Ladles and germs, the Blogathon is open for business.

Okay, I didn't want to whine about it, but it's driving me nuts so I may as well vent a little.

I miss my husband.

He's in Oz, doing the final visa thing so he can legally live and work here. The consulate, which I'm sure is very busy, has been less than communicative. I mean, we're sure everything will be fine, it's just taking a lot of time apart.

I swore when he left that I was going to work hard on taking care of myself--cook good meals, keep the house clean, take walks everyday, keep a positive attitude. That lasted about a week.

Before I met Bill, I was fine alone. I was doing pretty well. The difference between that and what we have together is like the difference between prison and freedom. I bet most of you have been in love, and you know what I mean.

So I'm back behind bars for a little while. I'm coping okay. Not spectacularly, but okay. And I think tomorrow will be a little better, and the day after that, even better, until finally he's home, and I'm free again.

And not just because it's by one of my favorite people. Well, maybe because of that, because Nathan is one of my favorite people because he's a good read.

He's got a new gig at the Books and Culture Corner. His thoughtful treatment of difficult subjects is typical, and makes me want to hear more.

So go see.

In the pressure to get the Blogathon site launched, I reminded myself that I once wrote a musical in two days. I did, really. It was back when I was trying to be religious. In any case, this led to the unfortunate consequence of having one of the songs from that musical get stuck in my head. It is a children's song that became quite popular with the under-10 crowd. It still makes me tear up with pain.

There is nothing worse than home-grown earworm, because along with the awful music, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you alone are to blame.

PS: Site updates here will be sparse for a while.

The heat just kills me.

I admit it, I was built for northern climes, with snow in the winter and summers that reach, oh a balmy 75°. I got close. There's rarely snow, but Portland has a pretty mild climate. There's just a few weeks during the summer that fill me with malaise and lethargy. So much so that I can barely think how to make it stop.

For example, it's 9:00pm on the fourth day of a heat wave, and I just now thought about soaking a singlet and wearing it. Such sweet relief, and it has the added bonus of being sexy (wet t-shirt? hubby says). I gotta make notes about what to do on hot days, like I do about flu and other illnesses, so when I can't think, I have a handy list. I'll keep it with the sunscreen.

Was just at Borders, and at the counter was a small display of local music. I loves me some local music, so I picked out an EP from Charmparticles.

Cool chick behind counter: Charmparticles eh?

Me: Yeah, it's cheap, and I like to try new stuff.

CCBC: Well, you'll have to tell me how you like my band.

After much figgering, I'm going to guess that CCBC is Sarah. The site is very well designed (there are obviously webheads involved), but I long for clearer pictures, guys!

So I put the disk on, and let the four songs play. I started really paying attention on the second track, the Later Lonely, which is quite nice. Then it ended. And I hit play again. Then it ended again, and I figured I just may as well put it on repeat.

They describe themselves as shoe-gaze with a bit of space. They remind me of half a dozen bands I love. Methinks I shall go see them live soon.

Had a blast at the zoo yesterday. The scene in the polar bear enclosure:

The female was wandering around the habitat, looking kind of bored and lonesome. She plodded over to the male, who was zonked out with the full length of his belly pressing against the cool concrete. She snuffled his foot. He twitched and complained. She slinked up next to his ear and said: "Mwaoooah!"

"Mrphng," he replied, and went back to sleep. Unhappily, the female wandered off again.

This is when I looked at Bill, who likes to sleep a lot, and started laughing. I think when I get tired of wandering the apartment alone this morning, I shall go in and snuffle his foot.

Er, or not.