Working like a bondsman…

Okay– first of all, does everybody know what that means?  That it refers back to the time when the country was using indentured bondsmen (and women) to do all the hard shit, people who had literally bartered years of their lives in return for passage and room and board?  I used it in a work, and the editor was puzzled, then I asked Mate and Chicken, and they said, “But Mom!  Who would get that?”  and I thought that maybe I’d run it by you all!

Anyway, lots of recovery going on here at the Lane Crapmansion– Mom’s recovering from the bug and wondering whether or not to go to aqua classes, the kids are recovering from school for a week, the dog is recovering from, ohmygod!, not having food for almost six hours!  (The dog is spoiled, why do you ask?)

But I’m pleased to say that, aside from a lingering headache and the stamina of a kitten, I’m almost done with the flu!  Yay!  Alas, I seemed to have given it to everyone else.  Boo!

But that does not mean that we have done nothing this weekend–nay, indeed!  (If I’m gonna say ‘working like a bondman, I’m gonna go full-balls archaic, ya think?)  Anyway… where to start where to start where to start…

First of all, Zoomboy had his last soccer game of the year.  We lost (is everybody surprised?  Me neither.) The good news is, all of the little boys still want to play the game, and that’s a victory and a half, lemme tell you.   Anyway, Zoomboy’s big deal so far has been extreme dot-to-dots.  That’s between 500-1000 dots– and, Zoomboy worked three in a row until his neck cricked.  Mate and Chicken and I all went “Awwww…”  and then I remembered something a friend told me.  Scorpios and Libras get along FANTASTICALLY on the karmic wheel–something about how Scorpios make us Libras all liquid and happy inside.  SAGITTARIUS (Big T’s sign) on the other hand, does NOT get along with Scorpios–which explains SO MUCH about our family dynamic.  Zoomboy does something, Mate, Chicken and I all go “Awwwww.”  Big T goes “Arrggghhhh!!!”  It’s the way we work.

In other kid news, Chicken also had her last seasonal game.  (She still has a couple of tournaments.)  She got her official sweatshirt last night, and I had to laugh.  She has a number of Latina teammates, and her coach, a longtime friend and fellow soccer mom, is also Mexican.  Chicken’s coach has heard me screaming “Run, Chicken, run!” for more than ten years.  I didn’t realize Chicken’s team had picked up on this, until I saw her sweatshirt.  On the back, it said, “Pollitos”.  Yup.  Little Chicken.  I was so proud.

And Squish?  Squish had this to say this morning;

“So this boy in my class told me that if I said (whispered) Bloody Mary in the bathroom, she would appear in the mirror.  It scared me so much I forgot to wipe and almost ran out with my pants down!”

“Well, sweetie, you need to ignore what those icky boys tell you, okay?”

“Nicholas isn’t icky mom!  He’s clean!”

“So Nicholas is okay?”

“He could be the boy I’m going to marry, but I don’t know.  I like Terrence better.”

Yeah.  That whole conversation gives me the knee-shaking palm sweats.  You?

Oh yeah… and the cover?

So, this book I’ve submitted, Chase in Shadow… it’s, umm… tense.  And painful.  And I used as my inspiration a couple of models from a GLBT related industry.  The picture is of “Travis”– but to me, he’ll always be “Tommy”–and that picture is SO much like Tommy that, as soon as it hit the net, I had to show you.  Someday I may find a picture of “Chase” for you, but, umm, I’m sort of holding out for one with his clothes on.  You’ll all be more comfortable that way.