Thursday night... she's home!

Back again. Tonight we went and picked up Annemarie from the airport. She had a good trip it sounds like.

My writing report:

I have written two articles today, maybe one yesterday, for http://www.helium.com/ That's all! I've also rated a bit, which is a good thing. I was not a chosen winner in the Pulitzer Center's Citizen Journalism contest, which is lame, but the author who won deserved it. Her writing was flat, but she had some impressive inside perspective that was useful.

But I am in the top 3 of the contests I was fighting in last week. It should be finalized tomorrow, and right now I am only two points off the leader. One of my articles is not being rated very kindly, which is odd, because it is quite good.

I am going for the win in another contest this week as well, so wish me luck.

For tomorrow I plan on writing for Helium after the dentist (yes, one more time... sheesh) and then rating for a bit. Thereafter I shall work on The Cabin. Finally! I am not so sure I'll get it done this month.. okay, probably not, but I am going to get it done in the next couple of weeks. All of these plans are contingent on whether I hear back from the editorial team about The Mars Betrayal. So we will see.

Also, I got a call from the company I interviewed with last week. I had a feeling about what they were going to say. They didn't offer me the job. Surprising, but not, if you know what I mean. That's okay. I actually have been invited to an interview for a Teaching Fellows job in Austin, so that's interesting. I accepted, but it is on April 26th, so we will see what happens before then.

I just really need to work hard on my fiction. I have to learn this art and I have to do it well.

That's my writing report. Here's the etcetera:
For the last few days, I've not been getting enough sleep, which has translated into my being quite tired. I've also been refurbishing the lower level of our kitchen cupboards. They looked old and run down, so I sanded them, painted them a satin, ashy black and then reinforced the hinges. They look totally brand new and they actually look really good. I really wanted to get this done while Annemarie was gone so I could surprise her with it.

So when she got back tonight, she was surprised and very pleased. She, like me, loves the color and thinks they look amazing. Oh, I also rebuilt a corner which had been a problem. I think it looks almost pro, which sort of surprises me as I had to do it with a skilsaw (handheld jittery thing), a hand saw, my pocket knife, and no clamps or straight edges. Nor am I good at detail work. But this task was clearly blessed! It looks really good and very nicely finished.

We just watched August Rush, which is now one of my all-time favorite movies. Guess who's not a cynic? Yes, I am an unabashed sap. Annemarie hadn't seen it before, and I was anxious (dumb eh) to see what she would think. She liked it as much as I did. For many of the same reasons. It's pretty silly how self-conscious I am about how much I love that flick.

Anyway, it's late and my dentist appointment is early. I must to bed.

I'm gonna write a bestseller.

carpe somnium