Week of December 12-18

That would be a big fat nothing, folks. No acceptances. No rejections. No "please wait a bit longer while we consider it more." No love, no hate, not even any expressions of indifference. Just nothing.

I don't expect next week to be much better.

Stupid December.

I am absolutely thrilled with the orbicular (?) jasper necklace I got from porphyrin for Christmas this year. It may sneak into the edits of Thermionic Night if I don't watch it very carefully. I think it's watching me very carefully back. It might secretly be oracular jasper (but not in the book). It looks given to cryptic pronouncements, does this rock.

I am now contemplating how to rearrange my Christmas packing list to include sweaters or shirts that will show off this necklace.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight was also a major Christmas hit, as presents go: a good kickoff to the Christmas presents, despite the fact that we didn't have Mike's present or half of Roo's, nor could I find his gonkey. (EEP! Must find gonkey!)

And, having postponed the kolackys and the lemon shortbread sandwiches, I am done with the Christmas baking: the meringues are arrayed in glory on the counter, in both raspberry and pistachio form. Hooray for the meringues.

On an unrelated note, as a public service announcement, here is a list of the situations in which it is acceptable to come into someone's home as a guest and sneer at it, their friends, and their lives in general:

.......

Also, here is a list of situations in which it is acceptable for untrained personnel to offer psychological explanations for diagnosed physical health problems in people in whose company they have spent less than an hour:

.......

Just so we're all clear on that.