1. Finished the story I've been writing. Will set it aside for a couple days, maybe feed it to some of my critique members, then polish it.
2. Took the kids trick-or-treating. My feet really hurt now, but I get a cut of the candy, so I guess it's worth it.
3. Hallowe'en is over for another year. I enjoy the costumes but not the obligation to have people coming to my door for hours on end.

Bonus: Saw an owl fly over while trick-or-treating!

1. Lots more progress on my current story.
2. Finished Stranger Things 2.
3. Cooler weather. Just in time for Hallowe'en!

1. Frisbee at the park with the kids.
2. Horse show, also with the kids.
3. Early bath and jammies all afternoon.

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban done symphony style.
2. Johnny Rockets.
3. There's still a whole 'nother day of the weekend.

1. One step closer to those new windows...
2. Book cover revealed for the anthology I contributed to. (It's out next month!)
3. Stranger Things 2.

1. Fun writing group meeting.
2. More progress on my current short story project.
3. Deep conversations with my oldest son. I always enjoy those.

1. Errands I thought would take a long time did not, and therefore more of my day was free than I expected.
2. Pitch letter written.
3. Kids all had better days at school, which means less stress for me overall.

1. Official offer of representation.
2. First meeting of new writing group.
3. Quiet and productive morning. New story coming along well.

1. Productive morning working on my latest Sherlock Holmes story.
2. Curry.
3. Fun watching old 80's television commercials.

1. Chicken fried steak.
2. Hanging out with writer girlfriends at a local beer garden.
3. Finding a good parking spot.

1. Fixed toilet in the master bath. Sure, there are two more in the house, but it's damned inconvenient to have to trek out and use the one the kids use.
2. Three bathrooms and a roof over our heads.
3. Afternoon walk with my daughter.

1. A step closer to getting new windows.
2. Yummy lunch at Fatburger.
3. Stockpiling chocolate.

It was a difficult day. Our hamster Thomasina passed away. She was old (for a hamster) and had recently received a diagnosis that made her passing not unexpected. But it was still hard. I was with her until the end, stroking her and talking to her . . .

But there is still good to be found. Tommy is no longer in pain; she is at peace. We do not have to watch her suffer any more, and the suffering was itself brief and alleviated by pain medications. She didn't die alone.

After all that, I was still able to go out to dinner and see Jimmy Buffett play and enjoy myself (with random bouts of crying thrown in, but that might've been because Jimmy played some Tom Petty and Glenn Frey and I was reminded of mortality all over again). Jimmy doesn't look his age, and he still puts on a great show.

So that was the day: sorrow and joy. Quite the contrast. But that's life in a nutshell, too.

A day that started really stressful turned out remarkably well. I guess sometimes you need the contrast of darkness in order to enjoy the light.

1. My son's clarinet was found after being briefly misplaced.
2. Also, his cross country team photo was found after being mistakenly given to someone else.
3. My orthopedist cleared me (so long as I continue with my exercises and keep working on my posture).
4. Hubby bought amazing Christmas presents for the family (even though we won't enjoy them until next summer).

1. A rare morning without obligations.
2. My daughter and youngest son had very good parent-teacher conferences. Both are doing well in school.
3. I discovered quite by accident that I'm mentioned in a couple Wikis. At the bottom of this page and also there's a separate entry for my undergrad thesis project. Wild.

1. Finished the short story I've been writing.
2. My son's last cross country meet for the season.
3. Meeting up with a friend I haven't seen in a few weeks.

1. A quiet day mostly at home after all the hoopla of yesterday.
2. Mr. Pickles sandwiches + ice cream.
3. Setting up a social event for next weekend. I'm such a grown-up!

Today we went to the Northern California Renaissance Faire, and so there were many good things to be had.

1. An excuse to wear my costume (which I haven't worn in six years).
2. Shepherd's pie.
3. The kids doing archery.
4. A TARDIS.
5. Fun shows.
6. Fencing. (My oldest son held his own against experienced instructors.)
7. Incense.
8. Jousts. (My daughter received a carnation from the French knight.)
9. A custom-made bronze medallion with a dragon on one side and a fleur-de-lis on the other. I shall wear it proudly.

In all, a fabulous outing and a wonderful day.

1. Instead of having the school kids read to me today, they had an assembly and my job was to sharpen pencils. That sounds not fun, but it is actually more fun than listening to kids struggle to read. I have a very hard time with that, however much I like the kids themselves.
2. Sending my oldest off to his first ever school dance. He went with some friends, and it seems like they had a great time!
3. Showing my daughter UHF, which I haven't seen in years. I had to pause the movie from time to time to explain some of the source material, but she still loved the movie. (She loves "Weird Al.")

1. Writing group meeting. I love those guys.
2. Infographics. That people make based on stuff I write. I feel so cool.
3. Hummingbirds.

1. Had a lovely time visiting my daughter's classroom and talking about the writing process and the importance of showing rather than telling.
2. Finished the first round on my editing job.
3. A very limited amount of driving required today.

1. Groceries achieved.
2. Freshened hair color.
3. Tomorrow's cross country meet has been postponed. That's only "good" because I've been feeling overscheduled. (It's also good because it's better for the kids' health.)

1. Productive morning.
2. My youngest son's dental appointment went amazingly well. (The dentist said he wished all 8-year-olds took such good care of their teeth.)
3. Bought our Last Jedi tickets and were able to get our favorite seats. (Our cinema has reserved seating, which I love.)

1. Productive morning writing and editing.
2. Time at the barn with my daughter and the horses.
3. . . . General contentment, I suppose. Sleeping in a bit.

1. Pumpkin patch. Which included navigating the corn maze, buying treats from the bakery truck, and riding the cow train.
2. Got some more writing done.
3. Spielberg.

1. Lots of writing done.
2. In N Out burger.
3. Showing my daughter Ever After. Hadn't watched that movie in years, though it used to be a favorite of mine (back when I still watched things on VHS).

1. Finally got my nails done. They'd been looking ratty for a while. My old nail tech moved away. 😢  So it took me some time to find a new one. (Someone else who used my old nail tech recommended this new person, and I'm pretty happy with the result. Though, honestly, I'd have been pretty happy with anything given how bad my nails were looking.) Anyway, nice to be tidied up.
2. Sushi for dinner.
3. Talking with my oldest son about which couples from books we ship. Sure, he was a bit embarrassed, but it was still fun.

1. Another cancellation by someone I was supposed to meet. I'm not sure if I should worry that people no longer like me? But it freed up my morning to get some work done.
2. Started a new story for submission to an anthology. That's been fun.
3. Fellow moms stepped in to help out with transporting children this afternoon. So good to have mom friends. Or at least mom acquaintances.

1. Last physical therapy appointment for at least a couple of weeks. I love my therapist, but the appointments definitely eat into my time, so it will be nice to get a break.
2. My hair stylist postponed our appointment for this afternoon. I count this as a "good thing" because I honestly didn't feel like going. So this was a last-minute reprieve.
3. Early feedback regarding my WIP is very good. There are things that need to be fixed, but I knew and expected that. The one thing I'm hearing from everyone is that they can't put it down! That's definitely what I want.

1. Found a vet who could treat our hamster.
2. Kids get a clean bill of health from the pediatrician. (Day of doctors.)
3. . . .

Actually, we all know it's been a crap day. Mass shooting in Las Vegas, Tom Petty is brain dead, and my hamster has a uterine tumor. So yeah. But my human family is healthy at least. So I'll count that as a good thing and hope tomorrow is better all around.

1. Getting work done.
2. More beta readers for my WIP.
3. Lazy day at home in advance of another busy week.