I just cranked out 5,000 words today and I’m still behind.  Mustn’t stop, mustn’t stop, mustn’t stop…

(Happy Thanksgiving, Americans.  And, following quickly on its heels, Happy Rampant Commercialism Day.  Hope none of you got trampled to death outside of Walmart.  [I slept in and played around all day with my husband and child.  And typed.  Oh, mercy, how I typed.])

I’m still planning on updating this Tuesday.  Although, it does happen that Tuesday is the first day that I won’t be frantically writing so I don’t know exactly what I’ll be posting.  Probably just a whiny rant when I inevitably fail.  Tune in next week to find out!

I’ve got all sorts of excuses for the lack of communication the last three weeks.  I could mention that Robert had a fish conference at the same time as he  was trying to put in his NSF grant proposal, simultaneously making me a single mother and an edit monkey.  I could mention that Aaron, that nursing infant that’s still around, and I have both been sick.  I could mention that I got a new calling at church that eats up probably about three times the amount of time and energy the last one did.  I could also mention that I’m a superhero that’s having trouble balancing my super life and my mild mannered alter ego.  (Who here’s ever played three truths and a lie?)

But the reality is that I only have time for one pointless hobby and, right now, Sussurations is not it.  It’ll stay that way through November.  (Distracted again!  Curse you, Nanowrimo!)  So check  back that first Tuesday in December and I can almost guarantee that I’ll have something up by the end of the day.  Almost.

So I was literally walking with Gulliver to the scanner to scan in the update when a housemate set Aaron on a chair in our kitchen and the little guy, of course, arched his back and dove headlong into the hardwood floor.  An ambulance came and said we should take him to the hospital, so in we went to the emergency room to get his little head checked out while he flirted with the nurses.  He was perfectly alright, but it kind of killed the day.  So, day late, dollar short, here’s the update.  At least it’s four times bigger than usual.  (Is it really a dollar short if it’s bigger than usual?  Or is it a few dollars in excess?  Like a late fee.)  I can make myself feel a little better that way.  Hooray for high school prom!

PS- Politics aside, you have to admire any human being who can swivel a hula hoop around her hips 142 times.

Aaron turned three months old yesterday.  My little man’s getting so old!  It’s strange.  On the one hand, it feels like it really hasn’t been that long, but, on the other, it seems like he’s been around forever.  What would I do without my Peanut?  Seriously, marrying Robert was probably the best decision I ever made.  Having Aaron was next best.

But you probably don’t care!  You want to know about the comic!  And the decision that I have reached is that, yes, sadly, Stephanie v. Copy Machine has come to an end.  Thanks to all the loyal readers.  (Maybe we’re up to three by now!)  I hope you’ve enjoyed the comic as much as I have.  Thanks especially to the KBML staff who let me make fun of them on the world wide web and still spoke to me come Monday!  Maybe I’ll pick the comic up again later and do another chapter or something, but, for the time being, we will move on to bigger and dumber things.  So, Robert and I will now take two weeks to scheme, meditate and otherwise prepare for our hostile takeover of the world the new comic.  In the meantime, if anyone is interested in doing guest comics, creative writing, or art, feel free to shoot me an email with the tasteful, G-rated goodness.  (Like I’m always tasteful and G-rated.)  If nobody bites, I will nonetheless do my best to continue to entertain you with doodles and whatnot on Tuesdays and Thursdays by 11 a.m. Alaska time.  Such as this fine piece, incomplete with internet-choppy-halfness.  Enjoy!

I’m having a heck of a time with this kid’s sleep schedule!  Maybe he’s still too young for a real schedule, but, sheesh!  Sometimes he sleeps eight hours at night, sometimes fourteen.  Sometimes he naps, sometimes he doesn’t.  It makes keeping a schedule myself rather difficult.  Being rather sleep deprived myself, I can’t decide whether or not this page should be the last page of the comic.  There’s more I have planned, but this seems so succinct.

Baby and I have had a busy morning.  The update will come when he decides to take a nap.  I don’t know when that may be.

UPDATE:  Didn’t sleep – did it anyway – hes angry

I’ve been planning on doing this page for ages.  Anyone who doesn’t catch the reference shall be punished by flogging with a pointy plastic action figure.

So, I’m arguing with the scanner.  (I thought these days were over.)  Since I’m helpless without Robert on these sorts of things, I probably won’t be able to get it sorted out until after he gets home.  But it’s also municiple elections today, so I’ll likely go do that and then do the comic.  So it’ll be up, just later this evening.  (Which is probably more like early morning for most of you.)

Until then, enjoy this rather impressive and probably inexpensive music video.  Fun and good exercise!

UPDATE:

First off, Robert and I are singing Lion King songs to Aaron.  I don’t know why.  It just happened.

Second, after downloading, updating, running, rebooting, waiting for planets to align, and sacrificing a small goat, the scanner spontaneously decided to start working.  (I think it was because Robert was in the room and I swore up and down I could NOT get it to work.) So, have a comic.

Second and a halfth, my husband and I have joined forces to decide what the next comic series will be.  And it will be so nerdy that IT WILL BLOW YOUR MINDS.  Guesses are welcome, if you feel so inclined.

Third, it is the anniversary of the invention of the bar code.  Happy birthday, bar code.  (Am I the only one who goes to the Google title image to see what holiday it is?)

Fourth, I signed up for NaNoWriMo today!  So, come December, you all might get to see some chapter of that.  (I hate letting people read things I’m still working on.  Ask my poor husband.)

Fifth, thanks to everyone who sent their condolences about the subaquatic crawlspace.

And finally, this laptop shall henceforth be known as GULLIVER.

Alas!  Whilst upon the brink of triumph, trouble was brewing underfoot.  In the basement, to be specific.  A pipe eroded and exploded, submerging our crawlspace and my family’s stuff in three feet of water.  (Robert and I rent his parents’ house while they’re down in Juneau and sublet the room to a bunch of savage animals called ’single men’;  we’re largely responsible for making sure they don’t break the shower, dent the ceiling, and set the floor on fire.  OH WAIT.  Well, at least we make sure the rent gets paid on time.  OH WAIT.  Sigh.) So, not only did we have to deal with all that over my precious, precious weekend, my parents-in-law are coming up this week to survey the damage and decide what to do with the damaged stuff from downstairs, much of it having a great deal of sentimental value, no doubt.  So I’ve been frantically cleaning my house at every moment my child will let me set him down, in a desperate attempt to win their approval, which I feel is constantly in jeopardy.  (Must be an in-law thing, because they’re actually really nice people.)  Yesterday I was watching the other baby and then today I was watching two small children while their parents painted their house.  Today was further occupied by taking my perfectly trusting and loving child in to some mean old quack who made his lackey stab his legs repeatedly and shove things in his mouth.  (Two-month appointment = immunizations)  Furthermore, IT SNOWED!  First snow!  Woo-hoo!

So, the crawlspace thing is still not sorted through entirely.  It would probably be unfair of me to tell you to expect an update by Thursday, or probably even next Tuesday.  Sorry.  Life has struck again.  Boo.

Guess who got a new laptop?  Moi.  Hubby’s is in the mail, but I got one quicker and cheaper.  Why?  ‘Cause Chris is my new favorite housemate.  Now I  just need to get it all hooked up to the scanner and live happily ever after.  Just thought you all should know so that I have no excuses when I don’t update next Tuesday.

Now I just need to figure out a name.  Lappy?  Hal?