Because I have been asked...

Since some people are hazy about where in Minnesota I live, and so I would like to say that:

1) I live in St. Cloud, forty-five minutes away from the cities.

2) I am fine, my family and friends are fine.

3) I am nonetheless deeply heartbroken for the people who WERE on the bridge when it collapsed.

4) Moment of weirdness is that we now have to find a new route for our trip to the cities, which was planned on Friday and would have been in the vicinity of the bridge.

...

That said, life around here is peacefully chaotic. Zach, ignorant of all the horror stories you hear about newborn babies, behaves himself and is thoroughly enjoyable. When he cries, or fusses, then his diaper is dirty or he's hungry. Fix whichever the problem is and he settles back down. He spends lots of time awake, but he's quiet and peaceful. Just enjoys looking around. (Not that he can focus more than 15 inches in front of himself yet, but nevermind.)

Runt, one of our three sibling cats (and then we have our fourth non-related cat), is a deeply jealous and insecure cat who doesn't like having to compete for attention with other cats. He needs to be cuddled and felt loved. We always say he'd be a perfect old lady cat. We were curious to see how he'd do with the baby, since he tends to get scared and react with hostility toward new arrivals.

He is fascinated and fixated on the baby, in a non-violent way. He wants to be near Zach and lie by him, he acts in a non-afraid and comfortable manner. He acts different (more dignified and secure) around us now too. It's a complete change.

The other day, he found a way into the crib on accident. This Is A Bad Thing, and of course we've remedied the situation. It was no less adorable, though, to come in the bedroom and find Zach sound asleep with Runt curled up at his feet, just looking at him.

The other night, I wrote 2,500 words of Rome novel; the first thing I've written since about three weeks before Renee had the baby. I'm not back on track yet (and, having plenty of non-writing time to think and analyze it, I realize I've been off-track for years now) but maybe I'm getting there. I think I have a very long-winded article/post to write, mostly for my own benefit, talking about my writing and where it perhaps went wrong. Of course, that'll be for another day. My computer time is a bit limited these days, which is not entirely a bad thing.

I love Zach to death. Have I mentioned that? Honestly, he's great. Yessir, I will love him right up to the bit where he gets colic, and then I'm going to sell him to Wal-Mart production shops.

...

I got a haircut. I have short hair again. Profoundly weird. I look like a human being for example. Since everyone in the world prefers me with short hair ("it makes you look like an adult, and NOT a lemur") I have it now. I always mean to gather up my hair when they cut it and donate it to something useful, but I can never get up the courage to ask the nice (and not totally unattractive) girl who cuts me hair if she will please sweep my dead hair into a bag for me. For a good cause? Yes. Profoundly weird? Hoyeah.

Also, what is it with people in haircut places having really awful haircuts? How is this a good thing? You want a guy with a boring simple haircut and girls who very little hairstyle at all. You don't want them to have only half a head of hair which is spiked and looks bizarre and hungry. Do you? Of course not. Would you go to a doctor who was covered in scars and missing an eye, 'cuz he liked to practice? That's what I thought.

Whoops. Mr. Baby's awake. Off I go!