Absenteeism

[lydamorehouse]

Sorry I've been absent from LJ.  I don't really have a note from my parents or the doctor or even a particularly good explaination.  Mason had the day off from school yesterday, as Saint Paul public schools had an "early release day" (whatever that means) and so morning pre-K was cancelled.  He's been awfully boundary-pushing lately, so I decided that yesterday would be a good day to go to the zoo.  (Re: the boundary-pushing: I think he's been not interested in listening to his parents' rules because he's forced to follow so many at school.  I suspect this is a phase, especially since, in the end, he never likes the consquences of his actions.  It also seems to be exacerbated whenever he and I don't get a chance to play in the afternoons or whatever.)

The zoo was a blast.  We actually saw a wild coyote -- it was free-ranging at the edge of the buffalo enclosure.  At first I thought it was a dog (which it could have been) or a cat, but then I realized that, given the distance, it was probably much larger than it appeared.  It slipped in and out of the fence like a pro.  I think it may have been after the geese that were hanging out there, but it was moving kind of fast -- like it had somewhere to go (away from the big scary buffalo?)

Though zoos often bum me out, the Minnesota zoo has done some truly amazing things to make the animals' enclosures seem natural.  As I've talked about before here, the new Minnesota trail is especially well-done.  The tropics trail still seems a bit cramped to me (particularly in comparison), but Mason loves his hissing cockroaches, so we must go!  

I volunteered at Crossroads today, stuffing the Thursday packets.  I love when I can peep in and see everyone at work.  No startling or cute observations this time, but it was strangely nostalgic to be sitting in the hallway in one of those too-small chairs going over class lists and organizing the folders.  School buildings all have that same familiar smell, and, I don't know, today with its perfect Fall weather really felt like a back-to-school kind of day.  It made me feel good to be helping out, too.  Mrs. R. has a LOT of kids to handle.  Mason's class is about 25 students.  That's a lot of four year olds to wrangle, even with the help of a full-time assistant.

I wrote a bit more on the Mouse/Jibril Tuesday night.  As predicted, it's kind of getting long (for what its meant to be), particularly because Mouse has so many issues to work though.  Luckily, Jibril and I are patient.  ;-) 

Tate is getting her homework done too.  I've finally probably gotten a large enough chunk written that I can hand it out to the Wyrdsmiths next we meet.  Once that gets into critique group, I'll really feel like I've started on it.  Critique group really becomes self-perpetuating because people's comments (good and bad) inspire me to revise and keep writing.  When I don't have that, it's so much easier to let things sit unopened.

Please note the new information below about Tate's MoA signing this Saturday.  I'd love to see some people I know there, if you're up to going to The Sprawl on a Saturday night.... yeah, yah, I know.  I'm not keen on the idea either.  And, yes, that really is a picture of me.  I'm sixteen in the photo, but when I was asked for a publicity photo for Tate, I thought... why not give 'em one where I'm young and thin!?

Speaking of thin, though, I've been quite religious about this whole "I want to be Captain America by the time I'm 45"  thing.  It's been tough to come up with a good second day to go, but I always make it to the gym on Tuesdays.  I'm thinking about trying to make my second day tomorrow - Fridays, but that might screw up the writing hang-out I've been doing with some writing friends on Fridays.  Maybe I should try early Saturday or Sunday?

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[la-luna-llena.livejournal.com]

Capt. America by 45! I like it!

Me -- 32; hoping to do a triathlon one of these days. I'm starting with Wisconsin's AIDS Ride.

I stopped at Geekon in Madison this weekend and saw my ex-boyfriend Phil. Phil is my ex from 12 years ago, before I came out -- poor guy. He said that you had stayed at his house in Oshkosh. Then we both laughed because we were both reading one of your books.

[lydamorehouse]

Phil! Dummo! Yes, I stayed at his house last year in October. A very cool dude, you had good taste in men (I, myself, tended to pick gay ones. Very strange.)

[la-luna-llena.livejournal.com]

yes, that's the guy. very nice, a good cook. a total catch! I'm glad he's found marital bliss. .