All Cats are Slytherins and other stories

It's summer! Officially. Of course, this being the Pacific Northwest, the weather forecast still looks like this:

Source.

Rain! But at least the highs are in the sixties and seventies, not the forties and fifties. The lows run in the fifties rather than the thirties, and the chance of rain runs 30-40 percent rather than 80. That's summer here, y'all. And am I ever glad to see it.

* * *

Lou and I thoroughly enjoyed our road trip. Highlights:

• hanging out with MissPhotographerB and her cat
• hanging out with MissPhotographerB and her friends
• long walk with MissPhotographerB through MSU and surrounding neighborhoods in the near-dark
• Bob and Ashley's beautiful wedding
• pizza with Lou's friends, including the groom, two hours before the wedding
• sharing a table with Lou's friends, some of whom I remember from our last trip, at the reception
• finishing reading Dante's Purgatorio aloud to each other in the car
• spending some honest-to-goodness quiet time, just the two of us, no computers
• covering 44 hours of travel time and a wedding in five days, and still coming home more rested than when we left

Of course, the first thing I did upon coming home was catch cold. But I still feel so much better than last week that I can't complain.

* * *

Owing to the cold and post-trip catchup, I missed this week's Top Ten Tuesday. But if you want to know the top ten reasons I love being a book blogger, well—you're one of them. I love talking about reading and writing with people, especially when those people become my friends. Thanks. :)

* * *

Around the time Maia turned six months old, she took to hiding under the bed whenever anyone comes over. I hoped that she'd at least come out and visit Lou's parents, who took care of her while we were away. But apparently, they caught just one glimpse of her. She hid from all human companionship for five days.
 
There's no Gryffindor in that cat. None whatsoever. Not a lot of Hufflepuff, either, come to think of it. And she's not that brainy... well, I don't know why I'm surprised.

* * *

Writers' link of the week and Funny of the week are one and the same today. Read the color comic on the front cover of this little magazine. As someone who has tried to write in the middle of the night, I could sympathize. Hysterically.

* * *

Music of the week: Beautiful. I love finding random YouTubers with great voices.



* * *

JuNoWriMo Tally
Week 1 hours: 10
Week 2 hours: 5.5
Week 3 hours: Vacation. So there. I did get in 45 minutes, though.
Week 4 hours: 2 and counting.

Now, I need to bump up those hours, clean house, make quiche, clear all 490 items out of my Google Reader so I stop being afraid to open it, and get over this cold. That's a long to-do list, but it's Friday, and other than the scratchy throat and clogged sinuses, I feel great.

Happy weekend, everybody!