Excuse Me While I Pass Out

Was going over the Wiscon brochure and discovered this tidbit:

Samuel R. Delany to Interview Joanna Russ

Unable to attend WisCon because of health problems, Ms. Russ nevertheless wants to participate in WisCon 30: she suggested a telephone interview. How could we refuse? You are all invited to listen when Samuel R. Delany interviews Joanna Russ on Sunday for a very special program.

OMG

It just gets better and better.

GW Line Edits Done

Whew. All neatly input into the text. Now: write the goddamn last final 100 pages, arg!

And start tDW line edits.

And work on book 2 of tDW series (in my spare time).

And fly to Indy tomorrow (corporate FUCKTARDS!!!!).

Good Night and Good Luck

Had a very nice dinner out with Jenn and James & Ysa. Managed to get home before the big thunderstorm hit.

Inputting the last 60 pages of line edits of God's War into the text. I'll be happy when that's done - tDW is next up for reading and line edits, then I'll have to input those, too. I'll be a bit writing obsessed for the next couple weeks, so they'll be more writing-blah-blah posts than usual for a bit.

Busy, busy bee.

I'm glad spring's almost here. This has been the longest winter ever. And I say that as someone who lived in Fairbanks for two years.

But man, I feel better than I've felt in a long time.

Why I Write:

Because sometimes what you write hits people like this:

Seriously, there are only a handful of short stories that I look back on and remember vividly: Neil Gaiman's version of Snow White, Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream," Kate Wilhelm's "The Funeral," Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants," others I am neglecting, and "Genderbending at the Madhattered" by Kameron Hurley.

(Link)

Ah, makes it all worth it.

Excuse me while I get back to work...

Printing, Printing

Printing tDW today (finally, after a lot of false starts). Takes awhile to print 600 pages.

Jenn and I are halfway through season 1 of Babylon 5. Good show.

Not much more to report. Dinner tomorrow with James and Ysabeau. Inputting some God's War line edits.

My backporch garden continues to grow.

Covering My Ass

Oh, how I love those corporate moments when the fact that I screwed something up becomes an asset to the company and means I *don't* have to do something ALL OVER AGAIN.

Ever better, I had some bullshit excuse as to why I just "decided" not to update those particular dates, "Seeings as all of these dates are currently in flux while we wait for verification of our construction schedule from the client."

They really should pay me more money.

Someday It Will Be Spring

My back-porch garden is growing.

It is most excellent.

The older I get, the more I start to take pleasure in the little things again. The little things add up.

One of the cab drivers in Indy asked me if I was 22 or 23, because I looked "too young" to have a Master's degree.

"Twenty-six," I said.

"Uh. Oh," he said.

I do *not* look 22, dude.

I suppose I will look old and wise soon enough. No sense rushing it.

Also, as a side note: Indiana drivers are all fucking incompetent. They drive on flat, straight freeways and still manage to get into more accidents than anybody in any city I've been in outside Durban.

Home Again, Home Again Jiggety Jig

Anybody in Chicagoland looking for a really good Admin/Executive Assistant/Contract Writer/Project Coordinator?

Honestly, I can do just about anything for 40-50K a year.

I'm not really picky.

Just don't send me to Indianapolis.

tDW

First major pass of edits are done for The Dragon's Wall.

The book is going to fucking rock.

Printing it out tonight or tomorrow and doing line edits on the whole shebang. Inputting line edits, then it goes to the next round of readers for feedback.

At least this book will go out on time.

10 Things I've Learned About Writing Meme:

I'll revisit this when I'm 40

Ode to My Hotel Room In Indianapolis

There is totally someone vomiting in the hall right now.

I'm going to bed.

Things To Do In Indy When You're Dead

My boss wants me to maintain my purgatory here in Indy every week, preferably 3-4 days a week. I tried to get him to compromise at 2, but it turns out our client just canned the person who does the equivalent of my job for them, and now I need to help out until everybody's happy.

Thing is - I hate it here. Really hate it. I have no car, and there isn't anywhere to go anyway. I walked to a little Mexican place for dinner, and picked up some things at the grocery store on the way back. It's a nice walk to get the blood flowing, but there are no sidewalks, so I have to walk in the street.

I suppose the good news is: all there is to do here is write and read. And swim in the pool.

I was just starting to get over all of my stress, so adding this to the mix really wasn't a great idea. I stepped onto the puddle jumper plane and had to fight down the urge to scramble back off the plane and run screaming through the terminal. Stress exacerbates my claustrophobia, but even knowing that, I startle myself when I feel it.

I've been crying a lot more over odd little things, too. I kept tearing up while watchingt V for Vendetta, of all things.

I'm exhausted.

"All happiness depends on courage and work," Balzac once said. "I have had many periods of wretchedness, but with energy and above all with illusions, I pulled through them all."

Until he died at 50. I'd like to keep trucking a little longer than that.

What I Know About Writing:

Enjoy the power and beauty of your early career. Oh nevermind;
you will not understand the power and beauty of your early career until they have faded
and you can barely eke out a few three-act short stories a year
for semi-pro magazines who just want your D-list name on the cover.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at jacket photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you
and how brilliant you really were.

You’re not as bad at this as you imagine.

Yoga: Take 2

The instructor for my Friday yoga class was a woman who trained in India, the sort who could turn herself into a pretzel at will.

“And this is a preparatory exercise so that eventually you’ll be able to do this!” and then she proceeded to contort herself in a Cirque de Soleil fashion.

I’m enjoying these classes at the end of the day. They really relax me and help me unwind. The first one kicked my ass and I was sore for three days. The second one wasn’t nearly as bad, physically. We spent a lot of time talking about the forms and the philosophy behind the forms, which meant less intensity, but more time for thinking about what we were doing.

The end is always the best part, sitting in the dark, closing your eyes, letting everything fall away.

I have been carrying so much.

V For Vendetta

“People shouldn’t fear their governments. Governments should fear their people.”

“Don’t give an inch.”

“When you no longer fear, you are free.”

Jenn and I went out and saw V for Vendetta on Saturday – fantastic show, highly recommended.

Somebody Make My Decisions For Me!

ha.

OMG!!!

I'm such a fan girl.

June, baby.

Quote of the Day

"Every path serves a purpose."

In Which the Protagonist Tries to Resurrect A Chapter

Why does it not surprise me that I'm bad at writing character relationships that are supposed to be romantic?

Gee, I wonder.

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