The Bouncy Castle in Space

[sissybaby]

Sorry everyone is having a wretched summer. But it's below 100 degrees here today for like the first time in two months. (I don't think I'm stretching that, at all.)

We went to the movies today, and had to take 3 yo with us. It was nap time, so after she filled up with popcorn during the tame part of Spiderman, she crawled up in my nap for a short nap. Then she woke up just as the horrid, horrid monster cut loose and all heck broke out. I shoved her face in her pillow and told her she couldn't watch it. I had no idea it would get that violent. Should have gone to Madagascar 4.

Oh, and to keep with illness and injury and pain - my hubby fell off a ladder this morning and landed on the metal basement doors! (Thank goodness they were closed or he would have landed on the concrete steps.) Poor man can barely move, and he'll probably be immobile by morning. I know it's awful, but it's hard not to giggle when he limps across the room. I've told him a million times not to get on the ladder unless I'm there to steady it. He fell because the ladder slipped out from under him. Does he EVER listen?

Oh, and I found out that my new arthritis injections are only costing $5,000 every four weeks. That's two injections, besides the other one I get every week, which only costs a couple hundred. Hope hubby can make it to work on Monday.

 

[Smish]

Oh, sissybaby. Hugs.

 

[sissybaby]

Thanks, Smish, but the hubby's the one who needs the hugs. Poor man. He won't admit he's not still 21.

 

[Smish]

Well, if you're giving me permission to hug your husband, hugs for him, too.

 

[sissybaby]

Smish - he loves hugs, so I'm good with it.

Actually, he can sort of move his arm this morning. Lots of bruising, but he insists he's ready to go back up the ladder. I told him he could when he could raise both arms above his head and shake them around. He had to lift the right arm with his left arm, so I win this round.

But at least he's walking a bit more level this am.

 

[Morrell]

Yikes... lots going on.

Sissybaby, that's so scary! Ladders terrify me. I don't even like to stand on a chair. I'm glad he's okay enough to be walking around, & hope he's learned his lesson about unsteadied ladders.

Smish, I hope they figure out what's wrong with your friend, and that he gets better soon.

Ferret, good luck with the house. That must be very stressful. I hope everything will work out perfectly and you won't have to move into the bouncy castle.

Kitty, nice to see you around. Sounds like you're ready to return home.

My summer is at an end. I start professional development tomorrow b/c I'm transferring to a new district and have to go thru new teacher training.

 

[sissybaby]

Our school begins the 17th. It's going to be a huge and stressful step for my Aspie son, because 6th grade has now been moved in with the JH, HS. He's not ready for that.

I'm looking forward to it because I will finally have the house to myself during the day and I can get back to some serious writing. But I will miss summer and all the spontaneous things I do with my son during that time. I sometimes think I should be homeschooling him, but we'd probably kill each other within a week.

I had a horrendous headache by the time we left the church building this afternoon, and he got sassy with me on the way home. I lost my temper and he calmly said, "Wow, I would think talking to me at that volume would really make your head hurt a lot more."

 

[Smish]

Back-to-school time, you say? Hmmm... maybe it's time for a kidlit contest? I'll think about it.

 

[Kitty Pryde]

Connnnnnnnteeeeeeeeest!

6 more days in Washington and then I don't ever have to come back! I'll bounce to that! The place is about 75% packed up, which is good I think. I am ready for a break!

 

[Smish]

Hmmm. No one but Kitty wants a contest? I'm surprised.

 

[heza]

I'd vote for a contest, but I never actually produce anything for them.... Although, I would like to see other people's entries, so... Connnnnnnnteeeeeeeeest!

And, dude... moving into the Bouncy Castle is an option? Why didn't anyone tell me?

 

[Smish]

I hope you'll enter, heza! The entries will be anonymous, and no one will ever know which is yours unless you tell them after the contest has ended.

 

[sissybaby]

I wouldn't mind a contest so much. Whatcha got in mind, Smish?

 

[Smish]

It'll be similar to last year's Back-to-School contest, sissy. All entrants will have to respond to the same prompt. Be on the lookout for the announcement. It'll probably be posted this week.

 

[heza]

I hope you'll enter, heza! The entries will be anonymous, and no one will ever know which is yours unless you tell them after the contest has ended.

I'm not telling you suckers anything.

(... unless I win, in which case, I'll be insufferable.)

 

[SheilaJG]

Back-to-school time, you say? Hmmm... maybe it's time for a kidlit contest? I'll think about it.

Contest! Yes, yes, yes!!!

Wait, what's the word count gonna be?

And I wish you could set it up so you can play, too.

 

[Kitty Pryde]

I just have to say it's reassuring to know you can be the very best in the entire world at whatever you do and still fall right on your face: http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=USRTR35OXJ#a=1 gives the rest of us a little hope.

You guys, I just dug up all my writing I did when I was really little. My first proper story of more than one sentence seems to be from kindergarten, about an Eskimo who goes to the north pole (he's not from there, mind you, I did my research even back then) and finds a genie lamp in the ice which predictably has a genie it. Sadly that's the end of the story!

Now, I had an entirely strife-free, nontraumatic childhood, where I was never exposed to anything that might give a small child even a moment of troubling feelings. Not even a PG-13 film. And yet a lot of these stories are really grim and morbid. I don't know from whence came all the people taking off their own heads, dinosaur-on-dinosaur gun crime, fist fights, gory crayon drawings, and road kill restaurant menus. All in grades K-3. What is up with that? For the record, my teachers never reported to my parents that I had issues, and I seem to have grown up into an untroubled adult.

 

[JoyMC]

And I wish you could set it up so you can play, too.

I've got too much going on to write something for a contest, so I'd be happy to help in setting things up so Smish could play. Is it possible for a non-mod to do such a thing?

You guys, yesterday I was so down in the dumps I almost posted a big whiny post in the Support thread. I held back, and today I've gotten two full requests! Feeling significantly better (for now) ...

 

[SheilaJG]

dinosaur-on-dinosaur gun crime

Oh, Kitty, I just spit up some coffee. Dinosaurs?? With guns?? I would love to have met the young Kitty. Ha!

You guys, yesterday I was so down in the dumps I almost posted a big whiny post in the Support thread. I held back, and today I've gotten two full requests! Feeling significantly better (for now) ...

Yay!!

 

[heza]

Congrats, Joy!

 

[sissybaby]

Woot! Congratulations, Joy! Hope they both love it.

 

[jvc]

Big congrats, Joy, total woo and hoo

 

[Sage]

Yay, Joy!

 

[JoyMC]

Thanks, everyone! I try not to get toooo excited about fulls, since I've been here before and I'm still not signed. But this is the beginning of the query journey for this manuscript, so I feel affirmed that at least the letter is solid. (I've gotten three requests, and two from agents who don't look at sample pages, so: yay effective letter!)

 

[Britwriter]

Congrats, Joy! That's fabulous!