Need to get some pictures uploaded...

Hey everyone!
We have some snapshots of the kittens to upload-- been meaning to do that for awhile now but have been 1) trying to get back to the gym a LOT more often and 2) trying to get more writing done. When the muse is there, the blog suffers.
Still, I hope you'll keep on reading and check back to see shots of Chrissy and Janet.

A Busy Week Indeed

Well, it's Friday and I'm thankful, be it to God, the Greco-Roman pantheon, what have you.
Tuesday was the hardest day-- getting the kittens to the vet to get spayed, getting myself to DC to undergo "shockwave" therapy for that miserable kidney super-stone, then voting in the primary and home. Kat took off from work to make sure I got back to the condo, for which she has my boundless gratitude.
Wednesday wasn't so bad, catching up at work and all, but Thursday-- well, yesterday was rough. I'd left my painkillers at home and sure enough, Valentine's Day afternoon found me with a flareup of kidney stone-like discomfort, escalating toward real pain.
Kat emailed that she was leaving work at 3:20, so it was easier for me to decide it was time to head home.
Left work at 4pm and went to Alexandria, only to find Kat was still in DC. Miscommunications abounded, leaving me to go to the condo and pick up our paperwork for the kittens, after which I walked about a mile to the vets to pick them up.
Kat and I could not believe how wonderful it was having them home, and the kittens seemed to agree--they never left our sides last night, purring and head-butting and showing us in every way how glad they were to be back. We have to take them in a week or so to get the stitches removed, which is probably about the time I'll need to go back for a follow-up with my doctor. (BTW, Dr. Shin, my urologist, absolutely rocks. Probably the coolest doctor I've ever had.)
Anyway, been a tough week for me and the kittens-- and not that great for Kat either. But this week we have friends coming to visit Saturday and Sunday, plus a day off Monday, so that isn't so bad.
Hope you have a great weekend too!

Been Awhile!

Hey folks, been awhile since I last posted, but I've been busy.
First up, I'm working on a ton of reviews (already) for March's SFRevu. We had an editorial conference on Sunday and figured out a bunch of upcoming stuff, much of which involves yours truly. Got a lot of legwork to do this next week.
Not only that but:
1- the kittens are getting spayed tomorrow;
2- our condo is getting sprayed tomorrow (taking advantage of the kittens' absence to do a thorough bug-bombing);
3- we have our Virginia primary tomorrow;
4- I'm going to coordinate a big interview in BPD and SFRevu to support the new Wild Cards website from Tor and comic from Dabel Bros.;
5- probably have "shockwave" therapy for a kidney stone (one that is doing some internal harm) on Wednesday;
6- gotta try to set up an interview with Ray Bradbury this month;
7- I get to sleep sometime around Thursday.

As you can see, a lot going on.
Hope you're all doing great and that you'll comment soon.

Updates!

Hey everyone!
Seems like I've been offline awhile but I've been plenty busy... and there are posts to come explaning all of it, believe me.
First, a short update: I'm fine. The kidney stone issue appears to have been resolved (for now), though I'd like my doctor to confirm that. I'm drinking more water and trying to cut down on caffeine and dairy, both of which are not good for that particular affliction.
Second, had a fantastic time seeing my aunt and uncle out in Colorado last Thursday. We don't get to visit nearly often enough, and I even learned a good deal about my dad's early years-- stuff I'd never heard before. Gonna have to post about that.
Third, the kittens have gotten BIG! Kat and I need to post new pictures. Chrissy is still skinny, Janet is still a tank, but they're full-sized now and I probably shouldn't call them kittens any more.
Last, still working on my novel. Sherin and I are committed to a six-month program to get our first novels done, which is eminently doable. We just need to stick to it.
Hope all's great! So comment and let me hear how you're doing!

Pictures!

Okay, I know I've been bad, but here are some long-delayed snapshots of some diverse things. (The kittens absolutely LOVED the tree!)

Hope you like them!

O Tannenbaum! part 2

When we left off on Wednesday, I was walking through a drizzly dark night to Home Depot to buy a tree. Kat was still in DC, working, so it was my job.
yay. (imagine the tiny flags waving in MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL)
At Home Depot, finding the trees isn't hard-- they're at the far side of the parking lot, in the garden area. Finding a worker is the hard part. They are scarce on the ground, not to be found. Finally one lady took pity on me (I was standing in the store, holding a tree and looking kind of lost, I guess); she came over, confirmed what kind of tree I was holding (lucky me, the $26 kind!), and got me on my way, even giving me the number of a local cab company.
Paying up, I got outside and waited about five minutes for the cab. Not bad. They sent a van and the driver and I wrangled the tree into the back; he said he didn't know what to charge, so I only had to pay for a regular fare (so I tipped a little extra).
That left struggling to get a 6-foot-plus tree inside the condo and then inside our unit.
By myself.
yay.
More on this later today, including our kittens' fascination with indoor shrubbery.

Kitten pictures

We got home last night and our kittens have not left us alone. Eileen our neighbor did a great job catsitting for us, but our white tigers missed us a lot.

Here are some current shots.

Okay, Time for Some Pictures

This blogging thing isn't as easy as it looked when I started.

But... I promised pictures and I am starting to deliver right now.

Get a look at these:

This is Chrissy on the left and Janet on the right. Janet is chunkier and doesn't like being held as much as Chrissy, but they both are affectionate and like to hang out with Kat and me.

They're both scrappy-- this is them eating dinner. (I know, we get the action shots.) And that's Chrissy "kissing" my nose.

I'll post more pictures on my Flickr account later.

Kittens!

Kat and I are getting kittens tonight. They are adorable, two van calico females, 11 weeks old. Their current names are Janet and Chrissy ("Three's Company"-- our shelter is kind of wacky that way). I'll post pictures as soon as we have them in the house and settled down.

Kat's a little nervous about having pets. It'll work out.

Oh, and I'm 43 today.

later, all!
Drew