… or left a comment, or tried to call and not gotten a response: Sorry, but we’ve been moving house! This means that right now is my brief and perhaps my last internet connection for the next day or two. The campus network’s security system is allergic to Linux, or maybe to having two computers hook up on a shared wireless account, I’m not sure which (or maybe it’s both), so while I’m going to set up the wireless router upstairs, it may not work for me until Monday when the befuddled internet guys get called in to fix it …
Tag: PERSONAL
“Realer” vs. Real Life
Real life is nuts, is screwy, and I just don’t feel like writing about it now. Except to sigh. But I did get some editing done, and finally, a story I started in 1999 is ready to go out the door. The title is “Realer,” and it’s a far different story than it was when it started out–but better, at once more brutally real and more hopeful. I think, anyway. That’s one more story to put into my send-pile, I guess. Since it’s appropriate for all ages, I think I’ll be saving it till I hear back about “Vortex, Inverse” …
Montreal Fever Dreams, and More Recent Weirdnesses
This oldish post at Acephalous reminded me of some of my more unusual dreams in years past. (And, SEK, if you’re reading this, the dream you reminded me of most was the Malatesta one, later on in this post.) I really do sometimes wish that I was more capable of remembering dreams, or maybe I just wish I had better sleep schedule so I would wake naturally and remember my dreams more often. When I do recall them, these days, it’s very unusual. But I have a few good ones I remember… Perhaps the weirdest dreams I’ve ever had were …
Fleeting Update
Let’s see: Personal Stuff Lime got a job today! Short term (till mid-September), but she wanted that, while she studies for the Neverending Huge Giant Evil Big-Boss (for you arcade game fans out there) Exam. For two months she’ll be working part-time in a hospital near our home. We’re going to Hong Kong next week. Just for a few days, because Lime won’t be able to travel the rest of the summer. I’m bringing my computer and writing on the plane, and for at least an hour a day. But travel is still travel, right? Theere’s a Korean expression I …
Night Guard Question
Langage barrier with the dentist, so I’m asking here! I got my night guard today from the dentist, to deal with the teeth-grinding issues I have when I sleep. But when I first got it, the thing was REALLY tight, like, to the point of hurting. The dentist made some adjustments and all, but it still feels extremely tight. He said it would adjust to my mouth and feel more normal after some time. (It’s made of hard resin.) 1. A website I saw suggested wearing it during the day (about 8 hours per day) for a week before trying …
No Art Ever Came From Such a Dulled Soul
A few weeks ago, Lime and I had argued about something — one of those dumb, petty, transient arguments that all couples have — and I went for a walk to cool off. As I walked along the street, I saw something awful happen. There was a thin black cat on the sidewalk, coming towards me, and it was so skinny that it reminded me of that poem of Basho’s about the girl cat, so thin on love and barley. Except that this cat wasn’t beloved, wasn’t fed on barley. It was so thin on rats and garbage, poor thing. …
A Good Birthday
It was, though technically we sort of celebrated it a day early. I made dinner (steaks, steamed vegetables, and even the gravy turned out!) and we had wine, and chocolate cake, and Lime gave me all kinds of terribly fattening but delicious treats — chocolates, shortbreads — and a very fine new wallet, which I have been needing. As for today (er, well, the 4th, which is technically yesterday but I’m still awake), my actual birthday: after my last class of the day (which ended at 7:50) we had some very expensive Scotch (it’s a long story involving my bad …
Back to Life…
Up for air again. I haven’t posted much of substance lately, and I’m not (really) about to start now. The editing gig I took on has hit that chunk on the exponential curve of increasing involvement where time for sleep begins to erode, where I stop even the minimal amount of tidying I try to remember to do, where I stop cooking or eating properly. This is not nice territory, but the gig is almost done, and the worst of it, I hope, is past. More time for other things, then: too-long-deferred grading, working on drafts, edits, submissions, my column, …
Un effort….
Mon ami Jean-Louis m’envoyé un courriel avec une “meme”, mais je ne le fait pas dans un courriel. Donc, je veux le faire ici! Mais, n’oublie pas, je n’ai pas pratiqué mon français depuis quatre ans. D’habitude, j’embarque pas dans ces affaires là, mais j’ai décidé de faire une exception. Ouai, ouai. Objet : me connais tu ?? Me connais tu vraiment? Par exemple connais-tu … 4 emplois que j’ai eu dans ma vie : 1: rédacteur technique 2: instructeur de la musique 3: technicien d’audio dans un studio d’émission (??? audio technician for a broadcasting studio???) 4: livraison de …
Grab Bag
Okay, well, straight from the title of this post: Good News: I have started a new novel, and it’s not my SF-jail novel (which I think I’ll work on, off-and-on, for a while, but which isn’t my main focus now): it’s a kind of a futuristic espionage thing, but with several interesting (I think) twists. So far I’ve mapped out some of the background, and I have a pretty good handle on at least two of the main characters. One of the main struggles for me will be to maintain neutrality when faced with the two vying organizations envisioned in …