authoring destruction

Well. Apparently, it took me two days to recover from my all-nighter to get back down to Iowa. I expected to be dead on my feet all of Tuesday (having arrived that morning), but I didn't really anticipate Wednesday and Thursday being useless days as well. I did watch all of Harper's Island, though. Surely in some universe that was a productive use of my time.

I did manage to wake up at a decent hour (7:30, much better than 10:45), wash my dishes, make myself a good breakfast, and get away for my errands without feeling hassled. I've picked up a stack of job applications from bookstores, cafes, and other shops within walking distance of my house; on wandering into the Blick down the way (also to apply) I bought a very nice looking wood bookcase on clearance for $30 and even managed to get it up to my apartment by myself (it's not awfully heavy, but it's a very awkward box).

I also named the two members of Team Destructokitten. The little one (grey and white striped) is Jay (short for Bluejay, not of & Silent Bob), and the larger solid grey one is Rook. Rook is in my lap right now. Well, now he's on the desk. But he was in my lap when I typed that he was. They're both lovely. A little thin; I think I might need to deworm them despite not seeing any other evidence of roundworm other than that they're not putting on as much weight as I would have expected. It's also been a long time since I've had a kitten (having adopted my previous cats as adults).

Venus is here, she's crabby about her new friends still but I think it's mostly the flight getting to her. Today and yesterday nobody's really hissed at eachother, though they're not quite interacting yet. The kittens - particularly Jay - really want her to play with them, but she's still acting a little snobbish. Between the three of them, my apartment feels really un-lonely. Also, nothing stays on a surface unless it's anchored down.

I'm still brainstorming for new things to do with Halflit. I started compiling suggestions here: http://www.halflit.net/suggs.html and then, because that was sortof a dumb idea as an ongoing thing, finally set up a forum for discussion here: http://www.halflit.net/rookery/forum/

Everyone is invited, writers and otherwise. Feel free to register and say hello; I'll be making an actual layout for the board in the next few days as well as adding new forums. That messageboard will remain permanent, and theoretically connect to a set of pages devoted to writing and artisting resources.

After sending the manuscript to a young man last night, I was compelled to crack my novel again and start working. I actually got some stuff done today; seems the couple of months time sitting on it allowed me to get far enough away from feeling overwhelmed by what's missing from the whole story that I could address the first chapter by itself. It needs more revision, but the things that I needed to add to flesh it out I think are in; I think I like where the narrative string is at, for the first thirty some pages. I believe I am adding an entire chapter in after that, that doesn't presently exist, but that's ok, too. I'm still trying to get a figure on a ballpark average length for a science fiction novel (in word count). Mostly out of curiosity.

In other news, my kittens are very feisty. They wrestle and fight and maul one another most of the time, when they're not trying to climb things. The also appear to view my feet as one (two?) of their own. I think the solid grey one is going to get pretty big. I still haven't named them.

This is how it always happens. You come close to me, and for a while, we're happy together. Content, still, at peace with each-other and the world. But then, somehow, everything changes... you need my attention, you get in my face, you won't let me work on anything for a second. I try to be gentle at first, but you never take the hint. I don't want to, but I have to push you away, over and over. You can't just let things be, can you? You always have to go and ruin everything for us.

Don't you understand that I can't deal with your wet nose and whiskers in my face when I'm trying to use my computer?? There are other places to cuddle me other than by sitting on my chest!

Love,
M.

(this one is to my cat)