Blocked.

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Maybe I should have a streetlight change color, and then a herd of elephants dressed in clown makeup and outfits stampede through Ann Arbor like it’s nothing.

I feel like pulling a and having the characters start bitching about the writer’s block.

Or maybe the elephants in clown getup.

Whichever.

No, you can’t play a were-shark named Chompy.

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Turkey Day was a complete success. Food, family, friends, and Apples to Apples. Turkey claimed early on, as she napped a few times. It hit and I later on. It appeared to have the opposite effect on . Note for next year: Bring a slinky for when she gets bored.

even got to talk navy shop with one of my co-workers when I took him and mom on a tour through work.

I haven’t shopped today, nor will I. It will be a stretch to get me to shop at all this weekend. I have no desire to contribute to the weekend retail hell, but I don’t know that I’m as militant as these guys:

Today and tomorrow, Black Friday and the aftermath, are referred to as Buy Nothing Days by some.

And from :

The 2006 Great Lakes Invitational Hockey Tournament is again fast approaching! This year the championship night is on Saturday, December 30. The consolation game begins at 4:30 p.m. and the Championship game will begin at 8:00 p.m. This year’s tournament features Michigan State, Harvard, University of Michigan, and Michigan Tech (Gotta have some yoopers!).

As in past years, I will be ordering group discount tickets from the MTU Alumni Association for the Lower Bowl of the Joe Louis Arena. The tickets will be $23 each, and that includes both games. Right now, I just need to know how many to order, you can pay me for them anytime up to and including gametime!

If you are a Michigan Tech graduate and want tickets, make sure to give me your graduating year with your order, and you will become eligible for a drawing for a free hotel room on Friday December 29 at the Marriot Hotel in downtown Detroit. Winner will be notified 2 weeks prior to the tournament.

I will need to have your orders by Tuesday NOVEMBER 28 to meet the time constraints of the MTU Alumni ticket sales, so don’t put off getting back to me!

We usually have a group of 20-30 going and always have a great time!

If you’re interested, email cramps1 at comcast dot net, and let him know that you saw this on my journal. :)

Here’s a little bit of the golden rule applied to real life:
Atheist filmmaker knocks on doors, attempting to convert Mormons. Thanks .

Aaaaaaaand… I’m blocked. :/

Horoscope

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Dear Grandma and Grandpa of the Taurus this horoscope has been prepared for: I’m hoping you will bring your helpful influence to bear on our little darling’s dilemma. I know that in your own past you once had to navigate your way through complications similar to those that Taurus is now facing. So even if you have died and are in spirit form, please bestow your advice and encouragement, whether that’s delivered by phone, via telepathy, in dreams, or in person. One more thing: Please don’t let your wise blessing get tainted by any lingering disapproval you might be harboring about the path our beloved Taurus has chosen. This is a time for your smart love, not your judgment.

Challenges

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Yesterday, I crossed the 10,000 word mark with The Glass Crown. The goal is 50,000 in 30 days, so it’s not the best sign in the world to be 1/5th done with 1/2 the time left. Heh. I’ve remembered, though, how much I used to love challenges. It used to be about winning, about accomplishing, about beating the impossible (or nearly so) goal.

Now, it’s about doing better, being a better person, real challenges.

I wrote nearly 1,500 words today. I expect to do at least that well tomorrow, and to rock out over the weekend. We’re going up to Gaylord on Saturday to visit and , and the two and a half hour drive each way will provide quite a bit of time for me to learn to get my flow down on the laptop, instead of in the notebook. On Sunday, works, and I plan to be writing for the eight hours that she’s at work, at the least. The write-in at Gone Wired won’t hurt, either.

I blocked hard the last time that I had a ton of time to write. That, I think, was half about actually having the time, and half about the unformed ideas in my head. I’m better prepared to make use of the time, now. We’ll see how it turns out.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if the sequel to my 5-year novel was half done in 30 days?

Sci-fi/Fantasy Meme

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Below is a list of the 50 most significant science fiction/fantasy novels, 1953-2002, according to the Science Fiction Book Club.

Bold the ones you’ve read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished, and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved.

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov*
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin*
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson
7. Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov*
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey*
22. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card*
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
27. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams*
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice*
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson*
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

Horoscope

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Dear Love Doctor: Please send a divine slap upside the head to the clueless guy I’m in a half-assed relationship with. He’s GOT to wake up to the fact that it’s high time to let someone, namely me, shower him with love. I mean, all the magic’s in place. With just a flick of his attitude, he could materialize me whipping up gourmet Cajun cuisine in his new kitchen–not to mention spicing up every other room in his house. Love Doctor, please cast a spell to get him in alignment with cosmic necessity. -Overripe Taurus.” Dear Overripe: I appreciate the ability you Bulls have right now to envision the best and brightest possibilities for your relationships. However, it’s crucial that you give everyone the freedom to bumble along, even if it means that for now they’ll be out of sync with the wonders you can imagine.