I had to leave ours early because it just went on so long. We had the planning plus a critique workshop, and they had more planned than would fit the time available, especially when we got into protracted discussions about whether we could make our tape library into MP3 format and put it on the website and whether we should move our conference so it's not the same weekend as the NJ chapter's. t YAWN

This is more of a Great Write topic, but since you're here...have you ever felt your enthusiasm flag for a story right as you hit the ending? I'm basically a chapter and an epilogue away from finishing the WIP, and suddenly the writing feels like going through the motions and my climax seems lame and anticlimactic. I'm pushing through--I'm not about to abandon a book this long so close to the end--and I really hope it's better than I think it is, but I hate feeling this way when I've been so passionate about the WIP up until now.

have you ever felt your enthusiasm flag for a story right as you hit the ending?

We can move into GWW if you want. I know what you mean, and I do have some thoughts on it.

Short answer: yes.

OK, moving to GWW.

AmyLiz, I got the recipes for cake and icing from Better Homes & Garden cookbook (I think) and the pie recipe was submitted for the buffistas cookbook. I made the cranberry meringue pie for Christmas, and I always have too much filling. My boyfriend's birthday is 12/29, so inspiration hit.

But then I sleep like a maniac

I'm going to savor that image.

Now Playing: Geek the Girl by Lisa Germano.

Now Eating: Sandwich of broiled mild Italian Sausage. Mmmm, Pork.

Now Drinking: A lemon drop (almost surely one of the five gayest drinks ever. But I had the Limoncello out to work on the lemon cake recipe for the cook book).

Soon To Be Watching: The Velvet Hustler - not a porn film, as you might expect, but rather a mid sixties Japanese Yakuza film influenceced by Godard.

Soon To Be Watching: The Velvet Hustler

OK, I have to bust DavidS. That has to be the gayest post ever perpetrated by a married het dude who lives near SF, ever.

OK, I have to bust DavidS. That has to be the gayest post ever perpetrated by a married het dude who lives near SF, ever.

I have been watching the Logo Channel a lot lately.

The baby just fell down in the driveway. On. Her. Face. Ack. Poor little thing.

To give her credit, though, she wanted to go back out and play the moment I wiped her up. She looks like a little pink prizefighter, though.

Atta girl!

I love love love each and every one of these names. I would insist on naming my hypothetical daughter Genevieve except, well, my first serious girlfriend had this name, and so it might be a little odd to name a daughter after her, even though it wouldn't be after her, quite.

I had the same issue with the name David. Dh already had a nephew named David (born 5 years before dh and I met) so it was already out of commission anyhow, though.

Now Drinking: A lemon drop (almost surely one of the five gayest drinks ever. But I had the Limoncello out to work on the lemon cake recipe for the cook book).

Soon To Be Watching: The Velvet Hustler - not a porn film, as you might expect,

Oh--this combo reminds me--what is Red Velvet cake. I take it that it's a Southern variety of genus cake, but what flavor is it?

Chocolateish, with some buttermilk and I think vinegar in the mix.