Revenge Song I'm Teaching My Grandson

For all the times I had to watch The Lion King and the Star Wars Saga and Legally Blond (don't ask) over and over and over again while Genius Kid was a toddler...

Moving Forward

We got the check from the insurance company, so now we're lining up folks to work on our basement. Now's when I really wish I could go to a coffee shop to write, but with the Delta variant putting vaccinated folks in the hospital, I need to lock myself in my office and pray the installations of new equipment aren't too noisy.

At the very least, I can go through the Starbucks drive-thru for a trenta iced tea, no water, light ice.

Heat, Reclamation, and Writing

This is a quick note to say I'm still alive. We finally were able to get a service in to clean out the basement and treat it on Friday. The only things left downstairs are the wood framing, the structural supports, and the stairs. The reclamation folks seemed fairly certain they could save the stairs.

One happy note: one of the guys discovered my Jack Skellington inflatable was sealed in plastic within the box, so it hadn't been soaking in sewer water. I need to test it outside to make sure the electronics work.

[P.S. we tested Jack before submitting the final inventory of personal property loss to the insurance adjuster. It's alive!]

The bad part is this week is one of the hottest weeks of the summer, and we have no A/C. I need to get Bella into a groomer and get her shaved down. We've resorted to sticking an ice cube or two in her water dish.

In the meantime, I'm trying to finish A Hand of Father. Between the heat and the noise, I really wish I could go sit inside a Starbucks like I used to do before the pandemic.

So I imagine I'm on this beach and reading. What are y'all doing to cope with insanity?

Coronavirus Pandemic Day 503 - It's Still Here!

Believe me, folks! I know y'all wish it were over. I wish it was over, too. But we have half the country refusing to get vaccinated, so it isn't going to go away. The virus will continue to mutate. The Delta variant is inundating the country as I type this. Scientists are still trying to get a handle on it and the new Lambda variant.

Then there's everyone who's not vaccinated refusing to wear masks. The folks in the hospitals whisper-screaming, "FREEDOM!", while the medical staff is trying to shove a ventilator tube down their trachea in a desperate attempt to save their life. The idiots who are trying to own the "libs".

I'm vaccinated, but I've started wearing my masks again. It's the middle of a hot, muggy Ohio summer, and I'm still wearing my masks because I'm immuno-compromised and the dumbasses around me don't give a fuck whether I live or die.

Or worse, whether my newborn grandson lives or dies.

The level of selfishness amazes me. Especially when it includes my family and friends. When GK and SO bring Adorable Spawn to our house in October, we'll have a much smaller gathering than we planned because I refuse to let one person who's not vaccinated step into our house other Adorable Spawn and his cousin, who are both babies.

I was supposed to meet some friends in Vegas in November, but I'm questioning whether or not to go because there's one person who's refusing to get the damn vaccine, even though he's in worse shape than I am.

Yeah, I know there's some of you who can't take the damn vaccine. This rant isn't aimed at you. It's aimed at your friends and family who would put your life at risk because "FREEEEDAHM!"

Fun Songs I'm Playing for the New Grandson

And he will develop both adoration and respect for girls in bikinis.

F***ing Amazon!

While DH and I were on the Grandson Tour, I had a couple of promos scheduled. One of them was for the Bloodlines series, and the centerpiece was a free Blood Magick at all the retailers.

Sometime between Monday, July 12th, and Thursday, July 15th, Amazon raised the price to Blood Magick's regular price with no warning.

AARRGGHH!

I've got it fixed, but if you got caught in the middle and paid full-price, either return the book if you can, or contact me through the tab above. I'll do my best to make it right.

I'm so sorry this happened, and I'm more than a little irritated with Amazon's actions.

The Unwanted Swimming Pool

As y'all know, DH and I were in Texas for the birth of our first grandchild Adorable Spawn. We'd worked in a couple of extra days for the trip and a couple of detours to visit friends in Houston and St. Louis we haven't seen in years.

Everything was going fine until we hit Memphis for the second time. We were woken on Saturday morning with texts from one of our neighbors. The home town had two inches of rain in less than an hour. Water surrounded our house and filled the street.

DH checked the security system, and sure enough, there was water in the basement. He called one of his sisters and she went over to check our place. By then, the yard and street were clear. She guessitmated about a foot to eighteen inches of water. It was lapping the second step, but she could hear the sump pump chugging away. However, she was smart enough to NOT walk through water that's obviously at the level of electric outlets. But she couldn't see into the rest of the basement.

We debated for a few minutes before we threw everything in bags and headed home. I called our friends in St. Louis and apologized for blowing them off, but they totally understood. DH and I thought we'd spend Sunday scrubbing everything with bleach. Besides, we didn't have much down there besides the lovely turquoise area rug for the family room. We had unrolled it downstairs and set boxes on the corners so it would lay flat.

We arrived home shortly before midnight on Saturday night. Alarms were ringing in the basement, but the standing water was gone. We crept downstairs.

I wanted to cry. The water line was over my head. The water heater and furnace had been underwater. In addition to losing the beautiful brand new rug, I lost the two brand new Halloween yard inflatables. Stuff I never got to use.

And in the middle of dealing with insurance, restoration firms, and contractors, I need to finish A Hand of Father.

Somehow.

Wish me luck.

Fun Songs I'm Playing for the New Grandson

Summer cruising with friends. Adorable Spawn will be driving in sixteen years.

Tired But Happy

DH and I set out for home yesterday. We're taking a couple of detours along the way to visit friends we haven't seen in years. But I made it out of GK and SO's apartment without bursting into tears.

Thank goodness video phones are a reality now. We'll be able to see Adorable Spawn on a regular basis. However, I'm still dealing with GK being an adult. He's an awesome dad, staying up with the baby so SO can get some sleep. They did ask us to stay over Monday night so they could get some sleep.

Let's just say pulling all-nighters with a newborn was difficult when I was 34. Doing it in my 50's? UGH! I'm probably going to sleep for a week when we get home. And I still need to finish August's release.

But yeah, the next generation is here, I'm officially a crone, and time rolls on.

Fun Songs I'm Playing for the New Grandson

Dancing around the living room with Adorable Spawn to this tune!

Introducing Adorable Spawn to Deadpool

I've already been buying geek onesies for Adorable Spawn, including Deadpool and Captain Kirk. Deadpool, the movie, is on FX tonight, to which Darling Husband pointed out AS's parents do not have cable.

But they have Disney+!

Darling Husband is still peeved that I let Genius Kid nurse while watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer (first-run episodes).

I'd like to point out I'm not the one who let a four-year-old GK watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and then wondered why GK had nightmares.

To Boldly Go! Mainly Number Two.

Adorable Spawn FINALLY made his debut around 2 PM EDT yesterday. Unfortunately, his head was too big, so Significant Other had to have a C-section. Both Mom and Spawn are doing great! A picture of the cutie will be added later today.

And yes, the Spawn has given his Dad, aka Genius Kid, plenty of practice in diaper changing.

New Life and New Frontiers

I'm writing this post after midnight on July 5th. We arrived on the 2nd. Significant Other's mother arrived on the 4th. We went out to dinner. S.O. had the same occasional contractions she'd been having for the last week and a half. After dinner, we returned to the hotel in order to let everyone get some sleep. I got my jammies on, grabbed a snack and a drink, and settled in to read e-mails. 

And we got a call from Genius Kid an hour later that S.O.'s water had broke. So right now, we're on dog and cat duty thanks to the idiots in Texas shooting fireworks like a bunch of maniacs. We finally got them all calmed down, then the phone rings.

S.O.'s water didn't break after all (apparently she was in the shower when they thought it had broke). However, the doctors have decided to induce later today. So, we'll see what happens next.

Fun Songs I'm Playing for the New Grandson

I need to get my t-top sports car fixed so Adorable Spawn can ride shotgun with me.

On the Road Again

If you're reading this on Friday, we're driving through Texas. And I can guarantee this is on my travel playlist. DH and GK learned years ago to just let my play it at the beginning of any roadtrip.

Else I'lll sing it at the top of my lungs.

And I'm the first to admit I can't sing.