Here Now

Right now, I am content.

Why can’t I rest in this feeling more? It could have a lot to do with the fact that I just ate a bunch of chocolate (Riesen caramels), but I don’t think so. It’s just so.

It might be true that sometimes I do too much. Too fast. I don’t relax well, if at all. I’m a bit of a whiner. And I know, theoretically, that I need to Be Here Now. But in practice, I’m a big Livin’-for-Tomorrow kinda gal.

Right now, I’m here. I love this feeling. It’s good.

Other feelings:

Oh, the knitting ennui! Bah. I just can’t ride the wave right now. How about you? I’m trying to finish up test-knitting a sweater for my book, so I can finish the pattern, so I can send it out to my test-knitter (hi, Kiyomi! Haven’t forgotten you!), and I’m not a fan of knitting things twice, I suppose, especially miles of stockinette. Muddling through. Soooo slowly.

Sleepiness. I’ve been sleeping GREAT. Hoo boy. I could sleep right now. But I won’t.

Reading. I’ve been reading constantly. One perk of being a (really-soon-to-be) Published Author and a member of RWA is that you get to judge the RITAs, which is biggest award in the romance industry. It’s the Oscar of romance, if you will. And they SEND YOU FREE BOOKS*. Lots of them! I got eight! Good ones! Ones that were actually on my list to buy and read! And I only have about five weeks to read them, so I’m reading like crazy. I’ve read three so far, and I’m on the fourth. Three are GREAT. One was okay. Not bad odds, huh?

*One of the funniest moments was when I opened my box of books, and the very first book to slide out was my friend. partner-in-crime, and fellow PensFatales Sophie Littlefield’s A Bad Day for Sorry. Out of 1200 books? I got hers? I returned it, because I’m honest, and I couldn’t judge it without a conflict of interest ALTHOUGH I WANTED TO and you should totally read it because it was one of my favorite books of 2009. It’s wonderful. It’s crime fiction about the owner of a sewing shop, and it kicks ass, just like Sophie does.  

A taste of Sophie’s book:

Whuppin’ ass wasn’t so hard, Stella Hardesty thought as she took aim with the little Raven .25 she took off a cheating son-of-a-bitch in Kansas City last month.

What was hard was making sure it stayed whupped.

Especially on a day when it hit a hundred degrees before noon. And you were having hot flashes. And today’s quote on your Calendar For Women Who Do Too Much read Find serenity in unexpected places.

“Fuck serenity,” Stella said. And she shot the trailer.