Calm Before the Storm

I finished editing Life is a Zoo last week, but I still feel that the book is unfinished. I like the flow, but I have two problem points: the exposition at the end of the book is too tell-all confession; there isn't enough peeling back plot layers to discover what has happened. Second, I don't thing my antagonist is scary enough. I mean, he's a skinwalker. These are some of the baddest-of-the-bad guys in Native American mythology, and he's coming across as too normal. I'm still trying to figure out how I can make him seem like more of threat. Not just because he kills people, but because of what he is.

I also finished up two books this week, my re-read of Thunderbird Falls (which took forever; I'm always so much slower when I'm re-reading something), and Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Overall, I didn't think that the book was as creepy as the movie, but there was one line that got me. I'm paraphrasing a little since I don't have the book in front of me, but it's something like:

Coraline: "Swear it."
Other Mother: "I swear on my mother's grave."
Coraline: "Does she even have one?"
Other Mother: "Of course. I put her there myself. And when I caught her trying to crawl out, I put her right back."

Seriously. Shivers. And this is a kids book?

To do:
-print 2 chemical fact sheets for chemistry
-re-read information on conservation of bronze and iron
-write at least 7 pages of my thesis
-find photos to insert into thesis
-update conservation cards for all archaeology objects worked on (five total)
-create a presentation on a chemistry article (find updated information for presentation, since the article I'm writing about is from 1986)
-Pack for Dublin.

We leave on Monday morning, a week from tomorrow. That's what I'm holding on to at the moment: If I can get through this week, then by next week I'll be in Ireland.

It kind of makes Exams feel worth it.