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Well, first full day home. First day back at work. Spent the morning kind of wandering around like I usually do after a convention. I don’t think Jon and I actually went to sleep before 1:00 A. M. any night of RT. The dances were fun. It was great putting faces with some of the names that Darla and others mention from the board. It was very good to get to talk to people in person. We met lots of people, and were much more social than usual. We took our friend Charles with us and his presence made me feel comfortable being out and about more. The signing on Saturday was huge. Jon and I have no idea how many people were in line. For a while there it was as if the line never moved no matter how many people I signed books for. I finally realized that as people finished with other writers at other tables they would come into our line, so there was no way to judge the number of people or the length of the line. And yes my arm was hurting by the time we finished. Thanks to everyone who helped out at the signing, we’ll post a more detailed thank you later. I managed to do 22 pages today, so I’m fried. I want to do the full thank you post when I’m fresher and less punchy than this. For now, just my heart felt thanks. You guys made the signing a much more enjoyable and less overwhelming experience for Jon and I. You also made Charles’s job easier. Thanks.
But the point I was trying to make was that once we iced my arm from shoulder to fingers for awhile, I could move it, and I wasn’t in horrible pain. I also was able to sign from around 10:00 in the morning to around four or so in the afternoon without a break. We didn’t have to ice my arm in the middle of the signing. That night I was able to go out to the dance and my arm was working just fine. The signing really showed me what a difference the four days a week of weight training has done for my arm. I must keep it up religiously between now and the big tour at the end of June. Jon and I even used the treadmill and the weights in the hotel. Sometimes we manage to use a treadmill, but I’m not sure we’ve ever actually used the weights on a tour. But the weight lifting has made such a difference to my arm, that it’s not a luxury. It’s also put both Jon and I down several pants sizes, which is also cool. But the coolest part was having my arm still usable later the same night as a signing and not being in grinding pain for twenty-four hours afterwards. I can’t tell you how nice that felt. Several people that had seen me at previous signings remarked on how much better I was doing.
Earlier today I was getting tired, and still hadn’t been to work. So I thought I’m either going to have to have a nap, or try to exercise. I chose the exercise. I did the treadmill, and felt better afterwards. It helped me get to my desk and back to work on the next Anita book. Like I said, 22 pages today. Even I was impressed with that after a break of five days, and at a convention on top of that. Usually that throws me for awhile. But the book is ready to go, and I think part of it is that I knew I was close to Edward’s introduction in this book. I’ll have to go back and do some small changes to the pages I wrote today. Small metaphysical choreography changes, then I get to get the chapters I cut from DANSE MACABRE and put them in. The chapters where I actually had Anita call Edward for help. Edward tomorrow, finally, on paper. Knowing it was so close I think helped inspire me today. That and a good run on the treadmill. But now I’m beat. Jon is finishing up homework with the kiddo, and he’s actually encouraged me to go to bed early. That usually means I’m looking pretty tired. I know that things are way funnier than they should be. Always a sign that I’m pushing it. Our friend Richard is still downstairs. We only have a few more weeks of him here, then he’s off to Italy. This was the last convention, or tour, that we will ever come back to and find Richard waiting for us here at the house. It will seem strange, and a little sad.