Mid-December. Yeah. How'd THAT happen?

Probably won't make Draft on "Promises to Keep" today, since I have a breakfast meeting and then afternoon plans to see The Hobbit  (yes, I know, but it's THE HOBBIT. I have to give the first segment a chance, right?).  However, Draft status seems imminent this weekend....

"Alfred knew he sounded like an idiot. He felt like one, too. 'You’re insane. Never mind about taking me home. I’ll call my wife and deal with the fallout the way I should have two days ago.'&rdquo

And so, we slip into mid-December. I've been waiting for four things that are still on my Pending List (3 different callbacks and 1 set of contract papers from a small press), but the reality is that odds are nothing will actually happen before January. End-of-year is like Friday... you know if it doesn't happen NOW, it's not going to happen for a while. All you can do is sulk be patient.

Plus, my traditional plan is to shut down shop on the 21st and not pick up the workload again until 2 January. The last ten days of the year are for Recovery.

However, there are still Things On The To-Do List for 2012:

1. finish the draft of "Promises to keep"
2. revise the first Kickstarter "bonus" story and prep for e-release
3. start renovations on the website (relaunch in 2013)
4. Another chunk of work on Unsold Project #1
5. work on the story that's due in January. Oh, wait - TWO stories that are due in January.
6.get contracts out to new clients

also: make a lot of cookies, go to a few parties, and mail out those last few presents and books....  

I got this covered.  More coffee, please?

peace, to all who mourn. peace, to all who are gone. change, for and by those of us who remain.

I was out and about in the city this afternoon when I heard about the shooting in Connecticut. Twenty young children, dead, along with several adults. My second thought (proven by responses onTwitter) was that there will STILL be people who insist that their 'right' to own weapons of any and all calibre trumps all other rights. I no longer engage that argument, because IMO you can't reason with the level of self-interest and selfishness that puts "I want" over the greater welfare.

People kill people, yes. Violence is a constant with our species. Guns allow these people to walk into a room or an office and kill many people quickly, without a chance of defense. And a well-armed populace is not the answer - then you get a lot of people shooting in a panic, and killing more innocent people. Even cops - trained to react under stress and fire - often get it wrong. You really think you could pick out the shooter more effectively? Or would you be like the armed civilian in Arizona, who almost shot a first responder trying to help Gabby Giffords, rather than the actual shooter?

I am not anti-gun. I am for federal-level, standardized, enforced restrictions and regulation. A gun is not a toy, it is a weapon designed to kill, be it animals, or humans. Even if all you ever shoot at are targets, it is what it is. Responsible, decent gun owners should be PUSHING for national-level regulation, keeping the bar high for ownership, rather than fighting it.

And I have no patience with those who will try to justify the status quo, or say it's "not the time to talk about it." We had another shooting a few days ago in Portland - when IS it time to change the laws? When the next person dies? Or the next?

EtA: and yes, I was trained in gun use and safety as a teenager. I've been hunting. I'm preaching what I practice.

Comments are turned off. This is one time I'm not offering a question for debate.

"Dance" [free fiction alert]

I hesitated about posting this, because self-promo seemed wrong today, but I was reminded that we read fiction to escape the pain of the day, and there's nothing wrong with that... so for those who want distraction, my story "Dance" is up at Buzzy Magazine.

http://buzzymag.com/dance-by-laura-anne-gilman/


And yes, this is the rewrite of The Nutcracker I did on a dare. :-)