Updatery

The installer was supposed to be here at 3 or so. They called at 3:30 and said they were running late and would be here at 5:30 or so. At 7:30 we called. They were just finishing up the previous installation. They would call us when they picked up our dishwasher. At 9:05 they finally called asking how far away we were from the store. You could hear the air go out of him when I said, "About 45 minutes."

So we rescheduled. He apologized. I guess every installation today went wrong. With our dishwasher being nine years old, he figures he would probably be running all new supply and discharge lines. Fair enough. But now it's another week.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming swimming

Wil Wheaton talks about five simple steps to keep writing. It's been bugging the crap out of me that I haven't progressed on the novel. I have the energy (well, some days), I keep looking at myself in the mirror in the morning and say (among other things, like "WTF is that?!") "Need to work on the novel. It's only 90,000 words. You've written that much on the blog just this year. You need to work on this novel."

And then something comes up; village work, extra design work, lawn mowing, low blood sugar, battling the monster algal blooms I've allowed to cover the bathroom surfaces, alien abduction, things keep getting in the way. And then I look at the blank screen for five minutes after typing a little and my brain gets all twitchy and starts replaying Kurt Colbane ("Here we are, now entertain us!") at full volume. I go off and give my brain something to think about. Or I try and work on something smaller.

"It's just ten short stories," I'll tell myself. "I can do that. You can do that. Just farging do that."

I've tried #2, create deadlines for myself. But I know they're soft. I know what hard deadlines are, and mine aren't and my brain knows the difference. I've tried #3, little rewards for interm milestones. But then I'm enjoying those little gifts and not getting anything done.

I think I'm suffering from a lot of #1Blog less (have you notice just how much blathering I'm doing? No, right here, right now, oh damn, now Van Halen is playing really loud in my head). I should, but I love this. Yeah, I know.

I think I also got hit with #4, Don't show your work (until first draft is done). I've failed at that. And I think (at least in my mind) that the wind went out of the balloons as I published that exert however many months ago. I was really happy with it. I wanted to share. It was fun. And just like Wil, I'm not sure why it would happen, and it really sucks when it does. And then I commit the opposite of #1.

It's a cycle. I've broken cycles before. My past is littered with spokes and handlebars of all the cycles I've gotten away from. I can do this. I need to do this.

Literate Wrathfulness

Before I get into the political stuff (are you getting tired of it? Well, today is a slightly lighter treatment) Todd Wheeler is reminding everybody that there's only two more days to get your summer reading done to enter his contest. Get crackin'!

And now back to the political stuff.

Last night, in his acceptance speech, Obama correctly used the five-syllable adverb "inextricably," in a political speech, in the middle of a sentence, without pausing, emphasising, or tripping over the word. He would get my vote for that reason only (there are other reasons for me to vote for him).

Muy impresionado. We have a literate candidate. And the villagers rejoice.

Also, Gustov is steaming toward landfall, most likely somewhere around New Orleans a few days after Katrina's third anniversary, and a few days before the Republican National Convention, bringing the national spotlight back to the aftermath of Katrina (also notice the updated response to this storm as compared to the non-preparedness of Katrina's landfall). If Katrina hit New Orleans as God's wrath against the city for allowing a Gay Pride Parade that would have happened the next weekend, just what message is God sending us this time? If you live by the sword, expect to have the pointy end coming back at you.

Story Bone

Blood Sands of Mars

So the sands of Mars are red because of iron oxide. But, it's a thin layer. Mars was also supposedly very Earth-like in the distant past (okay, so when Earth wasn't so very Earth-like). So what happened?

Massive casualties. Imagine a very dense biosphere going all Battle of the Wilderness all at the same time. Natural disaster, say like a comet strike that also rips most of the atmosphere away (yeah, yeah, gravity, don't bother me when I'm on a role).

Or, how about this. In the Lovecraft Cthulhu world, back before the dawn of history, time out of mind, there was a hugh battle between the Elder Gods and the Old Ones. Although (as far as I have read) Lovecraft never specified where this happened. Both Old Ones and Elder Gods are space faring (well, flying through space like birds), although the later Older Ones lost that ability (along with living in the Ocean).

Now, within my world of Cthulhu (at least the few stories I've produced) I know where that battled happened (no, I'm not telling until I get the stories published or trunk them). But for other people it could be anywhere. Why not Mars? Imagine billions of squamous aliens battling it out across a verdant Mars. Demolishing every thing in their path in the zeal to kill each other (a phalanx of a thousand shoggoths rolling down Olympus Mons into entrenched Spawn). Oooh. Squishy death from above. And at the end, as the remnants negotiate the peace, Cthulhu enters R'yleh and it sinks beneath the waves, Mars is left desolate with rotting corpses of the aliens, covered in ichor feet deep, bereft of atmosphere, and sporting two new moons, planetoids ripped from Mars and blasted into orbit.

What would we find when we send people there? Sure, most the evidence of such battle has long stained the sands the murmuring winds have blown to cover Mars, killing what organic matter had survived. Ancient cursed-life that now lay dormant in the sands. Waiting for fresh organic life to feed on. Or, what artifacts would be find there? Cyclopean cities, castles and fortifications worn away by time, consumed by Mars, covered by meters of sand.

Some Other Odd Things

They're supposed to install the dishwasher tomorrow. That only took a few days of complaining. Really, isn't the economy bad? Shouldn't they be calling me over and over? Or am I missing something?

The past two days at work have been almost close to normal flow. That's why I've been so elusive online. Or something.

Working on a post of "What Writing Is." Hope to have it up this weekend. Supposed to be funny.

Back to being way to tired instead of refreshed. But that may not be a bad thing. Since I've been getting in to work at the start of the first shift (instead of off-time as agreed to with my supervisor, because so much comes in late), I've missed out on some overtime pay because the clock "automatically" round the time to the start of the shift. Not much, but enough for a gallon of gas in the past week. Bummer.

If the world gets away from me (like it did Monday and Tuesday) and I don't get to post later this week, I hope you all have a fabulous Labor Day Weekend (of course you know there will now be something like twelve posts before Monday because I said that). Go out and hug a union member. You're welcome.

Too cool for school

(via Jay Lake's link salad which you might also want to check his link to What the Duck as well) Oooo, almost a jet pack. Okay, well, he cheats by jumping from a plane and then engaging the jet, and finally "lands" by parachute (instead of taking off and landing by almost VTOL and running a lot). But still cool.

Just imagine (okay, well, it's my imagination, YMMV) using this as a part of a HALO drop? Hell, no air space penetration needed. Drop the package out in international waters and the paratrooper jets in to their target drop zone. Cool. I expect to see this in a future James Bond movie. Really, just too cool not to use. I'm having visions of a whole platoon flying through hostile airspace for deep insertion (forget about the submarine drop).

And I'll bet Tobias just re-imagined the opening chapter to Sly Mongoose (although I don't think this configuration would survive insertion, but a swept wing version might).

Let Slip the Dogs of War

Here's a word you'll find used in the coming campaign, consiglieri (because I need to show my writer credentials sometime today, might as well get them out early, even if it's a political post). Or at least if the term isn't used, you'll see and hear from a lot of them this fall.

Well, Mitt Romney is acting as the Republican VP Candidate, which means he's on the attack (the traditional VP role in elections). His latest tirade (which I'll label as the "Oh noes, wheeze all gonna die if you don't vote for us," speeches) has two gems, that electing Obama will weaken our economy and national defense.

Oh really Mr. Romney? You mean the economy could get much worse (well, I guess it could, but it would take a lot of work)? The Republicans have been in charge of Congress for 12 of the past 14 years, and in charge of the Whitehouse for 7 years. Just WTF has the wonderful "Fiscally Conservative Party" done for our national economy, budget deficit and debt over the past 7 years? Why did the Bush Treasury not publish the basic facts about our monetary supply for most of this year? Why are they, in the face of massive deficits, still touting tax cuts when it's already been pointed out that while revenues did go up, that's only because the economy did slightly better for two years after the tax cuts (and included the year after the tax cuts as the base line, that's sadistic statistics, revenues are back down, btw)? That's a short lived economic benefit, and one that most economists say the tax cuts had nothing to do with. Time to point and laugh.

As to the second point? Are you safer? Do you feel safer than you did eight years ago? Before 9-11, before being fearful of Muslims and swarthy skinned people, before we diddled away world sympathy and support to invade Iraq, and now after we haven't killed Bin Ladin, broken al Qaeda, let Russia regain their druthers (to the point of docking our relief ships to Georgia at a secondary port because we might have had to confront the Russian Black Sea Fleet if we had gone to the optimal port), watched as China flexed their muscles, revamped and modernized their military including their cyber warfare divisions, and sat on the sidelines as their "War on Terror" stalled out.

The Republicans fiddled while Rome burned. And how's the New American Century plan workin' out for you all? You know, the plan written back in '92 by Wolfowitz to invade Iraq and use the revenues from the oil to fund a restructuring of the Middle East (a plan repeated by VP Dick Cheney before the war).

Mr. Romney, sir, with all due respect, you may kiss my hairy, fat ass. Or to use the Republican phrase so popular when you all believed the 21st century would be a glorious Conservative, New American Century, only to screw it all up, sit down and STFU.

And while I'm at it, it is tradition that when the opposing party has their convention, the candidate takes a vacation and stays out of the news. Glad to see the Republicans continue their advancements on classing the joint up.

edited typos

Way Too Long of a Day

Finally got home at 10:15pm today. Had a very long committee meeting. Let me give you one pointer that we reinforced at the meeting (that many people get, and with their help we've caught some criminals).

If you see something criminal, call the police. If you see something that just doesn't look normal (like cars in a parking lot, with lights on in a building that is normally closed at the time), call the police. If kids are carrying a case of beer down the road, call the police.

911 is for emergencies. There are several other non-emergency numbers you can call the police using. We have a number to "talk to an officer." It goes to the same switchboard dispatch as 911, but it's for non-emergencies. If you see a crime in action, if your life or property is in immediate danger, call 911. If you think the criminals will be gone by the time the police get there, call the non-emergency number for the police anyway. They can at least get your statement. Adding reports together can help them solve crimes.

Do not bother the police if the drive through clerk forgot the fries or gave you the wrong pop or short changed you five cents. Do call them if the clerk accidentally gives you the dime bag. Do not use them to get even at your neighbors (actually, that's a felony). Do call them if that neighbor is abusing their spouse (there are several anonymous channels to go through).

Your police get paid exactly the same if they're watching traffic as when they're responding to your call. If you think calling them multiple times is annoying, responding later to your neighbor's call that you're laying out in the driveway is more annoying. They would rather come ten times to find nothing than miss the one time they could have stopped a crime, or at least immediately arrest the perpetrators. The police will prioritize your call. If it's a non-emergency they might take some time to respond (in some parts of the country that may mean days, in most parts it means a few hours).

Large cities may be different, but your local community police want to know you, and want to know what's happening.

SEGWAY

Watching Fox news analysis after Clinton's speech, I guess they brought the kool-aid tank with them. And that anybody listens to Billy Kristol anymore just floors me. How many times does he have to be wrong before we stop paying him for analysis?

Help Wanted, Need Feste, reply Jesters, Inc.

One of the functions of the Fool in a medieval court was the ability to tell truth to power through the use of humor.

And via good father and all around nice guy Dan, a Daily Show billboard for Minneapolis and the Republican National Convention. It is to laugh.

“For what says Quinalpus? ‘Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.’”

And a general question. Would you prefer I include that photo here on the blog, or the link to go see it in the original context?

Edit
Because Random Michelle K says (basically) "dance, monkey, dance."


I'm still givin' the link lovin' though.

Sherman, Set the Wayback Machine to 1950

So, I'm doing a general search on a Big Name Internet Shopping Site, for "costumes." You know, Halloween is coming up and all. And while I probably won't spend any money this year on new decorations (given how much money will be fleeing out the door soon), I thought I'd see if there were any deals. I was using the BNISS because, one, I have a credit card through them that I get wonderful points with, and two they have a good deal on shipping.

So, I just do a general search on "Costume" and figure I'll drill down from there. Number one was an Iron Man children's costume (I'm going to assume this will be the big hit this year). Number two was this:


Now, if you don't exactly understand why I fell off my chair laughing, recheck the category this product represents. It's the last line. And there's 12,204 more products just like this in that category. Just who the farg is typing in search keywords over there anyway.

Six Random Things Make a Blog Post

Finished compiling the edits for Robert's Thunder and I'm kind of stuck on a direction to go. Many of the comments included items such as, "bloodless," "main character seems emotionally distant," "good wham-bam action," some technical notes that means I need to explain the action and technology of the universe more or at least better, and the "could sell to an specific antho (or a market I've already tried)." So this would end up being more of a full rewrite. I'm not sure if I'm up for that.

Haven't heard from the dishwasher installers (starting to get impatient). Got a message from the furnace guy, mostly, "bad news," but no actual figures. Updated some drivers on the computers so things will work (I stole my wife's mighty mouse and gave her my wheel mouse, but the drivers on the disk wouldn't run with the new OS).

It rained yesterday, but not enough. Lots of thunder though. Our rain barrel was getting very low. The rain recharged about one-fifth of it. I've already poured that on the tomato plant and some of the flowers in the front bed (they were wilting). We have a 50% chance on Wednesday.

Found a green reflective dot on my mail box today. We don't know what it was for, so I removed it. The little bastard took some paint with it. So now my brain is consumed with scenarios of what it was intended to mark our house for; poor tippers, might have something good to steal, Sunday newspaper delivery, crazy man lives here, the Secret Service Super-Rendition Teams to stop here in case of nuclear attack? I don't know.

Delivered the brochure tonight. I don't have the final bill, yet, so I don't know how much I'm in arrears for. Client then asked me to design for them some notepads. Okay. We can do that.

I'm already tired of the coverage of the Democratic National Convention. And what a friggin' nightmare to look at security. I wonder just how much more will be around the RNC? Reminds me of having to practice my Boris Badinov accent. "Papers, please. Now we get Moose and Squirrel."

The Republican Ugly Step-child Syndrome Rears its Swan-ish Head

Obama is a celebrity. The media lavishes fawning attention on him. There is no love for the beleaguered Republican candidate, McCain. Must be that liberal media at work again. That liberal media that GW complained lavished fawning attention on McCain in 2000. That liberal media that then failed to criticize GW in 2000 and 2004, forgot to do due diligence in the run-up to Iraq, had to be shocked back into consciousness by the lack of WMD, and only now is actually asking questions of the current administration. The same media that hasn't laughed Fox News off the air. Yeah, thanks Pat Buchanon for starting that whole "liberal bias of the media" to explain why Nixon wasn't getting the love he deserved. Oh those nattering nabobs of the media elite who don't question how a candidate whose, with his wife, owns over 8 homes valued at over $15 million dollars gets to criticize his opponent who owns one home valued at a little over $1 million and calls him elite for that. I believe that the one house McCain has in his own name is worth more than Obama's one home.

Yes, the Republicans are the Rodney Dangerfield of political parties. Cry for me, America. Boo hoo hoo.

I wonder when the whole "Obama is the son of Reagan's Welfare Queen" rumors will start floating around.