This is the third day in a row of sunshine, though the rumor is that rain will move in this afternoon and squat over most of California for several days. Which is just more of an incentive to live in the moment, when the sun is shining on the leaves outside, and making everything seem far brighter than it's been lately.

Heather and I did a ritual, smudging the house, scattering salt on our thresholds, chanting. Pushing the bad luck out, leaving it back in March. I'm a big believer in the perception-altering powers of such rituals (probably why I love Silko's book Ceremony so much), and so far it seems to be working. There are still little inconveniences, sure, but they seem less like a vast conspiracy on the part of cruel cosmic beings, and more like, you know, just random crap that happens.

I've been plinking away at various things. The axe story continues (I think I'll just push and finish it on Saturday -- it needn't be very long, and I see the shape of it). Got invited to a very cool anthology last week, and need to start thinking more about the story for that. I've been reading some Flytrap subs, rejecting some, putting others aside for further consideration. There are one or two I'll almost certainly buy, and I may go ahead and accept them this weekend. I'm basically trying to get back to that happy-and-productive vibe that I enjoy so much. Glad it's Friday. I think I might be able to get some stuff done this weekend. I'm almost done with layout for both Flytrap and Jenn's chapbook; I'm waiting on a non-fiction piece for Flytrap, and Jenn's doing some tweaks to a couple of things for her chapbook, but we're at the point where we'll basically just be able to drop the last bits in, get proofreading done, and go to press. Whee!

I am behind on my Blue Heaven reading/critiquing, but it's a rule that I have to be behind on something; otherwise I'd have no anxiety to motivate me.