Super Happy Fun Day

It’s a mixed day. First, the good stuff.

Caitlin finally has her augmentative communication device at school. With some work, Caitlin should soon have some new avenues for communication. It’s pretty exciting. The specialist that the district hired is a friend from LINC, so it was a very pleasant training. Caitlin’s two speech therapists are meeting on Saturday to further discuss the programming. It’s been a long wait with some bumps in the road, but we’re finally here.

The conference planning seems to be under control. That’s a happy thing.

Torchwood Season 1 should be arriving any day now, giving Lynne and me hours of cheestasic entertainment.

Now, the bad. My grandmother has been moved out of ICU, but they’ve discovered an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The doctors also think that there are further problems. I’m getting all of this through the family telephone game, so the details are hazy.

My thoughts go out to Heath Ledger and his loved ones. I understand he was young and a star actor, but I wish the press would move on to something else other than baseless speculation about how he died. I know, how about they talk about the 5.4 million non-famous human beings who have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1998 due to conflict, malnutrition, and disease (http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/01/23/congo/index.html).

Do You Realize?

I’m fairly exhausted today. Yesterday was supposed to be a relaxing day off with the family. No dice. Here is a quick list of things that sucked yesterday:

1- My daughter spent Sunday night vomiting. The details are over in Lynne’s blog. Luckily, Caitlin was well for the rest of the day. This morning she was a bit out of it, but otherwise fine.

2- I went to the dentist, got my teeth cleaned, and they found two small cavities. Not a big deal in the grand scheme.

3- I spent much of my day on the phone doing conference planning. The pressure is increasing with some deadlines approaching.

4- My grandmother went to the ER and was admitted to the ICU. This is hitting harder than I expected. I am very close to my grandparents. They were a large part of what was stable in my childhood. For the past couple of years, my grandmother has been suffering from dementia/Alzheimer’s. She just turned 80, she had a major heart attack a few years ago, and we’ve been expecting health problems since she’s barely eating.

Yesterday, her face was swollen and my family took her to the hospital. They’re still running tests, but she was dehydrated and suffering from a serious bladder infection. Now I’m just waiting for phone updates. She will probably be fine, but it just feels like we’re entering that stage of rapid decline.


Otherwise, thing are well. The work on the gutters has begun, Caitlin should be getting her assistive communication device this week, and Torchwood was good. With some luck, I might even get some more writing done.

Bummer in the Barb City

And so ends another winter week in the Barb City (they invented barbwire in DeKalb dontcha know).

This week featured my City of DeKalb Advisory Commission on Disabilities meeting. It was a bit of a bummer. The city is having financial problems. This is not a shocker. You see, like many cities, DeKalb has had years of growth by giving developers and businesses big tax breaks and no impact fees. As my friend Sarah pointed out, if you play Sim City enough, it should be obvious to you that eventually you will pay the price. We are there. The infrastructure isn’t in place to support a city our size. The general fund was $500,000 short last year, and the city manager is eliminating 20 jobs to compensate.

This is a bad thing. It seems that one of the commission’s biggest allies might be part of the forced retirements. This person was instrumental in us getting anything done for people with disabilities. These financial problems also make the future existence of our commission a bit cloudy. I am not happy about this.

We’ve done some good things while I’ve been a member. The commission was able to get most of the city to change the accessible parking sign fine amounts to reflect the changed state law. Businesses had been ignoring it until we started going business to business. We’ve also been able to make sure that new building plans comply with ADA. Additionally, we started working with the Park District in order to bring more accessibility to the parks and playgrounds. My daughter can now swing during recess because of this.

Hopefully, the commission will evolve and continue to do good works. It would be a real shame if couldn’t because of poor planning. People with disabilities need a voice. My daughter and everybody like her deserve a city that complies with federal, state, and local law.

Parenting Is Glamorous

Today, we earn our pay. It’s a Caitlin sick day!

It’s nothing too serious. It started last night when Caitlin had a manic episode. Now, I love to hear my daughter sing and laugh. There were many years when the drugs and seizures kept her from smiling. From 1:00 am to 2:30 am, however, her laughter is not as heartwarming. She just wouldn’t let herself get calmed down.

So this morning we got up exhausted for school and work. Then Caitlin started coughing. Then she threw up. This is never a happy thing. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, Caitlin is tube fed because she is a silent aspirator; anything in her throat gets into her lungs. When she vomits, there is a chance that it will get into her lungs and cause an infection. This is a very bad thing. Not to mention, her high-fat Ketogenic formula is noxious under normal circumstances.

We’re all home. It seems that Caitlin just has cold that’s tickling her throat. She isn’t running a fever, and she’s back to singing and laughing. Still, every time she coughs we have to leap across the room.

Caitlin's Week Before Christmas

It’s been a challenging parenting week. Much of this is in Lynne’s blog. It started with Caitlin developing blisters on her left foot. This is, of course, not a good thing. This meant that Cait and I had to run out to her orthotic shop to get some alterations done to her Ankle Foot Orthotics (they’re like braces). So, Thursday night we ran out to the joint, which is just south of Fox Valley Mall on Route 59 during the peak of holiday shopping. It was not fun.

The worst part, however, was the massive fog that has been blanketing our area as the snow melts on the corn/soy fields. It is never fun driving at night on a rural expressway with 30 feet of visibility. The important thing is that Caitlin’s foot should be fine now.

Yesterday Caitlin finally had a big seizure. I still see this as a big win. She was almost two months seizure free. Considering that she was having two massive spasms a day during the summer, this is still a good thing. Of course, giving your five-year-old child rectal valium because she won’t stop seizing is never fun.

Caitlin is also cutting some rear molars. This has given her some bouts of crying all week. Lynne is off to get more Tylenol suppositories for her, which should help. Unfortunately, it’s all she can take.

On the plus side, she is very excited by the whole Santa thing. We’ve also had a relaxing week together as a family. The shopping was pretty much done days ago. It’s really just been a few days of hanging out watching TV.

Friday!

Life at thirty-three is not all that different from life at thirty-two. Things more or less returned to normal by the middle of the week. Now it’s just cold with no rain, ice storms, or school closings.

Caitlin had a good week. She went “wandering” at school on Thursday and visited the office with her aide. The highlight was Caitlin standing at the main counter for a few minutes while blowing kisses to the staff. Her standing is really improving. Now she just needs to become more consistent with her walking.

I got some writing done this week, but less than I would have liked. I’ve been wrestling with a character. I just don’t get him yet. He plays some vital functions in the plot, but his motivations are still murky to me. It’s a good thing that writing becomes a piece of cake with experience (“Hah!” laughs all of my pro friends). I’m not sure if it helps or not to know that the self-doubt and difficulties never end.

The holidays are on schedule for a change. The decorations have been up for a couple of weeks, the cards were mailed yesterday, and Santa is finished. Lynne and I are even done shopping for each other. Hopefully all of our Internet purchases will make it on time. All that’s left is buying for my family.

We’ve started watching Flight of the Conchords (one of my birthday gifts). It’s as good as the hype. I can’t remember laughing that hard at a television show.

Our copy of Jackie Kessler’s Hell’s Belles finally arrived from Amazon. Lynne got first dibs. I’m still reading Goblin Quest by Jim Hines. It’s wonderful. I’ve decided that I want to play in a D&D game that Jim DMs.

More Bad Weather

It’s been a weird few days. If it wasn’t for the never-ending bad weather, they would have been great. Unfortunately, we are getting hit again with ice and precipitation. It’s frustrating for a variety of reasons. This first involves some stuff that I can’t publicly rant about involving something that should have been done by others months ago, but hasn’t been done for reasons that are pathetic.

The second is that our life has ground to a halt. Yesterday, Lynne was home due to weather and a threat scare at NIU. Today, Caitlin is home because school was cancelled. It’s really thrown off my routines. I was able to get some writing done this morning, but I need some time alone at Panera to bang out this next chapter. I just can’t write and take care of Caitlin at the same time.

The plus about all of these bad weather days is that we caught up on our reading and DVD viewing. I was very impressed with Blackpool. The scripts were fun, and the acting was amazing. We also polished off the first season of Heroes. It was fantastic, though I do believe that Chris Claremont is owed a check for the future jaunt in the final episodes.

I have also polished off A Clash of Kings. George R.R. Martin continues to be full of genius. He pulled off bunches of tricks that I doubt that I will ever be skilled enough to manage as a writer. It’s amazing how he juggled all of the POV characters. He made it seem like not a word was wasted in a book that was over 700 pages long. I doubt that I could get more than 400 pages out of that plot.

Just Finished Reading: See above
Currently Reading: Goblin Quest by Jim Hines

My Daughter, the Fartiste

Blogging by the light of my Christmas tree...

Writing got cut short today. Little miss Caitlin had a gas bubble at school. After 45 minutes of crying, they decided that it was best for her to come home. A couple of rainbow farts later (TM Jim Hines), she is happy and singing. It would seem that she is getting her father’s bad attitude about going to school.

I did finish writing a tough chapter. I spent much of it reminding myself that I can fix things in the revision. The next chapter isn’t shaping up to be much easier. I really need to revisit my outline to figure a few things out. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m introducing a character a little too late in the novel. I may have to add some stuff to the earlier chapters to fix this.

I have been asked to be part of another MNP author’s brain trust for their sekrit project. I am very honored. People are going to be giddy about this project. It’s a book idea that I had thought about proposing, but this person is in a much better position to write it. There are also some people in the brain trust that I’ve admired for years, so it is very neat to be a part of these discussions.

Back from Chicago TARDIS

My brain can finally cope with blogging. The con trail is finally at an end. I am definitely getting too old for this “three cons in three weekends” thing.

This was an odd Chicago TARDIS for me. It was a low key, but pleasant convention. Many of our regular friends were unable to attend this year (Bill, Shaun, Robert, Michael L., Gary, etc.), so we were pretty much in a clump with the Mad Norwegians. This was also not a convention where I was very interested in the Guest of Honor, Eric Roberts. Finally, the Sekrit Project was revealed. The end result of all of this is that I am slowly transforming from pure fanboy to fan semi-pro. It’s a bit unsettling.

Thursday night, Lars and Christa stopped by on their way from Iowa to Chicago. It was awesome. They got to meet Caitlin, see the house, and we got to generally catch up. It was nice to see them after a year of emails and phone calls. Lars brought copies of AHistory (2nd Edition) and About Time 6. Both look great. I was one of the Associate Editors for both, so it was extremely cool to see the transformation from manuscripts to real books. The best part was the back of About Time 6. Lars and Christa created an ad announcing the Sekrit Project, now entitled Fluid Links. It’s a guidebook to the Doctor Who novels and audios. I will go into more details about it in a later blog

The next day we dropped the girl off at grandma’s apartment. My mom has been phenomenal for the last few weekends. We couldn’t have done it without her. Then we entered the convention at the new hotel. The Crowne Plaza was very nearly the hotel for the Aicardi Conference, so I knew it well. It’s a nice hotel, but it is very much about nickel and diming you to death. We ended up sharing a room with Lars and Christa, which was fun. It was like a high school sleepover.

Lynne and I spent most of the convention socializing with old friends and meeting new ones. We were able to see and hang out with Tara, Bohus, Ed, Jenny, Michael Z., Steve M., Steve J., Rob, Jason, Arnold, Stephanie, Steve, Scott, Nick, Karen, Kathryn, Jennifer, and Allan. We also got to meet and befriend the wonderful squee girls of Iowa, Heather, John, Heather, and Laurel, They are full of awesome and we really wish that we were closer to their fan club.

The events of the weekend are a blur of geek and drink. I bought toys and books. We went to Gibson’s with a clump that included all of the UK guests. We drank in the bar and in rooms. Lynne became a voice for fangirl squee after being on about six squee panels. Lars and I talked about the book to about 20 people at 10 a.m. on Saturday. I got some books signed by David. My panels went fine. Eric Roberts is what you would expect.

I want to thank everybody working the con for all of their work. It’s not an easy job.

Next year, Colin Baker returns and I should have a co written book in the dealers’ room.

Yikes!

We already miss everybody. We’ll see you next year.

Overextended

I am getting a bit overextended.

I found out last night that the Aicardi Syndrome Family Conference got more complicated again. I’m stressing out trying to come up with a solution.

Here are my current commitments:
Co-chair of the 2008 Aicardi Syndrome Family Conference
Co-chair DeKalb County Local Interagency Networking Council (LINC)
Member City of DeKalb Advisory Commission on Disabilities (a job that’s growing)
Member of an Easter Seals Committee
The Disability Commission’s representative on The Access to Recreation Committee

I do all of this while being Caitlin’s caregiver, coordinating her school, therapies, doctors, and insurance issues.

Oh, and I’m co writing a guidebook for Mad Norwegian Press.

And I’m writing a novel.

Somewhere in there I also clean the house, do laundry, and try to have time with my wife.

I’m beginning to think that I need to start saying no to things.

Adventures in Caregiving

I’ve been handling some more sensitive stuff recently for Caitlin, and it’s been extremely stressful. Even when you are in the right, the system is set up to save money, not to necessarily help people. Luckily, I have the support of RAMP for this headache. As most of you remember from Caitlin’s fundraising Grand Marshall gig a few weeks ago, RAMP is an advocacy agency for people with disabilities. They have been a lifesaver. It seems that I have finally stood my ground, and Caitlin will get what she needs to thrive. I just wish that people didn’t actively work against families like mine when we have so many normal difficulties to conquer each day.

Otherwise, Caitlin has been doing well. She is weaned off of Topamax and is on only one anti-epileptic for the first time since she was 3 months old. Unfortunately, it’s the expensive Vigabatrin that is approved everywhere else the world except the US. Everything seems to be working, though, with the current Vigabtrin/Ketogenic Diet/no-nap combination. During the summer, Caitlin was up to two strong spasms a day that lasted up to seven minutes each with the occasional blockbuster that went over 10 minutes until Diastat was administered. As of today, Caitlin has been seizure free since October 26. We’ll take it.

This has made her much more aware and with it. Caitlin had an awesome day at school doing very well with her vision therapy and physical therapy. She really is starting to stand for longer periods of time with minimal assistance. We’re so proud of her.

Things seem to also be going well with her and her little boyfriend. He and his mother have been arriving at school at the same time as us. The last two mornings he has insisted on holding her hand as I wheel her into class. This makes for a happy Caitlin. There is nothing quite like five-year-old love.

Last night I had my City of DeKalb Advisory Commission on Disabilities meeting. It went very well. We have finally started the process of networking with the similar committees at Northern Illinois University. It was great to share information and plant the seeds for future projects. The town/gown divide is ridiculous. This way we will combine our resources and ideas to hopefully make the community as a whole better for all of the people with disabilities. The only downside is that I think that I increased my workload again. Just call me Ado Annie....

Back from Windycon

We are back from Windycon. It was a profitable weekend for all of us. Lynne was able to talk to about a dozen authors. One of the authors there and then placed their papers with her. Hooray! Many of the other authors also made positive noises. I am very proud of my wife. She is making NIU a true SF research center. Years from now, this is going to benefit posterity, future academics, and the entire genre. This is one of the ways SF literature will survive into the future and get the respect it deserves.

I was on three panels. The “A Distant Backwater of the Internet” panel was fantastic. We had a lot of fun with our fellow panelists, John O’Neill from Black Gate (http://www.blackgate.com/) and Dawn Kuczwara. It went well, though we were all a little surprised that so many people were unaware of sites like LJ and IMDB.

The Buffy panel was fine, and the Doctor Who panel was feisty. It was interesting to have a bunch of panelists who were eloquent and passionate about their differing opinions. Even with strong disagreement, everybody kept it polite and thoughtful. Jody Lynn Nye in particular made some compelling arguments about the problems of the new series as a family show due to how it relates to children.

Unfortunately, all of our meal plans fell through on Saturday. Still, we were able to have some nice conversations with many people over the course of the two days. We spent some moments with E.E. Knight, I had a great conversation about SFWA and copyright with Jim C. Hines and Steven Silver, and we had good chats with Tobias Buckell and our new friend Allan.

Lynne and I are exhausted, but satisfied.

Caitlin also had a great weekend with her grandma. The highlight was a trip to the circus on Sunday. Caitlin loved it. She was especially happy with the horses.

We finished the weekend with a big family dinner at my aunt’s house. It was nice to see everybody.

Today I was plunged back into reality. I had to wear my caregiver/advocate hat for most of the day. I have plenty of fires to put out before we leave for the Fantasy Matters conference on Friday.

I Drink a Lot of Coffee

There are reasons that I drink gallons of coffee. The last couple of days have been frickin’ exhausting. Wednesday was a doctor day for Caitlin. As most of you know, we live out in the cornfields of DeKalb. Since Caitlin has many rare medical problems and we want to get her the best care, all of her doctors are at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. This means that her regular appointments with her five doctors are all-day undertakings.

We left the house at 8 a.m. and ventured through traffic and construction to the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Traffic was reasonable so we were there exactly in time for our 10:15 a.m. appointment. Mapquest says that this is 1 hour and 15 minutes trip. Mapquest lies.


By the time we got there, my eyeballs were floating from all of the coffee. It wasn’t pleasant. We were in theory seeing Caitlin’s Rehabilitative Specialist and Orthopedist. We checked in and discovered that someone had messed up her scheduling and put one of the appointments on next Tuesday. Luckily, this was fixed immediately. Caitlin then got her hip x-rays. That was fine, and we started waiting. It was at that point that Caitlin started to cry from something. After about 15 minutes I soothed her. By 11:30 we were finally called in for the first doctor.

The appointment went well. The Rehabilitative Specialist was impressed by Caitlin’s physical gains with sitting and standing. There was also this exchange:

DOCTOR: Caitlin, can you use your words and talk to me?
CAITLIN: No.
DOCTOR LAUGHS
DOCTOR: I see that your daughter has discovered irony.

That’s my girl.

That appointment was over at about 12:05. Then we waited. And we waited. My hopes of getting out of there by a reasonable time quickly evaporated. By 1:30, I was flagging down nurses to find the doctor. I also had to start Caitlin’s tube feeding since she was supposed to start at noon. By 2 p.m., he sent a resident in to ask some questions for no particular reason. By 2:15, he swept into the exam room, apologized, poked Caitlin, told me that her scoliosis and hips were about the same, and swept out again three minutes later.

By three I finally ate lunch in a Burger King parking lot, and then we were back on the road. We got home, ate dinner, and then the whole family went to the public library’s SF reading club so that we could deconstruct I Am Legend.

The next day was about as hectic. I woke up, did some writing, got Caitlin to school, handled some business with the school district, talked to Lars about the MNP project, did some emailing for the City of DeKalb Disabilities Commission, picked up Caitlin, and then headed off to chair a LINC meeting.

The meeting went fine. We finally came to a decision about how to spend some funds left to us after a tragic accident. A teen mother and her child with disabilities died in a car accident a couple of years ago. Our organization received the memorial fund. We are working with a continuing education program for teen parents that is going to use our funds to buy some teen parent advocacy supplies.

We also continued to work with Easter Seals to try and get a satellite office placed in our community. Currently, people have to drive 45 minutes to get center-based pediatric therapies at Easter Seals. There used to be a center here, but it closed a couple of years ago due to staffing problems. I have been agitating for a while to get them to reopen as our community has a great need. We are finally making some progress. After the LINC meeting, I was asked to serve on the exploratory committee by the Easter Seals representative. Being me, I was unable to say no.

I also agreed to rewrite the LINC bylaws this month because I have sucker written on my face. Caitlin and I then got home and worked with her Physical Therapist.

Today is just watching Caitlin, some speech therapy, and packing for Windycon.

Did I mention that I drink a lot of coffee?

Not a Good Start

Well, just as I thought the dreary year was on an upswing, Lynne called. She was in a minor traffic accident on the way to work. Everybody is fine, but it’s still an unpleasant start to a week. She was riding in to work with our friend Sarah when they ended up getting hit by a car ricocheting off of another accident. I am still getting the details, but the front of Sarah’s car was smooshed. I was in the middle of getting Caitlin to school when I got the call, but luckily Sarah’s husband David was working from home today and was able to pick them up. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it’s still very unpleasant.

On the plus side, Caitlin is finally getting over her cold. Today should be a normal day of school and therapy at Easter Seals. That means that I have a chance to get some writing done this week. I actually got a decent amount of writing done last week. I am very happy with the shape of the novel, though I am currently writing a chapter that is fighting me.

Otherwise, we are gearing up for convention season. This weekend is Windycon. It should be fun. The next weekend is the Fantasy Matters conference in Minnesota. This will be my first opportunity to go to a Neil Gaiman reading, and Lynne will be giving her paper on Paladin of Souls. And finally, Thanksgiving is Chicago TARDIS. I’m going as a forthcoming writer for the first time. That is going to be awesome. It will be nice to see so many friends in the next few weeks.

The weekend was nice and quiet. We got some tasks done, our good friends Leanne and Drew had their baby shower, and all of us got some rest. Barring any more accidents, I think that November should be a great month.

Sick Halloween

Happy Halloween! A blessed Samhain!

Caitlin’s cold continues to be bothersome. This morning had more vomiting with the occasional bouts of crying. Caitlin got better as the day continued, culminating with a pedie appointment. It was supposed to be her five-year check-up, but it became a chance to make sure that it was just a cold. All considering it went well, and Caitlin now has some new influenza vaccine in her body.

Otherwise, it was an uneventful day. I cobbled out some more writing while Cait watched Dora. Many children came to our door and left with candy. Caitlin didn’t go out, but she did get to dress up as Hermione Granger. Her friend Nora also visited dressed as a fireperson. We finished the evening by watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Caitlin's Still Sick

Caitlin’s little illness continues...

We made it through the night just fine. There were a couple of runs when she coughed, but the overnight feed stayed down. We went through the normal morning routine, I dropped her off at school, and then I went to Panera to try to get some writing done. It was not to be. The school ended up calling because Caitlin had diarrhea and cramping. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was refreshing to pick her up for a normal childhood illness. There’s no fever or vomiting, so that’s something. Since there is a 24-hour illness-free policy at school, Caitlin will get tomorrow off, too.

She’s currently sitting next to me on the couch watching some Old School Sesame Street from 1972. It kicks the modern stuffs’ butt. That’s right kids, Sesame Street used to be funny. It also wasn’t Elmo-centric. The new stuff is sanitized and boring. And yet, it remains the best show for toddlers on television. Heck, it and South Park are the only shows that regularly show children with severe disabilities.

Hopefully, she will be well enough for ticks or treats tomorrow. She is so excited about her Hermione Granger costume. Every time we tell someone about it, she just gets this big grin.

Caitlin's Sick Birthday

Well, Caitlin ended up being sick for her fifth birthday. It’s just a bad cold, but nothing is simple for a child with disabilities. She had been goopy for a couple days, but it seemed that we would be able to go see my family for the big family birthday on Sunday. Then little miss decided to spike a 102-degree fever. A few hours later, it was gone.

I kept her home from school today, and she seemed better. The cold, however, had other ideas. Unfortunately, my daughter is unable to really blow her nose. The snot drips down, tickles her throat, she coughs, and then everything comes up. It’s not pretty. Tonight she managed to do it right after she got her seizure meds, so now she’s also more likely to have a big spasm tomorrow. The other problem with her throwing up is that Caitlin is a silent aspirator. Anything in her throat could end up sliding into her lungs causing infections and pneumonias. We love cold and flu season around here.

Hopefully some Benedryl will do the trick tonight. We’re certainly not looking forward to making a dash into her room every time she coughs.

Caitlin did have a wonderful birthday with friends on Saturday. She wore a birthday tiara, earrings, and everything. She now had about 100,000 My Little Ponies. We can’t thank all of our wonderful friends enough for giving her such a special day.

Not much else going on around here. Lynne is revising her second peer-reviewed article and doing an editing project. I keep chugging away at the novel. I slowed down a bit to work on some short stories, but I’m now at the 40,000-word mark.

Just Finished Reading: Hammered by Elizabeth Bear
Currently Reading: Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber

Caitlin's Birthday

It’s Caitlin’s Fifth Birthday Weekend!

Tomorrow is her actual birthday, but the first party is today. Friends will be over this afternoon for cake. Sunday we’re bringing her out to my family. It’s pretty exciting stuff. Caitlin picked out a My Little Pony theme, which is hardly a shock. I spent all of yesterday on some cleaning projects. I finally sorted out her toys and eliminated the baby stuff. She just not interested in that stuff anymore. Caitlin is now obsessed with her ponies and games, just like any five-year-old girl.

I also spent yesterday organizing the Doctor Who collection. I think that I’ve created enough room for all of my holiday acquisitions. It has been a wonderful nightmare keeping up with the new series. They’re just making so much stuff. It’s meant that I’ve had to stay focused on only a couple of areas of collecting. Of course, the collection does come in handy. I am becoming Mad Norwegian Press’s reference expert. It helps having nearly every Doctor Who non-fiction book.

I better get cracking. Today I need to clean my office and do some yard work while Lynne entertains the girl (who is getting a cold) and bakes two cakes.

Magic!

Must...stop...and...breathe...

It’s been a busy few days of work and play. Caitlin is happy and healthy. On Sunday, we had to change out her mic-key button for her g-tube. Lynne and I are still unsettled by the process. The button is in the hole that goes from her side into her stomach. This is hooked up to tubes for her feedings. It is a little plastic device that looks like the air hole on a beach ball. It’s held in place by a balloon filled with water. Every few months, the button has to be replaced because of the damage done to it by the stomach’s acids. We used to do this at the hospital, but now it’s our job. Lynne holds Caitlin down, there’s some screaming, and then it is done.

We‘ve been watching baseball like crazy. Lynne was very happy that her Red Sox won another pennant. I’m happy for her, even though it’s pretty bittersweet being a Cubs’ fan and all.

We also started playing in Cason’s Exalted campaign. So far, it’s been awesome, though we are all still adjusting to the rules.

Otherwise, I keep pumping out the writing. I finished revising a short story, and I’m getting ready to send it out. I’ve also polished up some of my Mad Norwegian Press work, started a new short story, and chugged along with the novel.

Tonight I’m off to The Magic Cabaret with my friends Kevin and Cason. It should be a hoot, with lots of fun parlor magic at the historic Biograph Theater (John Dillinger was killed there).

http://www.magic-cabaret.com

Still Reading: The Mirador by Sarah Monette

Nine Things That Didn't Suck This Week

It’s a quiet Friday, and I have a sleepy girl. It looks like most of my day is going to be spent keeping her awake. It’s been a bummer of a week, but some positive things have happened.

1- The 2008 Aicardi Syndrome Family Conference was announced. Hooray!
2- Lars just asked me for my year’s worth of work on the Soon-To-Be-Announced Guidebook for Mad Norwegian Press. With AHistory 2nd Edition and About Time 6 off to press, Lars and the team can now focus on this gigantic book. It was good to send those files away.
3- I has new Doctor Who action figures! This month I got Dr. Constantine (The Empty Child), The Gelth Zombie (The Unquiet Dead), Mickey Smith (Doomsday), Brannigan (Gridlock), and a Scarecrow (Human Nature). My collection is getting crazy big. I have about 55 of the little buggers and the TARDIS Playset. The sad thing is that I’m still missing a number of figures. I can’t say enough how much I love these figures. They are so wonderful, especially when they are compared to the Dapol figures of yore. I feel like I’m 10 every time I get one.
4- Lynne did some mad networking at a work function on Wednesday night. It was a dinner for new faculty hosted by the President of NIU. The food was good, the bar was open, and we got to meet numerous department chairs and deans. I also got to network with some of the Special Education professors. It looks like Caitlin and I may be speaking to some classes in the future.
5- We really got a lot of support from our friends and family. It is always nice to realize that we are not alone.
6- I got my first LJ friend request from someone who was a mystery to me. I am now about 90% sure that I know who the person is.
7- I finished revisions on a short story. I am much happier with it than the last one. Lynne is currently looking it over.
8- I was mentioned by first name in two separate blogs of successful authors this week. Thanks to Lyda Morehouse and E.E. Knight for that little slice of cool.
9- I asked a question on the Wyrdsmiths writers’ blog (http://wyrdsmiths.blogspot.com/) that actually inspired some discussion about when someone can call himself or herself a writer. As it turns out, I’m a writer. Yippee!

Tonight we are off to Trader Joe’s. You know you’re getting old when you look forward to a Friday night out at the grocery store.

Just Finished Reading: I Am Legand by Richard Matheson
Currently Reading: The Mirador by Sarah Monette