The kiddo is sick today. A stomach bug, the poor little chicken. Luckily it’s just been vomit and a very slight temperature, so I’m not all worked up that he’s got the swine flu. Swine flu. Oy vey. Let’s just not talk about the swine flu for a few minutes, okay? I’ll ramble for a bit and we can all take a break, just for a bit, from hitting refresh on the NYtimes and WHO and CDC websites. Not think about stockpiling lentils and getting hold of a surgical mask, and wondering if those masks do much good at all anyway, and, and…

Yeah. Deep breath. Potential pandemics scramble a hypochondriac’s eggs but good, you know?

So the sicky is napping on the couch right now. It’s been a day of cuddling and watching Winnie the Pooh (over and over) and listening to the poor little guy grumble and whinge.

Heartbreak of the day:
Me: Is there something I can do for you, honey?
Kiddo: Make me feel better!

Oh god. Remember that? Thinking your mom could actually DO that, if only she would? My poor little guy.

But yeah, where was I? So he’s napping now and I’ve been multitasking a bit: swatching for a few knitting designs I have planned while puzzling through the revisions I want to make to the novel. I’ve had feedback now from Caroline and my neighbor. Caroline’s comments were, unsurprisingly, insightful and extremely helpful, zeroing right in on an area I knew was weak but kinda hoped was okay. (And of course it isn’t, and wants strengthening.) That’s one of the best things a good draft reader can do for you–force you to look at what you already know is wrong but you hope isn’t. I wasn’t sure what kind of reader my neighbor would be, and I was prepared for him to just be flattering, but that worked out REALLY well. He did like the book very much, and did say some extremely ego-stroking things, but he also pointed out the same problem that Caroline did. Two very different readers, agreeing with each other. That doesn’t happen all that often. When it does, well…it’s clear what needs doing.

I’m still on vacation for another week, because this family needs another book-free family weekend, but next week I’m back on it. I’m getting closer to done. I can feel it. High hopes that this next draft will be the last one before it gets sent out to editors.

And now I should probably take advantage of the sleeping child and do some prep for dinner.