These Kids Today ...

OK. So, the Boy brought home his progress report from school. 2 Fs. Several Ds, Maybe 1 C.

He doesn't seem to understand that he must put forth some effort in order to pass his classes. If he flunks out of school, I have no idea what he'll do. All he wants to do right now is play his guitar. That's great. I'm glad he's good at something he enjoys. But that's no reason to neglect his education. I've tried negotiation, rewards, positive reinforcement. His grades are worse.

Now we've got to get medieval on his butt. I wanted to take away his guitars, his i-pod and everything he enjoys until he earns them back by improving his grades.

His father, however, doesn't want to discourage his music.

Maybe we should ground him from talking to his friends on the phone and going to their houses on the weekend. Though what he'd do here is beyond me and I don't want a sulking teenage boy anywhere near me.

So, I suppose, I should wash my hands of the whole thing. He's got a blood Mama and Daddy. Let them worry about it. I'm just the chick that married his Dad.

But I love the Boy. I'm concerned with his future and his wellbeing. I want to be supportive and see him do well. I don't want to see him fail at something as simple as High School.

I mean, my God. Look how many people manage to graduate from High School every year. Very few of them are rocket scientists. Surely he can do it.

Tenth Anniversary

Today is our 10th Anniversary. To celebrate, we took the kids to a local Mexican Restaurant where I ate 'til I was stuffed, mainly their chicken soup with avacado slices.

Yep. We're so freakin' romantic, it's disgusting.

Actually, we'd always planned to go to Ireland for our 10th anniversary. That was, of course, before I got sick, lost my job and everything went to hell in a handbasket.

Since my heart is on its last legs, so to speak, I'm not even thinking about our 15th or 20th anniversaries. I've also given up on ever going to Europe or taking a real cruise. I've made do with the ferry from AK as my "cruise". And I've been through Canada and crossed into Mexico once so I've technically been 'out of the country'. I've been more places than my mother so I guess I'm satisfied.

I really shouldn't whine. There are billions of people worse off than me. I'm complaining about not getting to travel while there are people who live and die in the same little village with no running water, very little food, and in constant fear of militia attacks. I'm full of American arrogance and self-centeredness. But, c'est la vie.

First Rejection of 2010

Well, even though I haven't queried since last fall, I received a rejection today after I'd already given up on the agents I'd queried and hadn't heard from.

"Sorry, not right for me."

Five words. Five words with so much power in them.

Yet, after I considered the words and got over the initial disappointment and flash of 'hurt', I feel ... not quite so bad anymore.

At least said agent didn't say, "This manuscript sucks so hard, it's like the Black Hole of literature."

Just, "...not right for me."

Possibly, it's right for someone else. I might submit it to someone else though I don't hold out much hope. I've submitted it to quite a few agents/publishers and the ones who haven't replied with rejections, haven't replied at all except for one publisher who requested the full. Still, haven't heard from that publisher either since the full was sent in August.

Should I keep submitting or give up on this particular novel? I haven't written anything that good since finishing the 3rd book in my trilogy (it was actually the 5th book in a ... quintelogy?).

I just seem to have run out of creativity. Not sure how to get it back.