Today, one of terri_osborne's coworkers had surgery. She has no family in the area, so Terri volunteered to pick her up from the hospital and take her home, and I went along, too, as I know the neighborhood she lives in, and there was no guarantee she'd be in any condition to direct the cabbie home (she lives in Inwood, which is off the usual yellow cab's beaten path).

She was supposed to get out of recover at 1.30, so of course, she got out at 4.15. *laughs* Luckily, I had a book to read and my Treo (though I finished the book and the battery on my Treo was almost dead ere long). But it was worth it, as Terri's coworker really needed someone to get her home.

As I said to Terri, what's the good of being freelance if you can't do stuff like this? Hell, what's the good of being human if you can't do stuff like this?

After a 30-minute nap, I went to karate and fighting class. The latter felt better, though I still need to train myself to get my arms up when there's a kick toward my head. I keep ducking, which is entirely the wrong thing to do. *sigh* And in regular class, I still need to work on the part of Pinan kata #5 where you jump in the air and land in a hook stance. There's an adult tournament the last week in June that I intend to participate in, and I'll likely be competing against two advanced brown belts (Dorian and Liza) who are really good. (There's only one other brown belt in the dojo right now, and his attendance is sufficiently sporadic that I doubt he'll enter the tournament.)

Also found out in class that the son of one of the black belts is going to be (along with his writing partner) the show-runner on Life on Mars, which was their consolation prize for October Road being cancelled. *laughs*

If you find yourself driving in central Iowa, beware, there is another Coleman on the road.

WSPA-1 aka nainian got his drivers license today.

The beard has been grey for awhile now, expect the rest of the hair on my head to change soon.

I'm proud of him

In Crosby Park
Hand Above The Water
Home Again
Only Coffee House In Town
Hey Dad
Ghosts
How Can I Miss You?
Hides

I think that was it. I made up a list of a bunch of songs and picked as I went along. It was a good set. The first three songs were all on the 12 string, and went ok.
Someone was filming it, so some of these may end up on You Tube in a few weeks.

Speaking of which ... does anyone have film of WSPA2 and myself at Marscon ... I really would like to see it.

Delia passed the third screening!

Delia is testing for black belt on Friday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m.

You are all invited. Drop me a comment if you are interested in attending.

She is particularly proud that she passed the first time through.

Here's a link to the Giant Pool of Money, Explained This American Life episode.

Ira Glass has the worst case of laryngitis I've ever heard.

Right now I have the urge to plug in DDR and set it up so I can disco with our cats. Take that three a.m. wake up calls! 'Course it might be hard to get Zak out of the couch cushions for it; Rimmon probably would do it for about 2.4 seconds, then fall down and beg for treats.

I'm also obsessed with the idea of making bento boxes right now so this is a necessity. I wants! Although? Octo-dogs? Yeah, not my thing.

Looking at my schedule; it's quite busy especially with the working out thing and the moving to a quieter neighborhood thing. Not to mention the butt-load of movies we want to see, flamesrising's birthday next week, and WisCon.

What's everyone else up to? Enjoying your Spring like we are?

One of the perennial concerns of the Wiscon regulars, pacing the rest of the white left, is "Where are all the people of color? Why don't they want to hang out with us!" Well, of course few people want to hang out with SF nerds regardless of politics, but Wiscon does itself no favors when it launches panels asking whether or not the Mexicans are coming over here and stealing our jobs magical realism is real genre of fiction.

And then there's these two panels, extra hilarious in their juxtaposition:

"Elves are slim, tall, light-skinned forest-lovers. Dwarves are stout, working-class, good craftsmen. Asians are good with math. Jews have a natural gift with money. Issues of racial stereotyping in fantasy are generally passed over pretty lightly. If a race of lizards are portrayed as slow-moving and lazy, well, that's to be expected, they're cold-blooded, right? They're biologically different from the rest of us. Is it OK to casually make generalizations and judgments about cultures and races in SF/F, whether real or imaginary, or this dangerous racism? Do responsible authors owe it to their readers to avoid using simple biological imperatives instead of carefully developing alternate cultures? And what of the characters that rebel against the norm? Are they brave iconoclasts, or merely the exception that proves the rule?"

and

"Indigenous peoples everywhere have experienced the natural world as imbued with spirit. Their beliefs, long dismissed as superstition, are now being echoed in the findings of quantum physics. Which SF/F works address this fusion of environmental science and spiritual truth, and how persuasively do they make the point?"



Show your work in the comments!

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lagringa/~3/289811536/5-yrs-for-jealousy.html

The other day I was passed a telephone number. This phone number belonged to my ex-stepmother's brother, who at one time when I was really young, was my boyfriend. I called him to try to find out whatever I could about my brother.

So I'm sitting on the porch talking, giggling, and asking questions about the family, what he's been up to, etc. I mean the last time I saw him was when my dad died eleven years ago and in a sense, I mean this is someone I grew up with. I must've been about 14 years old when we dated.

The Mexican knew I had a phone number to try to contact my brother but had no clue to exactly who the number belonged to. Anyway ...

I get off the phone and sit down in front of the computer.

A few minutes later I called the Chinese restaurant to place an order and after I get off the phone the Mexican asks who I had been talking to. I told him and updated him on the my brother's where abouts, etc. ... then I added that the guy was an old boyfriend of mine.

Why did I do that?

There's one thing that my Mexican has in common with most, he's pretty jealous. And boy oh boy did he hit the roof.

We were all gonna ride to the Chinese place to pick up our food but oh no, because he's pissed off he sits down on the couch and refuses to go anywhere. I laughed at first because I really didn't think he was serious but he WAS!

After a few minutes of begging him to c'mon-I gave up. Then I got pissed off. I still can't believe that he was genuinely mad over it because it just doesn't seem like him. So because I can be a witch of sorts (I have to nag) I had to throw up a law in Mexico to him today to let him know that his jealousy is punishable by law.

Jealous? Could cost you five years in jail just for not talking or having sex with your wife. This law was passed last year to help protect women against domestic violence since 75% of murdered Mexican women in Mexico are murdered by their jealous husbands.

I don't know if this law is still effective or not but I think we need one here in the states too.

The Mexican is still sour pussed about the whole thing and when I began talking about the law he tried to snub me off; he didn't even wanna hear it.

I do have to admit that even though he did make me mad over the whole situation I kinda like the flare of jealousy because that means he still loves me right? Shhhhh... don't tell him. I can still act like I'm mad at him until he gets in a better mood. :-)

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lagringa/~3/289811537/stimulus-check-woes.html

I still haven't accepted the fact that I'm not getting one of those stimulus checks yet and I just don't think I've had enough time for it to sink in. It's like watching somebody eat the last ice cream cone when you REALLY want one!

I'm mad and I'm jealous of everyone else who is getting a stimulus check. I was really beginning to have a lil bit of faith in my government for a change (yea right) and I've come to a conclusion.

If the boys on Capitol Hill refuse to get off of their duffs and protect the rights of working people like me then I'm looking to the boys of the deep south ... this next cartoon sums it up. Why not give somebody else a chance to work?

Forget Chuck Schumer ... I want my stimulus check!!!!

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lagringa/~3/289811539/vanity-fares-proust-questionnairre.html

The other day I was browsing around at RiverGirl's Blog when I read her answers to the Proust Questionnairre. Apparently RiverGirl is an avid Vanity Fare reader and loves the Proust Questionnairre.

I've NEVER read Vanity Fare! (I stoop with Cosmo)

Anyway the questions were really cute (I loved her answers) and I decided that it would be fun to see what my answers would be, and here goes ...

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A limitless supply of diñero so I can buy anything and everything I want.

What is your greatest fear?
That one of my children will die before me. I couldn’t handle it.
What is your most marked characteristic?My child like voice … everyone knows me when they hear me.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I have a case of the ‘no job too big or small mentality’, I tend to take on more than I can possibly handle.

Which living person do you most despise?
Gosh, there’s a lot of them too. It’s really a tie between my ex-stepmom and 1st ex-husband.

What is your greatest extravagance?
My Escalade.

What is your current state of mind?
Tired and pissed about the stimulus check I'm NOT getting.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Politeness … just spit it out!

On what occasion do you lie?
If the truth hurts me or someone else.

What do you dislike about your appearance?
My tummy, one too many c-sections!

What is the quality you most like in a man?
The ability to admit when he’s wrong.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Determination because I have known too many women in my life to settle for less.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Shit … I say it fifty times a day.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My children come first.

When and where were you happiest?
Growing up on a dairy farm in Kentucky. Life was a lot simpler with cows.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My weight. I need to lose half of me.

Which talent would you most like to have?
I wish I could sing.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Waking up every morning at 6 a.m. to go to work!

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
A fly on the wall.

Where would you like to live?
On my own private island far, far, away.

What is your most treasured possession?
My mother’s engagement ring that my dad gave her.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Not getting a freakin stimulus check when everybody else is. Wah! Wah!

What is your favorite occupation?
Wal-Mart greeters.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Nanny McPhee … I wish I could be her.

What are your favorite names?
Malaki, Caleb, Jordan, Liliana, Lalani, Leila, Lola, and Flossie.

What is it that you most dislike?
Child molesters, rapists, and murderers.

How would you like to die?
Highly medicated and higher than a Georgia Pine!

What is your motto?
If you can’t say something nice, try … try … try … to keep your mouth shut.

Wanna take the quiz too? Copy and paste your answers in comments or if you choose to answer these questions on your blog, post a link to your post in comments! :-)

I just heard from the illustrious slushmaster that Realms of Fantasy will be taking my short story, "The Radio Magician."  I think that means I'll be in Realms two issues in a row since they took "The Light of a Thousand Suns" at the end of October.

The entire new TOC is here.

Man... we went to Unlimited's information evening last night. We sat down and got talked at for a solid hour and a half. Amazing how exhausting that is.

Anyway. They have about seventy places for next year. In priority, they take the kids from DiscoveryOne, then siblings of pupils, and THEN they start looking at outsiders. And they use a ballot system, and then do interviews... gods, wish us luck, we're going to need it. If I'd known about D1 when the kids were little... ah, anyway.

Rhiana's all proud cause she got her first level librarian's badge yesterday. She's passed her 'green' exam. Go her. This is something she's done all by herself with no help or even input from us. Her growing independence this year is really chuffing me a lot.

So... guess I should try to actually write something...

Go on over to The Smoking Gun and read the Foo Fighters' Tour Rider! A very amusing read...

American Idol is on....and I've got one comment....

Syesha Mercado is SMOKIN'. I missed it somewhere along the line, but she just looked STUNNING tonight! I've acquired a real appreciation for women of color in the last few years.

1. That's right. I am melancholy.

2. I feel a little guilty, because life has been so busy and I have not been very good at staying in touch with people. If you need me, holler.

It's not so much the reign. That's fairly well under control right now. It's work, life, etc. I did get two bylines in two days at the local paper, and I led the sports section this morning.

Baseball and rowing stories from the Glens Falls Post-Star.

3. So my sister managed to get a quick game of "Guess who's dead?" in when I called her to get my mother for the annual Mother's Day call.

Wilbur L. Doctor, who had a profound influence on my life and on hundreds of journalists in Connecticut and Rhode Island, died back in March, on his 91st birthday. I will always regret that I never tracked him down to thank him, but then I don't call my mother enough, either.

I will probably post more about Wilbur later, but what digs at me a little is that I am no longer in touch with anyone who knew him, other than artisticphoenix who pretty much knew of him though my moaning about him. "Eh, Toscano. Is English your first language."

4. I just won at the Intertubes. Alethea wanted to find out the hours of the Smith College library during the summer. Then I asked about the book, which was "some book on costuming in Italian with the word d'oro in it."

I found it!

5. I have been so busy lately, I have lost track of the Red Sox. Horrors.

6. I love Triple A. I went to their website, and we know how maps that cover the entire kingdom, plus parts of Ealdormere and Aethelmearc.

From rowyn: The Difference

Am I privileged to have been encouraged to place my happiness and the people I love before my career and material wealth? Is he privileged to have been encouraged to pursue material wealth and judge his worth based on his financial success?

I don't like gender roles. I don't like one-size solutions. But I don't dislike them because they screw my gender. I dislike them because they screw people. Men and women. Anyone who doesn't fit in the right box gets shafted. Stay-at-home fathers and career women, male kindergartner teachers and female loan officers. Women who don't want children and men who cry when they're upset. Women who dress for comfort and men who want to be beautiful. It doesn't matter how you don't fit in, all that matters is you're swimming against a current of expectations. Silly expectations.

Well said. :)

-The Gneech

It seems the brewing pot for short stories has begun to boil. With "Athens Run" and "Jack's Beanstalk" out of my head, I left things alone for a while in the short category to focus on my novel.  Since then, I wrote a little something about "Metallic Feathers" for a contest, but was not able to finish in time.

On Sunday the pot must have started to boil, because yesterday and today I spent each morning writing, and put together a complete short story in a heroic fiction/sword and sorcery style. The tentative title is "Battlements", but we'll see if that stays. 

I think I might throw "Battlements" and "Metallic Feathers" up on OWW for a little change of pace for my regular readers. Both are complete, but still early versions, and I'm not sure what's missing in each. I think the metallic feathers is lacking details because its sci-fi, and I've never written any sci-fi. "Battlements" needs polish and probably some fine tuning.

As usual, I'll run them past my sweetie because her input is not only good it's from her!
Later,
Dave