Tuesday, December 10th, 2002 - Baby Corn No, Holly hasn't had her baby yet. This is the first question anyone asks me these days. Myself, I'm getting to be a bit on edge. Any day now, I will become an aunt. Ok, so I'm technically already an aunt, but it's a bit differnt when the sister you grew up with, whom you're living with at the moment, with whom you have always shared something of a psychic connection, when someone that close to you is going to have a baby. So soon. She's ripe. She's just waiting until she's ready to go. I believe that too, that she's got total control over when she pops. She wants to finish out this week at work, get that last full paycheck before her leave. Friday night she'll do some belly dancing and give birth sometime Saturday. At least, that's what I'm hoping; I can't afford to miss work right now, either. For those of you who have been reading since 1999 (or who have braved the wilds of my embarrasingly messy 'chives and have lived to keep reading): Remember Corn Man and Rebecca? Well, on December 1st their first child, Tiberius Richardson Ward, was born. I knew she was pregnant and was about as far along as Holly, and I was wondering who would have their baby first. I'm so happy for Corn and Rebecca. I can't wait to meet their son. In other, non-sister, non-baby related news, I have sent out two stories the past two days. Monday was the most exciting, as I sent out When We Were Twelve for the very first time. Finally! I was digging through my "fiction scratchings" folder (for old story ideas I could do more with now) and found a piece that was a *very* old (as in, nearly unrecognizable) version of the story that I wrote back in 2000. Ok, so it was only a scene, but that's why it was in the "scratchings" folder. Anyway, the idea for this story has been around for quite some time, and to have it finally written and revised and revised again and copy edited to within an inch of its life and sent out (to sci fiction, of course, as them's the big bucks if I get lucky) . . . well, that's an event. It's special. Especially because I think it's my best story to date, and I just sold my former best story so, you know, there was an opening in the submission log. I currently have 10 stories in circulation; like to get it up to 15, but I need to write more. That's one thing that scares me . . . I think it takes me a loooong time to write stories sometimes, and I'm always terrified that the next one won't be any good. I want to keep improving -- I know, of course I do, we all do. But, oh, I dunno, it feels like a lot of pressure sometimes. If I just revised the Pumpkin Lover story, I could have 11 stories in circulation, but I'm dragging my feet on it because it's a fluffy little piece and I worry people will think I'm slipping. Why, yes, sometimes I do care too much what other people think. oh, and here I am rambling . . . but that's the name of the joint, folks. No false advertising here. . . Tim will be 26 on the day after tomorrow (Thursday). Whoa. My fiance is young. I have a lovely evening planned, which is why so many of my coworkers are betting that that will be the night Holly goes into labor. We'll just have to see, I guess. It's fun to look forward to celebrating Tim, though. He's a worthy cause to celebrate. Ramble

Exercise Log: Writing log: Current Publications: "Wetting the Bed" and a collab with Tim Pratt, "A Serious Case of Fairies" in Floodwater In the Shade of You nominated in the long poem category for the Rhysling and will be reprinted in the 2002 Rhysling Anthology! "How to Suck" reprinted in From Porn to Poetry: Clean Sheets Celebrates the Erotic Mind I've been reading: Currently Reading: The Night Watch by Sean Stewart Donate money to my teeth, my grad school application fees, our writerly projects (Floodwater and Flytrap!). Every little bit helps!

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