Gillian Polack's Blog, page 147
October 6, 2012
gillpolack @ 2012-10-06T17:54:00
I got very thoroughly wet, but my messages are done. We have rain and more rain overnight, with a side dish of thunder.
My new glasses came rather earlier than expected and I'm wearing them now. They're angular and dark and my face is round and pale and so I look quite different. Better from some angles, not so much from others. The oddest thing about them is the big plastic bars on each side. Since I have no peripheral vision anyhow (I can only see where the glasses adjust my vision), there's no technical problem with large and decorated arms for glasses. It's odd, though, to have the sense of darkness and weight on each side. (If I worry about this, I can always pop on my reading glasses, which were almost the same as my old everyday glasses, just with different lenses).
For those worrying, after my health fund rebate, my glasses cost me $359, which is not as bad as it could have been. While I collected them, a woman was trying to find cheaper frames for her son, since the $250 for two pairs was a bit rich for her. He son was not happy about the whole thing: he just wanted out.
All the rest of the news of the day concerns my PhD, which is still progressing. Less than three weeks to go.
My new glasses came rather earlier than expected and I'm wearing them now. They're angular and dark and my face is round and pale and so I look quite different. Better from some angles, not so much from others. The oddest thing about them is the big plastic bars on each side. Since I have no peripheral vision anyhow (I can only see where the glasses adjust my vision), there's no technical problem with large and decorated arms for glasses. It's odd, though, to have the sense of darkness and weight on each side. (If I worry about this, I can always pop on my reading glasses, which were almost the same as my old everyday glasses, just with different lenses).
For those worrying, after my health fund rebate, my glasses cost me $359, which is not as bad as it could have been. While I collected them, a woman was trying to find cheaper frames for her son, since the $250 for two pairs was a bit rich for her. He son was not happy about the whole thing: he just wanted out.
All the rest of the news of the day concerns my PhD, which is still progressing. Less than three weeks to go.
October 5, 2012
gillpolack @ 2012-10-06T11:10:00
We have a lovely belt of rain crossing the ACT right now. It's a perfect day to stay snuggled inside, buffing up bits of duethings. I shall do that for an hour and then I shall do that again, two hours later, but after carefully doing all my messages yesterday (with the help of K and under physical duress) a library visit has manifested and my glasses are ready.
There's a Jewish folkstory about walking between the raindrops and I shall do that. I shall also finish with the next stage of my novel first (it got made complicated by factors beyond my control, but it is decomplicating at a respectable pace and will not cause everything to be late. Not if I stop chattering here and make my last decisions and zoom it back to my supervisor for judgement.
There's a Jewish folkstory about walking between the raindrops and I shall do that. I shall also finish with the next stage of my novel first (it got made complicated by factors beyond my control, but it is decomplicating at a respectable pace and will not cause everything to be late. Not if I stop chattering here and make my last decisions and zoom it back to my supervisor for judgement.
Radio waves
For those who want to know what I sound like (since you already know what I look like), I'll have a few minutes of radio interview tomorrow as part of the ArtSound program on Conflux. It's going to be an interesting program, regardless of how many stupidities I fitted into my few minutes, and ArtSound can be heard anywhere in the world. There are links on this page: http://artsound.fm/listen-online/ I believe it's 9 am Australian Eastern Standard Time (summer time starts tomorrow night, woo-hoo!) which is one of the few timeslots that's not entirely impossible for most people in more known continents.
Just think, if you listen, you'll be able run at the sound of me as well as the sight of me. Your skill sets will be greatly increased and your quality of life significantly improved.
Just think, if you listen, you'll be able run at the sound of me as well as the sight of me. Your skill sets will be greatly increased and your quality of life significantly improved.
gillpolack @ 2012-10-05T17:02:00
Thanks to K, my larder is stocked. Just in time, too, for the lurgie is back. I did need to lose weight, and I'm not teaching right now, and I can work through this (well, not precisely through it, more like in between it) and so much of Canberra has this virus that the best medicine for it is on special display in the supermarket.
My PhD is progressing towards final at a rapid rate, for all my proofreaders have reported in on the bibliography. An hour more work on it today at my end will also help.
In other news, I'm seeing life through cellophane until my new glasses arrive. My old ones suddenly reached the stage where they had to be held together with sticky tape. I was not expecting this. I don't know why not, actually, considering it was a bit falling off that made me get my eyes checked and seek new ones last week. I have to admit, it's a nuisance, but rather impressive to be wearing zombie glasses.
Mostly I want to sleep. Mostly I am sleeping. Sleeping and eating crystallised ginger and correcting portions of PhD. This is the life of the sybaritic student.
There was news, actually, and I keep forgetting to remind people of it. I will be online at Coyote Con the weekend I submit my doctorate. I'm on a panel or two in interesting US timezones. Alas, I haven't worked out a way of bringing real chocolate with me to panels for an online convention, but there will be virtual chocolate. The day I submit, anyone who wants can meet me at King O'Malley's and there may be real chocolate.
My other news was that I received a spectacular homemade birthday card today. It's not my birthday, but how could I object to a card so glorious? This is entirely unrelated to the fact that I'm seeing an all-male performance of Pirates with the friend who posted the card (but not, I suspect, the friend who made it?) next week.
My PhD is progressing towards final at a rapid rate, for all my proofreaders have reported in on the bibliography. An hour more work on it today at my end will also help.
In other news, I'm seeing life through cellophane until my new glasses arrive. My old ones suddenly reached the stage where they had to be held together with sticky tape. I was not expecting this. I don't know why not, actually, considering it was a bit falling off that made me get my eyes checked and seek new ones last week. I have to admit, it's a nuisance, but rather impressive to be wearing zombie glasses.
Mostly I want to sleep. Mostly I am sleeping. Sleeping and eating crystallised ginger and correcting portions of PhD. This is the life of the sybaritic student.
There was news, actually, and I keep forgetting to remind people of it. I will be online at Coyote Con the weekend I submit my doctorate. I'm on a panel or two in interesting US timezones. Alas, I haven't worked out a way of bringing real chocolate with me to panels for an online convention, but there will be virtual chocolate. The day I submit, anyone who wants can meet me at King O'Malley's and there may be real chocolate.
My other news was that I received a spectacular homemade birthday card today. It's not my birthday, but how could I object to a card so glorious? This is entirely unrelated to the fact that I'm seeing an all-male performance of Pirates with the friend who posted the card (but not, I suspect, the friend who made it?) next week.
October 4, 2012
Gillian , possibly singing
Please note the looks on the faces of the rest of the panel. The audience was even more interesting to behold but, alas, Yaritji had my camera...
In order: Jodi Cleghorn, Claire McKenna, Cat Sparks, Me.
And that's enough photos to disturb anyone's downloads!
In order: Jodi Cleghorn, Claire McKenna, Cat Sparks, Me.
And that's enough photos to disturb anyone's downloads!
That other booklaunch
I should have said - all these pictures of Conflux are by Yaritji Green, who had custody of my camera, which was much safer for everyone concerned.
From right to left: Jane Virgo, Nicole Murphy, Janeen Webb, Keri Arthur. This is a random crowd photograph, I think. We had very high calibre random crowds at our launch.
3/5 of the launchees: me (obviously), Jodi Cleghorn and Greg Mellor.
"I beg you, Mr Baxter, do not make me sign that book!"
From right to left: Jane Virgo, Nicole Murphy, Janeen Webb, Keri Arthur. This is a random crowd photograph, I think. We had very high calibre random crowds at our launch.
3/5 of the launchees: me (obviously), Jodi Cleghorn and Greg Mellor.
"I beg you, Mr Baxter, do not make me sign that book!"
Conflux pictures 1
First, the one I promised, where Coeur de Lion demonstrates how the modern editor subdues the modern author:
And what Jack Dann really gets up to at book launches:
And what Jack Dann really gets up to at book launches:
gillpolack @ 2012-10-04T19:25:00
I've decided to stop being grumpy: it's too much effort. I'd like to stop being boring, too, but I think being obsessed with my current subjects is just part of the PhD thing.
Did I admit here that I actually sang in public at Conflux? In public and in Latin? I still can't sing, but the context permitted it anyway. Also, it fitted the thousand-years-of-apocalyptic-literature-in-five-minutes that I had been challenged to give by Cat, who was moderating. For those who must know what I sang, it was the first two lines of my favourite Sponsus from Albert Henry's Chrestomathie (for I don't really know much Sponsus literature and that tune is awesomely misleading). I translated those lines, straightfaced, and only explained them when the laughter died down. I was going to keep quiet about it (for I truly cannot sing) but
ratfan
blogged it and obviously enjoyed it and I know at least five of you who will appreciate that it was done.
This is why Medievalists should be banned from science fiction conventions, or only put on certain panels under guidance or with gags. Or, at the least, you should check to make sure they *can* sing and will not pervert the course of Latin legend in any of their translations.
Thanks to Yaritji, I have photos of all sorts of Conflux things this year. If anyone would like to see any of it, just shout out and I'll put a couple online. There is one of an author wearing an apron while his publisher points a sword at certain delicate body parts that possibly needs wider circulation.
Did I admit here that I actually sang in public at Conflux? In public and in Latin? I still can't sing, but the context permitted it anyway. Also, it fitted the thousand-years-of-apocalyptic-literature-in-five-minutes that I had been challenged to give by Cat, who was moderating. For those who must know what I sang, it was the first two lines of my favourite Sponsus from Albert Henry's Chrestomathie (for I don't really know much Sponsus literature and that tune is awesomely misleading). I translated those lines, straightfaced, and only explained them when the laughter died down. I was going to keep quiet about it (for I truly cannot sing) but
ratfan
blogged it and obviously enjoyed it and I know at least five of you who will appreciate that it was done.This is why Medievalists should be banned from science fiction conventions, or only put on certain panels under guidance or with gags. Or, at the least, you should check to make sure they *can* sing and will not pervert the course of Latin legend in any of their translations.
Thanks to Yaritji, I have photos of all sorts of Conflux things this year. If anyone would like to see any of it, just shout out and I'll put a couple online. There is one of an author wearing an apron while his publisher points a sword at certain delicate body parts that possibly needs wider circulation.
October 3, 2012
gillpolack @ 2012-10-04T12:48:00
Today my internet is fallible. Today I'm fallible. I am finally post-viral and I know this because of this zone of fallibility that surrounds me. All this means is that I'm nearly well and can stand up without getting dizzy (which yesterday I couldn't). Also, that life seems overly large, for I'm not quite up to managing complexities. My messages might have to wait until tomorrow, even the urgent ones.
None of this means I'm being slack. One proofreader has reported in for the bibliographies and all the changes are entered (most of the problems were due to Microsoft Word being its ineffable self, but not all), so that's one step closer to final. Also I have edited other things. One editing stint proved that I can't possibility be a postgrad student, for I have the wrong language. I am too undignified, I suspect. That's OK. Only a few more weeks and I won't be a postgrad any more and can be as undignified as my inner self prescribes. Later I have the joys of back email, but sandwiched in between everything is a close reading of my dissertation. The introduction looks fine, which is a start (and yes, my capacity to make bad jokes has returned).
To be honest, my list for today is short. It's all big stuff, however. World-will-end-if-this-is-not-done stuff.
If I meet all my deadlines, I am going to Floriade next week. This week is when I had planned to go, for it's officially my quiet week, but next week will do. We're finally, finally into the full Spring weather pattern and there is much blowsy wind and many flowers. Early blossom was very early this year, but the main blossom has only just arrived. I might have to take my camera around with me for a bit.
None of this means I'm being slack. One proofreader has reported in for the bibliographies and all the changes are entered (most of the problems were due to Microsoft Word being its ineffable self, but not all), so that's one step closer to final. Also I have edited other things. One editing stint proved that I can't possibility be a postgrad student, for I have the wrong language. I am too undignified, I suspect. That's OK. Only a few more weeks and I won't be a postgrad any more and can be as undignified as my inner self prescribes. Later I have the joys of back email, but sandwiched in between everything is a close reading of my dissertation. The introduction looks fine, which is a start (and yes, my capacity to make bad jokes has returned).
To be honest, my list for today is short. It's all big stuff, however. World-will-end-if-this-is-not-done stuff.
If I meet all my deadlines, I am going to Floriade next week. This week is when I had planned to go, for it's officially my quiet week, but next week will do. We're finally, finally into the full Spring weather pattern and there is much blowsy wind and many flowers. Early blossom was very early this year, but the main blossom has only just arrived. I might have to take my camera around with me for a bit.
gillpolack @ 2012-10-03T23:37:00
I'm doing one more thing and then calling it a night. I got through most of my list, but the crit group lasted until 11 pm, which ate up my evening. It's useful, though, to see where people come from when they read fiction and what they deal with and what they don't. We had a nice range of material to crit tonight, but I can't talk about it, for most of it will be in blind submissions one place or another, sooner or later.
One thing I *can* talk about is just how much those essays I write for BiblioBuffet and those conference papers I give and my dissertation and my project into how writers use history have helped me understand writing techniques. I look at stories differently, now. I have the old tools, but can see why Clarion method works for some stories better than for others and how it's very easy to be lured into the literal.
Will I spend an hour checking my dissertation for errors, or will I just do one chapter and then sleep? I honestly can't tell you for I do not know myself.
One thing I *can* talk about is just how much those essays I write for BiblioBuffet and those conference papers I give and my dissertation and my project into how writers use history have helped me understand writing techniques. I look at stories differently, now. I have the old tools, but can see why Clarion method works for some stories better than for others and how it's very easy to be lured into the literal.
Will I spend an hour checking my dissertation for errors, or will I just do one chapter and then sleep? I honestly can't tell you for I do not know myself.
