Monthly Archives: November 2009

Where did the fiction go?

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In visiting the nearly-complete WordPress version of my Writery site (where you may be reading this very post!), you may notice a distinct lack of links to my fiction. Probably because it’s not there.

I am the first to admit it – I have limited WordPress-fu. What I will likely do is create a category for Fiction posts, and then create a page that shows only posts within that category. I’m hoping to find a way to limit the post list that shows up by default to that category as well.

In the mean time, I’ve posted some links to some new-ish and some old-ish stuff over on the Google Group. There’s an announcement coming up regarding The Remembrance, which I will make as soon as I finish fixing the dead links from the website update.

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Samurai Champloo

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Samurai CHamplooThere’s a striking similarity between this version of the Edo (?) time period in Japan’s history, and the futuristic setting of Cowboy Bebop – lack of food.  Not that there’s a general lack of food being grown or being available, just that the main characters can’t get to it.  I’m wondering if that empty stomach gurgle noise is the director’s cell phone ring tone.

The quest to find the Samurai that smells like sunflowers is long, convoluted, and mostly not the focus of the individual episodes.  Though the characters find themselves coming under the watchful eyes of several proto-Yakuza groups, enraged townsfolk – both legitimate and criminal, and secondarily embroiled in Shogun-level politics.

Really, all they wanted was a good meal and a good fight.  Oh, and to kill each other.  Four out of five stars.

Thoughts from Work

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So tempting to log into Google Chat from my Gmail interface.

More words down on paper on my lunch break.  Once again with the not much, but hooray for regularity!  I’m hoping

Horoscope:

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Dear Rob: I’ve read horoscope columns written by many astrologers, and yours is the only one that’s not prejudiced against at least one of the signs. You really do treat everyone equally. You play no favorites. But that’s exactly the bone I have to pick with you. I’m wondering if you’ve got a passion deficiency or something. It seems abnormal not to display a hint of bias now and then. -Suspicious Taurus.” Dear Suspicious: My own birth chart includes elements of both Taurus and Libra. The Taurus part of me has strong feelings and deep passions, while the Libra part of me is fair-minded and well-balanced. They’ve worked out a synergistic arrangement that allows me to maintain my equilibrium as I feed my intensity. I recommend this approach to you right now.

I think that my moon sign is Libra.  Huh.  Why do I have such a hard time with finding balance?  Is my Taurus set to override?

Chin strap for CPAP machine is at home!  Looking forward to a restful night tonight!

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Thoughts from Work

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Yesterday at work… let me explain.  No, there is too much.  Let me sum up.

I downloaded, installed, and used the Gimp in the space of about seven minutes to fix one of those “You’re joking, right?” problems.  The problem was a big deal, and I’m just thankful that the fix was quick, easy, and done.

This set the tone for the day.  Except for the quick and easy fix part.

I really want to build Hunter’s computer.  He’s probably too old for the Sugar interface, but I have to wonder if something like edubuntu would be too complex.  Probably not.  And then, of course, there’s the issue of connecting to the internet.

The preview for the new Avatar (not Airbender, which is also awesome) movie is amazing.  Watch it.  Now.

Thoughts from Work

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A supervillain guards my desk.  Watch out.

More words today.  About the same output.  I got into gear faster, though.  I started feeling the story again, and seeing the scene in my head.  With the zone that I got into, I could have written for hours, I think.  This is good news.

My elbows are being scratched by the insides of my shirt sleeves.  This means that the air has gotten dry enough to require me to use moisturizer.  Who knew that I’d need lotion to forestall painful elbows?  (ZHWOM!)

I’m up to two medium Tim Hortons size cups of coffee per day, plus one to two Diet Mt. Dews.  I’m still yawning.  This may just indicate an increasing caffeine tolerance, which would be bad news.  Get here quickly, CPAP chin strap!

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You posted to the what now?

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So, to deal with Susan tiptoeing around in my brainmeats, I’ve gathered the posts that mention her together as a set of links and posted it to the Google Group.  What Google Group, you ask?

http://groups.google.com/group/davidmcrampton

I will likely be doing the same with Todd’s story shortly.  The entries are much easier to read in order than they are in Livejournal’s reverse chronological order.  Just a side-effect of shared fiction within a blog environment.

Anyway, if you’re inclined to read, please do.  If you’re inclined to comment, that’s also welcome.  Good night, all. :)

Thoughts from Work

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Got some words down on paper again at lunch.  I don’t like my low output, but with a max of a half an hour spent actually writing, I can’t get too mad at myself.

Hunter’s birthday party went off really well.  All of the kids really seemed to enjoy it.  So, having kids birthday parties at movie theater = win.  The actual movie (Where the Wild Things Are), not so much.  Apparently, it’s nothing like the book (I’ve never read it), and it’s certainly not as visceral and violent as the movie is.  There were some pretty disturbing images, and I’m hoping that none of the kids ended up with nightmares.  It’s pretty much a dark movie centered around the Jungian archetypes of an angry boy with fear of abandonment.

Ha!  I can say that without any spoilers!

My wedding ring needs to be resized.  Downward.  It started slipping over the knuckle today.  Holy wow.

I think I need to start going to bed earlier.  It’s a constant battle between getting things done and satisfying my need for rest.  The chin strap for my CPAP machine has been shipped.  I’m crossing my fingers that this is the last piece to the CPAP puzzle, and that I’ll be able to use it nightly now.  Nothing left to procrastinate on.  I’m knocking on wood with my crossed fingers, for added levels of goodness.

I -really- need to pick up that Flobots CD.

Also need to gather links to the Todd posts from the Carnival and the Susan posts from Nocturnal Ambitions.  WordPress will either present interesting challenges for linking to fiction, or will make it strangely easy.  I won’t be able to decide until further play has been had.  Thinking about making Steven’s universe the same universe as Two Vampires.  Lots of things bouncing around in my brain, pounding the walls into new shapes.

Thoughts from Work

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How real is this?

Secret copyright treaty leaks. It’s bad. Very bad.

Updates:
– Hunter is having his last dose of Tamiflu today. Symptoms seem to be gone, he’s just got his usual fall sniffles.
– Cian has his first ear infection. When it rains…
– has a rotated vertebrae that is attached to a ligament that wraps around her hip. Muscle relaxers and exercises will coax it back into place, we just need to be patient.
– I didn’t vote yesterday. Instead, I took to the doctor. I would make the same choice again, but I still feel like a jackass. Perhaps I need to start getting absentee ballots. Unofficial election results.

Horoscope:
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the coming week, you will have the potential to articulate what has never been spoken before and to name truths that everyone has been avoiding. Uncoincidentally, you may also be able to hear what you’ve never been able to hear up until now and tune in to truths you’ve been oblivious to. As you might imagine, Taurus, you must fully activate both of these capacities in order for either to function at its best.

Stargate Universe continues to intrigue me. In Episode 4, the ship is still pretty much doing all of the work. I like the Ancient-technology-before-they-were-transcendent-beings that’s involved in Destiny. It’s definitely a cross between the Earth tech they’ve used in ships like Prometheus, but with an Ancient design. I still can’t get over how the basic shape is the same as a Wraith hive ship. Also – heartbroken overweight nerd in his early twenties… ack, flashback! Heh.

Oh! I am very, very, very happy with the copious application of actual physics in this series. Gravity used to brake and to accelerate, as well as relative velocity causing smashy smashy. Not to mention the difficulty of finding habitable planets, and how low levels of carbon monoxide in an atmosphere means that it’ll be nearly too cold to live, and have almost no vegetation. SCIENCE! In my Science Fiction! I wonder how much of this is John Scalzi‘s doing. :)

WordPress is still sexy. I’m particularly pleased with its ability to import across blog platforms.

Looks like I will be up late tonight and/or early tomorrow working. It’ll be worth it to finally get this done.