In reading friends’ blogs and the comments left by others, I’m struck by how many LJers feature their pets (or some random animal) in their avatars or posts. Far too many of them are cats. Cats are okay, but they are fickle creatures that can never really be trusted. Dogs, on the other hand, are loyal and like to play rough. They do not hiss and bite and scratch at you if you put them in a headlock. Cats want affection when they want affection. Dogs, on the other hand, will take your lovin’ anytime, anywhere.

No, I will not draw a connection between feline and female.

Instead, I will just share a picture.

This is Bubba. Bubba found an empty bed yesterday evening and decided he’d put it to use. Turns out, it was my youngest son’s bed and he ddn’t want to share with Bubba when his bedtime came around. Bubba was willing to share, though he wasn’t thrilled about being awakened from a pretty deep doggy sleep. She how his tail is wagging? That’s Bubba’s way of saying he’d even share the pillow. The cat is never so forgiving when she’s awakened.

But enough about that. The first day of 2009 is drawing to a close. Resolutions? I didn’t make any. As with Oedipus, I will be moved along by fate and any free will I exercise will only ensure that I get the fate that is mine. That’s a fancy literary way of saying I’m too lazy to bother with resolutions.

Okay, I suppose I should mention a few projects. Obviously, I want to finish The Girls Nobody Wanted to Date. I’m at 27,100 words. Then we’ll see if I can sell a young adult novel. I need to finish proofreading The Fetch and decide what I’m going to do with it. Young adult or not? I dunno. Too many important characters are adults; they can’t be cut or made younger, either. Inheritance is still laying around; a publisher liked it, but wants some serious changes, so I’m debating whether or not to go that route.  And, yes, I do plan to start the next volume of The Werewolf Saga. I’ve put that off for a while for a variety of reasons, one of the most important being the death of a major character. I don’t really want to face that. I promise it won’t be a Harry Potter-type death scene. Someone will really die. Forever. And it will happen in the first 100 pages.

Lots of people are glad to put 2008 in the grave. Eh. It wasn’t the best of times. It wasn’t the worst of times. For me, anyway. Just another year of getting older. Ulrik did finally see print, as did the new edition of Murdered by Human Wolves. Little Graveyard on the Prairie sold and almost saw print. The Prometheus Syndrome sold (coming in 2010). There was the super secret project that was done in about a month. I still have kind of a hangover concerning that one.

I met some really cool people in 2008, and got to see some really cool people I don’t get to see often enough. I missed Horrorfind for the first time since 2003, which sucked, but went to Texas Frightmare Weekend and ArmadilloCon for the first time, which was cool and provided meetings with some of the above-mentioned really cool people. No, no names. I’d forget too many. If we talked at a convention, you’re included here. I don’t recall meeting anybody this year I’d actively avoid. Hey, that isn’t always the case.

The only names I’ll mention are a couple of people I didn’t get to see: Marcy and G Italiano. They welcomed two beautiful twin boys into their lives last year. Man, are they cute! I mean, just look at them! I hope to get to see them in person before the new baby smell wears off. Like the homes of so many friends, though, Canada is just a long way from Oklahoma.