1. Got a chance to go see Mr. Beaver last night. His dam is all rebuilt and he was out showing off to an audience of about twelve. Man, the little guy is...chubby. He's orb de beaver. When the DH gets home with my camera, I'll try taking some photos.

2. I have slushed. I am a slush-maven. And, it's such a great feeling to find good stories in the pile. Yay for that!

3. The DH called me on Thursday via satellite phone. He's seen several bears, a big ol' sea lion body-surfing, and the weather's been better up there than down here apparently. He also said this hike is the hardest he's done (which is saying a lot...) but he's having a blast. And, more importantly, he's bringing me lots of rocks and shells.

Today is my day to get ready for his return, because rain or no rain, he'll be bringing home a mess of dirty, stinky, muddy laundry.

4. Bought tickets to go see Stephen Lewis, former special UN envoy for HIV/Aids in Africa, on June 27. He's simply one of the most passionate and moving speakers I've ever heard. You can hear him too, here:

http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey/massey2005.html

(Scroll down to find the sound clip)

5. And, with that, I'm off to see Will. I had a really tough riding lesson on Monday - not tough in the my-legs-are-going-to-fall-off way, but tough in the examine-me-and-my-hangups way. Since then, I've ridden every day and have been working on staying in the moment and working less. Less is more. That's my mantra, which is hard for a person like me who grew up in a family with the philosophy that if something wasn't working right, it was because I wasn't trying hard enough. Less is more. And trust my abilities - that's another mantra that's hard to live. I guess that's the thing about mantras - easy to say, much more difficult to live. But, it's all about the attempt at living them and knowing every small step is still a step.

Anyhow, on that philosophical note, I'm away! Hi-ho, tally ho, and all that....

1. The next large chunk of D-B has left the building. Now, down to Shadows edits. I'm hoping to get the next pass completed by the end of the weekend, and then take a day or two before re-reading. I've actually missed working on Shadows, which is a bit weird, but also, interesting and encouraging.

(Edited to add: Oh yeah, I have a title for the Shadows sequel...For the Sky Must Fall...feel free to tell me what you think!

2. I believe in serendipity, and I had a serendipitous thing happen last night. At writing group, one of the writers mentioned a writing conference in Vancouver called Serendipity. The first thing I did when I got home was google the conference, and when I went to the website, this is the first thing I saw:

Our people will sleep for a hundred years and when they awaken it will be the artists that give them back their spirit. - Louis Riel

I had a big shiver moment when I read this. Guess who has a brief mention in _Shadows_? Yeah, Louis Riel himself. And, the "our people" in this quote? The Métis...my people.

3. The photos from last weekend's wedding all turned out. Whew, and double whew because when I arrived, someone handed me a fantastic Nikon SLR to shoot the wedding with. It was great working with such a fantastic camera, but also a bit nerve wracking because, well, it wasn't mine and I wasn't used to it. But, all's well that ends well and the bride is happy. Yay!

4. One of the things I've recently learned about myself is what I need to write. I know some people can just sit down and churn out words, and I envy that, for it's not me. I need time. Lots of time. I need to be able to sit down and get warmed up and let myself move from reality to the headspace of whatever I'm working on. And that takes time and energy. Once there, I actually seem to go into some weird zone where I don't hear what's going on around me. I actually like this, but the trouble I've discovered is giving myself the time to make this transition, which means I'm having to take a look at my schedule yet again.

5. I've also decided to carve out some reading time. I read a lot, but not all of it is finished stuff and I think it's important to read work that's complete and, well, published, as opposed to only slush. So, yesterday, I cozied up with claudiagray's Evernight...and I really enjoyed it - so much so that I was up to 2 am last night reading. I couldn't put it down. Now, I'm not normally one for vampires, but this book had some awesome twists, characters, and world building. I have a feeling my students are going to eat it up.

The only bad thing is now I have to wait for the sequel. Boo.

I also read jo_graham's Black Ships earlier this week. I was really interested to read this book as it (or rather, its blurb) was what led me to querying Diana. I really loved the voice and found the story fascinating. I've often wondered about writing something historically based, and this book gave me a lot of ideas of how to do so - not something I'll probably be doing anytime soon, but I've got at least two historical projects that I'd love to write some time in the future.

Also....about a month ago, I read Cormac McCarthy's The Road. If you haven't read it yet, please, do. It blew my mind in ways I can't even explain. So often I'll read award winning books and think, "Er, why?" but not with this one. The Road is bleak and horrific and courageous, and I love writing that's completely unapologetic. I just received my copy back, and if I get the my work-of-the-day done, I'm going to treat myself to a re-read.

6. I'm behind again, and I think I'm slowly beginning to accept that behind is the new caught-up for me. Anyhow, just wanted to say, david_de_beer, I haven't forgotten about our discussion and I will get back to it. I have questions! *smile* I just need some time to sit down and make sure I articulate my thoughts in some sem-coherent form...

Anyhow, TGIF and all that...stay happy and well!

1. When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time at my Grandma B's. She had this uncanny knack for making people feel special, and for a kid like me who felt out-of-place most of the time, her house was a wonderful refuge. One of the things she did: when we did something really good, like got straight A's or received an award, she'd cook us a steak dinner (this was a big, big deal because money was always so tight for her). The steak wasn't the real reward - it was her potatoes. To this day, I haven't been able to replicate them. She'd cut them in half and cook them in a cast-iron frying pan, but there was something about *her* cooking them that made those potatoes magic. So, needless to say, I didn't attempt them. But, I did cook myself a steak dinner and think about her tonight. I hope she'd be proud of where I am on my life-path.

2. Battlestar Galatica. How many varieties of awesome is this show? Many, I say. Many many.

3. Tomorrow is the day of many good things, like, riding, and also, the DH returns home after 10 days away. While the house has been very quiet without him, and therefore, a good place to write, it'll be good to have him home. I actually miss picking up his socks.

4. Sometimes, when I need a little motivation, I look at sale ads for horses. Tonight, I spent some time looking at the horses up for adoption on the BC Standardbred Rescue site (http://www.greenerpastures.ca/). From what I understand, standardbreds, as a general rule, have hearts of gold.
I want one. Or two. Really, I do. See? Motivation...

5. I feel at peace tonight. I can't say why, exactly, but maybe the why of it doesn't matter. It's a rather nice feeling.

Have a good weekend, everyone...