Julie's Web Journal

This is the time of morning when I should be getting my best sleep, and here I sit at the computer. I suspect a combination of thunderstorms and an overactive mind is keeping me up.

I finished off a book (Rachel Caine's Midnight Alley, the third in the Morganville Vampires series), walked into the office to write up a few notes, then went pretty much right off to sleep. I had some odd dreams, which I chalked up to the item for which I was making notes and reading a vampire book, but I woke with a start shortly after I dreamt that someone crashed a car through the front of the grocery store where I was shopping. It was raining in my dream. Then through the window: Flash. Kaboom. Storms don't normally keep me awake, but this one seemed to usher in some change in air pressure, I guess. I'm not sure, and I'm not awake enough to ponder it other than to remark that my chest was quite tight. Laying down does me no good in that situation, so I came down the hall, where I've been for close to two hours. I suppose I should wrap it up and go to sleep, but I may wait out the next cell that's about to pass over our neighborhood. One or two after that, and it'll be over.

How about if I say something more about the book I just finished? The Morganville Vampires is a YA series. Well, it seems to be aimed at high school students. The story is set in the fictional town of Morganville, Texas. Of course, Morganville has a secret - the town is run by vampires. Yep, that's enough to cause a few nasty dreams, though Caine keeps the gore to a low level. Of course, there's a strong romantic element. The protagonist is sixteen and still (as they say in the romance novels) chaste. What a quaint term. But with vampires, who needs sex? But seriously, she's feeling the pressure, but her friends are looking out for her. It's kind of refreshing to see that sort of peer pressure.

I don't want to give too many of the plot elements away, but it's safe to say that she does have many encounters with vampires. What's a vampire story without bloodsuckers?

Next up, Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union. I was surprised not to find that in the dealer's room at SoonerCon since the paperback version had been recently released. The problem (I suspect) is that while it was marketed (and is shelved with) literary fiction, it's also a book that has strong SF elements. Anyway, I really liked the last Chabon book I picked up, so I'm anxious to read this one.

And yes, I spent part of the evening taking notes. While doing some research to get Stalled Novel #2 off the ground I stumbled upon another idea for a story. Honestly, I don't know if I'll get anywhere with it, but I'll attempt an outline and see what happens.

So I did make it across town to get the contacts. Got the errands done and made it home just as the first round of storms hit. I was surprised to find Chris home from school already. Apparently they just went over they syllabus today and will dig into the coursework tomorrow.

Also made a dent in the pile on my desk. Gasp.

Better try to get a little more sleep. I have to get a little database stuff out of the way. I got the table designed tonight, and tomorrow I get to tie a form up to it and start testing. I'd like to get this out of the way in the next couple of days so I can send it out for testing.

Here comes the next round of rain. Off to bed. Don't expect me up early.

Tags: Life