Raynotes. Here are some things I want to remember: She and the cat get along now. She’ll sit beside the cat and pat him (not gently) until…well, pretty much until she gets so excited that she throws herself over backwards and lies there giggling to herself. She tongue-kisses herself in the mirror whenever we put […]

Reviews. The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster; Orthodoxy, by G.K. Chesterton, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling. The Phantom Tollbooth. I was first introduced to Norton Juster by my younger brother, Andy, who, when faced with the task of finding me a birthday present a couple of years ago, wandered

Life is Good. You know life is good when your roommate’s psycho minipoodle bites you on the hand, causing multiple puncture wounds and a loose flap of skin, but the dog’s just a big softie, really, when it bit the roomie’s sister, she didn’t get rabies, after all, and you have to go to the

Ray. First, let me note that she isn’t talking yet. But Ray, at 9 1/2 months, has entered the world of language. She knows what a word means, and that word is “kitty.” She probably has a good idea about “no,” too, but she won’t admit it 🙂 I got her to search the house

Joe’s House. Joe’s place is a place of nevertheless. It should suck to be over at Joe’s. It’s not babyproofed. There are two non-disciplined dogs and a spoiled kid running around. The roomie situation is tense. The floor is covered with innumerable tidbits that Ray can’t have. The backyard is tiered, with stone steps and

Doot Da Doo! The new edition of Banshee Studios, Lughnasadh, is up and out! Doyce won the short story contest with “Vayland Rd.” And, of course, yours truly wrote a book review for Stories of Your Lives and Others, by Ted Chiang. I haven’t read anything else yet 🙂

Submission. “On Hold (The Uncanny Adventure of Mrs. Kurtz)” has been submitted to Quantum Muse. A pretty readable site; the editors are in a state of grace due to excess alcohol and thus aren’t scrabbling for money. Or so they say.

Neat. For those of you who don’t get here through Doyce’s site, he posted a story online during the blogathon this Saturday past. It’s called Vayland Rd. I liked it. Note: Read from the bottom up. I’m sure he’ll post the whole thing in regular order as soon as he has time. [Snorkle.]

Frustrating. You know what’s frustrating? Non-paying websites that want more than non-paying rights. I’m trying to find a place for the serial I put up here, Mrs. Kurtz, but I’m having problems. Guess what? The places I’d consider sending it out to don’t want it, because I put it up here. One place even wanted

No. Turns out that Ray does better going through her day if you say “No” and mean it sometimes. The interdiction doesn’t last very long (thirty seconds), and she’s upset, but she isn’t hurt. She seems happier dealing with a straight-out “no” than a general sense of annoyance. It seems obvious, but I’d always wondered.