Brownies…?

On Monday we had an open house at work. Peggers made the best brownies ever, at least the best since the last ones she made. Since there were so many left over, I felt it would be very helpful of me to bring some home, to aid in the clean up of course. So I rolled a few up in a napkin, stuck them in my bag, and headed out.

When I got home, little man was having dinner. “These would make a great dessert,” I thought. So I put them on the kitchen counter and waited for him to finish his dinner.

When he was done and all cleaned up, I picked him up and walked him over to the counter.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Oh dah?” He responded, curiously.

I unwrapped the napkin and the brownies appeared.

“Poopoo!”

He, of course, refused to eat it (good boy!). It took me about 10 minutes, and several bites of my own, to convince him it wasn’t poopoo. (He laughed at every bite I took.)

Finally, he agreed to a tiny morsel.

“Mmm. Nom Nom. Mor. Mor. Mor!”

So the result of my persuasion that remains to be seen is this: Did I convince him to eat the brownie? Or did I convince him that eating poopoo is nom nom?

Persistence

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
~ Calvin Coolidge (1872 – 1933)

MIA

Sorry for being away. I’ve been pretty sick. I managed to drag myself into the office today so I could catch up on a few things, but I don’t expect to last long.

While away I was able to do quite a bit of writing/editing/revising of the children’s book I’ve been writing. I think it’s almost ready to go. I’m just afraid to send it out.

The publishing industry is famous for taking months to even read a manuscript and then they often reject it. So I’ve been exploring the idea of e-books. They are becoming more and more popular, especially with the ubiquity of e-readers. The beauty of e-books is that I don’t need the approval of a big New York publishing house and I don’t have to wait 6 months for a response and another year before it goes to market. I could publish my book…tonight! if I wanted to. I just need illustrations and a little more courage.

Strep

I have it. I think. Went to the doc today and they ran some tests. I’ll find out in a couple days if it is in fact strep. For now I’m taking some drugs and trying not to talk. Fortunately that’s never been a problem for me.

I was so lucky

That’s right. Now I have croup, or at least laryngitis. My throat is sore and very swollen. I have the constant urge to try and swallow something, but nothing is there, just my narrow, constricted airway. My voice is super deep, like a radio announcer. I spent most of the night tossing and turning, repeatedly awakened by the pain, begging the sun to come up to lift me out of my misery and into a steamy shower for some temporary relief. Any suggestions?

Thirty-something

Ugh. It’s official. Today is February 23rd, so I am officially a thirty-something. How nondescript. I’m just…here. Blah.

That was how the day started. Not bad. Not good. Just blah. Ugh. Then I decided that feeling that way is entirely up to me. I’m a grown man. If I want to feel that way, I can. If I don’t then I should do something about it. So I did. I took a big step. I put myself out there. Finally! I mailed out the first submission of my manuscript to a publishing house!

I am fully expecting to get rejected, but not because my work isn’t any good or because I chose the wrong publisher. I will because everyone gets the door slammed in the face several times before an editor bites. But I’m not worried about that now. I’m just happy to take the next step, knowing that no one can stop me but me.

Maybe I should use this blog to post my stories. Hmm….

Croup, there it is

Croup: a condition that causes an inflammation of the upper airways — the voice box (larynx) and windpipe (trachea). It often leads to a barking cough or hoarseness, especially when a child cries.

The boy has it. Started on Saturday with this deep, bronchial cough. At first I thought he was impersonating me (I’ve been sick all week). Then it got worse the next day and eventually turned into a bark. It’s been so sad but so cute. He’s at his normal energy level but his voice is almost gone.

Took him to the doctor yesterday morning and the waiting room was full of barking children. It was like a bad movie. The doc said it was in fact croup and would eventually turn into a really bad cold, which is has.

I asked the doc if it’s contagious. She said it turns up in adults as laryngitis. I should be so lucky.