A Meerkat's Bolthole

I am off in a bit for PlagueCon (aka Passover, where the panels are never-ending but the Green Room puts out a hell of a spread). Consider this your Open Thread -- say anything, ask anything... just keep it Addams-Family Friendly, please!

Remember to put in your entries for the "Plausibility" contest, and stop by tomorrow to enter the "Midnight Cravings" contest for a chance to win a copy of the new Nocturne novella anthology of the same name, plus a copy of The Night Serpent -- and chocolate!

Started this morning frustrated over things totally out of my control, and Boomer jumped into my lap, headbutted me, and leaned against my chest, purring like a large, furry performance vehicle.

Friends and family are all well and fine, but nobody ever really loves you like a fur-companion.
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Meanwhile, as I force myself back to work, I note that we have a bunch of new people who snuck in while I was distracted. Hello, New People! Kitchen's open 24/7, the bar's thataway, the jacuzzi's out back, and mind the alligators, the boys sometimes forget to feed them. Feel free to step up and introduce yourselves.

And in honor of New People, and because I haven't done it in a while, today's an Open Thread Day. Ask anything you'd like, on any topic -- but keep it to PG-13, please!

The apartment is clean, the bags are packed, and at 6,750 words, "Mad Cats and Englishmen" is Fixed. It may even be Dun.

Which is good, 'cause "Cold Iron Cross" is starting to seriously demand my short attention span brain. My weekend visitor jump-started something, as usual, and it's starting to all come together.....

Otherwise, I got nothin'. I'm gone for the weekend. Here, have an open thread. Ask anything you like. Don't leave bloodstains.

Happy birthday to girasole and jaylake!

Writing annoyance of the day: the perfect response for a character would be to say "Do I look like a Wiki?" Except she's Talent, and so doesn't live on-line, and so wouldn't say that at all. Drat.

Meanwhile, a thought for all you aspiring and pre-published writers to contemplate: Once you are published, many of your dearest friends will buy and read your first work. And then never buy or read anything else of yours ever again. Not because they hated it-- they just won't get around to it. Get used to it, get over it. At least publicly.

I've been up since 5am. Not intentionally, no. On the plus side, I'm almost through my office-averaged 3 solid hours of work. Yay?

And now, for the weekend, I declare an Open Thread. Ask away on whatever topic flits through your brain. I will answer best I can. If I don't know the answer, I will make something up.

stealing from kradical:

Since we've gotten a few new people in recently, let's have a semi-directed Open Thread post. Ask a question of me. Any question you want. About writing, about editing, about football, co-ops, felines.... about anything you want.

I reserve the right to not answer a question because it's my LJ and I do have some tiny smidge of discretion, but then again, I'm also occasionally completely without filter.

So onward and on with it! Ask!

Crazy-busy today and tomorrow and possibly all weekend. I hereby declare an Open Thread. Chat away! Amuse me! Confuse me! Astonish and amaze me!

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The news last night was reporting, among other things, video footage of a guy who went into a convenience store and, bypassing the cash register, went for...the candy aisle.

They estimate he got away with almost $300 of candy and chips.

Dudes, that is the best example of pot use leading to crime that I have ever seen. Seriously.

And while I'm being shallow... has anyone else in the NYC area seen the "set for life" lottery commercials? And has anyone else wondered why this guys who've just won $100,000 a year for the rest of their lives... are sitting there eating in a fast food restaurant? Cause I'd be at Daniel, or Alain Ducasse. Just sayin'.

Note to self: saying "I need to eat something that isn't coffee" around 1pm, when you've been up since 6am, is a warning sign. I repeat: A WARNING SIGN.

Second warning sign: the only thing not-coffee in the house is salad and a half-empty jar of peanut butter. Added a grocery store run to the to-do list today, so now at least there's red meat in the freezer, and pasta on the shelves.

Have written 3100 words today, progressed further in moving the office of Occasional Employment to the new locale, and been through a writers' group meeting. Feel like an old rag, well-wrung.

I also feel like I should be saying something witty, or insightful, or at very least useful in this space, but everything I know is such obviousness to me, I can't imagine why anyone would be interested. So tell me what it is you want from my brain. Open thread time!

And of possible interest to, well, me: ESPN has acquired both Cricinfo.com and Scrum.net. Oy. Must...resist...timesinks... (it's not that I love either sport madly; I just can't stand there being things out there that I haven't -- given the chance -- at least poked around in a little. No such thing as too broad a knowlege base)

/random sundriness.


retrievers #6

"Destroying something when you weren’t quite sure what it was – stupid. Especially when on a boat, on water, with no easy access away from any major explosion, implosion, or other kind of boom."

Work done and sent off to various editors, check and YAY!
Apartment cleaned and cats prepped for cat sitter, as much as possible, check.
Luggage packed, including all electronics, adapters, medications and miscellany, check.
Cab called, check.

All right, I'm outa here in a bit. If anyone feels the need to keep up with the trip, my sister has already started blogging their side of things at Destination Anywhere. Otherwise, consider this your open thread for the duration....