This is a post of small things, because I don’t seem to be able to keep my head together long enough to remember more than small things for very short periods of time. *God* I’ll be glad when the sun starts to come back, even if it’s perpetually cloudy here. I need to live somewhere where it is sunny but not *hot* all year round, and I have a very limited idea of what constitutes ‘hot’. One of the things I love about the Irish is that they say, “It’s a scorcher, isn’t it?” at 75 degrees F and *mean* it, just like Alaskans do.

Speaking of Alaskans, Democrat Mark Begich has won the US Senatorial race, defeating incumbent Ted Stevens and ending his 40-year Senate career. Begich came from being 3400 votes behind on Election Day to being 3700 votes ahead yesterday, with only 2500 absentee ballots left to count. It’s a win outside of the .5% margin of error, so if Stevens wants to contest it, he’s going to have to pay for the recount. I suspect and hope he will not do that, and will instead go out with as much grace as an 86 year old convicted felon can. :)

I went to the writers group last night, which was pleasant as usual, except for it turns out that the woman running it, who is supported in doing so by the arts council here, has had her funding cut because of the budgetary things going on in Ireland, and so she’ll no longer be running the group. I dropped by the library to see about changing the meeting night and to ask about whether the time could be more convenient to the library (it could be), so now I have to contact everybody and (tell them, I suspect) what night we’ll now be meeting, and see if I can corral them into an earlier meeting time. I kind of don’t mind harranguing people to show up as long as I don’t have to bring home stories to critique, which I would simply never do.

I read a bit from TRUTHSEEKER for the group last night, just the very opening scene, which I think is pretty cute and funny. They seemed to like it as well, and one of the women said, “How long does it take you to learn to write like that?”

Um. Well. An entire lifetime, really. TRUTHSEEKER’s my 18th novel, and will be my 15th or somethingth published book. I practice a lot. o.O The woman who asked looked sort of unsurprised but despondent. :)

We went and re-upped our gym membership for six months, today. is making me look like a slacker, so I’m going to have to get back in the pool. :)

Looks like the initial print run on Chance will be about 5K issues, which I don’t think is quite enough to break even, much less hand money over to the CBLDF. Presumably it’s impractical to get everybody on my friends list to buy twenty copies of the comic, so I’m trying to think up more ways to advertise and spread the word about it. Ideas? Suggestions? Friends with thousands of readers who are susceptible (the friends, not the readers) to offers of homemade fudge…? *thinks*