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November 5th, 2009
08:49 am - IN SPACE
Hey, remember that zombies-in-space anthology? It now has a cover that is just about everything you would expect from a book called "Zombonauts".
Win.
Speaking of win! NaNo is still creaking along. I keep an insanely complicated spreadsheet of past and current efforts, and I'm right where I usually am at this point in the month. Here's hoping the momentum holds up, and it doesn't devolve into a mess like 2007, where every five hundred words cost me a year of my life.
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November 2nd, 2009
08:08 pm - This the Season
It's NaNoWriMo month, which means different things to different people. To me, it means a lot of whining. I am a first-class whiner. And I whine to everything. I whine to my sister. I whine to my turtles. I whine to my electronic equipment. I sit in the bathtub and whine to my notebook: "Why are you not dooooone yet? Why aren't you writing yourseeeeelf?" I am unbearable in November.
So the three things I have done in November, so far:
1) Whine
2) Write pulp
3) Watch A Very Potter Musical
You might be wondering how watching a two-hour musical rates as the thing I've spent the third most time on in the last few days. The list, of course, is misleading. It's probably number two. I watched it, yes. The problem is that I cannot stop watching it. I'm listening to the soundtrack right now. ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) ladyarkham and tahmthelame are to blame for this, by the way. Thanks, guys. Do you know how many times today I called something "totally awesome"? A lot of times.
Anyway. My TV reception has scarpered again, so I'll have all of tonight yet to make my word count goal. Fantastic. At least I have this cracktacular soundtrack to keep me company.
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October 25th, 2009
11:49 am - Midnight Serenade
Last night I woke up at four in the morning and heard, for the first time in my life, a cat singing.
If I was a cartoon, I would have thrown a boot at it, but I am a real-life person and it was too cold to get out of bed, so I just lay there listening. The sound was remarkable. The cat was obviously making a tune--it was crooning, and having exactly as much success as you would expect from a cat. It knew only three notes and one word: Yow. But it worked those notes and that word like it meant them.
Yooooooooooow.
Y-oooooo-oooooooo-oooooooooooow.
Yooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
It sounded like the world's worst liturgy.
I enjoyed the absurdity for a couple of minutes and then rolled over and went back to sleep. Cat Sinatra did not move me romantically, but the lady cats probably felt differently, and I feel sure that his earnest song must have earned him some tail. So to speak.
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October 19th, 2009
05:52 pm - Long Time Traveled
Sing, O Muse, of the quest for comics I undertook last Saturday.
The North (you may remember) proved inhospitable, and did not contain the object of my quest (a well-stocked, well-lit, nice-smelling comic book store). So with hope as my banner I sallied toward the South.
"Lo," I said, "tho' the day is not bright, still my dreams of the latest House of Mystery and maybe a collected Hellblazer do shine before me like the sun."
Long I traveled to the south, whereunto Mapquest directed me, and I did come upon a comics store. And behold, this comics store was actually in someone's basement. Girded with caution I entered.
And lo, this cave was not filled with treasures.
"Hath no trade paperbacks?" I inquired of the hermit that dwelt within.
"Only the ones on the wall," he said. "I mostly sell Magic cards."
"Whither the regular issues?" I asked.
He gestured to a rack of comics so scant in its offerings that my heart did sink within my chest for disappointment.
"Oh, well, give me this issue of Deadpool then," saith I, and (having taken his recommendation for another comics shop fifteen minutes down the road) left, still bearing hope as my crest and shield.
"Surely this next shop will be a goodly one," I thought, "for lo, it has been recommended by the hermit, and did also show up on the comics shop locator at FCBD."
And I did journey to the second comic shop. But lo, the city wherein it dwelt offered this day a tournament, like unto football (exactly like unto football, actually), and the streets did teem with persons, and the roads grew slow as sweet-treacle, and there was not any parking anywhere.
"Sodde this," saith I. "I am going to get lunch."
So did I leave the town to its tournament, and did leave the highway at the crossroads which bore a sign that said LONG JOHN SILVERS, and read my issue of Deadpool whilst in the drive-thru lane, and sighed and grumbled.
And lo, as I was pulling out with two chicken planks and a side of fries, I did look about, and beheld a miracle: for though I had come here for fried food, in this place also stood a Barnes & Noble, like unto a fortress, with many a spot to park and also a cafe.
"Hot dog!" quoth I. "I bet there are some graphic novels in there."
So it was that I entered the fortress and emerged with Kingdom Come, an omnibus of old Solomon Kane, and Fables v12, which I have already finished.
And it was very good.
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October 11th, 2009
01:23 pm - Busy Buzzing
So between NaNoWriMo and my thing going up unexpectedly on FlashShot, Thursday's post exploded into comments which, let's face it, is awesome. So that's been fun.
It took me several years to find a great comic book store, and when I did, boy did I: it was well-lit, the clerks were polite, they carried what I wanted (including, against odds, the first collected volume of Bayou); basically I could go in assuming I wouldn't be insulted, disappointed, or attacked.
I went comic-hunting around the new area yesterday, and let's just say that it might take a few more years to find another one.
In the meantime I did manage to pick up two things: the 10th anniversary issue of The Goon by Eric Powell, and the first issue of Beasts of Burden by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson.
( The Goon )
( Beasts of Burden )
Cut for length and because I went completely nuts with the in-text linkage, sorry about that (not really sorry).
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October 8th, 2009
08:24 am - Two Items
If you've ever said to yourself, "I really liked Pan's Labyrinth but I wish it had been a ghost story" then get yourself a copy of The Devil's Backbone ahora mismo. That movie is ace.
Also! Although I have no earthly idea why or what I will be doing I signed up for NaNoWriMo. Friend me, buddy me, love me, hold me...wait, that got weird.
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October 3rd, 2009
03:33 pm - And Results.
Oh man, but Suspiria was weird.
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October 2nd, 2009
08:12 am - Testing
My first two Netflix...flix have come and gone: Hancock (which made me sad because I love superheroes and love Will Smith but did not particularly like the movie) and Let the Right One In (very good even if it was slow and the main character so awkward that I wanted to beat him up).
Next up: Suspiria? It was in the "Recommended" list, anyway.
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September 25th, 2009
12:47 pm - Pro Rating
In rating movies on Netflix I have come across a particular problem: my fondness for schlocky horror.
For example, Netflix will throw up "Chill" for my consideration. "Oh, yeah," I think, "that movie was terrible!" And I give it two stars.
But two stars means "I didn't like it." And while that's true in a straightforward sense, for preference purposes it's not. I do want more movies like it; I want to be recommended more boring stupid low-budget horror based on Lovecraft stories. I just didn't like this one.
It might not be a problem if I objectively enjoyed most of these things, but about two-thirds of them are dreadful. Yet I seek them out. I don't want Netflix to start thinking, "Oh, this movie will be too trite and amateur and gratuitous for her," because there is seriously no such thing, and even if there was, I love kvetching about it. (There's a movie out there about the Jersey Devil that just straight-up invented an origin story even though the thing has a perfectly good one already. And oh my gosh, don't get me started on Legend of the Bog!) But I want more. Bring on the Lionsgate, I cannot get enough.
There's also the skew factor for enjoyment. I gave Doomsday four stars because it may have been a cinematic acid trip but I can't say I didn't enjoy myself throughout. Rosemary's Baby only got three because I just could not tolerate Mia Farrow's willful helplessness. When the doctor tells her not to listen to her friends or read books about pregnancy and she believes him--that's got to be my generation's hyperaware spam filter talking, but lord, woman.
Are you hearing this? I rated Doomsday above Rosemary's Baby. I should be shot.
I'm off the subject. Do I give bad movies what they deserve and just hope that the algorithm balances them with all the 4- and 5-star horror movies? Or do I grit my teeth and rate them three stars?
Oh, the dilemmas of the modern world!
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September 24th, 2009
09:10 am - Delayed
Apparently the Internet can't make it Friday. It didn't receive its invitation or couldn't find a stamp for the RSVP card or something. I'm increasingly tempted to cancel this party and go buy a laptop to pirate wireless with.
In good news, I've been making soup for three days (chicken Tuesday, broth Wednesday, soup tonight) and I'll be bringing that home along with cake for my brother's birthday this weekend. Mmm, cake.
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September 17th, 2009
09:48 am - Back--In Style
It turns out that this "moving across the state" thing has a way of limiting your Internet use. Funny. In the meantime I've accumulated lists of updates, which I will dump upon you...now.
( Plants )
( Media )
( Publications )
I would promise to be more post-conscious, but you deserve the truth. Plus the Internet doesn't get here until next Friday.
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August 24th, 2009
03:28 pm - Monday Monday
I'm re-reading the amazing Traveling Showmen by Stuart Thayer, a nonfiction look at the circus in America before the Civil War. The writing is so lively and the subject so interesting that I come back to it over and over again.
(In researching this post I found that Mr. Thayer passed away about two months ago. I ordered my copy directly from the author, and as far as I know that might be the only way to get one. There are only four copies on Amazon starting at $40. I assume that's because once you get your hands on this book, you'll never want to let it go.)
Huh. Expected to write a book review and ended up writing a eulogy. That doesn't happen every day.
[From CircusHistory.org] Thayer, Stuart. Traveling Showmen. Available for $20 postpaid from Stuart Thayer, 430 17th Ave. East, Seattle, WA 98112
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August 19th, 2009
08:34 pm - Houseplant Roll Call
Begonias: Thriving
Carrots: Underground
Lime Tree: Two adorable mid-sized limes
Mint: Everywhere
Strawberry: Never healthy, still not
Sweet Potato: Sprawling
Tomatoes: Small, green, not getting any redder
Thyme: Shockingly nice
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August 5th, 2009
06:09 pm - Afternoon
For dinner I fried up a crab cake. "This is made of you," I told the hermit crabs. Their response was muted, so the only moral to the story is this: do crab cakes on the George Foreman grill. They cook much better.
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August 3rd, 2009
03:14 pm - Returning--In Style
I'm back from vacation (with a functional car, to plants still clinging to life) with two bits of exciting news: One, my story was accepted into the Library of the Living Dead's Zombonauts anthology, and two, Innsmouth Free Press's Cthulhu Haiku contest is now open. Gentlemen (and by "gentlemen" I mean mostly "jd3000"), start your engines.
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July 22nd, 2009
01:01 pm - Notes
Just a reminder that I'm over on Twitter at @davisac1, bein' clever and complaining about how I smell. And commenting on Merlin in real-time, but only once a week.
My car's in the shop. Apparently there is some question whether it can be ready for me to take it to the beach this weekend. Double-plus ungood.
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July 21st, 2009
12:29 pm - A Shaggy Dog Anecdote
I was looking through the Fifteen Books meme I did a while back, and thought, "Man, almost none of these are horror. What's up with that? I love horror." Then I started thinking, "Well, a lot of them have horror elements. Huck Finn has corpses. That part in Elmer Gantry where they beat up the other preacher, whatsisname, Frank, that was pretty horrible." And then, since this is the Internet age and I can't leave well enough alone, I thought: "Gosh, what was his name? I gotta look that up."
So anyway I googled Elmer Gantry to find out (it's Frank Shallard) and noticed that it was a bestseller in 1927.
I mean, criminey. I feel out of touch sometimes but that's insane.
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July 19th, 2009
04:29 pm - Sunday
The hermit crabs are learning to live with each other. We adapt or we die.
The exciting thing this week: I have two green tomatoes growing on the Outside Tomatoes, and a good few flowers at that. I moved the Inside Tomatoes to the deck, on my mom's prodding. They tower over the others, but have yet to bloom. The sweet potato I stuck in the ground has turned into an improbably beautiful plant, thick with heart-shaped leaves. The carrots look amazing.
Un-exciting things this week: cutbacks at work and car trouble. At least it's not as bad as last week, which featured my mother's two-part eye surgery and my uncle recovering from heart trouble, and my horrific bout with poison ivy.
Tonight, though, is Merlin night, and everyone is feeling better, and our project is nearly ready to ship, and I chatted with my mom for an hour, and next week I'll be at the beach. Win for everybody.
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July 14th, 2009
06:57 pm - Hermitage
So the big thing right now is apparently trashing the Batcave; every day I get home and Bruce and Whatsisface have moved their log or upturned the food dish or something. I thought the fighting was over but no, they're facing off under the (recently filled) water dish right now. Part of me is horrified, since Bruce is so much bigger than the other one; part of me just thinks their names are perfect, and their relationship is adorable.
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July 12th, 2009
03:06 pm - Elements
It's been a long and exhausting week, full of bad news, the least of which are these two items:
1) Scary Go Round is ending.
2) Brian K. Vaughan is leaving Lost.
I'm sad but not worried about item 1. SGR has always been more unified by the art and writing style rather than its subject matter, so that the author is the only one who seems to think that Bobbins and SGR are different things. He's starting a new project, it will make use of the same world, existing characters might show up...sounds good to me.
But Lost losing BKV? I'm devastated. He pulled the show out of its own pit of suck and made it good again--and some points in season four and five were even better than season one. His influence was so powerful, positive and clear that I'm afraid the show is going to end with a wet splat into the quagmire it inhabited for season two. My only hope is that he sat down with the rest of the writing team and plotted the rest of the episodes in advance.
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