(R.H. Herron)
Lala has the best-worst-best story ever. It’s an animal story, so you should go read it. Really. People suck. And people are really, really good.
(You can comment here — no comments on her blog. Or feel free to email her. And look at that picture! That picture!)
My new favorite place to edit: In the dining room. On the table. After work. With a glass of wine. While the Roomba whooshes at my feet.
I worked on the book last night after I got off work, and the noise of the little vacuum (which had filled up with animal hair during the day and hadn’t finished its cycle) was great white noise. I thought I’d be too tired to do any real work, but maybe the tiredness lowered inhibitions — it went well. I monitored the glass of wine (monitored it REAL well, oh, yeah) because I’ve never been a drink-and-write kinda gal, and I don’t want to be one. It was nice yesterday, though.
Editing. It doesn’t suck. Not near as much as I thought it would.
Also regarding editing, memo to Caltrans:
YOUR ELECTRONIC SIGN IS KILLING ME. You know, the one at the 580/238 split.
"Please drive careful" is not okay. Ever.
The other signs in the area say "Please drive safely." "Please drive slowly." "Please use caution." These are all acceptable. But if you can’t fit the word carefully on a sign, USE SOMETHING ELSE.
I swerve a little every time I see it.
What an eventful Sunday!
1. My father-in-law came over for coffee.
2. Upon leaving, his rental car was hit by a car WITH NO ONE IN IT that rolled out of a parking lot. (No injuries, little damage.)
3. I thought I had a gas leak. The fire department came. They were nice. I didn’t have a detectable leak. Rather annoying. When leaving, the engineer looked at one of my spinning wheels and laughed. He pointed, "Come on, who uses that?" I said, "Look in here." Showed him the yarn room. Duly impressed. (If you didn’t know anyone who even knitted, how weird would it be to meet someone who also spun?)
4. I discovered Oyster Bay, an off-leash dog park very near our house that is AMAZING — on the bay, overlooking the Oakland airport runway, HUGE, and lovely.
Clara likes sourgrass.
5. Used an unexpected work bonus to buy (drum roll): a ROOMBA! Got it at Costco and it’s running right now. Lala and I are both in love with it. She’s been trying to talk me into one forever, and I’ve been resisting, but why? Now she has a robot and I have a vacuum cleaner and it’s a match made in heaven. I canNOT keep on top of all the animal-hair tumbleweeds around here, even with my beloved Dyson. This might help. And it’s cute! The cats think it’s funny and Clara thinks maybe she is being replaced.
6. Went to my godson Dylan’s 2nd birthday party. We got him chaps and a cowboy hat. Oh, yeah. He got many instruments to go with the ones he already has (I think now he’s only missing a bass), but he loves this most:
And he’s good at it, too!
7. Made a big error in judgment when I told Lala to bring Harriet over when she came to the party (she had been training for the AIDS ride, and had been out all day riding 48 miles). The house dog, Scally, and Harriet have hung out many times. They go to the beach together. Scally’s been at our house. I only assumed Harriet had been to Scally’s house with Lala before. But Scally is protective of her house, and was surprised to see Harriet. Small fight, quickly separated, but I was OVERCOME with remorse at my stupidity. Harriet was fine, appreciated all the attention, and I was the one who broke down. Man, Harriet is FIERCE for sixteen, though.
8. SUSHI! Lots of it.