I know, I could be dead. You haven’t heard from me since THURSDAY. And it is SUNDAY. I’m not dead. I promise.
Vacation has been amazing, and it’s been too long since I’ve had one, and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying every single minute of it. So many adventures have been had. Many photos have been taken. Many memories have been made. R. and A. and Baby CeeVee and I have had just the best time. (Well, *I* have. I assume they also have, unless they’re pretending they have and they’re VERY good at pretending.)
Things are winding down now – off to bed early tonight so we can get up early tomorrow so I can get to the train station on time, and then I should be back home in the late afternoon sometime. Then back to work on Tuesday morning and many things happening – appointments, plays to see with friends, lots of fancy things. I know. I’m kind of a busy one, right?
As a teaser…here are some things I’ve been doing in Baltimore, which is a most excellent and historic city.

Me and Baby CeeVee! It was a lovely day in the park. She had her first picnic. Look, you can see the Chesapeake Bay behind us!
We will talk more about ALL of these things at a future time. ALL OF THEM! In DETAIL! And listen, these aren’t even the BEST photos!!! These are just TEASER photos! SO MANY THINGS HAPPENED!
Off I go to get ready for bed for a day of traveling tomorrow. Oh, also, just so you know? I am 85% done with Joe Hill’s NOS4A2 and holy CRAP. I want to read it faster than fast and get it done because I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.
Happy Sunday night, all. Home tomorrow! With many stories! I totally took you all with me, even though I kind of forgot to tweet as much as I wanted to. Sorry. I was enjoying vacation an awful damn lot.
May 5th, 2013 at 8:09 pm
I was starting to get worried woman! Glad you are having fun.
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May 5th, 2013 at 8:42 pm
Best time! Back to reality tomorrow. Blergh. (Luckily, reality is pretty good, so it’ll be fine.)
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May 7th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
Best kind of reality! We should also plan our adventure soon!
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May 5th, 2013 at 8:15 pm
You are much further into NOS4R2 than I am, but I agree 100% with your Holy Crap.
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May 5th, 2013 at 8:41 pm
So, so good. Don’t know if I love it more than his other two books, though – he’s consistently amazing.
You’re watching Under the Dome this summer, I hope? We’ll have to discuss. It’ll be like old times. (I still remember laughing hysterically with you over the end of the TV version of The Langoliers.)
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May 5th, 2013 at 8:43 pm
Oh, absolutely.
And when I see you in September, remind me to tell you the story of how I met Stephen King and how cool and composed I very much wasn’t.
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May 5th, 2013 at 8:45 pm
You did NOT. Holy HELL. (I met Kevin Smith! I was similarly uncool!)
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May 5th, 2013 at 8:59 pm
I like the rhino butt. You should have mentioned cute baby pic – that seems to drive in the viewers on youtube. Even better if you had put a kitten with baby Ceevee.
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May 6th, 2013 at 2:37 pm
Hmm. I did forget to take a photo of the cat where I was staying. That would have been Internet GOLD!
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May 5th, 2013 at 9:41 pm
I am well-acquainted with cute babies, and that, my friend, is a cute baby.
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May 6th, 2013 at 2:25 pm
She IS a cute baby! Just the cutest! And so happy! She only fussed a little when I was there, and I never even once heard the full-on cry! She’s so good-natured!
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May 5th, 2013 at 10:35 pm
It doesn’t look like a vampire tomb; it looks a bit more like a door to me, like if I knock a very curmudgeonly but dignified leprechaun in tweed will step out and answer the door.
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May 6th, 2013 at 2:23 pm
There were a lot of these doors. I think they were so more dead people could be put in the tomb. OR HUMAN SACRIFICES MUAH-HA-HA.
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May 6th, 2013 at 2:09 am
Joe Hill as in even Stephen King’s son Joe Hill? Read, woman! What are you doing on here when you should be reading! :P
Glad you had a great time, and even if your friends were pretending, it doesn’t matter because you had a great time anyway, right?!
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May 6th, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Yes, that’s the one! I finished the book last night (even though I should have been sleeping, I couldn’t wait) and it was AMAZING. Review forthcoming!
I did have a great time, and if they were pretending, they’re continuing with the facade, because R. just texted me they miss me already. I think they had a good time, too! :)
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May 6th, 2013 at 7:45 pm
Ooh, I look forward to your review! I’m in the process or reading ‘Horns’, but it’s been put on hold for ‘We Need to Talk about Kevin’.
I’m sure they had a great time, I was just teasing. How could they not have a great time with you? They’re probably not having a very great time now because you’re not there. You made their year!
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May 6th, 2013 at 9:19 pm
I have a ton of reviews to catch up on this week – I read a lot of books/Kindle shorts over the break.
Aw, I don’t think I made their year! They have the best kiddo EVER. She most likely made their year. She’s WONDROUS!
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May 6th, 2013 at 10:07 pm
Just teasing again. I wish there was a sarcasm/hyperbole font on the internet. I would use the heck out of it! :P
All the best! Happy review writing!
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May 6th, 2013 at 10:41 pm
Don’t worry. I assume MOST things said on the internet are snarky. I’m not at all offended!
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May 6th, 2013 at 10:55 pm
I promise I’m not being snarky in a bitchy way! I just tend to go a bit overboard sometimes.
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May 6th, 2013 at 10:59 pm
You are not in the least bit overboard! I promise. I will tell you what one of my most beloved friends told me once: you’re part of my tribe now. Speak freely. Don’t worry about offending. Being part of the tribe means you get to say what you want and don’t have to worry about offending or tone or anything along those lines. Most sincerely.
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May 6th, 2013 at 11:24 pm
This pleases me to no end. Thanks for understanding. Sometimes stuff sounds different in my head :P I guess that’s the problem with non face-to-face interaction.
Yay, I’m part of your tribe!
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May 7th, 2013 at 7:52 am
The internet makes us all sound more sarcastic than we are. Which is difficult, because I’m already WAY sarcastic.
You are part of the tribe! No face-painting necessary, either. We’re a very laid-back tribe.
(I meant to ask, are you liking what you’ve read of “Horns” so far?)
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May 7th, 2013 at 5:13 pm
I was loving ‘Horns’! It’s a bit unusual, but I love the whole concept of it. I’m wondering if I guessed the twist, but I really hope not because I hate books that are predictable enough that someone can guess the ending. I have faith yet!
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May 7th, 2013 at 6:40 pm
Oh, I hope you didn’t guess it! There are a lot of twists, and if it’s the one I’m thinking of, it’s ok if you guess it…it’s almost expected…but there’s a bigger one I hope you *don’t* guess!
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May 8th, 2013 at 3:37 am
Aw, now I want to put ‘Kevin’ on hold and finish off ‘Horns’. Actually, I might just do that. :D Thanks for the encouragement!
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May 8th, 2013 at 7:57 am
They’re both wonderful. I can’t tell you to read one or the other, because I totally want to discuss BOTH with you!
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May 8th, 2013 at 4:23 pm
I will try to finish them both as quickly as I can! I’m just a bit pressed for time at the mo’, as I’m sure you know.
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May 8th, 2013 at 7:54 pm
Take your time! Don’t let my boundless enthusiasm rush you. School is more important!
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May 9th, 2013 at 12:34 am
No, it’s fine! I need a bit of a push; I think I’ve been watching too much TV.
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May 9th, 2013 at 7:58 am
You’re watching really GOOD TV, though. I can’t even complain. Your TV choices are stellar.
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May 9th, 2013 at 9:38 am
Why yes I am! Buffy, Angel, House, Daria, Doctor Who (and a few Aussie ones)…I do, however, have some guilty pleasure TV watching, which I’m probably not going to admit to, because then you COULD complain.
My problem is that there are too many good TV shows.
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May 9th, 2013 at 8:20 pm
Nothing wrong with guilty pleasure TV shows. I have a ton of them.
I’m planning on starting Doctor Who for the first time this summer, per sj’s encouragement!
There are SO MANY good TV shows. I’m about 4 months behind on watching mine. It’ll get better once the summer starts and there aren’t as many shows on.
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May 9th, 2013 at 9:01 pm
I promise you that you’ll LUURVE Doctor Who. It’s the best.
I forgot to mention The Walking Dead. Great show! I’m a little behind on it though; it’s finished its season but I’m still catching up :P
(By the way, I love reading about your adventures in Baltimore!)
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May 9th, 2013 at 10:33 pm
I think I will love it. All my most intelligent friends watch it and love it, so I don’t think I can go wrong there.
Ooh, yes. The Walking Dead is good. I am currently also in love with Game of Thrones, and can not WAIT for season 3 of the BBC’s Sherlock.
Yay, I’m glad you like them! Two more posts, I think – just finished tomorrow, and I think one more, if it’s not too long and I don’t break it into two parts!
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May 9th, 2013 at 10:39 pm
I haven’t watched Game of Thrones. Have you read the books? I’m wondering whether to read them first. And yes, Sherlock! Such a great appropriation :D
(I wouldn’t mind if you broke that last one into two parts…spreading the enjoyment over two days :P )
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May 9th, 2013 at 10:43 pm
I just started the very last book, but it’ll take me a long time to get through – I’m reading other books in tandem with it. I’d say yes, read the books first. They’re brilliant. I love the show very much, but I love the books so, so much more.
Isn’t that Sherlock AMAZING? The relationship between Sherlock and Holmes is one of the best things on television. It’s some of the best acting being done anywhere at all. I’m utterly blown away by it.
Ha, we’ll see. The last day I was there we didn’t do the MOST things. We were kind of exhausted. It was a long few days with much adventure! But it might be two posts. I talk, as you know, a LOT. Whether I have anything to say or not, sometimes.
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May 9th, 2013 at 11:22 pm
Yay! More books to read! I’ve got the first one sitting on my shelf…just to move it up on my to-read list after ‘Kevin’ and ‘Horns’ :P
It is utterly amazing. I love Martin Freeman, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen Benedict Cumberbatch, but he’s brilliant :D Now I feel like rewatching them…
No pressure! I love reading whatever you write!
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May 10th, 2013 at 7:55 am
You are reading so many books I can’t wait to discuss with you! That’s exciting – what a great thing to look forward to!
I think I should re-watch Sherlock before Season 3, myself. I definitely need to re-watch the finale. I STILL don’t know how he did the jump!
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May 10th, 2013 at 8:48 pm
There are so many theories as to how he survived, and I’m intensely interested to see how Moffatt gets away with it.
In other news, I watched the first two episodes of Buffy season six last night – wow.
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May 11th, 2013 at 12:29 am
I’m terrible at seasons. Season 6 is…right after the big death, right? (I’m trying to be non-spoily in case I’m wrong.)
I KNOW! Friends and I have been shooting theories back and forth for the longest time! (I want Moriarty to be still alive. Can Moriarty be still alive? I LOVE the dynamic between him and Sherlock!!!)
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May 11th, 2013 at 12:52 am
Yeah, that’s right. Poor robot-Buffy is dead now :(
That would be so awesome if Moriarty is still alive. I didn’t even think of that! Their dynamic is just the greatest. The whole show really. Pure brilliance!
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May 11th, 2013 at 9:41 pm
Andreas (my most impressive science fellow and all-around wonderful friend) thinks Moriarty might be alive, because we didn’t actually see him dead, and the shooting could have been staged. I hope so. Moriarty is too good to kill off! And his body was missing…fingers crossed!
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May 11th, 2013 at 11:44 pm
That would make a tonne of sense! Fingers crossed indeed!!
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May 6th, 2013 at 6:40 am
So awesome! I’m coming to Baltimore for a few weeks between this month and next. The last time I was out there, I ate a lot of crab cakes. I thought of using it as a springboard for some other trips like NYC and DC.
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May 6th, 2013 at 2:20 pm
You are? That’s so awesome! I actually didn’t have any crab cakes, but I had crab pizza, does that count?
YES! You can get to NYC from Baltimore on the Amtrak in about 3 hours, and DC even more quickly (that’s really close – I think it might have been the next stop farther from the Baltimore stop when I was on my way there.) You’ve been to Baltimore before, then? It’s amazing, right? I thought I’d like it, but I had no idea I’d like it that much! It’s just such an amazing town! So, so beautiful!
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May 7th, 2013 at 4:36 am
Last time I was there, I loved it. I spent more time hanging out with friends and partying last time, but this time I’m hoping to get out and see some stuff when I’m not working. There’s a long weekend in there somewhere and I have a few friends in the area, so I should get plenty of opportunities.
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May 7th, 2013 at 7:50 am
Yay, awesome! I hope you get to have some adventures! I can’t wait to hear all about it! I’m blogging all this week about all the things we did, so maybe you’ll get some ideas?
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May 6th, 2013 at 7:13 am
My day would not have been complete without a healthy dose of rhino butt. Thank you!
(So glad your vacation was awesome.)
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May 6th, 2013 at 2:18 pm
It was great! On my way home now, will be there in two hours!
Wait til you see all the OTHER photos! I saw so many animals! Baltimore has SO MANY THINGS OF WONDER!!!
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May 6th, 2013 at 3:49 pm
I used to go to a place in Baltimore called Ram’s Head Live for concerts. I loved it. I haven’t been there in years.
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May 6th, 2013 at 9:14 am
God forbid that rhino get drunk at the office party and try to photocopy his bum!
Baby Cee Vee! AWWW!
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May 6th, 2013 at 2:16 pm
OMG, totally broken copier!
She is PERFECTION! I have a couple more photos of her and holy whoa, is this kid photogenic! And we were the best of friends! She would see me and giggle! (Mostly because I was shameless about making wacky noises and faces, but I’m not even embarrassed about that!)
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May 6th, 2013 at 1:48 pm
This picture is the best. You are the best. I’m not even going to make you feel guilty about how empty my inbox has been without you. NOT A EUPHEMISM!!!
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May 6th, 2013 at 2:14 pm
Those aren’t even the GOOD pictures! (Well, the Baby CeeVee one is. Every photo with that kiddo is the best. She is AMAZING!) Wait til you see the rest! One of them could be the cover of the aquarium brochure and I have no idea how it turned out so clear!!!
I missed YOU! I will start to inundate you with email…NOW!
Totally a euphemism. I watched the 50 Shades musical this weekend, and there was much talk of filling boxes, so I know a good euphemism when I hear one.
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May 6th, 2013 at 3:23 pm
“A vampire tomb” = the best!!!!
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May 6th, 2013 at 3:34 pm
Ooh, just wait! There are SO MANY spooky cemetery photos upcoming!
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May 6th, 2013 at 6:17 pm
I used to live on the Chesapeake! (But on the other shore of it.) Aw. love that place. Also, Baltimore is a really cool city. I like it there.
I think it is fine to have lots of fun and not blog or even (gasp) tweet! Although I do love the stories on the other side. :)
Very cute baby. (Verity!)
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May 6th, 2013 at 9:20 pm
There will be many stories! Just finished recapping day one, it’ll be up tomorrow!
The Chesapeake is gorgeous! The whole city blew me away. It was so historic! So many old buildings! I was just so in love!
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May 7th, 2013 at 2:37 am
Rhino butt! Score! I’m anxiously awaiting more on the vampire tomb :)
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May 7th, 2013 at 7:51 am
Stay tuned! 11:45 today!
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May 7th, 2013 at 9:47 am
I need to go to Baltimore. Especially for the vampire tombs.
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May 7th, 2013 at 10:51 pm
Randomly, this got marked as spam. Why do you think that is? The mention of vampire tombs? Strange.
Yes. Yes, you do. Because it is awesome. Also, because potential vampire tombs.
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May 7th, 2013 at 3:40 pm
Sounds like you had a great time! Rhino butt is a great view because it means it’s not charging towards you.
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May 7th, 2013 at 6:42 pm
He was too busy eating to charge. Hungry guy, that rhino!
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May 7th, 2013 at 4:03 pm
Heh. You said “butt”. <– said in my best Beavis & Butthead voice ;-)
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May 8th, 2013 at 11:39 pm
Did not know you were in my neck of the woods. Hope you had fun in Baltimore!
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May 9th, 2013 at 7:58 am
I had the best time! Where are you, Tara? In Baltimore? I’m terrible, I never know where anyone is!
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May 9th, 2013 at 10:33 pm
Actually, I am south in Richmond,VA.
Baltimore is a cool city though and we have friends in Towson so we are up there quite a bit.
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May 9th, 2013 at 10:34 pm
R. went to grad school at Towson! It IS a cool city, I fell in love with it!
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