Sorry for all the cranky journal entries lately - jet lag is a killer, and it's probably not a good idea to post in the late afternoons, when I'm feeling most jet-lagged and exhausted. With luck, it should all be better within a day or two, but in the meantime, I think I'll write my posts in the morning instead.

Yesterday got way better after Patrick came home. He and Maya went on a walk down in the valley, then we ate delicious home-made curry and went out to Borders for an evening cafe trip. I love going to cafes in the evening. There weren't very many people, so the store was quiet, but there was a festive feeling among the people who were there, like a secret fellowship gathered to read books and sip tea in excellent company. I drank a rich, lovely Signature hot chocolate (I love Starbucks's Signature Hot Chocolates! sooo much better than the usual kind, even in better coffeeshops) and read Neil Gaiman short stories. Patrick drank tea and read The Bookseller (the UK version of Publisher's Weekly). We relaxed and talked. It was perfect. I was in such a better mood by the time we drove home through the twilight. We spent half an hour playing with Maya, tossing her toys up and down the staircase to tire her out before we went to bed. I went to bed feeling happy.

And I just watched a great interview with Connie Willis! Connie was one of my instructors at Clarion West. I'd loved her books for years and years before I studied with her, but she turned out to be even better than I'd expected as a teacher - simultaneously insightful, kind, and utterly ruthless (in the best possible way). In her interview on BookLust, she is, as usual, funny and wise and perfectly humane, and I was so glad to have watched it. She's one of those authors who always makes me feel inspired about writing. And now, of course, I really need to re-read To Say Nothing of the Dog!