Barbara Hambly's Blog

Final this morning. Already it feels like it was days ago. I have a large pile of exams to grade, though I'll read many of them during the first part of Final #2 Wednesday evening - waiting for the first turn-ins.

Thankfully, I've reached that wonderful point in Blood Maidens where you come over the top of the roller-coaster and the whole story is a straight drop from there - first a, then b, then c, no more question about, Do I need to put in this scene here or...?

But, far too tired to do an...

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Pouring-ass rain, cold; clouds of sea-gulls over LA.

Fluffy cat and Pekinese sharing the big blue chair before the heater, their backs scrupulously turned to one another but hips touching. ("I'm only sleeping with HER because it's COLD...") (Although periodically Damsel WILL mount Jasmine, whose attitude - to that or anything else - is, Hey, Whatever.)

Hot tea and vampires.

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The nice folks at LiveJournal actually got back to me much more quickly than I'd expected - and yes, the problem with the "XYZ's virtual gift" announcement inundation seems to have been a backlog on their list... but I've removed that particular announcement from my Profile nevertheless. I'm pleased you're all getting virtual gifts, of course, but it simply isn't my business. I attempted to thank the Help Staff by clicking the "tell us if this answer helped" link and got zippo - ditto for the...

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In the past 24 hours, my e-mail has been inundated with LiveJournal "notifications" that this or that person has received a New Virtual Gift. After the first 200 or so, I changed my account settings to say, "Don't notify me." Notifications still flood in, about one per minute.

Having made this change, how long does it take for the change to be implemented?

Is there a way I can get in touch with the folks at LJ other than the "Contact Me" box (which might or might not get read)?

Like so many...

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Amid all the fuss and fluster I completely forgot to mention that the second graphic novel in my series The Garden of Emptiness is out this month!

This is the series - from PennyFarthing Press - about Anne Steelyard, rip-roarin' rootin-tootin female archaeologist in the Middle East prior to WWI. The first of the series - An Honorary Man - came out last winter; I'm really curious to see the artwork on this one. Evil Germans and desert afrits and snotty upper-class English dowagers going on expe...

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A small and homey local convention - and good to see friends. I could have done without a loudly electrified concert scheduled in the room next-door to a panel I was on - Karen Anderson was kind enough to go over and ask them to turn down the sound system, which they obligingly did - but otherwise an enjoyable time. Good chat-time in the Green Room with Harry Turtledove - whom I haven't seen probably since last LosCon - good to see folks like Tim Powers and his lovely wife, Karen Wilson and C...

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And I am most thankful that I didn't eat, drink, say, or do anything yesterday that would make me feel terrible this morning: moderation not exhibited by my parents' neighbors, whose family-members came boiling out of the house shouting abuse at one another a number of times in the course of the afternoon. (It seems to have been one of those fights that erupts, goes down, simmers, then breaks out again, intermittently. I assume too many six-packs were involved but that may just be the way the...

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The class turn-out was actually pretty good - twenty-four people out of close to forty regulars; and, a nice, lively class. Everybody gets achievement points for showing up.

Long walk this morning, since I'm going to be sitting - and driving - for most of the rest of the day. LOTS of other walkers who clearly have the same idea. The neighborhood is having a block-party progressive dinner, which I'll be sorry to miss, as I'll be out with my family and friends; there are a number of young famil...

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Any bets on how many of my night-class students are going to show up to a 7-10 pm class the night before Thanksgiving, to hear about the 100 Years War?

All the Thanksgiving chow is ready to take out to the family tomorrow, pre-made: zukes chopped, shrooms n onions sautered, salad dressing in an old mustard-jar. It's going to be a long weekend. LosCon - LA's local science fiction convention - is this weekend. I'll be able to be there Saturday, but I MUST work at least some this weekend. There a...

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I am boggled by the response to The Further Adventures Of.

I understand that this first rush is the first rush, and that things will quiet down... Still, there's been an amazing turnout. Thank you, thank you all.

And, as you've all figured out, there's still a certain number of bugs and tweaks going on. If you haven't gotten your story in a week, get in touch with me or Deb - I've been hand-transferring information to her, and, clearly, something got dropped or led astray by pixies.

But, it's be...

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