and if you go

First, a couple books to talk about.

5) Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, vol. 2: I love the Buffy series. Enough said.

6) The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. I really enjoyed this bit of magic realism. It was well executed. The characters were interesting people, and there were some really stunning scenes. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys magic realism, or just really well-done books.

7) Pure by Julianna Baggott. I just finished this one on the train this morning. This is another YA dystopian novel. Call me a sucker for this sort of thing, but I fell headlong for this novel. The hope and despair of the characters is palpable throughout. The strength that lies within them is amazing, and so is how, even though their world is wholly different than ours, they all have moments that are very easy to empathize with. The world this book takes place in has depth and resonance. This is a keeper for me; I know I'll come back to it. And I'll probably notice things on a reread that I didn't catch this time in the layers of clues and lies. I want the sequel so I can read it RIGHT NOW.

In other news . . . I adopted a cat on Sunday. Her name is Zoe; she's a five-year-old torbie with pale green eyes and a squeaky meow. She's beautiful, and she's adjusting very well to living with us. Her favorite place so far is my laundry basket.

That's about it right now. Work is busy, freelancing is happening again, band is fine, home is getting there. And now I need to get to work. There's a chance I could get caught up this week or next, and I mean to make it happen. Blessings!

since i could say

It's been a while. Sorry about that. There was too much work and too little time, and then a long weekend in Vegas to visit my sister and our grandparents. It was a great visit; sunshine, antique fairs, sleep, good food, four kitties, triominoes. I do feel a little recharged. But it was hard to force myself to go back to work. I think I'm still a little burned out. I know I'm still working on the concept of balance. Work, freelance, music, writing, relationships. Finishing the apartment. That's a lot to have going on all the time. And hopefully I'll get a cat in the next few days, there's that too. Word of the year: balance. Word of the month: frugal. Or maybe simple. I need to tone things down a bit. My goals for March are to make a serious dent in editing my book, do a couple freelance projects, finish my apartment, and get a cat. perfectly reasonable, attainable goals, I think!

I've been dreaming a lot, but not retaining much of them, which is frustrating. Bits and bobs here and there is all. Lorrie's birthday party, at a pool in a Vegas hotel. Moving into a weird interesting house with a skinny low-ceilinged library room in it, knowing there was a demon coming, and wishing that Buffy, Willow, and Xander were there. Playing in a clarinet quintet only I was sick and really struggling to make it to rehearsals. One I remember more of: I was in a car being driven by someone, we were being chased by evil wizards, I was throwing energy detonations at them with my hands out the window. We got to this huge mall-like building and ran inside. There was a grocery store, and I was prowling the aisles, stocking up on things like bread and ground beef that I could roll into balls to ground my energy bombs in. Samantha was there too. Then I remember heading into confrontation in a long hallway.

so, that's that. Strange dream snippets and short vacations and month goals. Next time I'll talk about books I've read, but for now I need to get to work. Happy Thursday!

five lion kisses

On the subway this morning there was a short, slender man, slightly balding on top, glasses, holding his daughter. She had on pink galoshes and tights; her hair was corn-silk blond and her face was all lit up by her smile. She was laughing a lot at silly things her dad said to her. And then she looked at him and said, "I'll give you five lion kisses and then you'll be all gone." And he smiled and tickled her, and they laughed. And my mind totally snagged on what that little girl said. There's a macabre children's story or a poem or something in that, I think. Five lion kisses. Hmm.

the war isn't over

The last couple of mornings I've woken up slowly, groggy, remembering only snippets of my dreams. A party, a rock band driving somewhere in a van, a board game . . . the more I try to remember the hazier those snapshots become. The restlessness is back. It leaves me tired, jittery, dissatisfied. And unsure what to do about it. I'm heading to Vegas to visit my sister and grandparents next weekend; hopefully that'll help. Or at least recharge my batteries a bit. I'm a little burned out, honestly. It happens. I'd like to make the time this weekend to rewrite the last chapter of my novel so I can give the remainder to my writers group for feedback. I'm looking forward to starting the editorial process for this one when I get back from Vegas. While I'm traveling, I think I'll poke at Emmelina, see if I can sort out what happens with the witch in that one. And I plan to read a lot, and sleep.

Happy Thursday, all. Thank goodness it's almost the weekend.

thought it was a good solution

In the last week I've met two cats, hung out at a beer garden, worked a lot, went out for a friend's birthday, and made some good progress on organizing my office. I also finished a book:

4) Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn. Honestly, I'm iffy about this one. I like Vaughn's writing. I like the concept. I even liked watching Kitty grow and change over the course of the book. But . . . the werewolf pack came off as an abusive cult, and I guess it's a testament to how well Vaughn wrote it that it made me uncomfortable, but I still don't think I'm going to continue reading this series. That said, I'm glad I read this one, and am more than happy to try other things by Vaughn.

Last night I dreamed that I was living in this suite of apartments with a bunch of my friends. My partner-in-crime, my good friend J, my old college boyfriend C, and a lot of other people were there, running in and out of each others apartments, drinking, talking, etc. At some point I tried to have a cigarette with J but I couldn't find him (he spent most of the dream lurking around the edges). Tried to take a nap with C but it was too loud, so I got up to talk to some girls and realized it was 5 a.m. and none of us had gotten any sleep yet. Then the dream shifted, and I was in this woo-woo new-age shop that my godchildren's grandmother was running, and she was in the middle of leading a meditation so I snuck down to the basement to have a look around. I found a flyer with a picture of my younger goddaughter on it that said, in essence, "My granddaughter needs a new home, her mother died and I can't take care of her." And I got really angry because she hadn't called me about it, she was just going to give her granddaughter away.

So, yeah. Monday morning. This week looks to be busyish but not awful. And next weekend is a three-day weekend, hurray!

I'd better get my workday started. Good luck with yours, everyone!

another step

Last night we rearranged the office in our new apartment, and I think it's a much better use of space. I think I like it. now we just have to get rid of all the stuff we're not keeping, and then do a lot of organizing. And then decorate! It sounds like a lot still, but we're really getting there. I'm still trying to keep the freelance work to a minimum so I have time to deal with things at home. AND, I've started looking for a cat. Finally!

In other news, I've been slowly brainstorming about the series arc and sequel plotlines for my book. More to do on that, but I think I'm moving in the right direction. Once that's all sussed out, I can start editing this book, which I'm looking forward to.

I've read a couple books so far this year:

1) Ganymede by Cherie Priest. Third book in the Clockwork Century series. Love it! I love all of Cherie's books, honestly, but this series is so much fun. Steampunk! Air pirates! Civil War alternate history! Zombies! What's not to love?

2) The Saga of Swamp Thing. I read the first trade that came out after Alan Moore took over, and I have to say, this is a pretty amazing graphic novel. It's dark and moody and introspective, and has some great horror moments to it. I'll definitely be reading more in this series.

3) Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 8: Vol. 1. Love it! This picks up shortly after the television series ends, after Buffy has changed the world. I enjoyed it so much I went to the comic book shop down the block from work and ordered the next two trades. What can I say? The Buffy 'verse really resonates for me.

And now, I should probably get to work. Things are a little on the quiet side this week, so I stand a chance of catching up if I can find a little focus and motivation.

Imbolc

Happy Imbolc, everybody! Imbolc is a celebration of the early signs of spring. It is a time of purification and dedication. Brigid, goddess of healing, poetry, and smithcraft, is closely tied to this holiday. I'll be celebrating later today with a simple ritual, some wine, and a cleansing of my new apartment. Anyone else have any plans for Imbolc today?