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| Monday, May 28th, 2012 |
gillpolack
|
11:21a |
My eyes are being pesky today and I'm not even at the hospital yet! Also, my fingers won't type what I've told them to. Despite this, I only have 160 words (plus much revision) on one of the three logjam pieces. If I can send it tomorrow, that will be one burden I do not carry. I'll have run out of excuses not to do the other two logjammed bits of prose, mind you... |
| Sunday, May 27th, 2012 |
cmpriest
|
7:58p |
Catching up and moving onward
Things continue to come together over here. Yesterday we finished the last of our Major Stuff Shopping, and when the last thing gets delivered on Thursday, we'll officially have the place fleshed out - at least from a furnishing standpoint. Not that we'll be "done" in any real sense. My dad says that when it comes to home ownership, you're only ever done for now. He's right, I'm sure. There are already a dozen little projects I'd love to fiddle with, not least of all the garden - which is, at present, a rectangular patch of backyard harboring dandelions, semi-wild onions, clover, and the tail-less cat. The tail-less cat (henceforth TLC, as her name eludes me) showed up in our back yard shortly after we arrived, and at first, I thought she was a pregnant stray. A pretty little black-and-white longhair, TLC was too skittish to touch, and her pendulous tummy swayed as she waddled frantically away. Poor kitty, I thought. I will feed her and lure her close, and maybe she'll have the kittens nearby - so I can catch them and vet them and home them and oh yes, I was making plans. After a few days, she'd figured out I was a food-dispensing monkey - and I'd find her sitting outside the roses, waiting for me to open the curtains every morning. Just to make sure I would see her, and know that there was a hungry, pitiful, single-mother-to-be hoping for breakfast. And then I met the neighbors, who had a good laugh about it. Formerly a feral stray, TLC was taken in and spayed by these same neighbors - who have never successfully gotten her to stay indoors or wear a collar. She is, however, spoiled silly, routinely vetted, and amply fed. On the one hand, I'm relieved. I'm always sad to see homeless animals, and it's just as well I don't have to find homes for half a dozen kittens. On the other hand, I could do without the turd presents the fat little scammer leaves outside our back door every day, now that I've stopped accommodating her.* I'm told that she's an excellent mouser who has never successfully caught a bird to anyone's knowledge, and both of these points please me. We're right at the foot of a mountain, backing up to thick woods which are no doubt teeming with mice ... and we have a shit-ton of birds hanging around, not least of all because I feed them.** Speaking of birds, though - we may have a couple of new under-the-porch-eaves residents: two of the cutest wee tiny purple-headed finches you ever did see. At first they considered the hanging planters, but after I knocked down an unrelated, long-abandoned nest from a corner, they seem to feel that prime real estate has unexpectedly opened up and the time to buy is NOW NOW NOW. (Aside I: Obviously I would not have taken down the old nest if it had not very, very clearly been out-of-use for ages.) (Aside II: Maybe it was haunted, and that's why nobody else took over the lease in all this time. Some kind of bird-atrocity was committed there, and word's gotten around. Maybe other birds called the nest, "The old McFeatherstone place" and teenage birds dared one another to go sit there by themselves ... and when the moon is full, they say that the ghost of Widow McFeatherstone hangs from the petunia planter while moaning, "I KNOW WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE WHEN DOVES CRY" and never mind now this just getting silly.) Anyway, now they're checking out that freshly vacated corner, and I really do hope they move in. Hm. Let's see, what else? Well, today we went to the Chattanooga Market, which frankly blew our minds. The weekly (seasonal) market had just started up around the time we moved away, but it was pretty damn pitiful. Now it's a total circus - well stocked, with a lot of great local crafters, farmers, and other assorted people-with-stuff-to-sell. Well done, Chattanooga. Well done. I spent a few bucks, brought home a few things, and plan to return, but here's hoping that next week it's not quite so damn hot. And you know it was damn hot if I'm complaining about it, because I'm the sort who keeps the AC set around 80 degrees if I'm left to my own devices, and if it's cooler than that indoors, I'm likely to jaunt around in a bathrobe. You can take the girl out of Florida, etc. etc. etc. But damn. A few thousand people were crowded into a big old pavilion, and it was 95 degrees. This having been said, the heat prompted me to sample the wares of a really great two-person soda company offering some seriously fantastic custom syrups. I had a "honey lime" beverage, and would cheerfully go buy another - or try out some of the other flavors. Now I just wish I could remember the company's name. I'll keep an eye out for them next time. [Edit: It was these guys. Pure Sodaworks. Two thumbs up.] Not a lot of news to report in home repair and improvement news. This is partly because we're coming up close to Done For Now - and now we're figuring out bills and services, and whatnot. The Perplexing Back Room is now a guest room, but it's big enough that yes, we use it as a game room too. We threw our old TV back there, hooked up the game system, and now we're just waiting for the seating to arrive. (On Thursday, see above.) It actually looks pretty nice, despite the carpet. I took a picture or two for Twitter, but we've rearranged everything since I did so. The whole thing is still a work in progress. The library/study has come along nicely, too. The husband's bookcases arrived, and are assembled, and are now holding up books - so yes, we are Officially Unpacked. [:: throws confetti ::] He still has some art to hang, but the place looks great. If this meager tally sounds like a pitiful excuse for how little I've updated as of late, I would add another excuse to the pile: the copyedits for The Inexplicables landed a few days ago, and I've been eyeballs deep therein. I'm still not done, but I'm about 2/3 of the way through. I was going cross-eyed, so I thought I'd take a break and come over here to ramble. Mission accomplished, I'd say. Right. Well. Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone. Go hug a veteran. I have to wait to hug my two nearest and dearest veterans, as my dad and stepmom won't be here to visit for another few weeks - but I will surely make up for it then.
* In all fairness, she quit doing this after a week. And now she'll let me pet her sometimes, which is great. She's really a beautiful, sweet little cat. Just ... hilariously fat.** "Feeding" is one of the many services I am likely to provide for random critters. |
msagara
|
6:40p |
Decisions about children and their happiness
If you’ve been reading these posts for the last week, you know that my intention was to write two posts. The first, about help, I did write. The second, I still haven’t written. This is very much in keeping with the way I write anything. I have a general idea. I put the words on the screen. And then other words arise out of interaction, and, well. We, as parents, all want our children to be happy. I take that as a given. We do not always make our children happy - but at base, we want our children to lead happy, long lives. Given the way life works, life is not predictable. We are adults, our children are not. We know the things that caused us pain - and we want to help our own children avoid that pain, and avoid bearing those scars. ( But... )And now, I am running out of the house because it’s our 23rd anniversary :) |
| Monday, May 28th, 2012 |
gillpolack
|
8:30a |
|
gillpolack
|
8:28a |
It's Monday morning and already I have a scholarly quibble to make. This means I'm off to a good start this week. It's all a matter of whether the work of Pirenne counts. The author I'm reading argues that looking at the slow and long patterns is postmodern, from the Annales School (especially Fernand Braudel). But Pirenne ought to be credited for that, surely, and, even more surely, he was writing earlier? This means that any notion of flow change or a different length dynamic or even no change at all over a certain period predates the second half of the twentieth century? What this means to me is that the author with whom I quibble is creating false "There was and then there was." History in binary - with simple choices - seldom works, but this time it woks even less seldom simply because the writer in question is basing a part of his/her case on Pirenne's ideas not being around until a half century later. Unfortunately, this is a review volume and I need to think of a polite way of explaining that it undermines the argument when one tangles the historiography. This is what I've been putting off doing. It's not a bad book, but it really does have a couple of rather big flaws. |
| Sunday, May 27th, 2012 |
kristine_smith
|
4:59p |
Sunday afternoon, writing
It goes like this:
Ok, so I’m not actually writing at the present time. But I am thinking about sentences, and what plot point goes where next, and whether I will fall off the back of the treadmill before I reach the end.
Honest.
Going back to it right now.
Really.
::slinks off, pursued by a bear::
Mirrored from Kristine Smith. |
wiscon
[ firecat ]
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3:51p |
|
lyda222
|
3:11p |
Mostly Naked Fan Art
For the first one, I've got a recently colored version of my first half-naked Renji (with bankai Zabimaru). Both of these represent my attempts to break from drawing directly from the Manga. The colored picture is a pose from the Manga, but I took Renji's clothes off (nice of me, right?)  This one is a funny combination of the St. Paul firefighter calendar and Manga, but completely original.  |
wiscon
[ chaila ]
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2:23p |
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wiscon
[ chaila ]
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2:12p |
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wiscon
[ heyiya ]
|
1:00p |
Vid: Black Steel (Born in Flames; WisCon 36 premiere)
The playlist from the WisCon vid party will be posted soon! I premiered this vid––it's for the 1983 film Born in Flames, which I encourage you all to see, but it should be quite watchable as a vid about the feminist revolution if you don't know the source. Black SteelMusic: Black Steel by Tricky (original song by Public Enemy; vocals by Martina Topley-Bird) Video: Born in Flames (dir. Lizzie Borden, 1983) Edited by Lila Futuransky "The right to violence is like the right to pee. You've got to have the right place and the right time." Revolutionary becoming in a past speculative future: a transformative homage to Lizzie Borden's 1983 film Born in Flames. Streaming, download etc at Dreamwidth and LiveJournal. |
tltrent
|
1:48p |
On WisCon
I haven't been near reliable internet for the last week, hence the silence. In that silence came a really lovely interview with ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1) cathschaffstump about writing process. Belated thanks, Catherine, for inviting me and lovely to trade hugs at WisCon! As is tradition with voyaging to Wisconsin, there was the maternal clan visit, which consisted of much pot roast, far too much pie, and a marathon of horse-racing movies that required Kleenex and recitation of every racing bloodline from Man O'War to Sunday Silence. Next WisCon. It's been a while. The Concourse has so many sense memories for me. It's strange to remember coming here with my first-ever novel to workshop and to think this time I came here on the verge of publishing my seventh. This year, I only took on one reading and I'm still in awe at my compatriots-- ellen_kushner, Caroline Stevermer, and Franny Billingsley. They were SMASHING. If time had permitted, I'm quite certain I could have stayed up all night talking to deliasherman. I had a lovely lunch with glvalentine and a great conversation with Chris Barzak which I hope to continue at some later date. I met the most sparkly Nancy Werlin, also hoping to talk to her again some day. Sad I couldn't spend more time with Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders, who are also made of awesome. And there were so many people I missed--Stephanie Burgis & Patrick Samphire, Gwenda Bond, Ysabeau Wilce (who sent me chocolate via courier since she couldn't be here herself!!)...the list goes on and on. I can remember early years of feeling like I was on the outside looking in, nose pressed to glass, so anxious about being on the outside that I could barely speak. This year, I was with people I most admire whom I'm so proud to also now call friends. There was no anxiety at all (perhaps there should have been--I went over on my reading time! Oops!). We talked about Things that Matter to all of us as writers, as women, as people. I have oft likened it to being in Fairyland, and this year was no exception. I was very sorry I had to cut it short this year. Maybe next year will be less frantic. (Who am I kidding?) And now, I must write like the wind before June 15th swallows me whole. I fear things will be again sparse and dark for a bit until I come up for air, but I hope you're having a lovely weekend, whatever you may be up to. |
docbrite
|
12:39p |
I Am Poppy Z. Brite's Ex-Boyfriend
For my birthday, I got ... misgendered. Constantly. Everywhere I went. And it was almost all in queer spaces, and it was all done unintentionally and as kindly as could be, by well-meaning folks, so I couldn't even work up a righteous head of indignation; I just got depressed. I am not making progress. Part of it is that I haven't been able to afford my full doses of testosterone -- the treatment runs a little over $300 a month, which I pay completely out of pocket -- and so I've been stretching it out to half-doses, figuring some T going into my system was better than none. (Medically speaking, this isn't wholly unsound, as many trans guys start off on low doses.) Thanks to Grey, I had a wonderful birthday weekend anyway. When we're alone together, the rest of the world recedes to the point where even gender seems relatively unimportant. And he can always boost my confidence, and he's so romantic, and he even seems to think I'm interesting. I know, the man must be deranged, but I sure do love him. Re: misgendering, there was a good moment of comic relief at the drag show we attended last night. Local drag diva Bootsy DeVille was talking to us at the bar at Michael's on the Park before her show, and she turned to me and said, "I have a question for you. Now it's hard for me to phrase this right ... " Grey and I were both bracing for The Question, which I wouldn't have really minded answering for Bootsy, but instead she said rather hesitantly, "Did you use to be the boyfriend of a famous writer? Because we were googling Billy Martin, and there seemed to be some connection ... " After collapsing with laughter, we explained as best we could, and only later did I realize I should have said, "Why yes, I used to date Stephen King, but I dumped him for Grey!" Current Mood:  recumbent |
rachelmanija
|
10:17a |
Any couples in Los Angeles?
I am desperately seeking an LA couple for a questionnaire for my psychological testing class! I need to interview the couple in person and have them fill out a questionnaire. It should take about half an hour to forty minutes. I will buy you both lunch or coffee. - Must be available before about 4:00 PM TODAY or TOMORROW. - Must have been a couple for at least six months. - Must be willing to let me know about your couplehood. No detailed questions about your sex life, but the questionnaire asks about stuff like how satisfied you are with your sex life, your time spent together, how you handle your finances, etc. Crossposted to http://rachelmanija.dreamwidth.org/1041249.html. Comment here or there. |
wiscon
[ holyoutlaw ]
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12:04p |
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kristine_smith
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12:00p |
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james_nicoll
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11:41a |
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sartorias
|
8:40a |
|
james_nicoll
|
10:38a |
What was I doing in 2009
That resulted in
And then, they're disappointed and can't seem to understand why casual SFF readers don't give a shit about the John Clute, M. John Harrison, and James Nicoll of this world?
Seriously, if you say "John Clute, M. John Harrison and", "James Nicoll" is not going to be the name that leaps to mind to complete the trio. (For the record, I like a lot of anime, dislike many comics not because of the medium but because many comics are fuck-awful but, and this is the important bit, many are not, and ditto for movies. I prefer SF to F but A: that's more of a chocolate versus butterscotch thing than my god over your heathen beliefs thing and B: F and SF overlap a lot) Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are  comment(s); comment here or there. |
james_nicoll
|
10:22a |
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wiscon
[ sistermarysith ]
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8:49a |
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gillpolack
|
8:41p |
More procrastination today. This is because I have a hefty week ahead and I need to stop being ill. Eurovision helps, I must admit. I couldn't not work (it's a personality flaw) so I used my have-to-be-quiet-or-pay-for-it time to read from my must-read-or-else pile. I'm two books down and have paid most of my bills and now I'm doing bits and pieces of things while singing along at home. It wasn't precisely a big day's anything, but it was worthwhile. I'm shaking off the foul lurgie (without even having to say "Begone foul lurgie!") and haven't entirely lost a whole weekend. I still feel bad about it. I was going to do a big catchup and be on top of most things by Tuesday, and life keeps interfering. I possibly need a 'reset' button. |
gillpolack
|
2:41p |
I have finally, finally worked out why the burglar unstrung my violin bow. When I was sorting my scarves this week, I noted them all and decided which to keep. It was only today, when I took out the violin, that I realised that its protective scarf was one of the ones that had been flung around the floor ie that I had sorted it along with the others. He must've thought I was hiding money in my violin case and been frustrated. I didn't realise how much that floating horsehair had worried me until now. |
james_nicoll
|
12:25a |
Time Team
A: I had no idea it was nearly 20 years old. B: I completely missed the fuss in February. C: I also missed the fatality in 2007. Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are  comment(s); comment here or there. |
msagara
|
12:22a |
Answering a question about household disagreements
spiffikins asked: Looking back at our own efforts, we had lots of battles :) I've love to hear how you applied these rules to situations where your son didn't want to do something, like have his bath or get dressed/put his shoes on for school or participate in the day to day activities of helping out (setting the table, doing dishes, doing homework) - it seems we always had conflict, and the majority of it with my brother was getting him to do something that he didn't want to do, but that needed to be done. I’ve been thinking about this today while at work shelving books - which hopefully will not result in too many mis-shelved novels. ( This answer was too long for the comment thread, which is why it’s a post. ) |
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