"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 08:03 Should've gotten more sleep after almost a whole day at #ithacafest. Stayed up too late watching BLEACH, instead :(. #
• 08:13 Can't be at #BEA09, but I can watch some of the proceedings live on #BookTV. #
• 09:04 One of the most basic storytelling principles, illustrated by a child at the #ithacafestival vimeo.com/4926483 #
• 09:12 twitpic.com/6bwsm - Post-interment drink last Fri at my 90 yr old Italian aunt's house. 90 yr old Italian aunts rule! #
• 10:13 One of the other authors in the @fantasymagazine microcontest called my piece "very moving." I feel the same about hers. bit.ly/jADiI #
• 10:33 "Dark reflections of the past/ Drown in our tomorrows" #lyrics ♫ blip.fm/~7dhni #
• 10:36 Okay, I got a list of rewrites as long as my arm to get to before I treat myself to more #ithacafestival tonite. #
• 10:36 RT @raebryant Micro-Shorts: "...Enjoyable...fun...spell bound...vivid...incredible...well written..." -- bit.ly/jl6xP #
• 11:54 @sufferjets I'll be there! #
• 11:55 WiFi at the writing spot no longer wonky. Is that good or bad? Eh, I'll just sip my blended coffee drink & not worry 'bout it for now :) #
• 12:21 @susanorlean I know *exactly* how you feel :( #
• 12:26 For once, there's a real psychic reason I'm not writing: too much still crammed in my head that needs to be dumped out. #gtd #
• 13:54 On page 96 of 272 of Black Glass: Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. Epistolary pieces like "The Travails" are hard to pull off as well as this... #
• 13:55 On page 105 of 272 of Black Glass: Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. Read "Lieserl" in another anthology; loved it then, too. 5* #
• 14:51 twitpic.com/6clje - I trashed my table but I got another rewrite done! :) #wip #
• 18:28 @littlefluffycat I still use a metric crapload of paper per story. Had the writing stopped way too many times due to "glitches" ;). #
• 18:32 Weather at #ithacafest was so gorgeous! The Mutron Warriors kicked ass! I really, really hated having to go :(. #
• 18:49 @littlefluffycat I refuse to let my writing disappear when the EMP hits at the start of the zombie apocalype ;). #
• 18:51 One reader considers my @fantasymagazine microfic to be w/another's in a "photo finish!" bit.ly/1vaNUx #

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"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:29 All houseguests, & even a house resident, are about to ship out to MA. I get to be Macauly Culkin in HOME ALONE for 1.5 weeks. #
• 11:03 Macaulay Culkin HOME ALONE-mode is in effect! Down walking thru #ithacafestival while there's still room to walk thru it. #
• 12:27 Had to take a break from the #ithacafestival in the library to dump my camera. Taking way more pics & vids than I know what to do with. :) #
• 12:36 Heading back out into #ithacafestival before I succumb to the allure of AC and Wi-Fi :). #
• 12:38 Oh, and have I mentioned my microfic at FANTASY MAGAZINE (in the past 12 hours)? bit.ly/HCIip :D #
• 14:15 Indoors briefly for another camera dump. #ithacafestival #
• 15:50 Taking a brief respite from #ithacafestival to enjoy a lil' time to myself (Home Alone!!). Will head back tonite to watch @suffejets. #
• 21:19 Missed @sufferjets due to a TCAT miscalculation on my part. Crud :(. Gotta plan better for #ithacafest at Stewart Park tomorrow. #

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"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 08:18 On page 84 of 272 of Black Glass: Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. "Go Back" has a very elegant & very subtle fantasy element. 5* #
• 08:19 RT @gregvaneekhout When I think about the amazing and diverse talents of the people I know, I feel like Snapper Carr in the JLA. #
• 08:30 Off work today. Not really a day off, tho. Getting into headspace for funeral this afternoon + more family tonight. #
• 16:56 Vote for my story "Good for the Gander" in the @fantasymagazine micro-fiction/graphic contest! bit.ly/HCIip #
• 19:43 #blog Publication in @fantasymagazine! bit.ly/nX97U Vote for your top 3 faves: bit.ly/HCIip (Hopefully, mine's one of them!) #
• 20:23 Today's interment was very nice. Even better that some closure could finally be had. #

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@Fantasy Magazine

"Good for the Gander"

Published as a finalist for Fantasy Magazine’s May Madness Micro-Fiction Contest. Until June 12, 2009, you can vote for ME! ME! Vote for ME!!! your top 3 favorites. The winners will be podcasted by PodCastle, with the top prize receiving $10.

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:27 Had the netbook for 5 mos. To this day, strangers ask about it at least 1x/wk. I've become a netbook evangelist. So repent, sinners!! :) #
• 07:36 On page 66 of 272 of Black Glass: Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. More modern-day history in "Shimbara." 5* #
• 07:40 On page 75 of 272 of Black Glass: Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. "The Elizabeth Complex" is another brilliant mix of modern w/historical. 5* #
• 07:46 Busy day today. #ithacafest parade, houseguests, prep for funeral service tomorrow, oh...and that writing thing, too. #
• 08:58 #blog This is how you translate a foreign-language word in a short story! bit.ly/2cmTP #
• 12:06 Planning tomorrow's funeral service wardrobe. Bittersweet, but it's long past time for closure. #
• 13:02 Time for lunch! #3breakupwords #
• 13:28 Wondering what's draining the power from my cell phone faster than usual...? #
• 13:29 Emptying out the Flip for the #ithacafest parade tonite. #
• 14:59 RT @The_Rumpus How to be inappropriate at Book Expo America #BEA09 bit.ly/ZU1m6 #
• 17:21 Trying to find a spot to watch the #ithacafestival parade route. Think I'm gonna have a hot dog first. #
• 17:39 Have a decent spot, had my hot dog. Wish I had someone to watch my stuff so I could find a bathroom ;). #
• 17:50 Wow, the spots around me filled up *quick*! #ithacafestival #
• 20:47 Depleted both the space *and* the batteries of the Flip taking vids of the #ithacafestival parade :). #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:40 On page 51 of 272 of Black Glass: Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. Been awhile since I enjoyed a novella as much as "Black Glass" 5* #
• 07:43 On page 55 of 272 of Black Glass: Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. "Contention" might've done better w/more narrative tension. 3* #
• 07:47 Double-checked my email this AM in case I was dreaming. Not dreaming--I'm still shortlisted for a writing contest!! #
• 09:10 Long weekend threw me off. Thought I had relatives coming tomorrow. They're coming *today*! Gah!! #
• 09:58 As Gunnery Sgt. Foley would ask, "Which one are you?" Different types of critiquers. bit.ly/6kPHC #
• 10:19 @littlefluffycat Thanks a bunch! Keeping my fingers crossed :). #
• 10:53 "Cos since I've come home/ Well my body's been a mess..." #lyrics ♫ blip.fm/~74myi #
• 11:49 Hi, I'm Don. #3wordsaftersex (Yes, it's that slow at work right this second.) #
• 12:31 Time for lunch! #3wordsaftersex #
• 13:05 @jdfreivald Totally missed your congrats--thanks!! #
• 13:36 Back to work! #3wordsaftersex #
• 14:03 Something in the air today? Stream of rudeness just now. Grr. #
• 17:11 Off work early! #3wordsaftersex #
• 17:27 Internet's wonky at the PM writing site. Not that I *really* need it to write, but still. :) #
• 19:29 Houseguests are here! #3wordsaftersex (Okay, I'm getting kinda sick of that joke, too. But houseguests really are here.) #
• 22:40 @littlefluffycat Nice story! :) #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:15 On page 29 of 272 of Black Glass: Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. 1/2-way thru the 1st novella. History, feminism, slavery & voodoo, oh my! #
• 07:17 Stayed up a little too late watching LAND OF THE LOST. Man, Sid & Marty dropped some serious LSD back then, didn't they? #
• 07:54 Supposedly, if you haven't received an email re: the flash contest I entered, you're still in the running. I have not received an email :D. #
• 09:01 First day of summertime "banker's hours!" God, summer's finally here! #
• 09:17 "So what twisted logic or internal emotional blackmail do you use to make a pile of pages?" bit.ly/95UKW #
• 11:23 "You can cry tough baby, it's all right/ You can let me down easy, but not tonight." #lyrics ♫ blip.fm/~72b2g #
• 12:23 Gonna have a netbook-free copyediting lunch. Just the MS and the trusty Mirado Black Warrior No.2 pencil! #
• 12:30 RT @thebookslut How... cute. "My First S&M Guide." bit.ly/CelYL #
• 13:46 RT @S___Elliott It's never a bad idea to reread Where I'm Calling From, esp. if you want to remember how to write a short story.... [Amen!!] #
• 13:49 Figured out how to tighten up the current #wip. Should be ready to submit by the end of the week! #
• 17:43 At the summertime PM writing spot, where the biggest temptation is buying new books. At least the coffee's good. #
• 17:44 Now to create another draft of the MS I edited at lunch. Gonna see how much survives my ruthless cutting! #wip #
• 18:18 Wasn't sure what was slipped into my lunch to make me think I had the #wip all figured out :(. I'm close, though! #
• 20:53 *Shortlisted!* The Revenge of the Writer finally starts to pay off ;)! Details to come. #rotw #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 08:04 RT @drmabuse I didn't realize until now that Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics for the amazingly awful song "We Built This City." [Forgot that] #
• 08:09 Happy Memorial Day! Already had the cookout so mine will be spent cleaning up the last bits of life-wreckage left in the wake of skool. #
• 08:12 twitpic.com/5x1g6 - You know you have real friends when they tolerate your neuroses. #
• 08:40 On page 19 of 256 of Black Glass: Short Fictions by Karen Joy Fowler. Once, I'd have ignored any collection that started w/a novella. Not... #
• 08:56 Go to the Sci-Fi channel!! Right now! It's a LAND OF THE LOST marathon!!!! #
• 15:42 Rewriting and napping, not necessarily in that order. This is definitely the life :). #
• 18:51 Back from dinner out. I haven't eaten so much in 2 days since last Thanksgiving. #
• 19:02 Damn, LAND OF THE LOST is *still* on :). Loving the combination of 70s DOCTOR WHO Moog synth music w/that banjo ho-down music. #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 08:21 A 1.5 hr drive back & forth always feels like wasted time. HATE that. But the pull of friends & grilled meat is too strong. #
• 09:07 Trying to get stuff done before the drive. But thinking of the drive always gets in the way! Grr! #
• 10:04 "Heart--where we want it to be/ Love--like it's a miracle/ Power to be like we need to be." #lyrics ♫ blip.fm/~6xqz2 #
• 11:12 Think I've got tomorrow's Memorial Day writing plans worked out. Watching BookTV until the drive to the cookout! #
• 14:32 I'm #reading Black Glass: Short Fictions by Karen Joy Fowler - tinyurl.com/pnuw5h #
• 14:42 Found that copy of BLACK GLASS in a used bookstore on the way to the cookout! Been looking for it for *years*! #
• 20:20 Up from an after-cookout nap. Ate *waaay* too much!! Now, to enjoy some of that Fowler story collection it's taken me years to find. #
• 22:14 The newest TV trainwreck I can't keep my eyes off of--DEADLIEST WARRIOR on Spike. #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:54 Only things I *have* to do today: Farmer's Market, grocery shopping, & haircut. Will be lackadaisical about everything else, even writing :) #
• 08:04 Migrating from one email address to another is such a pain in the ass! Then again, if my folks could migrate from one country to another.... #
• 10:40 Got 2 out of 3 to-do list items done for today. I'm in the mood to just put off the 3rd this weekend :). #
• 11:06 twitpic.com/5robm - This is the *fraking* life! :) #
• 11:32 #blog Can't remember the last time I was so glad to see the start of summer. bit.ly/Ah6NI #
• 13:13 I want to read: Fast Fiction: Creating Fiction in Fiv... by Roberta Allen - tinyurl.com/oa733l #
• 13:14 I want to read: Science Fiction Writer's Workshop-I: ... by Barry B. Longyear - tinyurl.com/p2u2qf #
• 13:19 I want to read: Writing Incredibly Short Plays, Poems... by James H. Norton - tinyurl.com/pb58lu #
• 13:20 I want to read: True Facts by Larry Young - tinyurl.com/rddev2 #
• 13:20 I want to read: The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other S... by Susanna Clarke - tinyurl.com/q9ju2e #
• 13:31 As you can see, I went apeshit at the Booksale once again. www.booksale.org #
• 14:56 Getting freaked out watching SECOND COMING, written by Russel T. Davies, starring Christopher Eccleston. #
• 17:32 3.5* for THE SECOND COMING. Christopher Eccleston & the other actors, awesome. Russell T. Davies's writing, same as usual. #
• 18:53 "Miss a beat, you lose the rhythm/ And nothin' falls into place" #lyrics ♫ blip.fm/~6wlhg #

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"Summer... it turns me upside down"

I tell you, this is the fucking life... :)



At this point, some of you are thinking, "Don's account must've been hacked!" Understandable. I'm usually a cave-dweller. Even moreso when I'm writing. But today's just too nice, not just because it's warm and sunny but because this is the first time in a long time that I'm welcoming a summer with open arms.

Once upon a time, a summer day was like any other day. Warmer, sunnier, with a lighter workload at the day job, perhaps, but in general, nothing to write home about. Life to live and things to write. But not this year. The past two semesters of work, school, and writing sort of took its toll, and that's just with one class a semester! I fell back into habits I thought I left behind when I worked case-management--I'm still recovering, physically and psychically.

Still, I'm not bitching. I'm just saying that for the first time in a long time, I can appreciate having a time when it feels like a significant load has been taken off my shoulders for awhile. It's like I've been running a marathon carrying 30 lbs. in a backpack. But now, the weight's off, and while I definitely stronger for it, I'm glad I can coast for just a little while.

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:50 On page 113 of 256 of Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories by Steven Millhauser. "History of a Disturbance" read exactly like a long hist... #
• 07:52 This is the last day of early AM writing hours for the skool year! Yup, summer's almost here!! #
• 07:54 Revenge of the Writer, Phase 2, cont.: Gonna copyedit past the pg that badly needs rewrites to see what can be salvaged. #wip #rotw #
• 07:58 Writing playlist: Chicago's 1982 performance on the radio show STAR SESSIONS. #
• 09:14 The #wip I'm revising has the best ending I've ever written thus far. The middle, not so much. :( #
• 10:30 RT @GrantaMag Jonathan Lethem has a thought or two about the meaning of proximity these days bit.ly/nt2j1 #
• 10:34 Seems my contest entry was at least accepted :). Should know result by next week. *fingerscrossed* #
• 11:11 Phoning it in at the day job. Mind's on my #wip revision.... #
• 11:55 I think I've finally got my OOs templates to play nice w/MSWord!! #
• 13:24 RT @clarkesworld Who are the best new writers publishing fiction in #semiprozines ? bit.ly/13WmN7 #sff #hugo #
• 17:14 Ah, my last "late nite" at work. Next week, I get to work human business hours!! :) #
• 18:45 Getting reacquainted with my summertime after-work writing spot. Feeling the Friday nite laziness setting in, tho :(. #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:32 On page 160 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. Does "What an Old Woman Will Wear" show a subtle acceptance of aging or a su... #
• 07:35 On page 165 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "The Sock" is a realistic portrayal of how folks in broken relationships get... #
• 07:39 On page 177 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "Five Signs of Disturbance" is disturbing. I felt how close the protag is to... #
• 07:41 Finished with Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis #
• 07:46 Revenge of the Writer, Phase 2 continues. 2nd out of 4 stories up for rewrite today. Playlist: Bill Champlin mix. #rotw #
• 08:55 This #wip rewrite is kicking my ass this morning. :(. #rotw #
• 09:20 twitpic.com/5mbc5 - The cause of this morning's pain. #rotw #
• 11:01 I want to read: The Complete Butcher's Tales by Rikki Ducornet - tinyurl.com/pwov8x #
• 11:02 I want to read: The One Marvelous Thing by Rikki Ducornet - tinyurl.com/pl9wv2 #
• 11:04 I will not upload/edit my #wip on Google Docs on work time. I will not upload/edit my #wip on Google Docs on work time. I will not... #rotw #
• 13:46 Avoided uploading/editing #wip on Google Docs. Discovering at lunch how badly one pg needs to be rewritten :(. #rotw #
• 15:53 Substituted 50% of my coffee intake, *not* with Folgers crystals but w/plain water! Almost forgot what the stuff tasted like :). #
• 15:58 Some good responses to common personalized rejections of short stories (which I've gotten lately). bit.ly/iH0F0 #
• 17:56 Skool grades in. No B for me. I'll have to "settle" for an A- !! :D #
• 17:58 Listening to @totn podcast taking place at the Cols., OH NPR affiliate I used to listen to. You can take the boy out of OH, &c.... #
• 18:08 Official permission to leave work early. No sneaking required! :) #
• 21:11 @AWDawno Thanks a bunch!! #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:50 On page 153 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. Long sentences in "The Cottages" might've been better from inhabitant's POV. 3* #
• 07:53 On page 154 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "Safe Love" succinctly tells an unfinished story. 4* #
• 07:54 On page 155 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. Solving "The Problem" clearly isn't the point. I didn't even try. 5* #
• 07:58 Revenge of the Writer: Still on Phase 2 (catching up on rewrites), with Brit Blue-eyed Soul on Pandora. #rotw #
• 09:09 Revenge of the Writer, Phase 2b complete: One more story ready for submission! Two more to go! #rotw #
• 10:46 Trying everything I can think of to seamlessly switch back & forth between permutations of .rtf/.doc & MSWord/OO, and it's just not working! #
• 11:05 3 questions of eternal storytelling by @jonrog1 bit.ly/zfOq8 (My 1st drafts will henceforth also be known as "puke drafts.") #
• 12:44 I can't just adjust a damn format template for indents and line spacing; I gotta worry about character spacing, too? Really? #
• 13:36 twitpic.com/5kd78 - Lunch with a view today. Decreased my aggravation a bit. But will it hold? :) #
• 14:51 Inadvertently cheesed off a coworker. Outpourings of luv have been ineffective :(. #
• 17:58 1 out of the 3 pieces of good news I've been wishing for has come to pass!! Crossing fingers on the other two! #
• 20:23 @AbsoluteWrite Thanks so much!! #
• 20:26 Trying to harness the energy tonite to continue Revenge of the Writer, Phase 2. #rotw #
• 20:35 @AWDawno Just don't mix up your recipes :). #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 08:07 On page 149 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "The Housemaid" is 7 pgs of multiple layers. 5* #
• 08:08 I'm #reading Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories by Steven Millhauser - tinyurl.com/rxwbbn #
• 08:11 Revenge of the Writer, Phase 2 this AM: Go backward thru my backlog of 3 stories that need rewrites & prep for submission. #rotw #wip #
• 08:13 Today's Revenge of the Writer playlist: British Blue-Eyed Soul list on Pandora (i.e. music that's made folks ? my sexual orientation.) #rotw #
• 08:52 @jdfreivald Love BREAK IT DOWN almost as much as SAMUEL JOHNSON.... I'd seriously consider selling my soul to write like Lydia Davis. #
• 09:23 Revenge of the Writer Phase 2 progress: 1 story almost done w/line edits & will be the next one out of the gate. #rotw #
• 10:37 Listened to 2 of my more boring coworkers having a conversation. Talk about the whole being > the sum of its parts! #observations #
• 11:14 *sigh* Looks like I'll need to spend my lunch hour hashing out a difference of opinion between me & my student-loan shark. #
• 11:23 Could be the lingering vestiges of PTSD from last week, 'cos my hategasm for student-loan sharks seems a bit disproportionate. Or is it? #
• 11:50 I want to read: McSweeney's Issue 31 by Dave Eggers - tinyurl.com/qp4pxo #
• 13:14 To student-loan shark customer service: Ur doin' it wrong!! HATEgasm!! #
• 14:29 12 oz of blueberry yogurt: filling and comforting (as I ate at my desk while forcing myself to get a grip). #
• 15:59 Using Google Calendar to track which markets are open for submission--I didn't think of this years ago, why?? #
• 16:21 Grr! Someone's been hanging around Tina Fey too long, thinking he can be as funny as she is. bit.ly/y1slG #
• 16:23 Then again, I gotta be honest--I'd LMAO if Tina Fey had said it. #
• 17:10 Just wanna leave work & get back to my Brit Blue-eyed Soul playlist on Pandora (aka the music that's made folks ? my sexual orientation). #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:53 On page 142 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "Once a Very Stupid Man" is a very recursive tale. 4* #
• 08:00 With no skool to distract me, this week, it's Revenge of the Writer! 1st project up is to send off a contest entry. #rotw #wip #
• 08:02 This morning's Revenge of the Writer playlist: The Blue Nile #rotw #
• 09:20 Revenge of the Writer, Phase 1 complete: Contest entry submitted!! #rotw #
• 10:24 Google Gears installed on my USB. This is gonna enhance my writing productivity somehow. Not sure how yet, tho. #gtd #
• 10:27 Trying to figure out which #wip gets to be Phase 2 of Revenge of the Writer. #rotw #
• 11:46 RT @melvingibbs Chicago Street Gang Calling Cards from the 70's & 80's ff.im/-2ZjnQ #
• 12:08 "You have a sense that you were born with/ You'll find a way to make things right." #lyrics #charsketch #
• 12:10 Part of me is still physically and psychically detoxing from last week's skool final zombie apocalypse. #
• 13:00 Going back through (outdated) story submissions logs & firing off query emails to anyone whose rejection I've missed ;). #
• 13:53 Just got some *possible* good news in response to a story submission query--will wait to squee 'til I'm sure, but I'm excited anyway!!! #
• 14:40 Second piece of yet-to-be confirmed good news: Looks like I managed to skate thru my class w/a solid B! #
• 16:01 @charlesatan If my contest entry makes it anywhere, it'll be 3 ;) #
• 16:50 Everyone seems sorta melancholy at work today for no real reason. Even me, despite the good news I've had today. #
• 18:11 You know that feeling that had me sleep for 12+ hours last Friday nite? I'm feeling it again. :( #
• 19:39 Need to caffeine myself up to get some last minute groceries. I was trying so hard to taper off. Well, not really... :) #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 00:09 Because of the excessive amount of sleep I got today, I sense some insomnia tonite. What to do, what to do...? #
• 04:09 "Four in the morning/ Came without a warning..." #lyrics #
• 08:54 Forced myself to get out of bed, lest I sleep for 7 more hours like I did yesterday. 'Course, I still haven't ruled out that option zzzzzzz. #
• 09:09 Up, but definitely not at 'em. Crit group today... but I've nothing to be critted... *yawn* #
• 16:39 Crit group done. Now I can go back to being pleasantly lackadaisical :D. #
• 17:38 Okay, maybe, *maybe* before new L&O:CI comes on, I might take the time to polish and send that contest entry. Or nap. Either one :). #wip #
• 18:32 twitpic.com/5e402 - Scene from breakfast this morn--um, afternoon :) #
• 18:33 twitpic.com/5e42x - Wrote a brief #charsketch on these innocent folks. #
• 19:23 Casually getting around to my neglected inbaskets. It's not pretty. #
• 19:25 On page 136 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "French Lesson I: Le Meurtre" was a little gimmicky for me. 3* #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 08:04 Home Alone this weekend. I think I'm gonna sit and be lazy thru most of it, after the week I've had! #
• 08:06 twitpic.com/5a3s2 - Still reeling from the Regie Cabico show last night. #
• 08:27 #blog Thoughts about last nite's show. bit.ly/Bp3fz I think it's time for some breakfast, now. #
• 13:31 OMG, how sleep-deprived was I?? Went back to bed, closed my eyes, and now it's 5 hours later?? #
• 14:19 Still in my PJs, finding it incredibly easy to ignore the voice in my head that's reciting my todo list. Haven't even had coffee yet. #
• 14:37 Couldn't stand it anymore. Showered and changed and stir crazy enough to ignore the severe t-storm warning. #
• 16:10 Just as I thought I was going to escape before the t-storm hits, guess what happens? #
• 17:01 I want to read: Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tip... by Jeff VanderMeer - tinyurl.com/qjlrhq #
• 20:01 Wow, I got absolutely *nothing* done all day. Felt good, except for my caffeine detox headache. Think I'm gonna rectify that, now. #

Via LoudTwitter

Cheaper than Margaret Cho

I had my local theater cherry busted last night, with a performance at The Kitchen by poet Regie Cabico. He was, as he said to us afterward when I got his autograph, cheaper than Margaret Cho, but he's easily worth Margaret Cho prices.

He did this bit, but there was so much more to his show...



I was the only Filipino in the audience and I'll tell you, all of his "growing up Filipino" bits hit very close to home. He even brought out the Barrel Man!

Even the differences between Cabico's story and mine had the ring of familiarity, which is why I laughed harder than anyone. A Kitchen staff member was sitting next to me (could've been the Managing Director) who said to us, "I was laughing watching you guys laugh. I have a friend who's Filipino and [Cabico's impression of his own mother] was his mother!"

I told him, "Hell, that was my mother."

More importantly, Cabico's story had the ring of universal truth about how you find your way because of, as well as in spite of, the family you had growing up.

If you ever get the chance, go see him! I will, because I need more examples of how to tap into my own "growing up Filipino" stories in a way that doesn't look anything like the film American Adobo *shudder*.

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 08:23 Errands before work, work, then slam poet show in the evening. This is what happens when you plan a day under the influence of red-eyes :(. #
• 11:21 And the long day continues. When am I gonna have a chance to do that thing with plots, characters, & lots of typing--what's it called again? #
• 11:47 #blog 'Cos I know you're all dying to know #whyitweet bit.ly/SnDrS #
• 12:14 #followfriday Some writers whose stuff I can't match on my best day: @Danchaon @S___Elliott @tinytempest @susiebright #
• 13:04 Dumbfounded at just how deep I've let my vr and rl inbaskets get during finals week. *Still* processing. #gtd #
• 13:39 I really, really need the weekend to start for me. Like, right now. I feel a dissociative fugue coming on.... #
• 17:37 Pondering dinner options before tonite's poetry show. #
• 17:42 My boss's boss's boss suggested I watch THE SIMPSONS on Hulu for the rest of my work day. Filed that away for future reference. #
• 19:28 Love how ubiquitous the intertubes are in this town. No need to be bored waiting for folks & for theatre box office to open. :) #
• 22:40 Regie Cabico's UNBUCKLED, UNCENSORED at the Kitchen Theatre was a fucking blast!! If you're local, you need to see this! bit.ly/iZ5m6 #

Via LoudTwitter

#WhyITweet

Because I know you're all dying to know.

Where besides Twitter can I...

• Learn about stuff like #queryfail and #amazon fail in real time, not to mention why my ISP was out for a few hours a couple weeks ago.
  
• Get cable channels to send you swag when they notice you.
  
• Get to learn about concert events slightly ahead of the posted schedule.
  
• Have conversations with editors of mags I like to read.
• ...and writers I like
  
• ...and with nice people in general.

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 08:21 Trying to take it easy after the final despite unprocessed email boxes, overflowing inbaskets, and the 500+ RSS feed items I've ignored. #
• 08:27 RT @drmabuse Proof again that Oprah, as I've told many, is savvy but fairly gutless. bit.ly/dqQYz #
• 08:38 To busy studying to find out was #bookblockade was all about, until now. Jeezus, only in the PI.... bit.ly/1593pK #
• 09:19 On page 128 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "Therapy" in about life in therapy i.e. the life of a person in therapy. 5* #
• 09:22 Did a braindump this AM. Am utterly stunned by the list of things I've left undone because of the damn final. Gotta keep processing. #gtd #
• 11:28 Barely made a dent in the unprocessed 500+ RSS items I had stacked up, and I'm even doing a lot of skipping. Still, it beats studying :). #
• 12:20 It's not often I find writing exercises interesting enough to attempt, anymore. fairmer.livejournal.com/499049.html #
• 14:58 Is it possible to feel pleasantly burned out? Or am I just burned out past the point of not caring? :) #
• 16:50 I've decided that I am pleasantly burned out. Today's attitude, to quote Lady Chablis: "Two tears in a bucket, motherf**k it." :). #
• 19:39 Going to see a slam poet tomorrow nite. bit.ly/iZ5m6 According to a coworker, "You're a hipster." Couldn't make her take it back :(. #
• 20:20 Still slogging through my RSS backlog. More painful than cramming for the final hehe. #
• 21:32 Filed under: thunderdome. A Boy Scouts affiliate is training kids in counter-terrorism and border security. bit.ly/161ANt #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 08:04 T-minus 11.5 hours to the final! How prepped am I? Prepped enuff to watch YouTube clips of SHAOLIN VS. WU-TANG before I finish reviewing. #
• 08:46 Okay, can't get cocky. I took the day off work to study, not watch clips of SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW. :) #
• 09:58 RT @sarahw The FDA claims that Cheerios is actually a drug: bit.ly/bxnih (via @ColleenLindsay) #
• 10:07 @melvingibbs If the bruhs in the park were right about that, maybe the end really *is* near and I need Jesus after all ;). #
• 11:07 Studying to West Coast/Bay Area AOR music (Huey, T.O.P., Sons of Champlin, &c.) really works! Pretty much done w/T-minus 8 hours to final! #
• 16:07 T-minus 3 hrs to the final! Oh, the things I'm going to do once it's all over... :D. #
• 17:40 T-minus 1.25 hrs to the final. Taking a quick overview w/CHICAGO 13 piped thru the headphones. #
• 22:44 Pwned the final! I think. I must've gotten the 74% I needed for a B in the class, at least! If not, then I'm just a waste of oxygen ;). #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:14 T-minus 1 day to the final!! I'm almost kinda sorta prepared. Still have a little ways to go, though. #
• 07:51 omg, I'm just sitting here staring at my books. Red-eye is of absolutely no help whatsoever. Not good. #
• 07:58 Screw this--time to get the game face on! Study playlist: El Michels Affair, ENTER THE 37TH CHAMBER. #
• 09:15 My body refuses to cooperate with me. Gonna pack in the studying for now. I don't have high hopes for the day job today ;). #
• 11:42 Banging my head against 1 chapter. Trying to keep self-loathing in check. Gotta remember I've got the other 4 down & 34 hrs left to study. #
• 12:53 I want to read: McSweeney's Issue 28 by Dave Eggers - tinyurl.com/pyov6p #
• 12:54 I want to read: McSweeney's Issue 29 by Dave Eggers - tinyurl.com/q5b6bl #
• 12:59 Mentally, I know I need lunch, tho the body *thinks* it's doing just fine thanks to the appetite-suppressing effects of caffeine. #
• 17:14 Wondering if it's premature to take a preemptive study break and watch STAR TREK tonite...? #
• 17:57 Who am I kidding? No TREK tonite. Should at least catch up on sleep and detox some of this XS caffeine out of my system. #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:58 I want to read: The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt - tinyurl.com/pgf8xw #
• 08:00 I want to read: Collected Stories by Ruth Rendell - tinyurl.com/ouwxax #
• 08:00 I want to read: Tabloid Dreams: Stories by Robert Olen Butler - tinyurl.com/oqz3ts #
• 08:06 On page 114 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "Sketches for a Life of Wassilly" was exactly that in a literal and literary... #
• 08:07 On page 116 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. The 1st line of "City Employment" could've been written by Fran Lebowitz. 5* #
• 08:10 On page 119 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "Two Sisters" seems more of a broad character sketch. 3* #
• 08:11 On page 121 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "The Mother" succinctly paints a sad life in a few strokes. 5* #
• 08:14 Slept in. Messing around before work. I've earned it. Will finish cramming tonite. Even if I don't, still got T-minus 2 days to the final. #
• 09:09 I want to read: One D.O.A., One on the Way: A Novel by Mary Robison - tinyurl.com/q67nt5 #
• 10:49 Came into work in the aftermath of, as the story goes, a series of unfortunate events. Batting cleanup, now. #
• 12:03 #blog Mr. Spock isn't supposed to say "dickheads!" bit.ly/sSsWO #
• 14:34 Will weakened by intense studying yesterday. Spent study break at the Book Sale. At least I didn't spend a lot. www.booksale.org #
• 14:36 Made lunchtime progress. Have 1 chapter left to review + an overall review, and 53 hours to get it all done! Then, I'll finally be free! #
• 17:01 Dayjob front door closed for the day. Gonna see if I can sneak in some more skoolwork in the 90 min. I'm stuck here. #
• 18:21 Failed to get any studying done on the d/l. Gonna have to use some of my own time tonite ;). #
• 20:44 Not getting studying done as fast as I'd like. But then, the night is still young ;). #

Via LoudTwitter

"This is the end of the innocence"

Mr. Spock isn't supposed to say "dickheads!"



If I hadn't already heard Tom Baker refer to "monkey-shaggers," and Peter Davison telling people to sod off, I might be scarred for life.

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 08:42 Slept in way too long today. It's okay though, considering I got through half my studying yesterday. T-minus 3 days to the final! #
• 08:44 I'm #reading Intercourse by Robert Olen Butler - tinyurl.com/qe4du9 #
• 08:55 Got a phone call to make, breakfast to eat, and the last half of my studying to do! #
• 10:43 Looks like the local bagel place is going to get my breakfast *and* lunch money today. OK, let the wristcu--I mean, the studying, commence! #
• 10:53 Study playlist: My "Ce Matin La" playlist on Pandora (Air, Zero 7, &c.) #
• 12:31 Tired of playing these games. Game theory games, that is--payoff matrices, dominant strategies, &c. And I wonder why my head's gone numb. #
• 12:48 @Abyss_Apex Trying to start a #slushfail day? :) #
• 13:14 @Abyss_Apex I'm all for #slushfail education! #
• 13:59 @Abyss_Apex FTW, right? ;) #
• 15:50 Had a nice lunch and a walk home. With all the stuff I got done, I figure I can slack for 1, maybe 2 hours more :). #
• 16:07 RT @cspan YouTube video of Wanda Sykes at White House Correspondents Dinner: tinyurl.com/pfg58r #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 23:13 @jeffreyeford I'd consider re-reading the first INTERFICTIONS if my reading backlog wasn't so huge :). #
• 08:17 Torn between going to Farmer's Market or just immediately commencing with studying/torture. T-minus 4 days to the final. #
• 08:25 Squeeing from all the @ replies and RTs last nite from writers whose stuff I love! #squee #
• 10:04 Trying to open up the skoolbooks here at the Farmer's Market. Took the netbook out instead, which was a bad, bad move. ;) #
• 10:41 twitpic.com/4ugov - Another postcard picture perfect day at the dock of the Farmer's Market. #
• 10:43 @GrassRootsFest Bela Fleck alone would've been worth the price of admission. But with Sharon Jones & the D-KS there, he's icing ;). #
• 11:21 At the library downtown. I think I can get into the skoolwork groove now, provided I stay away from the new fic section. #
• 13:14 Brain is pretty mushy right now. Dare I risk spot at library to get some caffeine...? #
• 13:30 Wondering if STMC(studying) > P(shutdown)...? #
• 14:27 Need a change of study venue, I think. And, some food. #
• 16:55 RT @readerville Harlan Ellison Calls Lifetime Achievement Award a Sham. tinyurl.com/ph2q8z (via @Danchaon) #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:49 Fried myself last nite & slept in this morning. Will get to skoolwork later today. T-minus 5 days to the Final. #
• 08:10 I don't seem to know which way is up this AM. :( #
• 08:49 Actually eating breakfast (yes, w/a red-eye) and jamming to new Tower of Power, El Michels Affair, and old Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. #
• 09:11 #followfriday Odd mix of celebs I follow: @chicagotheband @diablocody @amber_benson @moonfrye @DaveSFoley #
• 11:15 No, no, no, no, NO! www.booksale.org/ #
• 11:37 RT @victoriastrauss Life is what I do to escape from writing.... #
• 12:00 "You didn't have to love me like you did/ But you did, but you did/ And I thank you." #lyrics #
• 12:00 Body working only by sheer willpower and the rhythm of old school R&B tunes in my head. Hands shaking, tho. Not good. #
• 12:23 Just heard coworker refer to Fritos as "Satan's hors d'oeuvres." #
• 12:58 Not gonna study at lunch. Gonna eat and slack, and hit it tonight and over the weekend. #
• 13:37 Enlisted coworkers to help me monitor @GrassRootsFest website for date of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings show. #
• 13:40 RT @PasteMagazine Daptone Excavates Vault, Releases The Budos Band EP tr.im/kG3X #
• 14:09 @GrassRootsFest I feel bad that they're obsessing for me, so a DM certainly wouldn't go unappreciated :). We can keep it under our hats! #
• 15:02 @GrassRootsFest Thanks!! I'll be there with at least 3-5 of my closest friends :). #
• 15:04 Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings @GrassRootsFest on July 17. Sometime in the later evening. Campbell Bros. likely playing right before or after. #
• 19:30 Home alone, having refused to see STAR TREK on opening weekend. I learned my lesson at STAR TREK VI w/noisy Klingons sitting behind me. #
• 19:48 @AWDawno Not to be left Trek-less, I'm flipping back & forth between ST:FIRST CONTACT & ST:NEMESIS on TV ;). #
• 22:19 @WannabeRSwriter That's what I'd call a party :). #
• 22:20 @jeffreyeford You, M. Rickert, & Ray Vukcevich would be three reasons enough to get INTERFICTIONS 2! #
• 22:43 @Cbarzak I don't doubt it for a second, especially with @adeniro to boot! #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:49 Would rather be sitting with writer's block than reviewing skool problem sets. T-minus 6 days to the Final. #
• 08:32 "It's a big enough umbrella/ But it's always me that ends up getting wet." #lyrics #
• 08:32 Studying isn't going very well this morning. :( #
• 08:55 Took 10 minutes to do a problem that should've taken 2. Time to quit for the morning. Gonna slack before the dayjob. #
• 08:57 Nah, you know what? I'm good for one more problem. #
• 10:36 Where's my notebook? "The Top Ten Rules of Space Opera" bit.ly/45DMb #
• 11:46 Index of Bruce Holland Rogers' "Short-Short-Sighted" columns bit.ly/rryGi #
• 11:59 RT @Catrambo Jeremy Tolbert's 5 lies writers believe about editors - bit.ly/16BIwr #
• 12:02 @Catrambo I like the drinking water/sewer pipe analogy, myself. #
• 14:30 Probably just now killed off some of the hopes of his classmates about the final exam. (*snicker*) #
• 16:16 RT @gtdguy Paying attention to paying attention to what has my attention. #
• 19:25 I'm going to get my second wind, if I have to siphon it from someone else's lungs! #
• 21:12 Hate, hate, *hate* having to interrupt my study groove just to frakking eat! #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:54 T-minus 7 days to Final. Time to "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" again. bit.ly/2YPDzr #
• 09:08 Isn't it funny how I'll write 'til the last second before I leave for dayjob, but need at least a 30 min. buffer after skoolwork? #
• 10:51 Finally did online class evaluation at the last minute. I was just too darn busy *studying*--hello!! ;) #
• 11:29 LOVE it: "Their long arm of the law has stretched all the way around the internet to spank themselves in the ass." tinyurl.com/dn3ncl #
• 12:23 Dizziness is not conducive to effectively dealing with the mad rush of work/skool/writing stuff to do. Just sayin'. #
• 14:51 Definitely paying for the days I spent away from skoolwork. Dismayed by how much has leaked out of my brain. #
• 16:33 I think my nervous system short-circuited for a little while today. Rebooted after lunch, tho. #
• 17:20 Had to turn off today's @totn podcast. Too fried at work right now & not in the headspace to listen to an angry guest bash Neal Conan :(. #
• 17:24 Ah, a BookExpoCast...much better. #
• 17:55 RT @gretchenrubin From Psychology Today: to make yourself like something more, nod while looking at it; to be more negative, shake your head #
• 18:01 There will be family discord for the next two nites. Tribe vs. Red Sox. #indians #
• 20:29 I come home and what do I find? Cleveland down 1-2 to Boston :(. #indians #
• 20:57 How am I supposed to study, between Tribe/Red Sox and GHOST HUNTERS?? #
• 22:06 Doncha love double plays? Tribe: 9, Red Sox: 2 #indians #
• 22:28 RT @diablocody My life won't be complete until I've reimagined the entire cinematic canon as a Fox Thursday night lineup. #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:51 On page 88 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "Cockroaches in Autumn" is a little too cryptic for me. 3* #
• 07:51 On page 91 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "The Bone" shows the stuff lasting memories are made of. 5* #
• 07:52 On page 99 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. 1st 2 pgs of "A Few Things Wrong with Me" hit close to home. 5* #
• 08:10 Momentarily sidetracked by teh intrawebs. Will focus on fiction sub, now--my first in how long?? #submissions #
• 09:00 Preparing incense and a small sacrifice to the critique group hive-mind for help with my contest sub. #submissions #
• 11:46 "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)" by Squeeze & "Mighty Love" by the Spinners in my brain simultaneously. Dichotomy is giving me a headache. #
• 12:37 "Time just crawls here behind my eyes..." #lyrics #
• 12:41 That was the first song in my head all day that wasn't 80s New Wave or 70s R&B. I blame caffeine. #
• 13:23 Forgot my skoolbooks at my desk. Maybe it's my subconscious telling me to have lunch in relative peace again? :) #
• 14:40 Okay, tonight I've *got* to get the study-ball rolling. T-minus 8 days to final! #
• 16:44 *sigh* I can see the last-minute work emergency coming a mile away... #
• 16:53 "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine," huh? Oh, if only... if only... #
• 17:27 Work emergency buck passed to the appropriate person. I can resume end-of-day exhaustion in peace ;). #
• 19:44 Forcing myself to sit with the skoolbooks open. Nothing, yet. I'll be breaking out the Red Bull shortly. #
• 21:10 zomg! Meat Loaf concert doco on TV. The haircut I get. Going without the disheveled tux/cloak...? Just not the same. #
• 21:42 OMG again! Apparently, a key part of this Meat Loaf doco is on how he purposely goes back to the tux shirt look. This is surreal.... #
• 21:47 Meat is in the tux! He's in the tux!!! And the scarves are tied to the mike stand, too. #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:46 On page 82 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "In a House Besieged" is 7 dense sentences that begs 2-3 rereads. 5* #
• 07:47 On page 84 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "A Visit to Her Husband" is Carver-esque in its subject matter. 5* #
• 07:49 It's not even 8 AM--can't I go anywhere in this town before 8 AM and *not* run into a coworker?? #
• 07:51 Critique processing playlist: CHICAGO XXXII: STONE OF SISYPHUS #
• 07:52 "A dream is make believe until/ Blood, sweat & tears turn faith to will/ It's gonna take some miracle, man/ To show there's a way" #lyrics #
• 08:12 Hm. I wrote flashes last week. Just heard about this contest w/@fantasymagazine. Fate? tinyurl.com/cueqja (via @charlesatan) #
• 08:39 Sunday's crit-group crucifixion session summary posted: tinyurl.com/d4gv78 #
• 09:12 On my camera-meat debut last nite: tinyurl.com/c5ccas (I should use my blog more often, no?) #
• 10:58 No class this week, so I get full lunch hours! I'm almost tempted to *eat* rather than study for the final. T-minus 9 days. #
• 11:43 RT @warrenellis @menianoon Advice on breaking into comics? 1) Google is your friend. 2) Don't do it. You will die angry and colostomised. #
• 12:06 Might go back here for lunch since there's no drunken-student-zombie apocalypse to navigate thru. www.nygreencafe.com/main/index.php #
• 12:10 "I used to cry/ For the lost/ Until I had to turn away/ Then I looked inside/ Past the fool/ And found some deeper words to say." #lyrics #
• 12:13 "What Is Microfiction" debate at FRiGG www.friggmagazine.com/issuetwentyfour/poemsstories/fiction/whatismicro/whatismicro.htm #
• 13:38 RT @ strikethru The White House Flickr stream is really fascinating: tinyurl.com/cxdksz #
• 13:39 No, I'm not studying right now. Decided to enjoy my first Monday lunch hour in God knows how long :). #
• 13:42 Any place that plays the song "Sticks" by Cannonball Adderley while I eat lunch is a cool place. www.nygreencafe.com/main/index.php #
• 16:26 Work CD player is apparently a hole in time between the present and 1985. #
• 16:45 I like AOR as much as anyone, but I just don't need Air Supply on the work CD player right now. Now, where's my copy of CHICAGO 17...? #
• 17:21 Not a rough day, really--certainly nothing like Friday. Feels like the weekend never happened, tho :(. #
• 18:25 If I was smart, I'd head straight home, directly to my desk where my skoolbooks are waiting. But motivation & energy are soooo < 0. #
• 19:53 Clearly, I'm not smart. #
• 20:44 Poring thru Creative Commons images for flash fic contest entry. Counts as "writing," right? #wip #

Via LoudTwitter

"On the screen tonight / And when you wanna / They treat you like a prima donna"

A couple months ago, on a lark, I agreed to be camera meat in a local student film. That was an experience, in itself. I learned a lot, including the fact that there's actually a small community of actors in the region who will come out and audition for student film productions. Makes total sense, since since there's more than one film program in town.

And then I saw myself on the screen! Damn, it was surreal.

I was impressed by the short films I saw. Sure, they were undergrad film projects, and there were some cliches I saw that I half-expected to see going in: Mafia riffs, torture pr0n, taboo subjects, Quentin Tarrantino dialogue, and a little John Woo gun-fu action thrown in. But the creativity level was incredible, all the way around. You could tell, warts and all, that at least a modicum of care was taken (by some more than others, but such is the way of any group of people in creative endeavors) to make each film a good product.

Tough Love

I didn't read at the last crit group-flogging, but made up for it this time with two flash fiction pieces. I finally had the guts to try and combine some flash fic with a bit of fantasy. Did it work? Here's what the group had to say.

Story #1, 100 words:

For the Win:

• It was a "complete story."
• "Every word counts."
• Good "rhythm" to the sentences.
• Plot/fantasy element was clearly understood, depending on the reader's interpretation.
  
• In a session where the nit of the day seemed to be repeated words, the fact that I purposely repeated one particular phrase still worked.

StoryFail:

• More than one reader wanted, well, more.
• One reader noted the story title's original connotation that has nothing to do with the story.
• My last sentence needlessly made my usually-ambiguous ending even more ambiguous by being too long.

Story #2, 1000 words:
For the Win:

• One reader immediately picked up on the meta-fiction aspect of the story!!
• "Weird, but believable."
• Good "characterization" i.e. the way I played around with stereotypical epic fantasy adventure characters.
• Same thing about "adventure cliches"
• "Twisty phrases"
• A "satisfying" (read: unambiguous) ending.

StoryFail:

• Definitely went a little overboard trying not to make my sentences Carver-esque. Some of the them were too long. One reader made a comment about the sentence-length being good for an exercise, but not necessarily for this particular story.
• ...which makes some of the good "twisty phrases" a little too twisty.

Okay, maybe that second story had a bit more of a fundamental Fail, but I'm just glad that for once, the Win columns are a bit longer than the Fail ones!

Still, this'll probably be the last pieces I bring for the next few sessions. It's a new subs period for quite a few mags, and now I've got a nice little pile of stories to revise and submit! Because there have been precious few scorecard entries this year, and that makes me sad.

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:27 On page 77 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "The Brother-in-Law" paints an archetypal picture in such broad strokes. 5* #
• 07:34 On page 79 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "How W.H. Auden Spends the Night in a Friend's House" is a riff, but it's abo... #
• 07:36 On page 81 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "Mothers" is even more archetypal than "The Brother-in-Law." 5* #
• 07:49 I'm in the mood for 80s power ballads--performed live! tinyurl.com/djqv9l #
• 08:12 Comic store only had Jonathan Lethem's OMEGA THE UNKNOWN #2-6 (Already had #1). Gotta track down the #7-10 somehow. #
• 08:53 Also picked up John Woo's LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY on the cheap. Just what I need, a Sun morning kung-fu flick! #
• 18:10 Back from crit group! Flash pieces had longer Win columns than Fail columns :) #
• 18:11 What to do before new L&O:CI--process group crits or continue prep for final in T-minus 10 days? #
• 18:26 OMFG! Student film I acted in is getting screened tonite!! Guess I'm missing L&O:CI. #
• 21:58 Looks like my camera meat debut is second to last. Gonna make for a late nite but hey, I was up way later during filming ;) #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 08:16 On page 73 of 912 of Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrat... by Ray Bradbury. Was surprised "The Beggar on O'Connell Bridge" was in... #
• 08:17 On page 77 of 912 of Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrat... by Ray Bradbury. "The Flying Machine" is an incredible example of how ... #
• 08:24 Not as hungover as I should be, having dipped into my own personal pool of debauchery last nite. Off to the Farmer's Market. #
• 08:24 After the Farmer's Market--#freecomicbookday! #
• 09:47 Decided it was too chilly for Farmer's Market. Breakfast at diner instead, which soaked up any last traces of last nite :). #
• 09:52 In corporate coffee shop w/writing & some skoolwork. Will get to it after I post yesterday's #slopeday preparation pics. #
• 09:54 twitpic.com/4ehq8 - Rehydration & cleanup supplies. #
• 09:56 twitpic.com/4ehtm - Triage stuff. #
• 09:57 twitpic.com/4ehvj - All this for "harm reduction" during the yearly drunken-student-zombie apocalypse. #
• 10:14 RT @ArachneJericho "Marching band 2, thugs 0" www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30493653/ [Was in marching band for 8 yrs; not surprised 1 bit.] #
• 10:51 I don't seem to be getting a lot done. Maybe it's post-binge ennui? Man, I can't be like this, I've got crit group tomorrow, dammit!! #
• 11:00 #freecomicbookday RT @warrenellis It's Free Comic Book Day, so have a free copy of FELL #1, online: bit.ly/gKgRy #
• 11:35 Banging my head against this flash fic piece. It's getting away from me and acting all out of hand. #wip #
• 11:44 @AWDawno Yes. Not only that, smudges on the screen is my version of "bleeding on the page." ;) #
• 11:45 Time to break out the big guns. If a Cassandra Wilson mix doesn't help me write today, I should just pack it in. #wip #
• 11:55 "All the energy we spend on motion, all the circuitry and time / Is there any way to feel a body through fiber optic lines?" #lyrics #
• 12:02 Basking in the joy of all the RTs! Thanks, @jdfreivald @AWDawno & @PBreaze! #
• 12:03 @PBreaze Small world! That's awesome & so is she. I catch her writing whenever I can! #
• 12:15 @AWDawno Agreed. It'd be like putting a mirror in front of another mirror ;). #
• 13:40 @AWDawno Haven't read Pratchett in years, unfortunately :(. Mirror thing is just one of many strange things I spent time doing as a kid ;). #
• 13:40 1st draft of new flash piece done, 38 words over budget. Need to shave them for an even 1,000. Will take a break first. #wip #
• 16:27 twitpic.com/4ffca - Got my surprise from @cspan. Thanks!! #
• 16:28 twitpic.com/4fffp - Who says Twitter's a waste of time? Fools, that's who! #
• 16:39 @AWDawno Does Twitter help write flash? Not sure. Tweeting and writing prose feel like different animals to me. #
• 16:48 @AWDawno You may very well be right! I'm still a n00b at writing so I could be totally wrong ;). #
• 17:02 Staring at today's #wip, but it's all a blur. Plus, I'd wanted to have a 3rd flash piece drafted for crit group tomorrow, too. Too much? #
• 17:29 Searching desperately for my 2nd wind. Would rather not have to resort to mainlining Red Bull. Gotta get this writing done! #wip #
• 18:34 I've seen VACATION by @JeremyCShipp at my local indie bookshop and if by chance I don't win his contest, I just might get it anyway :). #
• 20:04 Got 2 out of 3 flash pieces DONE for crit group tomorrow, pared to the target word counts! Obviously, I had to mainline the Red Bull. #wip #
• 20:30 Done writing for the day. All I need do now is read my #freecomicbookday swag and cheap back issues of Jonathan Lethem's OMEGA THE UNKNOWN. #

Via LoudTwitter

"All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit"

• 07:49 On page 75 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "The House Plans" works on more levels than I can even count! 5* #
• 07:54 RT @Abyss_Apex: We're open for the May submission period: send us your short fiction to 10,000 words and your flash fiction to 1,500 words. #
• 11:03 RT @Ideomancer Aaaand it is now May 1, and we are closed to submissions until June 1, when the next issue comes out. Whew. :) [Darnit!] #
• 11:06 Work is prepped for annual skool orgy of Dionysian excess. As said in every STAR WARS movie & cartoon: "I have a bad feeling about this." #
• 11:07 Pics (that violate no HIPAA regs) to follow! #
• 12:44 Had to turn away infiltration by intoxicated students. Hah--not on my watch! ;) #
• 13:40 Wondering if I made a mistake leaving the relative safety of my workplace to go to lunch. #
• 13:43 I will say though, the food here is totally worth navigating thru the drunken-student apocalypse today www.nygreencafe.com/main/i ... #
• 13:48 @AbsoluteWrite Aw, shucks! :) #
• 13:56 @AbsoluteWrite I blush--thanks! Can I use that as my Twitter blurb? :) #
• 13:58 Must navigate thru the drunken-zombie-student apocalypse to get back to work. If I don't make it back, remember...I've always loved you! #
• 14:33 Must pay it forward for #followfriday. Some good mags: @Abyss_Apex @clarkesworld @CoyoteWild @fantasymagazine @Ideomancer @strangehorizons #
• 16:14 Still a mystery as to why dayjob is still busy during the drunken-student-zombie apocalypse. #slopeday #
• 17:20 Work emergencies during drunken-student-zombie apocalypse = not fun #slopeday #
• 17:24 RT @jdfreivald RT @JeremiahTolbert 5 Books on Writing and Science Fiction That Made Me a Better Writer tinyurl.com/c29we2 #
• 17:40 *waves back* at today's new followers: @AWDawno @hilarybeard @LostZombies #followfriday #
• 17:41 @AWDawno And, you're too kind :) #
• 19:22 About to have my own personal EtOH-fueled zombie apocalypse to cope with the day I've had #slopeday #
• 20:15 3 pints of ale, wings, cheese sticks, and now cheesecake. Evening's definitely off to a good start! #
• 20:48 Just past my 4th pint, listening to a local bossa band. #
• 20:50 @AWDawno Drink one for me! #
• 21:39 At home now, doing 2 things to maintain my buzz: Sipping some Jameson while watching WITHNAIL & I. #

Via LoudTwitter