I have one of those colds that comes out of nowhere, the kind that wakes you in the middle of the night with a nasty sore throat and you think, "Where the hell did this come from?"
I was ON FIRE on Monday, working really well, being very creative. I came home and ran on the treadmill before supper - I really did! I was so pleased to be working out and not feeling any pain in any joints.
then 3 am Tuesday morning, BAM. So I've been fighting this cold since then but I did too much yesterday so now it is settled into my left sinus (by this afternoon, it will have switched to my right sinus) and my larnyx.
Yes, folks, I have no voice.
"Whooopeeee!" my husband said this morning when he found out.
He thought that was hysterically funny.
"It hasn't affected my ears," I told him.
Thankfully, I was able to send my book proposal to an agent who responded ON THE SAME DAY I SENT THE QUERY LETTER - pause for a moment in respect of that unusual occurrence - and said of my letter and Chapter One, "It's very good." She requested the proposal and has now said I can expect to hear from her in a month. Well, it's almost December so likely January which is fine because this coming month is so busy.
The big obstacle to getting an agent and finding a publisher is proving that my book is unique enough to compete with the other memoirs about taking care of a parent with dementia that are on the market. And there are a lot. A new one just came out that links a mother's dementia with her recipes. That's how narrow the uniqueness margin is. So no worries, no pressure. Just a teeny tiny wedge of the market for my book to squeeze into. No problem.
Wish me luck.

Now, I am going back to bed because, well, I feel like crap and the wind is blowing hard and it's a cold, bitter wind even though it's sunny and I have to get feeling well enough to put up the outdoor Christmas lights this afternoon because we always have the house lit up by the time my in-laws drive back from the Christmas parade in Oxford, which is tonight.
Whoopee!

*******
Have nixed the plan to hang lights. The wind is too cold, even for me. I still feel like a barrel of crap (upgraded from bag) so I took a cold pill and will do up my notes for my next In Conversation With... piece and write my New Year's column. Yes, it's time for that already. We do up our weekly paper early and I'll be away and I already know what I want to say, short and sweet, so I might as well do it while under the influence of drugs.