Now that the candles have all melted away . . .

Bob pointed out today at lunch that it’s been a little over two weeks since my last update. Thanks, Bob. :)

So what’s happened since then? Not much, actually:

We (the lovely wife and I) went to my annual company party, which I refer to as Newscorp City because it has as many people as a small city. It was entertaining, and it was nice to get out for a little bit, just the two of us.

We drove out to my wife’s grandmother in NJ for the Xmas weekend, which was nice. Had surprisingly little traffic both ways (and none on the way out until I foolishly said something to that effect, at which point traffic literally appeared in front of us. I don’t know my own power, clearly) and a nice relaxing time there. It’s always very sweet watching our little girl with her great-grandmother—they adore one another.

Saw my cousin and his wife and their daughter for a little bit on Monday after we drove back, which was nice. They live in Virginia so we don’t get to see them very often.

I turned in the first draft of my WarCraft novel and the edits on my latest YA book.

I finalized the outline for my next Warhammer novel, which I’ll start writing next week, probably.

We replaced our busted DVD player with the next model up, which oddly does not seem to work as well. I think I may actually need a new TV. *sigh*

We had a nice Hannukah, and all got many presents. My fave was the quesadilla maker my wife got me, which is excellent—I used it that very night to make us dinner.

I also got to read two novels just for fun, which hasn’t happened in a while.

We’ve been watching Torchwood and enjoying it immensely. We also watched the Dr. Who Christmas Special, the Runaway Bride, and it was great fun. I’d forgotten how much more light-hearted Dr. Who is, compared to Torchwood, so it was a nice change of pace. And we’ve watched a few movies and a few episodes of TV shows we got on DVD, like the Tick (the animated version, of course) and Briscoe County. It’s nice to be able to relax for a change, instead of having to chain myself to my desk as soon as I get home.

The kids are both good. The preschooler is as dramatic as ever, but she’s been having more bouts of sharing with her brother lately. The infant is a crawling fiend and fast as a snapping turtle (and if you’ve never seen one of those move, they’re fast!). He’s still itching up a storm but getting a little better, and he’s otherwise a chipper little fellow.

We’re not really doing anything for New Year’s this year, just staying at home. I miss the little gatherings we used to do, and I’m hoping next year we’ll resume that tradition. We’ve also been jonesing for a game, since we haven’t played in a month or more, but hopefully that’ll change in early January.

Work is work, and is that strange mix of busy and quiet this week—busy because people wanted to push projects through before the end of the year, quiet because they all took off on vacation right afterward so there’s no one to hand projects back to once they’re done. It’s a bit of a ghost town, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

And now it’s time to head for home. Perhaps I’ll think of something fun and entertaining to post later. And perhaps not. :) But I hope all of you are well, and that you had excellent holidays and will have a Happy New Year’s.

Quick rundown

I know, I know.

I really do try to update at least every other week. It’s just busy right now. I’m finishing the first draft of my WarCraft novel—it’ll be done in the next day or two. I’ve got an outline to revise and expand, a review to clean up, a storyline to develop, and a few chapters of another project to fine-tune.

We went to some friends’ holiday party last night, which was fun—didn’t get to stay as long as we’d have liked (or as long as we had in previous years) because the toddler reached her saturation point (AKA past her bedtime and too much stimulation) but it was nice.

This Friday is my work holiday party. And for the first time jendaby gets to go with me, thanks to the babysitting services of feiran. Much appreciated, chica.

Not much else going on. Kids are good but exhausting, wife is good but tired, I’m good but also tired. We've been watching Day Break and enjoying it—right now it's my second-favorite show, right after Heroes (and edging out Supernatural). We're still watching Studio 60, which is still good but not Sorkin's best, and catching CSI when we can. No recent movies, and we haven't replaced the DVD player yet so we're reduced to the networks, a handful of old VHS tapes, and whatever I can pull down on the computer. After this coming week my schedule should clear up considerably, just in time for Hannukah and Christmas.

I’ll post more, including some new covers, soon.