Christmas Day went well - a nice family meal with m'mater, chum #1 and her parents and our friend from uni (many moons ago, seems like). I was quite busy the day before, roasting a ham with maple syrup, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. It was, I am assured, fantastic. The fact that I had to actively fight the collies off to eat my portions would support its excellence. I think I will do this every Christmas; it's cheaper to buy an uncooked / smoked ham and roast it yourself, and it invariably tastes better (even with the cremating oven from Hell).
Nut roast tonight with steamed veggies; pork roast tomorrow (we would have had the pork roast on Christmas Eve - traditional Danish fare - but I didn't check the cooking instructions until about 2 hours before we were going to eat, and it has to be fully defrosted before use. :( But, that means we get it tomorrow and I still have the red cabbage to do as well as the hasselback taters. 's good.)
I haven't done any more on the novel, although I've planned a short story (started out as a ghost story, but I don't think it is now). So I've got more writing to do, as well as a plan of things I want to do / complete in 2009. I'm working on the 30th of December (a librarian's work is never done) but then I'm off again 'til the 5th of January, so it's been a lengthy holiday, which is nice.
I have been blessed with Amazon vouchers for Crimble, so there will be a trawling through the book book - adding titles, deleting some I've decided not get etc. - and then there will be purchasing of books. Yay! Bibliomania will be appeased! And in between everything else I can watch Season 2 of Dr Who. ::blinks:: I need to check that all of the discs are working ::blinks:: Honest.
Anyway, Joy to All & Peas on Earth. Time to go and sort out dinner before the 39 Steps starts!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Adventures in cooking...
Having been given a bag of frozen prawns, squid, and mussels by m'mother a little while ago, I finally decided what to do with them last night. (We won't discuss how long they were in the freezer. It'll be fine.)
Chum #1 is currently suffering from the hanging mucosal lergy and felt in need of zinc (hence the prawns) and I thought lots of nice vitamins and minerals couldn't hurt.
So, sauted onion and garlic in olive oil; added two big handfuls of freshly chopped parsley, and two big pinches of Tuscan herbs (similar to Italian herbs except it also includes fennel seeds - yum).
I added the fish and then I cheated a bit, using one of the (Schwartz?) fish sauces in a bag (tomatoes, olives and rosemary) because I didn't have enough time to let a homemade sauce settle*
Added a small bottle of passata, 3/4 of a green pepper, 1/4 of a red one, a sprinkle of freshly pestled peppercorns, some chopped fennel bulb, and two flat mushrooms, also chopped.
Let it burble for about 30 minutes, added two handfuls of arborio (sp?) rice and let it burble for another 15 minutes.
Lovely. Nom nom nom.
*If you've got the time, and don't have a ready sauce then I would just substitute another jar of passata and add in fresh rosemary, some olives, some capers and whatever other herbs and veg you like and let it burble slowly for a few hours. You can always add the fish later** once the sauce has settled in.
**Otherwise there will be rubber shellfish to chew and your jaws will ache.
Mood: Hungry
Chum #1 is currently suffering from the hanging mucosal lergy and felt in need of zinc (hence the prawns) and I thought lots of nice vitamins and minerals couldn't hurt.
So, sauted onion and garlic in olive oil; added two big handfuls of freshly chopped parsley, and two big pinches of Tuscan herbs (similar to Italian herbs except it also includes fennel seeds - yum).
I added the fish and then I cheated a bit, using one of the (Schwartz?) fish sauces in a bag (tomatoes, olives and rosemary) because I didn't have enough time to let a homemade sauce settle*
Added a small bottle of passata, 3/4 of a green pepper, 1/4 of a red one, a sprinkle of freshly pestled peppercorns, some chopped fennel bulb, and two flat mushrooms, also chopped.
Let it burble for about 30 minutes, added two handfuls of arborio (sp?) rice and let it burble for another 15 minutes.
Lovely. Nom nom nom.
*If you've got the time, and don't have a ready sauce then I would just substitute another jar of passata and add in fresh rosemary, some olives, some capers and whatever other herbs and veg you like and let it burble slowly for a few hours. You can always add the fish later** once the sauce has settled in.
**Otherwise there will be rubber shellfish to chew and your jaws will ache.
Mood: Hungry
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Gaaaah!
I hate budgets with a great, pointy stick / head-banging / give me more caffiene kind of hatred.
They are all kinds of suck.
I am going home now. Hopefully, there will be cake. I know there will be curry - this is good. If it is followed by cake it will be lovely.
Mood: annoyed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Music: This is Gallifrey - Our Childhood Home : Murray Gold
They are all kinds of suck.
I am going home now. Hopefully, there will be cake. I know there will be curry - this is good. If it is followed by cake it will be lovely.
Mood: annoyed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Music: This is Gallifrey - Our Childhood Home : Murray Gold
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Tarot..who?
From wilde_tales
You are The Moon
Hope, expectation, Bright promises.
The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.
The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Nearly the end of the holiday...
Okay! Only four more days to go of my holiday and I've finally got round to getting the Internet access sorted out. I've made some progress on Model of Perfection, bringing the wordcount up to 16,116 words; I hope to top 20k before I head for home on Friday. I've also mamanged to read a fair bit (although, not as much as I would have liked. Partly because I've seen most of season 1 & 2 of Supernatural this holiday and that took me out of the reading somewhat.)
I have read:
Tempting the Beast - Lora Leigh
The Man Within - Lora Leigh
Elizabeth's Wolf - Lora Leigh
Nymph King - Gena Showalter
Atlantis Rising - Alyssa Day
The Rogue Hunter - Lynsay Sands
Blood Dreams - Kay Hooper
Turbulent Sea - Christine Feehan
Dark Moon Defender - Sharon Shinn
Reader and Raelynx - Sharon Shinn
My Wicked Enemy - Carolyn Jewel
Lord of the Fading Lands - C.L. Wilson
Lady of Light and Shadows - C.L. Wilson
King of Sword and Sky - C.L. Wilson
Sebastian - Anne Bishop
Belladonna - Anne Bishop
1700: Scenes from London Life - Maureen Waller
Women's Costume: The 18th Century - The Gallery of English Costume
The Period House: Style, Detail & Decoration : 1774 to 1914 - Richard Russell Lawrence and Teresa Chris
And also there's been sleeping, eating, dog walking and frisbee throwing; so it's all to the good. Although I wish I had enough holiday each year to be able to take three weeks in a row and not worry about not having much holiday left. And having the money for the cottage for three weeks as well. Photos to follow later because, of course, I forgot the cable for the laptop-camera connection.
The weather's been mostly sunny, with the odd bit of rain and hail - not bad for Pembrokeshire in November / December, especially as most of the rain has been in the evening. I have been palgued by a robin who keeps trying to come into the house for a look round. It had a wander round under the dining table the first time and now it just stands on the step outside looking at me. I usually give in and crumble some seeded bread for it. Giving in to the blandishments of a bird. tut-tut. I also saw, this morning, a bullfinch. First time I've seen one since I moved away from Dorset. They don't appear to be that common in Derbyshire and it was nice to see that they are still around.The only downside to staying in such a lovely cottage is that central heating is included, so of course we have it on. This does mean, however, that when we get home we're giong to be terribly nesh for a week or so as we adjust to a house with a back-boiler and open fire, rather than full on central heating as we have now.
Anyway, that's me and my little update. I shall no doubt spend most of the weekend going through all of my newsgroup digests and trying to clear all of those before I go back to work on Monday. It will be a definite case of hitting the ground running, but after a presentation on the morning of the 18th I can relax a bit and think about Christmas.
I have read:
Tempting the Beast - Lora Leigh
The Man Within - Lora Leigh
Elizabeth's Wolf - Lora Leigh
Nymph King - Gena Showalter
Atlantis Rising - Alyssa Day
The Rogue Hunter - Lynsay Sands
Blood Dreams - Kay Hooper
Turbulent Sea - Christine Feehan
Dark Moon Defender - Sharon Shinn
Reader and Raelynx - Sharon Shinn
My Wicked Enemy - Carolyn Jewel
Lord of the Fading Lands - C.L. Wilson
Lady of Light and Shadows - C.L. Wilson
King of Sword and Sky - C.L. Wilson
Sebastian - Anne Bishop
Belladonna - Anne Bishop
1700: Scenes from London Life - Maureen Waller
Women's Costume: The 18th Century - The Gallery of English Costume
The Period House: Style, Detail & Decoration : 1774 to 1914 - Richard Russell Lawrence and Teresa Chris
And also there's been sleeping, eating, dog walking and frisbee throwing; so it's all to the good. Although I wish I had enough holiday each year to be able to take three weeks in a row and not worry about not having much holiday left. And having the money for the cottage for three weeks as well. Photos to follow later because, of course, I forgot the cable for the laptop-camera connection.
The weather's been mostly sunny, with the odd bit of rain and hail - not bad for Pembrokeshire in November / December, especially as most of the rain has been in the evening. I have been palgued by a robin who keeps trying to come into the house for a look round. It had a wander round under the dining table the first time and now it just stands on the step outside looking at me. I usually give in and crumble some seeded bread for it. Giving in to the blandishments of a bird. tut-tut. I also saw, this morning, a bullfinch. First time I've seen one since I moved away from Dorset. They don't appear to be that common in Derbyshire and it was nice to see that they are still around.The only downside to staying in such a lovely cottage is that central heating is included, so of course we have it on. This does mean, however, that when we get home we're giong to be terribly nesh for a week or so as we adjust to a house with a back-boiler and open fire, rather than full on central heating as we have now.
Anyway, that's me and my little update. I shall no doubt spend most of the weekend going through all of my newsgroup digests and trying to clear all of those before I go back to work on Monday. It will be a definite case of hitting the ground running, but after a presentation on the morning of the 18th I can relax a bit and think about Christmas.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Progress XXXVIII
Can I just say that I absolutely love the OST for Doctor Who Season Four? A lot of the music is brilliant, but my favourite piece out of the whole album has to be The Greatest Story Never Told. Unfortunately, for maximum impact it should be played at ear wobbling volume.
Strangely, this is another piece of music where I can envisage being on the prow of a sailing ship as it moves at high speed through the waves. It will also do very well for the car, although with the dogs in the back it will not be played loudly as their hearing is much better (and more sensitive) than mine. The Voyage of the Damned Suite is also excellent, and I spent a lot longer listening to the album lst night than I ought to have done. (But, lunchtime tomorrow and I'm on my hols for 2 weeks (!!!!!2 weeks!!!!!!) so I can cope with a bit of tiredness.
Things on the job-sheet
1. Continue working on Model of Perfection (2 chs / 12,051 words in so far)
2. Revise 3's Company - reworking the beginning to take into account the new setup
3. Finish rough draft of the military short & revise
4. Start new outline on Rapunze
5. Plan / write something for the Realms of Fantasy Halloween 2009 issue {this one's tentative}
6. Outline some other pieces i.e. 1-2 lines per scene (F &SF shorts) {This is for when I get bogged down in any of the above, need a break and don't want to read / sleep / watch a DVD / take the dogs for a walk / or cook} (Hey, it could happen.)
Current Research
Georgian London
1. Maps
2. Buildings
3. Social / Political History
4. Clothing
5. Transportation / distances / times
6. Crime & punishment (including the other kind of transportation)
Model of Perfection
Total words: 12,051
New words yesterday: 2, 143
Marcus: Got Penelope to relax. But then she ran off.
Penelope: Not sure a lady would have relaxed that much. Ran off after eating most of the sandwiches.
Trouble: On its way.
Listening to: Voyage of the Damned Suite: Murray Gold
Mood: Sick. I has lergy. {It's because I'm going on holiday-it's punishment} ::mopes::
Strangely, this is another piece of music where I can envisage being on the prow of a sailing ship as it moves at high speed through the waves. It will also do very well for the car, although with the dogs in the back it will not be played loudly as their hearing is much better (and more sensitive) than mine. The Voyage of the Damned Suite is also excellent, and I spent a lot longer listening to the album lst night than I ought to have done. (But, lunchtime tomorrow and I'm on my hols for 2 weeks (!!!!!2 weeks!!!!!!) so I can cope with a bit of tiredness.
Things on the job-sheet
1. Continue working on Model of Perfection (2 chs / 12,051 words in so far)
2. Revise 3's Company - reworking the beginning to take into account the new setup
3. Finish rough draft of the military short & revise
4. Start new outline on Rapunze
5. Plan / write something for the Realms of Fantasy Halloween 2009 issue {this one's tentative}
6. Outline some other pieces i.e. 1-2 lines per scene (F &SF shorts) {This is for when I get bogged down in any of the above, need a break and don't want to read / sleep / watch a DVD / take the dogs for a walk / or cook} (Hey, it could happen.)
Current Research
Georgian London
1. Maps
2. Buildings
3. Social / Political History
4. Clothing
5. Transportation / distances / times
6. Crime & punishment (including the other kind of transportation)
Model of Perfection
Total words: 12,051
New words yesterday: 2, 143
Marcus: Got Penelope to relax. But then she ran off.
Penelope: Not sure a lady would have relaxed that much. Ran off after eating most of the sandwiches.
Trouble: On its way.
Listening to: Voyage of the Damned Suite: Murray Gold
Mood: Sick. I has lergy. {It's because I'm going on holiday-it's punishment} ::mopes::
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Poetry Quote
I finally got around to looking up a quote from The Impossible Planet in Doctor Who and found out that it's from a huge, docking great poem called Horatius by Thomas Babington Macaulay. The whole poem can be found here, and below is the stanza containing the few lines spoken in DW by Mr Jefferson.
Horatius (from the Lays of Ancient Rome – 1842)
Verse XXVII
Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the gate:
‘To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods,
Horatius (from the Lays of Ancient Rome – 1842)
Verse XXVII
Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the gate:
‘To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods,
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Challenges
NaNoWriMo is currently underway and not going too badly, although if I don't pick the pace up I won't be making 50K by the end of November. But, Sweating With Sven is almost ready to kick off once more and that is a more genteel race to word count greatness. If I don't achieve one, I will more likely achieve the other.
I know, for NaNo that you're supposed to turn off your internal editor, but mine's just told me that chapter four should be chapter six and so now I have to discover what happens in chapters four and five, so that will be something to go over this evening, after m'nevvy's birthday party (he is, he proudly told me, five now. He's been 'almost five' since he turned three!) His dad made him a giant jaffa cake, cake for yesterday and today he's having cake in the shape of a train, so he and his sibs will be pinging off the walls on a sugar high.
It's cold, but I'm putting off lighting the fire until it actually gets dark. 14:00hrs is a little early yet for getting the coal in so it'll be on with another layer (and you see, this is where being a werewolf would come in really handy. On the one hand you'd have a higher metabolism so you'd be warmer anyway; and if it got really cold you could half-shift (so you could still type, naturally) and be all furry and whatnot while still being bipedal and opposedly thumbed. I think evolution missed a trick on that one.)
Anyway, anyone doing NaNo? Doing well?
Anyone about to start Sven?
I know, for NaNo that you're supposed to turn off your internal editor, but mine's just told me that chapter four should be chapter six and so now I have to discover what happens in chapters four and five, so that will be something to go over this evening, after m'nevvy's birthday party (he is, he proudly told me, five now. He's been 'almost five' since he turned three!) His dad made him a giant jaffa cake, cake for yesterday and today he's having cake in the shape of a train, so he and his sibs will be pinging off the walls on a sugar high.
It's cold, but I'm putting off lighting the fire until it actually gets dark. 14:00hrs is a little early yet for getting the coal in so it'll be on with another layer (and you see, this is where being a werewolf would come in really handy. On the one hand you'd have a higher metabolism so you'd be warmer anyway; and if it got really cold you could half-shift (so you could still type, naturally) and be all furry and whatnot while still being bipedal and opposedly thumbed. I think evolution missed a trick on that one.)
Anyway, anyone doing NaNo? Doing well?
Anyone about to start Sven?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Time to go home...
Early finish today (worked 'til 9 last night) so I shall go home to get changed and then over to m'mother's to use her laptop - our PC is not yet re-connected after having been fitted with an ethernet port and a shiny USB 2.0 port. 21st Century, baby. Oh, yeah!
::ahem:: Anyway. I shall use the time to re-draft my Model of Perfection outline for NaNo ready for Saturday - I'm working until 1pm but should be able to get cracking in the afternoon. After I've set the cawl on to cook. If I can get that planned this avo then I'll work on getting my short done so that the decks are clear and ready for the off.
And, Chum #1 has found a number of internet cafes within easy reach of the farm where we're staying at the end of November, so I'll be able to upload my totals after all!
Iz pleased.
::ahem:: Anyway. I shall use the time to re-draft my Model of Perfection outline for NaNo ready for Saturday - I'm working until 1pm but should be able to get cracking in the afternoon. After I've set the cawl on to cook. If I can get that planned this avo then I'll work on getting my short done so that the decks are clear and ready for the off.
And, Chum #1 has found a number of internet cafes within easy reach of the farm where we're staying at the end of November, so I'll be able to upload my totals after all!
Iz pleased.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Free ebook from Juno Books...
As a special Halloween treat, Juno Books has a FREE ebook (PDF format) for you! Five frightening classic tales–all written by women–that should send a shiver or two down your spine. FIVE CLASSIC GHOST STORIES: A HALLOWEEN TREAT FROM JUNO BOOKS includes:
- “Let Loose” by Mary Cholmondeley (1890)
- “The Striding-Place” by Gertrude Atherton (1896)
- “The Lost Ghost” by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1903)
- “Kerfol” by Edith Wharton (1916)
- “Spunk” by Zora Neale Hurston (1925)
Go here to download a copy.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Iz cold...
Long day at work today, and the building renovations go on. Men in hard hats and fluorescent jackets have been ripping out windows and putting new ones in all day (accompanied by horrifically chilly drafts) and now the building refuses to get warm. I've also just used up the last of my milk in a rather strong cup of coffee, so now I'll have to wait until I get home to have another one. (I don't really like instant coffee without milk.)
I'm regretting not putting a pair of gloves in my coat this morning as I could really do with a pair about now.
Lots of people are gearing up for NaNoWriMo in preparation for next month. I'm going to be doing it again - even though I probably won't be in a position to upload anything as it's doubtful I'll be near an internet anything for the last week. (But, you know, I may surpass 50k in the first 3 weeks so that won't be a problem, right? ::rolls_eyes::) No idea what I'll be working on, although I may re-draft the outline to a novella and start again. The secondary story was shoehorned into the original projected length so a litlle re-working should place it more comfortably without things feeling rushed and crammed into too few words. Hmmm. That would work, actually.
No afternoon off this week (meetings, meetings) but that means I get to save some more hours to be used later, so I may actually have Christmas Eve off instead of having to work it.
Speaking of Christmas Eve, in a roundabout way, does anyone else follow the tradition of listening to / watching / reading aloud ghost stories before bed? Chum #1's family have always done this (usually M.R. James' stories) and she's continued this and I just wondered if anyone else did it too? If you do, what ghost stories? Or do you make up your own?
I'm regretting not putting a pair of gloves in my coat this morning as I could really do with a pair about now.
Lots of people are gearing up for NaNoWriMo in preparation for next month. I'm going to be doing it again - even though I probably won't be in a position to upload anything as it's doubtful I'll be near an internet anything for the last week. (But, you know, I may surpass 50k in the first 3 weeks so that won't be a problem, right? ::rolls_eyes::) No idea what I'll be working on, although I may re-draft the outline to a novella and start again. The secondary story was shoehorned into the original projected length so a litlle re-working should place it more comfortably without things feeling rushed and crammed into too few words. Hmmm. That would work, actually.
No afternoon off this week (meetings, meetings) but that means I get to save some more hours to be used later, so I may actually have Christmas Eve off instead of having to work it.
Speaking of Christmas Eve, in a roundabout way, does anyone else follow the tradition of listening to / watching / reading aloud ghost stories before bed? Chum #1's family have always done this (usually M.R. James' stories) and she's continued this and I just wondered if anyone else did it too? If you do, what ghost stories? Or do you make up your own?
Friday, October 17, 2008
Hey! I can almost see the weekend from here!
Well, I am suitably punished for staying up past my normal 'school' day bedtime last night--I'm absolutely cream crackered. Hopefully I'll be getting my second (first?) wind before my meeting at 2pm!
I stayed up to finish the book I was reading (isn't it always the way?) and then it took me ages to get to sleep. Someone was doing DIY in the house next door until about 01:30, and I was a bit frustrated that I'd had to read books in a series out of order. A couple of weeks ago I bought Josh Lanyon's Man, Oh, Man! (non-fiction) and in that he had some excerpts from his Adrien English series. Interest piqued I ordered the first three and because life does this to me I got books 1 and 3 at the same time but book 2 has not yet arrived. I finished the first book--Fatal Shadows--yesterday (enjoyed it, although I thought it could have been longer) and wanted to dive straight into book two; I hesitated for about, oh, five seconds before giving in and reading book 3--The Hell You Say. Hopefully book 2--A Dangerous Thing--and book 4--Death of a Pirate King--will arrive at about the same time and I can read them all together. In order.
What I like most is the character of Adrien. He has a great voice which makes his personality come across well in the first person form. The mystery and romance are intertwined, with a little more weight given to the mystery but that works really well. The relationship tensions come across especially well in The Hell You Say: Adrien's relationship with some of his writing group; his staff; his mother; and of course his relationship with Jake, not to mention the tentative friendship building with Guy. All were very well drawn and came across as people rather than characters (if that makes sense). Adrien really comes over as the kind of guy you'd like to know.
Anyway. Looking forward to the tardy volumes' arrival so that I can read all four in one go. I am valiantly ignoring my TBR pile. If it ever fell on top of me I'd be one dead librarian; crushed under a mountain of unread books, their pristine spines a silent reproach to my obvious lack of dedication in whittling it down.
Also recently read are: The Fifth Sorceress - first in a fantasy trilogy by Robert Newcombe. OK, but not brilliant in that, I didn't really like the main character. He was supposed to be 29 but acted like a very whiny 19 year old (going on 9) and the wizard chappy got on every nerve I had. I'd have decked him. But, I have the other two books so I shall read them anyway, just not yet.
I re-read Magician by Raymond E. Feist - loved it all over again. Can't find my copies of Silverthorn or A Darkness at Sethanon so I've ordered replacements (but at least all of the covers will match) and I may re-read Faerie Tale now as well.
I've taken Stacia Kane's Personal Demons off the shelf and that will be the next to be read in the fiction line, and I've got some non-fiction (oceans) to read up on too.
I stayed up to finish the book I was reading (isn't it always the way?) and then it took me ages to get to sleep. Someone was doing DIY in the house next door until about 01:30, and I was a bit frustrated that I'd had to read books in a series out of order. A couple of weeks ago I bought Josh Lanyon's Man, Oh, Man! (non-fiction) and in that he had some excerpts from his Adrien English series. Interest piqued I ordered the first three and because life does this to me I got books 1 and 3 at the same time but book 2 has not yet arrived. I finished the first book--Fatal Shadows--yesterday (enjoyed it, although I thought it could have been longer) and wanted to dive straight into book two; I hesitated for about, oh, five seconds before giving in and reading book 3--The Hell You Say. Hopefully book 2--A Dangerous Thing--and book 4--Death of a Pirate King--will arrive at about the same time and I can read them all together. In order.
What I like most is the character of Adrien. He has a great voice which makes his personality come across well in the first person form. The mystery and romance are intertwined, with a little more weight given to the mystery but that works really well. The relationship tensions come across especially well in The Hell You Say: Adrien's relationship with some of his writing group; his staff; his mother; and of course his relationship with Jake, not to mention the tentative friendship building with Guy. All were very well drawn and came across as people rather than characters (if that makes sense). Adrien really comes over as the kind of guy you'd like to know.
Anyway. Looking forward to the tardy volumes' arrival so that I can read all four in one go. I am valiantly ignoring my TBR pile. If it ever fell on top of me I'd be one dead librarian; crushed under a mountain of unread books, their pristine spines a silent reproach to my obvious lack of dedication in whittling it down.
Also recently read are: The Fifth Sorceress - first in a fantasy trilogy by Robert Newcombe. OK, but not brilliant in that, I didn't really like the main character. He was supposed to be 29 but acted like a very whiny 19 year old (going on 9) and the wizard chappy got on every nerve I had. I'd have decked him. But, I have the other two books so I shall read them anyway, just not yet.
I re-read Magician by Raymond E. Feist - loved it all over again. Can't find my copies of Silverthorn or A Darkness at Sethanon so I've ordered replacements (but at least all of the covers will match) and I may re-read Faerie Tale now as well.
I've taken Stacia Kane's Personal Demons off the shelf and that will be the next to be read in the fiction line, and I've got some non-fiction (oceans) to read up on too.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Progress XXXVI
Untitled
Total words: 3520
New words yesterday: 437
Ashe: Is confused & angry
Konstantin: Is frustrated & angry
Weather: Snowing
This isn't flowing as well as the last one. Normally in a lunch break I can crank out 1K longhand with little to no problems but, as you can see, I barely got over 400 words before running out of steam. I'm going to keep going rather than go back and try to fix whatever it is that's not working, but I think that in the revision(s) there will be a lot of rewriting to do, to correct whatever it is that's gone tits up.
But, I do like the characters of Ashe and Konstantin so that's something. I just need to get their dynamic right - I think that's where the brain tickle is coming from. ::mopes::
Once that’s sorted – and it may take me another couple of thousand words or so, I can go back and rewrite it with the dynamic in mind; but at the moment it seems I need to write it badly in order to get it right.
Anyway, it's all practice and so never wasted.
Listening to: A builder's radio somewhere else in the building
Mood: Tired. Few more hours to go before I can go home.
Total words: 3520
New words yesterday: 437
Ashe: Is confused & angry
Konstantin: Is frustrated & angry
Weather: Snowing
This isn't flowing as well as the last one. Normally in a lunch break I can crank out 1K longhand with little to no problems but, as you can see, I barely got over 400 words before running out of steam. I'm going to keep going rather than go back and try to fix whatever it is that's not working, but I think that in the revision(s) there will be a lot of rewriting to do, to correct whatever it is that's gone tits up.
But, I do like the characters of Ashe and Konstantin so that's something. I just need to get their dynamic right - I think that's where the brain tickle is coming from. ::mopes::
Once that’s sorted – and it may take me another couple of thousand words or so, I can go back and rewrite it with the dynamic in mind; but at the moment it seems I need to write it badly in order to get it right.
Anyway, it's all practice and so never wasted.
Listening to: A builder's radio somewhere else in the building
Mood: Tired. Few more hours to go before I can go home.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Another quick update...
Just got back to work after being off for a few days with a stinking head cold. ::booooo!:: I've got a cough, but I don't think I'm contagious anymore and I don't fall asleep at the drop of a hat either.
Done another 1K on the short so will aim to get that finished this week and into first revisions, and then I've got the novella to do third revisions on before returning to the paused novella that I'm going to expand. 20K is too short, there's too much I want to go on there (secondary storyline has more depth that I need to into), so I'll bump it up to 40k-60k I think and see how that goes. It may go up - or down - in revisions anyway, so I'm not going to hugely panic in the first draft.
Dog walking when I get home - get some fresh air into the lungs, mud up the leggings etc. and then some sort of sausage casserole for dinner, I think. Chum #1 is making it, so I'm not entirely sure of the ingredients. Pumpkin & butternut squash soup to be made next weekend. I have the ingredients so I shall be culinary. I may even go the whole hog and make bread! Lovely.
Time to go. Hopefully tomorrow will be a tad less frenetic.
Done another 1K on the short so will aim to get that finished this week and into first revisions, and then I've got the novella to do third revisions on before returning to the paused novella that I'm going to expand. 20K is too short, there's too much I want to go on there (secondary storyline has more depth that I need to into), so I'll bump it up to 40k-60k I think and see how that goes. It may go up - or down - in revisions anyway, so I'm not going to hugely panic in the first draft.
Dog walking when I get home - get some fresh air into the lungs, mud up the leggings etc. and then some sort of sausage casserole for dinner, I think. Chum #1 is making it, so I'm not entirely sure of the ingredients. Pumpkin & butternut squash soup to be made next weekend. I have the ingredients so I shall be culinary. I may even go the whole hog and make bread! Lovely.
Time to go. Hopefully tomorrow will be a tad less frenetic.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Quick Update
The new term has started and it's busy, busy, busy!
Lots of inductions; lots of 'please be quiet in this area / group study and chit-chat areas are elsewhere' etc. (That bit is going to get old hat very quickly)
Started a new short story and made notes for another, so on a bit of a roll. Other than that, not much is going on as the new term sucks up a lot of time and energy (and brain power). I've got three late nights this week, which means I'll be home at 22:00, 21:00 and 19:30hrs on three consecutive nights (not tonight, thank goodness) and then it's off to Newcastle to the pater's for the weekend and lots of relaxation and sleep.
Then I get to do it all again, but slightly less frantic, next week. It should begin to calm down after that, though.
What's your week looking like? Good, bad, indifferent?
Lots of inductions; lots of 'please be quiet in this area / group study and chit-chat areas are elsewhere' etc. (That bit is going to get old hat very quickly)
Started a new short story and made notes for another, so on a bit of a roll. Other than that, not much is going on as the new term sucks up a lot of time and energy (and brain power). I've got three late nights this week, which means I'll be home at 22:00, 21:00 and 19:30hrs on three consecutive nights (not tonight, thank goodness) and then it's off to Newcastle to the pater's for the weekend and lots of relaxation and sleep.
Then I get to do it all again, but slightly less frantic, next week. It should begin to calm down after that, though.
What's your week looking like? Good, bad, indifferent?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
It's (Not) the End of the World As We Know It
Oooops!
Got this from desperance, who got it from flyingsauce.
So funny, I had to share. Well, that brightened up my morning!
Mood: Amused
Listening to: Shabda - Mike Oldfield
Got this from desperance, who got it from flyingsauce.
So funny, I had to share. Well, that brightened up my morning!
Mood: Amused
Listening to: Shabda - Mike Oldfield
Monday, September 08, 2008
New Britwriters Blog post up
Just a quick recap before I head off for lunch! I'll try and post more later.
I've just done a new post for the Britwriters Blog. It's on outlines, and my use of them. So have a look here and post a comment. Also, if you have a(nother) spare minute - check out the previous post on Birmingham's influence on Tolkein, by Fiona!
Hope you all had a lovely weekend! (I had rain)
I've just done a new post for the Britwriters Blog. It's on outlines, and my use of them. So have a look here and post a comment. Also, if you have a(nother) spare minute - check out the previous post on Birmingham's influence on Tolkein, by Fiona!
Hope you all had a lovely weekend! (I had rain)
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Hey, I can see the weekend from here!
Well, I am back at work after a week off...and it isn't raining! I had to stay at work an extra half hour yesterday because I'd left my umbrella and coat in the car and it decided to thunder with torrential rain just as I was about to log off. New term is only 19 days away so I'm gearing up for that and trying to maintain a facsimile of wakefulness to do other stuff during breaks and home time. I think I will be pinning most of my productive hopes* on the weekends at the moment; I'm still trying to get back into the habit of getting up at 5am to get the dogs out before I get ready for work.
What am I up to?
Contraband - paused while I figure (yet again) where I'm going wrong. I'm pretty sure I'm starting it in the wrong place, but I'll be damned if I can figure out the right place at the moment. I really want to write this story (which is possibly part of the problem - I may just be trying too hard to force it where I think it wants to go)
3's Company - due for second edits/revisions in the next couple of weeks
Model of Perfection - paused while I get a short story (6k) off the ground. This is going to be longer than I thought, so I'll be aiming for 40k rather than 20k and see how that goes
Untitled short (6k) - research done, need to get a map to make sure I get place names correct and then I'll be ready to dive in
*And if the 'war' on the WiFi network (don't laugh - that's what the tech on the other end of the phone said "there's a war on your network") doesn't get sorted out at least I won't be able to pizzle the time away on the interwebs.
What am I up to?
Contraband - paused while I figure (yet again) where I'm going wrong. I'm pretty sure I'm starting it in the wrong place, but I'll be damned if I can figure out the right place at the moment. I really want to write this story (which is possibly part of the problem - I may just be trying too hard to force it where I think it wants to go)
3's Company - due for second edits/revisions in the next couple of weeks
Model of Perfection - paused while I get a short story (6k) off the ground. This is going to be longer than I thought, so I'll be aiming for 40k rather than 20k and see how that goes
Untitled short (6k) - research done, need to get a map to make sure I get place names correct and then I'll be ready to dive in
*And if the 'war' on the WiFi network (don't laugh - that's what the tech on the other end of the phone said "there's a war on your network") doesn't get sorted out at least I won't be able to pizzle the time away on the interwebs.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Idea
A new story idea came to me last night (while watching Medical Investigations over dinner bizarrely enough) The investigators were searching for pathogens in the ocean that could be causing an illness in humans and seals, and I thought 'how would you deal with that, if it was actually in the ocean? What if it spread around the world (and you had no other world to escape to)? How would you combat it without killing everything else? What would it be like if you didn't care if everything else (in the water) died and you ended up with a dead ocean? What could happen after that?' Basically it moved on from there. I've got some notes to get down and flesh out, see where they take me; and I have a picture in my head of what it will look like. I'll work on that while I'm on holiday (1 1/2 days to go!) and see what happens. I'll also have to do some scientific research on oceans & specifically how the loss of plankton etc. would affect things.
Model of Perfection got paused briefly as the day job has been insanely busy and brain-draining with finishing off phase 2 of a project. Now we just need to hand it off so that the rest of the work can be incorporated into everyone's normal day job activities and roles.There'll still be some steering from us, but we can devolve a fair amount of the work to relevant people. Term starts in another month so when I get back from my leave I'll have a few last minute things to finish - presentations and the like. And then we'll be ready to rock for at least 3 weeks of utter madness and hectic (possibly even frenetic) activity, before things slow to a more manageable level. Yay.
Now I have a stabbing pain in my head when I cough - yay, lergy. So I'm going home to lie down. My life. It is full of speshul exzitement.
Model of Perfection got paused briefly as the day job has been insanely busy and brain-draining with finishing off phase 2 of a project. Now we just need to hand it off so that the rest of the work can be incorporated into everyone's normal day job activities and roles.There'll still be some steering from us, but we can devolve a fair amount of the work to relevant people. Term starts in another month so when I get back from my leave I'll have a few last minute things to finish - presentations and the like. And then we'll be ready to rock for at least 3 weeks of utter madness and hectic (possibly even frenetic) activity, before things slow to a more manageable level. Yay.
Now I have a stabbing pain in my head when I cough - yay, lergy. So I'm going home to lie down. My life. It is full of speshul exzitement.
Idealist...
Via M.K. Hobson's livejournal.
Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...
NBPS - The Idealist
Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Shape
You perceive the world with particular attention to nature. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the shapes around you. Because of the value you place on nature, you tend to find comfort in more subdued settings and find energy in solitude. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are in tune with all that is around you and understand your life as part of a larger whole. You prefer a structured environment within which to live and you like things to be predictable.
The Perception Personality Types:
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