Laura Anne Gilman's Blog, page 72
March 21, 2014
Proof-of-work, and someone else's words....
This week's proof-of-work is a small snippet, because anything before/after requires more context than I can explain without, well, explaining...
"I’m not your enemy” the magician said. “I don’t have to be a friend; in fact you’re wise to keep in mind that I’m nobody’s friend. But I’m not your enemy. Not here, now, in this time and place.”
and for World Poetry Day, 2014, because with all the bleah in the world, we need folk like John Ciardi...
There once was an Owl perched on a shed.
Fifty years later the Owl was dead.
Some say mice are in the corn.
Some say kittens are being born.
Some say a kitten becomes a cat.
Mice are likely to know about that.
Some cats are scratchy, some are not.
Corn grows best when it's damp and hot.
Fifty times fifty years go by.
Corn keeps best when it's cool and dry.
Fifty times fifty and one by one.
Night begins when day is done.
Owl in the shed, cat in the clover,
Mice in the corn - it all starts over.
© 1959 John Ciardi/The Curtis Publishing Company
"I’m not your enemy” the magician said. “I don’t have to be a friend; in fact you’re wise to keep in mind that I’m nobody’s friend. But I’m not your enemy. Not here, now, in this time and place.”
and for World Poetry Day, 2014, because with all the bleah in the world, we need folk like John Ciardi...
There once was an Owl perched on a shed.
Fifty years later the Owl was dead.
Some say mice are in the corn.
Some say kittens are being born.
Some say a kitten becomes a cat.
Mice are likely to know about that.
Some cats are scratchy, some are not.
Corn grows best when it's damp and hot.
Fifty times fifty years go by.
Corn keeps best when it's cool and dry.
Fifty times fifty and one by one.
Night begins when day is done.
Owl in the shed, cat in the clover,
Mice in the corn - it all starts over.
© 1959 John Ciardi/The Curtis Publishing Company
March 20, 2014
one to go on...
Lots of talk today about the fact that Fred Phelps has left the planet. Some are joyful and celebrating, others simply turning their back on him in death as they did in life. I'll choose the latter...but with one last thought.
His Westboro Church of Hatred sought to vilify and shame..well, pretty much everyone Not Them, but especially the GLBT communities.
But in doing so, Westboro also created an atmosphere of outrage and protection, with people who otherwise might have said "not my problem" realizing that yes, it was our problem, and no, we would not allow that in our town, our city, our state. Not in our home.
In stirring up hate, Phelps caused others to stir in kindness, and love.
Wherever he is right now, I bet that's causing him a serious bout of indigestion.
His Westboro Church of Hatred sought to vilify and shame..well, pretty much everyone Not Them, but especially the GLBT communities.
But in doing so, Westboro also created an atmosphere of outrage and protection, with people who otherwise might have said "not my problem" realizing that yes, it was our problem, and no, we would not allow that in our town, our city, our state. Not in our home.
In stirring up hate, Phelps caused others to stir in kindness, and love.
Wherever he is right now, I bet that's causing him a serious bout of indigestion.
City Life...
An otherwise lovely evening at the KGB Bar yesterday, hearing Ellen Kushner and David D. Levine read, ended on a meh note when subway issues stranded my line at 96th street. They were suggesting people a) take a bus to where the subway started running again (about 40 blocks north) or b) take the subway back downtown and switch to another line (that would then require me to take a bus the rest of the way home)
I looked at the rain coming down, contemplated the wait for the train going downtown (17 minutes), contemplated the probable wait time for a bus plus the crowd of former subway passengers already waiting for the bus, contemplated the state of my bank account, and said "fuck it" and took a cab home. $30 I really didn't want to spend, but the relative lack of stress was worth it...
Especially since it was apparently still having issues this morning, so the delays ran all night. Wheee. I love living in a city with 24/7 mass transit that's still - by most standards - inexpensive ($2.50 to get anywhere in the city, including a bus transfer), but that does mean that at any given moment one line or another is having Issues.
[had the weather been nicer, I probably would have walked the 40 blocks (about 2 miles) to the next functioning stop, but the rain was wavering between spitting-down-hard and torrential downpour so...no]
Today, the rain is gone, the sun is (mostly) out, and spring has wandered in slightly aimlessly but with reasonable cheer. I'm having to force myself to stay in my chair and work, rather than lace up hiking boots and go for a ramble. The nice weather will stay for a while before summer gets here, right? Right? *looks worried*
I looked at the rain coming down, contemplated the wait for the train going downtown (17 minutes), contemplated the probable wait time for a bus plus the crowd of former subway passengers already waiting for the bus, contemplated the state of my bank account, and said "fuck it" and took a cab home. $30 I really didn't want to spend, but the relative lack of stress was worth it...
Especially since it was apparently still having issues this morning, so the delays ran all night. Wheee. I love living in a city with 24/7 mass transit that's still - by most standards - inexpensive ($2.50 to get anywhere in the city, including a bus transfer), but that does mean that at any given moment one line or another is having Issues.
[had the weather been nicer, I probably would have walked the 40 blocks (about 2 miles) to the next functioning stop, but the rain was wavering between spitting-down-hard and torrential downpour so...no]
Today, the rain is gone, the sun is (mostly) out, and spring has wandered in slightly aimlessly but with reasonable cheer. I'm having to force myself to stay in my chair and work, rather than lace up hiking boots and go for a ramble. The nice weather will stay for a while before summer gets here, right? Right? *looks worried*
March 18, 2014
Digital Marketplace expansions...
Email from Nook Press this morning about their (finally!) expansion into other countries. which means that, for those of you who avoided Amazon, and didn't have access for whatever reason to Kobo, you will soon be able to lay digital hands on the Sylvan Investigation novellas MILES TO GO, PROMISES TO KEEP, and the story collection DRAGON VIRUS!
(as soon as I have confirmation that the sites are live and the titles loaded, I'll share them, promise!)
Meanwhile, those of you with Amazon or Kobo access can buy them there... or, yanno, via Book View Cafe...
(as soon as I have confirmation that the sites are live and the titles loaded, I'll share them, promise!)
Meanwhile, those of you with Amazon or Kobo access can buy them there... or, yanno, via Book View Cafe...
March 17, 2014
When we say "the luck of the Irish," we might want to consider what we say...
Fannish recursive: Orlando Jones's tumblr just 'liked' my tumblr reposting of Orlando Jones' tweet on Twitter.
Another St. Patrick's Day, another day I avoid Manhattan and any bar anywhere. Because having a drunk frat boy in a $500 suit puke green beer on me once was enough for a lifetime.
The rental car was duly returned this morning, but in returning it then, I failed to protect the writing-time, and the words suffered for it. 1K new words on Gin & Tonic #4, and the heavy lifting of fixing a broken chapter on Devil's West #1. It's progress, and for the day-after-a-convention I suppose it's decent progress, but I still feel un-productive. Mornings are when I write the most effectively, and the most successfully. I need to protect the writing time. *has that engraved on my forearm*
I also wore my editor hat for several hours, doing Things for Buzzy magazine. I still feel like a non-writing slug.
Also in the day: the apartment is sorted, uncluttered and cleaned for the week, and the new office chair has been assembled and tested, and found Very Nice. We'll see if it lives up to the "10 hours use" rating or not.
Okay, for the Monday after a convention, I guess it wasn't so sluggish after all?
Another St. Patrick's Day, another day I avoid Manhattan and any bar anywhere. Because having a drunk frat boy in a $500 suit puke green beer on me once was enough for a lifetime.
The rental car was duly returned this morning, but in returning it then, I failed to protect the writing-time, and the words suffered for it. 1K new words on Gin & Tonic #4, and the heavy lifting of fixing a broken chapter on Devil's West #1. It's progress, and for the day-after-a-convention I suppose it's decent progress, but I still feel un-productive. Mornings are when I write the most effectively, and the most successfully. I need to protect the writing time. *has that engraved on my forearm*
I also wore my editor hat for several hours, doing Things for Buzzy magazine. I still feel like a non-writing slug.
Also in the day: the apartment is sorted, uncluttered and cleaned for the week, and the new office chair has been assembled and tested, and found Very Nice. We'll see if it lives up to the "10 hours use" rating or not.
Okay, for the Monday after a convention, I guess it wasn't so sluggish after all?
March 16, 2014
State of the Meerkat, Post-Lunacon edition
Home from Lunacon, which was lovely and I saw many people and failed to see other people, and had good panels, and good conversations, and a surprisingly good signing (hi! to everyone who actually showed up at 7pm on Saturday evening), and of course because it was Lunacon, Good Scotch.
I also managed to come up with a new idea for a mystery series (which, when run past people, got some raised eyebrows and grabby-hands), and worked my way through a few Book-Issues by talking at other people until the Issues untangled themselves. The people know who they are and how much I appreciate them. :-)
And then I spent Sunday afternoon running errands and coming home and dealing with the Aftermath of Errands, including Repotting All The Plants and Assembling the New Work-Chair.
And Appeasing the Cats.
It was, by the way, Castiel Kitten of Thursday, Spawn of Basement Cat, Menace to Society's 1st Birthday (Observed) yesterday. He will graciously accept your belated congratulations.
And now - having also recharged both the brain and satiated the Need to Socialize- I shall dive back into the word-making...
I also managed to come up with a new idea for a mystery series (which, when run past people, got some raised eyebrows and grabby-hands), and worked my way through a few Book-Issues by talking at other people until the Issues untangled themselves. The people know who they are and how much I appreciate them. :-)
And then I spent Sunday afternoon running errands and coming home and dealing with the Aftermath of Errands, including Repotting All The Plants and Assembling the New Work-Chair.
And Appeasing the Cats.
It was, by the way, Castiel Kitten of Thursday, Spawn of Basement Cat, Menace to Society's 1st Birthday (Observed) yesterday. He will graciously accept your belated congratulations.
And now - having also recharged both the brain and satiated the Need to Socialize- I shall dive back into the word-making...
March 13, 2014
ReThings and ReThinks
So, yesterday's "get stuff off your plate" shame-listing worked pretty well. All but 1.5 things were done and dusted, and the remaining 1.5 are underway. So, yay me.
(shame is not something I recommend, but you use the self-motivational tools that work)
And part of why things didn't get done yesterday is that the contract for the new Devil's West books arrived, and I took the night to go over that with a fine-tooth comb (and a few glasses of wine). At one point, I may or may not have been reading relevant bits out loud, because some of that Legalese really calls out for a Radio Announcer Voice.
And it made me wonder if people are up for a post about Contracts and Creatives and the love-hate professional relationship between them?
Anyway, today's all about getting those last bits done, then plowing back into the writing. Yay, writing!
(originally published at Writer. Editor. Tired Person. You may comment here or there)
(shame is not something I recommend, but you use the self-motivational tools that work)
And part of why things didn't get done yesterday is that the contract for the new Devil's West books arrived, and I took the night to go over that with a fine-tooth comb (and a few glasses of wine). At one point, I may or may not have been reading relevant bits out loud, because some of that Legalese really calls out for a Radio Announcer Voice.
And it made me wonder if people are up for a post about Contracts and Creatives and the love-hate professional relationship between them?
Anyway, today's all about getting those last bits done, then plowing back into the writing. Yay, writing!
(originally published at Writer. Editor. Tired Person. You may comment here or there)
March 12, 2014
Things and Thinks
Although I'm working hard, I'm still falling behind. That's a warning sign to me to get some things off my plate, NOW.
So today I need to:
* finish a client edit and put it back on THEIR desk for a month or so.
* get the page proofs for DOGHOUSE back to m'editor
* answer all pending email (potential clients and current clients, as well as a few very patient friends)
* pay all the bills
* deal with the last 2013/first 2014 taxation stuff (and make my IRA deposit, damn it.)
* finish the short story edit I should have gotten to the respective writers on Monday
* start dealing with the household things I won't have time to this weekend because I'll be at Lunacon
* send out the first part of the Kickstarter bonuses
oh yeah, and get back to the TWO books I'm supposed to be writing now. I'd really, really like to do that.
Although I looked over something I'd done last week and flinched. Not because it's not well-written (it's extremely well-written) but it hit an overused trope I really, really didn't want to hit. So now I have to go back and make it better. Which I can, but I should never have done what I did in the first place.
Still, I guess fixing it before it escaped is almost as good as not doing it in the first place?
Yesterday I went back to sleep for two hours, after feeding the cats at 6am. It was nice, but... mornings are productive for me. Mid-afternoon is for naps. I need to remember that.
So today I need to:
* finish a client edit and put it back on THEIR desk for a month or so.
* get the page proofs for DOGHOUSE back to m'editor
* answer all pending email (potential clients and current clients, as well as a few very patient friends)
* pay all the bills
* deal with the last 2013/first 2014 taxation stuff (and make my IRA deposit, damn it.)
* finish the short story edit I should have gotten to the respective writers on Monday
* start dealing with the household things I won't have time to this weekend because I'll be at Lunacon
* send out the first part of the Kickstarter bonuses
oh yeah, and get back to the TWO books I'm supposed to be writing now. I'd really, really like to do that.
Although I looked over something I'd done last week and flinched. Not because it's not well-written (it's extremely well-written) but it hit an overused trope I really, really didn't want to hit. So now I have to go back and make it better. Which I can, but I should never have done what I did in the first place.
Still, I guess fixing it before it escaped is almost as good as not doing it in the first place?
Yesterday I went back to sleep for two hours, after feeding the cats at 6am. It was nice, but... mornings are productive for me. Mid-afternoon is for naps. I need to remember that.
March 11, 2014
My Lunacon Schedule
Saturday:
Write What you Don't Know 12pm
When should you self-publish? 3:00 PM
Autographing: 7:00 PM
Sunday:
Consistency, Shmistency 11:00 AM
A light schedule, mainly because I'm going to be day-tripping the convention (first, because I live half an hour away, and second because that way I don't have to get someone else to come in and give CatofSize his 2x daily shots) but also because I am up to my ears in work and really shouldn't even be taking any time off. But, you know, convention. Socializing. I'm told it's good for me. :-)
So now you know where to find me this weekend.
(and yes, I will have some copies of MILES TO GO/PROMISES TO KEEP for purchase, if you have a hankering for the print edition and never got around to ordering one from the publisher...)
Write What you Don't Know 12pm
When should you self-publish? 3:00 PM
Autographing: 7:00 PM
Sunday:
Consistency, Shmistency 11:00 AM
A light schedule, mainly because I'm going to be day-tripping the convention (first, because I live half an hour away, and second because that way I don't have to get someone else to come in and give CatofSize his 2x daily shots) but also because I am up to my ears in work and really shouldn't even be taking any time off. But, you know, convention. Socializing. I'm told it's good for me. :-)
So now you know where to find me this weekend.
(and yes, I will have some copies of MILES TO GO/PROMISES TO KEEP for purchase, if you have a hankering for the print edition and never got around to ordering one from the publisher...)
CatofSize Update...
So...
Although he's on track to losing weight, his numbers still aren't where the vet wants 'em. So we're back up to 3 units of insulin (he'd been down to 2.5), and we'll see what happens. He'll be going in for a sugar curve in a few weeks (an all-day test tracking what his blood sugar's doing), and hopefully that will tell us some more.
None of the numbers are in a danger zone - it's just fiddling to figure out the just-right temperature, so to speak.
Meanwhile, the various and sundry numbers for his kidneys are not where they should be, either. It doesn't indicate anything wrong-right-now, but suggests potential trouble down the line. So we're in a spot where medication won't be helpful, but there's not much else we can do except what we're already doing.
The moment I adopted CatofSize, I knew he'd have medical issues as he got older. He was neutered late, and even lean he was a big damn cat, and the intake vet warned me about all this. But up until now he's been so damned healthy, I figured it would kick in when he was 12 or 13, not 10...
Although he's on track to losing weight, his numbers still aren't where the vet wants 'em. So we're back up to 3 units of insulin (he'd been down to 2.5), and we'll see what happens. He'll be going in for a sugar curve in a few weeks (an all-day test tracking what his blood sugar's doing), and hopefully that will tell us some more.
None of the numbers are in a danger zone - it's just fiddling to figure out the just-right temperature, so to speak.
Meanwhile, the various and sundry numbers for his kidneys are not where they should be, either. It doesn't indicate anything wrong-right-now, but suggests potential trouble down the line. So we're in a spot where medication won't be helpful, but there's not much else we can do except what we're already doing.
The moment I adopted CatofSize, I knew he'd have medical issues as he got older. He was neutered late, and even lean he was a big damn cat, and the intake vet warned me about all this. But up until now he's been so damned healthy, I figured it would kick in when he was 12 or 13, not 10...
