhhh, was I proud of him.

2. Eating gorgeous strawberry-cream cake at my favorite cake-café in town afterwards, with friends, while MrD and his own friends quickly devoured their own cakes and then just played and played together.

3. Knitting - possibly the most relaxing and de-stressing occupation I've ever found (and also the one gesture I can make to appease my frustrated nesting instincts right now, while our house situation is still undecided - I may not know where we're going to live with our new baby, but at least he/she will have a handknitted blanket!) - while watching MrD build enormous structures out of lego or play-dough, at various points over the last few days.

4. Re-reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time in 7 years, and sinking into it with total delight and wonder all over again at just how good it really is. Re-reading it is a process of re-discovery - oh! I'd forgotten how much I love the writing! - and also pure comfort - because I absorbed this book into my bones as a kid, and almost every scene resonates with memory, for me.

What about you guys? What have been the brightest spots in your week so far?

I'm gonna come out of a long long period of LJ silence to congratulate my good friend aliettedb on winning the Nebula award! She deserves it, not only for her fantastic writing, but also her amazing attitude and dedication to writing. Congrats, Aliette!

On a more personal note, I've been out of writing for a little while. Came close on a story to Tesseracts, but am planning for much writing during my summer break. It's high time I started putting together some new stories. I'm hoping my few years of absence will result in an explosion of a few years worth of writing ideas. In any case, it will feel good to be back at it again. :-)

What I’ve Just Finished Reading

Jaclyn Moriarty’s A Corner of White, but I have a proper review in the works for that, so I shall not detain us here any longer than to note that I quite liked the book.

Also L. M. Boston’s The Children of Green Knowe, which is the first of her Green Knowe series. I don’t know if the rest of the series is like this, but the first book is great as long as you’re cool with the fact that it is not so much a novel as a long, atmospheric, lovingly detailed description of a slightly magical country house full of History and of ghosts. But, like, nice ghosts, so it’s not like they contribute suspense.

I found it deliciously soothing, but I suspect if it’s not your cuppa then it’s deadly dull.

What I’m Reading Now

More Les Mis. Infinite Les Mis. I’m kind of stalling on it because we’re going to meet the Amis soon, and I suspect that once I read about the book canon Enjolras and Grantaire, I will be way too embarrassed to finish/continue my fic, and that would be a mean thing to do to my readers, whom I have already dragged through seven chapters of poor life choices and philosophical rambling.

HOWEVER possibly it will simply inspire me to finish the story, so I should really get on that.

What I Plan to Read Next

I have Grace Lin’s Starry River of the Sky, which I am saving for my visit home over Memorial Day weekend. Chinese folktale remix! With illustrations! I am excited!

Also Maureen Johnson’s 13 Little Blue Envelopes, because I have heard Maureen Johnson’s work mentioned hither and thither AND ALSO the book features European travel, so. Clearly a win-win.

Plus if I like her work, she has a ton of books, so I am clearly set for the rest of the summer. Except there are SO MANY BOOKS I want to read, you guys, how will I ever be able to prioritize???

Mocha and I have been schooling in the Pelham lately. With spring and all, she’s gotten a bit strong and opinionated, plus I did something to my left thumb and can barely bend it. So I needed to ride with two hands (not, not gonna try to teach myself to neck rein with the right hand, it would be far too confusing for a rather particular and precise mare. Ahem) while still using some curb elements–ergo, the Pelham.

But things are getting busy with Miscon coming up and various end-of-the-school year things. It’s a good time to back off a wee bit on conditioning and both of us catch our breath, then build back up with frequent short works, then lengthen them out with ground schooling work for bending and flexion.

Therefore, tonight we rode in the snaffle, and no boots. Boots to Mocha are a cue, we’re either going into the show ring or we’re doing a fairly light ride. She’s more relaxed and less on the muscle…but as I realized tonight, less on the muscle does not mean we’re not doing some high level stuff.

She lined out with lots of energy, and my first cue that–ahem–light work these days might mean something other than it used to was when she offered up lead changes on the rail when we usually do them during warmup. No drama, no fuss, just a lead change in response to an unconscious weight shift. Hmm. So I asked again, keeping the rein long, doing a light rein squeeze and leg. Change.

I didn’t ask for the change every two strides–that does get her hot and bothered–but we did calmly and serenely change every four or five strides. She remained relaxed throughout.

And from there we did a few fancy didoes and such, involving random direction changes and small voltes with lead and direction changes…girl sure seems to like that sort of work.

A good ride. Long rein throughout, I never really took up much of a contact, did most of our work by leg, seat, and leaning the rein on her neck. She remained soft in the hand and mellow, despite all the changes and twists and turns.

I think she really likes that kind of work.

Then afterward, a nice long grooming with lots of cookies for her and just a quiet, relaxing groove for the two of us. The sort of night horse people dream about.

Mirrored from Peak Amygdala.

This entry was originally posted at Peak Amygdala. You can post here or there.

Fascinating discussion on "All In With Chris Hayes" about how a tornado works.



This storm is now officially an EF-5, the strongest grade of storm known, with winds up to 210 miles an hour. According to the Huffington Post:

Several meteorologists contacted by The Associated Press used real time measurements, some made by Schumacher, to calculate the energy released during the storm's 40-minute life span. Their estimates ranged from 8 times to more than 600 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb, with more experts at the high end. Their calculations were based on energy measured in the air and then multiplied over the size and duration of the storm.

With that kind of power, it's a wonder we have only 24 dead (revised downward from 51 yesterday).

Watch Chris Hayes' coverage of this if you can. He's doing a spectacular job.

So, last Wednesday, my father fell down a hill, bouncing and rolling.  Luckily, he never managed to hit his head; unluckily, he broke his femur in a particularly aggressive way.   Bad enough.  Worse, he's on a blood thinner, so a bad break turned scary very quickly as the muscle torn by the bone fracture began to bleed and bleed and bleed and bleed.  No blood outside his body, and yet there was the possibility of bleeding out.  Thankfully, the docs got that under control.  And even more thankfully, the fractured bone stopped short of nicking his femoral artery.  He's now out of the actual hospital and into a rapid recovery PT unit.*

So it's been surgery and hospitals and trying to work around surgery and hospitals.  The floor that was supposed to go into my study had a glitch (they were short of wood and had to reorder) so what was supposed to be a three day shutdown of my study turned into the better part of two weeks.  I... failed to rise to the challenge of writing elsewhere.  It's been a long week of stress and stress migraines (such a wuss!) but today there is definitely a glimmer of light.

Not only is Dad socked away in a place that will help him get back on his feet quickly, the study is done, and the mover came and put all my furniture back in place.  Yay!

And then there's Oklahoma.  Holy hell.  Things are suddenly in perspective.


*This amazes me, in a good way.  The day after surgery, they've got him up and using a walker; three days after surgery, he's headed for intensive PT.  I can't help but contrast this to the care one of my best friends got some 20 years ago, where post-surgery, she was encouraged to NOT move, stuck in traction.  And then her PT was a nightmare of trying to recover, not only from the injury, but from muscle atrophy.  Medicine does continue to improve. 

No word metrics today. I slept badly and woke up late, ending up with just barely enough time to walk the dog before spending the middle of the day getting my hair done. Then I came home and did some housework, took a short nap, managed some email and some business stuff, and made a phone call about getting more work done on the house.

Long story short, when all the extra layers of shingles were pulled away for the roof work, rotting trim and siding were revealed around the attic windows. No water is getting inside or anything, and really, it's to be expected; the house is over a hundred years old, and this looks like original material. It wasn't managed well over the years, and it should've been removed/restored with the rest of the exterior restoration before we moved in, but I will save that rant.

I resolve instead to quit being aggravated at the half-ass repairs and dumbass remodeling performed on this place over the years, and instead I shall be pleased that THIS MUCH, at least, will be done correctly - and by professionals this time, goddammit.

Anyway. Dude will be here tomorrow to give us a quote. Let's knock this out while we can afford to, and then not worry about it anymore - that's what I say.

In other news, this afternoon a freaked-out skittering noise gave me a heart attack, for it was coming from our living room fireplace. At first I figured, "Squirrel." Then maybe, when I thought I heard feathers ... "Baby bird." We have had chimney swifts in the past, and 'tis the season, eh? Maybe some tiny not-quite-a-fledgling fell from a nest.

I summoned the husband. We conferred. We booted the dog out into the back yard, made sure the cat was secure in the back room, found a stray pillowcase, and counted to three before removing the cast-iron summer cover.

At first we saw nothing but darkness and old soot. Then a pair of small, panicky eyes looked up from the gloom beneath the old coal basket.* I almost had time to get, "Awwwww!" out of my mouth, but then the tiny jerk made a beeline for my forehead.

It was indeed a chimney swift. Juvenile, and fledged - barely. Freaked out of its wee birdie mind. It bypassed the pillowcase entirely and bolted for the nearest window, where it left a sooty bird-print. Unharmed and undaunted, it set off around the house, leaving bird-prints all over the ceiling and walls until we finally managed to get the front door open and usher it back outside.

Godspeed, you fluffy little bastard.

(Last I saw, it was sitting on roof across the street, so I choose to believe that all is well, and our brief guest will live happily ever after.)

And that's all I've got today.

Tomorrow: Laundry, packing, printing up useful documents and instructions, and running last-minute errands. (I mean, in addition to the construction dude's visit.) I'll be gone from Thursday morning to Monday evening, and while I'm there you can find me at the following locations and times.

All the usual rules apply - come up and introduce yourself, say hello, hand me stuff to sign ... I'm happy to be of service! Just as long as I'm not eating, drinking, or in the bathroom. If you catch me running to or from a panel, you may have to run alongside me - but you're welcome to do so.

And now. Deep breath. Maybe a drink. Must settle in and let my heart calm down from the Surprise! baby bird incident. Good evening, everyone. Thanks for reading, and be well.

---

* It's a very narrow, long chimney - a set-up for burning coal, not wood. An adult bird might be able to navigate back out again, but not a baby.

Drums

Three hours of sleep
& still I sit to write

Fool of a poet
I drop a stone down the well

No splash no clack
just drums drums in my dreams

----

Sarah Johnson interviews me at Through the Tollbooth today about writing a trilogy, including discussion of writing exploratory drafts, crafting a character arc over multiple books, and researching the Bones of Faerie trilogy (including some of the pictures I took of Liza’s forest, pre-faerie-apocalypse).

And speaking of trilogies, look! It’s a complete set!

Faerie After comes out just one week from today!

Mirrored from Janni Lee Simner / Desert Dispatches.

Isn't it funny that quite often, those "Ah-HAH!" moments happen in the shower?  I've read so many accounts by others, and had so many moments myself, that I think it should be considered a phenomena of sort.  Morning Shower Epiphany, maybe.  Or perhaps just Shower Epiphany, since I'm sure not all of them occur in the morning.  Baths might qualify too.  In my case, it's definitely a phenomena because basically, I'm brain-dead in the morning until my first cup of coffee.  My husband knows not to speak to me until then--not that I'm a grouch!  Of course not.  It's physical, I tell you.  My blood just doesn't start flowing on its own after sleep.

Ahem.  Anyway.  So there I was in the shower this morning, not quite sure what day it was or if I'd already washed my face or not, and all of sudden, the logline for soon-to-be-published story appears in my head.  Or theme.  Whatever.  It was exciting, I tell you.  I wasn't even thinking of said story.  Or not that I recall.  ("Officer, I *Swear* I never saw that Story before!")  Anyway.  "Silent Drops of Crimson and Gold Rain" is a story about grief, and learning to let go.  Two days ago, had you asked me to describe my story in as few words as possible, I would have gone into a lengthy explanation of friendship and love and addiction and parental influences and your eyes would be starting to glaze over.

Another entry into the "Funny, that" category:  Isn't it funny that it takes several days for lack of sleep to catch up with you, and usually only occurs AFTER a good night's sleep?  So I probably got 8 hours total over Fri. and Sat. nights, a really good night's sleep on Sunday night, relief yesterday, plus a nice relaxing day, and yet TODAY is the day I can hardly keep from yawning every 5 minutes.  Maybe it was the 30 kindergarteners with End-of-the-year-fever-and-shouting that I wrangled for 2 1/2 hours that contributed to that, though.