I was having some trouble lately with planning my third novel, so I went swimming. Writers, when in doubt and confusion: go for a swim. It clears everything up. Especially on hot, muggy days. Or you could try ice cream with a friend. That is also wonderfully effective. Especially if it is yogurt ice cream—not frozen yogurt (a scandalous excuse for dessert), but yogurt-flavored ice cream. It is my new obsession.

On an unrelated topic, here is an awesome podcast of This American Life in which a scholar named Michael Camille goes to Medieval Times. Thanks, Karl, for telling me about this. I was sad to learn, though, that Camille died in 2002. How did I not know this?! He was a scholar among scholars. He wrote all sorts of great stuff about imaginative doodles on medieval manuscripts. ”Doodles?” you ask. “Like what?”

Like this:

 

There are also funny doodles of birds poking people in the butt, but I can’t seem to find any of those online. I bet you never thought that someone could make a living writing about birds poking people in the butt, but Michael Camille did. Hats off to you, Professor Camille.