lauraanne_gilman: (NYC)
Snow has stopped.  I haven't poked my nose outside, but it looks like about a foot of the white stuff out there.  Compared to the folks in New Haven and north, who are reportedly looking at 30+ inches (!) we barely had a storm....
 
(basically, because some of it decided to be rain/sleet earlier yesterday.  Had it stayed cold, we'd be looking at 2x the snow, I suspect.  Not that I'm bitter or anything...  Sadly, the penalty of being an adult is having to think "okay, good, it didn't hammer us with three feet, so it's not going to cost a large fortune for the cleanup."  Easier to be a kid.)
 
It will probably all be rained/melted away by Monday, so I intend to get out and play a bit today!
 
(there are no pics because after 5 years snow-is-snow and snow-covered-cars are still snow covered cars, etc.  We'll see if things are more interesting after the sun rises)
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
 Today involved me hauling downtown for a Sekrit Business Meeting (it went well, thanks), and then hauling back home again before the storm AKA Nemo turned to full-on snow.
 
We won't get hammered the way southern NE will, but da Bronx looks to be taking its fair share.  Earlier today there was a beagle doing the OMG HAPPY Snow HAPPY! dance outside my window.  A little while later a Yorkie was doing the OMG HALP RESCUE ME! dance.
 
The next 24 hours are all about nesting and holing up.  I am doing the traditional storm carb-loading, with pasta and a bottle of Lion' Whisker, which is a SA red blend I recently discovered and am quite fond of.  I probably should not drink this entire bottle of wine my ownself.  But when watching snow falling and reading innnnteresting research materials, it's hard to keep an eye on the bottle level....
 
lauraanne_gilman: sleepy bear (sleepy bear)
 Yes, I KNOW I've been grousing about the lack of snow. Yes, I KNOW we have a snowpack deficit, and that's bad (third or forth year in a row, I think, we're going to have a significant deficit). And yeah, I KNOW I like snowstorms.

But having one scheduled to arrive the one day this week - this MONTH - I have to be downtown for a meeting (in Grown-Up Clothing) that can't be rescheduled? 

That's just Not Nice, Universe.


(can we at least hold off on the Significant Weather until after 3m? That seems like a reasonable compromise, no?)
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
Having now seen the amateur video of Monday's little aviation debacle over Downtown? Holy f**k. Holy.... And the first person to say anything related to "get over it, you're a bunch of whingers" as has been said in another forum, I will gleefully rip them a new one. Nevermind that the person who said that showed all the interpersonal skills and sensitivity of a block of concrete, that plane was Too. Damn. Close. Hell yes it's going to trigger memories, and unease is the least of the reactions those memories bring up. Never mind the fact that it was just plain dumb, dangerous, and did I say dumb? And so fkcuing avoidable with one simple announcement.

Anyway.

Woke up at 5am (after a dream in which I was able to do some good for charity by getting through a certain period of time without coughing-- swear to dog even my dreams are in on this germfest) not because of coughing (although there was that) but because my body wanted me to get up and get some essential chores done before the heat kicked in for the day. High of 91, supposedly. If anyone wants me today, I'll be in the shady spot on the sofa directly in the path of the a/c unit.

And, as some of you might have guessed by the topic header, this is your weekly dose of Castle Squee:

behind the cut for the DVR crowd's sake )


Auctorial Flu update: Still meh. Still staying home. Starting to go a smidge stir-crazy.
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
In the winter, I don't use my main living room much, unless I have company. It's a lovely room, with a great sofa and chairs, and books within reach...but it's also the only room that doesn't have natural light streaming in. So I tend to gravitate to the rooms (bedroom, office, kitchen, dining nook) that do.

That dynamic changes come warmer weather, though. Unlike the source of my nickname, I am NOT a warm weather critter. I like indirect sunlight and highs in the low 70's. Warmer than that [like, ugh, today], and headaches and crankiness ensue. So I head for the shadows. As in... my living room. There's a cross-breeze from the windows, but the sunlight is diffuse by the time it reaches the sofa -- which means I can leave the shades up, which the cats and the plants and probably my subconscious mood appreciates, and not feel like I'm being broiled.

So yeah, the netbook and the manuscript and my pens and my feline companions are all scattered around me as I work from the sofa, which is why, when someone asks me how much of my living space is set aside as an office, I laugh and shrug helplessly. All of it? [since I get story inspiration and plot breakthrough in the shower, I can even claim the bathroom as work-space]

The change in venue seems to be working: I hope to wrap up the first pass on the very rough draft of PACK OF LIES today. I think I've caught most of the 'OMG how stupid were you when you wrote that?' moments, plus found places where I could make the storyline stronger. Second pass should go a little easier... (why is it the seemingly simplest of plot-tangles make the biggest writing messes? And why did I decide to write caper novels? A straightforward murder mystery is so much easier to plot....)

Page proofs still await, as does the short story and the freelance that has to get done, um, tonight. MUSTANG is on the back burner for a while, since it's the least-urgent deadline. See? I can too have a midway point between 'all-out' and 'comatose!'


EtA: Jules, the Phile Cabinet pillow makes a perfect netbook lapdesk. Yay for useful repurposing and multitasking!
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
First off -- condolences to my friends out there in the heat-baked lands who don't enjoy springtime temps of 90+ (and you wanted me to MOVE out there? Um....no. Thank you. I'll keep my rainy-and-60 Spring, thanks muchly)
----------------------------------------
I have a post up @ Bookview Cafe, talking about the joys (not) of dealing with a copy-edit, and when it's okay to admit that you need help...
----------------------------
On a not-quite-related note, I'm on several publishing-oriented news and job lists. This teaser-link came through one today, and all I could think was "OMG, seriously? No, seriously?"

You’re so Perfect for the Job Why Don’t They Call You Back?
If you have been applying for jobs without not a lot of success you are not alone, most job applicants complain about exactly the same thing. Lot’s of application, lot’s of resumes, no interviews, no callbacks.…

Life Lesson: Anything that makes me feel good about MY proofreading skills? Bad, bad, and also bad. *facepalm*
-----------------------------------------
On the writing front, I 'only' got 2,000 new words yesterday in Word War but they were fun bits, including possibly the worst interruption of a sexual fantasy ever. *grin* Also put down about 750 words on a new story, and have figured out what it wants to do, which is always nice. Ahead of schedule, even. No work on PoL, though, due to Social Life Interrupting. Today is All About PoL. After Word War, anyway.
--------------------------------------------------
Okay, onward to the Castle-squee.

First Kitten, now the White Whale... )
lauraanne_gilman: (citron presse)
Monday we had 6+ inches of snow. Saturday I sat in the local park in jeans and a long-sleeved tee, soaking in the mild temps while doing editing-ish things. Ah, March, you confuse us so.... Is it time to start making sun tea? Hrm.... no, not yet. But soon!

I thinkthinkthink I have now caught up to everyone and everything owed e-mail or comments. If you were expecting to hear from me, and haven't, please let out a yelp now! And just in time to lose an hour of sleep tonight. *sigh* Ready, set, spring!

And now, the foodie portion of this post.

Spurred by curiosity, and an article in the NYT, I picked up some cube steaks this week and gave them a test-cook. The first one I brushed with oil and vinegar (for a shortcut just use Italian salad dressing) and slid into a heated skillet until it browned lightly on both sides. Served plain, with a green salad. Conclusion: texture and taste were both satisfying, if nothing special. Second go-round I cooked the steak with a chopped peeled tomato, layered it on a crusty roll and added and a slice of provolone. It made a very tasty steak sandwich. Total cost of the meat for both meals? $6

I deem cube steak a very useful recession-busting staple. Next go-round I plan to attempt the dreaded Chicken Fried Steak. Eeek.

Another inexpensive and really tasty meal even a kitchen-klutz could handle was tonight's graham-cracker crusted chicken breasts. Dip chicken breasts in either canola oil or egg whites and let the excess drip off, then dredge in graham cracker crumbs. Yes, really. Melt butter in a frying pan and cook the chicken until golden brown on each side. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the chicken finish cooking (how long this takes depends on the thickness of the breast. That's all. The crumbs give the chicken a crunchy sweetness that went well with a Rhone red.

Also: never let me near your box of Triscuits. Man, I swear. meerkat-crack. Om nom nom nom gone. Oops.

/food neep
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
After a long pause, the snow returned overnight, and I was woken early this morning by O. the Super Super firing up the snowblower so people could get their cars out of the garage. It's coming down thick and heavy, and looks pretty windy, too. Not quite Snowpocalypse, but impressive. They're predicting up to 10" for the area. Here's hoping everyone who wanted a snow day gets one... Me? No snow day. Work goes on as scheduled. I know, you're all sooooo sorry for me. I do have to go out into the snow later. I'll report back on how deep it actually got.

EtA: when I went out to the post office just now (9:30) there was about 5" on the ground where it hadn't been shoveled or plowed, and it was coming down fast.

Meanwhile, some Fun & Good news!

I am informed that FREE FALL has been nominated for Best Novel in the Chronic Rift's 2008 Roundtable Awards. I'm delighted to be nominated, absolutely and have no expectation of winning, since I share the slate with a guy named Gaiman, and a guy named Doctorow, and a guy named Steele and a Kat named Richardson, all of whom can wipe the floor with me, fans-wise. But that's okay. I can haz nominayshun! Thanks to everyone who gave me the nod, and everyone should feel free to vote for FREE FALL as the underdog. ;-)

http://www.chronicrift.com/node/442


In other good news, I draw a deep breath and gird my introverted self up, and announce that yes, I will be at Dragon*Con. I'm actually looking forward to it -- my memory of the last time I went (back in the early 90's!) was that the costuming was breathtaking. I'm told it's even gotten more intense? I'll bring an extra memory card for my camera.
lauraanne_gilman: (research books)
Woke this morning to overcast skies. By the time I went out to fetch the bagels, it was snowing, lightly, but with a certain tone to it. Just as there are different types of snow, there are different types of snowfall. This one was saying, calmly and quietly, "I'm not friendly. I'm not playing around. There will be accumulation." We'll see it it backs up its claim. Welcome to March.


Keeping to my new year's goal, I finished two books this month, although not the ones I'd planned to read:


King Solomon's Mines - H. Rider Haggard. Yeah, I finally read this. Slowly, because there's only so much of the rather dated POV this meerkat can handle, but when it's not making me want to slap the Great White Hunter upside his khakis for period-appropriate but still annoying bigotry and cultural assumptionism, it's quite entertaining, and occasionally beautifully written.


Thirteenth Child -- Patricia Wrede. A new YA novel from Patricia that I got my hands on in galley form, and promptly lost an entire day's worth of work to, because I had to keep reading. Magical Frontier Americana, following the life of a young girl whose twin brother is the 7th son of a 7th son -- but she is the 13th child of her generation, and therefore as unlucky as he is lucky.

There were a few 'this is not our world' details that annoyed me because they seemed to serve no other purpose that to hammer the point home, but as this is YA and sometimes historical hammering is needed at that age, I didn't mark down too much, because the rest of the worldbuilding was brilliant, and the day after I finished the book I wanted to go back to that world, and find out what was happening. It's out in April, and if this is your cuppa, you'll want a copy for yourself.

(note: if you like this sort of thing, you will also love Kathi Kimbriel's "Alfreda" stories, which are similar but published for the adult audience)

EtA: and bonus Amusing Photo from NYC:

behind the cut for politeness )
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
In addition to "Blow Job Red," Podcaster SFZine has also made an offer for "Exposure." I love this story, so am pleased it will get yet another outing [to date, it's appeared in BLOOD MUSE (Donald I Fine), BLOOD THIRST (Oxford), and STREETS OF BLOOD (Cumberland House)].

Yeah, it's a vampire story. *grin* Michael J Westin, Vampire-as-photographer. It's also the story that got me irate e-mails from people protesting that I "didn't understand vampires" and "was getting it all wrong." Um, if you say so....

The follow-up story, "His Essential Nature," (Dreams of Decadence, and reprinted in their Best of anthology) had Westin and his vampire-killing buddy hunting down a rogue vampire in the streets of Manhattan, while Westin's also balancing The Suburban Dream, and impending parenthood. Yeah, I got vampires all wrong. But the stories seem to have done all right for themselves....

I should check in and see what he's up to these days. I know there's at least one more story in the old boy yet....

It's 9 degrees outside. I'm just mentioning that in passing.

Meanwhile, I am off to DC, for a weekend House Party/Working Vacation at Holly House with [livejournal.com profile] neadods, while [livejournal.com profile] 0eris0 minds the cats. It's a commentary of some sort when your luggage for five days consists of three days worth of clothing, two manuscripts, a laptop, a box of DVDs and two bottles of wine...

Expect frequent but possibly incoherent road-trip blogging.
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
Woke this morning at 5:45 to the sound of spinning wheels as someone outside tried to get their car out of the snow and ice they couldn't be bothered with all weekend. Lord, what fools these mortals be!

(hint for those of you new to snowpocalypse: even if you're not going anywhere, occasionally go out, dig out your car, and shift location by a few inches. You'll be thankful when it is time to actually drive anywhere).
------------
Under the heading of "ah, technology," my second wake-up call came via my phone. Because I am an organized meerkat, I have all my scheduled items gathered in one place. It used to be my Palm software. Now it's Google Calender. And thanks to Google technology, I get an update every morning about what's on-schedule for the day.

All day Mon Dec 22 VINEART 1 due

*hugs manuscript to chest* No! It's not ready! It's still too young to go out there in the scary world! What if the other manuscript pick on it and steal its lunch money?"

On the other hand, let it go be someone else's problem for a while. Yeah. Exactly one year and five days after officially starting writing, and eight months almost exactly after closing the deal.

It's 12 degrees outside, I don't have to leave the apartment today, and there are still some cookies left over. Cookies and tea for breakfast on book-delivery day. Good tradition, that.
lauraanne_gilman: (citron presse)



As it's still coming down heavily, I think I will be canceling my plans for the evening and settling in with a book and a glass of wine, instead. I'm all for walking in the snow, but not when there may be sleet/icing later on....
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
Closing out the year with a thanks-no-thanks from editor JS, wherein he got the name of the story wrong in the reject. Hrm.... Oh well. Mustn't mock the editor who may yet buy something from me, no. [edited to be more vague, since it was being taken a bit more seriously than I intended]

Also got some Quite Lovely feedback on a project that should allow me to stride through the weekend on a positive note, no matter what happens. Yay for useful and positive feedback!

Meanwhile we are awaiting the arrival of Winter Weather. What form this weather may take seems to be under negotiation -- maybe snow, maybe sleet, maybe rain, maybe all three. Here's hoping it's the pretty sort. I really should get out to the store before it starts -- I'm out of vanilla. Everyone else will be buying bread and milk, and I'll be buying vanilla extract and fennel....

and, for your daily dose of WTF:

"I need the services of a learned Chauffeur/Driver to take my Families around the town, and please, I need a fellow with a good communication skill. Do get back to me as soon as you can alright.
* Compensation: $520
* Telecommuting is ok."

Um. Yah.

The felines are restless. This may be a Play with Cats/Bake cookies sort of day. Oh, how I shall suffer...
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
How to annoy your cats, in two easy steps.
1. go away overnight.
2. come home smelling of not one but two dogs.

Mei-Chan is still adorable, and seems to be taking to paper-training with reasonable speed. Also, I am pleased to inform NYCers that Salmon River still makes the best damn tandori salmon ever. I forgive them their wine list.

EtA: and finally! I have a name-storm! T.S. Laura is on the map. (no, I don't want her to do any damage [looks like she's out to sea; go ahead, make the jokes] -- but after years of waiting, it's still fun to see her up there)

---------------------
Meanwhile, those who observe the Jewish traditions face the closing of another year this evening. I was trying to decide what to say, and realized that I had pretty much nailed it last year. And so, updated:

Sunset tonight brings us to the beginning of the Days of Repentance in the Jewish tradition, starting with Rosh Hashanna (Yom Ha-Zikkaron) and ending ten days from now with Yom Kippur.

I am mostly, as I often say, a forgetting-to-practice Jew. But there are a few traditions I hold fast to, and the High Holy Days are among them. Not from any religious compulsion, but more because they...well, they make sense.

The Days of Awe are a time to pause and reflect on the previous year, to consider the actions done by and to us, and to search and find forgiveness. In these days, we are taught, God inscribes our fate for the coming year... but that inscription can be altered by our actions within the next ten days. If we are honest with ourselves, if we seek forgiveness from those we have wronged, and forgive those who have wronged us, the judgment will be lightened, the inscription be kinder.

I do not believe in a God with pen and gradebook. But I do believe in balance, in forgiveness, and in fresh starts. Coming in September, a time of seasonal change and the beginning again of the academic year, it always made perfect sense to me that, along with changing our closets, we could change our approaches.

Yom Ha-Zikkaron finds me, this year, in a place of peace, if not complete serenity. If you have harmed me, either by intent or omission, by act or by word, I do not hold a grudge. If I have harmed you, either by intent or omission, by act or word, I ask your forgiveness, and offer the knowledge that I will take pains not to do so again.

[I think the Universe will forgive me, this year, if I have to struggle to forgive certain financial and political leaders for their actions of greed, arrogance and willful ignorance]

L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatem. May we all be inscribed and sealed for a good year.
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
- next chunk of Vineart War notations (aka draft 1.2)
- reread CURSE THE DARK and BRING IT ON for final errata sheet for reprints (if anyone spotted any typos, now's the time to tell me!)
- write "author notes" for same
- test-drive recipes for semi-sekrit project
- updates to web site

also: order groceries, finish putting summer clothes into storage, clip cat-nails. Oh, the excitement. Also, Giants game, natch.

Meanwhile, it looks to be another perfect September day, aiding immensely in my energy level. I enjoy all the distinct seasons of living in the Northeast, but I'm definitely an Autumnal girl -- cool mornings, soft afternoons, and then crisp sleeping weather come dusk, FTW.

Thinking book-wise (because that's how I'm thinking these days) how often do we see that kind of affinity in characters? The narrative may mention the weather, but do the characters actually interact with it on an emotional as well as physical level? Hrmm. Something to look at in my own writing. And now I'm wondering what the percentage breakdown is, and how many of us find ourselves in the right part of the world for our predilections...

[Poll #1263616]
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
Three ways I know it's autumn:

- the urge to cook returns full-force.
- I take the oversized fleecy sweatshirts out of the cedar chest and hang them within easy reach.
- when I wake up in the morning, I close the window in the office. Because brrrr, even with socks and a sweatshirt. Lovely. And no, I don't mean that ironically. Summer's over, and I'm not at all displeased.

Unlike the past two weekends of social frivolity, the plan for the next 72 hours is to stay close to home and knock things off the to-do list. My editors and agent will no doubt be pleased to hear this. (EtA: so pleased, they just piled more on my plate. *sighs, reaches for delivery menus* It's gonna be one of Those Weekends....)

And yes, I know it's International Talk like a Pirate Day. I'd make an investment banker joke, but my heart's just not in it, this year. So instead, here's a bit of a pirate story.

from 'Mad Cats and Englishmen' )
lauraanne_gilman: (hiding)
*lights a candle and thinks good thoughts for those along the Galveston-area coastline.*

Folk, if you're there, why are you still there? Please get to higher, dryer ground.

*worries*
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
1. It is hot. And humid. And the sun is far too bright. Although I would like TS Hanna to move herself out into the ocean and leave us the hell alone, I would not mind if she sent us some clouds as she goes.

2. There are few things more amusing -- and yet very very sad -- than a startled cat snarfing wet food out his nose. Poor Boomer. He spent the next few minutes trying to clear his nose by sneezing, repeatedly.

3. Screw politics -- it's Football Season! I missed the Giants opening game because of a previous social obligation, but *woot*! Although I am scarred and careful about expecting anything beyond what actually happens, damn they looked good! *crosses fingers and makes offering to the football fairy*

4. Because I'm obviously not busy enough, a New Opportunity just showed up. Could be lots of fun, in the "giggle madly and make people nervous" kind of way. More if it happens.

5. And now, having had Good Conversation with Madame Editrix* on Cosa Nostradamus stuff and taken possession of my grocery delivery, it's back to work....




*okay, yeah, telephone conversations are work, they just don't feel like work.
lauraanne_gilman: (Default)
Woken up at 5:30 by cats. No, not mine. Outdoor cats who decided to have a tussle over who got to prowl the garden below my window. Unfortunately for me, the sound of an angry or hurt cat is better than a bucket of cold water for waking me up. So. Hello, day.

Going to be a warm one today, making us sweat before T.S. Hanna comes in to wet everything down. I'm hoping she veers off into the ocean, and the two storms dogging her heels do the same. Bored with summer weather now. When's our first blizzard? (I have a lovely new lap-blanket knitted for me by [livejournal.com profile] marinarusalka I need to use, damn it!).

Watched a few minutes of the GOP convention, and had to turn it off. No reflection on the GOP, actually-- I have the same reaction to any massive gathering of obsessive fans (I tend to skip the Hugos, too). The reports seem to be as expected -- Palin presented the written-by-somebody-else speech with style and perkiness, everyone cheered mightily at the right moments, Rudy G was an ass, and people who didn't like Palin (or McCain) before still don't like them. Now we can get on with the important part --no, not the attack ads that will be in everyone's face for the next eight weeks -- the voting!

Meanwhile, a conclusive-except-if-you're-wearing-tinfoil report has said that NO, childhood vaccinations do NOT have a link to autism. So get your kids vaccinated before they're struck down by a deadly disease we can prevent, okay?

------------------
A moment of rare public navel-gazing: For most of my life my self-image [helped along by external forces] has been that of a champion procrastinator.... and yet compared to 70% of the known world I'm apparently an aggressive Doer/Accomplisher. This makes a day like today an exercise in weirdness, because I feel like crap/a wimp for not having finished something yet, and yet I know that by tomorrow [well before deadline] it will be done. And let's not even get to my guilt-feelings if I don't respond to an e-mail or voice mail within 48 hours!

Is there anyone out there who is an Accomplisher and knows they're an Accomplisher and doesn't feel like they take too long to get to things? Or is that part and parcel of the psychology?

October 2024

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