User:	fiercy
	Date:	2009-11-20 14:40
	Subject:	Write or Die?
	Security:	Public

One writer I know tells me that he sits down every morning and says to himself nicely, "It's not like you don't have a choice, because you do -- you can either type, or kill yourself." ~~Anne Lamott

How much do I love that the very first assignment in my Creative Writing class has required reading of an essay called "Shitty First Drafts"?

	User:	fiercy
	Date:	2009-11-18 12:57
	Subject:	Ugh. Ick. Meh.
	Security:	Public

( It's very strange what you'll do when you're sick. )

	User:	morgan32
	Date:	2009-11-17 19:53
	Subject:	Random stuff
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	moody

I impulsively bought a copy of BBC Good Food magazine for the Christmas recipes...boy, I'd forgotten how much I love this magazine! I am really tempted to get a subscription again. Two problems with that:

1. With the whole thing of having to battle Mum and Sis for time in the kitchen, I don't get to properly cook very often. When I do, it has to be either slow-cooker stuff or fast-to-prepare stuff, or it's not worth the hassle from them.

2. I've got three mags on subscription already, including the SPN magazine. I should really give one of those up if I'm going to get another, if only on the principle that I don't have time to read more.

*

I've enjoyed reading everyone's reaction-posts to Waters of Mars, so much so I decided to watch it. (Note: not a Who fan.) Not bad. Not fantastic, but I did enjoy it. I suspect there was stuff in there I didn't 'get' because I lack the background, but it's a huge improvement on the odd episodes I've seen. I like the whole moral dilemma thing.

Just out of curiosity...

Question: given that the Doctor travels in time, is it possible for him to meet himself? Or to visit the same time more than once? (I gather doing so is probably agains the rules, but is it possible in this 'verse?)

*

Chai latte and the company of a good friend may not fix everything, but it sure makes things better. Thanks, Mel. I really needed that :)

*

I have an actual outline for my Yuletide fic! And 250 words written. Here's hoping it continues.

*

I've been checking out Google Wave. It's in closed beta (they call it "limited preview") and I can't actually get in, but I've been reading and researching. I can imagine it being a nightmare as a social networking tool (at least for the anti-social like myself), but I think it would be a brilliant way to beta a fic. I mean, to really beta, not just proof-read. It will let you make comments or even have threaded conversations within a document; let multiple people edit the document directly; let you "replay" so you can see who changed what and change it back if needed; and when you're done you can strip out all the commentary and be left with a neat, polished document. Or, in this case, fic. Of course, both writer and beta(s) would have to be Wave users, but who doesn't use Google for something these days?

There's definitely potential for both good and evil in this one. But I still registered for an invite so I can explore further.

*

Speaking of fandom (well, I was, sort of), is it too weird that I really want this book just because it's got a vague link to my favourite detective?

*

Procrastination, thy name is Morgan. Got to read a chapter before I sleep and here I am blogging instead. *sigh*

Crossposted from my Dreamwidth journal. comments at Dreamwidth.

	User:	fiercy
	Date:	2009-11-12 15:26
	Subject:	The People Below the Planes
	Security:	Public

Very few things have touched me as much as this video has. I know too little history, or the war, much to my shame. I want to rectify that, but I don't need to know in order to be moved to tears by this. I wish I'd seen it yesterday.

Background:

This woman was a contestant on "Ukraine's Got Talent" last month. She is standing behind a table which is covered with sand. The table is lit from beneath.

She is telling the story of one of the aerial bombings of Kiev during World War II. You will see one of the famous monuments that stands in Kiev today commemorating those bombings.*

Kseniya Simonova - Sand Animation


*Originally from Marianne Williamson's Journal.

	User:	morgan32
	Date:	2009-11-11 13:56
	Subject:	More Yuletide musings
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	optimistic

Yuletide

yuletide signups close tomorrow - that's a gentle nudge to anyone on my flist who's thinking of signing up and hasn't yet!

I've done mine. I ditched one of the fandoms I planned to request in favour of one that showed up on the list which I'd never thought of requesting but couldn't resist once I saw it.

I have been very cautious this year in my offerings. Last time I did Yuletide I offered everything I thought I might be able to write, and ended up with a request that, while I certainly could write it, I never would have by choice. It was okay; I wrote a fic which I think was pretty good and all that. But still, it bothered me.

So this year I've offered less, but I'm happy that whatever assignment I end up with, I'll be able to smile. There are fandoms I've offered that I kinda hope I don't get, but that's more an 'order of preference' thing.

I was planning to offer The Graveyard Book but in the end I chickened out; I certainly know the book well enough to write fanfic for it with a good prompt, but I just don't believe I could do justice to the source material. Gaiman has such a unique 'voice', it's not something I can match.

On an impulse, I did offer to write The Deverry Series, but only certain characters. I've been re-reading those books recently so it's fresh in my mind and I'm seeing a lot of fanfic potential, although I won't write novel fanfic (on principal) other than for Yuletide. I'd only want to write a particular era, though. I understand the series has finally ended - I gave up on it a while back because the rambling storyline irritated the hell out of me. But I've got all but the last (if it is the last) now, and I'll complete my collection shortly.

Oddly, given I don't write novel fanfic, almost everything I offered this year is a written source. Weird that, but I guess it's because all but one of my TV fandoms are too popular to qualify for Yuletide. I did offer a bunch of movies, though, including one I'm going to have to illegally download if I get it as an assignment, because although I've seen it, I can't write a (good) fanfic based on one viewing and the DVD won't be available legally for months. But it's a cool film and I'm gonna buy that DVD the instant it hits the shelves, so I had to offer. There's one movie I offered which, if I do get it, I'm not going to know whether to squee or panic. I guess it depends on the details of the request.

Given how uninspired I've been lately, it's weird that I'm totally excited about this!

Crossposted from my Dreamwidth journal. comments at Dreamwidth.

	User:	fiercy
	Date:	2009-11-10 15:41
	Subject:	Star Trek - $10.00
	Security:	Public

Pre-order Star Trek at Amazon for $10.00 right now. I know a couple of other places are doing it, too, but at least one of them shall not be mentioned.

ETA: Also? Best. Twitter. Account. Ever. In. Ever.

	User:	calystarose
	Date:	2009-11-09 15:20
	Subject:	Family stuff
	Security:	Public

So mom got her test results today, she has lymphoma. They don't have any further details and won't until after she gets in to see an oncologist which will take like 3-4 days to arrange. I don't know if she'll get to see a doctor at that time or if (because she's on the low income thing) they'll just schedule her for some other date in the future.

I'm feeling spectacularly shitty right about now.

This entry was also posted at http://calystarose.dreamwidth.org/18381.html. people have commented there. Comment there too if you wish: http://calystarose.dreamwidth.org/18381.html#comments

	User:	morgan32
	Date:	2009-11-09 12:00
	Subject:	Evidently I suck...this is news?
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	grumpy

( Rambling about friends who apparently think I'm a bad friend )

All that rather put me off the idea of celebrating my birthday this year. I'm taking the day off work, though. I think I'll go to the cinema and watch the world be destroyed in 2012...seems like that'll fit my mood.

In other news...it was weird to go and see a biopic of Keats and come out thinking It was a good film, but what's with all the poetry? But I did. Bright Star is the movie I mean. It's a really good film, slow-paced but in a good way, very emotional, it felt real in a way many costume-dramas don't. But as much as I do enjoy poetry, the quotations from Keats' work really didn't add anything to the story. I could have done without them.

Oh, gods, I need some good news! Oh, I know - Memorabilia is a week and a half away. Anyone going?

I will be there on Saturday.

Crossposted from my Dreamwidth journal. comments at Dreamwidth.

	User:	fiercy
	Date:	2009-11-08 01:59
	Subject:	Another Wal-Mart Gem
	Security:	Public

Wal-Mart Bans a gay couple for "not cooperating" when wrongly accused of shoplifting.

What gets me is that nothing will ever take this company down. There will never be enough people who care to outweigh the people who either don't, or who just don't have the impetus to change their lifestyles. I'm guilty, I admit it. But this may have done it.