Rapidly Rushing Weekends...

The weekend is over already and I feel like it's just getting started.

That's the problem with weekends. They go by so quickly that even when you struggle to hold onto them, they wriggle free and, before you know it, Sunday evening is here and there's only a few short hours before you have to go to bed. I suppose you don't have to go to bed but if you're like me and want to stand any chance of being even mildly functional on a Monday morning, sleep is good.

Ah well, I suppose the best weekends are those that go by in a blur. I can't say my weekend was so exciting that I couldn't see it passing but it was a good, solid weekend.

For one thing, we had air conditioning. Since I was at my parents' last weekend, this was the first weekend that the puppies and I have been home where the air conditioning was working. It's a luxury although I'm a bit afraid of my heating bill. However, when it's 92 degrees out there and the humidity is making it feel like 101 degrees, it's too sticky and muggy to try to survive without it.

I suppose I could try to survive. I've done it before and I'll probably do it again but one of the luxuries of being an adult is that you can choose whether to turn it on or not.

I'm finding these adult decisions are affecting my life far too much lately. For example, this time last year, I was returning from a trip to Comic-con. I was excited. I had enjoyed myself. This year, the friend/coworker who I introduced to Comic-con last year went by herself while I stayed in Ohio.

I was little worried I was going to regret that decision. I decided not to go because it's an expensive trip and I didn't think I wanted to go. Yet part of me was worried that I was trying to fool myself, that I really wanted to go but was trying to be a grown-up.

However, this past week was Comic-con and though my friend updated her Facebook status sometimes hourly to tell the world what she was doing currently at the convention, I found that I didn't really care. I didn't have any stirrings of envy. I've been three times before. The crush of the Exhibition Hall was fun for those three years. It was fun to see the panels, to see the stars of the TV shows I love right there in front of me, talking about the show. It was fun to talk to people who loved the same things I did.

Except I've been there, done that. I didn't want to go this year and I have absolutely no regrets that I didn't go.

My coworker will return tomorrow with stories of the convention and I'll listen, slightly interested, curious to see how it compared to last year's Comic-con. I'll probably get sick of hearing the same stories, of hearing that it was "awesome" every time someone stops by to see how her trip went.

I think what it comes down to is that I'm becoming one of those older folk who is politely interested in things like Comic-con but I have other things to worry about. My idea of a dream vacation this year would be a long weekend in Maine, staying by the ocean.

Unfortunately, with the air conditioning breakage and the expenses of everyday living, my dream vacation will have to remain a dream. Also, I have puppies and the idea of being away from them is a little scary.

So, no vacation for me this year. I'm not too unhappy about it. As long as I have weekends, I'll be able to enjoy my summer. Oh, wait, let me correct that: As long as I have weekends with air-conditioning, I'll be able to enjoy my summer.

If only the weekends didn't go by quite so fast. Ah well, 'tis the nature of life.

Happy Monday!

You've Got (Fan) Mail!

Today started with a bumblebee.

I got to the office at my usual around-7 a.m. time. Today, someone else beat me in though I'm often the first. As I crossed from the stairway to my cubicle, something big and fuzzy caught my glance from the corner of my eye.

Upon further examination, I realized it was a rather large bumblebee. How it got into our building and up to the second floor, I'm not entirely sure. Bumblebees don't seem to wander into buildings as often as flies, mosquitoes and wasps.

I admit, it took me a little by surprise because I wasn't expecting it. Nevertheless, I decided that though the poor thing seemed sluggish and unable to fly, it shouldn't be trapped in our office. So I did the decent thing- I gave it a ride in my Phantom of the Opera mug downstairs and, when outside, I released it onto the ground. Even if it died not long after, at least it died outside with nature and didn't make its tomb our cold and slightly stuffy air-conditioned building. I have a silly soft spot for creatures that get trapped inside. Last week, there was a rather large spider hanging from the ceiling behind my cubicle. Though it sort of made me a little creeped out, I managed to scoop that spider up in my plastic water cup and put it outside where it belonged. I suppose it would have been easier to kill it since there's a lot of spider-phobic folks in our office. However, as I always say, it's not the spider's fault it's a spider and naturally creepy to many people.

Anyway, after the bumblebee, I settled down to work. Then I realized it had been a while since I checked the email on my author website that I created when I published The Reluctant Demon. Lo and behold! I had mail. Better yet, I had fan mail! Four pieces of it, to be exact.

I suppose to some authors, that's not really much fan mail. To me, it was one of the best feelings ever. All of the writers had nothing but kind, sweet things to say about my book. One of them said it was her new favourite book. Another wanted me to know how much fun she had reading it.

I have to confess, I felt like I was on cloud 9. It's my first fan mail ever and it really, really made me feel like a real author. One of the emails had a request to review my book to post on her website and, if possible, to receive and advance copy of my sequel, Emmy Goes to Hell (tentative title), in order to review that. Of course I said yes because, well, that's just a lovely request. Even better, she wrote the kindest, nicest review of my book on her rather nice blog "Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust." If you want to read it, you can check it out here: http://fangswandsandfairydust.blogspot.com/2010/05/reluctant-demon.html

Her blog is fun and if you're a fan of the paranormal, it's definitely worth checking out. She has a lot of followers so I'm hoping it gets me a few more readers. I'll be sending some materials to Comic Con this year with a friend. I won't be attending, alas. It's a fun adventure but having gone for the past three years, my finances and my sanity need a break. One day, it'd be cool to be a 'professional' there but, for now, I'll live vicariously through my friend who is kind enough to let me send materials to the 'amateur crap' table, as I call it. The 'amateur crap' table isn't really, well, crap but it's the place for writers, comic-book illustrators/writers, poets, filmmakers, etc. to put advertising materials. Generally, when you go to Comic Con, you grab a free bag from one of the many booths giving them away and you just put as much...crap...into it as possible. This includes a sweep of the 'amateur crap' table. I figure if I send some postcards, there will have to be a few people who pick it up and think, "Hey, I'd like to read this."

Still, even with my publicity and promotion, I know I still have a long way to go. For one thing, I really need to get the sequel to my novel written. It's coming along nicely but not as quick as the last one to write just because I seem to have less time. It's much easier to write in the winter since staying inside is the best option. In the summer, there's always something that needs to be done, particularly if you're a hopeful gardener like me.

I also need to keep trying to get my name out there, to get more people to read my book. The fan mail today was wonderful; it made me realize that it's ok to have put my book out there and to let people read it because that's what being an author is all about. It's a nice thing to know that people are reading my book which, really, is why I published in the first place. It's even nicer to know they're enjoying it.

As always, thanks for reading and Happy Wednesday!