Just don't ask!

Don't ask whether there will be enough dinner now that we are having two guests. I am actually at the "throw another potato in the pot" stage.

Don't ask how the work on formatting the book went today. You do not want to know.

Don't ask about my taxes, because I (meaning my "people" meaning Tom) haven't started them yet.

On the other hand, my lab work came back good from the doctor. It is sunny and 41 outside (5 Celsius). Tom and the guests will be going out to a meeting tonight and I can sit around with the cats and watch television or ride the exercycle or read or do anything but work on formatting the stupid book!!!!!

Smile!

Book work

I spent most of today getting the next book into shape. The text itself is okay, but now I am having to tinker with the formatting. Little piddly stuff, but it takes forever and it does make a big difference in how the book looks.

Tom, meanwhile, has been using his design skills to put together a great cover. I still have to write the copy for the back, and even the title is not final yet. But I thought I would post this much so you can see what a good job he has done.

He did this based on an old portrait of Gratian when he was being held hostage by Turkish pirates.

Looks kind of melancholy, doesn't it?

Thin ice

I have now reached a danger point with the book. Too many friends have actually started reading it, and that means my fragile ego is at risk of hearing some hard truths.

For those of you who are wondering what to say, may I suggest, "It was indescribable! I've never read anything like that in my life. However did you do it?"

On the other hand, today I got orders for nine books from a couple of monasteries, and that is great. I am now out of on-hand copies and will have to order some more. At some point, I am going to wind up with a dozen copies lying around collecting dust.

When I was at the library this morning, I picked up a book that I have been waiting for so that I can complete my next book. With luck that book will be complete by the weekend and up for sale within the next two to three weeks.

Texas Independence Day

We invited Peggy and Rich over for dinner Monday night to celebrate Texas Independence Day. I was tempted to make Frito Pie -- what could be more Texan or easier to make? But Peggy loves the enchiladas suizas that I make, based on a recipe from Sanborn's Casa de Azulejos Restaurant in Mexico City. So that is what it will have to be.

I was looking around for some sort of star-shaped napkin ring to use. We have some great Mexican-style dishes that go fine with the menu. But I wanted something Lone-Star-ish to mark the day. In Texas, of course, you would find things like that everywhere, but not so much around Wisconsin Dells. Next time I'm in Whitehouse, I'll have to get something to bring back up here. (Or not wait until the last minute to start looking!)

Another option was to fold the napkins like a star, but I couldn't find a way to do it that looked very good.

I get way too involved in things like this! I really need a regular job.