something rare: a real day off

So this is my fourth day off. And by that I mean: I don’t have a deadline hanging over my head. I can fiddle on the computer or watch movies or play with the dogs, and really enjoy doing those things because there’s no little voice in my ear screaming deadline! deadline! alert! deadline!

I really hate that little voice.

Right now, for example, I’m going to talk to the Mathematician about getting take out (because day off = no cooking) and then I’m going to take an early bath and go watch television. Probably I’ll fall asleep in front of the television, and that’s okay too.

The only thing I regret is that I intended to make gingerbread, and I haven’t got around to it. Spicy gingerbread, cut in squares, warm. With whipped cream on top. It’s something I associate with the autumn, along with the smell of wool socks drying on a radiator — except we don’t have any radiators. Which is actually kind of sad.

Every once in a while, I catch the sound of my characters whispering behind the curtain. The curtain which will stay drawn until Monday. They can mutter back there all they want, I’m not starting until Monday. Nathaniel in an impatient mood doesn’t scare me. No siree. He will just have to find something to do until I’m ready to start taking dictation. I’ll admit I’m a little irritated with him myself because he showed up the other day and I asked him who was in Paradise just now, and he wouldn’t give me a straight answer. I’m assuming Luke and Jennet and the boys are in Montreal, but when I said so, he gave me one of his looks.

We have to work on our communication, or the next year is going to be rocky.