At Once Smug and Frazzled

Smug because I actually accomplished quite a bit last week, yet the projects are lining up, which means I will have some nice challenges and even nicer paychecks in the foreseeable near future. Frazzled because although I actually accomplished quite a bit last week, the projects are lining up, which means I will have some nice challenges--albeit even nicer paychecks--in the foreseeable near future. Honestly, you know, it never rains but it pours.

I'd like to thank everyone who has extended congratulations to Dean and me over the Palancas and everything. (Particularly Pauline, who sent me that lovely digital flower on the right.) Really, you guys have been so kind and supportive that it almost means more to me than the award itself. (It literally would mean more, except, y'know, I can't hang y'all on my living room wall.)

My other reason for smugness is that I went to a dress fitting last Saturday for Kate and Alex's wedding (at which Dean and I will be secondary sponsors), and woohoo! The dressmaker had to take in over two inches on each side; that's how much weight I've lost. Someday I may actually be nearly as sexy as El's drawing over there (Look up and to your right) makes me out to be. Assuming, you know, that's actually humanly possible.

But speaking of Kate (who is one of my favoritest people, by the by), I decided to do this interesting thingie from her blog:

Five Things You May Not Know About Me:

1. My bizarre smorgasbord heritage is Spanish / Filipino / Chinese / Portuguese / Indian / Irish. I am directly descended, through different branches of the family tree, from the Catholic saint Theresa of Avila and a Spanish priest. Which just goes to show that godliness is not an inheritable character trait.

2. I believe that I have a crooked nose and a crooked front tooth, but these may be hallucinatory since, in 32 years of existence thus far, I appear to be the only one who has noticed.

3. Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, the Palanca award I won this year was my first. I have a couple of Anvil awards for my copywriting and a (completely undeserved, I tell you) National Book Award for editing Vin's anthology, Isaw Atbp., but that's about it. Oh, and okay, I once represented the country as the national champion for Magic: the Gathering, and I won the National Spelling Bee and a Seventeen magazine writing contest in my pre-teens. Other than that, I never even win raffles.

4. I am freakishly strong for my size, gender, and general lack of physical fitness--I can lift most men of my acquaintance off the ground. I have absolutely no fear of pain, cockroaches, dark alleys, bats, heights, or the supernatural, but I am unreasonably terrified of frogs. I once killed a snake armed only with a slipper.

5. I have slept with two men at once; and, on a separate occasion, with a man and a woman at once. Thus I can tell you with absolute certainty that my preference is for dicks over chicks, thank you very much. And please note that there is no open casting call for menage a trois partners currently ongoing.

There! That ought to give you some food for thought in your daily reading.