Day in the Life of an Idiot

After a long hiatus from the gym, I went back yesterday. I wasn't feeling it yesterday, but today? Oy.

Because we're expecting to have homework now that Mason is in first grade, I told Mason that on the days he didn't have homework, we could go to the library. He's taken me up on it already. We went on Tuesday and yesterday, although yesterday we decided to try a new library to see if they might have a better selection of Goosebumps and/or Captain Underpants. We went to the Highland Park branch. A nice library, actually, although I wish I'd had a better sense of the parking lot before we got into it. It looks, as you approach it from the street, like a large underground lot. When you get in, you discover it's a barely manuverable lot with less than a dozen spaces and NO PLACE TO TURN AROUND. By sheer luck, however, we squeezed our Ford into a spot between a column and an SUV (not unlike Scylla and Charybdis.) The library is part of an activity center built into the side of a hill overlooking a soccer field and park. It's very pretty. The library seems larger at first glance than our little Mirriam Park branch, but after perusing the shelives I decided not so much. For instance, they did not have nearly as many HIKARU NO GO titles, though I did find volume 16 in the library-wide catalogue and I put it on hold. However, I've since discovered that I've also not read volume 15. (I had to go to Shonen Jump's homepage to get a decent list of the graphic novels, wikipedia didn't help. Although I did discover that there's a TV show/Anime as well..? Who knew.)

I've got about an hour before I have to head off to Mason's school to start volunteering. His new teacher asked if I'd be willing to stuff Thursday folders, which I instantly accepted. It's a mindless task, but one at which I used to excell when I was a secretary for all those many years. Plus, it's an extremely easy way to help out and feel involved. I don't have to intrude into class time, but I can still sort of observe surrepticiously and get a early heads up on the stuff that's being sent home. The only weird thing about this year is that she's asked me to come in at 1:45 in the afternoon, which is really right in the middle of my day. I don't pick up Mason until 3:30, and it has rarely taken me more than 20 mintues when I used to do two classes worth (about 50 students) for the pre-K teacher. I'm thinking I may try to scoot off to the gym after I'm done stuffing... I might even bring along a towel and a change of shirts so I can shower there (I live so close that I usually just drive home sweaty so I can bathe in the comfort of my own home and not have to deal with a public shower.) We'll see how it work out. I may have to pack my computer and some change so I can go to the coffee shop.

Speaking of writing, I had an awesome writing day yesterday. I got a ton revised and actually made some decent forward progress. Today, not so much. I had a breakfast out with my friend and fellow writer Dave Hoffman-Dachelet and, well, I got derailed by good food and better company. Worse, tonight is going to be super busy. First, I have to scoot up the street with Mason to get his new glasses adjusted. The nose piece is a bit wonky, and it doesn't sit right on his face. Then, we'll pick up mama and head off to the house in the Hamline neighborhood that is the pick-up point for our CSA farm share box. Dinner and then off to Wyrdsmiths tonight, though it looks like we'll be down two members - Doug and Kelly. Which reminds me that I need to figure out where I left my intrepid heroine so I can print out a hand out for tonight.

Lots to do.

I suppose I should try to sneak in a bit of REAL work before all then, eh?

Instead, I am talking to you.

I'm trying something new today, actually. Instead of working out first thing in the morning after dropping Mason off, I'm going to try to go at 2:00 PM. This could work, if only because I've dubbed two o'clock my "restless time." I've NEVER been an afternoon person, even after shifting my writing schedule to night time while Mason was an infant, I still felt completely stupid and useless from about two to four in the evening (that's 14:00 - 16:00 for the rest of the world.) Anyway, since I'm going to be brain dead and restless (I start thinking: "I have to pick Mason up sooon!" even though his school doesn't let out until 3:35 PM,) I might as well do it on a treadmill.

Wish me luck.

In writing news, I have to get started on a short story that I promised an anthology editor because it's due on September 30th. Luckily, I think I finally know what it's about, although it will be my first attempt to write professionally about aliens. It's strange to think that after all this time as a writer of science fiction, I've never attempted to tackle this staple in our genre. I think I've been afraid to. After all, it's much easier to mock people who do it badly than to attempt to actually write a good alien for oneself.

Wish me luck.

In political news, according to my friend CV Rick, PBS is conducting a poll that asks whether or not people feel that VP candidate Sara Palin is qualified to serve. When I put in my answer this morning, a surprising majority agreed she was. Regardless of how your opinion, feel free to answer the poll here: http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html. Also, did you watch Obama on 60 Minutes last night? How annoyed were you that interviewer dude kept repeating, "So you're going to raise taxes, eh?" Even after Obama explained he wasn't TWO TIMES. I started shouting at the TV, "Stop repeating the damn conservative talking points, you f**king puppet!" (at which point my partner reminded me to consider my blood pressure during poltical campaign seasons.)

Wish me luck.

But on a similar political note, I'm in a bit of a connundrum. MoveOn.org, of which I'm a member, phoned last night to ask if I was willing to volunteer for them on behalf of Obama. I said "yes" rather enthusastically, and then remembered a supersition of mine: every candidate that I've volunteered for in the past eight years has LOST. In fact, just a couple days ago when we were driving to work, I vowed to Shawn that I would not do any of the things I've done for the previous losers: I would not volunteer, buy a t-shirt, march, go to a rally, or put up a lawn sign. Now, I was thinking that perhaps since I'm not offically volunteering for Obama directly, the curse might be avoided... but then, I was seized by fear. Can you f**king imagine McCain/Palin in the White House? Especially now on the financially rocky boat America is in? Despite my fiction penchant, I don't really want to bring on the apcolypse... so I'm thinking I'd better not risk it.

Wish me luck.

Mason has very much adopted Obama as his choice for president. My very, very favorite thing is that even before Obama won the nomination from the Democratic convention, Mason usually refers to Obama as "President Obama" or "my favorite president, Barack Obama." He will also cheer any Obama (or DFL candidate) lawn sign on the way to work/school, and his big plan to defeat the Republicans is to simply chant "Vote for Obama" (and alternately "U. S. A.!," which he considers, interestingly enough, an exclusively Democratic chant) loudly and repetitively until the Republican in question must submit to the verbal assault.

Wish him luck.