This year's Nanowrimo has been a disaster from start to finish. I couldn't think of anything to write til day one- too much school work- no time to plan events- the story I picked up ended halfway through. I started another story as soon as the first finished but by god there's only so many weekly papers and final papers and Livy a person can cope with before defeat happens.
Besides the not winning part- which I've done before, just not in years- the worst part is feeling like I can't write anymore. Nothing is as good as it used to be, I don't think of the story unless I'm sitting at the computer (no time to think up conversations while I'm at work or driving, apparently), everything just feels blah. I looked at last year's Nano which was a romance novel and I swear to god it's brilliant in comparison to anything I wrote recently but it's no For the Glory of Rome.
Sometimes I'm scared I cranked out my Penultimate Life's Work.
I hate feeling like this.
In other, happier, news:
I've talked to my sister about five or six times on the phone. She's really nice. She has two kids. She wants me to visit.
My seamonkeys are doing great.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is even more awesome than the movie. I cannot put it down. Even though I know what's happening.
In comparison Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes is no Jurassic Park. I think he must have still been working on it when he died, like it's draft 1.5 or something. It's just not as long as usual.
My friend Lisa has a bunny that she let me petsit. I've never really seen a bunny up close besides in pet stores. They're not very friendly but they are soft. I guess you just hold it?
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
A 26 year wait, over.
A lot of you probably know I'm adopted. Since I was twenty I've been looking for my biological family- with no luck. I made a lot of phone calls and sent a few letters but it all amounted to was disconnected numbers. Thursday afternoon I tried googling again, trying some new numbers. The first one went to a disconnected line, the next rang and rang and then someone answered.
I asked for my biological mother and the she said she'd go look for her out in the yard. About two minutes later she was on the line.
It's still blowing my mind. I looked for them for six years and it was just as easy as calling the right number at the right time. I talked to my biological mother for an hour that day and a few hours later my sister called- I have a sister and three brothers- she lives in Hawaii and is in the Navy, two of the brothers live here, and another is in the Army. One of my brothers who lives here has called me a few times. I'm supposed to go down to see them soonish...
Right now it's so much. Every time the phone rings I jump up to grab it- who's calling now? Who's texting? Is it one of them?
I asked for my biological mother and the she said she'd go look for her out in the yard. About two minutes later she was on the line.
It's still blowing my mind. I looked for them for six years and it was just as easy as calling the right number at the right time. I talked to my biological mother for an hour that day and a few hours later my sister called- I have a sister and three brothers- she lives in Hawaii and is in the Navy, two of the brothers live here, and another is in the Army. One of my brothers who lives here has called me a few times. I'm supposed to go down to see them soonish...
Right now it's so much. Every time the phone rings I jump up to grab it- who's calling now? Who's texting? Is it one of them?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Late
I used to know this guy named Andy Zebrowitz. He was one of those people that looked like trouble, but he was always a good friend to me. Not in the overly friendly, I'd do anything for you way, but in a quiet way where he'd do it anyway, while acting gruff. The best way I can describe it is like Dr. House. He was smart and cool and I didn't have a crush on him, just sort of hero worship. He was that guy that you knew that was so cool you'd tell people you knew him. That kind of thing.
He used to fix my computer for me sometimes, when I couldn't figure it out myself. And I used to bring him cookies and pizza (when I worked at a pizza place) and Thanksgiving Dinner leftovers... I never heard one way or the other if he had Thanksgiving plans but he never turned down the food and always gave the Tupperware back clean. One time I randomly asked him if he'd like to go to the Renaissance Festival and when I went to pick him up in the morning he'd gotten a new computer the night before and stayed up all night playing with it. I think he'd gone to bed about half an hour before I showed up and when he answered the door it was clear he'd forgotten about the whole thing. I felt like this goofy kid- like I was bothering him- but he just said he needed a shower and a cup of coffee and we could go.
Before I went to Italy I asked him if he wanted anything from over there. I don't think he ever got back to me, and I didn't pick anything up for him. I remember a winter or two ago I said I'd knit him some gloves and he sortof said what kind he'd like- fingerless, black, long cuffs- but I never did get around to making them. We didn't talk all that much.
And then before I knew it it was this summer and I was going to head to London and it struck me if I hadn't gotten him anything from Italy I could get him something from London and we could hang out at least once more. Something like that. And at the time I was thinking it I also thought it had been a while since I'd seen him online. And he's one of those people, like me, always on.
I checked IM and he wasn't on. I just sort of thought he might have shut it off or was doing something to his computer but when I checked his blog I saw his obituary. I thought it was a joke for about fifteen minutes- I had to do some googling to see what was going on- we mostly knew each other online and didn't have any mutual friends. He'd died a few days before my birthday, about five months earlier. It was like a gut punch. I know, sort of a bit much of a reaction to an internet friend dying who I hadn't seen in years- but- Andy was one of those people... Who make a difference for you even though they don't do much of anything. He was a decent guy when I didn't seem to know any of that variety.
He used to fix my computer for me sometimes, when I couldn't figure it out myself. And I used to bring him cookies and pizza (when I worked at a pizza place) and Thanksgiving Dinner leftovers... I never heard one way or the other if he had Thanksgiving plans but he never turned down the food and always gave the Tupperware back clean. One time I randomly asked him if he'd like to go to the Renaissance Festival and when I went to pick him up in the morning he'd gotten a new computer the night before and stayed up all night playing with it. I think he'd gone to bed about half an hour before I showed up and when he answered the door it was clear he'd forgotten about the whole thing. I felt like this goofy kid- like I was bothering him- but he just said he needed a shower and a cup of coffee and we could go.
Before I went to Italy I asked him if he wanted anything from over there. I don't think he ever got back to me, and I didn't pick anything up for him. I remember a winter or two ago I said I'd knit him some gloves and he sortof said what kind he'd like- fingerless, black, long cuffs- but I never did get around to making them. We didn't talk all that much.
And then before I knew it it was this summer and I was going to head to London and it struck me if I hadn't gotten him anything from Italy I could get him something from London and we could hang out at least once more. Something like that. And at the time I was thinking it I also thought it had been a while since I'd seen him online. And he's one of those people, like me, always on.
I checked IM and he wasn't on. I just sort of thought he might have shut it off or was doing something to his computer but when I checked his blog I saw his obituary. I thought it was a joke for about fifteen minutes- I had to do some googling to see what was going on- we mostly knew each other online and didn't have any mutual friends. He'd died a few days before my birthday, about five months earlier. It was like a gut punch. I know, sort of a bit much of a reaction to an internet friend dying who I hadn't seen in years- but- Andy was one of those people... Who make a difference for you even though they don't do much of anything. He was a decent guy when I didn't seem to know any of that variety.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Books, books, books.
I picked up Anne Macaffrey's Crystal Singer last week at Book Exchange. Normally I give books the 50 page test that I learned from Charles- the first fifty pages were just kind of... Sleepy isn't the right word, but I wasn't excited about anything Killashandra was up to either. But I couldn't stop reading it either. I think I'm about 3/4 the way through it and I don't want to read it anymore, but I do. I guess Killashandra isn't very interesting, but Anne's writing is very good.
Then I picked up Dracula, My Love by Syrie James which is a retelling of Dracula from Mina's POV. I'm only about a hundred pages in, but it's a good read. Not YOU HAVE TO READ THIS yet, but it's amusing.
And last night I noticed that Clive Barker's Absolute Midnight which is the third book in the Abarat series was supposed to be out last month. I think it was also supposed to be out last month last year. Come on Clive, put the book out- there's not even any fanfic I know of to bridge the gaps.
Then I picked up Dracula, My Love by Syrie James which is a retelling of Dracula from Mina's POV. I'm only about a hundred pages in, but it's a good read. Not YOU HAVE TO READ THIS yet, but it's amusing.
And last night I noticed that Clive Barker's Absolute Midnight which is the third book in the Abarat series was supposed to be out last month. I think it was also supposed to be out last month last year. Come on Clive, put the book out- there's not even any fanfic I know of to bridge the gaps.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Why I Don't Like Apple
Ok, I have some good news about the whole iPod Touch thing. After about forty minutes on the phone with tech support- who I do have a warranty with, despite what the website says- and much troubleshooting and reinstalling we both admitted the iPod was probably bricked. Then Felix, the tech support guy, made me an appointment at the Lenox Apple Store so I could get it looked at, just in case.
I drove down to Lenox today and went to the jampacked Apple Store. Forty-five minutes after my appointment time I finally was called up to the bar to have my iPod looked at. The man at the counter implied it was my Windows computer that was the problem twice before he'd actually plug in my iPod and see how bricked it was. After about three minutes of it plugged into his MacBook he finally did a restore on it- thankfully it restored and now my laptop is updating it.
The part that got me was after he'd restored it he told me two more times that the iPod might not work with my computer, then asked if it was a laptop so maybe if it didn't work I could bring it up. I told him, yes, it was, and then he sneered.
"Well, I can't say I'll be happy to see your computer in my store, but, I think I can try to troubleshoot it."
I just stared at him.
I have worked in retail for about ten years now, and I hate going to people's managers and making a scene. I have had costumers I've done nothing to do it in hopes of free food or gift cards or whatever. I didn't go to his manager, I didn't even say anything to him, which I'm sort of regretting.
Yeah, you know what, I have a Windows Computer. And it works really, really well. I love it. And you know what, if you have an Apple and you feel the exact same way? Good for you! I'm not going to try and change your mind and talk to you like I'm a Superior Human Being.
Mike, at the Lenox Apple Store, you're not better than me, you're just rude.
I drove down to Lenox today and went to the jampacked Apple Store. Forty-five minutes after my appointment time I finally was called up to the bar to have my iPod looked at. The man at the counter implied it was my Windows computer that was the problem twice before he'd actually plug in my iPod and see how bricked it was. After about three minutes of it plugged into his MacBook he finally did a restore on it- thankfully it restored and now my laptop is updating it.
The part that got me was after he'd restored it he told me two more times that the iPod might not work with my computer, then asked if it was a laptop so maybe if it didn't work I could bring it up. I told him, yes, it was, and then he sneered.
"Well, I can't say I'll be happy to see your computer in my store, but, I think I can try to troubleshoot it."
I just stared at him.
I have worked in retail for about ten years now, and I hate going to people's managers and making a scene. I have had costumers I've done nothing to do it in hopes of free food or gift cards or whatever. I didn't go to his manager, I didn't even say anything to him, which I'm sort of regretting.
Yeah, you know what, I have a Windows Computer. And it works really, really well. I love it. And you know what, if you have an Apple and you feel the exact same way? Good for you! I'm not going to try and change your mind and talk to you like I'm a Superior Human Being.
Mike, at the Lenox Apple Store, you're not better than me, you're just rude.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Not that anyone probably cares
But I think the last update of iTunes bricked my iPod Touch.
I'm torn between misery and a sort of righteous fury- I've only had it nine freaking months. My iPod I had before lasted something like four years. Maybe it's just some kind of thing that Apple is going to shortly patch and it'll go back to working, but if not... Nine months. Come on, Apple.
iTunes had a new software update for my iPod so I installed it. Ever since then the iPod has either been on the "please connect to itunes" screen or off. If I turn it on it'll show the logo then go to the connect screen. Nothing else. It doesn't show in my computer, and it doesn't show in iTunes. But the computer sort of sees it because it keeps telling me it could connect to the iPod if only I could find a driver that worked. The computer
Three days later I'm still in search of a driver.
I've reinstalled iTunes 10 twice, went back to 9, found out 10 did something to the library so 9 can't use it, went back to 10, trolled the Apple Forums, googled, and tried to update iTunes 10 countless times in hopes of a patch of some sort. Nothing.
Contrary to the "it's just the driver" thing is that the iPod itself isn't making any noises inside. Which is what my old iPod did when it died.
$300 for nine months of iPod is pretty sad.
I'm torn between misery and a sort of righteous fury- I've only had it nine freaking months. My iPod I had before lasted something like four years. Maybe it's just some kind of thing that Apple is going to shortly patch and it'll go back to working, but if not... Nine months. Come on, Apple.
iTunes had a new software update for my iPod so I installed it. Ever since then the iPod has either been on the "please connect to itunes" screen or off. If I turn it on it'll show the logo then go to the connect screen. Nothing else. It doesn't show in my computer, and it doesn't show in iTunes. But the computer sort of sees it because it keeps telling me it could connect to the iPod if only I could find a driver that worked. The computer
Three days later I'm still in search of a driver.
I've reinstalled iTunes 10 twice, went back to 9, found out 10 did something to the library so 9 can't use it, went back to 10, trolled the Apple Forums, googled, and tried to update iTunes 10 countless times in hopes of a patch of some sort. Nothing.
Contrary to the "it's just the driver" thing is that the iPod itself isn't making any noises inside. Which is what my old iPod did when it died.
$300 for nine months of iPod is pretty sad.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Dear Customers #1
Please do not ask me for things when you're on your cell phone. It goes like this:
Customer: Yes, Cindy I did ask her to bring the pie, no the other pie- Excuse me miss! No, the other pie, obviously.
Me: Yes? Can I help you?
Customer: Look, I'm looking for- No, Cindy, you're bringing the green beans- Can you find me a blue shirt? No, no, not for the picnic, for that other party Cindy.
Me: What kind of blue shirt?
Customer: A blue shirt. Look, Cindy, you know how I feel about that guy, do not bring him to the party.
Customer: Yes, Cindy I did ask her to bring the pie, no the other pie- Excuse me miss! No, the other pie, obviously.
Me: Yes? Can I help you?
Customer: Look, I'm looking for- No, Cindy, you're bringing the green beans- Can you find me a blue shirt? No, no, not for the picnic, for that other party Cindy.
Me: What kind of blue shirt?
Customer: A blue shirt. Look, Cindy, you know how I feel about that guy, do not bring him to the party.
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