The Cantina Staring Back At You From The Abyss

Good morning, Cantina. The prodigal Cantina-ite returns.

I did words this week - 6700 of them, all non-fiction words, but a certain film review column is now done and was handed in last night. And also last night, my Blu-ray player went wrong, after some five years of pretty heavy use. It plays the discs, but no sound comes out, which is an issue as it has a 5.1 amplifier built into it. So that will be a new one (once payday has happened), which is money I didn't particularly want to spend right now. I'm going to have to start working overtime at the day job again, so that will reduce available time again.

I still need to get someone out to quote for a hole in my kitchen ceiling where part of it came down. Will be done on insurance, but the issue is finding someone and then getting a quote out of them. So, hassle chez eyeblink.

Also not good is a very close friend of mine, whom I've known for twenty-nine years now, who has dementia, diagnosed a year ago. She's twenty years older than me, so will be seventy-three in December. She won't be getting better, and while she's not at the stage where she might have to go into a home or something like that, she's not the way she was. Very sad.

Sometime I'll get to fiction writing, and if I am going to fulfil my New Year resolution for six completed stories in a year (as I did in 2013 and 2015) I have two months to complete three. Two have been started, and if I complete a Sisyphus story in first draft before the end of New Year's Eve that will count as another one.

Oh well. Hopefully a relaxing weekend ahead. How is everyone?

November will be the month of my tenth anniversary on AW.

Shoeless said:

Could be worse. Could be the desert, with sand. I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.

Click to expand...

As I understand it, quoting the prequel trilogy is an automatic fail, so there.

E.F.B. said:

Hey, guys? Yesterday, I had thought of a name for the country in my Snow White retelling, but I forgot to write it down and now...now it's gone. I can even picture the exact moment I thought of it, but I can't remember the actual name! Whyyyyyyyyy? *goes back to writing and calling the place "the kingdom" 25-gazillion times*

Click to expand...

Damn, that's frustrating!

Damoclian said:

See if you can Spot the Topaz:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B91h7Rn5BFITRUZ1U2hrREpVS0k/view?usp=sharing

Sowwy I can't figure out how to post a legit photos from gdrive...

Click to expand...

Awww... Adorable little pupper found a hiding place!

themindstream said:

Um...what Rel said! *tries to look like she Meant To Do That*

Click to expand...

You totally look like you meant to do that!

zanzjan said:

(Actually I really don't and it probably wasn't, and now I feel like a slacker and full of sad because clearly you are seeing other mods behind my back and this explains why none of you get me flowers anymore though of course none of you ever did so I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN.)

Click to expand...

Flowers? Here! And here, in a vase!

I doubled the amount of words I wrote this week! still only 2k, but I'm happy

Cliff Face said:

Yep, it seems your character is no doubt unique. As for Drizzt... I didn't know who he was either, when my friends wanted to play him. I found out years later, when I read about 10 Drizzt novels.

Damn those nefarious DMs! Although to be fair, I've never actually gotten on the bad side of a DM. Probably this is because I have only played 3 or 4 pen-and-paper role-playing games. But yeah - I always seemed to be one of the DM's favourites. Brown noser. That's me.

Click to expand...

glad I'm not the only one. to be honest, I don't play video games as often as I play tabletop. only video games I play are sandbox ones or visual novels.

my DM's gf is in our group, so I'll never be the fav XD but he also puts in challenges specifically for her character. the man is DEDICATED to telling the best story possible, even if it means making the players cry (that's legit happened. we've cried. it was great)

eyeblink said:

Good morning, Cantina. The prodigal Cantina-ite returns.

Also not good is a very close friend of mine, whom I've known for twenty-nine years now, who has dementia, diagnosed a year ago. She's twenty years older than me, so will be seventy-three in December. She won't be getting better, and while she's not at the stage where she might have to go into a home or something like that, she's not the way she was. Very sad.

Click to expand...

hello! sorry to hear about your friend.

Religion0 said:

As I understand it, quoting the prequel trilogy is an automatic fail, so there.

Click to expand...

if you quote the prequels, you volunteer to represent the Cantina in a podrace. it's a new rule I just made up

Jade A said:

if you quote the prequels, you volunteer to represent the Cantina in a podrace. it's a new rule I just made up

Click to expand...

It's in the books now. Shoeless, get in the pod.

@eyeblink: sorry about your friend.

zanzjan said:

I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IT WASN'T ME YOU HAVE NO PROOF

(Actually I really don't and it probably wasn't, and now I feel like a slacker and full of sad because clearly you are seeing other mods behind my back and this explains why none of you get me flowers anymore though of course none of you ever did so I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN.)

Click to expand...

Damoclian said:

See if you can Spot the Topaz:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B91h7Rn5BFITRUZ1U2hrREpVS0k/view?usp=sharing

Sowwy I can't figure out how to post a legit photos from gdrive...

Click to expand...

Eeeeeeep! *dies of cuteness*


Morning Cantina. I am surprised my muscles aren't more sore than they are after all that painting yesterday. Anyway, the first coat of blue has been put on the hall bathroom walls and it looks very nice. A second coat will have to be put in later when we get more paint. I also carved a pumpkin yesterday and did some wordage. Moar wordage today.

Morning Cantina.

We're meeting up with one of Hippolyta's grandmother's old friends today for lunch, and then taking photos for Christmas cards/baby update photos.

My prediction is neither is going to go well. Luckily we got a pizza. And beer.

Also not good is a very close friend of mine, whom I've known for twenty-nine years now, who has dementia, diagnosed a year ago. She's twenty years older than me, so will be seventy-three in December. She won't be getting better, and while she's not at the stage where she might have to go into a home or something like that, she's not the way she was. Very sad.

Click to expand...

So sorry about your friend, eyeblink. I went through a similar thing with an older friend, who thought of me as her "little sister." Not a day passes that I don't think of her (she's passed away now.) She was a writer too, and she would have been pleased as punch that I am following a similar path.

@Shoeless, I should mention regarding the puppeh pic that she'd been in the house for all of two hours when it was took. So, rightfully nervous, I'd say... she's sleeping by me rn so I can only imagine she likes me a bit more than she did.

JJ Litke said:

I have! And it should fit the bill for you. No gore or heavy violence, likeable main character, good world-building.

Click to expand...

zanzjan said:

I *loved* that book, fwiw, and it definitely gave me warm fuzzies as a story.

Click to expand...

Excellent! It is ordered and should be here soon. Looking forward to it.

Also went to see Thor:Ragnarok this weekend which was fabulous and fun and generally super-cheering. The film was preceded by some excellent noodles and gossip with a friend, and on our way into the cinema we passed Iain Glen hanging out in Brixton.

eyeblink said:

Also not good is a very close friend of mine, whom I've known for twenty-nine years now, who has dementia, diagnosed a year ago. She's twenty years older than me, so will be seventy-three in December. She won't be getting better, and while she's not at the stage where she might have to go into a home or something like that, she's not the way she was. Very sad.

Sometime I'll get to fiction writing, and if I am going to fulfil my New Year resolution for six completed stories in a year (as I did in 2013 and 2015) I have two months to complete three. Two have been started, and if I complete a Sisyphus story in first draft before the end of New Year's Eve that will count as another one.

Click to expand...

Really sorry to hear about your friend.

I hope you manage to get your six stories done - I've missed all my writing goals this year by a wide margin, but I'm hoping I can kick two more shorts out the door before the year ends.

Jade A said:

I doubled the amount of words I wrote this week! still only 2k, but I'm happy

if you quote the prequels, you volunteer to represent the Cantina in a podrace. it's a new rule I just made up

Click to expand...

Congrats on the wordage!

I always assumed that quoting the Movies That Shall Not Be Named would result in more of a punishment, maybe having to watch the scene of Padma and Anakin frolicking in a field on loop while Steve holds your eyes open.

E.F.B. said:

Morning Cantina. I am surprised my muscles aren't more sore than they are after all that painting yesterday. Anyway, the first coat of blue has been put on the hall bathroom walls and it looks very nice. A second coat will have to be put in later when we get more paint. I also carved a pumpkin yesterday and did some wordage. Moar wordage today.

Click to expand...

I will be unable to carve a pumpkin this year due to being on travel and so I request that you provide a picture so I can pumpkin-by-proxy.

@feyngirl Here it is!

Niiiiice pumpkin.

Eyeblink, so sorry to hear about your friend. That's getting ready to happen in my family/friend group, and it's always heartbreaking.

Got my flu shot today. As a backup plan, I'm boiling down sugar syrup and a horehound decoction, for superstrong bitter horehound candy. The stuff in the stores is wimpy.

Religion0 said:

It's in the books now. Shoeless, get in the pod.

Click to expand...

Fine. I'll try spinning, that's a good trick.

Nice pumpkin, EFB! I might try one tomorrow.

After getting some really great feedback from an agent, I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate it. I really liked their suggestion, but damned if I can quite see how to work it out. I'm really getting frustrated over it, too.

That is a good pumpkin. Very nice!

@EFB that is an amazing pumpkin! Wow. Way, way better than any of the ones I've carved.
10/10, I nominate you to the role of Chief Pumpkin Carver of the Cantina.

Awesome pumpkin, E.F.B.

I wrote two chapters yesterday, trying to go for the same amount today. Once the rewrites for the first quarter are finished, tweaking the rest of the novel shouldn't be as hard. I came up with a title, too.

Yay for making progress, folks!

Woke up to get a drink of water at 4 this morning and discovered a mess of partially dried applesauce and broken glass shards all over one side of the kitchen. Cat (one of them) decided to knock some jars off the very top shelf in an attempt to find a comfy place to sleep. >_< Working up the willpower to go finish cleaning it up now.

Then, breakfast. Then all the words, I hope. Multiple different types of projects to work on today. (YA novel, Patreon content, plotting NaNoWriMo project, outlining a new novella series.)

Aggy, brewing all the tea too

Great looking pumpkin, EFB! I still have to carve mine.

I'm going to put up some Halloween lights today and some other decorations.

Hugs on the cat vandalism, Aggy. Kudos to cute puppies and wordz!

The horehound candy came out great. I used cane sugar, maple sugar, vanilla, a bit of mint, and two ounces of reeky strong horehound leaves. I stopped as soon the water boiled off the herbal decoction: not hard candy, but luscious soft sugar crystals that are easier to use. You get the maple and vanilla first, then the bitter kick of the horehound.

There may be words today.

Filigree, that sounds wonderful. There's a candy shop in Florida that has videos on how they make candy the old-fashioned way. The owner is a huge sci-fi and fantasy fan who makes Babel Fish candy as well.

I'm going to a workshop tomorrow run by an organization that helps people with disabilities into the workforce. after the workshop, I'll be getting consultations on what fields I should consider entering. my fall back is working from home, but I'd like to be around other human beings in possible ><

feyngirl said:

I always assumed that quoting the Movies That Shall Not Be Named would result in more of a punishment, maybe having to watch the scene of Padma and Anakin frolicking in a field on loop while Steve holds your eyes open.

Click to expand...

we're more benevolent than that

Hoplite said:

Morning Cantina.

We're meeting up with one of Hippolyta's grandmother's old friends today for lunch, and then taking photos for Christmas cards/baby update photos.

My prediction is neither is going to go well. Luckily we got a pizza. And beer.

Click to expand...

how did they go?

Aaa yes, crackerjack pumpkin carving, E.F.B!

I'm considering preserving this year's pumpkin whole, as it's perfectly formed and may make a nice room decoration.
On another note, some yobs have already started chucking eggs around the neighourhood, the little b*****ds

Egg chuckers are foul and need to be dealt with.

But then again, when I was a kid, I was a punk.

I need a hug.

My car got stolen last night. It was an old car, the passenger side window didn't work, the windshield leaked, it had no radio, etc. It was on its last legs, honestly, and even before this, I had been talking with my boyfriend about buying his car. But it was still MY car, that I bought with MY money way back when, a pricey make and model that served me faithfully for 25 years. I just feel heartsick.