Laura Anne Gilman's Blog, page 49
December 11, 2014
#willwrite2feedothers: You did your part. Now it's time for me to do mine....
#willwrite2feedothers roundup: 22 verified donations. I was informed that several other people had made donations, but since I never got confirmation from them as requested, they can't be counted. So, alas, we fall short of the bonus, and the short story will NOT have awesome illustrations by our own Ellen Million. :-(
However, those 22 donors? Helped raise approximately $1700 for food banks in the US, Canada, the UK, Sweden, and elsewhere.
$1700.
To put that into some perspective, the NJ Community Food Banks says that a $1 donation buys $10 worth of food. WasteNot of Arizona estimates that $100 can feed 600 people.
Seventeen hundred dollars just fed - rough estimate - nearly ten thousand people a meal they wouldn't have had, otherwise.
That's a hell of a thanksgiving meal, my friends. Thank you.
But it's only one meal. So it you didn't get around to donating this round, don't think you can't. The story will go up on January 1st (I hope) for everyone to read. You can keep donating, too. The need is there, year-round.
However, those 22 donors? Helped raise approximately $1700 for food banks in the US, Canada, the UK, Sweden, and elsewhere.
$1700.
To put that into some perspective, the NJ Community Food Banks says that a $1 donation buys $10 worth of food. WasteNot of Arizona estimates that $100 can feed 600 people.
Seventeen hundred dollars just fed - rough estimate - nearly ten thousand people a meal they wouldn't have had, otherwise.
That's a hell of a thanksgiving meal, my friends. Thank you.
But it's only one meal. So it you didn't get around to donating this round, don't think you can't. The story will go up on January 1st (I hope) for everyone to read. You can keep donating, too. The need is there, year-round.
December 10, 2014
One More Day....
Today is the last day to contribute to #willwrite2feed others. We've achieved the short story, but we're still a ways from the BONUS round.... (8 more $10 donations needed). So if you've donated or volunteered, but haven't gotten around to sending me the evidence, do it today! You have until midnight Pacific time...
(see? My move bought you 3 more hours!
(see? My move bought you 3 more hours!
One Week In....
A week ago, I arrived in Seattle for the long stay. Woke up this morning to a cat's nose in my face. Life is back to what passes for normal.... (except they let me sleep until 6:30! A West Coast Miracle!). The apartment's still a work in progress, but we're getting there. It feels like home now, anyway.
Today's schedule: testing out Instacart's delivery system (I already know I'm not impressed by their website), editorial work, and trying to make a short story of my own behave. Oh, and checking out the building's gym, since I have no plans to walk several miles anywhere, today...
I'm also going to be setting up 2015's client schedule, so if you think you might want to work with me next year, now's the time to mention it, so we can discuss.... (I only work with one client at a time, so slots do fill up).
Meanwhile, An Amusement:
In the NYC apartment, the only mirrors were a) a full-length one on the inside of the coat closet, b) a decorative one hung on the wall, and c) the medicine cabinet.
None of them ever seemed to catch the cats' attention.
However, in the Seattle apartment, the bathroom mirror is an oversized wall-mounted one, backing the entire length of the vanity. And Castiel is fascinated with it, up to and including jumping into the tub, then stretching up to stare at the mirror from a safe distance, and then leaping forward over the tub ledge, up onto the counter, to get a better look.
I'm not sure what he thinks is going on, or who that handsome devil he keeps spotting might be, but it's pretty damn funny to watch....
Today's schedule: testing out Instacart's delivery system (I already know I'm not impressed by their website), editorial work, and trying to make a short story of my own behave. Oh, and checking out the building's gym, since I have no plans to walk several miles anywhere, today...
I'm also going to be setting up 2015's client schedule, so if you think you might want to work with me next year, now's the time to mention it, so we can discuss.... (I only work with one client at a time, so slots do fill up).
Meanwhile, An Amusement:
In the NYC apartment, the only mirrors were a) a full-length one on the inside of the coat closet, b) a decorative one hung on the wall, and c) the medicine cabinet.
None of them ever seemed to catch the cats' attention.
However, in the Seattle apartment, the bathroom mirror is an oversized wall-mounted one, backing the entire length of the vanity. And Castiel is fascinated with it, up to and including jumping into the tub, then stretching up to stare at the mirror from a safe distance, and then leaping forward over the tub ledge, up onto the counter, to get a better look.
I'm not sure what he thinks is going on, or who that handsome devil he keeps spotting might be, but it's pretty damn funny to watch....
December 9, 2014
Kittehs Have Landed!
Well, driven up, anyway. In the company of a very, very narrow-headed rough-coated collie, thereby proving that my cats are chill around chill canines.
The Kitten is currently exploring his new digs. The CatfSize is...well, he's staked out a safe spot under the bed and periodically comes out to glare at me, then go back underneath.I predict another 3-4 hours of being given the Cold Tail before he starts to cuddle. It took a little over an hour.
I suspect I'll wake up with both of them claiming more than their fair share of the bed....
And the house is now a home.
The Kitten is currently exploring his new digs. The CatfSize is...well, he's staked out a safe spot under the bed and periodically comes out to glare at me, then go back underneath.
I suspect I'll wake up with both of them claiming more than their fair share of the bed....
And the house is now a home.
Two More Days...
Two more days to be part of #willwrite2feedothers! I mean, obviously, supporting local food banks all year round is an excellent idea, because hunger is a thing that lurks every single damn day - but there are two more days where your receipt will go toward getting a new story from me - and we're now working on the BONUS!
But we'll need another ten donations of $10 (or evidence of volunteering at a kitchen) in the next two days....can we do it?
Just send me proof of donation to lag-at-lauraannegilman-dot-net.
I'm not going to cajole or guilt anyone; I know that $10 can mean the difference in daily life, too. But if you can spare the cash, that $10 can do so damn much good in the world....
But we'll need another ten donations of $10 (or evidence of volunteering at a kitchen) in the next two days....can we do it?
Just send me proof of donation to lag-at-lauraannegilman-dot-net.
I'm not going to cajole or guilt anyone; I know that $10 can mean the difference in daily life, too. But if you can spare the cash, that $10 can do so damn much good in the world....
December 8, 2014
Ingredients: a healthy dose of more-Velveeta-than-thou
Saw the premiere of The Librarians last night, in a mixed crowd (3 of us were fans of the movies, 2 hadn’t even known there were movies beforehand).
Decision: five thumbs up. As it says on the tin, this is cheese begging for a nice cracker, predictable, and utterly enjoyable. My concerns about ‘there is only one Librarian’ were dealt with in an acceptable manner, the changes in Flynn were heartbreaking but also utterly perfect, we got J and C, if not enough of them, and the series was set up in a predictable-but-enjoyable fashion.
(one small spoiler that doesn't actually affect the plot: I was disappointed that once again Flynn gets the girl, this time without any sense of a real attraction or buildup, but I also acknowledge that the entire series has established in canon a Librarian/Guardian connection, even pre-Flynn, that could and might be a series-appropriate flip on the trad Harlequin "powerful male guardian and female trouble-prone librarian" tropes.)
Here’s to hoping the season continues in good, cheesy fun.
...But WHAT was with the boys’ hair? Please stop that. It’s actively painful to look at.
Decision: five thumbs up. As it says on the tin, this is cheese begging for a nice cracker, predictable, and utterly enjoyable. My concerns about ‘there is only one Librarian’ were dealt with in an acceptable manner, the changes in Flynn were heartbreaking but also utterly perfect, we got J and C, if not enough of them, and the series was set up in a predictable-but-enjoyable fashion.
(one small spoiler that doesn't actually affect the plot: I was disappointed that once again Flynn gets the girl, this time without any sense of a real attraction or buildup, but I also acknowledge that the entire series has established in canon a Librarian/Guardian connection, even pre-Flynn, that could and might be a series-appropriate flip on the trad Harlequin "powerful male guardian and female trouble-prone librarian" tropes.)
Here’s to hoping the season continues in good, cheesy fun.
...But WHAT was with the boys’ hair? Please stop that. It’s actively painful to look at.
December 7, 2014
State of the Meerkat: Seattle
So yeah, I'm here. I feel like I'm here, too, although there are some things I need to sort out intellectually and emotionally, and will be dealing with them in my next Westward Bound post for Book View Cafe.
And I need a Seattle icon. That's NOT the Needle. Hrm.
I'm still figuring out where the furniture goes (there are limited options in a small studio, but that makes the choices even MORE important), and trying to get things unpacked and in the right places (see above aside), and trying to determine what's gotten broken or gone AWOL in the move (so far, only things emotionally valuable more than essential or 'orribly expensive).
The apartment is nicely sectioned off into "sleep" and "awake" areas, but I haven't sorted ot the working space yet. That's something that has to come organically, not "okay, I'll work here." But it will come.
And the cats are still en-route (last I heard, they were in Kansas, so probably Colorado today). Keep your fingers crossed for no major storms in the next few days! It's not a proper home without cats.
Tomorrow is Monday. A new editorial client's incoming, a short story needs to be polished, and a book needs working on. That's the state of me....
And I need a Seattle icon. That's NOT the Needle. Hrm.
I'm still figuring out where the furniture goes (there are limited options in a small studio, but that makes the choices even MORE important), and trying to get things unpacked and in the right places (see above aside), and trying to determine what's gotten broken or gone AWOL in the move (so far, only things emotionally valuable more than essential or 'orribly expensive).
The apartment is nicely sectioned off into "sleep" and "awake" areas, but I haven't sorted ot the working space yet. That's something that has to come organically, not "okay, I'll work here." But it will come.
And the cats are still en-route (last I heard, they were in Kansas, so probably Colorado today). Keep your fingers crossed for no major storms in the next few days! It's not a proper home without cats.
Tomorrow is Monday. A new editorial client's incoming, a short story needs to be polished, and a book needs working on. That's the state of me....
December 6, 2014
there's something still missing....
Distractions of the move & apartment settling/nesting are not enough to keep me from missing the still-in-transit felines....
*sads*
*sads*
Four more chances...
Okay, I admit it, my life's been totally wrapped up the past week in moving cross-continent.
But just because I've been remiss in mentioning it, don't think it's over... you still have four (4) days left to contribute to #willwrite2feedothers. A $10 donation to your local (or national) food bank helps the world be a less shitty place, AND earns you a new story from moi...
(and if we hit the next stretch level, a BONUS to the story...)
But just because I've been remiss in mentioning it, don't think it's over... you still have four (4) days left to contribute to #willwrite2feedothers. A $10 donation to your local (or national) food bank helps the world be a less shitty place, AND earns you a new story from moi...
(and if we hit the next stretch level, a BONUS to the story...)
December 4, 2014
waving from the west...
Hi. I'm in Seattle. I have connectivity (although not tv, pending me figuring out where the cords are). I am also exhausted. Updates and photos to follow, although I will say that there were no horror stories to share.
I know, I'm disappointed too.
(no, not really)
I know, I'm disappointed too.
(no, not really)
