We Finished Twenties Girl

Me and Miss W couldn’t understand why the car was covered with splotches of reddish brown mud this morning. We listened to Twenties Girl and the timing was perfect . . . just as we parked outside Kerri’s, the book ended. We are going to miss this, it was very silly, but lots of fun. I wasn’t sure how Miss W would feel about Clan of the Cave Bear, it seemed strange listening in silence this afternoon as we came home (we have been laughing and groaning along to Twenties Girl) but she said she liked it very much, and I thought that if we get all the way through this there are all the Jeam Auel sequels.

I am tired tonight, this week has been busy and even though I worked solidly on latest story Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, it is still not ready to submit. I registered Boy 2 for summer camp today, and Miss W is off on a sleepover tomorrow night. Had interesting chat with coworker from South Africa today – she is from Pretoria, and her parents still live there. It has turned into quite a violent place, although I suppose it has been for a long time, it’s just that the violence has turned in a different direction now. I discovered that the reddish stuff all over the car is volcanic dust!

Lots of confusion today but my brother now realizes it’s not my birthday for another month, thank you anyway for the phone call, John.

Miss W’s Amateur Animation!!!

Miss W here with really cool news!! I just made a really small (about 6-frame) animation using a program called GIMP on my computer. It is a wolf with a severe eye scar. Blinking. (from the other eye.)

Want to see it?

Plus: I’m trying to do more complex animations. But it is really, really hard.

And Today

I woke up this morning all on my own – no Cloudy meowing in my ear and batting me in the face so that I would get up quickly and fetch her breakfast, it was very odd. She wasn’t meowing outside the door either, but then appeared several minutes later whilst I was in the midst of preparing breakfasts etc. Today has seemed quite odd because Miss W was feeling off and didn’t go into school, and I am so geared up now to leave the house each morning at around 6.20 and drive across town. I think Boy 2 was a bit ruffled by the change in routine but he didn’t do too badly. I called Dr H today and told him that the Tenex didn’t seem to be going so well, I don’t think he appreciated hearing about my Internet research and telling him about side effects. He just said to keep him on it and take a wait and see attitude. I steeled myself when the buss arrived but Boy 2 was actually very calm, some slight fussing, but then just the usual eagerness to get his supper – which he ate. So maybe his body is getting used to it after all.

Without all the driving today was rather leisurely, I just went off to Bennett and the weather was so great that everyone wanted to chat, had quite a lengthy what-is-world-coming-to type chat with the librarian in Bennett and then checked out a pile of books for Miss W and Boy 2. And I am reading this book, by Posy Simmonds – it’s actually quite good, about a couple who let out the buildings and cottages on their farm land to writers. I’ve never read a graphic novel before but I like looking at the pictures, which are very detailed, and I’m enjoying the story. Then after reading this over lunch while Miss W read Hamlet – the graphic novel, I got down to work and banged out another 1000 words of my latest story. Will get it finished tomorrow. 

welcome home, Cloudy

I just found this . . .

 

Tenex is used to treat high blood pressure as well as ADHD in children. I also found, listed as a possible side effect, dry mouth. Yesterday on the way home from King Soopers Boy 2 unstrapped himself and just lunged at the water bottle in the front seat. I am worried now that he’s feeling really awful and of course cannot tell me.  

SIDE EFFECTS: Dizziness, drowsiness, headache, constipation, gas pains, diarrhea, loss of appetite, fatigue, and nasal congestion may occur. If these symptoms persist or worsen, notify your doctor. Inform your doctor if you develop: chest pain, shortness of breath, skin rash, swelling of the hands or feet, blurred vision, yellowing of the eyes or skin. Inform your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms: mental/mood changes, tingling of the hands or feet, dry mouth, impotence, decreased sexual desire, vision changes, taste changes, ringing in the ears, leg cramps. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist

Boy 2 on Tenex

Another grumpy morning with Boy 2, although he’d cheered up by the time his bus arrived. I had an accident with a jar of applesauce this morning, an appointment at 10, managed to squeeze lots of writing in and then received a phone call from Boy 1 explaining that he’d missed his school bus, could I please fetch him. Had to drive very quickly to be back in time for Boy 2’s behavioural therapist and I’m glad she came today because he was in a very bad way by the time he arrived home.

He does fuss, but he very rarely cries with his mouth wide open and real tears as he was doing this afternoon. He has also lost his appetite and couldn’t manage lasagne tonight which is usually a favourite. So I’m going to call Dr H in the morning. Michelle, his therapist, thinks that Dr H will just tell me to press on with the meds and let Boy 2’s body adjust, but he is so miserable right now and so am I. He is sleepy a lot of the time but cannot sleep, all he can do is whine and feel irritable. I think he is constipated too.

Received a contract for Trouble In Paradise, one of my summer short stories today, so off to the PO tomorrow.

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?: A VERY SPECIAL CAR OF THE WEEK

Well, to begin, I don’t even know where to begin. Judging by the title(and if you’re a seasoned collector), yes, I have found the coveted Ghostbusters Ecto-1, along with 2 regular Treasure Hunts and several others.

Shown here with duplicate. If there is a casting that I like(and if it is popular and valuable), I'm likely to get one to open, and another to keep in the package.

A closer look. Here, you can see the Ghostbusters logo. The Ecto-1 is a heavily modified '59 Cadillac Ambulance.

Rear view.

The top is removable.

The packaged duplicate.

Starting in 2008, the back of the card began being printed in a format similar to this. Since 2008, it has shown BORN, BIRTHPLACE, DESINGER, and SPECIALTY. However, this was only printed on mainline cars; special series showed the rest of the cars in the series on the back of the card.

This image pretty much explains itself. The Ghostbusters logo, printed on the back of the card next to GM, is the only thing with color on the back of the card.

The two Treasure Hunts. The funny thing is, these cars were all found in a King Soopers, one that stocks cars from previous months. They didn't get all these new vehicles until April, and they were in the Promotional Aisle.

A closer look. The tires for this casting are...unusual.

The cream of the crop, shown center.

Sunday

Roddy from Done Plumbing arrived yesterday and replaced my shut off valve on the leaky pipe behind the fridge at huge expense. Boy 2 was very confused and couldn’t understand what was going on, Roddy smiled at him when he left and said “goodbye little man”. Then Boy 2 cried when he drove off.

Boy 2 VERY whiny on these new meds, I think he is exhausted but Dr H said his body would adjust. I feel exhausted myself today after dealing with him, best part of the day was going to king Soopers. He has now started grabbing candy bars, which I don’t mind too much, but then he always spots the whoppers at the checkout and his eyes light up a little bit. He will then obediently put down the snickers and everything else and pick up the whoppers but it is always a huge struggle to let go off them so they can be scanned.

Boy 2's favourite candy

 Am now going to curl up with my favourite candy and current book – A Crowded Marriage by Catherine Alliott. The characters in her novels are all such huge snobs that I wince as I read. But I love her novels because they are so entertaining, perfect after a day with Boy 2 whining non-stop. Will read something more serious next time. 

Huntress Queen by Miss W

My poem.

A lioness lounges

on a warming stone

The rising sun reddens the sky

and tells of the blood to be spilled.

Then her ears prick up.

Her speckled nose twitches.

The smell of injury

wafts to the Queen

And she rises with the sun

And follows her unfailing nose

and sees a cape buffalo

with a delicious limp to its gait.

A golden blur pursues her prey

and leaps upon her victim

And in

five

slow

amazing

catastrophic

heartbeats

the horned masterpiece

was a fallen angel.

The scent of the bloody carcass

Lured the proud and hungry pride

to the fresh food.

Soon muzzles were red and wet

Bellies were full

The vultures finished picking at the bones.

Just another grassland day.

My poem is in here.

Plumbing Disasters

Oh God, where to start? Miss W was running a bath earlier this week and the hot water tap got stuck on the ‘on’ position. I had to call out a plumber and he fitted a new faucet for the children’s bathroom which set me back several hundred dollars. I was still reeling from this when yesterday I told Rudy off for peeing near the fridge, but then I realized he hadn’t – something was leaking behind the fridge! I heaved the fridge away from the wall and there it was . . . the little pipe that used to be attached to the old fridge, which had an icemaker. There is a toggle on this pipe, but it won’t turn any further and behind the fridge and rapidly spreading outwards is absolutely soaked. So I went to bed last night with a bucket wedged behind the fridge.  Two plumbing disasters in one week! I am now waiting for the plumber to call, heaven knows how much he will charge me for fixing this leak. I also received the news that my water heater needs replacing and this will cost $2500. Am in despair.

On the plus side. Lara and Robert were here this week en route to Portland, and Lara celebrated her 30th birthday with us! Robert made organic macaroni cheese to celebrate – mmm, yummy! All week the weather has been strange, non-stop rain coming down, which I would quite like if not for the fact that the porch leaks and I’m afraid the roof is going to cave in one of these days. I’m  not crazy about the wind rattling the windows all night long either – it has been terrifically windy. The sky has been full of very dramatic looking grey clouds. We bought Avatar and watched it last night by candlelight, me and Miss W, and enjoyed it just as much the second time around. 

I am now through with writing summer stories – I wrote 4 and have sold 3. The ones that sold all feature young characters interestingly, I usually write some with older people but this year they just seemed to want people in their 20s having a wild time. Of course I had a wealth of experience to draw from(!) No luck with my articles.

Fingers crossed everyone  – the plumber needs to arrive soon and say that he doesn’t feel like charging me a penny because it is a pleasure for him to fix up my leaky hovel. They already knew my name when I called today, groan.

Lara, Miss W, Robert

Thirty!

macaroni cheese

June 2010 - my story is Summer Secrets

IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN…BEW NEW NEW NEW…NEW NEW NEW NEW

The Sting Rod II has won by majority. So, as I promised, here is a special.

The confrontation begins.

If you look hard in the above photo, you can see the new Sting Rod Mk. 1, clad in its new paint job, looming ahead.

The Sting Rod II swerves towards the Sting Rod.

However, the driver of the Sting Rod II loses control of his vehicle. The Sting Rod ceases the opportunity to drive over his hood-mounted weaponry, temporarily crippling it.

The Sting Rod II pulls out from Sting Rod's deathgrip.

Nothing like a little bumper-to-bumper action to get the juices pumping.

During the hand-to-hand grappling, the Sting Rod II remembers that he has one more missile than the Sting Rod(and longer ones). The Sting Rod II experiences little hesitation before blowing the Sting Rod to hell.

The Sting Rod II triumphs. But it's not over yet...

A gigantic, vicious wiener dog chases the Sting Rod II. But the driver comes up with a plan...

The plan, however, is fatally flawed. The Sting Rod II has leapt onto the back of the vicious beast, but it throws the Sting Rod II off.

The ghostly Sting Rod silently laughs to himself while watching as the horrible mass of twisted metal blows huge plumes of smoke from its mangled body. In short, no one has won. It was all a horrible, brutal nightmare of which no one benefited. I hope all you boys and girls have learned your lesson.