This clip cracked me up. I love baby giggles.
30,000 words.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Marching On
March always feels like such a long month, although I'm not complaining, after the eyeblink that was February. Historically, Chicago doesn't have much of a spring or fall -- just a long winter and a short summer, but as climate change continues, spring is a bit more apparent than it used to be. All the same, one can't rule out the crazy snowstorm in May, even if it's less common than it used to be. Usually, Chicago warms up in April, then gets cold again in May. I remember a number of years ago, a weeklong stretch in April when it reach 80 degrees, before the obligatory May chill kicked back in.
I saw something on the news the other day that Cincinnati had lost one-quarter of its manufacturing jobs in the past decade. That's pretty striking, although Ohio as a whole has been hemorrhaging jobs for the past 20 years. What never gets really discussed is that the state's fortunes declined precisely at the time that the Republicans assumed dominance of the statewide politics. Coingate was surely just representative of a larger trend, but it's odd to me that Republicans claim to offer solutions to Ohio's woes by ultimately doing more of the same, and expecting different results. The recent union-busting law is red meat for red staters, but isn't going to improve Ohio's economic situation; rather, it's just another case of kicking people in the teeth because they're able to. Aside from a policy of zero taxation of the wealthy, no social services or infrastructure spending, and giving corporations absolute free rein in the state, what "plan" does the Right have for Ohio? The race to the bottom is a race nobody wants to win. And even hacking the country's infrastructure to the bone will still not make us competitive with Third World nations. Even the most destitute of Ohio workers is going to look like a Rolls Royce to a Bangladeshi worker, and companies able to play Ohio workers against Third World workers are going to win at the expense of those Ohio workers. It's a losing strategy for the proverbial little guy, which is why Ohio's continued to bleed jobs. It's a problem because that same ideology is in play across the country, and the Democrats remain cowed by it. I'd like Obama to get fired up and push another infrastructure-building plan, something far more aggressive than his last effort, and have the Republicans strenuously argue against it. Far better than sitting on their hands and letting the loonies run the asylum. You know why the Republicans haven't been jumping at the chance to run against Obama? It's because they have no good ideas -- there's only so long you can say "No taxes on the wealthy, no estate taxes, no social services, no health care spending, no cuts in defense spending" before people start saying "Umm, WHAT do you offer me, exactly? How am I better off with you in charge?" Whoever runs against Obama next year is toast. Maybe Obama will (characteristically) just coast, knowing this. But he should be bold, rather than pandering to Republican delusions.
Oh, and this is an amusing corroboration of the above:
Republicans Stampeding Toward the Cliff
28,000 words.
I saw something on the news the other day that Cincinnati had lost one-quarter of its manufacturing jobs in the past decade. That's pretty striking, although Ohio as a whole has been hemorrhaging jobs for the past 20 years. What never gets really discussed is that the state's fortunes declined precisely at the time that the Republicans assumed dominance of the statewide politics. Coingate was surely just representative of a larger trend, but it's odd to me that Republicans claim to offer solutions to Ohio's woes by ultimately doing more of the same, and expecting different results. The recent union-busting law is red meat for red staters, but isn't going to improve Ohio's economic situation; rather, it's just another case of kicking people in the teeth because they're able to. Aside from a policy of zero taxation of the wealthy, no social services or infrastructure spending, and giving corporations absolute free rein in the state, what "plan" does the Right have for Ohio? The race to the bottom is a race nobody wants to win. And even hacking the country's infrastructure to the bone will still not make us competitive with Third World nations. Even the most destitute of Ohio workers is going to look like a Rolls Royce to a Bangladeshi worker, and companies able to play Ohio workers against Third World workers are going to win at the expense of those Ohio workers. It's a losing strategy for the proverbial little guy, which is why Ohio's continued to bleed jobs. It's a problem because that same ideology is in play across the country, and the Democrats remain cowed by it. I'd like Obama to get fired up and push another infrastructure-building plan, something far more aggressive than his last effort, and have the Republicans strenuously argue against it. Far better than sitting on their hands and letting the loonies run the asylum. You know why the Republicans haven't been jumping at the chance to run against Obama? It's because they have no good ideas -- there's only so long you can say "No taxes on the wealthy, no estate taxes, no social services, no health care spending, no cuts in defense spending" before people start saying "Umm, WHAT do you offer me, exactly? How am I better off with you in charge?" Whoever runs against Obama next year is toast. Maybe Obama will (characteristically) just coast, knowing this. But he should be bold, rather than pandering to Republican delusions.
Oh, and this is an amusing corroboration of the above:
Republicans Stampeding Toward the Cliff
28,000 words.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Sheening, cont'd
This amused me -- Charlie Sheen quotes as "New Yorker" cartoon captions. How meta!
Sunshine Storytime
25,000 words and counting. I'm slowing down a little as the story gets more involved and complicated, but am keeping to at least 2,000 words a day on it. I'd like to hit the upper end of the word counts, but I have the boys for the next couple of days, and that usually confines my writing time to the morning, before the boys wake up, which'll mean around 2-4,000 words a day for the next couple of days.
I'm noticing the changing light conditions more this year than in previous years. I can see Spring approaching, even though it's still cold and blustery. The character of the light has definitely changed. I don't get affected by light levels like some folks do; I stay my cheery self in fair weather and foul, generally, but I have noticed the light getting stronger, and have enjoyed that.
Still need to do my taxes; I need to get them done and sent out before the government shutdown that's probably inevitably going to occur. Sheesh.
And in other news...
Shopping Cart Handles are Dirtier Than Public Restrooms
Ack!
I'm noticing the changing light conditions more this year than in previous years. I can see Spring approaching, even though it's still cold and blustery. The character of the light has definitely changed. I don't get affected by light levels like some folks do; I stay my cheery self in fair weather and foul, generally, but I have noticed the light getting stronger, and have enjoyed that.
Still need to do my taxes; I need to get them done and sent out before the government shutdown that's probably inevitably going to occur. Sheesh.
And in other news...
Shopping Cart Handles are Dirtier Than Public Restrooms
Ack!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Yeah...
Now at 20,000 words. Slicing through this one quickly, which was what I intended to do.
It's sunny today, but cold. We had freezing rain last night, which we rarely get here.
It's sunny today, but cold. We had freezing rain last night, which we rarely get here.
This and Hathaway
I actually watched the Oscars somewhat last night. I thought James Franco and Anne Hathaway had zero chemistry onstage, so it made for a pretty contrived and dull ceremony. The effort to try to draw in a younger demographic with the younger actors didn't seem to quite gel, in my view.
18,000 words on the book so far. It's getting fun -- I feel like if Graham Greene had written a science fiction novel, it would be kind of like this effort. Bahah! Yeah, right, but it does have a kind of vibe like that to me.
18,000 words on the book so far. It's getting fun -- I feel like if Graham Greene had written a science fiction novel, it would be kind of like this effort. Bahah! Yeah, right, but it does have a kind of vibe like that to me.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Ch-Ching
Not that I'm one to ever think NEWSWEEK's assessment of anything means a whole lot, but...
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/27/chicago-steps-out.html
...as one of Chicago's most prolific literary treasures-in-residence, I can only read the above and take great satisfaction in it.
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/27/chicago-steps-out.html
...as one of Chicago's most prolific literary treasures-in-residence, I can only read the above and take great satisfaction in it.
Fatigue
I'm worn out today. Just tired. I cranked out 3000 more words on the book today, but I'm just tired this morning, for some reason. Probably because I'm thinking about my taxes, and that always wears me out. Hah.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
10K
I cranked out 10,000 words today on the SF novel, averaging around 1282 words an hour. I was pleased by that rate, which is pretty typical for me, in terms of output. I'm a little brain-fried at the moment, but got a nice start on the piece. I'd like to make it ~100,000 words, so it's a good-sized book, which feels about right with a SF novel.
It starts
I'm starting that SF book this morning, in a few minutes, in fact. I'm not done finalizing the other book, but I figure I can work on both -- bang out several thousand words on the newbie, and then finish finalizing the other. The more, the merrier.
I also have to do my taxes. I meant to do them last weekend, but got sidetracked by that utilities SNAFU, got that sorted out, so now I can focus on the other.
We got a little snow last night; nothing major, just maybe an inch or two, which at least makes the city a little prettier for the moment (I love the city, but, as I said before, late winter/early spring is an ugly time for it, just because of the detritus about).
I think I'm going to dig out an old HP printer I have in storage and get it up and running again. Exene's negligence led to that printer being destroyed (thanks to B2 exuberantly getting his hands on it and disabling it). It was a discontinued printer, and I managed to find another one at a resale place and use parts from that one to restore the original, although because that was tied to the old computer, and it was before Exene and I split, that got kind of lost in the shuffle. Anyway, I'm going to bring that sucker up and try to get it up and running again, this time on the new computer. Reason being, I have a couple of multipacks of inkjet cartridges for the old one that I'd gotten right before Printergate happened, and also because that printer could print for a very long time with those cartridges. Since ink for printers is like gold (sure seems that way), I have a vested interest in getting that sucker back online.
I also have to do my taxes. I meant to do them last weekend, but got sidetracked by that utilities SNAFU, got that sorted out, so now I can focus on the other.
We got a little snow last night; nothing major, just maybe an inch or two, which at least makes the city a little prettier for the moment (I love the city, but, as I said before, late winter/early spring is an ugly time for it, just because of the detritus about).
I think I'm going to dig out an old HP printer I have in storage and get it up and running again. Exene's negligence led to that printer being destroyed (thanks to B2 exuberantly getting his hands on it and disabling it). It was a discontinued printer, and I managed to find another one at a resale place and use parts from that one to restore the original, although because that was tied to the old computer, and it was before Exene and I split, that got kind of lost in the shuffle. Anyway, I'm going to bring that sucker up and try to get it up and running again, this time on the new computer. Reason being, I have a couple of multipacks of inkjet cartridges for the old one that I'd gotten right before Printergate happened, and also because that printer could print for a very long time with those cartridges. Since ink for printers is like gold (sure seems that way), I have a vested interest in getting that sucker back online.
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