Category Archives: LJ

Trying not to dwell on death and dying, and what comes in the mail? Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary a la Netflix.

However, it was damn fine escapism. I love ballet. I started dancing when I was three. Some of my earliest memories are of being on stage, dancing in The Nutcracker ballet at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. I’ve always loved dance as the truest, most visceral expression of beauty, power, and grace.

Before Matthew and I moved here, we went to see the Atlanta Ballet perform Dracula. It was incredible. I didn’t think a movie version of the ballet could compare to the live experience. I was wrong. Pages from a Virgin’s Diary is seductive and mesmerizing. I loved it.

Writing Stuff:

Was I interested? Squeee!

So then I suggested something I’ve been dwelling on for a while now, which is compiling my fairy tales for adults into a single volume. I’ve got enough of them for a novel-length compilation. Currently, about half of them are sold and in various stages of publication, and the other half are making the rounds. So early 2006 sounds just about right to take into account the looong lead times.

Nathan’s vision was to do 50-100 limited edition, hand bound hardcovers, released simultaneously with an open edition trade paperback. This project is still in the “wouldn’t it be cool” stages. We haven’t discussed money matters (like my advance) or anything like that, but I’m totally jazzed.

So instead of generating word count, I created a spreadsheet of my fairy tales for adults, started dwelling upon chapter order, and brain stormed title ideas.

I just heard that the person in my writers group with the brain tumor died yesterday. She passed away peacefully, losing her heroic battle with cancer.

I didn’t know her very well. We’d exchanged critiques as well as supportive emails cheering each other’s successes, but never spoken in real life. She was a talented writer with wit, humor, and a distinctive worldview. I’m saddened that I’ll never get a chance to meet her in person.

Neck is still all wonky. Stupid neck.

Watched one of the new Netflix offerings last night: Terminator 3. Surprising myself, I enjoyed it. The full circle thing was actually quite satisfying, and the ending was nicely grim. Although I suspect I would have liked it even more if we’d watched it in the theater as there were many spectacular explosions and a plethora of shiny EFX. Arnold does maintain a buff physique, I’ll say that about the gov. ‘Cept they never do explain (or even try to explain) any potential paradoxes or touch upon the ramifications of time travel on the future timeline. Probably just as well. The Terminator trilogy isn’t exactly what I’d call cerebral . . .

Received a UPS package in the mail addressed to both Matthew and I. Matthew didn’t think he was expecting anything, and I didn’t think I was either. Plus it was box-shaped, and anything I expect in the mail is more magazine or book-shaped these days. So, with some perplexity, we opened it. As it turns out it wasn’t for either of us, it was for Hobkin! We’d forgotten we’d ordered his Nu-Cat vitamins a week or so ago. So I called the wee fuzzwit over, as, of course, he was totally uninterested in the package, and gave him a vitamin, at which point, he suddenly became very interested. He thinks vitamins are skunk candy.

Writing Stuff:

Also wrote a review of the new Sci-Fiction story for Tangent. Still no signs of life from ye olde editor, but I emailed it to him anyway.

I checked the Story Station site and “Second Daughter” isn’t up. I guess when the editor said he would publish it “the beginning of the week if not earlier” he didn’t mean this week. No biggie, I guess. I’m accustomed to late publication schedules, but I was looking forward to it, not to mention looking forward to the paycheck!

Glad it’s the weekend. Sunny and hot. Looks to be a good one for staying in with an iced coffee, a fluffy skunk, my laptop, and my muse.

I think my headache is getting better. I hope it’s a trend. Fell asleep pretty early, almost right after dinner, and woke up for an hour or so at around ten–my recent standard operating procedure. But, on the whole, I got a lot of sleep. I think that might be contributing to my overall state of “my head doesn’t hurt as much.”

During my brief waking period, I watched the second half of Michael Moore’s 1997 The Big One. There was much giggling. Phil Knight, the CEO of Nike, actually granted Michael Moore an interview. I’d almost feel sorry for Knight if he wasn’t such a schmuck.

Writing Stuff:

Headache still in evidence. But, showing that one can become accustomed to some very unpleasant things, I’m dealing with it by ignoring it. Seems to be working so far. Or else the headache is better than it was and I’m deluding myself. Probably the latter.

August will be my ten-year anniversary with the company I work for. As such, I got to pick out a 10-year gift from their catalog of stuff. I opted not to choose the various timepieces, the semi-precious jewelry, the kitchenware, or even the Panasonic DVD player. Instead, I got a set of solar-powered landscaping lights. They arrived last week and are very swank. So yesterday evening Matthew and I went out to set them up in our front yard. In order to ensure the greatest amount of sunlight exposure and therefore proper battery charging, we needed to do some pruning, or as I think of it, mangling. The ornamental flora around our house had grown a bit, err, uninhibited. It now looks like it’s been savaged by a manic remedial barber student.

I absolutely hate outdoor work. Today I ache in unlikely places from wielding the trimmers and hammering in the light posts. Matthew assumed the role of downed branch removal because I’m pretty much allergic to the outdoors, and the less I’m in direct contact with it the better. Poor Matthew. We’ve got holly and blackberry shrubs out there, which are extremely pointy. He bled. I cursed. I hope not to have to do anything with that area again for a looong time.

Writing Stuff:

Did another pass through “Blind Love” which resulted in some judicious chopping. Culled less than 100 words, but they were good cuts, unlike the horticultural butchery engaged in earlier. Going to foist the thing on Matthew now.

Also wrote up a Critters critique for this week and did the final polish and shine of the second offering from the four-week Critters batch. This was a smaller rewrite than the previous one. Not sure if it’s because it was a simpler story, it was more polished, or it was the second of the two and received less attention. Also compiled references and composed a cover letter for it. It’s now waiting to go to Cricket.

Peeked at the RoF slush board. Carina’s read one of the submissions of mine in this batch (of which there are two). Now I anti-wait for the BFoD with bated breath. Also, it’s rounding the bend to 200 days on the story she passed to Shawna. My fingers are going to fuse crossed at this rate.

Went to the Dragon*Con staff meeting yesterday whereupon my head did not explode and leak brains on anyone, but it threatened to several times. The white chocolate mocha from the coffee shop helped, though. As did the Sudafed and Ibuprofen. But what really helped was the head and shoulder rub that Dean gave me! Purring pile o’goo happiness. Unfortunately, the respite from pain was brief, and I am again pained this morning. But it was nice being better for a while.

Good meeting, otherwise, although I didn’t do much at it. Met up with some of my staff, and watched the queue of directors try to work out their schedules with the goddess of scheduling and Excel, dire_epiphany.

Came home, and ‘though I wheedled and pleaded, Matthew was adamant that we were not having blueberry pie for dinner. So we had French fries and Gardenburgers and then had blueberry pie. I tend to think the meal would have been healthier if we’d just had the pie to begin with. Good pie.

Watched The Triplets of Belleville which is really weird and quirky. I liked it quite a bit, although there were definitely moments of shocked squeeing. I think if I were to see that movie again, I’d want to do it while drunk or somesuch similar state of modified consciousness.

Writing Stuff:

And, oh crap, what with me being sick, I totally zoned on writing a review for the current Sci-Fiction story for Tangent. Although I haven’t heard back from my editor since I sent him the one for “Shadow Twin.” Still no reply to my query from last week either. Hmm. Think I’ll post to the SFF.publishing.tangent-online newsgroup, to check if anyone’s heard from him recently. And immediately after that, I’ll write a review for “Leviathan Wept.” Yup.

We joined Netflix on their free 2-week trial. So far, I think they’re a pretty slick outfit. Our first batch of DVDs: Calendar Girls, The Son of Frankenstein/The Ghost of Frankenstein, and The Triplets of Belleville. Watched Calendar Girls which we hadn’t seen before, and The Ghost of Frankenstein (ah, the classics ) last night. This whole door-to-door DVD delivery thing, with no late fees even, is pretty nifty.

Calendar Girls was sweet, with scenes both charming, funny, and occasionally poignant. But it dragged a bit. I don’t think there was enough story there for a full length movie.

The Dragon*Con staff meeting is today. Going to take many pills and hope that my head doesn’t explode in the middle of it for that would be rude.

Writing Stuff:

Didn’t write anything new yesterday as I was busy watching DVDs from Netflix.