Mmmm, sushi. I just satisfied my craving for sushi by getting sushi for lunch. The california rolls were tasty, but it was the salmon nigiri that blew me away. Yum!

I got this craving when I was talking to folks in NC who had never had sushi. Every last one of them made that "ew, you're crazy" face. I do understand -- I made that face back in Indiana the first time I heard about sushi, too. But there's a reason that, after 10 years of being a vegetarian (and before that I didn't even *like* fish), that the first meat I ate was sushi. Sushi is so yummy. Clean, light, salty. Mmm.

---

Last week I found out that two of my stories from last year -- "Restoration" (in Polyphony 3) and "Famishing" (in Strange Horizons) received honorable mentions in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror #17! Yay! It made me very happy, especially since this year has been, er, rather dry, and my ego could use some stroking :-) I got a copy of the book yesterday and found my name several more times -- twice in relation to Flytrap and in the summation of horror, as "good work by" in Polyphony 3. Or maybe it was Strange Horizons... I'll have to look again. I love seeing my name there; it makes me so happy.

---

You know how they say to call your credit card company and haggle for lower interest rates? Do it. One of my cards raised my rate *again* for no reason, and Tim encouraged me to call and complain. So I did. And the next thing I knew they'd lowered my interest rate -- cut it in *half* actually. She also told me how to pay at the higher interest rate balance that's sitting under a lower interest rate balance on a connected card (usually they only apply your payment to the lowest interest rate balance). She seemed reluctant to part with that secret, though. Anyway, I figure that 15 minute phone call saved me hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in the long run. I'm calling every card every month until the interest rates are below 10% or I pay them off. I know it's no fun to call your credit card company, but if you have high interest rates -- DO IT! It's so worth it.

---

My friend Nick Mamatas interviewed me yesterday about being a smut editor. I'm told I come across well in this interview, which pleases me; I always worry I'll say something stupid. Not that I'm interviewed all that much. Anyway, go read.

---

I bought the wedding gown. I have the gown. It's hanging in my closet. It's incredibly sparkly and beautiful. The arms, as we predicted, do not fit. Yet. I have 40 - 60 lbs to go, and I have over a year to do it.

It's also incredibly heavy. My arms shook as I wiggled that skirt over my head. It's so floofy! Yay! I always wanted a really floofy wedding gown.

The sapphires are very bright blue and the flowers on the skirt are cornflower blue, so the flowers must be replaced. Also, I think I now want to put my bridesmaids in sapphire blue gowns. Now I just need to find that color in matching corset-bodice bridesmaid gowns... (Kidding, Susan! Well, I think I'm kidding :-)

---

I'm doing Jenn's week long double dog dare. What that means is that when I get a seat on BART in the mornings, I make myself work on my novel so I don't have to do it on the way home. Today, I got no seat, so I work on the way home. This is ok. I can deal.

I also revised my Exquistie Corpuscle story, had Tim crit it for me, then revised it *again* after he bled all over it. It's a much better story now. I also retitled it to "A Periodic Fable" which is such a better title than "Elements". I'm sending it to a few markets to try and sell first rights before the EC anthology is printed next spring. Wish me luck!

---

Tim and I actually planned several meals this week and have been doing fairly well at cooking for ourselves. We've also been good about walking. I need to be good about walking, because my neck/ back is still hurt, and I can't lift weights right now. Sigh. I miss weight-lifting, but it's no good going back to it too soon and hurting myself in the process.

I've lost 10% of my body weight so far. That is just so freakin' cool. I like being healthy.

---

I think that's it for now. I could tell you about how the cats don't approve of where their water fountain is and will move it within minutes of when we move it back to its corner, but that's kind of boring. Anyway, talk to you all soonish!