We had a lovely, quiet Thanksgiving, and a good weekend. A new short-short story clutched me by the throat on Saturday afternoon and wouldn't let go until I'd written it. I used to write short-shorts all the time - they felt like my natural length, a couple of years ago - but this is the first one that I've written in almost a year and a half, and it was really fun. I love being able to write a whole story in one mad rush of inspiration - something that just isn't possible with a 3-6,000-word story, at least for me. So it was a great writing weekend, especially since I also finished Chapter Eight of Kat by Starlight. I get horribly grumpy, restless and generally itchy with frustration when I'm not writing regularly; I'm feeling much, much better after this weekend.

But it wasn't All Writing All the Time this weekend. There was also much, much Stilton! For the first time ever, out of curiosity, I ordered a wedge of Stilton cheese this past week as part of our weekly grocery order. (Online grocery shopping: one of the best inventions of the modern age!) Turns out, I love Stilton. And I'm not the only one. Here's what I've discovered since breaking open the wrapper:

Stilton cheese spread on water crackers, with a side of apple-mango juice, is the best pick-me-up snack ever;

Omelettes with Stilton cheese (as well as veggies) inside are the closest thing I know to culinary heaven; and

Maya goes INSANE for Stilton cheese!

She's normally a really polite dog when it comes to food. But Stilton is too much. She bounces, she begs, she wags her whole body, she implores, she flops right onto her back and stares at me with the eyes of Starvation. Just the smell of it makes her crazy with Need. That cheddar cheese she used to think was so special? It was nothing. When I made that Stilton cheese omelette, the smell of the cooking Stilton almost made her pass out from ecstasy. She couldn't believe that I wouldn't share. After all, she gets to share the cheesy scrambled eggs, right? Right?

Sigh. I'm holding strong. No cheesy omelettes for her. But yeah, she does get fed little crumbs of Stilton from time to time (in exchange for sitting, staying, etc), because her eyes get so, so big...

This morning I wrote the first 1100 words of Chapter Nine, did an hour-and-a-bit of freelance web editing (something I'd definitely like to do more of), and now Maya and I are cuddled together on the futon. It's been a good day so far.