{{Cindy}} How awful to have to go through that crap. Also, thanks for the opening disclosure of all ended up well. So scary.

Happy Birthday Katie Bee!

I skipped so I got nothin' else.

Zucchini flowers are more vegetal than floral to me. Also? Nummy. Stuff them with cheese and mmmm.

Too many people in the office. I don't likes the peoples. They makes my head burn and ache. I'm such a grouch.

I am coding my time for the last two days that I need to account for and god do I need to do this on a daily basis so it isn't such a puzzle... Sheesh.

Zucchini flowers are more vegetal than floral to me. Also? Nummy. Stuff them with cheese and mmmm.

Mmmhm. Yummers.

Random school news. Bobby has 3 male teachers this year and 1 female. Last year it was all women. I don't know if it will make a difference with Bobby, but his father gets more cooperation from him than I do with homework, so maybe the men teacherfolk will have better luck than the women did last year. wishful thinking

DH is off to the movies (a screening of Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, which I declined to accompany him to), and I'm stuck with no leftovers in the house. Is it less work for me to order in (and have to go down a flight of stairs when it gets here), or to make mac & cheese (and have to stand while I'm boiling water and stirring and stuff)?

It's a toss-up. I have a feeling I'll be ordering in.

I beg your indulgence for a brief whine. I will try to whine calmly.

1. There's the job thing, already described. It's very frustrating to go for over a week without even finding anything worth applying for, and have continued money stress, and keep putting off things that are more needs than wants because of money. Money stress isn't exactly beneficial to a marriage, either.

2. I did two freelance jobs for local people, both of whom were more comfortable with check than PayPal. They promised they mailed the checks on Friday. Today's mail just came. No checks. Normally local mail takes no more than two days to get here. Dammit.

3. I just found out I didn't final in a writing contest when I checked the website to see if it had a date for announcing finalists, only to discover the finalists listed there. This perhaps wasn't a wise move when I was already in a sucky mood. Cue standard, "But I thought that I was a good writer, and how can anyone read my first chapter and not fall in love with Jack when he's so brave and smart and funny right there on the page?" angst.

4. That makes three contests I know I didn't final in that I haven't gotten my entries back yet on. It might've made up for the "Where are my damn checks?" angst a little to have got even one of them back today, but no luck. If I'm ever a contest coordinator you won't catch me dawdling about sending non-finalist entries back, for I shall have pity, remembering my own sufferings.

I want to cry and punch things, and I don't even have PMS.

Thank you for your indulgence in this matter. I know these are first-world problems.

The word "no" always sucks. I'm sorry.

Serious question: What benefit are you gaining by entering contests?

my unholy love of fried zucchini flowers

Shut yer mouth. Zucchini flower love is NOT unholy. God put zucchini flowers on earth for us to enjoy.

Bobby has 3 male teachers this year and 1 female. Last year it was all women. I don't know if it will make a difference with Bobby

It made a difference with my little bro. He did MUCH better with male teachers.

{{Susan}} I'm sorry things are sucky today.

Gah, so frustrating, Susan.

Serious question: What benefit are you gaining by entering contests?

I'm beginning to think none whatsoever. The desired benefit is to make the finals and therefore get my work in front of an editor. And I keep expecting that to happen Any Time Now.

I just don't know what to think. I judge a lot of contests, and I don't think I'm flattering myself to believe my writing is stronger than most of what's out there. I've played the romance game sufficiently to have my hero and heroine meet in the first chapter (Page 3! THREE!) and show attraction to each other. I don't do the goal-motivation-conflict thing as blatantly as a lot of writers, but there is conflict there--at least, it should be clear that my characters face a tough path to happiness. And yet so far that semifinal in the Molly is the only positive result I've gotten.

It's weird. If you threw out contest results, I'd think I was on the right track. People who read my writing outside of a contest context praise it, and not just friends and CPs. I just don't know if I'm safe assuming that the contest results are an aberration, that somehow dissecting my kind of writing on those scoresheets kills it. If I could feel confident about that, I'd dump the contests and spend my money on chances to meet editors and agents at conferences instead. Well, except for that hyper-competitive part of me that just wants to keep entering until I WIN, dammit!