The Cantina Staring Back At You From The Abyss

I think part of the reason for my reticence is that I'm getting critiques on Past Storm and Fire through my Author Group - and we're only 1/3 through the story so far. Also, one character is modeled upon a personal heavy crush of mine (Tom Hiddleston/Loki)... so... yeah... it's difficult not to think of him too much

I was absolutely tickled to discover my Author group has formed teams for my love triangle. Most are on Team Bergmar (Loki-ish), so I need to make the other choice, Havarr (sort of Thor-like), a stronger option. Better to have equal teams, right? Right? But having strong enough characters for people to choose sides thrilled me!

Ha ha, that's way cool, greendragon!

Today was the start of a super-long birdwatching/nature-watching weekend for me. I did my usual Friday birdwatching walk, but lost the group halfway through because I was too busy daydreaming and trying to spot Treecreepers. So I headed off on my own, and found a nice Foxglove that I spent quite a bit of time drawing. Then off to one of the ponds. I saw a Reed Warbler (elusive bird that hides in the reeds, hence the name). A pair of Tufted Ducks with four very young chicks was attacking every other duck on sight, LOL. They're very protective.

Tomorrow and Sunday: more walking, different park, and a variety of activities organised by the local conservators & rangers. I'm hoping to see lots of dragonflies and damselflies. I'll be running activities for kids on Sunday -- I hope we'll get lots of people!

I may be on Team Waiting-To-See-Where-It-Goes-Horribly-Wrong-Before-I-Pick-A-Side >.>

'Character is what you are in the dark' and these being the so-called dark ages and all...

lilyWhite said:

'lo, everyone!
I never thought a story I started writing because I thought "This is a stupid idea but what's the point in writing if I don't write what I want to write?" would end up being the story I've invested the most amount of time into. I'm a little over a third of the way through a third draft, and this feels...nice. It feels nice to read through something and feel, "I like this story and I can make it better." I'm still not sure what I'll do with it when it's done, but I'm just having fun with the story and that's what I need to care the most about.

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The act of writing is the difference between "could be" and "author". Even the simplest words on paper are better than grandiose ideas that never see the light of day.



Afternoon, gang.

Whut up?

themindstream said:

I may be on Team Waiting-To-See-Where-It-Goes-Horribly-Wrong-Before-I-Pick-A-Side >.>

'Character is what you are in the dark' and these being the so-called dark ages and all...

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You are wise There will be some back-and-forth events coming up... and nothing is final until the very end.

*waves to others*

Congrats on writing progress, those who have progressed!


Friday afternoon, and just finished lunch. Should start dinner soonish (late lunch).

The weather cooled off some and clouded up, but is expected to get warmer again this weekend.

Work was inexplicably long; our starting number was low, but we just didn't seem to finish.

And our monstrosa foxglove has sent up two more shoots - that's four total, not counting the spent main stem. Will try to share pics if I can figure out a way to do so.

Flickr links - may be large.

The original "monstrosa" as it appeared

The original, mature

The four "kids"

Closeup of one of the younger monstrosa

The youngest

And away I meander.

Hey, would anyone be willing to give me an editorial eye for a cover letter?

All the cover letters I've been writing so far have been really short and basic (and many of them are in the body of email replies to recruiters). The job for this one looks really appealing and seems to want a more formal one so I put more effort into it.

Hey, Stranger!

Ain't seen you around here in a while.

Pull up a chair, order somethin' from the bar, and sit a spell.

CobraMisfit said:

The act of writing is the difference between "could be" and "author". Even the simplest words on paper are better than grandiose ideas that never see the light of day.



Afternoon, gang.

Whut up?

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Sigh. Just wrote the official farewell page for my old click-and-take adoption site, which will disappear with the weekend update. It's been a long time coming, but still a bit sad - was a big part of my life for many years, and fun while it lasted.

I was planning to rewatch Wednesday's intense Expanse episode after site work, but my head's feeling very sinusy tonight so I may wait until tomorrow. Will pop an ibuprofen and see what I think in a bit.

Hey, folks. I know I've not been around much lately. Working on multiple projects, con-prep and also [spoiler tag] Mr. Aggy's been hiding the router and cables when he leaves during the day so my internet access is unpredictable. [/spoiler tag]

ION, there are lots of ways you can help me gain a independent income and find a better situation. Please check my sig.

*HUGS* for those who need them.

Aggy, not ignoring folks, just dealing with a pile o' crap

*leaves out bucket o' hugs for those who need them, with extra hugs for Aggy*

greendragon said:

I was absolutely tickled to discover my Author group has formed teams for my love triangle. Most are on Team Bergmar (Loki-ish), so I need to make the other choice, Havarr (sort of Thor-like), a stronger option. Better to have equal teams, right? Right? But having strong enough characters for people to choose sides thrilled me!

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Aw, that's so cool that they're that into it! Equal teams may be overrated since, when it comes to shipping characters, some people can be very determined and sometimes in denial. XD But if you feel like the other choice needs to be stronger, then go for it!

CobraMisfit said:

The act of writing is the difference between "could be" and "author". Even the simplest words on paper are better than grandiose ideas that never see the light of day.

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QFT.

Afternoon, gang.

Whut up?

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COBRA'S ALIIIIIIVE!!! I was starting to wonder. Welcome back! *balances smibble on Cobra's head, just 'cuz*

Brightdreamer said:

And our monstrosa foxglove has sent up two more shoots - that's four total, not counting the spent main stem. Will try to share pics if I can figure out a way to do so.

Flickr links - may be large.

The original "monstrosa" as it appeared

The original, mature

The four "kids"

Closeup of one of the younger monstrosa

The youngest

Click to expand...

Kewlness. It's not a mutant, but I noticed a yellow flower in the flower garden yesterday that I hadn't seen before. Asked my mom what it was and she got all excited because it was one of the gladiolus she'd planted early last year. They's gotten eaten on by something and she thought they were done for, but they made a comeback. I'm glad because they're really pretty.


Morning, Cantina. As far as I'm aware there's nowhere to go today and it's cloudy and rainy anyway, so there will be words, the putting together and use of the new vacuum cleaner (the old one died a week ago) and hopefully some crafting. I'm getting so close to finishing the baby blanket that's been taking for-ev-er!

Speaking of crafting, unfortunately, having a sale on my Etsy shop this week for Etsy's 13th birthday celebration was a total wash. On one hand, I'm disappointed because I was, of course, hoping to make some money, but on the other hand, it's summer and sales are slow to non-existent for a lot of people this time of year, unless you sell something specifically summery, like pool stuff, swimsuits, etc., which I don't. At least I tried, I guess. Y'know, I guess I should also be glad that every purchase a buyer has made has been at full price. I would just like it to happen a little more often.

Anyway, I should really go write now.

*waves to various people again*

Saturday morning, and I had a nice little snooze-in, complete with weird dreams. (Not always nice dreams, though... even had one of those where I was so bone-tired exhausted I couldn't move. There's something inherently wrong with experiencing bone-tired exhaustion while one is sleeping.)

Now it's time to throw the proverbial switch on the site transfer. Anyone so inclined, wish me a little spare luck...

(ETA - And done! Took a bit of wrestling with my FTP transfer program, but it seems to be up and working. I know I can use Coffeecup to transfer, actually, but I've forgotten my login crud and am too lazy to play password reset tag, remembering what a pain in the tail it was last time, so I'm still using Core FTP Lite for uploading. I'm used to it. So now I want to do the weekly room-tidying, then maybe I can rewatch Expanse with lunch as my reward.)

(ETA 2 - Going through and fixing some links. Found a few issues, but overall not bad. And it turns out I miscounted; the actual total reviews transferred is actually 1,503. And I rewatched Expanse, which has me impatient for the 2-hour season finale on Wednesday. Dang it... Will probably take a nap or something to see if that helps my sinuses. Tempted to call nuke-your-own dinner night... feeling lazy today.)

Hope everyone's doing well.

I'm getting a little excited for my vacation in a week here. Going to visit a friend of mine on the west coast (practically). Probably going to be some good inspiration for my current WIP as well.

And I wrote close to a chapter, which is more than I've done in a long time.

Yay! I've subbed my first short story to market.
I finally wrote one I feel really good about.

Isilya said:

Yay! I've subbed my first short story to market.
I finally wrote one I feel really good about.

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Congrats! Best of luck, little story!

(Need to get back to finishing/subbing myself, now that the site transfer's dealt with. Feeling the lack of writing in my life.)

Well, it's later, and I kinda wanna call nuke-your-own night, because we have leftovers that people are letting pile up. And I'm lazy. And my sinuses still are sinusing.

Got what I believe is the bulk of the link issues fixed on the site. (Found a free program that checks links. Surprisingly few given the size of the site, but any bad link's one too many.)

*fights way into Cantina through cloud of mosquitoes* Out! Out, darned bloodsuckers! YOU! SHALL NOT! PASS! *squishes all mosquitoes that pass anyway*

It's at that point of the year where I have to wear bug spray just to go out and play with the puppy for 5 minutes. Literally, I was out in the backyard with her just now for only 5 minutes and got bitten three times. ._.

E.F.B. said:

unfortunately, having a sale on my Etsy shop this week for Etsy's 13th birthday celebration was a total wash.

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I must now contradict myself. I made a sale yesterday! A full price one, too, and it was also an item I was starting to worry wasn't going to sell.

Isilya said:

Yay! I've subbed my first short story to market.
I finally wrote one I feel really good about.

Click to expand...

Fingers crossed it gets published!


The stormy weather recently has been reeking havoc on my sinuses, which forced me to finally take a decongestant today. Unfortunately, it's one of those days where said decongestant makes me feel a tad blah and tired, but hey, at least my sinuses will stop hurting now.

The words started pouring out yesterday, so I'll try to keep riding the wave and go on and get back to it before I get distracted.

E.F.B. - Whoo-hoo! Story-surf's up! Ride that word wave!

Sunday, and the sinuses are still attacking. Excedrin seems to be kicking in, at least.

Got the finals printed up for the logo run yesterday evening (I print them with a white grid - helps reduce screen stretching issues), so that's done.

Today, I've been switching off between reading and fixing blog links (when I updated, all the reviews got moved, so my old blog links are no longer good.) Working backwards, I just hit the late January reviews.

Away I drift. Head's still a little off. Hope it clears up by tomorrow; have to drive Mom to a doctor appointment, then we have to shop our way home and hit a copy place (the thermofax likes xerox copies best for burning, though we have done it off inkjet in a pinch.)

...

And it's later, and just posted another book review. Now I'm without a physical book to read until Wednesday night/Thursday afternoon, when I start Book 5 of the Expanse series.

Wonder if I have anything short enough to read in the meantime. Might go nuts with the wait, and I don't want to jump the gun on Nemesis Games.

Morning Cantina. The power glitched 3 times at 5:20 this morning. No idea why, but I'm glad it stayed on. I can't think of a whole lot else to say so off I go to write.

Richard White said:

Hey, Stranger!

Ain't seen you around here in a while.

Pull up a chair, order somethin' from the bar, and sit a spell.

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Thanks. I never turn down a chance to take a load off.

E.F.B. said:

COBRA'S ALIIIIIIVE!!! I was starting to wonder. Welcome back! *balances smibble on Cobra's head, just 'cuz*

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Um...thanks?

Anyway, I should really go write now.

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This is always an appropriate response to any situation.

Isilya said:

Yay! I've subbed my first short story to market.
I finally wrote one I feel really good about.

Click to expand...

Congrats!




Morning, gang.



Whut up?

E.F.B. - Sometimes power glitches like that mean someone's hit a power pole down the line... glad it held.

CobraMisfit - Whut up? *looks* At the moment, a ceiling, a roof, and some temporarily suspended water vapor.

Monday morning, and up too early on a Monday to drive Mom to appointments (yes, plural appointments) and shopping, with a stop by a xerox place somewhere along the way. Hoping to find my way back into writing now that the bulk of site work is done. (Still have to tackle Phase II, but I'm giving myself a break, and II can be done in smaller steps than the complete overhaul that was I.)

Congrats on the short story, Isilya.

That moment where you get to meet with a distillery for your job and you're secretly hoping they'll let you sample the goods at the bar built into their corporate office...only your contact has another meeting right after yours. -_- dang it...*sigh*

Hey, peeps. Final three scenes are still dangling out there for pirates, but I've found my new avatar for once I've finished them as motivation, so hopefully later this week? This last weekend was a wash - too many events and I was tired on Sunday, so I finally read the first three books in a zombie series my brother bought for me waaaaaaaay back when...and managed to read them all in one sitting yesterday. Now I want the rest. Dang it. *is hoping her brother will loan her the books on Kindle, as the library doesn't have them*

I also had really really vivid zombie dreams last night. Shocker, I know. So, um, didn't exactly get a lot of sleep. But I think I only got eaten like three times this time? Gotta work on that. Tsk tsk. I'm outta zombie-evasion practice in my imagination apparently.

Happy Monday. Also, try not to get eaten by zombies in your dreams. It makes for a long week.

Poking back through. Don't mind me.

The appointments and such went well. (Mom got good health news today - she's technically pre-diabetic again, an improvement from full-blown diabetic.) Got the logos xeroxed. Need to stop looking at them after printing; I start nipicking proportions and design choices and such. And I got a couple dinner options that will carry me through to Wednesday.

And, while waiting for Mom, I finished reading my Kindle read. So now I really have nothing I can pick at until I start a new book. (I think I have something on Nook via Hoopla, but I already posted a review today so I'm making myself wait.) Started a new Kindle title, and am not sure if I'll stick to it yet; nothing terrible, but so far it feels generic, save the promise of gryphon riders.

In that post-dinner/pre-bedtime drift. Need to pick a story to get back into, I know, but can't settle my brain. Maybe I'll crank up some music and try spitballing, at least, see if that helps grease the writing gears. Or at least doodle some. Sometimes that helps, to doodle, though I haven't done that in too long, either. (It's weird not having to do site transfer work.)

tiddlywinks said:

Hey, peeps. Final three scenes are still dangling out there for pirates, but I've found my new avatar for once I've finished them as motivation, so hopefully later this week?

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Go, Tiddly, go! Write those scenes! *squints at current avatar* What...what is it? *is scared*

Happy Monday. Also, try not to get eaten by zombies in your dreams. It makes for a long week.

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Thankfully I don't remember the last time I dreamed of zombies. Last night I just had an odd dream related to Spongebob leaving Bikini Bottom permanently and everyone was supposed to be sad but it was turning into a musical and their songs didn't sound very sad. Don't know where that came from since I haven't watched Spongebob in years and wasn't thinking about anything related to it yesterday.


Morning, Cantina. Got my 6 month dental appointment today. Thankfully, the lady who would talk your ear off and also ask you questions that require more than yes or no answers while she has various dental tools in your mouth has gone elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, she was really nice, but good grief, I don't want to talk that much while you're cleaning my teeth! Not to mention the intensity of her extroverted chattiness tended to be pretty draining on this introvert and her parents.

Gonna write until time to go. Fingers crossed I finish this thing today!

E.F.B. - Best of luck with the dentist! (Haven't been to a dentist in... probably over a decade for regular checkups. The only dentists covered by my basic plan are way the heck far away, and anything other than cleaning wouldn't be covered anyway, so it seems like a waste of time if there is no pain.)

Tuesday morning, and I didn't get to sleep in because Mom got it into her head it was Wednesday and had to wake me up. Then I checked online and got too depressed to even try going back to sleep. (That stolen Supreme Court seat is paying off big dividends, is the short story. Not just one ruling, but multiple.)

Ergh.

Maybe I'll try booting up a video game. Haven't lost myself in a game in ages, and reality is unwinnable now that the trolls have hacked the program.