31 March 2009

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

  • 08:08 Reading Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis - tinyurl.com/ck2b4d #
  • 08:09 is on page 59 of 256 of Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories by Steven Millhauser. 2/3 done w/novellette "The Room in the Attic." Creepy ... #
  • 08:10 Last night was a *bad* slacking night. Have to try to make up for it today. #
  • 08:12 Study playlist: ABOUT TIME by Steve Winwood. (Closest thing I've got to having any Traffic.) #
  • 10:43 RT @warrenellis Just heard from DC that John Cassaday has finished PLANETARY #27. Ravens have left Tower Of London. #
  • 11:40 Wondering why, in this town, do folks ask me point blank who I voted for, yet balk at asking me how much my netbook cost?? #
  • 12:33 I think I'm hitting a mental roadblock in my studying :(. Amazed how fast confidence can turn to jelly! #
  • 12:35 Want to write at lunch, but I know it'd only be to procrastinate. #
  • 14:54 Just have to accept that I just can't grok how to figure out min possible customer surplus due to price ceilings for now, and move on. :( #
  • 18:01 Someone, please--snap me out of the 1,000-yard stare! #
  • 19:23 Sooo tempted to just bag today, hoping I'll just pull it together on midterm day (when I'm off from work). Gonna have dinner b4 deciding. #
  • 22:02 Damn you, EASTENDERS! I was gonna go to bed early. #
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30 March 2009

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

  • 08:17 Finally back on the normal AM schedule! Tired as hell, but that's normal, too :). #
  • 08:18 Unfortunately, skoolwork has to trump processing yesterday's crit group evisceration. At least until lunch ;). #
  • 08:20 Study playlist: Zero 7, Air, dZihan & Kamien #
  • 08:53 *facepalm* When a problem that should take 3 min. to solve is going on 40, check your math. You just *might* have screwed it up. #
  • 09:38 Graphing the net economic benefit of gov't subsidies on a market really, really sucks. #
  • 10:15 Taking the boss up on generous offer to let me play hookey on midterm day! #
  • 11:38 Trying to work from my backup portableapps USB drive is a bitch when it's a bit outdated :( #
  • 13:30 T-minus 3 days to midterm and 2 chapters left to review. Feeling much better prepared this time around. That, or I'm in total denial. :D #
  • 13:45 Looked over the crit group evisceration of 2 rewritten scenes--actually, it was more of a couple of minor "tsk, tsks." Will post later. #wip #
  • 15:14 WTF is my intertubes connection so slow? Conflicker worm started a couple days early? #
  • 16:24 Absolutely no clue how I'm going to find the energy for anything after work today. Gotta pull it outta somewhere, tho. #
  • 17:09 RT @charlesatan I interview Strange Horizons editor-in-chief Susan Marie Groppi tinyurl.com/cqsqx2 #
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29 March 2009

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

  • 07:44 Up early to see if I can get something--anything--together for crit group today. No promises, tho :(. #
  • 08:44 First AM I've walked anywhere without my skoolbook in a week. Talk about liberating! #
  • 08:46 Caffeine supply, check. Writing stuff, check. Writing playlist (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings), check. Let's roll. #
  • 09:57 Progress...so...slow! #
  • 21:19 No time this evening to process crits from group. Tomorrow, maybe! For now, I think I'm just gonna hit the hay. #
Via LoudTwitter

28 March 2009

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

  • 08:20 Stayed home from the jazz show & still managed to stay up too late. Sans studying. Off to a late start this morning--doesn't bode well. #
  • 08:33 WTF?? Since when did my tweets stop posting w/titles on the website? Oh, since 3/18. #
  • 10:16 Interview with Haruki Murakami tinyurl.com/d23yk7 (If my reading backlog wasn't so long...) #
  • 12:36 Okay, I've wasted enough time today. I can hear my inner drill sergeant screaming, "Let me see your war face!!" #
  • 13:57 Was in a cafe, listening to a trivia ? on the radio re: liner notes. Overheard someone ask, "What are liner notes?" #
  • 20:13 Wings and beer--a decent way to end a day of brain-frying microecon. #
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27 March 2009

  • 07:57 Warmth + sun = hopefully less emo today, 'cos I got stuff to do :) #
  • 07:58 1st pre-work AM all week not spent catching up on missed sleep or in a meeting. And I gotta spend it on skoolwork. Hurts, it really does. :( #
  • 08:05 Study playlist: All TOTO, all morning. ♫ blip.fm/~3h36v #
  • 09:02 *sigh* I really, really don't want to do the "smart thing" and blow off tonite's jazz show. Maybe I just need to be stupid once in awhile :) #
  • 09:03 I know, you're all saying, "*Once* in awhile??" Eh, screw you :P #
  • 11:11 Notified about new chapter notes, a problem set for before the midterm, and one due right after?? That is SO not cool!! #
  • 13:35 Gonna enjoy the walk back to work in the sun. I'll have to fight to stop myself from walking *past* work :). #
  • 14:21 RT @ColleenLindsay RT @newscientist "Pondering the population dynamics of vampires sn.im/eojvc " #
  • 14:56 I need a nap. #
  • 16:59 Yikes, what a *day*. I may miss tonite's jazz show from sheer exhaustion :(. #
  • 19:34 IMO, one of the most annoying things in life is being hungry while having no idea what you're hungry for, even as the blood sugar plummets. #
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26 March 2009

  • 07:28 Long day No. 2. Whether I get much writing done this weekend depends on how today goes. Or it should, if I had any common sense :). #
  • 08:34 Miscalculated the time and arrived a lil' too early for class discussion section. Reviewing last problem set--wondering if it was too easy? #
  • 08:34 Clearly, I *still* haven't recovered from my late Sunday nite being camera meat :(. #
  • 10:32 Minor errors on the problem set. Forgot about TR(Q) for the monopolist. Yeah, not 100% sure what that means, either. :P #
  • 10:33 Tomoyasu Hotei w/@chicagotheband, "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" tinyurl.com/ckusaz My theme of the week. #
  • 11:42 Determined not to miss @FLEFF like I did last year. Poring over schedules, now. #
  • 12:49 All this gray's making me feel emo. Simple solution: Boston's "More Than a Feeling" on the mp3 player. ♫ blip.fm/~3fsci #
  • 13:01 According to a couple of coworkers, I'm not the only one who felt manic in the sun yesterday, and emo in the gray today :(. #
  • 14:40 Feelin' good re: the studying plan. So far, as Palpatine said, "Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen it." #
  • 16:17 Keep waffling back and forth about going to a public reading tonite. I wouldn't, if I was smart...which is a pretty big "if," I know :P #
  • 17:23 Looking at my skoolbooks & decided to do the almost-smart thing. If I'm gonna procrastinate, I'll do it at home hehe. #
  • 17:57 Reviewing problem sets on the downlow at work...shhhh! #
  • 19:14 Carrot/stick time. If 2 chapters get done tonite/tomorrow, then I'm going to a jazz show tomorrow nite. If not, then the usual 100 lashes. #
  • 20:25 Okay, 2 chapters tonite/tomorrow was just a weeeee bit unrealistic. Almost done with 1 chapter, tho :). #
  • 20:29 RT @MaryRobinette RT @nalohopkinson Clarion South needs help: www.clarionsouth.org/donate.htm #
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25 March 2009

  • 07:23 As if I don't have a hard enough time avoiding *new* TV--Carl Sagan's COSMOS on Hulu www.hulu.com/cosmos #
  • 07:24 Next two days are gonna be long and painful. All work & no write make Don a dull boy :(. #
  • 09:44 AM mtg. wasn't too heinous. At least, not for me. Now, only 8.75 hours to go. #
  • 09:50 Cat Rambo, Jim C Hines, Merrie Haskell & Tobias Buckell on World Building for Short Stories tinyurl.com/cg2grh #
  • 09:51 Just what I need--writing advice when I know there's no time for me to write. The universe is a cruel place :(. #
  • 11:46 Still not physically 100% for the uphill climb to skool. Gonna have to suck it up, tho ;). #
  • 11:54 But at least I'll have my noise cxl'ing headphones again. Guess I'll have to relearn not getting so absorbed that I walk into traffic heh. #
  • 13:35 Writing bug, leave me alone! Don't want to notice the fascinating undergrad dialogue around me! Refuse to write it down. Midterm, remember?? #
  • 13:37 Ah...screw it. :D #
  • 15:06 Just now realized that not only can I breathe thru both nostrils, I'm *not* coughing up any more lung tissue! Huzzah!! #
  • 15:09 Because I wanted a kick-ass happy song! ♫ blip.fm/~3ehf3 #
  • 16:08 Wondering how heavily I'd have to hit the skoolbooks tonite to merit some writing time before Friday...? #
  • 16:16 Following too many Twitters but don't want to cut. Have TweetDeck on the netbook but I'm not always on the netbook. What to do...? #
  • 17:06 Praying for 90 min of peace. Obviously, I've just jinxed myself. #
  • 17:46 Sun and warmth seem to be doing something strange to my mood. Far, far fewer violent impulses today :D. #
  • 17:58 RT @charlesatan Basic Online Publicity by Cat Rambocatrambo.livejournal.com/229929.html #
  • 18:55 Escaped from my 10 hr. day a few minutes early to get a jump on studying. Out of the frying pan, etc. #
  • 18:57 Study playlist: Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band #
  • 20:44 I've got 8 days to the midterm and a plan of attack. Bring it!! #
  • 21:10 Tonite's GHOST HUNTERS at Edith Wharton's retreat, The Mount! Makes me want to read some Wharton. #
  • 21:39 Just added myself to the wefollow.com twitter directory under: #writer #fantasy #shortstories #
Via LoudTwitter

24 March 2009

  • 08:22 Purposely getting off to a late start today to get more sleep. I can burn myself out this weekend. #
  • 08:24 Coming 4/7/09: Cassandra Wilson's CLOSER TO YOU: THE POP SIDE. Greatest hits but I'll get it for the cover *SWOON* tinyurl.com/cokctl #
  • 10:23 RT @ColleenLindsay Announcing Queryfail 2: Queries Never Die on Friday, April 17th... #queryfail #
  • 11:40 Head still stuffy. Voice unrecognizable, according to coworkers. Good time to make some prank calls? :) #
  • 12:27 On "Writing When You Don't Wanna" tinyurl.com/de83xg #
  • 14:25 Most cryptic fortune cookie fortune I've ever rec'd: "How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?" WTF...? #
  • 14:31 No writing at lunch. Had to stare and new problem set instead. Having my skoolbooks w/me might've helped. *headdesk* #
  • 14:32 Meant, "Had to stare *at*..." Looks like I can't even write now, either :( #
  • 16:42 Bit my tongue so as not to give a coworker Pacino's speech from GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS. "You're job is to *help* us. Not to f**k us up!!" heh #
  • 16:50 Gonna sneak some writing in tonite to use some of the brainstorming I snuck in on the dayjob's dime >:D. #
  • 17:33 Can't get enough of this Steven Millhauser quote. Kinda like a mirror. www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/148862 #
  • 17:39 My kingdom for a bionic right plantar fascia :*( #
  • 18:17 Not looking forward to tomorrow AM's team meeting. Anticipating my academic plan might have to be retooled. #
  • 20:07 Couldn't go another minute w/out noise-cxl'ing headphones. Outside world can now suck--uh, I mean, can be less distracting :). #
  • 20:08 1 pg of rewrites--well worth the price of the headphones!! :) #
  • 20:42 Okay, gonna try today's skool problem set again, this time w/book in hand! T-minus 8 days to midterm! #
  • 22:40 I must be tired if I'm letting EASTENDERS distract me this much ;). #
Via LoudTwitter

23 March 2009

  • 02:58 Finally home from student film shoot. Aside from the hour, it was definitely *not* an unpleasant experience ;). #
  • 02:59 Tomorrow--er, later this morning--is gonna be a *bitch*! #
  • 10:25 twitpic.com/2dk9u - My reward for last nite's shoot: 4 hr old steak & eggs. Oh, I ate it, too. #
  • 10:26 twitpic.com/2dkab - Setup for my (too) close-up! #
  • 10:31 Today's AM writing time: nixed. Wednesday's: nixed. Plus, 2nd midterm next week. Happy, happy, joy, joy. #
  • 11:04 The sad part is, despite the exhaustion and brain death, this is still the best I've felt in a week. #
  • 11:49 Almost time to get my zombie-fied behind to skool. Ugh. #
  • 13:39 Good news: perfect score on last skool problem set. Bad news: Can't remember HTF I did half of them :(. Midterm next week. What, me worry? #
  • 15:00 is on page 45 of 256 of Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories by Steven Millhauser. On the first 1/3 of the story "The Room in the Attic." #
  • 17:09 RT @charlesatan Interview: Gary Turner, publisher of Golden Gryphon Press tinyurl.com/cszktr [Pub. of some of my absolute fav anthos] #
  • 17:41 Because I'm in the mood for a 90s R&B jam (w/sax by Branford Marsalis) ♫ blip.fm/~3bq46 #
  • 19:55 Thoughts on M. John Harrison's thoughts on Urban Fantasy tinyurl.com/czr9t7 #
  • 22:34 Feel better after a nap, except for being seriously scared by tonite's PARANORMAL STATE. #
Via LoudTwitter

22 March 2009

  • 09:04 Holy Anxiety, Batman! Woke up thinking it was Monday :(. #
  • 09:08 Think I've beaten all but the last vestiges of whatever contagion tried to kill me :D. #
  • 09:36 RT @mightymur Inbox 0 feels strange. But I'm not at to-do list 0 so I need to get moving. [I'm in the EXACT same spot.] #
  • 14:08 Fraking EUREKA! Figured out how to solve every single story problem with the current WIP!!! #
  • 14:09 Problem is, I'd have to rewrite. A lot. Before next weekend. Bleh. :( #
  • 14:15 But all I had to do was go back and build on my *original freaking story premise*!! Gee, go figure! #
  • 14:50 Trouble with my writing progress is that it's kicked the lines I've memorized for tonite out of my head! Frak! :( #
  • 14:52 T-minus 7 hours 'til I get to be camera meat! I'm told I can do this! Even if it's true, I'm afraid I'll be like Gina Bellman in LEVERAGE. #
  • 15:45 Most of the WIP is restructured at least. I'm so excited!! Now I gotta finish memorizing these lines :(. #
  • 17:51 "I've never been known for sticking around to hear the music / When all of the notes are nothing but flat." tinyurl.com/d79ddf #
  • 21:06 It's gonna be a long night. WTH was I thinking, volunteering to do this? The sacrifices one makes for student film! :) #
Via LoudTwitter

21 March 2009

  • 23:13 It was a'ight. :) #bsg #
  • 07:42 Gotta get myself together. Agenda for the weekend is longer than my arm. #
  • 07:44 Most important thing (after writing) is memorizing lines for my camera-meat session on Sunday. #
  • 08:07 Of course, the day I need to get myself out and about is the day it starts out at 14 deg. Bleh. #
  • 10:29 Left this morning bundled up, scraping ice off windshield. Came back with jacket off and windows rolled down. #
  • 10:55 Amazed at the amount of crap in my old computer, necessitating a 3 hr. virus scan. And it's still going! #
  • 11:06 Wondering if I should even bother heading to the coffee shop in hopes of getting a table w/an outlet. #
  • 11:18 Letting a *boring* BookTV talk distract me!! I gotta get outta here! Maybe having limited battery life could be a good writing motivator. #
  • 12:17 RT @mightymur RT @scottsigler Spoilers for BSG finale: 10 of the plot "resolutions": tinyurl.com/d7jkjo [I agree w/this 110%!!] #
  • 12:17 I *did* score a table w/an outlet, hence continuing to dick around on the interwebz :( #
  • 12:32 Journaling! Yeah, that's it--maybe that'll loosen up the brain. Have a Robert Lamm mix playing; that's good, contemplative music. #
  • 12:44 "Are you a civilized person / Is your lifeform advanced / Has tragedy avoided you / This is no accident" tinyurl.com/dluyod #
  • 13:37 Miniscule progress pissing me off! Will sublimate it John McEnroe-style; throw my tantrum, then let it fuel me. #
  • 13:38 Yeah, yeah, I know, "...path to the Dark Side of the Force." Whatever ;). #
  • 14:23 Taking a break and fighting *not* to buy the TPB of a book that was loaned to me. Have a feeling it's a losing battle :). #
  • 14:37 Back in the saddle. (Re)writing playlist: Cassandra Wilson mix. #
  • 15:19 Good news: resisted new book temptation. Bad news: pricing noise-reduction headphones, instead. #
  • 15:20 Better news: making rewrite progress I actually feel good about! #
  • 15:40 RT @barthanderson Rufus on Midnight Special. "Tell Me Something Good." tinyurl.com/bfotps [Momentary distraction, I swear!] #
  • 16:06 [Mantra to self] No, I didn't make 3 days' worth of progress to compensate for being ill. But I got a lot done in 4 hours. I'm OK with that. #
  • 16:33 Forced myself to squeeze out 50 more words. Because I could :). #
  • 16:36 Was told at yesterday's talk that Patricia Arquette (MEDIUM) usu. gets 24hrs to learn 8 pgs of script. I've got 29hrs to learn 5. Yikes! #
  • 20:28 A #BSG finale recap I agree with as equally as with the "what a load of BS" recap tinyurl.com/c98dtv #
Via LoudTwitter

20 March 2009

  • 09:40 Like the phoenix from the ashes, I have slept, but now I have awakened!! And I'm the one who's sorry...at work. :( #
  • 09:41 I'm half brain-dead, and I still managed to solve three of my coworkers' problems. Would gloat if I weren't so groggy. #
  • 11:13 Since this tweet disappeared yesterday: Will be camera-meat in local film student's project this Sunday nite! ACTing!! #
  • 11:13 Trying to conserve my energy to make it to this, this afternoon tinyurl.com/cepvf9 #
  • 11:15 Just for kicks & giggles, I'll show up Sun w/script notes in red & demands for my trailer. :) #
  • 12:34 Of course, since I'm scheduled to have an early day, the next 2.5 hours are going to be the longest. of. my. life. #
  • 12:57 RT @victoriastrauss Things to do in private: Playboy puts 53 back issues online for free tinyurl.com/c597st [Y'know, 4 the articles.] #
  • 13:40 I'd feel so much better if I could just temporarily detach my head and drain it! #
  • 14:04 Am cautiously optimistic about tonite's #BSG finale. Who'm I fooling--I'd watch it even if I wasn't ;). #
  • 14:21 Unless I can finagle access, I prolly won't be livetwittering from this talk :( tinyurl.com/cepvf9 #
  • 16:02 Yes! Tenuously connected to teh interwebz! I am here: tinyurl.com/cepvf9 #
  • 16:08 Lesson 1: good impressions matter in job interviews, even if you don't get the gig. People could refer you w/out knowing. #
  • 16:10 Lesson 2: damn, show business can be cold--to one's advantage. #
  • 16:14 Lesson 3: the importance of any kind of arts education to learn to tell *stories*. #
  • 16:16 Lesson 4: school won't/can't teach you some things about "the Business." #
  • 16:22 Lesson 5: careful which bridges you burn, but you gotta do what you gotta do #
  • 16:29 Lesson 6: the importance of the fist legit job. being a writer means getting read. being a director means getting stuff seen. #
  • 16:30 ...and then, the (show biz) agents start calling *you* #
  • 16:42 Lesson 7: Pitching to networks = pitching the *series*, rather than just the premise. #
  • 17:04 Lessons 8-327: more going on during the Q&A than I can possibly tweet :) #
  • 18:12 Made sure not to cough in my hand for the entire presentation hoping for the chance to shake hands with the man, which I got! #
  • 18:21 Recalling conversation at work re: St. Paddy's day festivities masking my symptoms. Decided to give that approach another shot. #
  • 18:30 RT @The_Rumpus the editor's desk, note from austin, how to make money in the arts tinyurl.com/cnftdu #
  • 19:07 Accepted that I'll get very little done tonite. Just gonna kill time until #BSG finale. #
  • 20:08 Gah! It's that sucktastic 3rd-last #BSG ep. The one where we find out Baltar was descended from the McBaltars. #
  • 21:42 Did I glimpse a gold centurion? #bsg #
Via LoudTwitter

19 March 2009

  • 08:32 Not sure if I've got the Andromeda Strain or just really bad allergies. Called in today, anyway :(. #
  • 08:40 Might even *gasp* write today! Later today. After breakfast and a nap. #
  • 11:58 Illness definitely feels more like bad, bad allergies than the Andromeda Strain. If only I could temporarily disconnect my stuffy head. #
  • 16:30 I know I'm out of it, but I could swear I'm missing some tweets. As if I could go 5 whole hours without rambling about something or other :) #
  • 16:46 Watching SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER on AMC. Hearing Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" never fails to make me swoon :). #
  • 17:02 Yes, it's a fetish, I'll admit. You don't even wanna know what I think of her as Mary Magdelene in JESUS CHRIST... ♫ blip.fm/~369j5 #
  • 17:45 Time for another dose of meds, I think. #
Via LoudTwitter

18 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 01:32 Local diner patron, an hour ago: "Drunk people'll be here in 30-45 minutes." Me and my group: "Yeah, we're here, now!" #
  • 01:33 Home now, struggling to get to bed, preparing for tomorrow's hangover after 4 pints + a Manhattan. Maybe I do have Irish in me after all :). #
  • 07:16 Last nite's carousing has taken its toll. Andromeda Strain has taken me over. Called in to work and didn't have to fake anything *cough* :(. #
  • 10:35 Listening to my ambient/chillout station on Pandora, trying to figure out what to do with myself during my sickday :(. #
  • 10:36 Surprisingly, not half as hungover as I expected. Must've been the 1 am diner food :). #
  • 12:21 @verybigjen I always thought the ending to BLAKE'S 7 would be a tough act to follow. Definitely took LIFE ON MARS to do it! #
  • 14:01 @verybigjen I'm hopeful! Hope being the key word, which is why LoM's ending beat B7's, I think. #
  • 14:01 @GigiVernon Yikes! Don't end up sick like me!! #
  • 14:08 Asked to be in a local film student's project this weekend. Am afraid I'm going to be like Gina Bellman's character in LEVERAGE. #
  • 18:48 2.5-hour nap just wasn't enough. I have, as they say in STAR WARS, a bad feeling about this. #
  • 19:20 Steven Millhauser has jumped my reading queue at a coworker's suggestion. Impressed, so far. tinyurl.com/dnlt2c #
  • 22:29 @diablocody Ooh, good for you! I've been out of MMA training for 3 years and have lacked the resolve to get back into it. :( #
Via LoudTwitter

17 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:17 Whether I get to drink green beer tonight solely depends on the amount of writing I get done between now and then. #
  • 08:19 Summary of Sunday's (fair and just) critique group evisceration of my 830 words of Fail tinyurl.com/d4sfex #
  • 11:55 No no no no NO! Do not want 100-wd. intro to a *new* piece. Need to finish the *old* piece. *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk* #
  • 11:59 *headdesk* I still have that 400-wd intro I coughed up when I should've been working on preventing last Sunday's CritFail :( #
  • 12:18 My favorite writers, listed in order, on goodreads (aka my beloved, glorified list manager) tinyurl.com/d3dghc #
  • 12:24 Speaking of reading, that's what I'm about to do outside, in the sun, while eating lunch :). #
  • 14:19 Some pr0n really is scripted--who knew? Or is Larry Flynt an auteur? tinyurl.com/3sy23x (via therumpus.net) #
  • 16:37 Looking at the miniscule amount of (wrong) words I wrote today and thinking, "That's enough for green beer tonite!" Sad, sad, sad. #
  • 16:48 zomg, I might actually get to leave on time! In the sun!! #
Via LoudTwitter

Tough Love

No justifications, no explanations, no excuses, though I will offer that some of these things might have been answered if I brought in the amount of material I'd intended to bring in before Life Happened the week before.
For now--possibly from now on--I won't be posting Il Buono, il brutto, il cattivo of what I brought. Every comment I got was either Scene!Win or Scene!Fail. And the Fail list is sooo much longer...

Scene!Win
  • Scene I brought was "believeable, in a weird way."
  • The "usual" compliments (smooth writing, believable/snappy dialogue, etc.)
  • Bits were "funny."
Scene!Fail
(From lowest to highest degree)
  • "Soda" vs. "pop" (vs. "coke")
  • Need to give a little better sense of exactly who the protagonist, by this point.
  • Need to be more explicit about the protagonist's feelings toward his overall situation.
  • Need to show my protagonist's reactions to the fantasy element (good, bad, or indifferent).
  • Confusion about how I described a facet of the fantasy element. (Totally unnecessary confusion, on my part.)
  • The fucking scene doesn't really add anything, leaving some to still ask themselves exactly what the fucking story's really about!!
*Sigh*

Hindsight is 20/20, but I'm thinking the reason I forced myself to bring and read 830 words of fail was for the symbolic victory of having written despite the week's obstacles. Obviously, it didn't even qualify as a Pyrric victory. It might've been if I'd have been able to finish more of it--I actually had about 500 more words, but I just couldn't get them polished in time.

I think it's time to drag my Inner Drill Sergeant back out...


16 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 07:55 RT @drmabuse: New Podcast! Bat Segundo #273: T.C. Boyle #
  • 07:56 2nd thoughts about posting yesterday's crit group evisceration. Damn, that's a long list of FAIL. Will suck it up anyway. #
  • 08:09 Eh, I'll post it over lunch. Too much FAIL to look at first thing in the morning :(. #
  • 09:46 Working earlier than usual means leaving earlier than usual! I get to enjoy the sun!! #
  • 09:47 RT @drmabuse The Sci-Fi Channel to be rebranded into Syfy. [Filed under: "WTF?"] #
  • 09:54 RT @mightymur Every time you type "should of," Thor kills a puppy in retribution. #
  • 09:54 Quiet day at work so far. Can you tell? #
  • 11:29 Tempted by chance to have shrimp w/lobster sauce for lunch today, and seeing as I forgot last nite's leftovers (of shrimp w/lobster sauce). #
  • 13:03 Processing yesterday's list of critiques outside. Sun is hiding, but the temp is still nice! #
  • 13:18 Feh! Had to move indoors 'cos I forgot I used the netbook before work; battery was low :(. #
  • 17:43 So much for leaving early *as scheduled*. Work emergency :(. #
Via LoudTwitter

15 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:10 I am *so* screwed for group unless I can haul ass on this damn story! #
  • 10:18 RT @GrantaMag Get your "Vitamins" (that is, the Raymond Carver story), online here for free: tinyurl.com/baavmm #
  • 10:19 Christ, nothing I've written for the past few days (except the new WIP that I'm *not* bringing to group) is remotely readable! RRARRGH! #
  • 11:41 Managed to salvage 3/4 of my progress for crit group. (Salvage = make sentences read like coherent English) #
  • 18:02 Will post crit group crucifixion tomorrow. Suffice it to say that the FAIL! list was (justifiably) longer than the WIN! list. :( #
  • 20:43 Gah! Spaced out on chores & forgot all about #KINGS. Just as well--like I need another show to get hooked on. #
  • 20:46 Do I have the stomach for BookTV's AFTER WORDS with Ann Coulter? Then again, I did just have shrimp w/lobster sauce for dinner. #
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14 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 09:51 Productive morning of breakfast out and grocery-shopping. What to do next, what to do? (As if I didn't know.) #
  • 11:11 Instincts pushed me into a used bookstore while doing more errands. Found 2 Joy Williams short-story collections that I've wanted for ages. #
  • 15:13 This AM I was scraping frost off the car. Now I'm writing outside in a t-shirt and sunglasses!! #
  • 15:29 Okay, maybe I need to put my sweater back on. Still beautiful out here, watching folks milling about. #
  • 15:52 Netbook low on power so I had to move indoors. Hoping music by Clannad will help me resolve plot points. #
  • 16:34 Isn't buying 3 used books enough? Don't I have enough reading backlog? Do I need to take out a library book, too? #
  • 18:10 Gonna keep my eye out for this film tinyurl.com/bwfyvg//www.google.com/reader/view/user%2F02123373233520796283%2Flabel%2Fdailies& ... #
  • 18:35 "So close / But so far away" best sums up my readiness for crit group tomorrow. ♫ blip.fm/~2zo1l #
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13 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:10 Hardly got any writing done yesterday. Will have to try to get back into the WIP today. Yes, on a skool day. #
  • 09:26 Wrote 400 new words--a 1st draft of a *new* story. WTF? How does that happen?? Still have crit group to prep for, too! Arrrgggh! #
  • 11:52 Gearing up for walk to skool. Hopefully it's warmed up a bit since this morning. #
  • 13:31 Students heading out for spring break makes for a quieter life. Temporarily ;). #
  • 13:40 Gonna spend the rest of my lunch walking in the sun & not berating myself for writing 400 wds of new WIP instead of current WIP. #
  • 16:02 I fraking *knew* the quiet was too good to be true, even for the Friday before Spring Break! Fail!! #
  • 16:49 So far, potential emergencies have been diffused or redirected, thank Christ! Means I might have the energy to write a bit tonite (b4 #BSG). #
  • 19:10 Struggled to stifle a hategasm at work; glad I left when I did. Will try to sublimate the anger into the WIP. #
  • 19:35 If I was going to get a writer's planner, it'd definitely be this one. lcrw.net/wordpress/?p=890 #
  • 19:42 PLANET OF THE APES is now! "Assembling ammunition in advance reveals ape's unsuspected ability to plan for future" tinyurl.com/b7d8ya #
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12 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 10:20 All right, this DST fight to get out of bed every morning is getting pretty damn old, pretty damn quick! #
  • 11:48 I *so* don't feel like writing at lunch; almost can't bear the thought. But can I bear the guilt of not writing? Bleh. #
  • 17:28 Listening to podcast of Diablo Cody interview on KCRW's THE TREATMENT tinyurl.com/bbnb9h #
  • 19:21 Must...write...something. Anything. #
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11 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:14 Sooo hard to get out of bed when your body still thinks it's 5:45 am. #
  • 08:18 Just remembered a dream last night in which I was holding a $15 bill...as in cash. #
  • 08:28 Writing playlist: Chris Botti, the Budos Band. An experiment on the effects of smooth jazz followed by afrofunk on my brain. #
  • 09:00 Good news: coming up w/awesome rewrite ideas for current WIP. Bad news: I'm not coming up with any NEW WORDS for Sunday's crit group. Yet. #
  • 11:33 Something funny's going on with my neck for no apparent reason, and I don't like it :(. #
  • 12:13 Skool marching band drumline playing during my walk to class. Fought *hard* not to march in time. Old habits, and all. #
  • 13:40 All of my main email addys are at Inbox Zero again! But for how long? #
  • 17:59 Mother of Pearl, today was suckstastic. #
  • 19:23 After dinner, there will be blood. I mean, writing! Same thing. #
  • 19:25 @strikethru My gut answer is no! :) #
  • 22:02 @strikethru BeTwittered lets me Twitter from my iGoogle page--it's the ultimate combination of multitasking and time-wasting! #
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10 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:15 At the bagel place, scribbling down WIP notes but distracted by thoughts of the 1/2-finished problem set due tomorrow. #
  • 08:16 Playlist: CHALLENGERS by The New Pornographers. #
  • 08:26 I can't take it--I'm gonna take another crack at this problem set, otherwise I'll never write. #
  • 08:32 RT @Colleen_Lindsay Chico Writer's Group has just uploaded an RTF file of the entire #queryfail tweet stream: tinyurl.com/b835nx #
  • 09:05 Finished the problem set; will review it later. Already drained. Doesn't bode well for my "Monday" today. #
  • 11:05 Given a hero's welcome at work--just for showing up today. It's that bad (or, it was). #
  • 13:04 Going to lunch and I'm gonna frakin' *write*! No skoolwork, no nothing else. Well, except eating...but after that!! #
  • 14:22 245 words of notes at lunch--enough to get me back into the WIP and that much closer to done! #
  • 16:38 Ol' Blue Eyes on the work CD player. Feel like drinking Manhattans after work, now. #
  • 19:50 RT @Catrambo Realms of Fantasy resurfaces! tinyurl.com/df97zk #
  • 19:53 Gonna scarf down some Chinese food and look over this morning's problem set. So wanted to write more...waaaah!! #
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09 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 23:13 @Colleen_Lindsay An honor to be followed by you...especially since you like BLAKE'S 7. #
  • 23:33 Carefully building up my "Yacht Rock" playlist on Pandora while catching up on 2 days' worth of missed intarweb...instead of sleeping. #
  • 08:34 Soooo far behind schedule this morning. Trying not to stress out about it and just focus on getting my ass in gear! #
  • 08:42 I didn't forget the time change, but I *did* forget how much it sucks at first. *Yawn* #
  • 10:19 Updated the portableapps on my USB stick. Yeah, really productive morning so far. #
  • 14:16 Survived skool and now I'm in the writing spot, still deciding on today's playlist. #
  • 14:18 Just caught wind that things are crazy at work w/me away. Not my problem today but I suspect it'll very much be my problem tomorrow :( #
  • 14:34 Antibalas is probably the last thing that'll get me back into a writing groove but it's what I'm in the mood for. ♫ blip.fm/~2sv59 #
  • 16:18 Feeling very drained, with the long weekend and all. Think I need a nap. #
  • 19:51 Current problem set for skool is killing me! :( #
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07 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 09:08 Thing I hate about travel: usually simple solutions to life's little problems are never fraking simple! #
  • 09:12 I either have to deal with crooked glasses or put up with a midwestern suburban shopping mall on a Saturday. Grrrr. #
  • 12:41 Decided to forego the mall trip. Glasses aren't that crooked ;). #
  • 13:13 Pleased at the realization that I've been walking around outside in shorts for the past 2 days, despite the rainy gray. #
  • 23:01 Back on the grid for a lil' bit! #
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06 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 03:25 Just got home from Watching the #Watchmen! God, I'm tired. #
  • 03:26 Was unable to tweet from the theater--not for lack of trying ;). #
  • 03:29 Movie was well-done. Audience was more-or-less civilized. Didn't see any fake Rorschachs or naked, out-of-shape Dr. Manhattans, thank krist. #
  • 08:52 I can barely remember the last time I got 5 hours of sleep. Probably because I only got 5 hours of sleep. #
  • 09:40 Gotta get on with my day. Things to do before the road trip. #
  • 12:07 So far, my "long weekend" has not been restful or productive. And now, skool's about to start... #
  • 13:54 Road trip delayed a little bit--just long enough to catch my breath. #
  • 19:26 Back in the midwest, making a pitstop in Erie, PA for a nite. #
  • 22:20 Kinda, sorta interested in #BSG tonite. #
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05 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 07:54 Almost forgot that today is my Friday!!! #
  • 08:41 Killing time before class discussion section. I can feel the weekend laziness setting in :D. #
  • 10:43 Re: skool progress, the Sons of Champlin said it best--"I think I know what I'm doin'/But I haven't been doin' it right." #
  • 12:10 50 min. left of torture, trying to decide whether to write at lunch or revel in the sun. Probably still too chilly to write in the sun :(. #
  • 13:53 I was wrong-it's not too chilly to write in the sun. Sans coat. With my luck, I'll catch pneumonia over the long weekend :(. #
  • 14:28 twitpic.com/1v7iz - Caught on camera writing outside. I'm the slug-like black dot, hunched over my netbook. #
  • 17:17 Planning tomorrow's agenda. Writing, skool, then road trip back to the midwest for a bit!! #
  • 17:59 30 min until my "Friday" is over muah-hahahaha! #
  • 19:39 Only have enough strength to get some reading in. Gonna see if I can't polish off this Etgar Keret collection before Saturday. #
  • 19:43 Officially in love with Pandora Radio. Created a playlist based on the Budos Band and the 1st tune it gave me was "Aynotchesh Yererfu." #
  • 20:25 Who watches the #Watchmen? ME! Tonight!! Despite the risk of being surrounded by Rorschach wannabes and naked, out-of-shape Dr. Manhattans. #
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04 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 07:56 Dragging this morning. It's a skool day. Still waiting for the coffee line to open up while I determine the morning's study playlist. #
  • 08:01 Wonder if I need to start using Twhirl or Tweetdeck to follow all these darn tweets. Or start pruning...? #
  • 08:20 Filed under "WTF?": Several Mysterious Human Placentas Found in Illinois Sewer System tinyurl.com/cfd5mv #
  • 10:15 Did 1/2 a problem set. Would've finished if I hadn't putzed most of my time away ;). #
  • 13:23 @GigiVernon Ack! Glad everything's okay :)! #
  • 14:36 Decided to forego the lunch netsurfing & take a walk in the sun, ashamed at being emotionally beaten by the upstate NY winter after 4 years. #
  • 17:47 Gonna wrap up a problem set tonite, have a beer (not neceesarily in that order), then gear up for writing tomorrow! #
  • 18:10 Re: choosing between Twhirl, Tweetdeck, or pruning? I chose pruning. ;) #
  • 20:05 I am feeling draaaaained as I sit in front of my unopened skoolbooks. #
  • 22:13 Just getting my skoolwork groove on when #LIFEONMARS comes on. #
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03 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:07 Okay, upstate NY winter--took you 4 years but you have *finally* beaten the Cleveland boy! I give, I give! #
  • 08:09 Returned to revising a story written in January. Man, this folder's thick. #
  • 12:32 Gah!! LIFE ON MARS (US) has been cancelled :( tinyurl.com/ceg9ey #
  • 13:01 This one time, I'm gonna just read at lunch, I think. I need the break, plus I dread the folder containing January's story. #
  • 14:35 Read 3 Etgar Keret stories. Good ones. Hence, they weren't very relaxing :). #
  • 17:38 Wondering what I'm going to watch tonite, with #LEVERAGE done until the summer. #
  • 18:07 @strikethru The system I've used the longest is a weekly calendar and a HipsterPDA. #
  • 19:58 Feeling a few blocks to writing because of some mental clutter. I've loosened some of that up and--wouldn't you know it--I did some editing! #
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02 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 07:06 Will do my coffee and writing from home today, I think. I'm taking some advice and slowing down. A *bit* :). #
  • 08:16 Yesterday's critique group evisceration. "Thank you, ma'am. May I have another?" tinyurl.com/djy6tu #
  • 09:04 Relishing the prospect of having 7 stories to finish/submit/resubmit to markets. No, really! #
  • 11:34 Checked my grades on the skool website. Some numbers *literally* make no sense. Anxiety level still thru the roof! #
  • 16:53 Deep breaths. Must take deep breaths.... #
  • 18:16 Don't think I have the strength for writing or skoolwork tonite. #
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Tough Love

Ah, my hands and feet are still recovering from yesterday's crucifixion session that is my bi-weekly critique group :).

The Good
  • Usual characterization praises: "believable," "realistic," etc. One reader called the two main characters "the perfect teenagers."
  • Relationship between the protag and his gf that's "cute," "intriguing," and "dynamic."
  • Piece had a "good hook," was "funny" and was a "nice combination between fun and weird."
  • Usual praises about the rhythm of some of the prose.
The Bad
  • The reader who considered my characters the "perfect teenagers" was the only one to consider them teenagers! Most of the group pictured college-age kids.
  • The reasons why the protagonist continues to subject himself to the situation I put him in need to be sharpened a bit.
The Ugly
  • I didn't describe my main characters physically. There was some disagreement about the utility of doing that vs. letting the reader "fill in the blanks."
  • Once again, I went for "too vague" with respect to a certain scene, which opened doors to questions that don't have much to do with the story.
The best part is, as the group brainstorms their suggestions for fixes, I came up with a couple of solutions that weren't discussed. It's so incredibly useful watching them tread through a process that I'd have to go through if I was doing this on my own!

01 March 2009

Tweets for Today

  • 08:22 I feel like I could sleep for another 3 hours :(. #
  • 10:00 Revenge of the Writer, Day 4: Stuff's more or less ready for crit group evisceration this afternoon. #
  • 11:31 Revenge of the Writer, Day 4: Reviewing yesterday's words for WIP at a local organic cafe. Forgot how pricey the place was. Yummy food, tho! #
  • 12:36 Food for thought: Do superhero comics just not get it anymore? tinyurl.com/ap2pjh #
  • 19:01 RT @strikethru Second-draft fiction involves deleting a lot of clever turns of phrase that on second thought, actually make no sense. #
  • 19:02 Revenge of the Writer, Day 4: Revenge complete. Crit group evisceration will be processed tomorrow. Think I've earned dinner & a Smithwicks! #
  • 19:32 Looks like because of a Nor'easter, I'm gonna be Home Alone for another day. #
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