Skunk drinking, gas prices, and writing updates

Hobkin did something odd the other day. He doesn’t drink water. We offer fresh water to him out of principle, but the most he’s ever done is sniff it before walking away. This isn’t that uncommon. A lot of skunks get all the liquid they need from the fruits and vegetables they eat. Actually, it’s a warning sign of possible seizure if a pet skunk drinks copiously and frequently (pet skunks are becoming more prone to seizures due to inbreeding perpetuated by the biggest skunk mill where most of them come from.)

When I put a fresh bowl of water down for him yesterday, he sniffed it with greater interest than in the past. Then he stuck his paw in and licked the water off. He did this three times. So I’m thinking he was thirsty? But if he was, why didn’t he just drink the water? It’s not like he doesn’t know how to lap up liquid. I’ve seen him go after milk and other non-water beverages before.

Weird beastie.

But happily, he seems better. He’s eating with appetite, although he’s a bit skittish. Yesterday we had a garage repair person come by to look at our broken opener (it needs a new gear piece . . . pfft) and every time a door open or closed, Hobkin’s tail went straight up and he went tearing off to hide under his hutch. Poor little guy.

Had to fill up the gas tank in my trusty Honda this morning. $1.90/gallon! And that’s low compared to the country average. Part of me grumbles at the higher prices, but another part of me can’t help but chortle when I think of how much all the SUV and minivan drivers are having to pay at the pump. The popularity of those road behemoths really annoys me. They’re frivolous, decadent, ridiculously fuel inefficient, impossible for people in cars to see around, and far too frequently, they give their drivers a sense of invincibility which translates into aggressive driving.

If people need a large vehicle in the course of their business or other life situation, then it’s one thing. But all too often (the majority of the time) I only see a single person–the driver–in one of these monster vehicles. What a waste!

I think they’ve got a good system in the U.K. Gas prices there are way higher than here, and consequently, people drive cute little fuel efficient, sensible cars.

Writing stuff:

To offset the sale to Abyss & Apex yesterday:
116-day “no, but please send more” from Space and Time.
156-day “no, and please only send us one submission at a time” from Space and Time (oops).
38-day form no from Amazing Stories.

Out they go again. *kick*

Also heard from the editor of the Eggplant Literary Productions Library that my excerpt “My Courtship by Lord Magus: A Diary” will be going up in September, and the check for it and “The Adventures of Trina, Hackersprite” are cut and on the way to me. That’ll even pay for my tank of gas.

And I’m glad I thought to double-check the email I got from Neo-opsis. The “if you haven’t heard from us then query again” date was actually the 19th, not the 17th. Tomorrow, not yesterday. Oopsie. Glad I held off on querying.

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14 Responses to Skunk drinking, gas prices, and writing updates

  1. mery_bast says:

    That’s the one thing that gets me through this gas price thing- imagine how much SUV owners are bleeding out cash to fill their tanks. Justice is sweet.

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Definitely the silver lining to gas-price pocketbook hemorrhaging. It’s probably too much to hope for any sort of radical change in the American vehicle buyer from it, though. What is it about this country and big cars?? Sheesh.

  2. amokk says:

    Had to fill up the gas tank in my trusty Honda this morning. $1.90/gallon! And that’s low compared to the country average. Part of me grumbles at the higher prices, but another part of me can’t help but chortle when I think of how much all the SUV and minivan drivers are having to pay at the pump. The popularity of those road behemoths really annoys me. They’re frivolous, decadent, ridiculously fuel inefficient, impossible for people in cars to see around, and far too frequently, they give their drivers a sense of invincibility which translates into aggressive driving.

    What are you trying to say? You sayin’ I’m a bad driver? Huh? HUH?

    Besides, it’s a 92 S10 Blazer, before they were really popular and stuff. 😉

    If people need a large vehicle in the course of their business or other life situation, then it’s one thing.

    My mom drives a Grand Caravan because she likes it, and it’s easier for her to use with her knees (she’s had 1 knee totally replaced, the other leg has steel plates in it because she twisted it like celery falling down stairs at their old house, she was in the hospital for 6 months and rehab for much longer), she can sit normally, not at odd angles that cars usually make you sit at.

    And I just like my Blazer. I require a lot of room inside. 😉

    • Eugie Foster says:

      And I just like my Blazer. I require a lot of room inside.

      Road hog!

      • amokk says:

        Oink oink! VRooooom.

        My wife has a 92 4 door Ford Escort. It feels like I’m wearing power armor when I drive it, because it’s so fucking small.

        Besides, with my truck, I get to be the only person down here who knows how to drive when it snows. 😉

        • Eugie Foster says:

          *bap* I banish thee to the hell of road hoggins where all the vehicles are bigger, faster, and louder than yours, and they all ride your tail!

          It was a minivan that totaled my Honda a few years back. Rear-ended me and spun me out into two lanes of highway, rush hour traffic. My two-door coupe: totaled. Me: shaken but unscathed. Their minivan: front smashed and front window shattered (looked totaled to me, but I wasn’t privy to their insurance reports). Them: medium-level head trauma (there was blood, but no death) and carted away in a police car in handcuffs.

          Moral: Driving around in a fucking small suit-of-armor car can be safer than cruising in a land hippo.

          • amokk says:

            I’ll take my tank over power armor any day.

            Although if I had total wish-choice about it, I’d take a Glitter Boy.

  3. kittymel says:

    I hate to say it, but I’d like to see $1.90 for gas – we’re up to $2.12-2.15 here in Milwaukee. And guess who’s going to be filling a big old rental truck that gets crap for gas mileage soon – me, oh boy! Yippeee!

    Oh well, it will be worth paying the torturous prices to be in Atlanta.

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Ooo, the gas hikes are particularly poorly timed for your move, aren’t they? Gobs of sympathy! But at least the further south you go, the better the gas prices will be. And when you finally make it here, you too can partake of one of the lowest gas prices in the country.

  4. puskunk says:

    Many of ours stick their paws in then lick it off. I have no idea why. On the big vehicles? Bite me :-). I drive the biggest passenger vehicle on the road, I am taller and heavier than even Suburbans. I love my conversion van, I can stand up all the way in it, having a fridge in it doesn’t hurt either! It takes about 45 gallons to fill it up though. One thing we DO NOT need is the nanny state like the UK, let me market decide what size cars we all can drive.

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Many of ours stick their paws in then lick it off.

      Do they? Whew, that’s good to know.

      On the big vehicles? Bite me :-).

      Although I’m more inclined to think favorably of the White-Trashmobile since you cart skunks around in it. That falls into the “need a large vehicle in the course of their business or life situation” category for me, and one that I’m especially sympathetic to.

      • puskunk says:

        The WhiteTrashMobile is only a minivan, I consider them to be like cars for most purposes (except for the Kia minivan, it weighs 5000lbs!!) but I was refering to the Love Machine, the full size van that weighs over 6000lbs, can’t fit into most parking decks and is generally the tallest thing in the parking lot.

  5. You’re right. Seems like some Americans are wasted. SUV are mostly for big families. Anyway, glad the little munchkin is back to normal. It’s a great to have your baby feeling great again!!

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