Hello, Tamarah!

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length . Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too.

I saw an ultrasound of him last week, and he is just moving all over the place.  I saw his little fingers and his kicking legs, and his spine is just perfect.  I'm getting another ultrasound on September 8th, and we'll get a better picture, and the gender  :)  But I'm feeling this growth spurt.  I woke up tired, and I'm still tired.

NO ONE
IS ACCEPTING

POETRY SUBMISSIONS!!!!!

I'm about to scrap it all and just self publish this thing.  Seriously.

Still getting rejection letters.  This is so much worse than childbirth.  It certainly lasts longer, and there are no drugs to get me through it.

DONALD MILLER IS SPEAKING IN THE BAY AREA IN SEPTEMBER...!!!  I'm just...aahhh.....DONALD...MILLER.  If I could name 5 authors whom I would swoon over, Bradbury being one, Donald Miller is there.  I just can't believe he's going to be HERE, and I can meet him.  I never meet authors.  Most of the time I enjoy their work, but I don't really have anything to say.  With Donald, I have TONS of things to say.  I don't even know how I'm going to compose myself for this.  And I'll be about 6 months pregnant by then, and my memory and ability to compose sentences will be dramatically impaired.  I have no idea what I'm going to do. 

But I will totally be there, that's for sure!

#1 Book, Blue Like Jazz
#2 Book, Searching for God Knows What

Sea Weed

I watched it rip itself from the bottom and float to the surface one marine-foggy day.  The amber bulbs floated as buoys for the stalk and leaves that followed the ascent.  It was a longish piece from the fringe of the bed of kelp, and it seemed to writhe and struggle against the waves until it could snap its base and untangle itself from the roots which had affixed it to the clump of mud that had been loitering next to an old watch and a bottle of something empty; but the label had come off, and I do not know what substance had lingered within until it had inebriated its possessor enough to let it escape beneath the waves, as well.

I let some breath release from my lungs and I followed the piece of kelp, a little sorry for
having to breathe at all, and leaving the reticent peace.  My yellow and green fins stirred up some sand on the way up, raising some detached seagrass so a few got tangled on my legs and came along for a free ride.  When I got to the surface my mask was a little foggy anyway, so I was able to take it off and spit in it again to keep the mist from collecting.  There was a little more foam floating around me than when I first went down, and I figured it was due to the winds picking up and churning the waters a little bit more.  I looked back to the shore looking for beach flags to see if I was right: which I was.  The lifeguards' pole had a hysterical fabric orange cone attached to the top, as if struggling to break free and warn us all of what it sees looming on the horizon,
that only it can see from that vantage point.

The kelp I had followed was floating next to me, some of it draping down the wave it trembled on.  It had trapped some of the mocha foam in circulets of stem it had looped in the water, creating little hills of salty fluff.  I didn't feel like I was moving, except for the motion of the ocean breathing, raising and lowering me in a gentle lull; yet, when I looked back to see if the orange cone had finally gotten its wish, I saw the towel I had laid down on a mound of sand was much smaller than a few minutes previous.  I kissed an amber bulb and wished the kelp the best of fates as it drifted away from us, and decided my own fate would not fare as well if I drifted towards the horizon, so I paddled my fins and headed back to the shore.  There was still a few long,
dark green strands of seagrass wrapped around me for good luck.  I let them come along: who was I to interrupt the destiny of seagrass?

The wind had indeed picked up and it roared in my cold ears.  In my trek back, I could only relish with the memory of watching that piece of kelp furiously snap itself and drift away, by itself.  It didn't mind the hills of foam that it collected, nor the slight wilting some of its leaves succumbed to by surfacing.

 I swam on my back and watched it
float in the direction of the sun.

Getting your work published is such a headache.  Publishers won't take unsolicited work, agents won't take you unless you've already been published.  I have one manuscript floating in the void, and one publisher sent the entire thing back.  Even the money.

This is just so frustrating.

Okay, I know this is silly...but I want to spend a week in Disneyland.  We spent two days there in February, and they were just wonderful days.  I watched the Main Street parade with Nova and (I'll be completely honest) I almost broke in tears because it was so beautiful.  I love parades.  I don't know why.  But Disneyland does such a beautiful job with it.  The choreography is flawless, the actors are completely in character, and I just love all of it.  I could watch the parade every day for a year.  It just makes me so happy for a little while.  Since I love to read the news of the world, I get bombarded with reality and what life is really like for peoples all over.  But for this one special moment at the end of the day when I am watching the parade, I am watching people work artistically together to make the world just a little happier.  I love the parade.

And I like the size of everything.  The roofs are a little lower, the windows are a little smaller.  Nothing feels entirely "real," and usually I'm not too keen on this happening, but in Disneyland you're safe.  The people who work there are pleasant and helpful.  There was one time we were trying to figure out when a restaurant was open, and we asked a maintenance worker as he was passing; and this guy was one of the nicest guys I've talked to, and he whipped out a schedule from his back pocket and let us know the times.  Now, try to find someone that pleasant at Lowe's.  Try to find anyone at Lowe's.  Disneyland just does it right, and I really appreciate that.

If I wanted to dress up in full princess regalia with Nova, it would be perfectly normal.  I can't really get away with that in the Bay Area (well, maybe some parts).

Anyway, I could go on and on.  Disneyland is just a great place.  I want to go back.

http://www.hsc.org/home.html

Homeschoolers Win!


On August 8, the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate  
District ruled that homeschooling is indeed a legal option in  
California. This was a reversal of a ruling in February of this year  
that parents must hold a teaching credential to homeschool their  
children, and confirms HSC’s long held interpretation of private  
school laws.

California’s three largest homeschool organizations, Homeschool  
Association of California, California Homeschool Network, and  
Christian Home Education Association, joined together in filing an  
amicus brief with the court to support our homeschooling rights.  
According to HSC’s legal co-chair, Debbie Schwarzer, "They did the  
right thing. They did their job. They carefully read everything (they  
don't cite the HSC/CHN/CHEA brief, but believe me, much of what they  
write is based on our arguments), and reached the legally correct  
conclusions."

This outcome is truly a victory for all homeschoolers in the state.  
HSC wants to extend it’s appreciation not only to our wonderful legal  
team, but also to the law firm of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati  
who donated their expertise, and to each and every one of our members.  
Your membership dollars go to help in situations just like this. Many  
of you also sent additional fund, wrote, called, and visited your  
lawmakers. Each and every one of those actions helped us to reach this  
wonderful outcome. Thank you so much for your support during this  
difficult time.