So much for 2010. A curious year for me, really. Quiet, compared with the turbulent 2008, and the dreadful 2009. 2010 began as a stalemate, transitioned to something better. Kind of odd, the passage of these past few years, relative to the long slog of the years before them.
I'm ready for you, 2011. Bring it!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Shouting Match
Last night, way early, maybe 3 a.m. (?) I overheard a couple arguing somewhere in the building. They were really going at it. From their voices, it sounded like a couple of 20-somethings arguing. The guy said at one point, referencing the fire escape "There's a real quick elevator for you, right there." The gal said some stuff, but I couldn't hear it, and then later, I heard the guy yell "Stop striking me!" Which seemed kind of a prissy way of putting it. "Striking?" I think some cops came at some point, because I heard a third voice there, and the guy calmed down, and the gal quieted down. My sense was that the guy was the primary asshole in the confrontation, although they were both probably drunk (since usually the 3-4 a.m. loud confrontations like that are when the bars close, and folks head home).
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wow.
It's amazing that the year's almost over. What a year it's been, too. I'm thinking 2011 will be a much better year, across the board. I'm certainly working to make it so.
It's around 41 degrees right now. That's also kind of amazing, since we're nearly into January. WTF?!
B1's 9th birthday is coming up, too. I got him some great presents. I'm excited for him to get them, as I think he'll dig'em.
It's around 41 degrees right now. That's also kind of amazing, since we're nearly into January. WTF?!
B1's 9th birthday is coming up, too. I got him some great presents. I'm excited for him to get them, as I think he'll dig'em.
Monday, December 27, 2010
This and that
I mailed out the Fantasy novel this morning. Yay! Hopefully something'll come of it. One of the liabilities of my current printer is the thing has dinky inkjet cartridges. I think the next time I print out something substantive, I'll go to Kinko's. I didn't want to have to do that this go'round, however.
I picked up the boys this afternoon, and they're chilling out with me.
Made spaghetti with a homemade marinara sauce tonight. Yum! My boys won't touch the stuff. Some day, they'll actually try what I cook, and they'll realize that I'm a good cook!
I picked up the boys this afternoon, and they're chilling out with me.
Made spaghetti with a homemade marinara sauce tonight. Yum! My boys won't touch the stuff. Some day, they'll actually try what I cook, and they'll realize that I'm a good cook!
Companionship
Aww, Weighted Companion Cube. So sweet. I hardly knew ye...
PORTAL was a fun, funny, demented game. The sequel comes out next year, near my birthday. I can hardly wait! See GLaDOS watching in the background? Her camera? She hates the Weighted Companion Cube.
PORTAL was a fun, funny, demented game. The sequel comes out next year, near my birthday. I can hardly wait! See GLaDOS watching in the background? Her camera? She hates the Weighted Companion Cube.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Not a creature was stirring...
...except for me, naturally. I woke up around 10:45 last night, and felt like I'd been asleep a long time. I think I'd just conked so quickly that it felt like that. Got up early, as ever.
The boys enjoyed their Christmas; B1 said "I wish today would never end." which was sweet and sad. I told him he'd have many more good Christmases to come. B1 still believes in Santa Claus. B2 wanted there to be more presents under my tree, but I'd stuck with getting the boys three presents each, with three that were shared between them, too, for a total of nine gifts. I thought that was plenty. But I can't compete by myself with Exene's family, who pile on the giftage -- I mean, it's 5:1 odds against me, there, peoplewise! I'm sure Exene's sister and mom went over the top on gifting. I got a glimpse when I picked up the boys. The boys enjoyed what I got'em, but I just didn't get'em as much as their relatives did, I guess.
We had a white Christmas, which was pretty. Not as idyllic as the snow of the other day, which was very picturesque. But it was nice enough.
I took advantage of Exene having the boys Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning to finish the editing of the third book I'm trying to sell. I'm going to get that out the door this week. All part of increasing the odds, getting the product out the door! After that, not sure what I'll work on next. I have to take stock, see what I should work on next. It's all about getting the books out that I can get out the quickest, rather than the drafts that require more massaging to get finalized. It's nice to have that much material to fall back on, however, to be in the position of having to choose what to send out the door, and having more, rather than less material.
Some SF ideas that I've had in my head awhile are bouncing around in there, and I may indulge them sooner or later. I'm trying to eat my broccoli, writing-wise, and handle the business side of things, instead of diving into the fun of working on a new piece.
The boys enjoyed their Christmas; B1 said "I wish today would never end." which was sweet and sad. I told him he'd have many more good Christmases to come. B1 still believes in Santa Claus. B2 wanted there to be more presents under my tree, but I'd stuck with getting the boys three presents each, with three that were shared between them, too, for a total of nine gifts. I thought that was plenty. But I can't compete by myself with Exene's family, who pile on the giftage -- I mean, it's 5:1 odds against me, there, peoplewise! I'm sure Exene's sister and mom went over the top on gifting. I got a glimpse when I picked up the boys. The boys enjoyed what I got'em, but I just didn't get'em as much as their relatives did, I guess.
We had a white Christmas, which was pretty. Not as idyllic as the snow of the other day, which was very picturesque. But it was nice enough.
I took advantage of Exene having the boys Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning to finish the editing of the third book I'm trying to sell. I'm going to get that out the door this week. All part of increasing the odds, getting the product out the door! After that, not sure what I'll work on next. I have to take stock, see what I should work on next. It's all about getting the books out that I can get out the quickest, rather than the drafts that require more massaging to get finalized. It's nice to have that much material to fall back on, however, to be in the position of having to choose what to send out the door, and having more, rather than less material.
Some SF ideas that I've had in my head awhile are bouncing around in there, and I may indulge them sooner or later. I'm trying to eat my broccoli, writing-wise, and handle the business side of things, instead of diving into the fun of working on a new piece.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Magno
On a whim, playing HALF-LIFE 2, I took Dog's toy, a defused magnetic mine, along with me, just to see how far I could take it. The magnetic mines are kind of cute, bouncing along, pursuing you. This one, which I dubbed "Magno," became a kind of pet and/or sidekick for me on the game for awhile, bringing unanticipated benefits -- sure, Magno could be used as a deadly projectile by the zero point energy projector (aka, "Gravity Gun"), and would wander back to you in its bumbling way.
It served as a great headcrab-squisher, as if you weren't in the area (since it always tries to come back to you), it'll track after anything else moving in an area, and it proved excellent at chasing down and squishing headcrabs.
What's more, lobbing Magno into a zombie area worked like hotcakes, as the zombies would fixate on Magno, trying futilely to pummel it, leaving you alone -- basic zombiebait. I'd lob Magno at them, and it'd roll right up to the zombies, fully occupying them.
Then I'd just snipe at the zombies until they were gone, then pick Magno back up again and move on. The one liability with Magno is that if it got anywhere near fire or explosions, it would blow up, too. Otherwise, Magno was very useful, and it was great fun watching it go after enemies.
I managed to take it through Ravenholm, where it was a huge help, and even (after some effort) found a way to get it to Father Grigori, who didn't know what to make of Magno, and would shoot at it. The Ravenholm linkup was a bit of a challenge, as there was some kind of programming firewall that kept Magno from accompanying me all the way in the gondola -- it would be repelled by something midway through. However, I was able to launch Magno into Father Grigori's "parish" (hahah, "perish") and know it got there successfully by Grigori shooting at it with his shotgun.
Magno was a huge asset against the mass of cemetery zombies, as they just dogpiled the chirpy mine. I had to move Magno to the fenced-off area that advances you to the next level, just because of all the fire and explosions that occur in the main area. But with Magno happily bouncing behind the fencing, the zombies just piled up there, trying to get at it, making them prime targets.
I took Magno with me down into the mine, actually dropping it ahead of time, since that mine is packed with all types of headcrabs. It's normally a pretty horrifying place to be, but with Magno chasing after irate headcrabs, "Benny Hill"-style, it was amusing. The fast headcrabs would gesture in irritation, too, clearly trying to come to terms with their tormentor.
Sadly, I couldn't take Magno with me the entire way, because magnetic mines explode when they come into contact with water, and there's an area in the mine where you have to swim through a flooded part of the mine in order to escape, and if Magno goes beneath the water, it detonates. I couldn't find a way around that, so I left Magno in the main part of the mine, to chase down headcrabs and squish'em.
At least other Lambda operatives could find aid from Magno, if they got down there. I hated to leave it behind, since I wanted to ultimately return it to Dog, hadn't counted on it being so useful in the game.
Magno had no problem squishing even the big toxic headcrabs.
It served as a great headcrab-squisher, as if you weren't in the area (since it always tries to come back to you), it'll track after anything else moving in an area, and it proved excellent at chasing down and squishing headcrabs.
See? Zombies that would normally
be going after me are busy with Magno!
be going after me are busy with Magno!
What's more, lobbing Magno into a zombie area worked like hotcakes, as the zombies would fixate on Magno, trying futilely to pummel it, leaving you alone -- basic zombiebait. I'd lob Magno at them, and it'd roll right up to the zombies, fully occupying them.
Magno fucking up a toxic headcrab.
Then I'd just snipe at the zombies until they were gone, then pick Magno back up again and move on. The one liability with Magno is that if it got anywhere near fire or explosions, it would blow up, too. Otherwise, Magno was very useful, and it was great fun watching it go after enemies.
You can just make out Magno in this mass of zombies.
I managed to take it through Ravenholm, where it was a huge help, and even (after some effort) found a way to get it to Father Grigori, who didn't know what to make of Magno, and would shoot at it. The Ravenholm linkup was a bit of a challenge, as there was some kind of programming firewall that kept Magno from accompanying me all the way in the gondola -- it would be repelled by something midway through. However, I was able to launch Magno into Father Grigori's "parish" (hahah, "perish") and know it got there successfully by Grigori shooting at it with his shotgun.
Father Grigori (l) clearly flummoxed by Magno.
Magno was a huge asset against the mass of cemetery zombies, as they just dogpiled the chirpy mine. I had to move Magno to the fenced-off area that advances you to the next level, just because of all the fire and explosions that occur in the main area. But with Magno happily bouncing behind the fencing, the zombies just piled up there, trying to get at it, making them prime targets.
A moment in the gondola, before Magno gets repelled.
I took Magno with me down into the mine, actually dropping it ahead of time, since that mine is packed with all types of headcrabs. It's normally a pretty horrifying place to be, but with Magno chasing after irate headcrabs, "Benny Hill"-style, it was amusing. The fast headcrabs would gesture in irritation, too, clearly trying to come to terms with their tormentor.
Magno, last seen in the mine at Ravenholm.
Note the dead headcrabs (r).
Note the dead headcrabs (r).
Sadly, I couldn't take Magno with me the entire way, because magnetic mines explode when they come into contact with water, and there's an area in the mine where you have to swim through a flooded part of the mine in order to escape, and if Magno goes beneath the water, it detonates. I couldn't find a way around that, so I left Magno in the main part of the mine, to chase down headcrabs and squish'em.
Magno gets in a Fast Zombie scrum, driving'em bananas.
At least other Lambda operatives could find aid from Magno, if they got down there. I hated to leave it behind, since I wanted to ultimately return it to Dog, hadn't counted on it being so useful in the game.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Snow Globe
It snowed last night, like a proper snowstorm, and looked lovely. We didn't get too much snow -- maybe three inches fell? But it was idyllic, the big, fluffy flakes. Lovely stuff. I asked the boys if they wanted to go to Zoo Lights last night, but they both balked -- B2 even ran and put his PJs on, and said "See? I'm in my jammies!"
I'm revising one of the fantasy novels, which was around 82,000 words long; while doing so, I compared it with another draft of it that was 113,000 words long, and I decided to mine that larger version and put that stuff into the draft I'm working on, so I added around 27,000 more words to the book, making it around 108,000 words long, which is a nicely-sized fantasy novel. I think it'll work better at that length. I think I had dropped the size of it in the past because one character in the story kind of upstages the hero of it, and I didn't want that to happen, but there were a lot of good sections in that longer draft that I decided to incorporate, anyway. I'll make those work.
The boys are definitely psyched about Christmas, of course. And B1's birthday is right after the new year starts, so I always have double duty, giftwise. After that, things should settle down markedly. It's kind of amazing to think that Christmas is nearly here, and 2010 is nearly over. Lordy, it went by quickly.
I'm revising one of the fantasy novels, which was around 82,000 words long; while doing so, I compared it with another draft of it that was 113,000 words long, and I decided to mine that larger version and put that stuff into the draft I'm working on, so I added around 27,000 more words to the book, making it around 108,000 words long, which is a nicely-sized fantasy novel. I think it'll work better at that length. I think I had dropped the size of it in the past because one character in the story kind of upstages the hero of it, and I didn't want that to happen, but there were a lot of good sections in that longer draft that I decided to incorporate, anyway. I'll make those work.
The boys are definitely psyched about Christmas, of course. And B1's birthday is right after the new year starts, so I always have double duty, giftwise. After that, things should settle down markedly. It's kind of amazing to think that Christmas is nearly here, and 2010 is nearly over. Lordy, it went by quickly.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Leggo, Lego!
Lego's Minifigures are super-cute, but it's such a ripoff. I like this one...
The license plate is a nice touch. And this one is great, too, and comes with two additional mime heads, with different expressions, like a happy mime head, sad mime head, frantic mime head...
They're great, but Lego's got them way, way overpriced, the Danish bastards! So, I won't be getting any anytime soon, but they are cute.
The license plate is a nice touch. And this one is great, too, and comes with two additional mime heads, with different expressions, like a happy mime head, sad mime head, frantic mime head...
They're great, but Lego's got them way, way overpriced, the Danish bastards! So, I won't be getting any anytime soon, but they are cute.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Christmas Commando
I am a Christmas commando. Exene hadn't had the boys since, what, Tuesday of last week (she'd had stomach flu Friday, and balked at having the boys over, which I can't blame her for that), so I had been minding the boys since Wednesday, and so today is one of the only days I have this week to actually do any proper Christmas-stuff. I'd already gotten the boys their gifts, by and large, although I'd wanted to get a few more things, just for coverage. I don't believe in overgifting for Christmas -- in my view 3-4 gifts each is plenty for the kids (not counting stockings). So, I had four gifts for B1, three gifts for B2, and three "combo" gifts for both of the boys. That'll do'em just fine (especially since Exene's family is trekking to the city once again to dutifully drop presents off -- tough gig, I know. Were I still in the yoke, I'd be driving to the Outlaws with Exene snoozing in the car. But I'm not -- YAY!) Anyway, everything's wrapped and hidden away -- I love that I have a perfect hiding place in the closet for the gifts, and the boys never would even think to look there -- B1 because it'd violate his sense of fair play to even look for presents, and B2 because he doesn't realize that there's a perfectly good cubby in the master closet for gifts -- muahaha!)
Anyway, glad to have that all locked down, well in advance of the holiday. I never do last-minute shopping; not my style. But not having to worry about that stuff makes it even better. Especially since, with B1 on vacation, now, I only had a window of opportunity today/tonight to get that stuff all handled, because the boys would immediately suss out any Christmas stuff, if they saw it! Bahah!
Mission accomplished. Now I can relax, coast right up to Christmas. Exene's got Christmas Eve this year, since her family's in town; I'm getting Christmas Day. Important to note that, since next year, I'm sooo getting Christmas Eve.
Anyway, glad to have that all locked down, well in advance of the holiday. I never do last-minute shopping; not my style. But not having to worry about that stuff makes it even better. Especially since, with B1 on vacation, now, I only had a window of opportunity today/tonight to get that stuff all handled, because the boys would immediately suss out any Christmas stuff, if they saw it! Bahah!
Mission accomplished. Now I can relax, coast right up to Christmas. Exene's got Christmas Eve this year, since her family's in town; I'm getting Christmas Day. Important to note that, since next year, I'm sooo getting Christmas Eve.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Vae Victis
I was amused by some of these Overwatch chaps I dispatched in "Half-Life 2" -- their poses...
Nice stretch, right? Flexible fellow.
This fellow I managed to pin to the billboard with a crossbow shot to the neck, and was amused to see him hanging there, since I'd only expected him to fall, not to hang there.
This guy could make the Rockettes envious.
Nice stretch, right? Flexible fellow.
This fellow I managed to pin to the billboard with a crossbow shot to the neck, and was amused to see him hanging there, since I'd only expected him to fall, not to hang there.
This guy could make the Rockettes envious.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Days of Future Past
This piece irks me, for many reasons...
http://www.salon.com/books/fiction/index.html?story=/books/feature/2010/12/16/21st_century_science_fiction
SF didn't run out of things to say; it's just that people stopped paying attention to it.
http://www.salon.com/books/fiction/index.html?story=/books/feature/2010/12/16/21st_century_science_fiction
SF didn't run out of things to say; it's just that people stopped paying attention to it.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Sickies
B1 is sick with stomach flu; I got a call from Exene this morning, asking to come get B1, that he'd been up sick most of the night with stomach flu. Poor guy. I called him in sick from school. I've got the boys for the next few days, so that'll at least give'em a fighting chance, TLC-wise.
B2 hasn't shown any signs, yet (or he may have had it the other day, since Exene told me that he'd been sick the other day). So, hopefully he's over it, since I'd not like to have two sick boys at the same time. I'll handle it, whatever comes along.
B2 hasn't shown any signs, yet (or he may have had it the other day, since Exene told me that he'd been sick the other day). So, hopefully he's over it, since I'd not like to have two sick boys at the same time. I'll handle it, whatever comes along.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Birch Barking
C-c-cold
Way cold today, although, thankfully, not windy. But still, chilly, Chicago-style.
Worked hard this morning, crafting synopses and outlines for one of the books.
Mostly what I was up to today, just because it was a hunker-down chilly kind of day.
Worked hard this morning, crafting synopses and outlines for one of the books.
Mostly what I was up to today, just because it was a hunker-down chilly kind of day.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Writing Machine
I woke up super-early for some reason. Annoying, but I'll make it work for me at the moment. I finished the edits to the book I was working on. I like it well enough -- I remember why I never proceeded further on that one: namely, because it ends on a cliffhanger, fairly demanding a sequel, and, at least at the time, I didn't want to jump right into a sequel for that one. I had originally wanted that one to be a stand-alone Fantasy novel, not the prelude to an epic, since Fantasy novels have "epicitis," basically. And since the marketing of that one will require me to likely pitch it as a lead-in to an epic, which implies that I'd have the entire thing planned out to the end, which isn't the case with something like an epic. But I'm still hopeful that I can market it, even as I'm wary of the larger implications of it. I have a "sequel" of sorts for it I could adapt, and may have to do that. And/or, I may write Fantasy books that are set in the world I created and advance the story I set up in Book 1 with a big brush, without necessarily jumping right into where I left off in the first book. Not entirely sure at the moment.
What I'm not going to do right now is write something cold, right out of the blue; at the moment, I'm occupied with finalizing every book draft I have on file -- three down, nine to go. Just working my way through the stack.
This week'll be primarily occupied with marketing those three books, although I'm also thinking about which book to finalize next. Based purely on word count, I may do Book 2 of the Fantasy (I know, after the brooding above, I'm somewhat ambivalent about that, but if I'm working my way down from longest/most finished book drafts to the shortest, least-finalized ones, it'll be the choice that compels itself). I may bite the bullet (heh, or the crossbow bolt, as it were) and just press on with that, having the first two of the epic finalized, hoping that it'll be enough to entice a publisher, without having to be on the hook for Book 3. We'll see.
Otherwise, it'll be one of the Young Adult/New Adult novels, one of which requires a major revision/rewrite I've been putting off for a month or two. I'm being very disciplined, at least for the moment.
I saw "Black Swan" yesterday, and found I enjoyed it (had "Swan Lake" in my head for the rest of the day). I thought the casting of it was near-perfect, despite not being a fan of Natalie Portman's acting -- but in this movie, it worked, she worked. The director shot it in a style that made me think of a documentary, like the use of film, which added, despite the oddness in it, a kind of reality vibe to it. The movie was laughably over the top in a number of parts -- almost operatically so, amusingly enough, for a ballet movie. There was a little missing in the characterizations, and an unreliable "narrator" kind of thing that made it somewhat disorienting, but there were some good scenes in it, too. Winona Ryder's casting as a discarded ballet star was fascinating, given her also-ran status in Hollywood, anymore -- it was hard to see her in a fairly small role as the unhinged ballet casualty and not think of how her acting life has gone the last decade or more.
And that was something in the movie that was curious -- between Mila Kunis (as the young rival to Portman), Portman herself (as the ingenue ballet star), Ryder (as the fallen star), and Barbara Hershey (as the never-was/wannabe star/mom from hell), there was a curious unity between all of these women. Like past, present, and future all contending with one another and/or represented in one movie. Again, the casting director earns props for their choices, because they resonate.
The Black Swan dance was the standout moment of the movie for me, just visually striking and dazzling to behold, a literal whirlwind of sensation. Anyway, I enjoyed the movie far more than I thought I would, even with the dramatic limitations of Portman in evidence -- the directory adroitly moved around and through them, a kind of ballet of its own, I suppose.
What I'm not going to do right now is write something cold, right out of the blue; at the moment, I'm occupied with finalizing every book draft I have on file -- three down, nine to go. Just working my way through the stack.
This week'll be primarily occupied with marketing those three books, although I'm also thinking about which book to finalize next. Based purely on word count, I may do Book 2 of the Fantasy (I know, after the brooding above, I'm somewhat ambivalent about that, but if I'm working my way down from longest/most finished book drafts to the shortest, least-finalized ones, it'll be the choice that compels itself). I may bite the bullet (heh, or the crossbow bolt, as it were) and just press on with that, having the first two of the epic finalized, hoping that it'll be enough to entice a publisher, without having to be on the hook for Book 3. We'll see.
Otherwise, it'll be one of the Young Adult/New Adult novels, one of which requires a major revision/rewrite I've been putting off for a month or two. I'm being very disciplined, at least for the moment.
I saw "Black Swan" yesterday, and found I enjoyed it (had "Swan Lake" in my head for the rest of the day). I thought the casting of it was near-perfect, despite not being a fan of Natalie Portman's acting -- but in this movie, it worked, she worked. The director shot it in a style that made me think of a documentary, like the use of film, which added, despite the oddness in it, a kind of reality vibe to it. The movie was laughably over the top in a number of parts -- almost operatically so, amusingly enough, for a ballet movie. There was a little missing in the characterizations, and an unreliable "narrator" kind of thing that made it somewhat disorienting, but there were some good scenes in it, too. Winona Ryder's casting as a discarded ballet star was fascinating, given her also-ran status in Hollywood, anymore -- it was hard to see her in a fairly small role as the unhinged ballet casualty and not think of how her acting life has gone the last decade or more.
And that was something in the movie that was curious -- between Mila Kunis (as the young rival to Portman), Portman herself (as the ingenue ballet star), Ryder (as the fallen star), and Barbara Hershey (as the never-was/wannabe star/mom from hell), there was a curious unity between all of these women. Like past, present, and future all contending with one another and/or represented in one movie. Again, the casting director earns props for their choices, because they resonate.
The Black Swan dance was the standout moment of the movie for me, just visually striking and dazzling to behold, a literal whirlwind of sensation. Anyway, I enjoyed the movie far more than I thought I would, even with the dramatic limitations of Portman in evidence -- the directory adroitly moved around and through them, a kind of ballet of its own, I suppose.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Huh
Firefox has a new update, this one with personalization of the browser, blah blah blah. I went with "Yakuza Paint," which caught my eye, although at the moment it keeps drawing my gaze to the upper-right corner of the browser, as my eyes are not yet used to the layout, keeping going "Huh? Huh?"
This morning, I saw a silverfish face a moment of indecision -- I saw it on the floor, was going to stomp it, and the thing was about to zig, then hesitated, contemplating a zag. It really was a moment, like "Do this! No, wait, do THAT!" I'm no fan of silverfish, but it was a charmingly mortal moment, and I actually spared the lil' stinker because of it.
I've got about one-third of the third to-be-finalized book edited, and looking to finish that up today. Then I might catch "Black Swan," which I'm still guardedly curious about. Beyond that, nothing fancier than folding the laundry I did yesterday, and minding the boys, who'll be here later today.
This morning, I saw a silverfish face a moment of indecision -- I saw it on the floor, was going to stomp it, and the thing was about to zig, then hesitated, contemplating a zag. It really was a moment, like "Do this! No, wait, do THAT!" I'm no fan of silverfish, but it was a charmingly mortal moment, and I actually spared the lil' stinker because of it.
I've got about one-third of the third to-be-finalized book edited, and looking to finish that up today. Then I might catch "Black Swan," which I'm still guardedly curious about. Beyond that, nothing fancier than folding the laundry I did yesterday, and minding the boys, who'll be here later today.
Friday, December 10, 2010
HL2
I played through Half-Life 2 in about 34 hours. I'm on HL2: Episode 2 at the moment (having nearly completed HL2: Episode 1 already). Have to hand it to Valve -- they made a sweet sequel to the original Half-Life. Vastly entertaining, marvelously rendered, devastating effort. Loved it.
Can't complain about the addition of the character, Alyx, to the story, either, although she can sometimes be...hmmm...distracting...
Saw a goddamned gnome statue in HL2: Episode 2. I tried destroying the thing, but it was impervious to harm. I toted it along for awhile, but ultimately had to get rid of the lil' fucker...
Mmmmm, Alyx, I'd never leave you behind...
Her face and personality are nice, too... ; )
I liked this writeup of Alyx in Wikipedia...
I found myself while playing the games talking to Alyx. Bahah! They designed her program well, as she does help you out.
Can't complain about the addition of the character, Alyx, to the story, either, although she can sometimes be...hmmm...distracting...
Saw a goddamned gnome statue in HL2: Episode 2. I tried destroying the thing, but it was impervious to harm. I toted it along for awhile, but ultimately had to get rid of the lil' fucker...
Mmmmm, Alyx, I'd never leave you behind...
Her face and personality are nice, too... ; )
I liked this writeup of Alyx in Wikipedia...
Since she first appeared in Half-Life 2, she has received very positive reception. She has received her reception for both her intelligence and her beauty amongst other factors. Play magazine listed her as their favorite computer game female character in their sixth "Girls of Gaming" special, calling her "the best partner Gordon Freeman could ask for."[4] UGO.com rated Alyx thirty-third in their "Top 50 Videogame Hotties" article, stating "Now here's a girl that you could actually take home to Momma. Alyx has it all: brains, good looks, and a stinging personality that can keep the comers at bay."[5] They later listed her at number eight in their "Top 11 Girls of Gaming" article, stating "there's just something about her that makes her unforgettable", noting her bond with the player and describing her as a "cute post-apocalyptic chick with short hair and a take-no-crap attitude, a rarity in this age of eye candy and cheeseball characterization."[6] Bit-tech rated her as the number one PC game NPC of all time, saying, "What makes Alyx such a popular supporting character is how believable she manages to be even in the utterly sci-fi world of Half-Life. The brilliant animation of the character combines with the fabulous voice acting and witty script to create one of the most important characters in a computer game, ever." [7]
GameDaily included her in a list of "Ten Babes Who Should and 10 Babes Who Shouldn't Meet Your Mom", citing her loyalty, her proficiency with electronics, and her sensible choice of clothing.[8] They also included her in their "Babe of the Week: Brunettes" piece, describing her as one of the best sidekicks in video games.[9] GamesRadar ranked her second in their list of the top seven tasteful game heroines, describing her as the "go-to girl for female leads", describing her as one of the most human female video game characters.[10] The Game Reviews editor Mark Fujii listed Alyx as one of their "top 10 video game women who don't use sex to sell", stating that she is as fantastic as video game characters get. He describes her as "smart, funny, belligerent, charming, and cute even with her grungy attire and boyish haircut", adding that gamers grew to love her due to her personality, not looks, citing the negative reaction to a mod that gave her a sexier appearance.[11] Topless Robot named her one of the "11 Most Dignified Videogame Heroines", citing that while she was a secondary character she was still very prominent, though despite her strengths she fulfilled the cliche of a "summer movie heroine".[12] GamesRadar named her "Miss 2004" in their article on the sexiest new characters of the decade, stating that giving her the award required no debate amongst the staff. She was described as brainy and strong-willed, as well as "relentlessly up-beat, funny, and friendly" in the face of peril.[13] They also listed her as one of the top 25 best new characters of the decade, again citing her head-strong attitude and pleasant personality. They described her as one of the first non-playable characters to deviate from the standard.[14]
Alyx was featured in a series of promotional images released by Valve Corporation spoofing an Apple Inc. commercial.[15]
I found myself while playing the games talking to Alyx. Bahah! They designed her program well, as she does help you out.
Winterland
It snowed again last night; not a lot, but a pleasant dusting that left the city looking all winter-sweet.
I'm about one-third done with the editing/revision of one of the fantasy novels. I should have this "finalized" by week's end, and on from there. With that one done, I'm likely to do another fantasy novel, same finalizing treatment for it, and then on to one of the "Contemporary" ones.
I'm about one-third done with the editing/revision of one of the fantasy novels. I should have this "finalized" by week's end, and on from there. With that one done, I'm likely to do another fantasy novel, same finalizing treatment for it, and then on to one of the "Contemporary" ones.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Scenes from the day...
New Volvo sedan, parked in the 'hood. Owner appeared to be sleeping in it/living in it (all their stuff in the back, cardboard screens up on the windows).
Very bright sun dogs today, dazzling.
Very bright sun dogs today, dazzling.
Mending
Getting better; the cold was pretty mild. The past few years, the colds that have struck me have been pretty weak, fortunately. I am not complaining, since before then, the strain of cold virus had been pretty robust.
It's been frickin' cold over here, but it's winter, so I don't dwell on it much. Good writing weather, as I call it.
I love this monologue by Keith Olbermann -- gotta love pissed-off liberals. Our country needs far more of them...
No Peace Through Appeasement
I bought the boys' Christmas presents -- now the challenge will be sneaking them into the apartment -- B2 in particular is eagle-eyed, always on the lookout for things. I am a holiday ninja, with a great track record of non-discovery of presents, but I'll have to bring my A-game with B2 out and about. B1 is usually more concerned about computer games than incoming packages. My hiding place is in the master closet, which is cavernous. There's an area to the side of it where I can secret presents, and it's perfectly screened by clothes. Muahaha!
On the writing front, I keep working on final revisions of books that are nearly ready to go. I want as many of them finalized as possible, to get'em out the door to publishers, just to play the odds. For me, it's purely about word counts -- those with the highest word count are getting consideration first, and I'm working my way down from there.
So, that means tackling a pair of Fantasy novels, then a Young Adult/New Adult novel. After that, another Horror novel (that'll bring my total to three Horror novels, although two of them could perhaps be marketed as Supernatural Thrillers -- that's something I wrestle with a lot, like the genre marketing of such things). After that, not sure what I'll do, next. I'll let you know when I get there.
It's been frickin' cold over here, but it's winter, so I don't dwell on it much. Good writing weather, as I call it.
I love this monologue by Keith Olbermann -- gotta love pissed-off liberals. Our country needs far more of them...
No Peace Through Appeasement
I bought the boys' Christmas presents -- now the challenge will be sneaking them into the apartment -- B2 in particular is eagle-eyed, always on the lookout for things. I am a holiday ninja, with a great track record of non-discovery of presents, but I'll have to bring my A-game with B2 out and about. B1 is usually more concerned about computer games than incoming packages. My hiding place is in the master closet, which is cavernous. There's an area to the side of it where I can secret presents, and it's perfectly screened by clothes. Muahaha!
On the writing front, I keep working on final revisions of books that are nearly ready to go. I want as many of them finalized as possible, to get'em out the door to publishers, just to play the odds. For me, it's purely about word counts -- those with the highest word count are getting consideration first, and I'm working my way down from there.
So, that means tackling a pair of Fantasy novels, then a Young Adult/New Adult novel. After that, another Horror novel (that'll bring my total to three Horror novels, although two of them could perhaps be marketed as Supernatural Thrillers -- that's something I wrestle with a lot, like the genre marketing of such things). After that, not sure what I'll do, next. I'll let you know when I get there.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
*KOFF KOFF KOFF*
Finally got a cold. I was wondering if I'd be able to make it through the winter season without one, but no dice. Nothing too major, fortunately, but it's still irritating, and is lounging in my lungs, wearing me out. I just need some rest.
Had odd dreams last night; one had me walking in at some employer and talking up my good points with an employee there, a kind of ad hoc interview. I'm sure that's just some part of my brain trying to deal with the logistics of this bad economy.
It's supposed to be supercold in the city today. The high is only going to be 23 degrees. Brrr. I lost one of my superwarm polartec gloves. Not sure where the stinker went. Hate that.
I have to craft a new query letter for the next book that's ready to go out the door this month. Query letters are the worst; everything hinges on those handful of words. So much depends on so little.
Had odd dreams last night; one had me walking in at some employer and talking up my good points with an employee there, a kind of ad hoc interview. I'm sure that's just some part of my brain trying to deal with the logistics of this bad economy.
It's supposed to be supercold in the city today. The high is only going to be 23 degrees. Brrr. I lost one of my superwarm polartec gloves. Not sure where the stinker went. Hate that.
I have to craft a new query letter for the next book that's ready to go out the door this month. Query letters are the worst; everything hinges on those handful of words. So much depends on so little.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Word Up!
In preparation for my latest round of fiction-flinging (that is, trying to get publishers to take my stuff), I did a bit of an audit of my work, and was pleased with the numbers, all the stuff I've written from 2002 to present.
Calculating everything, I've written over 1,000,000 words in that span of time! Woo hoo! There's nearly 700,000 words stretched over 12 novels, and over 313,000 words in 32 short stories -- this doesn't even factor in various fragments and false starts, but actual completed drafts. That makes me very happy. I'm a publisher's dream, if they'd only take note. Even working full-time, with Exene in the mix for nearly all of those years, I was able to be both productive and prolific. Of the books, there are six Fantasy novels, three Young Adult, one Science Fiction, two Horror.
I'm well pleased with my results. I haven't even gotten started, truly. Plenty more stuff to write, things to do, all of that good stuff.
Calculating everything, I've written over 1,000,000 words in that span of time! Woo hoo! There's nearly 700,000 words stretched over 12 novels, and over 313,000 words in 32 short stories -- this doesn't even factor in various fragments and false starts, but actual completed drafts. That makes me very happy. I'm a publisher's dream, if they'd only take note. Even working full-time, with Exene in the mix for nearly all of those years, I was able to be both productive and prolific. Of the books, there are six Fantasy novels, three Young Adult, one Science Fiction, two Horror.
I'm well pleased with my results. I haven't even gotten started, truly. Plenty more stuff to write, things to do, all of that good stuff.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Swan Song
For some reason, I keep waking up around 2:30 a.m. -- I've done so the past few days. No idea why, but it's irksome, as it futzes with my sleep cycle a bit.
I'm thinking I might catch "Black Swan" tomorrow. The notion of a "ballet thriller" seems kind of amusing to me, and while Natalie Portman has never impressed me as an actress, the concept of the movie seems intriguing enough to give it a go. I just might catch it.
Black Swan
But I might also resist that temptation and NOT catch it, too. I mean, Portman, Winona Ryder AND Mila Kunis in one movie? Acting powerhouses like that? *SCOFF*
NYT seemed to like it well enough, a kind of guarded praise. SLATE's Dana Stevens didn't like it, and SALON's Andrew O'Hehir gushed about it. SALON's film reviewers are usually full of shit; they have a film aesthetic that is far from mine. I'll see what Ebert thought of it, and maybe check the READER, too. I may simply hold out for TRON. ; )
(looking up the other reviews)
Here's a fairly useful review...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/03/MVPA1GJG6L.DTL
Ebert gave it 3.5 stars, while viewers gave it 3 stars. Hmm. Maybe I'll wait another week and decide. Or not.
I'm thinking I might catch "Black Swan" tomorrow. The notion of a "ballet thriller" seems kind of amusing to me, and while Natalie Portman has never impressed me as an actress, the concept of the movie seems intriguing enough to give it a go. I just might catch it.
Black Swan
But I might also resist that temptation and NOT catch it, too. I mean, Portman, Winona Ryder AND Mila Kunis in one movie? Acting powerhouses like that? *SCOFF*
NYT seemed to like it well enough, a kind of guarded praise. SLATE's Dana Stevens didn't like it, and SALON's Andrew O'Hehir gushed about it. SALON's film reviewers are usually full of shit; they have a film aesthetic that is far from mine. I'll see what Ebert thought of it, and maybe check the READER, too. I may simply hold out for TRON. ; )
(looking up the other reviews)
Here's a fairly useful review...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/03/MVPA1GJG6L.DTL
Ebert gave it 3.5 stars, while viewers gave it 3 stars. Hmm. Maybe I'll wait another week and decide. Or not.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Decembrist
We got our first snow yesterday; nothing major, just blustery and cold, no real accumulation. But the boys were thrilled, and it was fun to see their joy.
I finished the draft of another book, and am now going through it for a speedy review, rewrite, and revision (R3). I'm pretty happy with it. I'd call it a "supernatural thriller" for lack of a better term.
Once that one and its sister are out the door, I'll go to work on finishing a third, one which is nearly done. Same R3 treatment for that one, get that one out there, too. That one is a magic realism kind of book.
After that, I'm not sure what I'll work on, next. I have several prospective book ideas. I might work on some short stories and sling those out while I'm deciding.
I finished the draft of another book, and am now going through it for a speedy review, rewrite, and revision (R3). I'm pretty happy with it. I'd call it a "supernatural thriller" for lack of a better term.
Once that one and its sister are out the door, I'll go to work on finishing a third, one which is nearly done. Same R3 treatment for that one, get that one out there, too. That one is a magic realism kind of book.
After that, I'm not sure what I'll work on, next. I have several prospective book ideas. I might work on some short stories and sling those out while I'm deciding.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Most Boring Day?
Saw this blurb on NPR's website, was amused by it...
Is April 11, 1954 the most boring day?
That makes me snicker.
Is April 11, 1954 the most boring day?
That makes me snicker.
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