The Kid is definitely feeling better, though she simply did not want to sleep in her crib last night. After the fourth time she woke up in the span of two hours we gave up and brought her into bed with us. It's not the best sleep when she's in the bed with us, but it's better than no sleep. Hopefully soon she'll go back to her lovely habit of sleeping through the night. That was such bliss!

And, I'm a single mom for the next three days. Jack is in Lafayette for a conference for the District Attorney's association. I've done this twice before since Anna was born--once when she was three months old he had to be gone for a full week, which kinda sucked ass. I learned that you have to be very organized when you are single momming it, especially in the mornings when I'm trying to get ready for work and the Kid ready for daycare. But since I'm taking the day off to stay with her I have a bit of a reprieve.

I've been spending the last couple of weeks going back and reading through my old journal. My style has certainly changed through the years, as well as my subject matter. I started off with the typical "new writer" journal where I proudly proclaimed all my submissions and rejections and word count ad nauseum. Then I started shifting into more interesting stuff--more personal stuff, especially when I went through the divorce. When I went to Clarion in 98 my readership really took off. That was back when only a very small handful of people journalled their Clarion experiences. Then about a year later I became a cop, and that's when I think my journal was at its most interesting. I know I certainly had a hefty "fan base!" I was getting over a hundred hits a day, and I WISH I'd had one of those stat counters that tell you where people are coming from when they visit.

The cop entries are definitely the coolest, IMO, and I'm glad I'm able to go back and read about my experiences as a street cop. (Yes, I'm STILL kicking myself for not journalling during my pregnancy!) My life is probably nowhere near as fascinating now. My job is behind a desk plinking with computers and gazing at pornography, with only the occasional search warrant and computer seizure to liven things up. I'm very happily married with five stepkids, two stepgrandkids, one baby, and very little drama.

It may not be fascinating anymore, but goddamn, I've had a good life.

This day, 1998
This day, 1999