Day: November 23, 2006

Fie on Howard and his psychological fu. He sent all the happy “My schlock book arrived” email my way. I simply cannot continue to feel discouraged over the mailing mistakes when the “hooray!” emails out number the mistakes by at least 10 to 1. I’ve gotten lots of commentary from overseas recipients saying that the pieces of cardboard DID protect the book as they were intended to do. Domestic recipients commented on the sturdy boxes. The boxes definitely are much more secure for domestic mailing than the padded envelopes we used last time. I do have one report of a box that was folded in half and shoved into a mailbox. The mailman in question must have used his knee or foot for that particular feat. I received kind words from someone who actually attended the release party thanking us for having a movie running for kids to watch. I’m glad that worked out so well, it was a last minute addition to the agenda. (For anyone throwing a party, if you have an animated movie running on a dry erase table with free food available, kids will be happy for a long time. They eat and draw on the table and watch the movie while the parents get to visit or game.) I even got an email from someone who hadn’t ordered a book at all, but just wanted to participate in the encouraging emails. That one made me laugh with delight.

Once again Schlock fans prove that they are kind and generous. We are so lucky to get to do this and to meet the fantastic people that Schlock has brought to us.

I am thankful that we are able to work from home creating Schlock Mercenary without having to work for anyone else.

I am thankful for all the wonderful volunteers who came to help with the book packing and got so much done in such a short period of time.

I am thankful for the volunteers who came to our house to help us move a ton of books, then stuck around to visit for an hour afterwards.

I am thankful for all the postal workers who have always been incredibly kind and helpful to me.

I am thankful to all the fans who buy books, tip Howard via paypal, or raid our Amazon wishlists. Without them we could not meet the needs of our family.

I am thankful for the house I live in.

I am thankful for nebulized albuterol without which we would have made a trip to the ER last night.

I am thankful for many other miracles of modern medicine which have preserved and improved the lives of me and mine.

I am thankful for the wonderful neighborhood that we enjoy and the neighbors who do so much to make it wonderful.

I am thankful for my family and Howard’s family who have always been so supportive of everything we choose to do.

I am thankful for my faith and my religion which give me strength in dark times and joy in bright times.

I am thankful for four healthy children.

I am thankful for Kiki who is growing so intelligent and responsible. She is a tremendous help with all the things that need doing around here.

I am thankful for Link who is always loving and willing to help someone else feel happy.

I am thankful for Gleek who does so much to enliven our days and make us laugh.

I am thankful for Patches who gives great big hugs.

I am thankful for Howard who works so hard to support us all and who makes me laugh every day.

The list is much longer than this, but food needs cooking.