Nine or so things!

Seriously-- catching up takes so much time!

Anyway-- I've got a bullet point post of things, and then I'm going to go to bed early.  I HAVE been staying up late, but today I took a two hour nap, realized that working until one a.m. was counter productive when you have to be up at six, and am now attempting to just chill out.  Trust me.  I need it. Here's a list of assorted bitches, whines, and moans for the last five days.  (And some celebrations too, but I'm a little blue, so guess what's got my attention?)

*  First of all, the lovely gif is from Love Romances Cafe-- the voting doesn't start until Thursday (I think--that's the tenth, right?) and I'll be sure to post a link on Twitter/FB when it does, but right now, the honor is TOTALLY in the nomination for Talker, best YA book, and myself, best LGBTQ author. Again, thank you, Dawn and LRC-- it's an honor.

* Secondly, I've been told I've received a Beary Award for Sidecar--very much  an honor!

*  Third, Chris from Stumbling Over Chaos is having a "catch up" contest for Under the Rushes  -- if you haven't bought the book because, hey, we're ALL broke after Christmas, now is the time to get it free!

*  Fourth, I"m currently doing a complete Re-org for City Mouse-- the story needed some extensive internal editing, and can I just say?  I MISS working on Racing for Sonny-- man, that story is SO shiny... right now?  It's my favorite toy!  I have some cover art for that City Mouse though, and once Aleks and I decide on our favorite, I'll put it up!

*  Fifth, I get THIS picture as a cover pic for Bolt Hole, and I'm thrilled!  I'll put it back up when there's some titles and everything, but right now?  I adore it muchly!

*  Sixth, all of my electronics failed me when I needed them most-- in the past two days, in order, the following has happened:

  **My printer broke when I needed it to print out my new work credit card so I could buy plane tickets.  I need to buy the plane tickets--I go to St. Augustine in A MONTH!

** My computer crashed and TWO BACKUPS FAILED ME and I would have lost 10K of Sonny, but I'd been sending installments to Mary, so I just had to patch that all together from my e-mail.

** The Weight Watcher's website is incompatible with my smart phone, and there is NOTHING more frantic than a dieting fat woman who can't enter her points and who needs to eat dinner RIGHT THE FUCK NOW!

** My car is making cricket noises. I'm sure there's a better word for it, but right now, let's let cricket noises stand.  (See?  I told you there'd be whining!)

** There were several contest winners over the break, and we had a helluva time getting their stuff uploaded.  (If one of these people is you, and you've been expecting it and it hasn't happened?  Contact me at my amylane AT greenshill DOT com e-mail!  It WILL be done!)

* Seventh, Johnnie is still cute and still adored, but we are having potty training difficulties.  I put a mat on the indoor places he likes to potty, and then, after he'd had a few accidents, put the mat outside in the potty place.  I just took him to the potty place.  It was cold, so he sat on the mat.  He was grateful.  It wasn't nearly as chilly as that awful grass.

*  Eighth, Steve the cat followed us around the block on our walk tonight, bitching the whole time.  Apparently, without her help, we couldn't make the six rights that constitute walking out of your driveway, making a big circle around the block, and walking back to the house.  She does this a lot-- and she's vocal the entire time.  This time, I saw a neighbor and took Johnnie up to say hi.  When I went up the driveway, Steve hunkered back, one house over, and crouched in the bushes, eyeballing us as if to say, "I shut up for one minute, and you forget how to get home."  As soon as we left, she waited until we passed her hideout and joined us again.  I adore her, but she is the WEIRDEST cat.

*  And ninth?  Well, the kids have started school and band and dance and gymnastics, and they're tired and fractious--but I will leave you with this joke Zoomboy told me:

Mom, why did the elephant paint his seat yellow?
Why?
So he could hide in the custard.
I've never seen an elephant in custard.
See?  It's WORKING!

I totally did not see that one coming, and yes.  I laughed my ass off!