The Dastardly Dungeon of Deliciously Devious Drinks

TAMaxwell said:

I made my first ever snowman yesterday! I'm ONLY almost 30...

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*realizes he's never made a snowman*

Yes, Shadowflame, this is the Corning of glass fame. Corningware, Corelle, Gorilla Glass, Pyrex - Glass glass everywhere!

While we were out of town, the young man down the street (he's 17) agreed to look after our dog every day. It snowed about 2 feet on Friday/Saturday, and he was kind enough to plow our driveway before we got back. He refused extra money for the work!

Now I'm just waiting for HR to call me with the details - starting date, paperwork, etc. We signed a lease on a rental house yesterday before we left for home. Now we can finish packing!

My new release was supposed to be today. Found a couple last-minute edits, and my publisher uploaded them to KDP last night - and POOF the whole pre-order page is GONE. They are finally working on fixing it now, but all the promotions I had set are coming back with an error now. GRRR. Probably tomorrow for release, but I at least need that pre-order page back up! Wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't available on JUST Amazon.

Hello, Cantina. According to the textbook I am doing a great job not reading, our cells are covered in hot dogs.

Also, comp did a boo. I'm annoyed at comp doing something booey.

Hoplite said:

It's the culinary robo-attachments. Such as spatulas, knives, baking trays, and portable ovens

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Oh, I thought for a moment there they used their ears.

ETA: Damnit, internet, stop waffling! Work or don't work consistently, but just stop waffling! I can't plan for waffling! Waffles are to be eaten not to be done!

Stanley_Ford said:

*for those sensitive to such things, a presence, not felt in a very long time washes through the Anitnac before a bent and broken form slowly slides through the looking glass*

Over a year this time. *shakes his head* Actually, one year, one month and 12 days to be precise. So much has changed. I'm just glad it's still here, this sanctuary, this haven that I found so long ago. How I have missed it and all of you; the comforting presence of sillinesses and seriousnesses, emotions of all sorts, and the forever love that can be found within the walls of this wretched hive of weirdos and writers.

*shambles over and flops down on the couch*

I just wish I had stories to tell, but somewhere along the way I have lost the greatest possession of everyone in this room, my imagination. I'm hoping I left it here somewhere and that you will be willing to help me find it. If not...

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*hands you hot beverage of choice* Welcome back!

And hello friends!

Busy weekend of not much writing. Husband is working late a lot and he's got finals this week on top of work so things have been a wee bit stressful here.

I tried to go see Star Wars on Friday but not even 5 minutes into the movie and the babysitter called to say that 3 year old had thrown up twice. Guess we'll have to try and go back this weekend.

And now I'm off to find a mid-morning snack and do some writing.

How are y'all?

I'm up on my feet today. Still congested. Still running a fever, but starting to feel like a real, live person again.

Sent off a query for the novella this morning. Yesterday I wrote a three page outline for an extremely adult side project that I work on every now and then. (To eventually be published under my other, more adult pen-name.) Now my head is filled with all these scenes I worked out to get the scenes I had already written into a cohesive plot arc. Not certain my brain is unpuddinged enough to tackle actual wordage though.

Maybe after another nap.

Hello, newcomer and return-comer!

I always figured smibbles were like emoticons - capable of generating whatever appendages they need for particular tasks.

And, now I have to go lie down again before my brain slides out my nose with all this snot.

Aggy, apologies for the germs

TAMaxwell said:

I made my first ever snowman yesterday! I'm ONLY almost 30...

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Gasp!

Hoplite said:

*realizes he's never made a snowman*

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GASP!!! *faints*

Go find some snow and build a snowman before I have to start singing at you!

Update: headache has still not gone away. It wouldn't be so bad except the sun is coming out and glaring through the window here at the office and I'm dealing with some really weird technical issues.

E.F.B. said:

Go find some snow and build a snowman before I have to start singing at you!

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Just be careful with that song! Ya know full well how it ends! At least make sure there are no relatives going on long trips anytime soon...

Edit: Oh, right, hi new and returning people! Don't mind me, there is too much blood in my tea-stream and life is such that the tea would get spiked if I weren't too broke for booze.

Religion0 said:

Hello, Cantina. According to the textbook I am doing a great job not reading, our cells are covered in hot dogs.

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Oh goody.

I'm going to add chili and cheese.

I see we have a new person. Hello, new person. Welcome to the madness.

And I also see a Stanley! WB, Stanley. We will be sure to imbue and bestow upon you your imagination. I'm fairly certain it's probably just on walkabout. It'll be back.

Edgar the liopleurodon wants to be included. He's in the lake. He likes hot dogs.

Hi, Stanley!

, new person!

aliwood said:

Here I am expecting another week of poop falling on my head

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Is this like an El Nino thing?

TAMaxwell said:

I made my first ever snowman yesterday! I'm ONLY almost 30...

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Religion0 said:

Hello, Cantina. According to the textbook I am doing a great job not reading, our cells are covered in hot dogs.

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Cannibalism makes so much more sense now.

Party! Time to Party Friday night! Anyone want to join my release party on FB?

Watching a BBC documentary on the South Pacific. Benedict Cumberbatch is a pretty good narrator. Freaky caterpillars on Hawaii.

themindstream said:

Just be careful with that song! Ya know full well how it ends! At least make sure there are no relatives going on long trips anytime soon...

Edit: Oh, right, hi new and returning people! Don't mind me, there is too much blood in my tea-stream and life is such that the tea would get spiked if I weren't too broke for booze.

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Disney songs are full of danger.

What?! Blood in your tea-stream?! That's not healthy!

AceTachyon said:

Oh goody.

I'm going to add chili and cheese.

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I wonder what those would be in that metaphor... Probably nothing good.

Edgar the liopleurodon wants to be included. He's in the lake. He likes hot dogs.

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That is one cool critter. Doesn't he have a giant banjo?

hillaryjacques said:

Cannibalism makes so much more sense now.

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It does, doesn't it?

MonsterTamer said:

Hi. I'm new around here.

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Welcome to The Cantina, Monster.

We're the Final Frontier.

E.F.B. said:

Snow is still on the ground, there's a massive icicle forming on the front porch, and a massive pile of snow has been pushed in front of the driveway by VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation). Thank you, VDOT. How would we get out of the driveway without you? Oh, wait...

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Seems it's hit or miss around this area. Our roads are mostly clear, but you go one neighborhood over and no one's touched the streets.

I don't even know what I'll do when I reach the point of needing beta readers. My mom will be the first reader, but after that? I'll probably end up asking around the Cantina first, since I'm at least familiar with you guys, know you have the writing skillz, and genuinely want to be helpful.

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This is a good place to start when looking for betas.


Welcome back, Stanley! Missed you around these parts. Hope you plan to stay.



Afternoon, gang.

Whut up?

hillaryjacques said:

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Hey, Hillz. Glad to hear from you. The news is all kerfluffled about the earthquake in Alaska, so it's good to know you're okay. Has the rest of the AK writing crew checked in yet?

688 words today. So far, this rewrite of my WIP seems more cohesive than my last couple attempts.

Hoplite said:

*realizes he's never made a snowman*

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Go, young Hoplite. Fulfill what you were always meant to do. Follow your heart. [Insert rest of epic motivational speech here--I have to go watch hockey.]

E.F.B. said:

Gasp!


GASP!!! *faints*

Go find some snow and build a snowman before I have to start singing at you!

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*leaves following in tribute, for those who haven't yet seen it*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uty2zd7qizA

Congrats on the words, people. For me, I *really* need to get stuck into my Sisyphus story. I just haven't been in much of a writing mood lately, y'know? I reckon I could finish the first draft within 2 or 3 more writing sessions, but yeah... Just not in a good head-space right now. But I'll continue to try, and for better or worse, I'm anal enough to make sure I have something to submit by the due date.

MULTI QUOTE!! Cause I can,

aliwood said:

Stanley Ford!

*Hugs very tight* Quick! Lock the door, don't let him out again!

Here, have some and a Smibble.


Here I am expecting another week of poop falling on my head, and suddenly it's sparkling twinkly bright instead. Yeay!

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Danke, Ali. You have no idea how much I need all of those.

Religion0 said:

Stanley! Welcome back! A lot has happened in your absence.

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Please fill me in. While I have more time on my hands lately, I don't at the same time. Cleaning a house that hasn't had a good spring cleaning in 8 years is daunting and tiring.

Religion0 said:

You have lost your imagination?! That's awful! We need to get some into you, STAT!

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You may need to drain this infectious practicality and and treat these chronically depressive fits.

Filigree said:

Welcome back, Stanley!

I take a little consolation that we're not digging out from heavy snow like the folks back east, but winter in central AZ has its own dubious charms. Most of them are driving around with license plates from other places...

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Salut, Filigree. Honestly the snow wasn't that bad to move where some of us are. It was quite beautiful and fluffy.

zanzjan said:

STANLEY!

Make yourself back at home. Soon as you've warmed up a bit by the fire, got some coffee in you, I'm sure that imagination will start creeping back.

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MMMMM, more coffee. Thank you Zanz!

E.F.B. said:

STANLEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! *tacklehug*

I'm not even sure we've met, but I make it a point to tacklehug everyone who comes back to the Cantina after an absence.

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*umphf* Hi... tacklehugs... are... good. Just don't spill the coffee or smush the doughnuts or smibbles. As for not meeting, I'll take tackle hugs from any and all. I likes the hugs.

E.F.B. said:

Snow is still on the ground, there's a massive icicle forming on the front porch, and a massive pile of snow has been pushed in front of the driveway by VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation). Thank you, VDOT. How would we get out of the driveway without you? Oh, wait...

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What part of VA?

E.F.B. said:

I don't even know what I'll do when I reach the point of needing beta readers. My mom will be the first reader, but after that? I'll probably end up asking around the Cantina first, since I'm at least familiar with you guys, know you have the writing skillz, and genuinely want to be helpful.

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I love beta reading. Just ask Junely.

E.F.B. said:

Just before the snow storm was supposed to hit, I saw a bunch of license plates from warmer states around the various grocery stores. Couldn't help but wonder why. Did they WANT to get buried in snow for the weekend?

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Could have been headed for the ski resorts depending where you are.

LadyV said:

Stanley! Welcome back!

Today is my last day of freedom. School starts tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. Three months of idleness has gotten to me a bit.

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Thanks V! As for freedom, it's not all that it's cracked up to be. I wish I didn't have mine.

TAMaxwell said:

*flying tackle from Elizabeth's tree-pool* STANLEY! Welcome back!

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GAAH! Hi, TA. When did we get a tree in the pool? :hug:

Shadowflame said:

Update: headache has still not gone away. It wouldn't be so bad except the sun is coming out and glaring through the window here at the office and I'm dealing with some really weird technical issues.

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Blinding light + Computer Screen + tech issues * migraine = the suck! May I ask what you've tried? I don't want to bore you with things that are repetitive.

AceTachyon said:

And I also see a Stanley! WB, Stanley. We will be sure to imbue and bestow upon you your imagination. I'm fairly certain it's probably just on walkabout. It'll be back.

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Hey, Ace! I'd think if it was on walkabout, I may be able to see it wondering from time to time. I'm deathly afraid it's run away with my passion to some secluded island in the middle of some stormy sea in NoWhere.

hillaryjacques said:

Hi, Stanley!

Is this like an El Nino thing?

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Hola, Hills! Not this time. I'm going to lock myself down this time unless I find a guide.

CobraMisfit said:

Welcome back, Stanley! Missed you around these parts. Hope you plan to stay.

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Merci, CM. Missed you, too. Yes, at least once a day. I've been lonely without my friends and I didn't even feel the emotional drain show up from not hanging out here.



And now a question for all in attendance. Have you ever not done something and not realized you missed it until suddenly a quark sized part of your brain wakes up and says, "Hey, Stupid. Go do that thing you used to like doing with those people you love and love you!" Just wondering.

CobraMisfit said:

Hey, Hillz. Glad to hear from you. The news is all kerfluffled about the earthquake in Alaska, so it's good to know you're okay. Has the rest of the AK writing crew checked in yet?

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zanzjan said:

Oh yikes, I hadn't heard about this. Hope everyone is safe up there.

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It was a 7.1 at 1:30 a.m. and it was awful. A house exploded and a few others burned. Some roads broke and transformers blew. All in all, we were mostly unscathed due to the epicenter being very deep. Shallower and we would have had building collapses and liquifaction (when the earth shakes fast enough that certain types of land essentially become quick sand). So, pretty glad that didn't happen, though I don't want to be woken up like that ever again.

I've seen or heard from most everyone I know up here.

Good morning Cantina. Welcome back, Stanley and glad you're okay, Hillz.

Happy Australia Day to those who mark it. I'm off to the Australia Day UK premiere of Last Cab to Darwin in London tonight.

Well, the reviews were all done - five written in two and a half days, total around 9000 words. That's enough for the time being. I now need to get on to the review copies I've received for a certain horror/dark fantasy magazine and get on with my SSSFFSS story, which is being a bit uninspired right now. I was pretty uninspired this time last year but still got four and a half thousand words done so there is hope.

Using up unbooked leave this week, so I had yesterday off and I have this afternoon off, so will be in work this morning - so that makes this week a two and a half day week.

Hope everyone is well and to those who need them.

zanzjan said:

Only if said documentary is not about penguins, apparently.

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Oh, wow, I didn't even notice how he failed! But that was the documentary I was talking about.

Stanley_Ford said:

Please fill me in. While I have more time on my hands lately, I don't at the same time. Cleaning a house that hasn't had a good spring cleaning in 8 years is daunting and tiring.

You may need to drain this infectious practicality and and treat these chronically depressive fits.

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... Sooooo much! Including that tree pool and a lot of new faces and the sentient discoball doing battle with Elizabeth.

Up at 4am this morning, thanks to the tender mercies of three wrestling cats and a dog who wanted to stop them all. BUT, I sent in my acceptance letter for my new job (received it via email last night). Woohoo! And they're offering me a full relocation package - movers, the lot. If i had to sell my house (I don't, I'm renting) they'd even buy it from me if I couldn't sell! But the house I can't sell is still in Florida, being rented out, from my move in 2009. Ah, well!

Release finally happened yesterday, woohoo! This is the first novel I ever wrote, the second released, and the true tale of my parents' love story. I'm having a release party Friday night on Facebook. If any of you want to be guest authors, I'd be happy to host you! You come in, talk a bit about yourself and your books, maybe offer a contest or two. I've got over 400 invitations out, and about 30 people interested/going so far.

Today I've got to call my landlord to let him know we're leaving. He's a great landlord, but now I guess he is free to try to sell the house again. I know he wanted to before. We were hoping to be able to buy it from him, but we're off on the next adventure.

Stanley_Ford, welcome back into the mix! Don't worry about that stain - that's just where Steve dropped some Smibble Soda.

Still congested and possibly feverish, but actually feeling much better now. More like I just have a head cold, which is a vast improvement over whatever the other thing was. /end Aggy's needless health update

Wrote about 1.1k on the super-secret adult thing yesterday. It's got a pretty cool fantasy story as the bones, plus the smexy stuff. Although in the past I've only written a chapter or two then set it aside for months at a time, I'm hoping to knock out a pretty serious chunk this time.

Of course, I should be knocking out wordage on the Epic Not Fantasy, but still working out a few plot points. And it requires more brain power. (The super-secret thing is mostly "Ooh, dragons. Yay, sex! Boo, intrigue." and then repeat. Not that it doesn't require thought, but it's not nearly as involved as the multipolitical, sociological experiment that is the Epic Not Fantasy.)

Still trying to decide if I need another reader on the SSSFFSS story. Then again, no one has rushed forward to tackle a 22k novella.

Happy Tuesday, folks!

Aggy, alternating drinking tea and blowing her nose

Morning, Cantina. I helped my mom shovel a lot of snow yesterday, so I am really quite sore and tired today. I'm not sure how much wordage will get done today. We need to go to the pharmacy to pick up some of my dad's meds, but when exactly we're going is up in the air because my dad just doesn't do mornings very well and he's already cranky because of the snow. He hates snow. Like, a lot. I'm at a point I'm getting tired of it too.

zanzjan said:

Only if said documentary is not about penguins, apparently.

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He sounded like he was saying either "pengwing" or "pegleg".

Stanley_Ford said:

What part of VA?

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Central Virginia. A little north of Richmond.

GAAH! Hi, TA. When did we get a tree in the pool? :hug:

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Or is it a pool in a tree?

And now a question for all in attendance. Have you ever not done something and not realized you missed it until suddenly a quark sized part of your brain wakes up and says, "Hey, Stupid. Go do that thing you used to like doing with those people you love and love you!" Just wondering.

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Yeah, kind of. There's a Tolkien fan message board I like a lot that I posted on almost daily before graduating college, but since then, I focus so hard on my writing and RL sometimes that I don't even visit it for a week or two. Then I realize that I miss geeking with my fellow geeks and make a point to check in.