Word count: Just to get it out of the way. 5206. Not bad, just not as far along as I would have liked. I'm happy with what I do have down, however, so that's a good thing. Will keep plugging away.

Received my second rejection for my first book, and had the next query out that afternoon. Yahoo for me. Didn't even have a cry or anything. Thicker skin, please keep growing.

Started exercising a couple of weeks ago, and I still don't know how I feel about it. I know I SHOULD exercise, of course (just like I know I should quit smoking and not drink so much coffee and not walk out into the sun without sunscreen) and I do feel better afterward, but slogging away on the various instruments of torture found in a gym isn't really that much fun. And sweating in that self same gym isn't much fun either.

However, I did see a local minor celeb cycling to nowhere the last time I was there. Actually, I nearly knocked him down as we both came around a corner, me going away from the bikes, and he on his way to them. He's short. Are all guys on TV short? Or is that another misconception I have? It feels like I have a lot of those, lately.

Or maybe the feeling is coming from trying to establish whether I think the way I do for good reasons, and not just because I do. I don't know if that makes much sense, but it started when I read an article that asserts that science fiction writers generally develop worlds that have either no religion, or a "bad" religion, because they are basically too lazy to go the extra mile and really think about what religion would look like in their made up world. In other words, they are putting their own world view to their new world without thinking about it much at all. I found I got angry when I read the article, and decided I needed to understand what was pissing me off about it.

The author's supposition was that those who say they are not religious insert science or technology or humanism as their religion -- in other words, the non religious are religious, just about non religious things, and everybody needs to recognize that about themselves. I think that it was the patronizing tone that got to me, because I know that I try not to simply believe for the sake of belief. That is a bad road to go down, as far as I can tell. I do know that I have difficulty seeing the point the "other side" tries to make, sometimes, and I know I sometimes DO think that they are allowing belief (in whatever form) to cloud their judgment. But I do give it a try, anyhow. I don't just write them off as unthinking idiots. At least I try not to.

My husband and I are planning a trip to Europe, and the first volleys were fired over various bows last night. Yeah, I know, this should be fun, what would we be fighting about, etc etc. Well, we were "having a discussion' about where we would go. First time to Europe for both of us, and I had visions of a whirlwind excursion through as much as we could see in 14 days, while he had something a little more relaxing in mind. However, neither of us would actually come out and say that until very late in the conversation. (Really. It stayed a conversation for most of it.) Then, we put aside our arms, and decided a little more research was in order -- to see if we could fill both our dreams, without resorting to coercion or violence. Fairly mature of us. I hope it works. I really want to go and see some of it -- the age blows my mind. There are towns that were established 2000 years ago. 2000. I come from a country that celebrated birthday number 139. I want to drink in the history, if only to get a better perspective on my own.