they must need bears

Climbing yesterday, figured out what I was doing wrong on that traverse (Did you know there are two footholds at the part I got stuck at? Because, er. I didn't. And I was using the higher and further-away one, which got me all wrong-footed.), got past it, and got stuck where I had been stuck before. As near as I can tell, the next move is "Stick your left foot in your ear and then stand up on it."

Maybe Wednesday.

However, I did manage three other 5.7s, two of which I had done before, but one of which was brand new to me and I got it on the first try, albeit with two falls and some dogging on the rope. I think I can do it comfortably next time, though, though I already know I will still have to rest on the overhang. This excites me, because it means there are three 5.7s in the gym I can do comfortably enough that I don't kill myself on them. Which means I can probably mostly-retire that 5.6 I've been doing mostly so that I didn't have to stop after two or three routes, because god knows I need the endurance training and the exercise.

I came home from last Wednesday's climbing with a mystery bruise in the palm of my left hand, where the ring finger and pinky run into it. It wasn't particularly sore, though there is one achy, firm-feeling, paler spot in the middle there. It seems to be fading out, though, and it doesn't impede my grip strength, mobility, or fine control, so I think I'm not going to fuss about it. Probably just trained a tendon on that (%&*(^)*&^ traverse.

With a 6 mile hike Sunday and a 4.5 mile walk today (After the hike and the climbing, I decided to give my calves and toes a break from running) which included two miles under pack, as I was bringing my groceries home, I'm feeling pretty all right with the world.

Also, hey, did you know that when nothing's screwing with my biochemistry, I'm halfway sane? It's pretty exciting, is what.

174.9 miles to Lothlorien. I'm climbing to Redhorn Pass, fearing snow. (With good reason!) Memo to me: Bear, you suck! Practice guitar today.

And now, I am going to go terminate a bagel with lox, with extreme prejudice. And then maybe read some more Elizabeth Moon and do some actual work of my actual own.

Some reasonably awesome news on the overseas front.

Blood & Iron is going to be a graphic novel in France, brought out by Soleil Productions. Or more precisely, three graphic novels--volume 1 is forthcoming in January '09 (tentatively), and a second and third volume should follow on a yearly schedule.

It will be a French translation, obviously. No word yet if or when there may be an English version, but as Soleil does work with Marvel, there is hope. (It may wind up being a little like that classic Late Night With David Letterman bit where he had a team of translators take the Beatles' "Yesterday" from English through six other languages and back again, but then again, that might be an improvement! You never know!)

This pleases me no end. As some of you know, B&I started life as a graphic novel script, so in a way it's come full circle. And I get to fulfull my twenty-year ambition of seeing the Kelpie on a splash page.*

So here's to a glorious future for Sang et Fer, yah?

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*::puts a quarter in the pun jar without even being ordered::

781 words. Huzzah! Okay, it took me all day to get them, but I got them, and I'm not convinced they're terrible.

Score.

I would go get a snack before I have to write my column for Storytellers Unplugged, but the cat has colonized my knee and is holding on with her claws.