Heather and Holly and I did another crazy giant feast in the backyard last night. Grilled chicken, mahi-mahi, salmon, various bits of steak, portabellos, etc. Yum! I grilled bananas (with honey and cinnamon) for dessert. Truly wondrous.

Today is my day off (it would've been Wednesday, but the office at the day job will be utterly deserted on Wednesday if I don't come in, so I switched). I had breakfast with Susan, who I don't see nearly enough, and we chatted about various things, including our Plans for Our Lives (Short- and Long-Term). A lovely way to begin my day.

Now I'm home, with a clogged shower drain (it happens every year or so), and a kitchen full of dirty dishes (see above re: feast), and a little work to do. I'll write some more on the Dream novel, and I need to practice reading a story I have to perform soon. Not a terrible burden of work, really, and the temptation to just drink beer and play with the kitten and read is strong, but I'll overcome it somehow, and be virtuous.

Currently reading Elizabeth Bear's Blood and Iron. I'm only about a third of the way in, so it's too early for any kind of real review, but I will say it's pushing all my buttons just right. I think I'm the spot-on target audience for this book. I love inventive contemporary fantasy, and this has lots of nicely dense mythic allusions, cool magic, complex characters, good imagery. This kind of book? It's my crack. I hope she keeps publishing books in this series for a long time.