Bullet points, because I haven’t used them in a while:

• I actually started writing my dissertation this week. I’ve discovered that this time around it helps to write it out drafty thoughts in green ink in my Moleskine—a good thing, because I have only (only!) used 60 pages of the 240 thus far. Anyhow, I have approximately 13,000 words left to write, if we are to follow the 10-percent rule.
• I’ve spent way too much time editing my Amazon wishlists. This evening I culled and prioritized the Non-Fiction list. Yes, the top items deal with science and political philosophy. I want to read them now and it is an effort of will to wait until 2010 when I can officially begin Orion research. Well, not too much effort: I have so much else to read before then.
• I probably spend more time thinking about fiction than my thesis. This may be to my detriment. I hope it isn’t. I’m already planning for NaNoWriMo, trying to decide if I can write a short story before then, and, of course, trying to calm the overexcited children that are the Orion characters. Boy are they starved for attention. “No, Anna, I can’t read saints’ lives yet, I have to get the government down first,” “No Peter, I really don’t think I need to read about rocket engines,” “No, Andrew, I’m not going to invent your entire language.” Geez! Don’t even get me started on Jenai. You guys only think I’m being an overachiever perfectionist crazy renaissance woman, but really I’m just trying to keep the crew of Artemis at bay. Seriously. Because that’s not crazy talk at all.
  • Listening to the TGN soundtrack does not help. Especially not “The General” by Dispatch.

And that’s it really. Images dance into my head and I write them down and eventually it’ll be something worth looking at.