Haven’t had a drop of alcohol, but my wingstubs were bugging me, so I took a Clonazepam. Now I am loopy. When I try to walk, I stagger and stumble about with my balance all wonkified, and fosteronfilm informs me my speech is slurring. And there’s a certain mild euphoria going on. Wheeeee!
For something completely different: science is sometimes less than lofty. Check out the IgNobel awards. At last, recognition for the uninspired, pointless, and possibly profoundly underfunded scientific research studies. I’m especially amused by the Biology (“A Survey of Frog Odorous Secretions”) and Fluid Dynamics (“Pressures Produced When Penguins Pooh”) winners.
Writing Stuff
I’m waiting on pins and needles for a couple responses from editors, and as I did my little mailbox pilgrimages yesterday, I was thinking about a a great invention: a mailbox sensor that triggers a buzzer inside the house when a delivery happens. If I had one of those, I wouldn’t have to keep running back and forth between the window and the couch (if I’m lucky and have something outgoing) to see if the flag’s been dropped, or worse, making several fruitless trips to the mailbox and undoubtedly being perceived by my neighbors as the crazy mailbox lady*. This nifty device would ensure that I’d always know exactly when the mail carrier arrived.
That’s just sad, isn’t it? And I’d probably end up like one of Pavlov’s dog and start drooling every time the buzzer went off. Yes, my patience is fractured beyond the telling of it. That muscle don’t work so good.
Thanks to this post of tiellan‘s, I applied for a fantasy writing contract job. Had a phone interview for it yesterday (I cannot stress how very much I suck at phone interviews; written correspondence or face-to-face, it’s all good, on the phone, I fall apart) and I appear to have lined myself up a tentative contract gig. Details to be hammered out in the nearish future, but the plan is that I’ll be doing 6-8 weeks of essentially work-for-hire in Dec/Jan, writing 1-2K word chapters every week for The City of If–an interactive, online RPG gaming site. There’s potential for longer-term contract work if the initial stint goes well. I’m pretty jazzed.
Thanks to a French Critter, I was able to determine that my French reprint of “The Storyteller’s Wife” is either out, or about to come out in the October 2005, (#19) issue of Faeries. On an amusing note, I’m sharing a ToC with Darrell Schweitzer. The cover art:
* Most days I’m too lazy to put on sunscreen to go check the mail because I’m outside for all of half a minute. But exposing myself to the full-on noontime sunny day Georgia UV rays, even for half a minute, is a no-no, putting me at risk for a Lupus flare-up. To solve this conundrum of laziness, I often use a (bright yellow) parasol to shade me during my extremely brief mail outings. I, in my scruffy Resident Evil t-shirt, jammy pants, and parasol, undoubtedly present a curious sight to the neighbors.
Good to know I’m not the only crazy-mailbox-lady. 😉
It’s a hazard of the profession!
Mailboxes, mailboxes…
I’d be happy if there was some sort of indicator on the mailbox. It would mean I don’t have to go out and check the mail box if there’s nothing there, and also it would mean I actually clear the mail box when there is stuff there. Sometimes I forget. And I wish people would pay attention to the “No junk mail” sticker. I HATE junk mail.
I just submitted my crit for the week. Damn I love your folk tales. And when I was reading it at dinner, I thought I found a missing word. But I couldn’t find it just now, so I may have imagined it the first time. If I find it again, I’ll let you know.
I was watching Survivor at the time as well. Probably multi-tasking a bit too much. 🙂
Dreamwind the critter (who is heading back to slave rebellions now).
Re: Mailboxes, mailboxes…
Heh. I never forget the mail. Sometimes I linger by the window waiting for the white truck to cruise by. My life is sad and boring.
You have a “no junk mail” sticker on your mailbox? Does that work? That seems like a terribly good idea. Is it like the “do not call” list for telemarketers and spammers?
I can’t wait to read your critique!
Re: Mailboxes, mailboxes…
I rarely get exciting mail… just bills. The only excitement is at the start of the month when the gardening and SCA magazines arrive.
And the “No Junk Mail” sticker mostly works. I don’t get the stupid pizza vouchers or store catalogues. But the real estate agents think their stuff clearly isn’t junk mail, because I still get the “Thought of selling your house?” pamphlets every week.
Dreamwind
The job
And I think you would be AWESOME at such a job. And what a job to have until you can get the writing to support you fully! I’m impressed!
Dreamwind again.
Re: The job
It wouldn’t pay a huge amount, but at this point any pay at all is cause for confetti!
Yes, waiting is tough. I’m waiting on a month+ response from Lenox Avenue…and more.
Sometimes I can put thoughts of impending response aside, and I’m fine, but others I’m one #10 SASE envelope away from a padded cell. AGGHH!
Oooh, the job sounds like fun! Unfortunately, my mom would probably have a fit if I tried something like that…she has a thing against RPGs. :sighs: Oh, well. I love my mommmy! :huggles:
And I’m so sorry about the wingstubs. Ouchy nasty! But at least the medicine made you feel good this time! 😀
I’m looking forward to the gig. I think it’ll be a great experience and it might pan out to regular work, which would be good for me. The pay’s not anywhere near enough to pay the mortgage by a long shot, but hey, gotta start somewhere.
Your mom has a problem with RPGs? Guh? Why?
:grins: She’s convinced (or was last time the subject came up) that anyone who plays RPGs is hopelessly enmeshed in the Occult and therefore dangerous. :nods solemnly: But she may have changed her mind about that over time…I’ll have to ask again.
And any pay at all is good.
Oh, dear. Well I hope she is willing to reconsider her position, ’cause role-playing games are good fun. Geeky as all get out, but I embraced my geekdom long ago . . .
:grins: They are fun. I’ve played one; it wasn’t a ‘real’ RPG (i.e., Mamma was fine with it), just myself and some of my friends posting third-person posts about our adventures in a faraway land on the (near-dead, at that time) NaNoWriMo forums. But I understand it was very much like a role-playing game. And none of us have been possessed by demons recently that I’ve noticed. :blinks:
Yep, that was role-playing. Fun and demon-possession-free! RPGing has gotten a bad rep in some corners, but it really shouldn’t. It’s just structured group storytelling. It’s got an element of chance (the dice) and a game master to keep things on track, which is the gaming experience, but aside from that, it’s really just storytelling. I totally love it. I’m somewhat bummed because when we moved to Atlanta, we moved away from our long-time gaming group, but I hold out hope of forming a new one here . . . eventually.
Awww, that’s sad. But I’m sure you’ll be able to form a new one. Structured group storytelling…I wouldn’t have thought of describing it that way, but it sounds much more Mom-friendly when you do! 🙂
I feel it in my bones that you will get this job and then go on to dominate the fantasy game industry making trillions and buying your house outright and building in a tunnel to the mailbox!
Mwahahahaaa! A supah sekrit underground passageway to the mailbox! Brilliant!
I think I might have you beat on the mailbox anxiety issue. One Saturday, the mail hadn’t come by 2:00 or 2:30. I actually walked down the street to my neighbor’s house, knocked on his door, and asked him if he’d gotten any mail yet that day. He hadn’t, of course, and he explained to me in the tone of voice you use with those mentally challenged that sometimes the mail didn’t come till late afternoon on Saturdays.
Oof.
:grins: Sounds like the sort of thing I would do.
Heeheehee! Mailbox junkies of the world unite!
the mailbox of your dreams can be yours…
my neighbor runs a landscaping business and gets more than your normal amount of mail. so he has a jumbo mailbox with this tiny little yellow flag that descends under the mailbox. it’s a bit hard to describe, but basically the act of opening the mailbox will set the flag downwards so that you can see if the mail has arrived. it’s a different color and completely out of the way of the standard red flag so there’s no real possibliity for confusion.
i did a quick google and didn’t come up with any immediate success, but perhaps it will help to know such a thing exists?
Oooo! I covet with a great avaricious want!
Ohhh… I like the mailbox idea….neat!
Hope you are feeling better;>
Thanks, sweetie. I am. It feels like I’ve slept half the weekend away, but when I’m awake, I feel much better.