28 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 09:07 Slept in waaaay too late. Gonna run out for breakfast and errands, then get started with my writing revenge :). #
  • 11:45 How did I end up spending so much money this morning??? Can't even blame it all on the price hike for TurboTax, either :(. #
  • 11:53 Revenge of the Writer, Day 3: I got my coffee, so it's time to finish the WIP while trying to keep my arm-length list of chores off my mind. #
  • 12:16 RT @drmabuse New Podcast! The Bat Segundo Show #266: Catherynne M. Valente (Palimpsest and, oddly enough, ebooks) tinyurl.com/anqlue #
  • 12:18 RT @drmabuse ...The Bat Segundo Show #267: Charlie Huston (The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death) tinyurl.com/aoy6kv #
  • 13:30 Revenge of the Writer, Day 3: Back home, trying to finish drafting the WIP ending. Feels like I'm just marking time :(. #
  • 13:32 Had to come home, or risk spending more $$ on Catherynne M. Valente's PALIMPSEST. Need to read Bynum's MADELEINE IS SLEEPING first. #
  • 14:44 RotW, Day 3: The more I write, the more I look back on what I prepped for crit group and think, "Do I really want people to read this crap?" #
  • 15:08 RotW, Day 3: 105 words (net) is all I have to show for today, so far. I need a break. Food's a good idea, I think. #
  • 17:42 RotW, Day 3: Tried coffee to get the story going. Now I'll go back to the Smithwicks ;). #
  • 17:46 Oh, noes! TV temptation--FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE is on AMC. #
  • 18:20 Pondering whether I should call it a writing night and check out WALTZ WITH BASHIR. #
  • 18:33 Neighbor's playing his music too loud, so WALTZ WITH BASHIR it is! ;) #
  • 21:54 WALTZ WITH BASHIR just blew me away! #
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27 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:05 Revenge of the Writer, Day 2 is off to a late start. It's turning into one of those days where everything's taking 10 extra steps to do :(. #
  • 08:56 Ran into crit group member at the bagel place just now. Town's just too damn small :). #
  • 09:16 Revenge of the Writer, Day 2: 150 words of 1st draft closer to the end of the WIP! Feels like a kajillion more to go, tho. #
  • 09:20 Common writing mistakes observed by Nancy Kress: tinyurl.com/awzow8 #
  • 11:46 Got the feeling there won't be much Revenge of the Writer 'til after work. But it's another Home Alone weekend--plenty of time for it, then. #
  • 13:37 Note to self: Don't just look at the projected high temp. Look at the *actual* temp before you walk from work to skool sans jacket. Brrr. #
  • 13:39 Gonna lock and load (metaphorically!!!!!) like Chow Yun-Fat in a John Woo movie, and get myself back to work. #
  • 16:52 Sooooo punch-drunk at work!! Someone, save me! #
  • 19:37 Leftovers for dinner and a six-pack of Smithwicks. Because the Revenge of the Writer needs fuel :). #
  • 21:21 Revenge of the Writer, Day 2 update: Fizzled once STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS came on. Will do some scribbling during #BSG. #
  • 22:09 Did I just hear "tube of felderkarb toothpaste?" #bsg #
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26 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:10 Having coffee and yogurt as I prep for this thing I do with my laptop, story notes, and WIP drafts. Been so long...what's it called again? #
  • 08:25 JA Konrath on confident vs. delusional writers tinyurl.com/c5n8mm #
  • 08:27 Okay, now I'm ready. Been too long, so for the next 4 days, it's Revenge of the Writer! #
  • 09:30 Revenge of the Writer, Day 1: WIP updated for crit group. Tightened outline for rest of WIP. Will give it another once over before printing. #
  • 11:59 Revenge of the Writer, Day 1 update: Was treated to lunch at my desk, which means I can devote my real lunch hour to writing! #
  • 14:10 @IndependentLens Thanks for the add! #
  • 14:13 twitpic.com/1pj7f - Revenge of the Writer, Day 1 update: It was warm enough to write outside during lunch! #
  • 18:58 Revenge of the Writer--taking a short break for dinner and a low-caffeine content drink. Trying to detox. #
  • 19:38 Still getting dinner ready, wondering whether the writer has had enough revenge for the day :). Should I just putz until #BURNNOTICE? #
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25 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 07:45 Slept in and am determined to goof off for the rest of the morning. I've earned it. #
  • 08:51 That is, I was gonna goof off until I remembered that I had to rewrite a problem set. Who has problem sets due the day after a midterm?? #
  • 08:53 I can goof off now, though. Goofing off playlist: GHOST IN THE MACHINE by The Police #
  • 08:55 "It's a big enough umbrella but it's always me that ends up getting wet." (Love that line!) ♫ blip.fm/~2g2bb #
  • 10:12 Another 13-hour day today, this time for a film/talk with the filmmaker tinyurl.com/bfkes4 #
  • 11:41 RT @clarkesworld Just heard that Philip Jose Farmer passed away in his sleep this morning. #
  • 13:32 Letting myself slack for one more day. Starting tomorrow, thru my Home Alone weekend, it's gonna be Revenge of the Writer!! :) #
  • 13:36 Better link for tonite's Movie Sign: tinyurl.com/aalpce #
  • 13:47 Mark Waid reminds us, "Characters Are Not Furniture" tinyurl.com/dzldl6 #
  • 17:47 Movie Sign at 7! Hope I don't fall asleep :(. #
  • 18:53 We have Movie Sign! You know you're in a campus movie theater when there's WiFi inside it :D. #
  • 21:38 Films where a nice experience. Wasn't much of a talk afterward, tho. #
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24 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 07:10 T-minus 12.5 hours to midterm! Still shaky on a couple of things, but I'm sure I'll at least pass ;). #
  • 10:26 Phoning it in at work--just feels like the downtime between now and the midterm :). #
  • 12:27 Blah blah work blah studying blah blah midterm blah blah 13-hour day blah :). #
  • 16:34 Trying to stay zen. T-minus 3 hours! #
  • 18:46 T-minus the time it takes me to scarf down this sandwich and walk to the midterm room! Fingers crossed!! #
  • 21:57 At home, exhausted but feeling cautiously optimistic about the midterm! #
  • 21:57 My reward: the season finale of #LEVERAGE. #
  • 23:02 A few bits of #LEVERAGE were a little over the top tonite, but the con was *beautiful*! #
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22 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:04 T-minus 3 days to the midterm! I think I can finish going thru the harder stuff today. I hope. :) #
  • 08:44 In my fave booth at the bagel shop where, for the next few hours, I'll be studying and pissing off folks looking for room to sit :) #
  • 09:04 Guess now that I've had breakfast (bagel, natch), I should open the books, huh? Need more coffee first, I think. #
  • 09:19 Writing playlist: Peter Gabriel (post "Sledgehammer")) ♫ blip.fm/~2dbb2 #
  • 09:19 I meant *studying* playlist! Gee, any guesses what I'd rather be doing? :) #
  • 10:09 Got my 1st "How does 1 guy get to take up a whole booth?" stare of the morning! #
  • 10:23 Holy mother...just looked out the storefront window. Where'd all this snow come from? Picked the wrong day not to wear my boots, apparently. #
  • 11:01 Impaling my thumb on a staple is, I think, a good indication that I need a break. #
  • 11:44 Okay, break's over! #
  • 13:46 Wondering if I'm hitting the point of diminishing returns--see, something from microecon has stuck!! #
  • 14:06 Taking an extended break. Some more food might be nice. Definitely more caffeine :). #
  • 15:39 Slowly gearing up to get back into it...um, while watching BookTV heh. #
  • 18:03 Daptone Records broken into?!! More proof that absolutely nothing is sacred in this world! tinyurl.com/acxg9t #
  • 19:00 RT @warrenellis Injecting Red Bull through your tear ducts into your forebrain is, frankly, even less comfortable than you might expect. #
  • 19:02 I read that as I was looking at a can of Red Bull and pondering. Must be a sign that someone's looking out for me. #
  • 22:14 Okay, I think I'm gonna call it a night. The challenge now will be trying to sleep (darn Red Bull) ;). #
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21 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 07:36 Went to bed right after BSG last nite, so I'm all ready for my weekend of suck...I mean, skoolwork. After breakfast and coffee, natch. #
  • 07:36 T-minus 4 days to the 1st midterm! #
  • 10:00 It's either Take Your Child to Work day at this coffee shop, or some child-labor laws are being seriously broken here. #
  • 11:13 Procrastinated by getting a haircut, then ran away from downtown. Forgot there was gonna be a crowd down there today :(. #
  • 11:17 The books are open--let the gnashing of teeth begin! #
  • 11:29 Score--table with an outlet!! I'll be fine, so long as I can keep resisting the WiFi. #
  • 12:52 Progress is going very, very slowly :(. #
  • 14:46 Just can't seem to find the right study playlist. Yeah, that's it...a good enuff excuse as any ;). #
  • 15:27 Company at home...oh, if only that was what's keeping me from pressing on, and not abject laziness. #
  • 16:02 Small Beer Press downloads on Scribd!! Drop what you're doing and bookmark this right now! tinyurl.com/brbqe3 #
  • 18:02 If studying hadn't gone so slowly today, I might be tempted to go watch 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY on the big screen...*sigh*. #
  • 18:11 Of course, that hourlong nap might've had something to do with it. Hey, it was a rough week :). #
  • 19:03 Anxiously awaiting the Chinese delivery. Forgot to have lunch (as usual) and couldn't put off dinner any longer. #
  • 20:05 Oh no, not JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER...darn TV! #
Via LoudTwitter

19 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:01 Didn't get to 250 words last nite. Baffled myself w/problem set for skool instead. But that's what today's discussion section's for, right? #
  • 08:02 Let's see how much I can get done before then :). #
  • 08:03 Writing playlist: Chick Corea's Akoustic Band and The Bad Plus #
  • 08:35 Seem to be cutting as many words as I'm adding :(. Feh. #
  • 10:25 Clouds parted re: yesterday's problem set. Now if the clouds would part so I can finally finish the damn WIP, I'll be set! #
  • 12:34 Oh, my aching blood-sugar level... :( #
  • 13:51 It was Wing Bar day at the usual lunch spot. Guess where most of my lunch time's gone. :( It's okay--watch me make up the wordcount tonite!! #
  • 14:52 RT @ginatrapani happy to be at that point in my life as a woman where the Vagina Monologues is no longer a revelation #
  • 16:14 Have a bitch of a headache that's resistant to caffeine! :( #
  • 18:07 Filed under "thunderdome" - Teen "sexting" tinyurl.com/bulygt #
  • 19:14 There isn't a lick of skoolwork I could do tonight that I couldn't do with a clearer head over the weekend. Good enough excuse to write! #
  • 19:42 Writing playlist: post-SPORTS Huey Lewis & the News--the stuff that sounds all Sam Cooke-ish. #
  • 22:01 Almost forgot about tonite's BURN NOTICE! #
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18 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 23:13 Trying to tear myself from a doco on Billy Strayhorn on INDEPENDENT LENS so I can go to bed! #
  • 07:59 Got the skoolwork playlist worked out: Sugarman 3, Menahan Street Band, & The Mighty Imperials. All I need now is the coffee. #
  • 09:00 Brain hurts #
  • 09:39 The solution to jump-starting a fried brain: J-Pop music!! :). Time for work! #
  • 10:38 300 unread Google Reader items?!?! Not to mention the stuff I've saved in Google Bookmarks to process. Might have to get drastic, here :(. #
  • 11:38 Would totally blow off skool today if the 1st midterm wasn't in 6 days :(. #
  • 11:40 Ruthlessly pruned the Reader feeds! Bookmarks are next, dammit!! :) #
  • 13:39 Glad the skool's laying down salt, just in time for my downhill speedwalk back to work! #
  • 13:39 @verybigjen I knew I missed OH for a reason :). #
  • 14:11 Gah! Performance self-review a tad overdue. Think it'll count against me? :) #
  • 16:18 Taking a breather from today's inbox pile. After that, gonna see to the 5-6 Swords of Damocles hanging over my head ;). #
  • 18:08 Must try to crank out some words tonight...man, I'm spent! #
  • 18:26 All right--250 words tonite, or bust!!! (Probably bust) ;). #
  • 20:04 Blood sugar plummeting :(. Gonna make some food and watch GHOST HUNTERS. #
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16 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 07:56 @Slimbig Believe me, you don't want the kind of "perfect day" I had yesterday ;). #
  • 08:01 All right, I got the coffee & the file open. Time for this rambler to get rambling! #
  • 08:05 Writing playlist: TOTO #
  • 09:08 400 new words on the WIP! I've probably just burned myself out for work/skool, though. Oh well :). #
  • 10:26 There's "Manic Monday" and then there's "Brief Psychotic Disorder Monday." That's what today's shaping up to be. #
  • 12:14 Found a new stairless route to skool! Murder on my calf muscles but it beats knee-pain. :) #
  • 13:26 Blew through a whole new chapter in one class, a week before a midterm. If I wasn't zombie-fied before, I am now. #
  • 14:25 Back to "Brief Psychotic Disorder" Monday at work. Joy. #
  • 16:49 I hear Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings on the radio and wish I'd kept up my trumpet chops. I have pipe-dream of playing in a band like that :). #
  • 19:07 Getting into the physical writing space is easy. Writing headspace--not so much. #
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15 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:25 Soooooo glad I did enough writing for crit group yesterday. I gotta hit the skoolbooks today! #
  • 08:40 I was about to make the tragic mistake of opening up the skoolbooks before I've had my 1st cup of coffee. #
  • 09:23 Noo...getting distracted by a craptastic SCI-FI Channel movie with Adrian Paul. Must...resist. #
  • 17:08 Feh--crit group ran outta time for me. So glad I busted my ass and skipped that out of town party. Eh, it happens. More time for skoolwork. #
  • 17:12 Upside: Still ahead of schedule--for once in my life!! :) Nothing to stop me from going ahead and finishing off the WIP sans critique. #
  • 18:56 Just brought back from the party I missed (Grr motherfrak!)--a batch of the most awesomest shredded buffalo chicken dip in the world!!! #
  • 20:25 Finish one problem set for skool and the next one appears online! nnnNNNGGGGGggg! #
  • 21:08 Looks like the old laptop is on it's last legs. Perfect end to the perfect day. #
Via LoudTwitter

14 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 23:07 After last week's coolness, I'm back to feeling kinda meh about #BSG now. #
  • 07:55 Woke up in a panic, thinking I'd slept in on a weekday :(. #
  • 08:01 @verybigjen Oh, it was a decent ep, and we got answers all right...my complaints would be too spoilery, tho ;) #
  • 08:07 Time for breakfast, then back to the bachelor-pad-for-a-day to get some writing done! Crit group tomorrow--gah!! #
  • 10:23 I'm not writing like I should. I'm reading MMA and INSIDE KUNG-FU at the bookstore, sipping on decent coffee. #
  • 10:26 I figure I've got the whole day before this, so why not? tinyurl.com/cxpj5f #
  • 11:32 Back at the bachelor-pad-for-a-day. Gonna write, dammit! Wanna be at 2k words by the end of the day, otherwise I'm scrubbing tonite's movie. #
  • 12:26 Something's not working today. I've only got about six hours left and motivation=0. #
  • 12:43 @verybigjen All I'm sayin' is that after having "12 Models" and "Final 5" drilled into my head, I had the same reaction as Starbuck. :) #
  • 13:03 @GigiVernon I've said that once an hour for the past 3 hours :). #
  • 14:00 223 words so far. I've decided that 237 more will earn me tonite's film/talk. And any additional words will entitle me to popcorn! #
  • 14:38 @GigiVernon Were its eyes full of secret mouse knowledge? :) #
  • 14:39 Did I make the wordcount? Feh--technicality. But I've got 3/4 of the WIP done and 1/2 of it is presentable for tomorrow's crit group. Rawr! #
  • 14:54 Errands to run, coffee to drink, maybe more writing to do before Movie Sign. Hm, maybe a nap first? #
  • 17:59 DVDs returned, copies made, but I'm waaaay too early to buy tickets. But I've got my writing stuff, coffee, & WiFi. What else do I need? #
  • 23:00 Unexpectedly hung out with a coworker during the film/talk tonite. Very good film. Informative talk, too! #
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13 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 07:56 The harshest rejection was the one I never got--I just saw the TOC for the publication, and my name nowhere to be found :(. #
  • 07:59 At the AM writing spot, determined to have something substantial to bring to crit group on Sun. Prospect looks kinda dim, though. #
  • 08:10 Some blue-eyed soul to get me started this morning. ♫ blip.fm/~264yb #
  • 09:18 RT @MaryRobinette: This week's column is up at AMC...I cover the structure of fantasy romance. bit.ly/7xNyk #
  • 09:28 Will be abandoned for a party on Sat. Gotta get ready for Sun, anyway. And study for a midterm. And maybe see a movie producer talk. #
  • 11:39 I usually have runs of *good* luck on Friday the 13ths. That hasn't happened yet. I seem to be breaking even so far. #
  • 13:24 Made it to skool from work without any slippage! Lots of mud, tho :(. #
  • 13:25 Now, I wonder what I'm gonna be heading back into once I scarf down my lunch. #
  • 16:49 Brrraaaaaaains... #
  • 17:56 Even if there's drinking tonite, drunken tweeting will...um...probably...never happen again! #
  • 19:38 @sixsentences For a second, I thought you meant @chicagotheband #
  • 19:39 Can't wait to get to the vino waiting at home. #
  • 21:35 I dunno about #Dollhouse yet. It's not tickling anything for me...except what casting Eliza Dushku in tight clothes is *designed* to tickle. #
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12 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:24 JCVD was definitely an arthouse experience. A deconstruction of his life at every level. Fave bits: cracks on Steven Seagal and John Woo. #
  • 08:24 Too damn tired to write this morning. Will shoot for lunch and later this evening :(. Dern skoolwork. #
  • 11:00 Whew--ran from skool section to work and am still running :(. #
  • 13:43 It's dreary and I'm tired. Might use the rest of my lunch to nap :(. #
  • 14:24 Didn't nap after lunch. I did finish my latest problem set a little ahead of schedule! Whether it's finished *correctly*...? #
  • 16:46 Oooh, it's about to be a fun one...15min before close. Yeehaw. #
  • 17:32 I think the Friday bender is going to have to come a day early. If I have the strength, that is. #
  • 17:55 Looks like any bender I go on will be by myself tonite :(. #
  • 18:10 Y'know what? No bender. Just home with the usual Thurs nite TV. Ooh, BURN NOTICE. #
  • 19:28 Trying to get back into the writing groove by staring at the open WIP file. Maybe something'll happen by osmosis or something. #
  • 20:03 I wrote one sentence! I wrote one sentence! #
  • 21:44 @jdfreivald Thanks, Jake! #
Via LoudTwitter

Tweets for Today

  • 19:26 Forgoing GHOST HUNTERS INT'L and LIFE ON MARS for a late showing of JCVD tonite. #
  • 08:24 JCVD was definitely an arthouse experience. A deconstruction of his life at every level. Fave bits: cracks on Steven Seagal and John Woo. #
  • 08:24 Too damn tired to write this morning. Will shoot for lunch and later this evening :(. Dern skoolwork. #
  • 11:00 Whew--ran from skool section to work and am still running :(. #
  • 13:43 It's dreary and I'm tired. Might use the rest of my lunch to nap :(. #
  • 14:24 Didn't nap after lunch. I did finish my latest problem set a little ahead of schedule! Whether it's finished *correctly*...? #
  • 16:46 Oooh, it's about to be a fun one...15min before close. Yeehaw. #
  • 17:32 I think the Friday bender is going to have to come a day early. If I have the strength, that is. #
  • 17:55 Looks like any bender I go on will be by myself tonite :(. #
  • 18:10 Y'know what? No bender. Just home with the usual Thurs nite TV. Ooh, BURN NOTICE. #
Via LoudTwitter

10 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:13 Paleo Twitter: "@Genny_Spencer is the real line-a-day diary of a young farmgirl in 1937." #
  • 08:15 Feeling like I really, really have to chill out, or something's gonna crack. That said, I got a story to work on! #
  • 08:19 Writing playlist: Chick Corea, Return to Forever #
  • 09:29 RT @sixsentences If Tao Lin and Claire Zulkey had sex... tinyurl.com/dm3p3z #
  • 09:31 +200 words! I think the WIP will end up in the 4-5k range. Which means only 3-4k to go. :| #
  • 10:50 Feeling all PTSD'd right now. Trying to reach my happy place from my desk. Seems futile, I know ;). #
  • 11:26 Happy place invaded by rude email. If I email & ask for a deadline & you don't respond then I'll get to your stuff when I frakkin get to it! #
  • 12:11 Mood immediately improved when I remembered I was being treated to lunch today! #
  • 12:43 Ate homemade lasagna at my desk, which means I get a full hour to write! Muahahaha! #
  • 12:58 Now I'm feeling like I should just nap during my lunch. I'm tired from my "emo" bout this morning :(. #
  • 13:51 +220 words in 40 min. I think I've earned a break, don't you? (read: I have no idea what the ver next bit of the story is yet). #
  • 13:54 Should've read "very next bit." I'm a writer, can't you tell? :( #
  • 15:25 Will it ever end? The workday, I mean. I have to be careful how I speak in the environment I work in :). #
  • 16:18 @mightymur you've just described every Saturday I've spent writing for the past couple of years. #
  • 17:12 I am just *waiting* for the next person to tick me off. Just one more, c'mon...I know you're out there. Bring it! #
  • 18:25 This close > < to freedom. Y'know what, 400+ words might just have to be enough today. #
  • 19:07 At the PM writing spot out of habit. Maybe I can eke out another 50 or so words... #
  • 20:25 Yeah, I didn't manage those 50 words :(. Maybe I'll try before #LEVERAGE comes on tonite. #
  • 20:39 I dunno if @chicagotheband is the real thing, but I'm following for now anyway ;). #
  • 22:04 I've got nothing against Brent Spiner on #LEVERAGE, but did they have to give him yellow eyes (sunglasses)? #
  • 22:14 @BrentSpiner Great job on #LEVERAGE. Was having yellow sunglasses your idea or Frakes's? #
Via LoudTwitter

09 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:16 Just the song I need for Monday morning. ♫ blip.fm/~2345s #
  • 08:17 Writing on a skool day as payback for the time I had to spend over the weekend. #
  • 09:25 Easily wrote 2x as many new words as I cut out of the WIP yesterday. Trouble is, 65 words already have a strikeout thru them :(. #
  • 09:29 Gonna call it an early writing morning and slowly wander my way to work. God, I hate Mondays. #
  • 11:17 Stretching out for my speed-walk to skool. #
  • 11:37 This says I'm one of the "Strange, deluded mutants...who enjoy the [short story] form for its own sake..." O, rly? tinyurl.com/djpf66 #
  • 11:42 Links of cliche lists tinyurl.com/cu4evp #
  • 13:28 Enjoyed sunny walk to skool today, despite almost breaking my neck on icy patches. Luckily, my mad kung-fu skillz haven't completely faded. #
  • 13:32 Probably won't enjoy sunny walk back to work because, well, you know--work. #
  • 16:21 RT @NewsHour Art Beat: Singer Blossom Dearie Dies at Age 82 #
  • 16:22 The nice thing about most hellish workdays - they go fast! #
  • 16:23 Not fast enough, tho :(. 2 hrs. until next writing window. #
  • 16:32 No Blossom Dearie CDs on me at the moment. Guess Cassandra Wilson will "have to do" instead :). #
  • 17:54 Dunno why it took me this long to figure out that I could be catching up on podcasts while at my desk, batting cleanup. #
  • 18:19 Just gonna sit in my chair with the 1,000-yard stare for the rest of my time at work. #
Via LoudTwitter

08 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:21 So I drank on Fri and felt fine Sat morning. No drinking last nite, but now I feel hung over--wtf?? #
  • 08:22 Oh no he di'int...Stephen King disses Stephanie Meyers. tinyurl.com/bg4sho #
  • 08:26 I know I shouldn't change horses in the middle of the stream, but I'm thinking of switching this month's novel tinyurl.com/b4teec #
  • 09:03 twitpic.com/1e106 - I'm working, see! (Sorta.) #
  • 10:33 Why am I cutting words from Draft 0.1 of the WIP??? Nnnng!! #
  • 11:29 @jdfreivald My fave was: "They tried to get me to hate white people, but someone would always come along & spoil it." #
  • 11:30 I think I'm gonna pack in the writing for now, head out, & do some skoolwork with some stronger coffee. #
  • 12:40 Skoolwork playlist: random mix of stuff from the Daptone Records catalog. #
  • 17:59 I think all these microecon graphs and formulae made me black out for awhile. I think I just need to be done w/this for a bit. #
  • 18:06 Ah, L&O:CI reruns...just what the doctor ordered! #
  • 18:40 Forgot about THE LAST DETECTIVE Series 3 DVDs I got from the library. Something other than microecon and writing just for a lil' bit. #
Via LoudTwitter

07 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:04 twitpic.com/1dcq4 - This was responsible for the last nite's tweets. Well, this, the 3 I had after, and multiple Jameson's shots. #
  • 08:09 @noells Yes, that was VIII. Decent songs on that album, but it didn't have much of a direction. #
  • 08:10 "the last nite's tweets???" Oh yes, I write, by the way! *headdesk* #
  • 08:43 Today's agenda: breakfast, comic show, writing (x10). #
  • 13:38 Comic show was a bust, plus I forgot my allergy meds. Out in the fresh air, watching the crowds walk by and listening to the Dylan wannabes. #
  • 13:40 Dylan wannabe making blood trickle out of my ears. Where's last nite's King Crimson-playing according player when you need him? #
  • 14:25 twitpic.com/1djv8 - It was a CRIME for this to be languishing on an outdoor $1 rack, so I rescued it! #
  • 14:30 @GigiVernon Woohoo! Enjoy the weather--it's *gorgeous*! #
  • 14:46 Scenes from a temporary February thaw tinyurl.com/bjvye8 #
  • 17:22 Wow, I really have just dicked around the entire day. I should do something pronto, before I get used to this. #
Via LoudTwitter

Scenes From a Temporary February Thaw

Things I saw being out and about today.



06 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:14 Oooh, today's gonna hurt! I say: Bring it! #
  • 08:17 Writing playlist: Chicago's catalog, set to random. #
  • 08:17 ...which means I could potentially hear the same songs 5 times over. #
  • 09:14 Bad news: net addition of 50 words of prose to WIP. Good news: After 200 wds of notes, I know *EXACTLY* what this story's going to be about! #
  • 09:29 Distracted from story plotting by the sight of kids playing soccer in the snow-covered quad at 9:30 in the morning. #
  • 10:52 Like I've got the $ to spend, and no studying or writing to do: www.comicbookclub.org/Ithacon.html #
  • 11:49 Gearing up for my skool/lunch/speed-walking time. #
  • 13:29 Food scarfed down. Got 10, maybe 15 minutes before the power-walk back to work. Who needs muay Thai workouts when I've got this routine? #
  • 14:26 @noells Funny how their worst albums (and I'm saying this as a *huge* fan) make the best background working music :). #
  • 15:25 Of course when I'm at my busiest between writing projects, work, & school, I get pages and pages of random ideas for my notebook. #
  • 16:06 @noells In decreasing order of craptitude: XIV, 13, Twenty-1, Hot Streets, and all 60 of their greatest hits compilations after Chicago XX. #
  • 16:33 The idea of getting so mindnumbingly plastered into temporary amnesia just seems so, so appealing. #
  • 16:35 Ironically, that would require energy I just don't have. #
  • 17:49 @noells Some of my favorite Champlin songs are on Twenty-1! #
  • 17:52 Right now, on office CD player: Menahan Street Band to chill me out. Last hour was hell. 45 min left--plenty of time for more! #
  • 19:01 Writing at a pub, beer in hand. I'm sure it'll all be junked as soon as I sober up. Pics to follow (maybe) :). #
  • 19:04 @noells I forgot to put Chicago VIII at the tail end of that list. Not *that* crappy, but it's not exactly CTA, either :). #
  • 21:19 I know I was drunk, but listening to an accordion player playing King Crimson...did they spike the beer with LSD?? #
  • 21:20 Still feeling comfortably numb... #
  • 21:27 Now I've seen it all...Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu moves on STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS. #
  • 21:33 Now we're breaking out the Jameson's. As if GHOST ADVENTURES isn't funny enough. #
  • 21:59 @warrenellis Hello again. Prolly don't remember, but I used to hang out on the Engine way back when. Big DESOLATION JONES fan. #
  • 22:30 I... I think I'm actually starting to get into BSG :) #
  • 22:47 RT @mightymur I just got a hardon for Roslin. [Amen to that!] #
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05 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:45 How is it that prose that seems plain uses writing techniques that really are fucking amazing? tinyurl.com/bowrg6 #
  • 10:43 Ah, how fast problem sets can go wrong when you forget one square-root sign *headdesk* *headdesk* #
  • 11:08 Today, though--writing at lunch, dammit! #
  • 12:23 Did I say writing at lunch? Maybe I should be sleeping. Nah. #
  • 12:30 Who'd have thought my process was similar to Nancy Kress' (even if my writing's light-years behind)? tinyurl.com/b65yfe #
  • 14:20 Lunchtime writing progress was (drum roll, please)...40 words. Four, zero. :( #
  • 16:38 Give me strength...! #
  • 17:06 Sole control of office CD player again. Right now: Steely Dan! #
  • 19:06 Couple of friends were dismayed to learn this song happens to be their ringtone on my cell. It's nothing person... ♫ blip.fm/~20jcl #
  • 19:15 Procrastinating from finishing tomorrow's problem set for skool. Book's open, pen's in hand, and...um...yeah. #
  • 19:46 Studying playlist: mix by The Bad Plus #
  • 21:19 I...I...what the...346 unread Google Reader items???? #
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Tweets for Today

  • 08:13 Resolved, to be better about focusing on skoolwork on skool days, even though I'd rather work on yesterday's writing :(. #
  • 08:14 Skoolwork playlist: pre-SPORTS Huey Lewis & the News. #
  • 10:30 Don't wanna go to the useless work meeting :(. Already know the space is too small to inconspicuously net.surf on the netbook :(. #
  • 10:56 Will be bringing my Feb. novel selection to the meeting, Octavia Butler's WILD SEED tinyurl.com/dg5o55 #
  • 11:22 Ooh, I *can* netsurf from the meeting! Shhh. #
  • 12:15 Today's agenda, it seems: "Run around & sit. Repeat." Time for some o' that fancy book-learnin'. #
  • 14:22 Please God, can I just sit for awhile? "Chicken w/my head cut off" is a massive fucking understatement." #
  • 16:19 Ozzy's "Crazy Train" is on the radio at work. How very apropos. #
  • 17:30 Office CD player to myself. Nice relaxing El Michels Affair music on. Trying to stay in my happy place. #
  • 18:20 Not sure how I'm gonna study or write in the condition I'm in right now. #
  • 20:24 Two after-work accomplishments: "jack" and "crap." #
  • 22:21 Can't study while LIFE ON MARS is on. It's gonna be another late nite. #
  • 22:34 RT @mightymur I tweet, therefore people either misunderstand or look for deep meaning in my 140 characters. #
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03 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 07:18 Um...some tweets disappeared, including my writing progress from last night (200 wds)!! WTF? #
  • 08:15 Writing motivation at near-zero this morning. I'd really rather just screw off, but I've got the file open, trying to be a good boy :) #
  • 08:17 Writing playlist: a Robert Lamm mix #
  • 09:14 200+ more words this AM. I've already reached the "marking time" point of the 1st draft. Time to stop rambling and make something happen!! #
  • 09:21 Holy crap--I think I just brainstormed a title! Titles are usually the last things I come up with. #
  • 09:33 +150 words of notes. I really need to stop and take a break before work. Funny what you can get done w/7 hrs. of sleep :) #
  • 11:29 Can't believe how many people are cracking up on the *3rd week of classes*!!! #
  • 12:49 Thinking of just reading for lunch today. Better yet, how 'bout just eating lunch and relaxing for once? Naaahh. #
  • 13:36 Not writing or studying right now. So this is what it used to feel like... :) #
  • 15:56 I'm so tired, I think I might possibly be dead in my office chair & it's just the last bits of electical energy in my brain letting me type. #
  • 17:39 test--they say betwittered works again...? #
  • 17:39 Woohoo! #
  • 19:32 Car is repaired. Have a maxed-out credit card and a redundant key to show for it :(. #
  • 19:55 I was gonna focus on skoolwork, honest. But I got some story crits emailed to me...can't...resist! #
  • 22:30 DOCTOR WHO namecheck on LEVERAGE again!! #
  • 22:45 @GailSimone I have a dream, True Believers! #
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02 February 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:18 Let myself sleep in just a little bit. At the backup AM writing location processing yesterday's crit group (kind) evisceration. #
  • 08:19 Writing playlist: The Blue Nile, Beckley-Lamm-Wilson, Steve Winwood #
  • 08:36 Stopping to record in my notebook the way this chick strutted into the bagel shop in what're obviously her daughter's clothes. #
  • 08:47 Summary of my bi-weekly evisceration posted: tinyurl.com/d2kods #
  • 11:47 Getting ready for the long trudge to skool. Uphill. In the snow. Both ways. #
  • 13:27 Came up with my next story hook in class; totally non-class related. And I wonder why I'm behind. #
  • 13:32 Wondering if the benefit gained by restarting MMA workouts outweighs potential 14-hour days? Plus, can I keep up with the youngins? #
  • 13:34 @LaterOn1969 I used to live near CSU, so I feel you! #
  • 13:41 People ask me how I've been. This video sums it up (except for the end of it) ;) tinyurl.com/bb5yv9 #
  • 13:43 Um, wait...I guess the lyrics really don't apply. The title does, tho! Plus, who can't smile when Huey sings? #
  • 14:34 @LaterOn1969 Upstate NY, in a town that sees as much, if not more, snow than C-town sees :( #
  • 16:48 Work's making my head spin faster and Linda Blair's in THE EXORCIST. Welcome to Monday, I guess! #
  • 17:12 Yeah, if I'm this tired tomorrow, muay Thai isn't happening *again*. I'll have to write or something... #
  • 17:36 Sooo tempted to leave early. No one would know...but I can't :(. #
  • 17:40 @LaterOn1969 Near the Finger Lakes :) #
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Tough Love

So, some of my 2009 writing goals are off to a really fucking bad start. Life and death sometimes get in the way of writing, which is fine. But the good news is, I've thus far managed to keep my goal of writing one story a month, even though part of me thinks a 1,400-word story feels like cheating somehow, compared to last month's 3,000 words. Then again, February is shorter.

Anyway, I finished and polished the bulk of this short-short story the night before yesterday's critique group while watching the director's cut of THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY on AMC at 2:00 AM. Hence, the many problems spotted by the eagle-eyed writers in my biweekly crucifixion session.

The Good
  • The "switch" i.e. the change of direction at the end of the story
  • The rhythm of the writing in some spots
  • One pop-culture reference spotted
  • The main character's arc
The Bad
  • My second paragraph should've been my intro paragraph.
  • The fantasy element, telepathy, needed a bit more definition/consistency for one person
  • One paragraph on an ex-girlfriend mentioned only once (among other things) could be nixed.
  • I never named the story's supporting character.
  • My experiment with not using quotation marks for dialogue was a fail for one reader.
The Ugly
  • A major plot point about what people think of the main character might've been a little negative when usually, the truth is that most people don't think about us nearly as much as we think they do.
  • ...leading to the question of whether the main character is actually reading minds or seeing a reflection of his own POV.
  • Another lively debate (like in the last group), this time about my use of the generic THE OFFICE/OFFICE SPACE/DILBERT cubicle-hell setting and how the protagonist's co-workers were all painted as mean and blackhearted in some cases. One person strongly felt it was "overused" while another felt it was "awesome."
I can definitely see both sides of that last point. The good news is that I think it's all fixable.

January Scorecard

Don't ask. Just don't.

Tweets for Today

  • 09:13 Oooh, why did I have to stay up 'til 3:00 watching THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY? But at least I got my latest story done while doing it!! #
  • 09:15 Of course, I shudder to read it. Who knows what kind of jibberish I ended up writing? I probably wrote a scene with a 3-way standoff in it. #
  • 10:58 Story's as good as it's gonna get for crit group. I'm gonna take the only break I'll get today. After group: a metric crapload of skoolwork! #
  • 17:40 Got a fresh cup of coffee after crit group; prolly not gonna put off the inevitable caffeine crash for long. Gotta get some skoolwork done! #
  • 17:47 ...and then I'll be able to consider myself back in the frakkin' saddle! #
  • 18:45 One day's worth of notes processed. Will see if I can do another set after dinner, or if I'll fall unconscious. #
  • 20:20 I'm a little bit more caught up with skoolwork--panic has subsided (for now). #
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