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Happy 4th of July, everyone! The birthday of our country is something to celebrate. Traditional is fireworks and cooking meat outdoors, or going to large crowded areas to ride rides, and eat fair food, and watch fireworks as night falls. Here in St. Louis the big event is Fair St. Louis downtown by the Arch. Everyone have a good time, but Jon and I are not going anywhere near that many people today. If crowds are your cup of tea, then enjoy, but it’s not for us. In fact, we’re not even burning meat until tomorrow, when we’re having a few friends over. Next year, we may try to widen the invite and have more people, but I knew not to do it this year. Why?

Because, my goal for the three day weekend is to finish SWALLOWING DARKNESS. My work session will not end tonight until the wee hours, unless I finish sooner. If today doesn’t get it done, then tomorrow all day until our friends arrive will be more work on the book. If it’s not done tomorrow then Sunday will be a marathon session. The book was due the last day of June, so I’ve missed my deadline. I don’t normally do that. I can’t go back in time and fix it, so I’ll do what I can, which is work my ass off, and get the book done this weekend.

What are Jon and I doing to celebrate the holiday? We slept in this morning. Between being sick this week, and still having the soft tissue damage to my leg, it’s been a physically trying week. I think extra sleep was just what the doctor ordered. Usually I can’t sleep in much, and if I do I feel sloggy, but today we slept in until almost eleven and it was great. A nice, slow morning, breakfast for lunch, which always feels sort of decadent, then I almost got caught by the marathon their running of LAW AND ORDER, but luckily I had to call and confirm for tomorrow with my friend Mark about when he and his family are coming over, and to concentrate on the conversation I had to turn the television off. Simply not turning it back on worked wonders for that magical draw that the T. V. can have on me sometimes. It’s especially alluring when I don’t want to write and know I have no choice, but to work. So, a slow start to the day, but I’ve already read over what I had on the book, and there’s nothing wrong with it, except my head had gone ugly that day. I find that true most of the time. When you’re really being negative in your head, and the editor on your shoulder, as Barry B. Longyear, called it, is too loud, then just step away. Let yourself cool down, and the next day dawns brighter.

The cool down was a movie last night. Jon and I met Charles at the theater and saw WANTED. We laughed out loud, and found it just way too much fun. But be warned, we were the only three people laughing at much of what seemed utterly humorous to us. So, bear in mind that your humor mileage may vary. Also, the violence, though some is pure movie physics, is more realistic than you may be used to seeing. Realistic enough that I spent a good portion of the movie pressed back in my seat, going, "Oh, ah," and ,"Oh, that’s gotta hurt." It wasn’t an edge of your seat movie. It was a press back away from the screen, gripping hard, and flinching movie. Some of the stunts made me do that thing where you move in your seat with the action, as if your moving with it. I can’t remember the last film that made me do that. So, three thumbs way up from us. Though, it is not kid safe, let me just be clear on that. Trinity is not seeing this movie anytime soon.

We did take her to see KUNG FU PANDA last weekend and it was a blast. Very fun for her, for us, and for our friends Pili and Kari that went with us. It’s a very positive, upbeat movie. You come out feeling good about the movie, yourself, and it’s just hopeful. There are lines I would quote, but I’m not sure if they would be spoilers. But we all came out quoting lines to each other, and Jon and I would be willing to see it again. This was Trinity’s second time to see it, and she was perfectly happy to repeat it. There aren’t a lot of movies that wear that well through a second viewing. This one Jon and I liked it enough that we know we want to own it when it comes out on DVD.

Okay, I think the read over of SWALLOWING DARKNESS has percolated enough in my mind. I’m going to go back and get a few sentences, maybe even paragraphs, then I’ll break for a late lunch, then back to work. What’s Jon doing today? He’s playing computer games, reading books, and basically enjoying the fact that no one is here but us, and that this is one holiday that everyone seems to take off, so there’s no work to do. A quiet day to putter, and be cheerfully anti-social is sometimes a very refreshing way to spend a day. Or so, Jon and I both feel. I’d be joining him for the cheerful anti-social thing, but the book doesn’t write itself. Where are those book writing fairies when you need them? Oh, wait I’ve got all of my imaginary fairyland waiting for me to sit back down and finish up.