Went running this morning after I got home from work. I didn't get changed and on the road until about a quarter til ten though, and by that time it was already a tad bit warm. Actually, after about a mile I realized that it was a billion degrees (give or take a million.) Sadly, I did not make the whole distance I intended to run, and slowed to a gasping, wheezing, red-faced walk about a quarter mile short of my goal. I'd originally considered increasing my distance today, but halfway out I knew I'd be lucky to just get as far as I did the last time. And I didn't even do that. Ah well. I really need to work more with Zeus on the running so that I can go running in the evenings with him when I wake up. (I'm sure as hell not gonna go running by myself at night.) As it is now, I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to accomplish when the summer heats up. My mother suggested swimming instead, and while I agree that swimming is a fine workout, it simply doesn't give the same intense cardio pump that running does. And someone else suggested just walking, but I'm trying to build up the running muscles. I can't exactly walk after a bad guy. So I told myself that running in the heat was an extra workout, which made up for the shorter distance.

I did go over to my parents' pool after my run, but not to swim--simply to cool off some. The water was a helluva lot colder than it was a few days ago--or more likely it was the same temperature, but I was just way overheated.

It's hard to believe that it was almost a year ago that I went to Clarion. In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday, and in others it seems like it was in a past life. I've certainly made some big changes to my life since then, though some were going on during Clarion, such as my divorce. I'm mildly ashamed to say that I really haven't done much writing since Clarion. Oh, I still love it, and still have the same goals, but I feel like I'm getting more balance in my life. I'm trying not to let any one part of my life suffer because of any other part. Last year I threw myself completely into the writing, to the exclusion of just about everything else. That was not a bad thing, in my opinion. It was certainly the right thing to do at the time. But the whole of my life is about more than just writing. It's about being a complete person. I know that my attitude won't ring very true with some of the writers out there, especially the ones who drive themselves to write every single damn day if it kills them. I've been there. I've done that. But right now I'm really enjoying my life and the freedoms that I have.

In miscellaneous "waiting" news: I still haven't heard back as to whether I passed the psych eval, but I was told not to expect to hear back for a couple of weeks, so I won't get antsy about that just yet. STILL no word back from Baen about the status of my novel manuscript, and no response to my query letter. Arrrggg. I guess I need to send another. Actually I'm beginning to think I've dropped off the face of the publishing world. I've had a story at the Avon anthology for 134 days, a story at Amazing for 120, and this damn novel at Baen for a whopping 599 days. If it wasn't for the fact that I've received some very solid encouragement regarding its status, I'd yank it and send it somewhere else. But dang, I hate to start the process all over again at another publisher, where I don't even have an "in" with the editor. Very frustrating.