So I'm celebrating my last night as a thirty-seven-year-old listening to "Combat Rock" by the Clash and sipping a Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat (mmm) after a sorta crazy day of working from home. I'm looking forward to hearing how Drew's swimming lessons went (he and Lizzie are there right now), and Mitch is hopefully down for the night. The little guy is cutting tooth number four, and he's a bit uncomfortable -- he was about to chomp through his pacifier earlier.

The only thing I really want for my birthday is a chunk of uninterrupted time to work on my novel. I'm hoping I can get 5-6 hours on Saturday afternoon. I would love to get through the next 4-5 chapters in that time. One revised chapter per hour -- that's not too much to ask, is it?

Plus I'd also like a pony for my birthday. Is that too much to ask?

Speaking of the novel, I've been having fun with the new setting of Dubuque, Iowa -- here's a snippet of some newish stuff:

Last night, right before we went our separate ways, Kelley had showed me how Maria's special number was already inside this little phone. Kelley had assured me that I could call Maria at any time using some supernatural tool called Speed Dial. Surely there was a Word or two involved in that. All I had to do was find a way to channel magic into the phone.

A chill wind blew onto me from the river, and I could almost imagine the hot lead being poured into the top of the ancient tower behind me to create lead shot for the military.

Guns, I thought. Guns and bullets never brought true power.

"'Press the Power button,'" Kelley had said, showing me the red button at the top left of the rows of buttons.

"Of course," I said. "The Power button. Isn't that what it's all about? Power..."

In other news, I got a nifty emailed graphic that I'm hoping to share soon... Sweet.

Also, I'm just joking about the pony. Later!