This is going to be a short entry, because I'm still knocked out from the Cold From Hell (fevers for 3 days running--gaahhh!), but I wanted to pass on a fantastic essay I just read, by Jennifer Crusie, about career-planning for writers. (Don't be misled by the title, which includes the phrase "finding an agent"--I already have an agent, and I still found this essay really useful.)

I've been off work since mid-Monday morning, when my supervisor ordered me to go home and not stick around to infect the rest of the office, and sadly, I'm almost out of reading material, so it's definitely time to get better. In the meantime, though, I'm making a list of Comfort Books for Sickness that I've not yet brought over from Michigan (because when I'm not sick, I don't remember that I miss having them). I'm getting excited about the US wedding trip (just 2 weeks from today!), and I'm listening to a CD by Hedningarna, The Best Band In The World. (I spent yesterday, when I was feeling much worse, listening to my new CD of Canteloubes "Chants d'Auvergne", which was perfect--warm, soothing French soprano songs rippling through the stereo. Today I'm not feverish anymore, I'm feeling much more positive, and I'm having a mini-couch-party with Scandinavian folk-rock.)

And sadly, we're going through an electronics jinx. Four days ago, Patrick's cell phone (exactly 1 year after purchase--drat, those warranties are specific, aren't they?) died without notice, and two nights ago, our car refused to start...and hasn't started since. (This was particularly frustrating as there was absolutely no warning--Patrick had even driven it ten minutes beforehand, and it had been running perfectly.) Not what we needed financially, to say the least... we're going to call Breakdown later today and see if it's fixable or if it's time to give up on car-ownership for now. Regardless, I've taken the lesson and will not bring any new electronics into the house until the jinx seems to have faded a bit!

And now I'm headed back to the couch...