The No News is No News Purgatory Thread, Vol. 7

Hooray for the all clear from the oncologist, Ink!

Hooray and vamp dust for the full requests.

Good luck, Mayqueen!

Dolphin sex...

Hooray for reviews, Lily! Intriguing is Good.

Busy day, just about to write. Managed 2k yesterday. Lopped off a couple of heads, next instalment...someone gets thrown into the infamous Bug Pit of Bukhara.

Yay Ink! (not Kink as I first typed, though who am I to judge....)

Tired of today. Tired of the department moron ruining my day and he's not even here. I was harboring a tiny bit of guilt for applying for a different job, but that's gone now. I just want out of here.

Maryn said:

I'm blanking. Which Carl Hiaa$en novel ends with the bad guy being shoved into the pool with the dolphin who's been isolated from the other Swim With The Dolphins group for his aggressive behavior? The guy is dolphin raped and drowns in the course of it. Since it's Hiaa$en, it's funny as hell and you're not a bit sorry, even though it's pretty grim. (Yeah, he's a one-trick-pony writer, but it's a real good trick.)

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Native Tongue featuring Dickie the Dolphin

Yay ink

Yay, ink!

firedrake said:

...someone gets thrown into the infamous Bug Pit of Bukhara.

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It's all fun and games until someone gets thrown into the Bug Pit.

I totally hear Fire talking in the albino's voice from the Princess Bride now... "The Pit of Despair...!"

Guess that's still better than the Bog of Eternal Stench.

copperbeeches said:

Yay, ink!



It's all fun and games until someone gets thrown into the Bug Pit.

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Tasmin21 said:

I totally hear Fire talking in the albino's voice from the Princess Bride now... "The Pit of Despair...!"

Guess that's still better than the Bog of Eternal Stench.

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12 metre hole in the ground where the Emir dumped prisoners who really pissed him off (those he didn't push from the top of a minaret). The guards used to tip rats, roaches and scorpions into the pit every day.

I went to the downtown library to do some research today, and at about 1:00 a guy who had just shot someone outside ran into the library to try to hide. It was full of people, including groups of school kids. The police caught him before he could hurt anyone else, but it's all just insane.

Holy crap, Amarie!

Geeze Amarie, that's scary!!

Tas - woo second Labyrinth reference for me in the last hour!

Amarie, I'm so glad you and the library patrons are Ok. How awful and frightening.

Yay Ink! I'm glad you're OK too

Holy shit, Amarie! Glad you're okay. Wow...

...on a not unrelated note, did I tell you all how during last week's student teaching orientation one of the questions that came up was this guy asking whether concealed weapons permits and training for teachers will be mandatory soon?

I couldn't even...

On a happy note: first B-day of third quarter today and one of my English classes is huge. 38 kids and I have one student who is legally blind, which should be really interesting. I guess I'm a weird exception here, but I'm always excited to have students with disabilities in my classroom, because they just add a whole new layer of interesting to teaching. Pretty excited to see what the next couple of months will bring.

Also, my assistant principal welcomed me with chocolate and I managed to make myself sound all kinds of adaptable and personable with my student teaching coordinator who spent a few years in Germany and chatted with me in German. I'm good with all of this. Still afeared of screwing up, but good.

Some day I might actually have time to write again, alas, student teaching won't be it.

Also! Yay for good health, Ink!!

And yays for good reviews, Lily!

I'm just so furious at these idiots. About 10 years ago I was coming out of a mall with my daughter in a stroller when someone who had just robbed a jewelry store ran out, stopped right by us and turned and shot at a security guard chasing him. I'm out of patience with joke gun laws.

Amarie said:

I went to the downtown library to do some research today, and at about 1:00 a guy who had just shot someone outside ran into the library to try to hide. It was full of people, including groups of school kids. The police caught him before he could hurt anyone else, but it's all just insane.

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I hope they threw the book at him.

Yay, Ink!

And holy crap, Amarie! Glad everyone in the library is okay.

Yay Ink, Lily, LW,

Scary Amarie!

I had a long rambling post, but deleted it before I posted it. Dys's post about students with disabilities reminded me I get to suffer through the same problem student I had last semester. I'd happily welcome those with physical disabilities, but some Special Needs folks are beyond my training...and patience...in a college course. I am NOT looking forward to dealing with this guy 2 days a week. Unfortunately he wants to be a cop and refuses to acknowledge that he's special needs and get the kind of help he should be getting. He takes classes semester after semester and fails them or barely passes. And there's nothing a teacher can do, except ignore his disruptions...or complain like I did last semester. I was really excited about this class until I saw his name. I'm trying to get him removed, but I know I can't.

Bloody hell, Amarie. That's awful. Your post came close on the heels of a post that popped up in my FB feed, some quote of Samuel Adams' that a tea party supported had posted about peaceable people bearing arms. Made my blood boil.

Dys, I love that you're so excited about the teaching. It's brilliant.

Dragon, I should think that the ADA would not allow you to remove that student. It's his choice to take the course, I guess.

Dragon, just to clarify, I'm not saying that this is easy. Far from it. Teaching is seriously nerve-wracking no matter what. Personally, I'm actually quite worried that I'll be making a bunch of mistakes on that front and fall flat on my silly face.

I know college courses are a completely different matter from HS and I know that you can't force him to seek help, but maybe some one-on-one talking about what he wants to get out of this class and how you both can achieve this together might help? Maybe talk to the center for students with disabilities? If that's out or doesn't prove effective, maybe putting him in a group with people who will ensure that he'll do his part will help? Maybe talk to other instructors who dealt with him before?

Of course I don't know how your class is structured, but I hope for your and for his sake, that something will work out. Good luck!

Evening team. I realised today that I've only been working on novel #6 two and a half months and I'm already 60,000 words in. I could probably finish it in a fortnight if I could carve out enough time. The more I write, the more confident I feel about my writing, and yet empirical evidence strongly suggests that I'm writing a pile of trash that nobody will ever read. When I think about that I stop writing and go back to work.

Parametric said:

Evening team. I realised today that I've only been working on novel #6 two and a half months and I'm already 60,000 words in. I could probably finish it in a fortnight if I could carve out enough time. The more I write, the more confident I feel about my writing, and yet empirical evidence strongly suggests that I'm writing a pile of trash that nobody will ever read. When I think about that I stop writing and go back to work.

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...yes, yes, and then I tell you how silly you are and make you write me more stories. By power of my feminine wiles! And because your stuff is indeed awesome. *stern nod*

Now get back to work, I want more chapters!

para, if there is nothing but negative
feelings associated with your writing, i'd
definitely take a break. =( otherwise, you
just don't ever enjoy it.

and who said no one will read it? critique
partners will. and you can always self-pub--
you actually can edit your own novels well.
i'd have to pay for that if i went SP route!!

*whacks para's bottom with spatula*

*has no dolphin sex*

amarie, that is crazy! so glad everyone
is okay! ack!!!! =(((((

blondie, thanks. 8)

Good lord, Amarie, that's scary!

Dys, I feel similarly. I like the added reminder of how my teaching might privilege a certain learning style.

Dragon, that sounds like a difficult situation. I've dealt with students like that before. It's frustrating because you do want what's best for them, but you also have a whole classroom of other people to consider. (Especially if we're talking about threatening outbursts.)

Para, that's great about your progress. But feeling bad about your work is always a downer. I am sure that you are a brilliant writer.

Ummm... dolphin sex..... riiiight...

Actually to be completely honest, while I find this WEIRD and wrong from a personal religious standpoint, I don't find it squicky or revolting. I was wondering today whether this is a writing thing - collecting strange and unique experiences. Like, I'll have a weird/unusual/bizarre experience and go, "Hey! That was cool!" And then when I go tell someone else they give me the look and back away. Like I told a few people how I accidentally ended up in this old school karaoke bar last week with all these horny dudes getting up to sing. And everyone thinks I'm nuts for not fleeing immediately. I'm like, hey, it's not like I'd do this regularly, but I was in no danger from anything but getting hit on, and it was weird and interesting! I live for that stuff.

Shveta said:

I'm going to go back through and rep, but a quick question for your veteran queriers: I just realized last night that I didn't include a synopsis for the agent whose guidelines require it (along with the query letter and sample pages). Did I just blow my shot on that one?

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You can do a resend if you like, but even if you don't I think you're fine. I think if they like your query, they'll ask for whatever they want. If they don't, they won't. You see agents whining about this stuff all over, but it doesn't really apply to reasonable people IMO. I used to have to plow through 300+ emails a week from random folks for my day job, and my response would be something like this:

- Hmmm, I like what they had to say, but they forgot to do X. Probably just forgot, I'll email and ask.

OR

- Argh, this email is SO STUPID it's actually lowering my IQ. AND THEY FORGOT X! WTF, delete!

The complaints you see are a result of the second category.

ink wench said:

Had my oncologist check up this morning, and got the all-clear on another 6 months. Still have to brave the dermatologist next week, but I'll take it.

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That's terrific!!!

I've been sort of absent the past couple of days because first I lost my cell phone - in the house, but it ran out of batteries so I couldn't CALL it to find it. And THEN my internet went belly up because of some little router issue. So yesterday I was totally off the radar! Kind of nice to have a little break, actually... got some actual revising done. Speaking of which...