michaeldthomas

Well, that weekend sucked. I've had much worse, but that wasn't exactly the relaxing days off that we had hoped for. A week of Pertussis watch left me pretty stressed out. rarelylynne was also fried from a week of meetings, events, Chicks Dig Time Lords's editorial work, and teaching.

With minimal plans on the books, it seemed like this would be a good weekend to relax. Then we had a plumbing event. :P

It turned out to only be a dead wax ring on the toilet, but it still wasn't cheap. Granted, it was much better than some of the worse-case scenerios that ran through my head. I could have fixed it myself, but Lynne insisted that we just have the plumber do it since he was already there.

In other news, my Bears were just awful against the Packers. Cutler had the yips, his receivers aren't talented enough to start for NIU, and Urlacher had a season-ending injury.

So much for hope.

Anyway, it's a new week. Caitlin is back at school, and I have a short story to finish. :-)

Holy crap! The Bears landed Jay Cutler! We have a real quarterback!

Why am I a Chicago sports fan again?

What a strange week it was. The Cubs almost completely distracted me from the near complete collapse of the economy. There's nothing quite like a major American historical moment that's greeted by the general population with total confusion. The decisions made this week will have repercussions for decades, many of which even the smartest economists can't even begin to predict. To be on the safe side, Lynne and I emptied our retirement accounts and reinvested in canned foods and guns.

Our gaming group finally reconvened yesterday. We're playing the new shiny, Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition. So far, I like it. I don't think it's an improvement on 3rd edition, but it certainly has its charms. The biggest change is how each class is now extremely balanced. None of the classes are noticeably superior to the other ones. They made it fairer for players, but a lot of the flavor of each class got lost in the reimagining. There's something wrong with wizards being no more effective than a rogue or ranger.

Another big change for our group was the addition of the Snow's puppy, Eli. Things went well, and Caitlin received a lifetime's worth of puppy kisses.

Since we finished all of our chores yesterday, today is a day of sloth. Other than watching football and keeping Cait alive, all I have to do is critique some manuscripts for a couple of friends.

It’s been a while since I blogged, but not for bad reasons. I have actually been taking a break. I can’t remember the last time that Lynne, Caitlin, and I did this. We’ve just been luxuriating at home, watching TV, listening to music, and reading. I’m beginning to feel recharged.

Christmas was nice. The family got together in low-key fashion. Prezzies were exchanged, and all was well in the world.

Boxing day was spent with our friends [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] and [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] enjoying Bond films and the RiffTrax version of Glitter. Much fun was had.

Fluid Links work was busy with many discussions between the writers and editor. I’ve also been doing a serious rethink of the last third of the novel. I think that I have fixed some problems, and I now have a solid outline for the last four chapters.

The Bears played well today, not that it matters.

The Cubs first spring training game is February 29.

Go Cubs!!!

Fukudome Fever, Catch It!!!

Just Finished Reading: Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
Currently Reading: Dragon Champion by E. E. Knight