| RachelFAIL |
[May. 19th, 2008|08:40 pm] |
Dear RJ,
Thanks for submitting A Hat full of Leaves to Aurealis. It was read by two readers and myself and we all absolutely loved it. So I'd love to publish the story in Aurealis this year.
I still haven't finalised which issue I'll slot it into, but I'll keep you informed when I've made a decision.
Thanks again.
All the best,
[EDITOR]
This is great news, but also bad news. The reason it is bad news is because I had no idea Aurealis received the story. I love Aurealis, I'd love to be in it (being that it's one of the two big mags on the Australian scifi scene), but I never knew they got my mails. I often submit things to Aurealis in a curious way, and have done for years, but I've never heard back from them ever - no form letter rejections, no note that they'd received the story. I've queried a few times and still got a blank. I assumed that their email was dead or they used another form of contact to get submissions, but out of curiosity I've always sent them a copy of whatever I've got to see if they're around, and wait to see if I get a "hello" back one day.
The acceptance mail I got from them I nearly deleted, as it appeared in my spam folder, which I think rather explains why I've never before heard anything from them ever (or half the other magazines I end up sending fiction to).
Anyway, they want the story, which is great but also bad because the story was designed for Andromeda Spaceways, and it's currently in their third round slush. And this is the second time I've withdrawn something from Andromeda Spaceways. Which means chances are I'll end up getting blacklisted from the magazine with the best slush responses, submission tracking system and general records on the entire bleeding planet. And also the magazine that's 100% most suited to the kind of silly/funny fiction I write. And it's Australian.
I am, I realise, one of those writers that editors get warned about, because we're a waste of your fucking time. Because we're seriously, seriously stupid. I can't believe what a dickwit I am. I mean I *always* end up frikking this up, and always with the Same Magazine.
AGH. SCREAM. |
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| Oh serious! Oh drama! |
[May. 18th, 2008|10:46 pm] |
Writing
Yesterday went very well after a brief non-starter of a morning. This morning went well, and then most of the day went to crap with indecisiveness. I figured myself out (short answer: over-thinking things is bad), but by late night... In any case, I'm at least a little further along with Dark Wishes than I was. I'll probably think and work with other things this week unless the mood strikes me to work on it again. I keep feeling like I'm doing something wrong, but when I look at it, everything seems right. Maybe that's just a result of being into the material for so long. I took a week or so off from it and it was fresh and good for yesterday, even though the story stuff I was working on had already been set out.
So tomorrow: Surprises in my brain!
Family
My sister graduated college yesterday. And then next weekend she's moving to Boston with her boyfriend because he has an internship up there. We keep moving farther and farther from home, so I know it's gonna get tough seeing everyone as time goes on. That's growing up though. I'm gonna try to head up north on the July 4th weekend, allegedly some will come down at the end of July.
Video Games
I hit lvl 58 with my main in WoW yesterday, but I waited to head to Outland for today. Good call: that Hellfire Peninsula is a lot tougher than I prepared for. The moment you enter, you see this gorgeous outer space sky of Draenor... and then you see enormous fucking demons charging at you, held back by some weak NPCs. Even as you fly past all that once you're sent to the area's outpost, you see giant demonic war machines walking around. Later one spawned right behind me and blew its steam whistle. Scared the piss out of me.
It seems pretty fun, but I think I will head back to Azeroth and quest in Winterspring until I hit 60. Maybe grind some mining and get to affording that Epic Mount or something. Just seeing other people flying their flying mounts makes me want one, but I know that's a long, looong ways away. |
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| The Captain Is IN |
[May. 18th, 2008|11:41 pm] |
My new LJ avatars are pretty much done, just need to rearrange them slightly for the resize.
Now for the crew, villains, and mysterious benefactors. |
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| Ratchet and Clank Signed |
[May. 18th, 2008|01:33 pm] |
So I got a signed copy of Ratchet and Clank: Future from the guys at Insomniac, thanks to a friend who works there. I have a bunch of cool stuff i have signed now...
I'll write a more lengthy post when I have a time. This proposal I'm writing is currently killing me. |
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| Fucking YES. |
[May. 17th, 2008|11:25 pm] |
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Sammi and George invited me out to this English pub (with real Englishmen and everything!) called The Crown and Goose in Knoxville tonight and convinced me to go to Bonnaroo with them. I am praying to god I can get the time off of work for this (it's so far in the future that I can't see a problem with it), because I REALLY WANT TO GO. I love Sammi, and I love Bonnaroo, and most importantly, I LOVE WIDESPREAD PANIC. *drool!* |
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| A repeat rant. |
[May. 17th, 2008|04:42 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  Whine, whine, whine. | ] |
| [ | music |
| | "Mach Rider" | ] |
Okay, I know I've complained about Macs on here before, but ... grr. Apple, you guys really need to work on getting your mouse to be responsive. For the massive screen that you guys have on your computers, the mouse acts like it's still confined to a 640x480 256-color monitor. When I have to drag the mouse all the way down the lab bench to get the cursor across the screen, something's wrong. |
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| More Sketchies |
[May. 17th, 2008|07:49 pm] |
Been watching that new Spider-man cartoon, really enjoying it so far.
Plus Iron man.
geez, haven't drawn spidey in ages.
BONUS:
I'm working on a new set of avatars |
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| dominance, submission, and other unusual passtimes. |
[May. 18th, 2008|12:54 am] |
Well here's another place that the Dworkinites (kudos, Annie) seem to have wubbled into. Gender inversion is fun because it is fun. It's nothing about phallocentric what the piss ever. Some people get their rocks off on different stuff. So let them.
I'm so sick about women complaining about other women approaching sex in a way they find offensive. GET OUT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S BEDROOMS, F'SERIOUS. Other people having sex in a way that you do not approve of will not, in fact, Destroy The Entire Universe. I'm pretty sure the anti-gay conservatives in California are discovering this as we speak.
I'm also sick of the fact that these women are always self confessedly fat and ugly. Because for some reason that gives them the idea that they have more of a say, as a "real woman", that attractive people. Which is ridiculous. I can't count the number of thinner women who've been so upset by all that "a real woman is a size 12" shite that seems to go around, and it's pretty much the same bloody deal here. Attractive women are actually REAL people who REAL feelings and REAL interests and desires. Just because they seem completely alien to your own little fat and ugly world, does not invalidate them as bloody people.
ARGH.
And the thing is, these people aren't feminists in any sense of the word, as much as they'd like to claim to be. What they're doing is redefining the female role into something that suits how *they'd* like women to act. And that's just the same shit in a different bucket.
Now maybe I'm being too harsh here, and they just find stereotypes offensive. And y'know, I can appreciate that. But I think it's rather shithouse to limit the sex between consenting adults just because you want to have a whine about the representation of women. Especially if all parties concerned are just fine with the representation, ta very much.
Thoughts? Criticisms? Spanking with paddles? |
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| ...good grief. |
[May. 17th, 2008|07:55 pm] |
My hair is REALLY, REALLY bad.
I can't wait to get the okay from work for my three months 'trial period' and finally get my bloody dreads. There's going to be a LOT of undercutting, let me tell you. |
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| WOW.. |
[May. 17th, 2008|05:31 pm] |
It's been an awfully long time since I was really impressed by a movie.
These days they seem to rely so heavily on computer generated crap that they forget the importance of a good, solid plot; especially something with enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. I'm a demanding viewer, I won't sit there and be entertained. I need food for thought, something for my brain to gnaw on, and 'Vantage Point' absolutely delivered.
Granted, I had it picked less than half way through, but it still had me. And holy shit, I need to watch it again.
It wasn't emotional, it wasn't technical, and there was a huge lacking of whizbangery. It was fast, hit hard, kept turning on the spot; it was like a good fight, with the satisfaction of winning, even if you're spitting blood.
I don't know if it'll be as good on a second viewing, but I'm about to give it a try anyway.
Also, if anyone has any thoughts on it and decides to comment, please don't spoil it for anyone else. :D |
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| [webcomics] Wowio.com bandwagon |
[May. 16th, 2008|02:48 pm] |
WOWIO is today the only source where readers can legally download high-quality copyrighted ebooks from leading publishers for free. Readers have access to a wide range of offerings, including works of classic literature, college textbooks, comic books, and popular fiction and non-fiction titles.
I'm on the bandwagon now over with titles like Carpe Diem, Gaming Guardians, and Dungeons & Denizens. If you live in the US, feel free to download some comics. We get paid for every download, so download often! ;) |
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| Vote! Weather... Pins! |
[May. 16th, 2008|02:15 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  optimistic | ] |
Don't forget to vote today. TWC is especially funny this time, because Cheyenne made the incentive. Buzzcomix is, as always, one of Phil's sketches. It looks like we're not doing reruns any more, now that we're playing with other things on TWC. You can bookmark the voting sites and vote every day! Also, it has been my experience that you can vote for as many comics as you like on any given day, which seems odd, but what the heck. I've tried it, and got to look at lots of people's vote incentives on the same day. Interesting.
And now, I will talk about the weather. Which is gorgeous. We're getting a sweet Spring breeze that smells like everything wonderful. The cherry blossoms have been lasting a ridiculously long time this year, but the last few days we had a lot of wind, so now my part of Seattle looks like we had a sweet pink snow. Also, I've been enjoying walking through the anime cliché of swirling pink petals. Mmmm. I love weather.
I've been on the phone with the pin company, trying to figure out how to design stamped pins that are a little more 3D. They were really helpful, so we should be getting those Jäger pins in the next month or so. It's killing me, the amount of designs I want to do, now that Phil has opened the floodgates. (That is, he finally decided that we have enough money to start making all the things I've been wanting to make, as long as I do about one a month.) Woohoo! Mountains of swag, here I come! |
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| fucking dammit. |
[May. 16th, 2008|08:06 pm] |
Got Tabasco sauce in my eye.
I've realised why I like Rhianna so much. Her music's pretty much Abyss-goth. Umbrella is dark as frik, has pretty industrial background music, and a veeeery slow-goth-ballad style beat. Apart from Jay Z's wankery. I wouldn't blink if they played this at a goth club. She sure doesn't sound like any other R&B/pop singer.
...I told Andy to go to make me popcorn, and he's like, "Yes, I will make you poppy corn!" with a big happy I-like-doing-what-Rachel-tells-me face. I gave him a pat and said, "Aw, what did I ever do to deserve you?" And he says - THE LITTLE FUCK - "You didn't do anything, honey." And pauses: "I did something HORRIBLE."
Andy has also been discussing with me the fact that he has visions. This was spurred on because I bought him some Oliver Sacks and also because we're discussing religious visionaries. I've never met anyone who had proper visions before. Then again, I've never met anyone else before with six nipples. What a strange little boy he is.
No, not safe for work.
NFL CRUNCH TIME PICNICFACE
CUP CHICKS
( Atheism, and other things I can't spell right the first (or second) time. ) |
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[May. 16th, 2008|02:20 am] |
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Gaaah. I can't sleep. I'm too tired to work, and I hate reading archives. (I like to buy booooooks....) Maybe if I hit myself over the head with a hammer? Yeah, I'll try that. Ow. |
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| Oops, Japan |
[May. 16th, 2008|06:11 pm] |
Japan ese Scientists Conclude Their Research On Whales By Eating Them Afterwards
Now my head is filled with Sagawa-esque freakishness, because that's the logical connect in my brain.
I have new hair, which I dislike. It is Carol Brady style. No. No really. It's Carol Brady style. I know you're thinking, no, it can't be, but it is. I'm apparently going to be a colour model too for it. I have no idea what this means.
In other news, I'm definitely getting whiter. I've been looking at old photographs.
Why the piss is this? It's weird. |
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| Mind if I join you? |
[May. 15th, 2008|11:04 pm] |
Writing
Spats of working and not working are so annoying... But I'll manage. Got some ideas for work with those short stories I wrote a week ago, mainly because I realized they were more about being written than being read. I'll keep their original forms for the hell of it, but now I want to make them less exercises and more stories. Hell, one of them is mainly description, trying to get out the imagery in my head. Fortunately I've got an idea. I also got an idea for another short story... Not sure when I'll work on that one. It's half-done in my notebook, so I should do it this weekend.
And a week off from Dark Wishes did a world of good for it. I'm still going ahead with not sticking so wholly to it for a bit, but it's treading along fine just the same.
Work
Going well. Nothing to report.
Video Games
I tried out City of Heroes, the free trial. While I loved the character creator, the controls were way too clunky, and the game world felt very jittery a la Second Life. Before getting into look and feel and story and fun, I can't really enjoy a game where I feel uncomfortable with the controls. I think I've taken that for granted because it's been so long since I had a game with bad controls. Even the PC version of Resident Evil 4 felt better.
Probably for the best--I'm still kicking high with WoW, especially as my main Giantsbane is hitting higher levels and I'm getting into areas like Winterspring, Felwood, and Silithus, where I've never been before. Shortly he'll be able to enter the Dark Portal and the true content of the expansion pack I bought over a year ago will become available to me. |
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| Yet Again, I'm Still Here! |
[May. 15th, 2008|07:30 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  cheerful | ] |
Phil is drawing an awesome page. Just sayin'.
I've listed more originals on eBay. No Girl Genius pages this time, I'll start with those again early next week. Well, there is one design sheet for Agatha's Othar-Rescuing Clank (and what a bad idea THAT turned out to be...I know, let's turn Othar loose!)
Speaking of Othar, right now, he's apparently loose in Paris. Searching for the dastardly fiend who has stolen the Louvre.
Holy Cow, the pins are doing well. We packed a whole bunch of them today. Thanks, everybody! So what I'm hearing is that, in addition to these pins, we need great big fancy ones, and little bitty subtle ones. Hmm...
Make sure to vote for us on TWC tomorrow, Cheyenne sent me something WAY funnier than anything I've done to date. Waaaah!
My kids have a friend over, and he brought Mario Kart for the Wii and little Wii remotes shaped like steering wheels. So cute! |
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| I HATE YOU ASHTON KUTCHER |
[May. 15th, 2008|10:15 pm] |
It's been a while since i saw butterfly effect.
Good.
cos i hate ashton kutcher. still this has to be the high point for me enjoying him in a movie:
Alternatively:
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