The Dastardly Dungeon of Deliciously Devious Drinks

Shadowflame said:

Decisions decisions.

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Sigh. The kryptonite of all revision attempts I've had thus far.

Because I don't know if my plot patch ideas would be any better. I've learned enough to know bad, I can't seem to think up good.

Think, think!

Just submitted my final assignment for Honours! Woo! It also may be my final assignment for Uni *ever*! (Not planning on doing postgrad at this point, but who knows how I'll feel 2, 5, 10 years down the tracks.) And this afternoon, there's an Honours drinks send-off event, to celebrate the year being done. I'll be leaving for that in about an hour and a half. I doubt I'll get drunk (can't really justify the expense, as I've always held my liquor so well that it takes at least 12+ drinks to get me drunk...) but I *will* be celebrating.

Back from the movies. That was NOT the movie I was expecting; I must have had it mixed up with a movie that was actually worth looking at. The riffing, that was fun, though.

Cliff Face said:

but I *will* be celebrating.

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Have one on us!

Actually, I'm kind of expecting my supervisor to buy me a drink. Not in a "He should" way, just a "He probably will" way. And I just tallied up my finances. I can probably afford 3 drinks of my own. It all depends on the mood of the room, and how long people stick around. As I said, I can't afford as many drinks as it would take for me to actually get drunk. And I'm taking public transport home, too, so being drunk isn't a good idea anyway.

Religion0 said:

Oh, yeah, a dog trainer whose philosophy you can agree with is essential. I was lucky I found one I totally agree with for Havana. I didn't do an ideal job with her, but it's good to have.

Why not wait 4-6 months and see if you can tell by the fur or conformation then? If you can't, maybe DNA test then.

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That's probably what I'll end up doing. If I can stand to wait.

nossmf said:

Just a quick online note: I should not have lamented receiving less-than-stellar feedback from SYW peeps. They put forth a few minutes' time to read/critique, and publicly griping is generally frowned upon. So sorry.

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I gotta admit it really bothers me when someone argues with the feedback in the critique thread (though full disclosure, I admit to doing this as a newbie). But I pretty much assume that people go somewhere else to vent about crits. Or cry, or eat chocolate and vodka, or whatever. Getting crits can hurt, even if they're mostly positive, but especially if they aren't.

It still hurts me to get negative feedback, even if it's coming from someone I never agree with in their crits of others. But I try hard to get any necessary ranting out before I post back and thank people for critting.

Oh, I also always thank people via reps now, too. I don't know how much other people care about that, but I really like getting a rep-thanks from someone else. It's a nice touch.

Shadowflame said:

SNOW is a bad 4 letter word

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This to the nth power. You all stop mentioning that word right now. I get the white stuff before I can drill the new line to my well next week and y'all are in big trouble! You wouldn't like me when I'm squeaky mad...


Yah to Cliff!!

I ran outside and =^_^='ed when I noticed the first flakes falling from the sky.

You snow-hating folks are just no fun. (Or I'm a snow siren. Oooh, that sounds cute =^_^=, actually.)

It's not that I hate snow. It's just that I don't want to commence the deep freeze here in Minnesota until as loooooong as possible. Especially since it wreaks havoc on my commute.

I love snowshoeing and skiing.

After 11 months on this job, I am finally starting the project I was originally hired for: catalog copy for 860+ pieces of stunning limited edition sterling silver jewelry. That's how backed up and truncated the other 10850 jewelry supply listings were in their catalog. Oi. We're still working on about 300 pieces with 'stub' listings, but we have to get that jewelry listed now. See where English majors with a jewelry background end up.

tiddlywinks said:

This to the nth power. You all stop mentioning that word right now. I get the white stuff before I can drill the new line to my well next week and y'all are in big trouble! You wouldn't like me when I'm squeaky mad...

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I keep thinking your name should be Tiddlysqueaks....

But I agree with the no snow thing. As a Southerner I have strict moral objections to cold weather. As a mountain girl, I have practical objections as well. As a creaky old granny, my body objects, too.

BTW: saw a T-shirt both Younger Daughter and I want: it says, "Books Make Me Happy; you, not so much."

So... drinking with professors is a dangerous game. I had 5 beers, my last about 2 hours ago, and I'm still feeling tipsy. Not quite drunk, but definitely affected. And yeah... I'm reconsidering grad school. I mean, these drunk students and professors seemed so much like *my people*... I technically have 3 days left to apply for postgrad.

Highlight of the beervening: My supervisor said I was a maniac, for having submitted this final assignment *and* my thesis early.

Author group went well last night! I did promise to send the first chapter of my latest WIP for next week, though, so they can see some First Draft stuff. So far they've only seen 'edited and almost ready for submission' stuff. I'm hoping for a good reception. Secretly in my heart I'm hoping they are amazed at how fantastic even my first drafts are

I did ask them to be more brutal in their critiques. The leader of the group, a librarian with a Masters' in English, said my contributions were so clean, it was hard to find faults. That made me glow

I was trying to reply to a bunch of things in here using my phone, but I set it down for a second and when I picked it back up, I accidentally closed the app, thus deleting everything I wrote. *le heavy and annoyed sigh*

The tl;ntia (too long; not typing it again) version is:

@Shadow: SNOW isn't my 4 letter word, ICE is. Fell down front porch steps circa winter 2006. Ouch. Probably cracked a rib. Definitely pulled right knee. Not falling ever again. Sit down and scoot down steps if icy. Don't care how cold butt gets.

@Junely: Saw Mystery Science Theater on TV the other night with giant lobster aliens from space. Was weird but funny.

@JJ: I agree about what you said re crits and venting and thanking people.

@Junely: I want that t-shirt too!

@GD: Yay author group feedback that made you glow!


Sooooo... I wrote around 359 words yesterday. Was hoping for more, but it's better than nothing. For some reason, I'm only okay with my wordage if I can get it at or close to 500+ for the day. 1,000+ words in a day is truly satisfying. 2,000+ words in a day is OMGoodness, I can't believe I wrote all of that, I'm awesome!

This section I'm on is just another one of those slow ones. I feel like I need to show MC's adjustment to the Other world because she's gone from current day society with stuff like electricity, indoor plumbing, grocery stores and the like, to a society where there is no electricity, and they live off the land. It wouldn't exactly be an easy transition for most people, but as I write about the more mundane stuff, like how if she wants eggs now, she has to go collect them from the chickens in the hen house, etc., I worry that A) I'm telling too much because I just want to skim this stuff, and B) The reader is going to find even the skimming of the more mundane things boring.

I'm trying to intersperse the mundane things with more interesting stuff, but my perfectionism is acting up and is saying even that isn't good enough. *glares at perfectionism* I just keep trying to remind myself, ONCE AGAIN, that this is only a first draft, I just need to PUT THE WORDS ON PAPER and I can come back and tweak it into something better later.

So. I'm going to go put words on paper now, and try to get above 500+ words for the day. *plays 10 hour-long video of music by Adrian Von Ziegler* *goes into focus mode*

I'm still slogging away at Nuke Was Part II. I'm on page 25 of 167. There are four parts to this slog. Part I was Legacy of Luck, Part II is The Enchanted Swans, Part III is Call of the Morrigu, and Park IV (the smallest as it's only 2/3 written) is Misfortune of Vision.

This weekend we're heading to Ithaca for our belated 15th anniversary celebration. Downtown is doing a Wizarding Weekend Harry Potter celebration turning into Diagon Alley. Should be fun!

Also, tomorrow morning I'm teaching a beading class at a nearby beading store. Well, 35 minutes away. Nearby-ish. It's called 'My Girlfriend's Jewelry Box'

You know, I really, really don't need any more plot bunnies running amok in my brain, but someone mentioned something down in the "elemental magic" thread and now I have a darn rabbit hopping around in my head dealing with mages with elemental familiars (your powers are partially trained and partially granted by the type of familiar that adopts you). Feels like a YA story also . . .

Gah!!!! :gah:

I am all the time talking about food and cooking. So what is the Food Crazed Hillbilly having for lunch?

Cheese, pepperoni and banana peppers on crackers.

Yeah, I'm classy. All I need now is a bottle of cheap-ass beer!

*hands Richard a butterfly net to catch the plot bunny* I can try getting the clicker-trained raptors to catch it if that doesn't work.

Junely, for a second, my brain didn't register that you said "banana peppers", not just "bananas" and I thought that sounded really gross.

Back to my document I go...

I had a yummy salad for lunch. Our cafeteria runs a good salad bar. Cucumbers, olives, soybeans, buffalo mozzarella balls, artichoke hearts, crabmeat, bacon bits, hard boiled egg bits, dried cranberries. Salty, sweet, mild and tart.

And yes, buffalo mozzarellas do have balls. Big tasty ones.

I forgot to mention, tonight is pizza night! Love love love pizza night. Younger Daughter made dessert: blackberries and raspberries with cream. Simple but delicious!

ETA: Oh, and words were had! Not a lot, but I'll take what I can get!

E.F.B. said:

So. I'm going to go put words on paper now, and try to get above 500+ words for the day. *plays 10 hour-long video of music by Adrian Von Ziegler* *goes into focus mode*

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You go, Effby!! Rock them werdz like no body's bidness! (Also, good choice of music, )

Richard White said:

You know, I really, really don't need any more plot bunnies running amok in my brain, but someone mentioned something down in the "elemental magic" thread and now I have a darn rabbit hopping around in my head dealing with mages with elemental familiars (your powers are partially trained and partially granted by the type of familiar that adopts you). Feels like a YA story also . . .

Gah!!!! :gah:

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That reminds me of a recent project I was working on and my brain is still toying with: The Last Airbender + Attack on Titan + Death Note = Insane elemental giants called 'earthBreakers' have taken over the world, but humans have developed a magic of their own, E-MP (Extra-Mental Projection (pun with Electromagnetic Pulse intended)). E-MP is telepathy, teleportation, and telekinesis each with their own unique spins. The MC is a young man who can kill with a thought, at least, he can other people with a thought. Breakers, like murderers and trees, have no soul, and thus cannot be killed via 'death-thought'. The story revolves around the MC being kidnapped by his siblings and taken to the frontlines to meet a 'wereBreaker' who wants to talk with him, and all the hijinx and conundrums that involves.

I always loved the idea of familiars, especially fire-familiars who can do fire-things with fire! I say, give yourself a week to see if this new idea will go anywhere. I always found letting my brain do what it wants for a bit helps make it more able to do what I want later.

lilyWhite said:

I ran outside and =^_^='ed when I noticed the first flakes falling from the sky.

You snow-hating folks are just no fun. (Or I'm a snow siren. Oooh, that sounds cute =^_^=, actually.)

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^^^ All of this!!!

jallenecs said:

I am all the time talking about food and cooking. So what is the Food Crazed Hillbilly having for lunch?

Cheese, pepperoni and banana peppers on crackers.

Yeah, I'm classy. All I need now is a bottle of cheap-ass beer!

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There ain't nothing wrong with a good homemade Lunchable. I'm partially fond of a lunch of Wheat Thins, slices of ham, and brie.

Cliff Face said:

So... drinking with professors is a dangerous game. I had 5 beers, my last about 2 hours ago, and I'm still feeling tipsy. Not quite drunk, but definitely affected. And yeah... I'm reconsidering grad school. I mean, these drunk students and professors seemed so much like *my people*... I technically have 3 days left to apply for postgrad.

Highlight of the beervening: My supervisor said I was a maniac, for having submitted this final assignment *and* my thesis early.

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My grad school adviser got married a couple of months ago and had a reception party last week (the actual wedding was a small event, the party, not so much). Almost every professor in my department was there, and once you see them drunk you kinda loose your fear/awe of them and realize how much fun they can be. And then you see them drunk dancing. Hilarious.

I did loose my awe of one of the professors on my committee a couple of years ago when I worked for him on a study project in the mountains. We were backpacking for a few weeks and he liked to sleep in his birthday suit. So yeah...Seeing your professor naked...

*Snort* Beervening. Love this.

Hmmm... seeing a superior naked. I have to put this in a story. Yes.....

lilyWhite said:

I ran outside and =^_^='ed when I noticed the first flakes falling from the sky.

You snow-hating folks are just no fun. (Or I'm a snow siren. Oooh, that sounds cute =^_^=, actually.)

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All these snow-fearing folk need to send their snow to southern California. Except with our balmy, 70 degree weather, it'll probably melt before it gets here! Ha-ha-ha! *puts on sunglasses*