I am in book hell. My publisher e-mailed & asked for 2 sample chapters in

finished form, to seduce a paperback publisher who might (already!) be

interested. Of course I have nothing in anything like finished form, only a

folder full of files with names like “possible take on quaternions.com” so I

am frantically stitching & welding.

Rosie is in Christmas retail sales assistant hell. (She sells jewelry at

Lord & Taylor.)

Nellie is in Nutcracker hell — Sunday they had a **SEVEN HOUR REHEARSAL**.

Only my son is still in the upper world. He has recently, in that

unpredictable way things happen with kids, discovered the joys of reading, &

has now abandoned his computer games, Lego, and even Spongebob Squarepants,

for the delights of Lemony Snicket (sp?)