T-Minus Whatever

Yeah, we're at the airport--in the hotel, still actually, but it's attached to the airport so close enough.  We're flying in about 2.5 hours (provided we leave on time--ha!).  A week in Napa, and then two in Eugene.

Kisses!

Cheerleading Fail

playing Lord of the Rings Online, whilst wrapped like a mummy in a duvet

"Do you need any help with the chicken?"

"Not really.  It's a one person job."

"Good, I'm warm in my duvet."

"Gee, thanks."

"Well, I can be your cheerleader.  Give me a C!  Give me a K!"

he pauses


"That's not how you spell chicken."

sad face


"I suck as a cheerleader."

Reading List: October 2011

Hmm...it was twelve days in before I finished my first book.  It didn't exactly bode well for the rest of the month, especially with the beer festival smack dab in the middle, although I did managed to rally (Rivers of London: totally awesome).  Five more books that I haven't read before, and I'll have averaged a new book a week for a year.  Too bad one of the planned books is 834 pages (The Crimson Petal and the White).  I'm thinking I'd best start The Crimson Petal and the White sooner rather than later--I want to finish it while we're in Eugene so I can leave it there for the grandmother(s) to read.  And because it weighs a ton (well, 1 pound 13 oz, 860 grams, or 4.3 hectares).

OCTOBER

60.  How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C. Foster (non-fiction)
59.  Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, by John le Carré (George Smiley novel, #1 in the Karla Trilogy)
58.  A Guide to the End of the World, by Bill McGuire (non-fiction, used for research)
57.  Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch (Peter Grant Series #1, for lack of a better name) (American title, for some stupid reason, is Midnight Riot)

56.  The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood

SEPTEMBER

55.  I Shall Wear Midnight, by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #38, Tiffany Aching Sequence #4)

54.  The Age of Odin, by James Lovegrove (The Pantheon Trilogy #3)

53.  The Killing Dance, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #6)

52.  *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter #4)

51.  Bloody Bones, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #5)

AUGUST

50.  The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and The Olympians #1)

49.  The Lunatic Cafe, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #4)

48.  Myth Conceptions, by Robert Asprin (The Myth Series #2)

47.  Another Fine Myth, by Robert Asprin (The Myth Series #1)

46.  Resident Evil: Zero Hour, by S. D. Perry (Resident Evil Novelizations #0 (7))

45.  Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, by Seth Grahame-Smith

JULY

44.  Circle of Flight, by John Marsden (The Ellie Chronicles #3)

43.  Incurable, by John Marsden (The Ellie Chronicles #2)

42.  While I Live, by John Marsden (The Ellie Chronicles #1) (sequel series to The Tomorrow Series)

41.  *Anne's House of Dreams, by L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables Series #5) (I'm making the same assumption as below)

40.  *Anne of Windy Poplars, by L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables Series #4) (I'm assuming I've read this before; I don't remember it, but the corners of some pages are creased as markers.)

39.  Circus of the Damned, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #3)

38.  The Laughing Corpse, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #2)

JUNE

37.  Guilty Pleasures, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #1)

36.  *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter #3)

35.  *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter #2)

34.  *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter #1)

33.  Ptolemy's Gate, by Jonathan Stroud (The Bartimaeus Trilogy Book 3)

32.  The Golem's Eye, by Jonathan Stroud (The Bartimaeus Trilogy Book 2)

31.  *The Amulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan Stroud (The Bartimaeus Trilogy Book 1)

MAY

30.  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (I've read Pride and Prejudice before, but sans zombies)

29.  I Am Number Four, by Pittacus Lore (pseudonym for James Frey and Jobie Hughes) (Lorien Legacies #1)

28.  *Anne of the Island, by L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables Series #3)

27.  *Anne of Avonlea, by L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables Series #2)

26.  *Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables Series #1)

25.  The Red Queen, by Philippa Gregory (Cousins' War #2) 

24.  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nests, by Stieg Larsson (Millennium Trilogy #3)

APRIL

23.  The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson (Millennium Trilogy #2)

22.  Disappearing Ingenue Stories, by Melissa Pritchard

21.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson (Millennium Trilogy #1)

20.  Resident Evil: Code: Veronica, by S. D. Perry (Resident Evil Novelizations #6)

MARCH

19.  Resident Evil: Nemesis, by S. D. Perry (Resident Evil Novelizations #5)

18.  Resident Evil: Underworld, by S. D. Perry (Resident Evil Novelizations #4)

17.  Resident Evil: City of the Dead, by S. D. Perry (Resident Evil Novelizations #3)

16.  Resident Evil: Caliban Cove, by S. D. Perry (Resident Evil Novelizations #2)

15.  Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy, by S. D. Perry (Resident Evil Novelizations #1)

14.  Nation, by Terry Pratchett (NOT a Discworld novel)

FEBRUARY

13.  *King of Shadows, by Susan Cooper

12.  Zombie Apocalypse!, created by Stephen Jones (compiled)

11.  The White Queen, by Philippa Gregory (Cousins' War #1)

JANUARY

10. * Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle, by Dorothy Gilman (Mrs. Pollifax Series #8)

 9.  The Other Side of Dawn, by John Marsden (The Tomorrow Series #7)

 8.  The Night is for Hunting, by John Marsden (The Tomorrow Series #6)

 7.  Burning for Revenge, by John Marsden (The Tomorrow Series #5)

 6.  Darkness, be My Friend, by John Marsden (The Tomorrow Series #4)

 5.  The Third Day, The Frost (aka The Killing Frost), by John Marsden (The Tomorrow Series #3)

 4.  The Dead of Night, by John Marsden (The Tomorrow Series #2)

 3.  Skin Trade, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #17)

 2.  *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter #7)

 1.  Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden (The Tomorrow Series #1)

Falling down around our ears

Good thing we're renting, though I rather imagine that Edward*, our long-suffering landlord, just wishes we would go away.  I don't know if I mentioned this before, but we didn't pay rent for something like 3 months when we first moved in.  We paid the first month's rent to the agency along with our deposit, then turned in our standing order form for all subsequent months (I don't know what it's like in the States these days, but around here, you can't just write a monthly check for your bills, which completely sucks; I hate being forced to use direct debit or standing orders for most things).  Problem was that our standing order wouldn't go through because their bank had been changed and bought out so many times that magic was required to make it work--or paying a month half in advance (as a show of good faith).  The standing order started working right after we cut them a £1200 check, which included the next month.  Joy.

Shortly after we moved in, we ended up getting a new washing machine.  Edward was not pleased, since he told me that the only reason the flat has a washer at all is because when he bought the place it came with it.  But that was part of our rental contract, so he bought us a new one.  The cheapest one he could find, which means no dryer, and it also means that 3 months or so along, the pump is already making questionable noises.**

Now we're getting a new shower.  Months and months ago, Adam and I reported that the dial--our shower is electric, which is not nearly as dangerous as it sounds, and means you never run out of hot water--for the shower was FUBAR.  We could still turn it on and off, but something had clearly broken inside, and we couldn't get it apart to find out what (the screws holding the cover on are rusted and partially stripped).  So Edward and his mate came out to look at it, and decided to order a new dial.  Problem is that the shower is kinda old, and definitely cheap.  Consequently, no parts made for it.  So it sat for ages as we couldn't agree on a mutually convenient time until last Friday, when they came out and glue-gunned it to hold the inside of the dial together.  30 hours later I go to take a shower and it's tight as sin to turn, but it's not slipping--yay.  Unfortunately, it also wouldn't turn off.  Luckily, the screws were no longer in so tight, so I could take apart the shower to turn the water off (this is where an electric shower is dangerous--exposed wires + water ≠ good times, so we're super careful, and glad that the tub isn't coated metal).  So that's been going on since Sunday, but a text this morning promised me a new shower, hopefully installed by Friday.

That same text also promised us two new radiators.  Yeah, that's right; along with the shower we're getting new heating, since the radiator in the bathroom hasn't worked properly since we moved in (I reported it then), and last week the radiator in the living room stopped working.  Completely.  It looks and sounds like it's working, but it doesn't heat up.  Sounds like the element is blown to me, but whatever it is, the electrician was not convinced it was fixable.  So he did some research or something, and for some reason or another, we're getting new radiators, also hopefully installed by Friday.  Since it's working its way to being brass monkey cold around here, I hope there are no delays.  Besides, it's impossible to get the laundry to dry without some kind of heating.

Other than the shower requiring a screwdriver for use, and it's cold in here and there's no heating (except in the bedroom), everything's great.  Oh, except for the stompy physio above us, and the (much more occasional) yappiness next door.

*Name changed to protect the slightly peeved.

**I've not told him about this.  When you finish the post you'll understand why.

90 Degrees

I've abruptly turned 90 degrees in my writing.  I've broken through the issues I was having with my novel, and that was starting to move forward again, which I was pleased with--though I can't deny feeling more than a little silly in hoping that I'd have a draft done by the time I got to the states, or maybe the new year.  Yeah, not gonna happen, unless massive inspiration strikes and I get on a roll.  To be fair, I was hoping that would happen, not expecting.

But the main reason it's been put on hold is that a friend of mine was a dear and posted a call for submissions on her blog.  It's for Carina Press, which is the digital imprint of Harlequin.  They do in fact publish more than just romance--in fact, they'll publish most things, as long as it's not young adult, women's literature, poetry, non-fiction, or literary fiction (and possibly a couple of others).  Added bonus: Carina Press is also open submission and doesn't require an agent.

This call is specific, and asking for science fiction holiday stories for their 2012 holiday collection (not explicitly xmas, just holiday).  The deadline is mid-March, which I can make pretty easily, provided I can learn to write science fiction before then--the science fiction needs to be a central element, not just wedged in.  I can read science fiction and I like it well enough, but so far all my plot ideas have been stolen from Star Wars, Star Trek/Gene Roddenberry, Luc Besson, Robert Heinlein, Joss Whedon, and a few other random sources.  Being married to an astrophysicist isn't helpful here (though as Claudia says, at least my hard science won't be wrong).  The good news is that I think I've found a plot line of sorts.  The bad news is that I don't know what to do with it or how to make it science fictiony.  I'm thinking robots.*  We'll see.

*No, not really.  I hope.