For a good arm workout, take one preschooler, weight about 45-50 pounds. Place on swing. Push. Push. Push. Push until upper arms feel floppy. to finish off, hoist child onto shoulders and carry for several blocks.

She looked adorable in her tie-dye dress from Wisconsin.

Also, via the_shoshanna, a recipe for apple cheese quick bread.

I don't appear to have broken myself with the extra weight, hardly at all!

Yesterday, I think I had my first migraine, or something similar. Except there wasn't a lot of head pain, just some queasiness and the freaky, freaky shimmery edges in my vision, that turned into blurring at the edge of my left eye. It went away in about an hour, the vision thing, but I went home from work and slept away the afternoon, in the hope that would help. Which it did. But I am still a little freaked out.

I am going to get glare protectors for my computer screens at work, since I think that was probably a big part of it.

Driven by Eve Silver is now available for Kindle. This is the futuristic dystopic arctic truckers book. Which you should read because there aren't many books about arctic truckers in general.

I lifted weights last night and decided it was time to try moving up to a little more weight, once again. I kept the same 20 pounds for my bench press - I haven't been able to sustain an advance - but went up to 30 pounds for my deadlifts, and still managed to do 3 sets of 15. Then I tried 100 pounds on squats but could only manage two sets of 15. I probably should have gone up in a smaller increment (I think I was at 70 pounds before) but I was curious.

I've also started to try using the lat pulldown machine while standing, which I read uses more muscles. Not sure I'm convinced of that yet.

I finished up with 20 minutes on the elliptical; I think I would have been okay with more, but the air conditioning was not really adequate on that floor, and I was really hot and uncomfortable.

Later today I will discover if I have broken myself once again and won't be able to lift again until next week.

It was so lovely to be back at WisCon! I felt, most of the time, as if I had never been away, only to be taken aback a couple of times to be reminded that I wasn't. It's a strange time and place of its own, WisCon.

I roomed with daedala and pointoforigin - visit pointoforigin's LJ today for her awesome haiku earring party haiku! It was great to spend time with both of them; I had several meals with pointoforigin in particular, as we discussed the state of our writing careers. I had dinner with oursin and breakfast followed by a tour of the Wisconsin capital building with 1crowdedhour and coffee and later a drink with jenwrites. i also got to have dinner with gwynnega. Several people I saw in passing and had brief chats with. I was having trouble sleeping, so skipped all the parties in favor of going to bed early, which meant I missed a lot of people I would have loved to see.

The only book I bought was a copy of jenwrites first novel, Machine, but I looked at many. At A Room of One's Own, there was the usual table of books by WisCon guests, most of which I already owned. I circled around to the opposite side of the table and it took me a few seconds to realize some of the books were mine! About ten minutes later, I realized I was supposed to offer to sign them, so I did that, and the "signed by author" stickers were duly applied.

I was on five panels, moderating two of them. Three of the panels I'd suggested had made it onto the schedule, and one of them, which I wasn't on, apparently had a jam-packed room, so that made me happy! The addiction in fiction panel turned out to be really interesting, and I think I now have some more focused ideas on that topic to suggest for next year. The last one I moderated, one I'd suggested, didn't turn out at all like I had expected, which frustrated me a little, but that's the thing about panels; they are living things, and sometimes they go a different way than you expect. I learned something from each one, which pleased me.

I also talked to three people I respect about my current project, and got some encouragement. The 100 pages I have are nowhere near ready for critique, but a little encouragement goes a long, long way. I was able to do the same for a couple of other writer friends. It's that sort of thing that makes it worth it to travel all the way to a convention!

After many adventures, by which I mean airplane annoyances, I made it to WisCon. Going to bed soon because I desperately need sleep for all the full days to come!

It really is World Turtle Day. Is that awesome or what?

Look, there's a Wiki.

I feel like I should lift weights tonight before I go home, finish packing, and go to bed early, in anticipation of insanely early rising for my morning flight.

I also am considering not lifting weights. Then I won't be sore on Thursday night...but I won't have the sense of satisfaction that comes from having written having lifted. I could just do cardio, but that takes about the same amount of time. *Flail* This decision is too much for me right now. Dayjob stress is impinging upon my life, and I don't like it!

Nearby coffee shop is closing next Wednesday, and my buddy who works there will be out of a job. She's thinking of going back to school (she's 22, and I don't think she went to college at all), but is not sure. I'm worried and sad for her, because she seems like a really nice person, at least in brief interactions over the last couple of years.

Picked up Kate Elliott's Jaran again, the first of her books I ever read, and have been re-reading it off and on. I had forgotten the awesome Arabian horses and the tarpans. How, I am not sure.

Two more days until I leave for WisCon.

I hate airports, and flying. They put me in a bad mood. I don't like the irritable, nervous, snappish person I am when I have to fly. But I will suffer planes to arrive at a destination.

I leave for WisCon early, early Thursday morning. I still have many things to do. I've packed everything except outer clothes (pending a check on the weather) and printed out my schedule. I did all my laundry over the weekend...well, the laundry that involved clothes I would need, not the winter blankets that are still sitting in the hamper. I'm still putting together notes for my panels, both those I am moderating and those I am not.

ETA: UGH, looks like weather will be hot while I'm there. Except possibly for Saturday. Will have to bring a pair of shorts.

If you want to see me while I'm there, say for lunch or dinner, drop me a line!

I passed 26K on my manuscript over the weekend, and lifted weights. Let us hope that taking a weekend off will not completely derail this progress.

The Kindle price on my Spice Brief "Under Her Uniform" has dropped to USD 2.51 (from $2.99).