As of about 3:15 today, I am now a legal worker and resident in the UK for the next two years! Hurray! Patrick & I traveled out to Liverpool for the application, which meant two hours on the train and subway followed by a thorough security search and then several long waits (punctuated by brief interviews) in a room filled with intimidating signs. ("Ali gave us a false name and country of origin. He was arrested for twelve months." Etcetera.) Not a calming atmosphere. I was massively jittery, despite the fact I knew there was no reason for us to be turned down. And--guess what? The fee doubled on April 1st, unbeknownst to us! So we have paid massively for the privilege, but hurray, hurray, I'm legal and here to stay. (At least for the next two years! I know what we'll be doing on April 29, 2007...)

And now I have a really snazzy, glittery, multi-colored certificate in my passport. Very cool. :)

Other than that, I'm nearly done with the (gasp) sixth major revision of Masks & Shadows, and I'm reading the most fascinating non-fiction book I've read in ages--Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment, by James Gaines. It's wonderfully well-written, fast-paced, funny and strange, and I can already feel new novel ideas simmering away in me as I read it. (My favorite kind of book to read!)

I had a chocolate cheesecake round in the Liverpool train station Costa cafe to celebrate this afternoon, and now Patrick is reheating yummy stir-fry for dinner.

Happy weekend, everybody!