The Marci Rating System

Would it really count as a story by me if it didn't have a cat in it?

The cat gave her a withering look, but obligingly sat down and did -- something. He blinked, and suddenly there was a completely average cat sitting in front of them. The cat glared at him like it could read his thoughts, and he quickly amended them. A very beautiful cat, just as majestic as the Spotted Cat, but significantly less likely to draw attention in a group of humans.

He looked at Master Yu, who shrugged. He looked at Xiao Wu, who beamed at him and didn’t seem to think anything was strange at all.

*Oh, the things we look up for writing purposes. Today's internet search: 'do rabbits kiss?'

*I have now written exactly six sentences so far today. They are not connected.

*Here are some sentences from yesterday instead:

“You’re not making any sense,” Er Long said, from much closer than he expected, and he swayed backwards to focus on her face. “Who could have died?”

“It’s like the tide.” He tried to wave his hand to demonstrate. “Don’t tell Lan De,” he said.

Her eyes went wide. “You could have died? Are you dying now?”

(PS: He is not dying. No one is dying! They are all fine!)

Next Sunday is the LAST Sunday of nanowrimo! WHAT?!?!

And lo, the Sunday six:

“There were a weird amount of questions about the days of the Alliance, is what happened.” Daqing settled his head on his paws. “Very suspicious, if you ask me.”

“I just did ask you.” He rubbed the spot between Daqing’s ears, and the purr got louder. “Do you really think it was suspicious?”

DAY 1: AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Also, six sentences for the Sunday six:

He stumbled over dirt and bits of concrete and he willed himself to go faster.

The criminal’s voice echoed even louder. “Is this what you wanted? I’ll end us both!”

“No!” He burst onto the walkway with too much momentum to stop.

Me: ::looks at current word count:: Oh, 300 words! That's a good amount, wow, good job, me. Guess I've got plenty of time to go do other things now!

Me: ::looks at goal word count for the day::

Me: ...Ah. I see.

1. Coffee! (Getting a cup of coffee was one of the things I looked forward to about going to work. Sometimes the only thing, other than, you know, getting paid. And I tried to replace it with 'not having to commute,' which is indeed a very good thing that I love, but it turns out there was still a place in my heart for coffee. Even now, I am looking forward to having some tomorrow morning!)

2. I was getting a little concerned when my local grocery store did not have ANY Everything Bagel Seasoning this week, but Mom found some at a different store and now I am restocked! Thanks, Mom!

3. One more food-related good thing: a while back I had a coupon for cheese and I ended up with more sliced cheese than even I could reasonably eat before it went bad, so I did the 'layer it with parchment paper and freeze it' thing. And I can now say with some confidence that the cheese that was frozen and then thawed was still very delicious!

4. The weather! After several days of high heat and high humidity, today is refreshingly cool and breezy. And still sunny!

5. The CDC guidelines for workplaces give me a small amount of hope that I might not have to go back to the office in three weeks. (And if we do go back, maybe the company will *finally* address the incredibly poor layout, instead of just endlessly saying they are discussing it.) I'll take a small hope any day!

6. The cat generously let me sleep in for an extra hour today. Yay sleep! (And yay cats!)

1. I have EIGHT fic update notifications sitting in my inbox waiting for me to read them -- I am inundated with riches!

2. This week I left the windows open while I slept for the first time this year!

3. I walked for a short distance on the rail trail yesterday for the First Time Ever, and it was A) Fun, and B) Not Scary!

4. It's outdoor plant day! Time to go home and pick up plants from Mom! <3

5. The hummingbirds are back!



6. I rearranged the living room furniture on Friday (one of my favorite home activities), and the cat has decided it is An Acceptable Change -- success!

Six good things!

1. It was warm enough yesterday to open the windows for real (all the way open, for several hours), AND it is supposed to be warm enough to do the same today!

2. Got my new monitor from work and the setup was so much easier than I'd been anticipating!

3. I'm going to a hardware store today (the first non-grocery-store trip in at least seven weeks, and I'm very excited. (I have a list!)

4. This looks fun! Millennium Running 'Crushin' It' 6-week Challenge

5. Strawberries for breakfast!

6. Gave myself a haircut yesterday, which has the dual benefits of A) now my hair is shorter, and B) I don't need to fit a haircut into today!

Six good things from this week.

1. The Rainbow Connection video. (aka "10 days, 50+ friends, and a lot of free time to make some magic!")

2. Also in music, my phone popped up 'Seasons of Love' from Rent in shuffle play yesterday, and I was like, 'YES PLEASE.' It was great.

3. On a training call for work this week, the presenter used the phrase "work pajamas." (As in, "I'm not sharing my video, because I'm in my work pajamas.")

4. Everything Bagel Seasoning. It's delicious. Makes every reheated meal taste better than ever.

5. Found my sewing machine; figured out how to thread the needle AND do the thing with the bobbin. A miracle.

6. Heard the spring peepers last night for the first time this season! <3 <3 <3

1. Pictures & posts from family! <3 <3 <3

2. So many WIP updates from amazing authors this week!

3. Ten Percent Happier is doing a five minute meditation every weekday at 3pm (US Eastern time). (Sometimes there's a cat!)

4. Today's forecast: sunny.

5. The Killers debuted 'Caution' live in Brandon Flowers' bathroom -- and appeared to be having an absolutely fantastic time doing so.

6. My new coworker!

But it's a Holiday Weekend, so it totally almost kind of counts!

I did, technically, write six sentences. Uh, today. They're not exactly connected.

("It's not completely formed in the classical sense yet. It's more a kind of string of words that you can connect in almost any way." -Music & Lyrics)

But I did write them! And in celebration of that, here's two sentences I did not write today.

“We could be having this conversation somewhere comfortable,” Da Qing interrupted. “With snacks.”