Is that not the sweetest, most melodious word in the English language? I’m told I’ll be getting my first royalties check in March for the med term textbook I and three others wrote, which was published last August. At this point we have no idea how much money it will be. Textbooks tend to be adopted slowly at first, then pick up sales over the next few years. Hopefully, if the first check is modest, perhaps subsequent checks will be more. My percentage is quite small, so this isn’t ever going to make me rich, but I love the idea of money flowing in every six months because of work I did in the past. "Residual income." That’s a musical little phrase, too! If the book does fairly well, it could maybe have a lifespan of 20+ years or so, with revisions every few years.

I am so tired. My sleep is constantly interrupted, like between four and six times a night. Sometimes it’s Lucas, mostly it’s Asher waking me. Sometimes one of the boys wakes up at 5 a.m. and doesn’t go back to sleep. I haven’t slept more than 2 or 3 hours straight since May of 2006. It’s not the same as choosing to go without for a night for a fun reason, like debauchery, rock music, or even all-night sophmoric discussions. It’s a constant debt and it affects my mental health.

Ian tries to help me. On the weekends he gets up early with the kids and sometimes I can sleep till 8 or 8:30 a.m. Rarely until 9. He is a prince for doing this. But I’m still deeply deprived (of this one resource).

Someday, I will sleep through the night again. Someday, I will sleep through the night again. Someday, I will sleep through the night again. Maybe if I say it enough, I’ll be restored.

…

maybe I’m finally getting sick …

IMG_9278
Originally uploaded by SarabellaE

Yesterday Lucas and I had the afternoon alone together while Asher was with grandma. We played in the leaves and I got some lovely shots of Lucas having fun. He is so wonderful sometimes. We had a perfect time together. He decides it was Star Day, and collected goodies, such as star-shaped leaves, fruits, cookies, and “moon rocks,” to hide in our shoes. I guess this means he’s ready for St. Nicholas day this Saturday!

Dearest Thaemos,

Happy birthday, my friend! You are more fun, more energetic, more brilliant, more intense, more charming, more courageous, more inventive, more dynamic, more powerful, more generous, more savvy, more idealistic, more honest, and more sensitive than any one human has a right to be. You burn so, so bright in my life. I cherish the (18) years I have known you and been your friend. I hope many years from now, when we’re wrinkled, gray, and rheumatic,  to be sitting on the same font stoop together, rocking in rockers, drinking whiskey neat, and planning our next big ritual / art car / political coup / gallery opening / planned community / Fortune 500 company / shrine / robotic slave manufacturing plant / chemical adventure / masquerade ball / orgy. I love you in all your myriad incarnations and unrelenting glory.

Sara

I like new books more than warm cookies straight from the oven. This past Sunday we picked up the following books from the UUSS bookstore.

Umberto Eco : Baudolino
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child : Riptide and Dance of Death
Kate Jacobs : The Friday Night Knitting Club
Kaya McClaren : On the Divinity of Second Chances
Elizabeth Gilbert : Eat, Pray, Love
E. M. Broner : A Weave of Women
Wally Lamb : She’s Come Undone
Margaret Atwood : The Robber Bride
Mark Haddon : The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Deborah Moggach : Tulip Fever
Earth Works Action : 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Fight the Right

Twelve books, mostly trade paperbacks, for $9.25. I wish I had known earlier how cheap those crazy Unitarian Universalists are selling used books. This gives me another good reason to go to "the Society" services regularly.

Right now I’m finishing up Carl Hiaasen’s Nature Girl. Damn that man writes zany characters! I love them all and I love him. And I have every intention of reading every word he will ever write.