A Meerkat's Bolthole

The apartment smells like chili* (gee, I wonder why) the cats are wondering why mom's not at her desk, and I have been informed that I should be rooting for Pittsburgh, as Pitt is still #1 Nephew's front-runner school choice.

I'd rather have had the Giants playing today, natch, but it will be fun to just kick back with friends and watch the game without the accompanying agita. And either way, there will be Stadium Cake! :-) And don't forget the halftime show! *is Bruce-cheerful*


For those about to couch, we raise our beer and chips in salute. The rest of the world, we'll see you on Monday morning.



(and happiest of happies to nycdeb!)



*traditional meat-only, Mexican-influenced, and ranging from "mmm, toasty" to "OMG sour cream now!" hot, depending on how my powder blend came out that year....

Happy Birthday to divanoir and terri_osborne!


And in foodie updates, I can now scratch mussels off my To Be Eaten list. They were...good. Not great, but good. I'll have to try them prepared a few different ways to make a final determination. However, I can give solid marks to Paradou, on Little W. 12th Street in NYC. Excellent food, solid service, very pretty little space. And it's always fun to be back in the Meatpacking District, watching all the Pretty People trying to be Pretty... (also: should anyone feel moved to buy me a bottle of St. Germain for my birthday? I wouldn't say no. Because, yum.)

Now it's back to work. Forty-eight hours left in which to reach goal...

Two chapters to go. I could shove on and finish HARD MAGIC tonight, but there's a lot of stuff that requires reblocking, and I think I'd better have a half-night's sleep under my ear before I attempt it. Besides, Madame Editrix isn't in the office tomorrow [nor is Madame Agent], so I'd only be impressing myself

Meanwhile, to the girl with the crema and mocha skin on the 1 train this week, I'm sorry if I made you even remotely uncomfortable. I didn't mean to. Don't ever let anyone tell you that's a disfiguration. You're lovely, a two-legged calico kitten, and just as lively and fierce, and some day I am going to put you in a story and you will read it, or someone who knows you will read it, or someone who has never met you will read it and think, as I did, "there should be more people like this in the world."

And now, I need to fall over.


(oh, and happy birthday, mt_yvr! Hope you're up to all sorts of no-good fun!)

to 0eris0 and stephen_dedman and debg.

I plead otherwise timezoned.

(and those of you on this continent can pick up your birthday prezzies when you are next at Ch. Felidae)

I am officially at the "OMFG I HATE this book" stage.

I expect this to last another 20,000 words, give or take an "and."

*sighs*

Knowing that this is not only part of the usual cycle, but also part of the "first book in a series and it's not as easy to get everyone to hit their marks as I'm used to with better-trained characters" trauma....doesn't make it any easier to deal with, no. Expect continued whinging and head-desking until we achieve breakthrough.

Sorry about that, chief.



In better news -- happy belated birthday, varkat! You distracted me with all that talk of wine, last night. ;-)

Some people love Christmas, or the Fourth of July, or their birthday... I love New Year's Eve. No matter how you celebrate it -- surrounded by thousands of strangers or gathered with only your best-beloved -- it's a powerful, simple celebration of change and survival and contemplation and anticipation.

I tend not to do year-end reviews for much the same reason I don't do year-end word counts: too much work to go back and pick up every wonderful or horrible thing that happened within a specific 12-month period. But overall, 2007 was:

A year of loss -- there were friends gone too suddenly too soon, political ideals dashed, and personal dreams withered. Plans that had to be scrapped, and ideas that went nowhere.

A year of growth -- with new and returning friends, new dreams, new understandings and insights both personal and professional. Some major goals were achieved, and expectation-bars raised.

I turned 40 and discovered it was a landmark I had been waiting for, not dreading. I traveled places I had never been, met people and saw things I had never encountered before, and stretched myself further, physically and emotionally, than I thought I could go. I wrote, in both established worlds and new ones, and read and danced and painted, cooked and learned and laughed, and did almost everything I set my mind to, even when plans changed in mid-motion.

2008 enters with a heap o' changes for me, all ones I'm anxiously looking forward to. New challenges, new friends and new experiences. I don't know which will be fabulous, and which will be 'we'll laugh about this later,' and which will become part of the story of my life that shapes me forever after. I'm sure that there will be some of them all.

Occasionally I hear people say "Next year has to be better!" No, it doesn't. It doesn't have to be worse, either. It's just another 12 months to do things in. Go, do.

And my wish for you all, as always, is that the best of the past year be the worst we face in the year to come!



And because I have no idea what sort of shape I will be in later [more due to travel and weather than overpartying], happy birthday to ellen_datlow and the Kzin, and happy early birthday to quarkwiz and peggin!

Because you only, please the Universe, turn 40 once:

the planned menu for Sunday's brunch
(assuming the farmer's market has everything I need tomorrow, and subject to alst-minute amendments/changes)

souffle foie gras du canard with carmelized pear
tomato and goat cheese rounds
salmon mousse on toasts
prosciutto, lettuce & cream cheese rolls
chimichurri beef skewers
salad skewers
mini corn quiches
breads and bagels
dried fruit enrobed in chocolate
mini cheesecakes

iced tea
kir royales
mimosas
oj


The salmon has been poached in white wine (as have I), and set to cool. Tomorrow morning I will make it mousse-y, then marinate the beef and make the cheesecakes. Everything else can wait until Sunday morning, when I will discover if the Improvisational Chef's ability matches her plans WRT the foie gras....

Happy mutual birthday to fashionista_35 and writerkatie!


May it be all you could wish for, today and all the days until we celebrate again.