The Cantina Staring Back At You From The Abyss

TedTheewen

AW's Most Adorable Sociopath
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 7, 2009
Messages
29,517
Reaction score
4,412
Location
In a van parked outside of your house.
Website
tedscreepyvan.blogspot.com
I tried writing with my new brain the other day. It was a lot of attitude and not much else. In about two paragraphs I managed to insult other writers and most editors. No plot, mind you, but I did manage to establish my MC is a jerk with a big mouth and probably a drinking problem. My new brain needs work.
 

tiddlywinks

Chaser of Shineyyyy Plot Bunnies
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
9,424
Reaction score
3,719
Location
Trying to Remember Where I Stashed My Muse
Website
www.elainewitt.com
*skips in, sprinkling glitter everywhere*
*trips over the smibble pile*

Dang it.

Hello, Cantina peeps! Tacklehugs for all who need them, and plot bunnies for everyone! Even if you don't need them! Someone got them all wet while the site was down. I blame Richard for this.

But in spite of a plethora of plot bunnies, writing didn't happen very much while the site was down. Because new job is now craaaaaazy busy. In a good, fun way, but dear me, I feel like it's been a whirlwind since the start of the new year. How is it the middle of February already????

On the fun side, I'm writing to you from Kitkit's humble abode out in sunshine and national park goodness, so that's cool. She has supplied me with wine, listened to me gritch while I've been on conference calls since I still have to work during the work week while I'm out here (bah!), and has taken me on some really cool hikes thus far! And I'm not dead yet! :greenie

We shall see after next weekend's planned hike. The switchbacks sound gruesome...but the view promises to be amazing, so I shall carry on and upward. And try not to whine too much though my calves are screaming at me today :roll:

I'm just enjoying time with good friends, good wine, and hella good sunshine. Because let me tell you, it is a whole lot warmer here than it is in Minnesota, yes yes.

*adds rays of sunshine to her sprinkles of glitter*
*falls over another smibble*
 

Kitkitdizzi

Don't feed the critters
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 2, 2015
Messages
608
Reaction score
223
Location
A land of rocks and waterfalls
:hi:

Nice to see all of you!

So in my neck of the woods, work has gone from being Summer Job to being All The Time Job, which has really put a crimp in the writing since I had planned to finish the first draft of my manuscript by mid-March when I went back to work full-time. But job is super great, if busy, and I now have the words Manager and Coordinator in my job description, so boy do I feel like an Adult (oh help us when the Park figures out the truth...). Fortunately I have Winksies sitting beside me helping to motivate me to Write All The Words. Although instead of writing today I seem to have learned how to play Mahjong instead.

*wonders how she is going to get all the glitter out of the couch*
 

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
12,977
Reaction score
4,513
Location
USA
Website
brightdreamersbookreviews.blogspot.com
Yeah, the smibbles kinda got out of hand during their lockdown in a forum under siege.

I think at least some of them have gone feral...

Monday evening, and swinging by after dinner and dishes and whatnot. Will have to shop tomorrow, and Mom is probably going to tag along for the distraction, so who knows where I'll end up going. She's still trying to get stuff together before Thursday (she expects to be in the hospital for at least a day or two.)

And I got some background junk sketched in for the Sisyphus, at long frellin' last. Still figuring out structure and approach and POV and whatnot, but I've removed sufficient bits of rock that I think I can see where the elephant is.

Away I drift. I hope to get some more story stuff done tonight, but a fair bit is still up in the air and needs to fall into place before I can make much progress.
 

CobraMisfit

I want to be Comic Sans.
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 5, 2010
Messages
8,549
Reaction score
2,747
Location
Recalculating....
Absolute Write: Putting the “AW” in Awwwwwww yeah.

Glad we’re back!

EFB: That stinks. Hopefully the experience didn’t sully DC too much for them. As with any major city, it’s always best to be alert, but it’s one heck of a fantastic town. Amazing (and free) museums, gorgeous parks, stunning cherry blossoms, impressive zoo, kinda okay aquarium (Baltimore’s is the bee’s knees), ah-mazing botanical gardens, so many monuments, etc.

Evening gang.

Whut up?
 

E.F.B.

Stories, stories everywhere
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
Messages
6,352
Reaction score
1,832
Location
Valinor
Website
www.etsy.com
*walks into Cantina with tissues sticking out of nose because we're at that point in this cold*

Scared to ask, but...what is the smibble pile? Should I be touching it?:e2poke:
A smibble is a combination between a tribble and a smeerp. They are fluffy, cute, and some say they're edible. They gather in piles around the Cantina that are very comfortable for sitting on or burying yourself under, depending on your mood. Touching and cuddling them is recommended as it's very soothing. Just, maybe don't touch the ones from my pile here because there are kinda a lot of used tissues mixed in with the smibbles and I don't want to get you sick, too.

Absolute Write: Putting the “AW” in Awwwwwww yeah.

Glad we’re back!

EFB: That stinks. Hopefully the experience didn’t sully DC too much for them. As with any major city, it’s always best to be alert, but it’s one heck of a fantastic town. Amazing (and free) museums, gorgeous parks, stunning cherry blossoms, impressive zoo, kinda okay aquarium (Baltimore’s is the bee’s knees), ah-mazing botanical gardens, so many monuments, etc.
As far as I can tell, they enjoyed their time at the museums. It was their own fault they lost track of the car, not DC's. Seems cousin used GPS to navigate the city and both she and aunt therefore turned off their brains and stopped paying attention to things like landmarks and building names. To add to the drama, aunt left her photo ID 300 miles away AT HOME, and cousin left hers IN THE CAR. Oh, and also their house keys and luggage. So, once they lost they car they lost all of that stuff, too. *headdesk* Mom was ready to Force-choke her sister from a distance.

As an update, aunt and cousin did NOT find their car after looking again yesterday and the police had done all they could do to help them so mom and dad had to brainstorm half the morning how to help them get home. They thought about calling a rental service to get a car for them or even tell them how to get to the airport, but both of those required ID and/or a driver's licence, and since aunt and cousin didn't have theirs, those options were out and mom wasn't willing to give her own driver's licence to the rental service because then she'd be liable if they got in an accident or something. We were starting to wonder if we really would have to drive up there and get them when mom thought of the Greyhound bus. The police were able to look aunt and cousin up in the system and give them the number on their IDs so they at least had that, and Greyhound was the only transportation service willing to take that in place of them having their ID on their persons to show to the bus driver.

Soooo, we called Greyhound and after dealing with a customer service rep who barely spoke English and didn't know what a PO box was, we paid for their tickets and gave them directions to the bus station. It got them close enough to their town that aunt was able to call a friend to pick them up at one of the stops and take them the rest of the way home. Thankfully (?) they'd left the back door of their house unlocked and were able to get in despite not having their house keys. And no one had broken in and robbed them blind in the meanwhile.

Aunt texted mom this morning and said they're all pretty wiped out. Cousin's 6 year old daughter was too tired to even go to school today, but the 9 year old was apparently full of energy this morning and went on. I'm sure she's busy telling all her friends about her adventure. Now, they will have to call the number the police gave them every couple of days to find out if their car was ever found or towed (hopefully it doesn't get stolen) and once it is, they'll have to go pick it up.



I did write yesterday, but it wasn't as much as I'd hoped because having relatives lost in DC is somewhat distracting, what with mom on the phone half the morning, periodically screaming into the void, and making strangling gestures in the general direction of her sister. :p Today should be significantly quieter, so here's hoping I can get more words done.

*sneezes*
 

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
12,977
Reaction score
4,513
Location
USA
Website
brightdreamersbookreviews.blogspot.com
EFB - Someday, they'll get postcards from their car, which has gone on an amazing road trip without them...

Tuesday morning, and heading out to the store in a while; doing the Wednesday shopping trip today, because tomorrow's early start at work and Thursday is going to be a lost day (Mom's surgery.) Mom may or may not tag along.
 

The Second Moon

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 12, 2018
Messages
3,393
Reaction score
355
Website
mimistromauthor.com
A smibble is a combination between a tribble and a smeerp. They are fluffy, cute, and some say they're edible. They gather in piles around the Cantina that are very comfortable for sitting on or burying yourself under, depending on your mood. Touching and cuddling them is recommended as it's very soothing. Just, maybe don't touch the ones from my pile here because there are kinda a lot of used tissues mixed in with the smibbles and I don't want to get you sick, too.

Okay. *jumps into smibble pile (that's not EFB's)*
 

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
12,977
Reaction score
4,513
Location
USA
Website
brightdreamersbookreviews.blogspot.com
Shopping done, lunch done, now I'm chilling a bit before exercise.

And I just tried a Sugar Bee apple, which is a little sweeter than a Fuji and has nice texture. Enjoyable, though I expect it's one of those that goes mushy fast.
 

TedTheewen

AW's Most Adorable Sociopath
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 7, 2009
Messages
29,517
Reaction score
4,412
Location
In a van parked outside of your house.
Website
tedscreepyvan.blogspot.com
Hi folks!

Today was a rough one. Work was a nightmare because the website was down and customers were freaking out. Then, I was interrupted by a banging on my door. I come outside and my van is on a towtruck. He's about to back out with it. This is bad for a lot of reasons but my van is AWD and what he was about to do would destroy the entire drivetrain. I shouted, he stopped, and I had to pay $35 right there to get my van back.

We're in a parking war in this small town. I live in a town of 800 people and there aren't enough parking spaces in the middle of the downtown. Plows want to plow the 1 inch of snow on the ground and can't so they tow vehicles. We're all furious and the next town meeting is gonna be a fun one. At least I'll have fun. Not sure about the people I verbally fillet.

Right now, it's almost 10:30pm and I'm about to jump in my van to go meet somebody so I can give him a package. Long story, not illegal, but close enough. My anger is keeping me going despite the fact that I'm out of caffeine.
 

Cobalt Jade

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 21, 2015
Messages
3,289
Reaction score
1,441
Location
Seattle
And I just tried a Sugar Bee apple, which is a little sweeter than a Fuji and has nice texture.

That's one I haven't heard of yet. There's another new one just out called Snapdragon I have yet to try.

Cosmic Crisp, which came out in the fall, was DELICIOUS. A touch more cidery than Honeycrisp, with a mead-like flavor. Very pretty looking too.
 

JJ Litke

People are not wearing enough hats
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Messages
7,997
Reaction score
4,475
Location
Austin
Website
www.jjlitke.com
Give ‘em, hell, Ted!

I forgot to tell y’all, I sold a story! My first sale in three years (novel writing, querying, and school kept me from short stories). It’s The Bar at the End of Whenever, at Nature Futures. It’s flash, too, so it’s a nice, short read. Go check it out!

Next I need to go update my sig.
 

The Second Moon

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 12, 2018
Messages
3,393
Reaction score
355
Website
mimistromauthor.com
I forgot to tell y’all, I sold a story! .

You go! That's great!

Oh no! I just saw the shiny eyes of hunger (AKA my hungry cat who is 100% going to step on my keyboard):e2cat:. He just did! As I was typing this! Ugh. It's not my job to feed you anymore. Quit acting like a kitten. You're 12 years old!
 

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
12,977
Reaction score
4,513
Location
USA
Website
brightdreamersbookreviews.blogspot.com
Cobalt Jade - I liked Cosmic Crisp: nice flavor, didn't go mushy overnight. But both my mother and I really felt that one in our teeth for a few days after eating, like that sensitive feeling you get after biting into an apple that's juuuust not quite ripe. I think that's how it gets its touted shelf life, but it was enough to put me off them, unfortunately. And I saw Snapdragons one day at Freddy's, but didn't buy one, and when I went back a couple days later they were gone. (Which sucks, because I didn't even get a picture of their sweet logo...) Speaking of apples, we also saw they had something called Rockit apples, which are about the size of a plum and come in big plastic tubs. It looked like a great lunch size apple, but we didn't want to buy the huge tub of them because we probably wouldn't finish before they went all mushy and because we didn't even know if they had any flavor or if they were all core or what.

JJ Litke - Hooray for sales!

Wednesday morning, and up wayyy too early after my stupid brain didn't turn off until wayyy too late, the upshot being I'm heading off to early start at work soon on roughly four hours sleep or less. And my stupid toe is still sore, but not too sore to walk on. (Still can't believe I was so stupid I essentially stepped on my own stupid toe.)

Guess I'll meander off.
 

Religion0

Cantina's Official Doggy Poster
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Messages
2,158
Reaction score
239
Location
On that sandy little pile of darkness and seaweed
Froggy - That's the grief anger. It's okay. It's not fair, it's kind of petty, but it's understandable. Recognize it for what it is, channel it as well as you can, try not to let it hurt anyone, and accept that it's okay. And maybe yeet an egg at a tree or something. I'm sorry you're going through that. Hugs.

Cobra - Has the DC board of tourism gotten in touch with you yet?

JJ - That! Is! Awesome! Congrats! Have a smibble with a party hat!

As of today I know I'll have the time for a puppy, so I went looking and guess what? I found a puppy matching Havana's description... with that same name. Sweet fate or ugly coincidence? Aside from that, all's well, things are looking like they'll go well.

Does anyone want to throw some books on my TBR pile?
 

JJ Litke

People are not wearing enough hats
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Messages
7,997
Reaction score
4,475
Location
Austin
Website
www.jjlitke.com
As of today I know I'll have the time for a puppy, so I went looking and guess what? I found a puppy matching Havana's description... with that same name. Sweet fate or ugly coincidence? Aside from that, all's well, things are looking like they'll go well.

Whoa, I get how that could be great and seriously disconcerting at the same time. I hope it works out for you!
 

TedTheewen

AW's Most Adorable Sociopath
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 7, 2009
Messages
29,517
Reaction score
4,412
Location
In a van parked outside of your house.
Website
tedscreepyvan.blogspot.com
Give ‘em, hell, Ted!

I forgot to tell y’all, I sold a story! My first sale in three years (novel writing, querying, and school kept me from short stories). It’s The Bar at the End of Whenever, at Nature Futures. It’s flash, too, so it’s a nice, short read. Go check it out!

I shall, and that's awesome on the sale! Congrats!

I always love it when AWers get sales.
 

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
12,977
Reaction score
4,513
Location
USA
Website
brightdreamersbookreviews.blogspot.com
Does anyone want to throw some books on my TBR pile?

What did you have in mind? Or did you want to take some of my TBRs? *curls up on TBR pile, snarling like a dragon*
The last good books I've read were:
Soonish, by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith (by the creators of the webcomic "Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal", a humorous nonfiction look at emergent technologies, what they might do, and what's holding them back)
Bob, by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead (a children's/MG fantasy about friendship, where a ten-year-old girl returns to her grandmother's home after five years away and finds a little green creature in the closet, who insists she promised to help it remember who it was and how to get home)
Terminal Alliance, by Jim C. Hines (humor/SF wherein Earth has been decimated by a zombielike plague, but aliens have managed to fix - somewhat - a handful of humans, using them as shock troops and for other menial tasks that don't challenge their diminished minds... until a group of janitors are the only survivors when a hostile bioweapon reverts the rest of a spaceship's crew)
The Rage of Dragons, by Evan Winter (an intense, somewhat dark fantasy about a young man from a lesser caste whose anger drives him far beyond what his people tell him he can achieve - even as they stand on the brink of annihilation)
And best of luck on the puppy!

Wednesday afternoon. The toe survived work better than expected, though it's still rather stiff and ouchy when I flex it.

Mom just got the call about the surgery. So now we have a departure time: not as early as I'd expected, which is kind of nice given that I'm sleeping like crud these days.

Oh, and I found a link to that awesome SnapDragon apple logo.
 

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
12,977
Reaction score
4,513
Location
USA
Website
brightdreamersbookreviews.blogspot.com
Thursday morning, and heading out to warm up the car in about an hour. Today is Mom's thyroid surgery, so it'll be a lot of sitting in a waiting room. Got a couple books and my tablet packed, will have my Kindle (though I'm between Kindle reads right now)... gonna be a Day.
 

E.F.B.

Stories, stories everywhere
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
Messages
6,352
Reaction score
1,832
Location
Valinor
Website
www.etsy.com
EFB - Someday, they'll get postcards from their car, which has gone on an amazing road trip without them...
At the rate they're going, this is possible.

As of today I know I'll have the time for a puppy, so I went looking and guess what? I found a puppy matching Havana's description... with that same name. Sweet fate or ugly coincidence? Aside from that, all's well, things are looking like they'll go well.
That's definitely a difficult combination of emotions to deal with. When I've lost beloved pets, I'm personally the type that doesn't want another one that looks just like the one I lost because it would be too hard for me to see their likeness while knowing it's not really them. All animals being individuals, it wouldn't act just like them, either, and the disparity between looks and behavior would make it even harder for me to adjust. You know what's best for you, though, and I hope you find the puppy that's perfect for you.

As for tbr add-ons, I'm currently reading the last book in the City of Ember series. I'm almost two decades late to the party, but it's a very enjoyable series if you're into middle grade and post-apocalyptic stories. Just, maybe consider skipping the prequel (The Prophet of Yonwood) because IMHO, it was really weird and not nearly as well written as the main trilogy. It's truly not needed to enjoy the main trilogy.

Y'all definitely need to read JJ's story if you haven't already. It's hilarious and well done :)
Just did, and it was excellent. :D Congrats on the sale, JJ!



I got absolutely zero writing yesterday because both parents had an early morning podiatrist appointment. Once my routine gets thrown off like that I tend to just let the writing go for the day and let myself focus on other things. On the plus side, my cold is almost gone so I was able to be out yesterday without sneezing, coughing, and blowing my nose the whole time (minus one random sneezing fit right as we pulled into the podiatrist's parking lot.) Today I'm not sneezing and my nose isn't running at all. There's just the occasional cough, mostly to clear out the gunk that built up overnight. I plan to catch up on the writing I missed yesterday.

In weather news, we could, supposedly, get up to an inch or two of snow late this afternoon and evening. This will be the first and possibly only snow we've gotten all winter. I'm personally okay with snow even despite dad's griping, and hope it's non-icy, fluffy stuff that da lab mix pup will be able to enjoy. It was so hilarious last year when she experienced the first snow of her life and ran in it so much we had to force her to come inside because she was going to exhaust herself if we didn't.



ETA: @Brightdreamer: All the :Hug2: and chocolate and feel good things for the day. I hope everything goes smoothly.
 
Last edited: