Coming Down

(***For those looking for the contest winners--I know I said I'd wait until Rampant got here, but iUniverse is pissing me off in a big way. I'll announce the contest winners on Monday, period. I'll send the copy of Rampant to the winner as soon as my author copies come, but that way, if you've been waiting to buy a copy of Promise Rock, you won't have to put it off!!!!)

Sorry I didn't post yesterday-- but by now, I'm sure you all are over and done with all the posts about the writing me instead of the me with actual personality, so we probably didn't miss much.

Seriously, I've been 'coming down' from the stress and the angst and the excitement (yes, lots of positive excitement) and the general sleeplessness that's been taking over my life. I woke up this morning and realized I'd just slept for seven hours straight for the first time since summer vacation. *whew*

So tonight I get to visit blogs (later tonight--right now, I can't seem to shake all the children who are clinging to me like limpets even after lots of time together) and I get to cuddle children and knit (wwhhhhooooo boy, am I on a knitting jag. It feels SOOOOOO good!) and basically, you know, be sane. I give it a week.

But in the meantime, we took the kids to the zoo, and there has been some general hilarity in the Lane household that I thought I would share.

* At the zoo today, the animals were cold and very awake. The Hyenas in particular were frightening-- they just paced, staring at the void between human and hyena with this cold, calculating look in their eyes. "Yes, I see you. The small one looks tasty. And you? You would be fat and succulent. Stay there. Just stay there. We'll figure a way out. Just wait."

"Wow," I said to Mate. "They look very... disturbing."

Mate gave me a look that made me think of Gromit when he really and sincerely agrees with Wallace. Yes. That hyena freaked us both the frack out.

* Also at the zoo today, Zoomboy had a map. This was important. The map was paramount. We would go find an animal and Zoomboy would say, "Where is it on the map?" And the Romantic philosopher that I am, I would say, "Why do we need to see the map. The animal is RIGHT HERE!"

"But I've already seen the animal--now I need to see it on THE MAP!"

Yup. That's my OCD honors child right there.

* But he's not too grown- up. He agreed the lemurs looked like King Julian from Madagascar and he said, "Yes--and that one looks like Julian and that one looks like Mort... No, no, that's not Mort. That's a squirrel." And sure enough it was. The little bastard snuck inside the Lemur cage, ate their food and then squeezed outside, wagging his little fanny and screaming "Neener neener neener." True story.

* We went on the carousel--the little kids were cute, but Chicken and her father, weaving back and forth to the tune of 'Sleepy Jean' were actually cuter.

* And then we came home and watched Buffy. Ah, bliss. Right up until the moment when Zoomboy ran into the living room, all excited. "Mom mom mom! I had a poop that was brown on one side and green on the other."

I was still blinking when Mate said, very matter-of-factly, "You've been eating a lot of fruit loops, haven't you, son?"

Chicken laughed so hard she couldn't breathe.


And that's some normalcy for you. I LIKES IT.

Thanks to all the folks who have already reviewed the books--you really have set my mind to rest on a few things! This lady here in particular has been more than generous reviewing my books! If she sees this, I'd like to thank her--I'm so glad she enjoyed the work and then shared that with the world!

And now I'm off. I need to go lay down and watch some television with the short people before they drive me completely batshit. They saw me on the computer and scented blood.

I can't wait to catch up with all of you tonight, when they've gone to sleep!