Sunday Afternoon

Company coming and two chairs just bit the dust.  Off to  IKEA to see if anything resonates, chair-wise.  The first ones we stumble across are the ones we buy.  Have to be assembled, which Significant Other is doing now.  As a graduate of one of the finest engineering schools in the South West, I make modest corrections and offer advice.  Cats love the boxes and the excitement of something new happening.   If you want to make your cat(s) happy, just bring out a new box.  Ah, if people were only so simple.

Anyway, we find  2 chairs, some supplies for a writing group we're involved in,  a wall mount for the iron (long desired) and some ligonberries.  Since we have spent more than $100, we get a free lunch: Swedish Meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy and ligonberries.  They do not skimp on the meatballs.  A hot lunch for less than $10 for two  is hard to find, especially a tasty one, especially a free one.  Well, there were conditions.

Hard to  buy only what one came for.  Kind of like the Container Store or Building 19 or Ocean State Job Lot.  Stuff you didn't know you needed. 

IKEA was mobbed.  People in  the Boston area still have money and jobs.  The man behind us in the checkout line said he'd come for a rug and bought a couch, too.  Great stuff for young couples and old couples, too.  Very well organized, and they route you through every department and past everything such that it's almost impossible not to buy extra stuff. 

Lunchroom mobbed, too, but we found a table.  Lots of food choices, but who except a vegetarian wouldn't order the meatballs? 

So we returned home in time to watch the 49ers beat Atlanta, and then, boo hoo, alas, the Ravens clobber the Patriots.  So sad to have such an ending to the season.  Of course, it's always good to get into the playoffs, but I was bummed.  Wait 'til next year.  With Gronk we might have one, and well, you know.

Finished my short story, which took approx. 10 weeks to research and write.  Robert Parker could have written a book in less time.  I have to face the fact that I'm a slow writer. 

Watched Downton Abbey.  Always interesting how the conflict revolves around Mathew, and now the ex-chauffeur is making huge waves.  Writers can learn much about plotting from television.

Up to eat breakfast, give the cat her meds and see how S.O. is doing with the second chair.  Then to watch the inaugural hoo ha.  Happy MLK day!  Isn't it cool that Obama is inaugrated on this particular Monday.  Did the stars align? 


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MWA Edgar Nominations

Congratulations to all the Edgar nominees, but especially to New Englander's Hank Phillippi Ryan and Steve Liskow for novel and story story nominations, respectively.
Here is the link to all the nominees.  Good to see plenty of women in the group.  MWA Edgar Nominees

Christmas Dinner Chez Grapesho

I have been slaving on a short story for over a month and haven't done a lot of posting.  Christmas house guests, baking, socializing, then cleaning and laundry.  It's a full life, Charlie!   Who said that?  No idea.  

Also need to keep the PR machine oiled.  It's hard to imagine having enough time to do everything.  I keep a "to do" list?  Do you?  Some of the things are long term items, others are for today!    Always satisfying to cross tedious chores off the list.

Right now I'm wondering if I can have rice in both today's dessert and today's main course?  Why the heck not?  I almost wrote "main coarse."  Well, sometimes it is.

Birds on suet and cats on window sill except for the fat creature on the couch.  The youngest cat hides her mice from everyone, and then bawls for me to fish them out from  under the wooden icebox we use to store the booze in.            
Back to the short story.  A could have written a "cozy" mystery novel in the time it has taken to write this damn story.  Still, I am having fun and learning stuff.  That's what counts.


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