The Atom Ate My RSS Site Feed

So I've changed over to Atom. Caving, that's what it is. If you've been having a hard time getting the site feeds for my blog, especially if you're on bloglines, let me know if it's any better now.

If not, I'll return to the old setup (I'll probably screw everyone up, now - why did they have to change my blog?)

Today turned into an unexpected marathon doctor session - the 9:00 oncologist visit for Gerry turned into a sudden, "Let's get a scan of those swollen legs - today!" so Gerry and I waited around until our appointment at the hospital across the street and he had his 10 minute scan.

While we waited - it made no sense to come home, we would have turned right around to get back in time for the scan - we went to Menards and then to lunch. Gerry wore a tan zip front windbreaker, I had a bandana on my head, we may as well just RETIRE and move to Boca, already. Oh, yeah, the kids...

We bought a barbeque brush at Menards, three rose-bushes (climbers for the fence) and some green deck stain. Life in Minnesota. I made Gerry ride in the shopping wheelchair, and he felt bad about it. I pulled rank - or pushed rank - whatever... After our full and rich day Gerry is in pain, so I'm glad I didn't let him walk (Menards was his idea - I probably should have said "No" - it's hard to know when to say when.)

Gerry's feeling better - I can tell he is, but I'm not sure he thinks he is. Which sounds weird (wouldn't HE know he's feeling better?) He's been moving move, getting out a little more, seems much happier -but when the doctor asked if he felt a difference from the Zometa he said "No, not really..."

Maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see?

My travels in Wisconsin and Michigan were wonderful, but it feels so good to be home. It's even better knowing that I'll be here until JUNE when I go to TNNA! That's a nice, long time and allows me to get some decent work done.

I also poly-urethaned the dining room table that I painted and it looks VERY nice. In another day or so we can eat on it (it's dry and hard now, but it has to 'cure' for a bit.) Even better - I'll have another surface to work on.

I have a couple of book projects that I want to get to the discussion stage. I'm about 70% leaning toward just publishing them myself, but I'll be happy to talk to editors and publishers at TNNA.

The last I heard from another author, now Potter is insisting that knit authors not only hire their own tech editors, provide their own high res line art and do their own marketing, they also have to find and hire their own photographers. What, I wonder, do the publishing houses do? They fund the project, I guess...

To me the most troubling part is that my last two editors, nice as they were, didn't even knit - so it was hard for me to 100% trust them and their decisions about what 'the average knitter wants.' And, as many of us know, if someone doesn't knit there's a good chance that they have, somewhere deep down, that sort of anti-knit stereotyping thing going on.

I've met folks who ARE knitters who feel slightly ashamed of what they do (as if by picking up needles they're inserting one foot into the grave!) And when I try to explain what knitters I know from my classes or groups I attend are looking for in a book, I'm told - in correct business speak - that I don't really understand what I'm talking about when it comes to publishing (dear.)

Oh, you knit, don't you? How cute! I wish I had half your talent, but I can't do anything like that (But I will make the decisions about what pieces knitters want to see in your book...)

I'd rather just put two images up on my blog and have folks vote, "Which design would you like to see in a book?"

Argh. Obviously I need a good sleep-in day - and that day will be TOMORROW! I'll sleep in and I don't know when I'll get up, and I don't care who knows it!!

But in the mean time, I have a scarf to knit this evening. And some buttons to sew on a jacket I just finished (the jacket I was working on in Wisconsin.)

FINISHED is a beautiful word!