Trophies

Before I forget, I saw a junk truck that had a bunch of trophies in the back. It was such a great image, like all this detritus, and then a pile of gold sports trophies (like baseball, etc.) piled in this crate in the back. Sadly, it went by too quickly, before I could snap a shot of it, but it looked neat.

I mailed a book query to a publisher today. Hope something comes of it. In likelihood, nothing will, but we'll see.

Fast Forward

I can't believe November's nearly over. After that last six months kind of grinding along, this month has been hurtling toward conclusion. Man.

There hasn't been too much of interest that's jumped out at me, or that I've remembered enough to post and blog about of late. Part of the battening down of autumn, I guess. My boys keep asking whether Santa's dropped off gifts, yet, and I'm like "It's not even Thanksgiving yet, Guys; there's no tree up, either! It's too early!" But each day, they ask.

I'm sending a book query packet to a publisher today. I'm tightly targeting it to a particular publishing house, hoping they'll at least give me the benefit of a doubt. We'll see how it goes.

I'm going to have three books I'm a'pimping to publishers this year, if I can find suitable homes for them. Always the big IF in the mix. But I have to try, have to persist.

Argh!

Slow commute yesterday. Drives me bananas! Get me where I'm going! Argh!

I still keep waking up a bit too early (and going to bed a bit too late). Also Argh!

The radiators are kicking into gear. I always love that, their rattle and clatter and the wonderful warmth they bring.

I had a lot of odd dreams last night, although I remember only bits of them. Sometimes my dreams unfold in a documentary style, like I'm watching a movie. This one was about an intentional community for the rich somewhere, living in these Green eco-mansions, while the narrator was talking about the community. And I was trying to read some article about it, while these preppy brats were trying to take the magazine from me (which turned out to be SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN except printed on very high quality paper, very thick -- to the extent that I was musing while reading it "Is this a special issue or something? Must cost a fortune to produce this.") There was some section about composting, and some eco-wags had written a message like "Over here, Grandmother!" in some kind of stuff that drew honeybees, because that message was written in bees on the ground! That was particularly dream-weird, had me almost waking up from my dream. Then, at some point, I was in a cavernous building like McCormick Place and was talking with Obama, trying to set him straight, saying he needed to take moves from LBJ's political playbook and really play some political hardball if he had a hope of getting things done. He didn't appear to be listening, but I pressed on, at least until Michelle Obama turned up and some staffers of his. Then I just went my own way. That's about all I remember.

Oh, Io!

http://www.salon.com/wires/us/2010/11/15/D9JGTIU00_us_arrow_shooting/index.html

Lordy, lordy.

Going Ape

Another anti-Halloween dildo in action. And, of course, a faked story...

Gorilla Suit Attack a Fraud

Yawn

Winterish weather finally has arrived, although no snow, yet; that all appears to be north of here for now. But the blustery, rainy-cold thing is going on, now. Glad for steam heat, that's for sure!

I keep waking up around 3:30-40, legacy of daylight savings. I wake up early, anyway, so roll that clock back and it's super-early for me. Gonna take a bit to get back to waking up only crazy-early, instead of obscenely early.

Dino is extinct

Aw, Dino De Laurentiis died. The man who gave us "Conan the Barbarian!"



I loved that movie as a kid (which I first saw at a drive-in with my family, long ago). The above clip amuses me. *snicker*

Misfit?

Looks like Glenn Danzig pitched a diva fit.

The line in the above about him being little taller than the average dwarf made me snicker.

http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2010/11/danzigs_cancele.php

And the line in the above about maybe the room not being big enough for his ego made me laugh out loud.

Oh, Glenn, what happened to you? You were amusing, once, long, long ago...


Misfits, "All Hell Breaks Loose"

Making Plans for Nigel

It's Nigel Tufnel Day, 11/11!

Make today go to an 11!

Big Bottom

Next year'll be a particularly Taptastic time, since it'll be 11/11/11!

; )

Trippy

Ever have a day like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcUi6UEQh00

Of course not. Nobody ever does. Bahahah! The babe at :34 is my favorite, busting some serious moves! That was from way back in 1972. Trippy!

Red Balloons

A moment on my commute that was odd and pleasantly so -- the light fading thanks to Daylight Savings and such, the lights at the display at Old Navy were vivid downtown. Lots of shoppers milling in the half-light, skyscraper shadows looming large, crazy constant black preacherman at the curb in a suit, like always, with his portable PA system, haranguing the shoppers as he always does, and as my bus turned, two gals in cranberry red outfits -- like slacks and sweatshirts, each holding a red balloon on a red bit of line, giving each other a hug as the bus rolled by, the lights a blur. It was a cool kind of snapshot moment, something I wish I could have filmed. The combination of the angle of the bus as it turned, and the tiny curbside tableau, it just momentarily mesmerized me, and then there was a feast of display lights, big and white, shaped like arrows, pointing back at the scene.

What the Fawke?

I forgot about Guy Fawkes' Day, yesterday. I always do. Not like it matters, being an American, but it's fun just because of the creepy masks and being able to say "Fawkes" with impunity. I had one of these masks a few Halloweens ago, but think it's been misplaced after the move. Or else it's sitting in some costume box somewhere, maybe in storage.

Chillin'

Man, Winter's here for sure. It's autumn-sunny, but frickin' cold over here. Chicagoans hunkering down as Winter looms. *brrrrrr* Glad for free steam heat in the building. Makes all the difference in the chilly months, but makes it hard to go out and about, just because the contrast between balmy and brisk is so great!

I need to do a grocery run of some fashion sooner than later; supplies are diminishing! I got used to using my bike for those runs, but as the weather gets colder, I'm less-inclined to do that, just because the PITA factor is that much higher for that.

Finished the first draft of the book I was working on, although it's somewhat bittersweet because I know that I have to revise it straightaway. Revision and rewriting is always a pain in the ass; it's easier to write a story out of nothingness than it is to wend your way through your words and rewrite scenes and so on. That'll keep me busy this month. Meantime, short stories beckon. I just log them in my journal and keep to the main project for now.

The boys are good, looking forward to Christmas and snow and sledding, all of that good stuff.