(Insert Theme to "Jeopardy" Here)

There were a few times during this project when I worried that I was caught in some freaky time-space continuum loop and I would be creating this book without end. (Not a bad way to spend eternity, if you think about it.) It was all-consuming, in both the time and energy categories. I often thought that if I had put that kind of energy into cleaning my house, you'd be able to see its shiny sparkle from space.

But the day finally came when all the work was absolutely, positively, and completely done. I could sleep again. I could breathe again. I could remember the faces of my children again. (Was that facial hair on my son? No, just chocolate pudding, thankfully.)

Now, all we had to do was wait for the final copy to become 15,000 copies of a new, fun, and sexy cookbook that would hopefully fly off bookstore shelves. If you've read my blog from the beginning (thanks to those who have!), you might remember that I am not a patient person. I want everything done NOW or sooner. I can't imagine if I had been born in a time when things moved slower. I'd probably explode. As it is now, I keep hoping someone invents a faster microwave. I mean, who has a minute and a half to wait for boiling water?

But wait, I did. Every day, I'd watch wistfully as the UPS truck sped past my home. I tried to will him to stop and bring me the author copies of our masterpiece, but to no avail. (By the way, I don't even think a spike strip across the road would stop these guys if you are not on their delivery docket. Save yourself and get out of their way!)

So, like Winnie the Pooh stuck in Rabbit's tree, I waited, and waited, and waited...