Good Morning Blog

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

This post is coming at you from a new evil lair of evil, high up on the Rocky Mountains, so new that the dungeons still have that fresh paint smell and the only blood stains are where the carpenter hit himself with the hammer.

Okay, the house is not actually new, but it’s the first house we’ve lived in since 1989 that was built AFTER World War II, so it seems new to me.

We don’t have a fridge till tomorrow, only half of our stuff is here, the rest being still at the other house (that move is scheduled for the 14th) and my entire worldly possessions are in boxes somewhere.  BUT the auto-immune attack is receding and the cats are doing well, and I can hear the birds singing.  We’re going to be all right.  I think.

Actually our possessions are not all in boxes, exactly.  Faced with unpacking the kitchen or the office, I chose the office, so about 2/3 of it is set up, including opening boxes I hadn’t seen since we moved from our house in downtown Colorado Springs.  A lot of “Oh, so there you are.” and “Ah, I wondered where you’d gotten to.”  We’ve found ALL the batteries, which is good, but not my computer speakers, which means I can’t give younger son his beat up one back yet.

Needless to say we haven’t unpacked or set up the library yet, but older son came for a visit and climbed the library ladder to feel powerful (or something.)  THAT job  will probably take us to winter, since what’s going up is largely my research library, so instead of JUST organizing it alphabetically I’ll have to do it by subject.

Priorities right now are setting up the office then the bedroom and kitchen.  After that I can prioritize the writing again and unpack an hour or two a day.

I’m hoping the house will be livable by Denver comicon (I’m attending.)  Right now, depending on older son’s schedule, we should be going to Portugal right after Liberty con (which I’m also attending, unless his schedule throws a snag and we have to go to Portugal at the beginning of July.)

Apparently this area’s fire works will be visible from our back porch (we hear) which means after we get the back porch repaired and we’re settled in (i.e. next year) the Hoyt’s 4th of July party will resume after a 15 year hiatus.

Okay, now I go wake up the husband, to see if he feels well enough to go to work (he shouldn’t. He really did something heinous to his back.  But you know men.)  And then I’ll go shower, dress, scrounge some breakfast and finish setting up the office.  IF I shake a leg I should be able to write tonight.  I want to send Darkship Revenge in ASAP, and I didn’t forget I owe everyone Royal Blood, and Eternal Blood, and then The Brave and The Free, and somewhere along the line DRAGONS.

But I also want to finish the first chapter of Guardian and send to Larry for approval/editing/ohmygoshno,yougotJulieallwrong.  And there’s another secret project I can’t discuss (but you’ll like) which I need to finish in the next couple of months.

So.  I go. Time enough to sleep in the grave.  Forgive if my posting is irregular in the next week or two. New house internet service and all.

I’ll go and do all the things, now.

 

 

 

124 thoughts on “Good Morning Blog”

  4. If you find the pallet of flat-cat chow, please shove it into the service portal. Otherwise the flat-cats may become strictly two-dimensional. *shrug* It must be one of alt-Newton’s 45 Laws: anything labeled “do not pack” goes into the truck/freighter/transporter first.

    Oh, yeah, if you need help sorting and shelving the books, I’d be glad to help. No charge. I’ll cover food and lodging. The list in my hand? Um, er, chores for today, yeah, that’s it.

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      1. But with setting up a new house, it might well be The Longest Day. Maybe even with an all-star cast if you unpack the books.

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      2. I dunno. You’ve had to go through the equivalent of Saving Private Ryan to get to this point.

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    1. Yep, and the last two or three months are looking a little scant.
      Hoping that means the out month lists are still preliminary.

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  11. Good news indeed.

    And I find your logic regarding unpacking impeccable: Office first. After all, if the fridge isn’t there to put food in, why worry about the kitchen.

    My mom, after surviving 22 years as an AF officers’ wive said that 3 military moves = one fire. I sincerely hope that you do not find the equation still valid. (that was back in the 70’s/80’s)

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      2. I thought that was a two to one ratio.

        Certainly felt like it to me. Although just packing up one house of a deceased parent felt like one fire. (Done that one twice…)

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      3. _laugh_ And Mom was not the Heinlein reader of the parental units, that was Dad. I wonder where she picked it up. (Not even a chance it was Cicero. Mom, God rest her, was not well read.)

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  13. THAT job will probably take us to winter, since what’s going up is largely my research library, so instead of JUST organizing it alphabetically I’ll have to do it by subject.

    Have to, or get to? The impression I get from you is that organizing the bookshelves might be more reward than job.

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  15. Sounds lovely. Especially the part about the library with a ladder. Enjoy finding right places to put stuff.
    I hope the cats are okay with the new situation. My experiences with fish lead me to expect he won’t care unless you change his tank.

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      1. I have a ladder. I also have a few books on some high shelving in the garage. However, it’s not what I envision when I think of “library with ladder.”

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    2. A library ladder! I wanted one of those all my life, and finally got it when I was 51. You’ve seen it, and I’ll tell you, once we’re in Phoenix we’re going to miss it. (I may have to have one custom-built for the big livingroom wall. down there.)

      Enjoy it. Those things can swallow an *enormous* number of books. And there’s something peculiarly satisfying in pulling down my copy of Chaucer from the top shelf.

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  16. Glad you’re moved, mostly, and less auto-immune. This was probably lost in the move, but my cell phone isn’t working, charged but doing nothing, so I’m reachable only by store number. Leaving store now, my day off, to work at home (came in for paycheck and providing kibble to 3 store cats.) And watch your step on the back porch, I don’t know how worn out it is, but my dad had a horrible accident stepping through broken boards on a porch, so I reacted strongly to mention of worn back porch.

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  19. While I do certainly hope you all can make Libertycon I understand that Portugal and your folks takes priority.
    Besides all you do at LC is lollygag around anyway. No one ever sees you doing much of anything interesting. Last year hardly anyone even saw you around the con.
    For those who weren’t there last year, this is my feeble attempt at a joke. The scheduling committee used Sarah like a rented mule the entire weekend. Panel after panel, event after event. Dan, the boys, and a few of us had to keep fetching food and drink to her next panel so she didn’t keel over. Oh, and on top of everything else she and Dan got remarried. A delightful second honeymoon I’m sure.

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    1. But, but, if Sarah isn’t at LC, who will terrify the . . . oh. Right. Check the duty roster. Got it. ;)

      Yeah, I’ll be there this year. Probably not next year, though, unless Europe implodes or explodes.

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        1. Mrow? *paws through to WP translation guide* Mrow mree, hssss mroh chitter chitter mrooOOoooo. *pushes button* Moo, moo, mwaaaaah, moo, møoo moooooo moo. *pushes comment button*

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                1. Well, there was the lost continent of Moo, where a mighty bovine civilization thrived before the Great Deluge.

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      2. I guess I better carry my drop cloth where every 10th thread is silver if I visit. Wouldn’t want to brush against it unprotected.

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    2. But think about it – wouldn’t it be even more evil if the various torture devices had a backdrop of Hello Kitty, Strawberry Shortcake, and My Little Pony to keep the torturers cheerful?

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          1. Having driven 4155 miles over the past 11 days, I can assure you that the amazing new inventions known as a cooler and ice can keep beverages cool absent a refrigerator. They can even do so for an extended period of time without electricity! :P

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  24. A library ladder? Oh, my envy is so deep!
    Congratulations!
    And best wishes on the unpacking.

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  27. Glad to hear it Mama Taz. Now finish getting moved and unpacked and give me Dyce. Mom is driving me fucking nuts again wondering where her Dyce books are! also the kitty mysteries you were talking about doing at one point. *crosses my arms and sulks*

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  28. Sigh…also …pictures? I wants to see the office with it’s ceiling high enough you actually need a ladder for the bookshelves

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    1. Plenty of ceilings are high enough that you might need a ladder to reach.

      I want to see the book-shelves tall enough that you need a ladder to use. :wink:

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      1. Yes to this. I’m visualizing the aftereffects of a room reassignment, where a Great Room with cathedral ceiling is the book-room and the usual hospitality functions are done somewhere … smaller.

        Ex-urban fantasy, I suppose.

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        1. Well, c’mon. If you run with a bookish crowd, you want to entertain in the room where the books are. Our cathedral ceiling is 17 feet high, and the books go to 12 feet. I can’t imagine holding our semiregular nerd parties anywhere else in the house.

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          1. Fair enough. Our book-room is assigned to a nominal bedroom of our 1901 Victorian – I get 9-ft ceiling & bookshelves on 1½ walls, but the 14ft sq room’s a little too full (of books, computer, my lady’s sewing, entertainment electronics, etc.) to use for socializing. There ARE bookshelves in the front parlor, though.

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      2. *sigh* Bookshelf building follows chimney maintenance, which is after roof repairs. Ten foot ceilings. Why yes, I will need *every* inch. *shakes head, pondering carpentry duties to come…*

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      3. Worked renovation in New Orleans. In those old Uptown houses, 12 foot to 16 foot ceilings are the norm there. Had one where the dream of the owner was a library to the 14 foot ceiling in a good sized room, but the book count was too low to fill such as that.

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            1. Oh, I agree, I just can’t see it as a reason to not have more shelves.

              ….this may be why my husband won’t let me design any updates to the living room.

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              1. My living room will have, for sure and certain, two shelves . . . one for the DVR, and one just above it to keep the cats from sleeping atop said DVR.

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    3. Yowch. All I had was drunken neighbors and the occasional foolish attempted burglar. A/C was, mercifully, part of the remodel that got done *first.* My sympathies!

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    4. 3M makes a press-on clear film that greatly improves its impact resistance. Lowe’s and Home Depot.

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      1. Mmmm… No. You don’t want that stuff. Trust me… What you want is the 3M products that are usually only available from specialty dealers–The link to the Ultra Protection Series is here:

        http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Window_Film/Solutions/Markets-Products/Government/Safety-Security_Window_Films/Ultra_Protection_Series/

        You also want the attachment systems, because otherwise, what you’ve done by applying the film is actually make it easier for the thief; the film and glass will just come out as a unit, and won’t really do much besides prevent fragmentation. You have to get the film fastened to the frame, somehow, in order to make it harder for them to get in:

        http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Window_Film/Solutions/Markets-Products/Government/Safety-Security_Window_Films/Impact_Protection_Attachment_Systems/

        Use of those products in conjunction with each other will give you a standard glass window that will be as safe as tempered glass, and about as blast-resistant as possible. Local window film companies can install it–The adhesive is water-based, and it’s about like putting a giant decal from your kid’s model kit on your window. Doing it requires some technique and expertise. I had to do a set of windows which were mis-ordered as plain untempered glass, but which were close enough to a door to make the tempered stuff mandatory. With the film, which was around a hundred bucks vs. new windows at over six hundred… Yeah. Installed it myself, because the folks that do window tinting like that only operate in major metro areas. Took some time, and despite best care, there were still some bubbles in the film. The stuff works, though.

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      2. There’s a post about the 3M film right about here, with links, that is probably stuck in moderation…

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  30. It’s possible we’ll see each other at Denver comic con – my daughter’s offered to take me one day as a Father’s Day present. However, given the expected crowd, I expect that’s it’s likely unlikely.

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  35. Glad you’re feeling better, Sarah. Tell your hubby to quit messing with his back. They’re good at getting revenge on you if you’re not nice to them. ;)

    Hope that the new house is wonderful. I’ll try to set aside some units of common exchange for when Darkship Revenge comes out. It’s not much, but I’ll add to the cumulative effect as best I can. ;)

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  36. > But I also want to

    …just admire a “to do” list that doesn’t contain the words pack, move, realtor, or mortgage…

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  38. Congratulations! Best wishes for a long and pleasant tenure in the new-to-you abode.

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  39. Hurrah!. May all your aoutoimune got to manual and conga rats on the move in.
    Got water, power and gas at my place. time to really start moving in, I guess.

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  40. Yay for the moving into the permanent house! Double yay for the autoimmune attack clearing up. Boo for the hubby’s back issues. Triple yay for everything starting to work itself out.

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  41. Brief pause while I do a little dance of happiness on the back porch…

    Very brief, it’s 111 out there…

    So glad you’re getting settled.

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  44. Congratulations.

    How far back in the mountains did you get?

    IDK if I mentioned it, but we’re considering moving up to Idaho Springs if we can work it out.

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    1. Hurray! So glad to hear that *the* move has happened. Even gladder that the auto-immune stuff is getting better.

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      1. Argh! Comment got posted in the wrong place. Was only in reply to original post, not an existing comment. Sorry.

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  49. Bravo, and congratulations! You’ve probably moved more than Carol and I have, but we’ve moved a *lot,* and moves are always ugly. Take care of yourself. The world needs you; i.e., stay off that library ladder when you’ve been working so long that your eyes start to cross!

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