Frog and Goat

We got home this afternoon and spent the first 30 minutes vacuuming cat hair and cleaning up vomit. And, the worst part yet, sweeping the remains of a treasured bowl that our stupid and blind cat knocked over. You’d think he’d know where he was going by now–like not on the counter. You don’t need to see to know that much. Love my kitties, but they are annoying. Even Leon who is spending time right now loving my right leg, now my left leg, now my right leg….

The week away at the beach was fantastic. The weather was marvelous the whole time and we didn’t drag ourselves off the beach until 7pm last night. We didn’t spend the entire day on the beach but we’ve never stayed that late. We also ate very well and managed to have some seafood every day.

I read lots of good books and realized about half-way through the week that I once again gravitated to short stories. Ah, they are meaty morsels.

Let me tell you how glad I am that I turned my “trash junk mail” option on in hotmail because I got enough crap in that account as it was. I don’t think I’m going to read diddly though….just pull the handle and let it flush.

This morning we woke up at 5:11am (yes, I set the alarm so we’d get one extra minute) to go check out Mars. We had planned to drive to the beach but as we found out the best place to view Mars was right outside the cottage. I used our digital camera and got a couple of shots that actually sort-of turned out. Mars is red and the nearby stars are white–otherwise the picture is black–being o’dark 30 in the morning.

So far the week has been splendid. We’ve been to the beach twice and I’m sure we’ll head there today as well. The ocean has been remarkably calm so riding the boogie board hasn’t been an option. Actually, there’s such a sand bar that we just go out to about our waists, if we’re lucky, and bob like apples. We’ve seen lots and lots of dolphins off the sand bar and I suppose there’s plenty of fish for them to eat. We’ve seen the fish jumping and a fisherman was setting out nets yesterday.

The food has been excellent and, as you know, I am compelled to tell you what we’ve eaten. Sunday Night: 2lbs of steamed shrimp and 2 dozen oysters and Fosters beer. Monday Morning: Blueberry pancakes for me and sausage, egg and cheese biscuits for him. Monday Night: grilled tuna and steak for the better half and seafood kabobs for me (shrimp, tuna, scallops) with brie and seasonal fruit as an appetizer. Tuesday Night: Shrimp and Scallops with spicy green curry broth (over fettucine) for the better half and sauteed scallops with lime cilantro butter for me. Mint white chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate ammaretto cheesecake for dessert. Since I don’t like cheesecake, you know who ordered what for dessert. We’ve had two decent bottles of wine with dinner–a pinot grigio and a riesling. For lunch and other breakfasts we’ve made sandwiches and cooked eggs and pig meat…did you know Gwaltney makes Beef Bacon? Can’t imagine why.

We’re off to the beach for the week. I’ll try to write if I can. Here’s a pic from the sound-side.

I saw this on Yahoo’s News page. Think it hurt?

It is a sick world where people get killed over sharing a Budweiser. It’s not like it was a Bass.

I’ve considered putting the Book of Salt on my wish list but just haven’t. I don’t know why I’m waiting. After reading this article I feel compelled or driven to read her book.

I have a whole sack of books that we’re taking to the beach. I’m sure I’ll have to clear out all the other titles listed on this site to accomodate the books I’ll read on vacation. I’ve got some titles by writers I should already know but have never read and I have some by writers I’ve never heard of but can’t wait to meet.

Yesterday, at lunch, I dropped the better-half off at Jiffy Lube to pick up his truck. I couldn’t get over to turn an immediate left and had to go down and around to get back to the office. He actually beat me back to the office which is darn funny. That’s not the point of this entry though.

As I was making my way back, I drove past a house that had three women sitting out front and one babe in a stroller. No idea the gender of the babe. One of the women was young and one was old and one was of an indeterminate age…yeah, this is really interesting. Anyway, I got the impression that it was grandmother, mother, daughter and daughter’s child. They were sitting out on the front stoop chatting. I wondered if the child would have any memory of going to grandmother or great-grandmother’s house and enduring long boring chats by his/her elders. Which lead me to wonder about the state of future works of fiction.

In all the creative writing classes I ever took we were told to write what we’ve experienced or at least use experiences as a jumping off place. What are “kids these days” going to use as experiences? Staying in the house all day because their mother’s won’t let them outside?

The kids next door to me are so rarely outside that we often wonder if anyone is home. The neighbors have 3 acres of land…some of it is yard and the rest are trees. Why aren’t they outside? Their parents have met us. We, so far, haven’t hacked anyone or anything to bits. We’re in a rural area and I can tell you if the kids were within my eyesight I’d probably get all old lady on them and tell them to quit it or they’ll poke their eye out. Whatever happened to kids being told to get out from under-foot and get outside?

When I was young (oh so many years ago) we lived in a subdivision and we were always kicked out in the morning, reigned back in for lunch and then kicked back out until dinner, then told to go play flashlight tag until it was time for bed. We were inside if we were sick, it was raining or there was company. When I got older we lived during the summers in a small little town where we would take off on bikes and be gone for hours. Couldn’t even see our house.

And, that brings me back to the kid in the stroller and the state of future fiction. Will that kid have some real experiences where he/she explores his/her universe and then has something to write about? I’m interested to know what fiction will be like in 15 years. All the up-and-coming writers are children now and how will their experiences change the world of fiction or will it just be true that everything worth knowing has already been captured?

Mars will be as close to Earth as we’ll ever see it. I’m hoping it will be a clear morning and we can stand on the beach and watch. Which reminds me to pack the binoculars.

I was watching VH1 “I Love the 70s” and was totally digging 1975 until Jason Mraz showed up. The only excuse for him being on this show is because someone really wants him to be the next BIG thing. Dude is from my hometown and I can guarantee that he wasn’t around in 1975. Heck, his parents probably didn’t even know each other in 1975. It torks me to no end that he was on the show. I turned it off.

Just when Quark thought it could dominate me I kicked it to the curb. I figured out how to make a pretty damn sweet TOC for a document I’ve been working on for weeks.

Quark is still cumbersome and, really, there has to be a better way. But today I dance all over Quark.