Tag Archives: hobkin

Skunk show 2004!

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The drive to the show was a fast one. britzkrieg and I arrived at 10:30, the start of registration, far earlier than I had expected. So there was, as seems typical for skunk shows, a lot of waiting around. It was a much smaller venue than last year’s–not the same place as I had originally thought. And there was also a much smaller turnout.

First up was conformation and friendliness. Hobkin was in a terrible mood. He actually nipped or lunged at all of the judges this year. I was mortified. They couldn’t pick him up at all, which means the judges didn’t spend much time with him and couldn’t really evaluate him. He totally tanked on “Friendliness,” of course, and didn’t place at all in conformity.

Next came Prettiest Tail. I thought Hobkin showed wonderfully in this event. His tail was fluffy, and poofy, and long. But I guess the judges didn’t agree. Or perhaps they were still nursing the wounds he’d given them earlier. He not only didn’t succeed in defending his title from last year, but he didn’t place at all. This was the only event that I was truly disappointed with. I really did think he had the prettiest tail again.

And last of all came the color classes. Hobkin won first place in his color class! A salve to his dismal showing in the previous categories. So he has another pretty, blue ribbon to add to his collection.

There was the obligatory costume contest, with much evil adorableness, but again this year, we opted not to attempt to subject Hobkin to that. But I took a lot of pictures!

I’m a bit flummoxed by how poorly the fuzzwit behaved. He was so sweet and huggy when he was in my arms, but as soon as anyone else touched him, he turned into a snarling demon. I’m concerned that the skunk show might be too stressful for his wee brain. Will have to think about whether we want to show him again next year.

There were adorable skunk noses everywhere. Skunks to see and people to talk to. I had expected to see Hobkin’s godmother, Debbie, and her skunks but they weren’t there. I did get a chance to catch up with puskunk and aljit (and see her short, blue hair!). Aside from my worry about Hobkin, I had fun. britzkrieg was fantastic. I couldn’t have done it without her. She drove, did the majority of the packing and unpacking, and took pictures for me while I held a stressed Hobkin. She also bid at the charity silent auction and won a beautiful, green afghan. And last I checked, she’s still willing to talk to me! britzkrieg, you are a saint and a total sweetheart!

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Voting Day!

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Today:
We voted. Civic duty accomplished. With the news filled with coverage of hours-long lines, we expected something of a wait at our polling place. Nope. No line. No waiting. We were in and out in less than fifteen minutes. Hope everyone else did their time in the booths!

Halloween overview:
Where have all the costumed kiddies gone? We only got a few batches of them on Halloween, and we’ve got piles and piles of candy leftover. Too much candy. Must find other ways of disposing of it or I will eat it all.

Had a lovely Halloween. We had britzkrieg and her hubby, rigel_kent, over as well as dude_the and Nick-of-no-LJ, of course. There were costumes. There was food. There were alcoholic beverages. britzkrieg brought a really nummy bottle of champagne. Watched Topper and The Last Skeleton of Cadavra, which B & R hadn’t seen before. I think B’s planning on going out ASAP to get her very own copy now. Hee.

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Mortally wounded by a skunk

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Well, maybe not “mortally” . . . I was sleeping all curled up with Hobkin snuggled under my chin, and Matthew was upstairs doing something. Matthew made a loud noise that frightened the wee fuzzwit, who sprang up and dashed away to go cower under his hutch. Unfortunately, what Hobkin used as a springboard for this frantic scramble was my face. One of his hind claws caught me good as he dashed away. Got a long, thin slice right over the cheekbone. Lovely. It didn’t bleed much, but it did break the skin. And it stings.

Sigh.



Writing Stuff:

Started my review for Tangent of this week’s Sci-Fiction offering. Ellen Datlow, the editor of Sci-Fiction, asked on the SFF.net newsgroup whether any new reviews might be published soon. I had to tell her that my Tangent editor is swamped with work but promises to update as soon as he has time. Gleep.

Received a 75-day form reject from Tin House. This was a long shot in any case. Out it goes again.

And still haven’t heard from Talebones after my query. It’s been over three weeks, and I’ve seen other people hear back from them with only month or so response times recently. I’m seriously thinking communications are getting lost in transit somewhere in there, so I queried again.

200 new words. Oof. Progress is slow and halting. Hell, it can barely be called “progress.”

Hobkin = manic fluff ball

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There’s a deranged, food-obsessed fluffball in my home.

Hobkin is under the pronounced misapprehension that the Death-Cold season is nearly upon us, where the temperature will drop to frigid degrees and food will be scarce unto starvation. This, despite the fact that the fluffwit has never gone without a meal in his life, nor has he ever experienced a temperature colder than the mid-60s.

He’s packing on the weight–gained at least half a pound in the last couple weeks–all in his rump, the bottom-heavy lumpkin. And he’s totally manic about feeding times. He woke me up at 4:30 this morning, convinced he was starving and needing his breakfast NOW NOW NOW. (He typically doesn’t get fed until closer to 7:00.) Suffice it to say that sleep was neither restful nor plentiful for me last night. On a positive note, his winter coat is really coming in. He’s all soft and fluffy, perfect for cuddling and proxy-pillow use.

britzkrieg, I hope you still want to talk to me after the skunk show . . .



Writing Stuff:

Received another 1-day whip-snap reject from Surreal. I think I should let that market alone for a bit. These one-day rejections get disheartening in quick succession. While I’d prefer a one-day to an eight-month wait, there are happy mediums.

700 new words on the new fantasy piece. I’ve got a better idea of where it’s going now. I think.

Sunday, skunk-induced insomnia

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I guess technically it’s not insomnia. Hobkin woke me from a deep and restful slumber at 6, hungry and insistent about breakfast NOW NOW NOW. After having my head walked over a second time, I dragged myself up mumbling fanciful threats of impending skunk stew and fed him. While he snarfed down his feast of bell pepper, cucumber, and bok choy, I got on the computer to check my email, which turned into reading my friends list, and I haven’t tried going back to sleep yet. I suspect I’ll aspire to slumber before too long which will be the telling moment of insomnia versus merely an early AM rude awakening.

Saw Richard II at the Shakespeare Tavern last night. I’m just not a huge fan of the histories. It was one of the (if not the) best production of R2 I’ve ever seen, but it still didn’t float my socks. Once again, I must applaud the Tavern for being able to bring Shakespeare alive with humor (even in a downer like R2) and excellent directorial vision. And yet, meh.

Also watched Van Helsing on DVD. That movie doesn’t hold up to serious re-watching. It’s pretty, but the plot holes and wretched writing become more pronounced with repetition. I think that film will be relegated to “background” status in the future.

Friday – musing on the skunk show

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Well, it’s finalized. Matthew’s going to be a film festival judge and guest at the Midwest Entertainment Industry Conference in Kentucky in November. They’re getting him a room and everything. It’s very cool for him, but 1. he’ll be gone for the whole weekend and 2. it’s the same weekend as the ADSA skunk show. So, not only will I have to deal with being alone, but I also need to decide if I can manage taking Hobkin to the show all by my lonesome.

I really want him to go because I’ve been looking forward to having a chance to catch up with folks like puskunk and alijt as well as letting Hobkin hang out in a new place that’s skunk friendly. Plus I’m very proud of him and want to show him off. He needs to defend his “Prettiest Tail” title! But I’m seriously doubtful that I can do the show on my own.

For starters, I’m terrible with directions. I’m worried that I’ll get lost driving there, although Matthew assures me he’ll get me directions, plus I’ve been there before (last year for the 2003 skunk show).

Next, Hobkin hates car rides. We’ve always both of us driven him places–Matthew driving and me holding him to keep him calm. If it’s just me, he’ll have to be crated, which will incense and stress him.

Then, I have to figure out a way to bundle skunk, pen, blankets, litter pan, extra towels, skunk food, and any miscellaneous items necessary to keep a skunk taken care of for a day into a configuration I can manage all by my puny self. Last year, Matthew dropped me off at the door with Hobkin and a blanket while he went to park, and then lugged the pen and miscellaneous stuff from the lot to the site. He then set everything up while I held Hobkin because I am such a wuss. Without him to assist I’m at a loss. I can’t leave Hobkin in the car while I cart his pen and blankets and stuff to the site, and I can’t leave him alone at the site either. Best case scenario, I could leave him with a friendly skunk person while I wrestle with his stuff, but then I’d have to crate him for a while. I might be able to get everything bundled onto a wheeled luggage cart or something to make a single trip of it, but I don’t have a cart and I can’t imagine how I’d go about doing that. The rover gate pen itself is several large, unwieldy, bulky pieces, and the litter pan is the enclosed variety, also large, unwieldy, and bulky.

And last, but not least, I get hit by social anxiety in new surroundings. It’s relatively mild as far as anxiety issues goes, and it never manifests when Matthew’s with me, but it tends to overwhelm me when I’m on my own.

Dammit. I’d hate to miss the skunk show, but I see myself becoming totally stressed and having a meltdown. I don’t know what to do.



Writing Stuff:

Received the contract from the Cricket folks for “The Tax Collector’s Cow.” Still don’t know if it’ll end up being in Cricket of Spider, but I’m glad to have another contract in!

Saturday Yay?

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Hobkin woke me up this morning at 5:30, quite convinced it was time for breakfast. No matter how I tried to explain to him–groggy and half-asleep–that breakfast shouldn’t be for another hour and a half, he was adamant.

Hungry skunks are not to be denied, so I got up and fed him breakfast. Now I’m awake, he’s curled up on my lap, and I haven’t had enough sleep. Maybe I’ll flop us on the couch and have a nap.

He’s getting to be very soft, though.

Friday Yay

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Hurray for Friday! It’s been a long week.

Hobkin’s winter coat is coming in, I think. He’s feeling softer and sleeker, although he’s still blowing his coat all over the place. At least he’s loosing far fewer of his long, coarse tail hairs; it’s mostly the short undercoat fuzz that’s littering our house now. I think he’s also beginning to put on his cold weather pudge. That would certainly explain the ravenous “feed me now” behavior that seems to have gripped him of late.

Slept a LOT last night trying to catch up on lost slumber. It sorta worked. Didn’t feel like my eyes were weighted with coins this morning.



Writing Stuff:

Got a call from Nathan of Scrybe Press! Editors are calling me. On the phone and everything. Oooo. ‘Course Matthew’s been hogging the phone and hasn’t been setting it in its cradle to recharge, so mid-way through the conversation, Nathan’s voice begins cutting out. Sigh. How embarrassing.

But we got the last details on the contracts for “Still My Beating Heart” and “Inspirations End” hammered out before the phone gods intervened. He’s going to write it up and send me the finalized copy. And we discussed Nathan’s vision on how to lay the chapbook out as a flipbook. He’s going to pad the shorter of the two stories with ads and my author’s bio etc. at the end, to fill up the extra pages to the middle. Coolness!

This week’s Sci-Fiction story was late being posted. I saw yesterday that it had gone up (a new story is supposed to go up every week on Wednesday). And it’s a novella, woof. Due to that sleep-catching-up thing I haven’t finished my review for Tangent yet. I plan to do that tonight or tomorrow at the latest. On that note, I finally got an email from my editor. He’s swamped with work (80-hour weeks!), and is therefore a bit slow with the Tangent updates, but at least I know he’s alive and kicking out there.