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The Cantina Staring Back At You From The Abyss
- Thread starter zanzjan
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Woo hoo ... on house offer. And herding squirrels not fun.
Morning, Cantina. Random thought as I'm watching the Olympic women's freestyle figure skating that I recorded last night: I wish the announcers would at least make a quick mention of what music is being skated to. Sometimes they do, but they often don't, and of course, those are the moments when I recognize the music and I really like it, but I Just. Cannot. Place. It. And I'm sitting there enjoying the skating and the music, but I'm going nuts because I can't remember where the music came from. Gah! 
I was really bad about writing focus yesterday, so I'm going to try to make myself scarce for the rest of the morning and try to get more done before errands have to be run.
I was really bad about writing focus yesterday, so I'm going to try to make myself scarce for the rest of the morning and try to get more done before errands have to be run.
I got this same news earlier this week, which is good because the new van we bought is more than we were hoping to pay.
~~~~
In other news, we have more rain and weather, and my head hurts so bad, I just want to crawl under a rock and go comatose.
*Hides in the coffee hot tub.*
Morning, Cantina. Random thought as I'm watching the Olympic women's freestyle figure skating that I recorded last night: I wish the announcers would at least make a quick mention of what music is being skated to. Sometimes they do, but they often don't, and of course, those are the moments when I recognize the music and I really like it, but I Just. Cannot. Place. It. And I'm sitting there enjoying the skating and the music, but I'm going nuts because I can't remember where the music came from. Gah!
I was really bad about writing focus yesterday, so I'm going to try to make myself scarce for the rest of the morning and try to get more done before errands have to be run.
It's not always as easy as saying this skater is performing to song name because it's often a medley of several pieces because the skater wants to showcase to their strengths. If you're a graceful, passionate skater some single selection will work. Which is why Schindler's List is used nearly ever single competition by someone. But more often, at this level, a skater wants to show grace, passion, power, and quick footwork, which means a selection of music that has slow moving parts, and fast powerful parts. Not something that usually appears in a single piece of music.
Mostly I just wish commentators would stop talking and let me experience the whole musical selection. The process for picking music is personal to the skater [usually (at least it's that way in the lower levels, in the States)] and I really don't want to hear Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir being overly critical about the way the skater took off a fraction of an inch wrong the whole time. Explain how it went afterwards, when they're going to replay all the stuff they talked through anyway. I get why they do it real time, because most of us plebeians don't know the difference between an Axel, Lutz, toe loop, or even know how to spell Salchow.* Still if you're a skater, or parent of a skater, what you really want is to experience the lines, spins, and jumps as they relate to the music.
*Yes, that is how it's spelled after Ulrich Salchow the first skater to jump in that particular way. Personally diatribe, I think calling it the double or triple Ulrich would have sounded cooler.
greendragon
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You might be able to google it with the competitor's name afterwards. SOMEONE will transcribe and record the selection music, somewhere.
Makes sense. (Now I'm listening to the Schindler's List soundtrack because I didn't realize repetitious use of it in competition was a thing.
)I don't mind their real time explanations of the technical stuff, but I agree that sometimes they do talk too much. Like, just limit the talking to the technical stuff during performance so I can know what's going on but also enjoy the artistry, and save the stuff about the skater's background, how they were doing in practice, etc, etc, for when we're watching the warm ups, or when you do all the replays later.
So *that's* how you spell Salchow! I'd always wondered, but couldn't spell it in order to google it. XD
Thanks.
I am finding some of them by doing that.
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I'm just glad the thousands I've spent to keep my daughter in the sport has helped one more person spell it!
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My electric guitar is a Cort EVL-Z4. (If you Google Image search that, you should be able to see it in all its black glory, replete with silver pentagram inlays and an ornate cross on the headstock.
) Unsurprisingly given the guitar, the metal I was playing was mostly black-metal-ish, with a bit of brutal death metal in there for good measure. The less-good-sounding but more-controllable metal setting sounds closer to prog metal, but erring on the side of (weak) black metal.ETA: I'm also rather pleased with myself right now. An electronica song I made just came up on my playlist, and I thought it was good! It's a song I haven't listened to in (probably) weeks, so to hear it sounding pretty good all of a sudden was rather nice.
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Makes sense. (Now I'm listening to the Schindler's List soundtrack because I didn't realize repetitious use of it in competition was a thing.
I don't mind their real time explanations of the technical stuff, but I agree that sometimes they do talk too much. Like, just limit the talking to the technical stuff during performance so I can know what's going on but also enjoy the artistry, and save the stuff about the skater's background, how they were doing in practice, etc, etc, for when we're watching the warm ups, or when you do all the replays later.
So *that's* how you spell Salchow! I'd always wondered, but couldn't spell it in order to google it. XD
Thanks.
The channel I've been watching the Olympics on puts the name of the song (or says medley) at the beginning under the skaters' names. I haven't been watching too much skating, but every time I turn it on I seem to catch a song from Moulin Rogue. I kinda like them being able to use songs with lyrics this year, adds a different dynamic to the routine.
Huzzah! Now if only my crazy ex-coworker would stop drunk-texting me.
I'm getting ready to head off to New Orleans next week to go to my sister's babyshower. It's her first, and my first niece/nephew (they don't know the sex yet--they're calling the baby Spork). This will also be my first time in New Orleans, so gave myself extra time to do some sightseeing since I'm sure my sister will be sick of visitors pretty quick. Anyone been there, have recommendations of what to go check out? Personally, I'm looking forward to those drive-through daiquiri joints.
Also, I'm ordering her gifts. I got her various sized baby clothes in various themes--Star Wars, Star Trek, LoTR, Dr. Who, Harry Potter (I'm starting this kid off right!). Any other suggestions?
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GD, I'm with Maggie, if that's at all helpful. Even if it's really short, separating it out into another chapter would work for me. I know it's not the same, but Mira Grant's Feed novels sprinkled in the blog posts different characters made "on the wall".
Morning, Cantina. Random thought as I'm watching the Olympic women's freestyle figure skating that I recorded last night: I wish the announcers would at least make a quick mention of what music is being skated to. Sometimes they do, but they often don't, and of course, those are the moments when I recognize the music and I really like it, but I Just. Cannot. Place. It. And I'm sitting there enjoying the skating and the music, but I'm going nuts because I can't remember where the music came from. Gah!
So, I haven't tried this to see if it actually works, but if you have the Shazaam app on your phone, you could try Shazaaming during the performance and see if the app will pick up the tune from the tv.
Just in random real life, when there's a song on the radio, or in a coffee shop, or elsewhere and you really really really want to know the name but no one knows it...man oh man I love that little app.
My electric guitar is a Cort EVL-Z4. (If you Google Image search that, you should be able to see it in all its black glory, replete with silver pentagram inlays and an ornate cross on the headstock.
ETA: I'm also rather pleased with myself right now. An electronica song I made just came up on my playlist, and I thought it was good! It's a song I haven't listened to in (probably) weeks, so to hear it sounding pretty good all of a sudden was rather nice.
That guitar is gorgeous! Love the flat black color. I'll see if I can get a picture of mine on here
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Gah, I'm so frustrated... on someone else's behalf. I have a young writer friend I read for. She's gotten herself a really terrible beta reader. I wish she'd just done a first chapter swap, but this stranger has her whole book, and is returning it a chapter a week. Really, really unhelpful feedback. I've seen some. The beta is trying to change her writing style. One of her comments was "lma**off" during a romantic part. Come on! 
The beta is an 18yr-old, writing her first book too, there's no reason to be snobby. My friend is far too meek to get out of this, but it's literally destroying her writing passion. Every week she has to endure a knot in her stomach as the latest chapter comes back and she's starting to hate her book--all her favorite scenes are being forever branded with these unhelpful comments. She has good betas too. Ones that actually read her genre and are encouraging as well as critical. I'm pleading with her to get out of this beta arrangement, but she doesn't think there's a polite way to do so. She worries about looking petty because of the harshness of the feedback. But (as I told my friend) she's wasting the beta's time too, because most of it she doesn't understand. (This could go on awhile--the beta's only on chp 6.) It's not my problem and I've told my friend what I think... Yet it keeps going on and I worry about this experience taking away her confidence and passion. Ugh. I guess if she's really made to be a writer, she'll have to endure. I can't shield her from rejections and bad reviews. And maybe there'll be a few things in the feedback that ends up helping, if not now, someday.
But, moral of the story: choose your betas wisely!
The beta is an 18yr-old, writing her first book too, there's no reason to be snobby. My friend is far too meek to get out of this, but it's literally destroying her writing passion. Every week she has to endure a knot in her stomach as the latest chapter comes back and she's starting to hate her book--all her favorite scenes are being forever branded with these unhelpful comments. She has good betas too. Ones that actually read her genre and are encouraging as well as critical. I'm pleading with her to get out of this beta arrangement, but she doesn't think there's a polite way to do so. She worries about looking petty because of the harshness of the feedback. But (as I told my friend) she's wasting the beta's time too, because most of it she doesn't understand. (This could go on awhile--the beta's only on chp 6.) It's not my problem and I've told my friend what I think... Yet it keeps going on and I worry about this experience taking away her confidence and passion. Ugh. I guess if she's really made to be a writer, she'll have to endure. I can't shield her from rejections and bad reviews. And maybe there'll be a few things in the feedback that ends up helping, if not now, someday.But, moral of the story: choose your betas wisely!
Some large towels (like the "bath sheet") size. Baby towels are great and all, but I swear, we got so much more use out of the giant ones. They work great for temporary swaddling, as a changing pad, lightweight sheet protector for the crib. And babies tend to get bigger than all the baby blankets/towels really fast. Fun colors are good, but white can always be bleached. Also, Monkey had this little light up thing that played short classical music selections and low key colored lights blinked and he *loved*. I still haven't managed to get rid of it because every time I put it in the "take to Goodwill" pile he finds it and hides it. And, if they don't have an in-ear thermometer, those are pretty great.
Gah, I'm so frustrated... on someone else's behalf. I have a young writer friend I read for. She's gotten herself a really terrible beta reader. I wish she'd just done a first chapter swap, but this stranger has her whole book, and is returning it a chapter a week. Really, really unhelpful feedback. I've seen some. The beta is trying to change her writing style. One of her comments was "lma**off" during a romantic part. Come on!
Can you help her set up a folder in her email that will just sort the stuff from that person into a specific place so she doesn't have to look at it? Also, there's a difference between a bad review (which is opinion on something that is finished) and having a beta reader trash something. Destructive or belittling feedback during the creative stages is a whole different ball of wax. It doesn't matter if there's not a polite way out. If you aren't benefiting from a critique/beta reader, you should just say "This really isn't helpful. You're being disrespectful. I won't be reading any more of your comments." (Which, I know, is hard to be confrontational about, but really... no one needs that. It's not productive or healthy.)
Man, that stinks.Gah, I'm so frustrated... on someone else's behalf. I have a young writer friend I read for. She's gotten herself a really terrible beta reader. I wish she'd just done a first chapter swap, but this stranger has her whole book, and is returning it a chapter a week. Really, really unhelpful feedback. I've seen some. The beta is trying to change her writing style. One of her comments was "lma**off" during a romantic part. Come on!
for your young friend. I've never experienced anything like that, but then I can also count the betas readers I've had on one hand. Gotta agree with Aggy, though. Polite or not, there has to be a point where you can say, "I'm not your punching bag, this beta relationship is over." Morning, Cantina. Had kind of a bad dream last night, which I think came from an article I saw, which resulted in me dreaming that there was some creep running around trying to get girls alone to hurt them, including me, and I was having to run from him. I HATE dreams like that.
It's slowly fading now that I'm more awake, but there's still that underlying anxious feeling. Gonna try to get busy writing and stuff and distract myself from it.
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Survived the first day of MystiCon. Had panels ar 4, 6, 8, and midnight yesterday. What the heck was I thinking?
The first panel was about Avatar: the Last Airbender and Korra. Well attended but only two p anelists, so we encouraged audience participation . Second was World Mythology. The third was Writing Graphic Novels with Guest of Honor Joe Landsdale and me. Oh course, the thought running through my head was “What am I doing here?”, but it turned out well. The midnight panel was on Frankenstein, but as late night panels do - the topic wandered drastically.
Now on to Day Two.
The first panel was about Avatar: the Last Airbender and Korra. Well attended but only two p anelists, so we encouraged audience participation . Second was World Mythology. The third was Writing Graphic Novels with Guest of Honor Joe Landsdale and me. Oh course, the thought running through my head was “What am I doing here?”, but it turned out well. The midnight panel was on Frankenstein, but as late night panels do - the topic wandered drastically.
Now on to Day Two.
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Dang, sounds like fun. What kind of turnout do you guys get at Roanoke? <-- perfect city name btw.
I think I'm going to do another panel or two at the Seattle Crypticon this year. It's a small con but I did enjoy the experience -- good public speaking practice.
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They’re capped at 1500 by the fire marshal. My day two panels were Collaborating in a Shared Universe and Beyond Western Europe - Other World Cultures for Fantasy. I have one more today - Creating an Author Platform, and then I’m done for today.
Seriously running on fumes at the moment.
Seriously running on fumes at the moment.
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We've done comic con and wonder con, and usually have a blast, except for last year at comic con. It was just a crush of humanity, and struggled to keep a pocket of breathable air around us, let alone get from point a to point b. I think we'll just do wonder con from now on.
greendragon
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I'm a Dragoncon girl, but usually the panels I'm on are regarding art - either a beading workshop or Taxes for Artists. For both, I'm the sole panelist, but we cap the former at 10 (observers allowed) and the latter at 40, due to room size. Dragoncon itself is about 80,000 people. I've considered Mysticon before. I know there are some smaller local cons here, like Twin Tiers Comiccon and Robercon that I'm considering.
My house in Florida is officially on contract, woohoo! After being tenantless since Oct 2016, I just can't wait to get rid of the ball and chain. Closing date set to March 26.
My house in Florida is officially on contract, woohoo! After being tenantless since Oct 2016, I just can't wait to get rid of the ball and chain. Closing date set to March 26.
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80,000? That's a good sized con. Never heard of Dragon Con. Looks like they were one of the first to combine multiple genres/interests.