It’s Easter and we’re all completely worn out. Kids are finally in bed, and I haven’t checked my work email all day. The idea of getting ready for tomorrow is hugely depressing. I need to remember to wear a suit because I’m participating some kind of panel discussion. I may be leading it. Crap.
Hope those of you celebrating Easter had a wonderful holiday — the Siren sang twice today, at 6am and 9am, and Unfocused Girl went with her both times. I hear she gave a fantastic performance. I stayed home with Junior, and took him out for his first time on the roller skates he got as a hand-me-down from his friend up the block. Here’s a picture:
He says he wants to build a jetpack, to go with the skates.
The weather has been pretty good this weekend; not very warm, but very sunny, and in Chicago that’s all we need. Yesterday it was sunny and about 40 by the lake, when we met up with a college friend and her husband and daughter at Millennium Park. It’s been so gray around here for so long that everyone came out for the nice weather, and I mean everyone:
- Crazy guy in public washroom, praising me for helping Junior wash his hands after using the toilet (go, me! go, germ theory of disease!): check
- Standard issue street preacher, with very large crowd: check
- Scientologists: check
- Anti-scientologist dressed as banana: check
- Greenpeace guy dressed as tree from an old-growth forest: check
- Superheroes and supervillains: check
I’m not kidding about that last item. Here’s the picture, unfortunately only from behind:
In view: The Joker, Harley Quinn, Wolverine, and Power Girl. Not visible: Black Canary, Jean Grey, and unknown female metahuman.
I love Chicago in the spring.
So on to the stats, very brief this week:
On Writing: The lack of original output continued this weekend as I revised “Jimmies” in light of the comments from the most recent rejection. Most of what I did was cut about 10 percent of it, 550 words, leaving what I think is a tighter story. I’m going to give the Siren a crack at it and then get it out the door.
On Running: Just a short run on Thursday. Nothing today due to the holiday, and I’ve been eating far too many empty calories lately between my messed up work schedule and the holidays. Time to reboot, starting with a good run tomorrow morning.
Post script: I try not to buy into most social media hysteria (the whole Facebook Terms of Service freakout seemed completely ridiculous to me, for example), but I admit to getting a little miffed about what certainly appears to be heavy-handed censorship by Amazon, removing “adult” titles from sales ranking, with the effect that these titles no longer show up in the “All Departments” search from the home screen. If you’re interested in this (or just want to see what all of the fuss is about), search the #amazonfail hashtag on Twitter, and check out Lilith Saintcrow’s post on the subject here.
Post post script: Tor editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden has a thoughtful speculation about what may have happened here.
The Unfocused Life 
I think it’s a requirement to have jet packs with skates. I think it’s a city ordinance now.
Don’t tell Junior!
Every child should have a jetpack! Also, I’m sure you’ve mentioned this before and I am simply brain dead, but you all celebrate both easter and passover?
I also witnessed quite a lot of crazy in DC. Then, I got home and passed two Mormons on bikes. Preaching in the country!
Freshhell – My mother’s family is Jewish, my father’s sort of generic WASP; I was raised an atheist, celebrating secular Xmas and Easter Bunny Day, with occasional Passover Seders and Chanukah. My wife grew up Lutheran. She takes the kids to church, we celebrate Christmas, Easter, etc., but we host a big Seder and have a little Chanukah celebration every year to give them some sense of the Jewish part of their heritage. Complicated enough?
Ralph – I don’t know why he should get one when I didn’t.
Jet packs and superheroes! Woohoo!
:D
Sorry I’m late with my wishes- but Happy Passover and Easter!
And the photo cracked me up. :)
Don’t you want a brighter, rocket powered future for your children? A future were they can break the sidewalk land speed record?
:D
Thanks, Scarlett!
Ralph, you clearly haven’t seen the state of Chicago’s sidewalks after this winter.