According to Sarah Palin's father, You Betcha left Hawaii because Asians made her uncomfortable:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/06/palins-father-she-left-ha_n_381724.html

One more reason for extremist wingnuts to like her.

My vampires like take out

My necromancers like to nibble in bed

My lycans eat table scraps.

My demon-eater adores Bloody Marys.

My tritons prefer Venus on the half shell.

My trolls have simple tastes: if it wiggles eat it.

"The reviewer clearly has no taste in prose, probably because they were too busy sipping lattes and sniffing their own farts to develop one, but the point still stands." Encyclopedia Dramatica.

Although they referred to me by name on the Nickolaus Pacione entry (he wrote a story about me called The Fandom Writer), they haven't yet done so here. But they keep adding to it.

I just have to alert them to the truth here. I don't sip lattes. I drink Folger's Instant and put one and a half tablespoons of instant coffee, add pumpkin spice creamer (when I can get it, it's seasonal) and loads of Hershey's coco, and then sugar. As to the farts, I don't choose to sniff them. I'm stuck with them. They're so horrendous you can smell them from the bathroom into the bedroom (seriously. I grew up on Tex-Mex and can't live without lots of bean dishes)

All kidding aside. One of the most important things in life is to learn to laugh at yourself.

It doesn't come easy. And I will get into that in another post.

-------------------

My friends and I have checked that entry several times just because they keep up with her so well. I've been getting some very strange PMs at various places and one of them claimed to come from a fan of Melissa's.

I encountered Melissa the first time on a poetry board that I owned. I did not go there often as I had set it up as a favor to a friend and then just became an absentee landlord who dropped in from time to time. The friends who ran it did not have the time to keep up with it any longer and I closed the board recently.

I have renewed the domain name. And I put a redirect to my main message board on the site.

For the past couple of months while playing Warcraft, I have been hollering "Kill the poooeeets"

I can honestly say that I am not certain if poets have cornered the market on stupid or whether other groups are equally obnoxious.

Then again, I may simply have become more cranky in my old age.

-------------------------

The 'washed up has been' bothered me for a day. Mostly because I have been slapped with that label so often since 07. But that's another story.

On the other hand, I chuckled at the image of sipping lattes and sniffing farts. One of the more interesting aspects of farts is one I discovered as a small child. Farting in the bath tub makes bubbles.

________________

And another note. I log IPs and I have definite proof that Melissa left that anonymous comment on the previous post.

I don't want another nitwit war. I have had three of them in the past 10 years. That's enough. However, I don't back down. So hopefully, the PMs and such will eventually stop.

So, Paolo Bagigalupi's novel The Windup Girl has been getting all kinds of rave reviews.  Here's a sample

Publishers Weekly: (Starred Review) “Complex, literate and intensely felt tale, which recalls both William Gibson and Ian McDonald at their very best… clearly one of the finest science fiction novels of the year.”

Library Journal: (Starred Review) East meets West in a clash of cultures brilliantly portrayed in razor-sharp images, tension-building pacing, and sharply etched characters.

SF Signal: (Five out of Five Stars) “Disturbing… beautiful, fast-paced, exciting…and also a novel of hope. Unlike many dystopian authors, Bacigalupi knows that at our core humans always struggle against any challenge. While we may not consistently do right, we consistently hope to do better.”

SciFi Wire: “[an] extraordinary, virtuoso, shock-immersion rendering of [a] transformed world.”

Nancy Kress: “The political maneuvering is constant, intricate, and all too believable. So is the inevitable violence. However, more interesting than either are the choices — moral, practical, philosophical, emotional — that the characters are driven to make.”

Io9: “The Windup Girl is obviously about the geopolitics of the present… and yet Bacigalupi never slides into moralism or judgment. All his characters have their flaws and heroic moments … Ultimately that’s what makes this debut novel so exciting. It’s rare to find a writer who can create such well-shaded characters while also building a weird new future world.”

BookPage: “The Windup Girl will almost certainly be the most important SF novel of the year.”


It has also been named one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and the San Francisco Chronicle, amongst others.

My request is this.  If you are a SFWA Member, please go over to the SFWA wep pages.  There is a free e-copy of the book waiting for you there (in the members only section).  Please give it a read, and if the mood strikes you, nominate it for the Nebula award.  Under the new rules, it still needs a few for nominations for it to make the final ballot.

Also, if you were a member of last year's world con, don't forget to vote to nominate your favorite novel for the hugo awards... (hint hint).  This applies to you if you are already a member of next year's Worldcon as well.

IMO, Windup Girl  is an important novel of SF, and I hope you all take the opportunity to give this one a test drive...  I'd be very happy to see this one on both the nebula and hugo award list.  I've heard a lot of people mention in passing that this one "should be on the awards ballots" but that only happens if people get out there and make it happen.  I'm not going to advocate for votes from the Night Shade company website.  But from my personal blog, as a fan, and as a friend of Paolo's, I hope you all give The Windup Girl a chance.

Like their ancestors of hundreds of years ago, they had taken a barren desert and built a thriving society.

--From "Coyote and the Gamblers" by Shauna Roberts, from the Return to Luna anthology.

The rover had been cold for a day when Christine found it. Parked in a yawning gully five kilometers short of the third route beacon, its still-gleaming silver finish might have been missed by duller eyes until Doomsday.

--From "The Platinum Desolation" by Andrew Barton, from the Return to Luna anthology.

Meet Shauna and Andrew today and get a shiny new copy of their book:
Mystery & Imagination Bookshop
238 N. Grand Blvd
Glendale, CA
818-545-0206
2pm.

"Scrooge has no honor, nor any courage." Minneapolis theater extends its run of "A Klingon Christmas Carol" through December 13th. Tickets still available!
http://www.cbtheatre.org/KCC2009/KCC2009.htm

I have a ton of stuff I need to do. The media is going nuts over werewolves, so I'm looking for ways ot get my Werewolf Saga into the hands of someone who can do something good with it. Have you heard? Yeah, yeah, New Moon leads the box office, but next year we have the remake of The Wolf-Man, and they're remaking The Howling (probably a really BAD idea), and there are new werewolf story lines in existing paranormal TV shows, and a new series about werewolves coming soon. I need an agent and a publisher that'll take on my werewolf books and get them in the hands of the fans. Scrybe Press is just ... well ... look at the Web site. That's no help.

Besides the query letters I'm writing for the existing books, I'm really, really wanting to get back to writing Nadia's Children. I finished an important scene last weekend and am all itchy to keep going.

But instead I'm working on something with more potential. I'm only about halfway through another round of edits on Ghost Sickness, which is not what I'd hoped for. I wanted to be done by now, but with the second job and all, I just haven't made it.

I've decided to want to do some tweaks to The Fetch and make it a real young adult novel. Right now, I think it could go either way, YA or adult. Carrie says her agent likes the guy voice in Ghost Sickness, so I'm thinking I should have a YA novel in a mostly guy voice to offer up sometime soon.

But you know what I'm really doing, right? (Other than blogging.) I'm about to grade a bunch of essays turned in late. I gave the students a lecture about how their final draft is due Dec. 22, regardless of when they get their rough drafts back. And to teach them a lesson about deadlines, I'm not giving these late essays back until Dec. 21. It amazes me how many of those students who were late think that lecture didn't apply to them.

Well, none of it will get done if I don't close this and get to work. Please don't forget about my Give the Gift of Lycanthropy contest to support Mission: Wolf!

Keys are still lost. Will try calling the theater back in an hour or so, see if we can get a real person. Searched the yard and car again this morning in the light.

But, aside from that!

Yesterday, Tim and I went to see a showing of a play called Equivocation. He and Becca had seen it in Ashland and were very impressed, bought the script and brought it home for me to read. So I did, and it was good, and when we found out it was being done here in Seattle, we got tickets.

Very neat play. There's a cast of six actors, most of whom have to juggle multiple characters and do a damn good job of it. The basic premise is that Shakespeare is commissioned to do a play about the Gunpowder Plot, but it's really more about the natures of truth, honesty, lying, relationships and conflict. Especially good insights on politics and fathers-and-daughters, which makes it extra good that Tim and Becca initially saw it together.

Okay, and we were almost in a car wreck on the way. Freeway line of cars came to a sudden stop at the offramp and Tim managed to brake with NO room to spare between us and the car ahead (who was also realizing at past the last moment that he was in an exit-only lane but didn't wanna exit, adding to the difficulty). We both were SURE we'd wham into him, or that the car behind us would wham into US, or both. Damn, am I glad my guy can drive. Massive adrenaline surge but no contact with any of the vehicles.

Rest of the evening was spent at home catching up on some TV episodes (Amazing Race and The Graham Norton Show). Today, up early and out shopping ... including the fixins for next weekend's holiday cookie baking. In a little bit here, we'll begin setting up the Christmas decorations.

Edit: or we'll have an argument before lunch and leave the decorations boxed up and piled in the dining room until we're all in a better mood :P

The Nine of Wands card suggests that my power today lies in remarkable gratitude. I am not a victim. There are no lost causes. "I've been there, done that, and know suffering -- but it's all good." I'm still standing. "Can't touch this." Self-pity is an excuse to do nothing. To appeal to sympathy for pity's sake is to seek affirmation of the choice to do nothing. I am empowered by the spirit and support of meaningful experience and I transform with silent resilience.

I am amused by this. Otherwise, I have so much going on in my head right now I don't know where to start. Maybe I'll be able to compile it later.

I also tried my new running shoes this morning. They rock. They are Street Lightnin'!! LOL!

Kath, you were right. They are much better than 15 year old glued shoes.

1. Interviewed Jeff Corwin
2. Interviewed a famous cartoonist (can't say who yet)
3. Got an old client back
4. Helped promote a PTSD awareness event
5. Got my health insurance back
6. Helped raise $1,000 for my local Lions Club
7. Had a great conversation with a complete stranger
8. Snow

After a very long day on Friday of working with problem students on the submission day (students who didn't have all their signers on their signature sheets, students who never did apply for graduation, that kind of thing), I hopped a bus down to Congress and 6th, and decided to walk to the Hilton Garden Inn. Walking down 6th, I was crossing a street, and a car honked at me. I turned to look and couldn't see who was in the car, so I gave them a "don't honk at me" look. The car then honked at me, so I have them a "who the fuck are you honking at, I've got the damned right-of-way" look. I then walked to the hotel, where I got picked up as a stray by some DFW-area fans and we went to dinner at Clay Pit (which if I'd known, I would have just stayed there!).

After dinner, we got back to the hotel in time for the ice-breaker. During a break, I saw kgkofmel and markbhall, who then proceeded to tell me a story about driving down by 6th street and seeing someone they know walking on the street, honking at that person, who proceeded to give them a positively filthy look. Hehe. I had my earbuds plugged in, so I didn't hear Kim call out to me and well, they've been having a good time giving me grief about that little incident.

Yesterday was a full day of SMOFfing. Some very interesting panels, esp the artist panel, which was excellent, with an excellent discussion. I talked to a lot of folks, some of whom I didn't even know. I think I have a position on the Renovations committee - I need to talk to spielmadchen. Had dinner at Threadgill's with some folks, took reudaly and nimrodjcs to Elsi's. Also saw R., which wasn't as horrible as the last time I saw him, but still rather unpleasant for me (and I suspect for him as well, who knows if that man has any feelings anymore - perhaps that's unkind. But at the same time, part of what's hard for me is that I of course still have very strong feelings for him, although I will never be with him, because he's not good for me in his current weirdly-damaged stage.).

Spent a fair amount of time last night talking to Warren Buff, a fan from Raleigh, who's chairing the Raleigh NASFiC next year (which I'm planning to attend).

I got home around 1:30, up at 8, and drove back down here for another full day of SMOFfing. Heading off in a minute to a panel on using social media to promote your convention, and then who knows after that.

At some point I have to go to the grocery store and get this week's food, I need to do laundry, and prepare for the week ahead.

But it's been great to see friends from out of town, although not nearly enough time with Laurie, Deb, Tim, and many others.

Wonder Twitter powers activate! Form of a Verb! Shape of a Noun!

• 15:25 Before the Internet, my pornography was the imagination. #

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The views expressed by Lucien Soulban do not reflect the opinions or policies of his brain.
-Lucien's Brain

1. Nick is alive and well in Shanghai and my conniption-levels are dropping below the red line at last. Also, Skype is my new best friend.

2. "Everything is better with Latin!"™ Even the making of Iron Man as chronicled by the Dude himself.

3. Gnome Chomsky. It's the visual that makes the joke.

It's not that there has not been things I've wanted to post about, it's that I've been a little overwhelmed lately, struggling for time and focus.

( In Which Michael Yammers On About Everything On His Mind )

• 09:14 Although the Moon's midday entry into your sign increases the ... More for Leo twittascope.com/twittascope/?sign=5 #
• 11:52 Get BLANKET OF WHITE, the perfect book for a snowy day: www.crimsonscreams.com/collection.htm #
• 12:42 Tiger's Christmas Wishes: amygrech.livejournal.com/166523.html #
• 13:30 I'm sending out a bunch of Christmas cards tomorrow! #
• 15:39 Christmas cards are done! Phew! #
• 16:30 It's finally snowing in NYC! I love snow! #
• 18:18 On page 800 of 1074 of Under the Dome by Stephen King bit.ly/8ruTUh #
• 18:52 Read "Damp Wind and Leaves" at Amazon Shorts: www.amazon.com/Damp-Wind-Leaves-Amy-Grech/dp/B000P6SM5O/ref=dp_shrt_new_0 #
• 20:58 Logged 1,500 words today! #
• 22:56 What does :P mean? I honestly have no idea? Please explain! #
• 23:05 Woot! Passed the 6,500 work mark on a project that's edging into novella country! This is a first for me--I'm psyched! #

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Please answer my question on Yahoo! answers.

It's inspired by a remark in Robert Byron's The Road to Oxiana.