Resolutely cheerful

[mrissa]

I am concentrating on the things that make me cheerful:

--Although it is sad that Bound to be Read is going out of business, it is not at all sad that I got a volume of Siberian folk tales and a volume of Burmese folk tales for a discount. (I am particularly bouncy about Siberia. I would also love some western Inuit myths and some tip-of-Chile/Argentina myths. It started with D'Aulaire's when I was small and seems to be gradually spreading into an interest in Cold Place Mythology.)

--Bread and Chocolate has really, really excellent chocolate croissants in the morning. I was disappointed in them (extremely!) when we went in before, but that was too late in the day. Still-warm dark-chocolate croissant: yum.

--I got to see Jon for the approximately 5 seconds he was free and in town and so on. He is stressed, but he is very much Jon, and also he hadn't heard more than a minute of my Flash Girls CD (incidentally on in the car) before deciding he liked it. As Jon was the one who played "Christians and Pagans" for us, this was gratifying though not surprising.

--I get to pick out presents for the markgritter, who gets old on Friday.

--And a fair number of people are coming here on Sunday, and I get to buy stuff for them to eat, too. Nature or nurture, I got the Scandochick feeding people thing.

--I'm getting specific, concrete revision ideas for Thermionic Night, so maybe I can sidle up next to it and not keel over dead. (Let us gloss over the fact that the partial scene that appeared in my head was, in fact, not from TN but rather from The Winter Wars. Yes. Let's.

--It's raining, so I can't possibly be expected to prune the bushes until it stops and dries out awhile. Yay rain! But markgritter has already put in some of his flowers, so they are bright and pretty in the rain.

--I have made health care appointments for fully 50% of the people in this household who need them. .500 is a damn good average for the majors.

The other things that are not making me cheerful will be dealt with as needed.

What's cheering up you today? (Note: bragging about recent book sales encouraged.)

Comments

[seimaisin.livejournal.com]

Cheering me up today ...

- the email saying I don't have to work on Saturday morning, thus bringing my number of Full Days Off this weekend to 2.
- I made mixed CDs for people this morning. I love making mixed CDs. There are times I think I should have been a DJ.
- Almond Toffee Hershey's Kisses. Wow, are those good. Crack-like good.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I've gotten just weird about milk chocolate lately. I don't know what's wrong with me.

[(Anonymous)]

Me too. I've gotten to the point where I attempt to pawn off the milk chocolate on my kids, even the Godiva and good stuff. And I don't even want the creamy dark chocolate. The higher the cocoa concentration, the better.

Heathah

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. In the rest of my life -- fruit, say -- I'm at the point where I'd rather have high quality than specific variety. I'd rather have really good peaches than mediocre raspberries. But I'd almost rather deal with cheap sucky dark chocolate than really good milk chocolate.

Luckily, not everyone in my family feels that way, so the milk chocolate is not going to waste.

[apis-mellifera.livejournal.com]

I made a really lovely skein of yarn last night. It's so pretty.

[mechaieh.livejournal.com]

This !@#$# submission is never getting out the door, but being able to spend a good chunk of the day beating it into, well, submission -- that makes me happy.

Southern Gothic Online just accepted a poem.

Abby's watching the handyman patch up the walls she chomped on when she was a puppy.

There are cool-looking twisted metal remains (i.e., what used to be our leaky roof) in our driveway.

More stuff to plant in the back yard (a patio tomato plant, two more kinds of basil, and some flowers).

Mootsie Tootsie shoes on sale.

Turquoise stick ink.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Woohoo poem!

I hope Abby doesn't feel the need to restore the walls' previous condition.

[mechaieh.livejournal.com]

Likewise. I did have to snip some plaster "mud" out of her tail this afternoon, though.

[songwind.livejournal.com]

Cheering me up:

1. No work on Monday!
2. Dr. Maturin
3. Creative juices are flowing again.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I'm reading Desolation Island now.

Cheering up

[madwriter.livejournal.com]

>>Note: bragging about recent book sales encouraged.<<

I wish! Of course I'll have to send one out again first...:)

Tomorrow is my wife's and my 3-year anniversary, nice in itself, and this weekend we're taking a day trip to the place that was the first stop on our honeymoon.

Monday off for Memorial Day--I plan to spend the lion's share of the day writing.

The news that while I'll have to work part-time this summer, I don't have to come into work till 2--the same time I come in during the school year, which means I can get back into my routine of writing in the morning before lunch (prefered).

The remnants of all the poison oak I had awhile back have finally stopped itching!

Re: Cheering up

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I wish! Of course I'll have to send one out again first...:)
Heh. Yes, that is a prereq for either bragging or complaining.

Anniversaries are very good indeed, and we are all in favor of not itching here.

[pentacon.livejournal.com]

Sucessful job interview. Now I have to decide if I want to be a consultant.

[greykev.livejournal.com]

Cheering me up:

a friend is stopping by town Friday for lunch
I'm headed to a wedding on Saturday & may see my college roomate there
There was thunder this morning when I got up
I've discovered a couple new authors I like

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Which authors?

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

I recently bumped into an old friend and discovered that she's now book editor at the Strib! (And is offering me f/sf books sent for review.)

[dichroic.livejournal.com]

I would also love some western Inuit myths and some tip-of-Chile/Argentina myths.

I was there! Both places, in fact, and those were happy trips. I can't recommend books, but I can museums. We were in Ushuaia, "El Fin del Mundo", at the southern tip of Patagonia in Argentina. The Museo Fin del Mundo (http://www.tierradelfuego.org.ar/museo/) had a little about the aboriginal people there, but sadly, not much about their myths. I got the impression that the Europeans who moved in found the natives so unutterably primitive that they didn't waste any time asking about what they did or believed and went right to work in teaching them how to live right (i.e. as Christians). They did have a very subsistance level sort of life - spent much more of their time in coracles than on land, didn't have terribly sophisticated food or houses or even clothing - but I'm not sure that necessarily correlates to an impoverished level of story-telling. The museum webpage, unfortunately, tells about the history of the museum and of its building but not of the people it tells about.

On the other hand, the Anchorage Native Heritage Center (http://www.alaskanative.net/153.asp) was wonderful and is run by Alaska Natives themselves, so they know what they're talking about. That Museum does tell a lot about beliefs and folkways of the Inuit and other tribes across Alaska. They have a gift shop on their webpage so it might be worth checking back periodically to see what books they have listed.

[merriehaskell.livejournal.com]

I get to spend 6 hours in the car with Julie and pollyc tomorrow! (Poor pollyc. I don't think she knows what she's in for.) And I meet yhlee in person for the first time the day after. Plus lots of other people.

*bounce*

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

Bought corn tortillas at Mercado Central, still warm.

[mkille.livejournal.com]

(Note: bragging about recent book sales encouraged.)

I haven't had any recent book sales, but when I was at my public library, we sure made a lot of money off of ours!

(Ba-dum-bum).

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Library book sales cheer me up!

[seagrit.livejournal.com]

Cheering me up:
- irises blooming in my yard and pretty pictures to post on LJ. (yes, this was cheering me up yesterday too...)
- cheering up Angela by bringing her some irises at work.
- Planning antique shopping Saturday with my sister-by-choice and my sister-in-law.
- visiting kittenwar.com

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I am not mad keen on having to pick one kjitten as cuter than the other, but that is subsumed by the fundamental principle that if I click a button, they show me more kjittens. And more. And more. Clickyclickyclick.

[seagrit.livejournal.com]

You can always refresh the page to indicate "they both win!" :) Watch for your niece and nephew kitties, appearing in kittenwar soon!!