Friday, July 16th, 1999

One of my classmates, J. Simon, has earned the sobriquet of "plays well with others" many times over. He plans storytelling parties with ice cream and cookies. He writes funny poems and even funnier songs about our experiences here. When everyone was sick and grumpy in the fourth week of Clarion, he played Santa Claus and anonymously left gifts of small stuffed animals, pez dispensors, and yo-yos by everyone's doors. Only the fact that half his recipients were still up at 3:00am foiled his attempt at anonymity.

But little beknownst to the rest of the world, J. has a violent streak. At his urging, his voracious shark puppet has attacked every Clarion instructor here. Now the world at large can witness his foul deeds. I proudly host J. Simon's Clarion Shark Puppet Gallery on my website. Go ahead and take a look. You'll be glad you did.

Other News

Still working on finishing my latest story. It's Friday Night, and everyone else is out drinking and partying, and I'm still here. No, I'm not virtuous. But I missed so much writing time while I was sick that I feel compelled to catch up.

Pregnancy-wise, I feel like someone has stuck a bowling ball in my abdomen. It's huge, it's hard, and it's very, very awkward. And I still have months to go yet. What will this be like in December? Oh well, at least we're both still healthy. After this last week, I don't forget to be grateful for health. The alternative is much, much worse. Hope all of you who are reading this are doing well.

Hmm