Sorry, no quote today. I'm exhausted. My eyes hurt. I just want to go to sleep.

So, how many words did you mine today?

Sound Off!

"A woman's place is not in the refrigerator."

Comment over there.

It's my sad news to report that the local Waldenbooks, in the Oakdale Mall, is on the list of stores to be closed at the beginning of the new year. This is sad in more than one way--everyone hates to see a bookstore close--because this particular bookstore manager, April, has treated me and many other fellow authors with both respect and fan-glee. She has supported us by making certain that our books are on the shelf at the store AND, perhaps more importantly, talking the books up to her customers and making certain that they are in the hands of potential readers out there. I honestly can't believe the bookstore is closing.

However, before the news of the closing hit the airwaves, we'd arranged for a holiday signing at the store. It's now become a "last hurrah!" signing, and we're hoping to make it a huge send-off not only for April but for all of the employees at the store who've helped push our books in the past. So if you're in the Binghamton area--or even within a reasonable driving distance--come by on December 5th from Noon-4pm and help us let April and the other employees know how much we appreciate all of their efforts over the years. We'd like this signing to be a huge success! In addition to having our books there to sign for either you OR as gifts for all of your friends, we'll be wrapping the books you intend to use as gifts as well. FREE GIFT WRAPPING!! By authors who may (or may not) know anything about gift wrapping!! That, in and of itself, will be a blast. *grin* I'm sure we'll also have some candy and other freebies to give away.

We realize that not everyone is within even an unreasonable driving distance of Binghamton, NY. If you can't make it for whatever reason, you can still help us celebrate and thank April and the other bookstore employees by buying the books through the store and having them shipped to you (or someone else). April has graciously agreed to handle ordered copies in two different ways: you can either have the signed books shipped to a local Waldenbooks in your area so you can pick them up there, or April can ship them directly to you. For the second option, there will be no shipping cost (for shipments in the US), April will simply charge you for the books. For either of these options, send an email to fireun3@gmail.com with either the name of the town or city where the local Waldenbooks is located OR with where you'd like the books shipped. You should include what books you'd like by what author, how you want them signed, and (if they're shipping directly to you) if you want them wrapped.

Here are the details of the signing if you think you can make it. Keep in mind that Christmas is inching ever closer. Ask yourself who on your gift list might enjoy some great fantasy novels! Signed even!

The "Last Hurrah!" Signing

Waldenbooks @ The Oakdale Mall
Reynolds Rd., Binghamton, NY
December 5th, 2009
Noon-4pm
Gift-wrapping available!
Featuring:
Patricia Bray; S.C. Butler
Barbara Campbell; Laura Anne Gilman
Jackie Kessler; Joshua Palmatier
Anton Strout


And if you aren't certain what books are up for grabs, here's a list of all of our books in print and available through the store:

Patricia Bray: The Sword of Change series: Devlin's Luck, Devlin's Honor, Devlin's Justice; The Chronicles of Josan series: The First Betrayal, The Sea Change, The Final Sacrifice

S.C. Butler: The Stoneways Trilogy: Reiffen's Choice, Queen Ferris, The Magicians' Daughter

Barbara Campbell: The Trickster's Game series: Heartwood, Bloodstone, Foxfire

Laura Anne Gilman: The Retrievers series: Staying Dead, Curse the Dark, Bring It On, Burning Bridges, Free Fall, Blood From Stone; The Vineart War series: Flesh and Fire

Jackie Kessler: Hell on Earth series: Hell's Belles, The Road to Hell, Hotter Than Hell; Black and White (with Caitlin Kittredge)

Joshua Palmatier: The Throne of Amenkor Trilogy: The Skewed Throne, The Cracked Throne, The Vacant Throne

Anton Strout: The Simon Canderous series: Dead To Me, Deader Still

And there you go! A long list of great books to browse from. I hope to see you at the signing, but if you can't make it, definitely send April a message with what books you'd be interested in. Help support good booksellers! Us authors can't survive without them!

I just can't resist posting this after seeing some more photos of fellow Saint Seiya Cosplayers from non-Asian countries :

GOLDEN RULES FOR COSPLAYING SAINT SEIYA CHARACTERS

1. BOYS/GUYS
PLEASE SHAVE if you're doing ANY of the characters from Saint Seiya.
I know you love your goatie or been keeping that little beard which seems impossible to grow BUT for God's sake, even Saga & Kanon who're 28 years old dun have a hair on their face except on top of their head!
Same goes with Sage and Hakurei.....but maybe it's just in their kind bloodline. XD

2. GIRLS/GALS
PLEASE do BIND your Assets properly.
There is a big different between having a twin towers on your chest, and just some "muscular" chest. I know I also got big assets but at least, I try to make sure there is NO Twin towers there when I'm doing Male Characters.
And come worse, there is always the Cling Wrap and barely even half a roll of Masking Tape to become your Chest Binder

3. GLASSES
BEGONE with them when you're having your photo taken please even when you're on the way somewhere and someone asked to take your photo, or slacking. @_@
Ya, I know you dun have pockets but at least hold them and try to put them behind your back or hide them under your sleeves or something.
Best Option : Wear Contact Lenses BUT only if you know how to wear one and your eyes are suitable with it..

Will add on when I think of it.....

I friended a childhood friend from my Shirley, NY days on Facebook. Haven't talked to him in literally 25 years. He's a Roman Catholic priest. Thinking about it a little bit and remembering him, it kind of makes sense....but it's still a little....I don't know....not weird, not strange....I just can't wrap my brain around it for some reason. I wonder if it has to do with my own disillusionment and absenteeism from the church.

I'm Catholic. Shit, I've got quite a bit of Irish and Italian blood in me, so it's almost genetic. I was baptized, received communion and confirmed (Venantius was my confirmation name.) I was married in a Catholic Church and my daughter was baptized in one as well. I'm the only member of my family that attends mass on even a semi-annual basis. But I'm not quite the archetypal Lapsed Catholic, I like to think of myself as being a psuedo-lapsed Catholic. I won't get to into my own issues with the church...it's more about me than the church. But for some reason this little bit of news, about a friend I haven't talked to in a quarter century, has really effected my in ways I can't even articulate. It's very strange. I have this urge to talk to him. Not write him, not email him...but sit down over coffee (well, tea for me) and catch up on 25 years of life. I want to know why and how a person makes that choice.

Now don't misunderstand me. This is honest to goodness curiosity to me. I actually think it's remarkably noble. It's obviously moved me into some kind of reaction. Despite all the bad press, I still have a great deal of respect for the priesthood (and I'm not just saying this in light of the information I just recieved). "Father" is a term of reverence for me and always will be.

I guess my generation, and those I associated with, weren't ALL bad.

"One writes out of one thing only--one's own experience. Everything depends on how relentlessly one forces from the experience thelast drop, sweet or bitter, it can possibly give."

~James Baldwin~


Holy Hippogriffs! I am on a writing spree. In the past 24 hours, yes I was up ALL night, I have written10,575 words. OMG--May the mania never end. I'm having too much fun.

~Mab


Sound Off!

Reading Twitter tonight (instead of doing anything useful), this tweet from muskrat_john while watching the U of Wisconsin playing U of Alaska Anchorage play hockey:

"The student section is chanting "I See Russia" at the Alaskan team. Give those kids honarary doctorates!"

I love college sports!

'Every writer I know has trouble writing.' ~Joseph Heller

The problem is that they have even more trouble not writing.

Sound Off!

Just got to know today that SCE had moved to Wilkie Edge, just after Peace Centre & POMO (former Paradiz Centre).

Finally gotten my Foundation/Press Powder and hopefully get to use it next weekend when I do HIM.

SONATA DANCEWEAR
SCE (Special Cosmetic Effects Pte Ltd)


ADDRESS
8 Wilkie Road
#01-05, Wilkie Edge
Singapore 228095

TEL : (+65) 6884 7039
FAX : (+65) 6884 7037
E-MAIL : selegie@sonata.com.sg
WEBSITE : http://www.sonata.com.sg


CONTACT PERSON
Lim Peck Lee (Special Effects Consultant)

OPERATING HOURS
Mondays, Wednesday to Fridays : 12.00pm to 7.00pm
Saturdays & Sundays : 10.00am to 5.00pm
CLOSED on Tuesdays and Public Holidays.


NOTES
- Sole Agent-Distributor for GRIMAS MAKE-UP in South East Asia
- Products can also be purchased from No. 1 Costume Costume

MAP : http://www.streetdirectory.com/asia_travel/travel/travel_id_35984/travel_site_144084/

Ugh, I am so glad this week is over. I'm exhausted. My legs are killing me and my back is all pinchy. I'm frustrated because both of my doctors are preaching exercising to help with the pain...but I can't exercise with all the pain, it's a vicious cycle all over again. Anyway, I'll live, just got to whine.

The wife is at work late tonight and Nat's napping (I know it's late, but what can you do?), so I'm watching TV!

The TV is BEAUTIFUL...I have to adjust a few things, but that'll come. Mom hinted that a PS3 might be in my future. I've got a few games on my list and I'm very excited about it. (Madden, Brutal Legend, Dragon Age: Origins)

I have some grading and football stuff to do tonight, then I might...big might...get some writing done. I think I want to get back into Sisters of Khoda and start thinking about what I'm going to do in 2010. But more on that much later!

And no more teasing about my teasing thing...oh, damn, I did it again.

I mentioned in my last post that I was cooking again. What this generally means in practice is that I look up a dinner recipe, a side item recipe, and a desert recipe, and I make them. Of course, since I live alone, and I don't eat all that much, these three recipes usually feed me around a day or two past the point when I'm tired of eating the same thing over and over again. Even really yummy stuff, I generally am more than ready not to eat any more when I finish. However, I've found an exception: a recipe for Chocolate Parfaits, also now known as "the parfaits of super deliciousness." These are so yummy that I've bought enough ingredients to make them again.

( Recipe )

I would pay money to see somebody choreograph a contemporary ballet pas de deux to the song "Gaeta's Lament" from Battlestar Galactica. It would be a beautiful adagio, morphing into something huge and powerful when the drums kick in. Alternatively, do it on ice, with some really athletic side-by-side and throw jumps at the end.

I never had it in me to be a professional dancer, but there is and always will be a choreographer living in a back corner of my head, drafting movement to the music I'm hearing.

'Writing comes more easily if you have something to say.' ~Sholem Asch

Did you have anything to say today, and were you able to say it?

Sound off!

Notes augmented

We've enhanced and de-bugged Notes. If you haven't tried it yet, now's the time! You can create a private note when you ban multiple users. You can also delete multiple notes at once. Lastly, paid users have the option to add a note (visible only to you) whenever you add or remove a friend (guaranteed to avoid embarrassing social mishaps). If you don't currently have a paid account, you can upgrade now! It only takes a few minutes and costs less than a bad shopping mall haircut (plus, it's way more fashionable)!

Product tweaks and bug kill

1. In another effort to zap spam, comments containing links from domains LiveJournal deems untrustworthy are now automatically screened
2. The issue causing random comments to vanish has been fixed!
3. If you visit a LiveJournal page and get prompted to log in, you'll be returned to the same page after you sign in (Thanks, Dreamwidth)!
4. If you don't edit the timestamp for an entry at all, the entry timestamp will indicate the time the entry was posted instead of the time the Update Journal page was loaded
5. Comments with paddings/backgrounds render correctly within the comment box (and will no longer wrap outside the box and break frames/margins)

New FCK fixes rich text editor!

1. We've updated our RTE (Rich Text Editor) to FCKeditor version 2.6.5
2. When switching from the RTE to HTML editor, links for syndicated feeds are no longer broken
3. RTE now functions properly in Safari 4.0
4. An extra line/space will not be auto-inserted whenever you switch from RTE to HTML editor
5. The insert image link now works correctly in all browsers

LiveJournal Cares

We’re pleased to introduce you to lj_cares, a new LiveJournal community dedicated to raising awareness and funds for U.S. charitable organizations that improve the health and well-being of people around the world. Each month, we’ll spotlight a nonprofit that is making a significant global impact through medical research, public outreach, and/or humanitarian social programs. Charities will be selected in accordance with the U.S. calendar of national health observances based on a high rating (of over 60%) on Charity Navigator and global scope of impact.

In this, our inaugural month of November, we will celebrate national adoption month by offering a charitable virtual gift (priced at $2.99) to support Love Without Boundaries, an organization that saves the lives of orphans with life-threatening diseases and places them in loving homes around the world. LiveJournal will donate 100% of the proceeds from the sale of charitable vgifts (we'll cover the cost of credit card transaction fees). To learn more about Love Without Boundaries, please visit lj_cares and read about how they helped save Baby Kang and the Rainbow Twins from fatal illnesses, who are now thriving in nurturing families. You can purchase your Love Without Boundaries gifts in the Virtual Gift shop.

Papered in postcards

A couple of weeks ago, we asked you to send in postcards to surround us with LiveJournal community. Thanks for coming through! We've received postcards all the way from Germany, Finland, and Canada and from all over the US, including Texas, Florida, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Indiana, Hawaii, and Oklahoma just to name just a handful. We're thrilled with our improved decor.

Please keep the love coming for one more week by writing to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be drawing the names of ten random contributors next Thursday to win paid account credits!

Photos of the week

We have more dazzling images posted by talented LiveJournal photographers from around the world. We're hoping to span the entire globe, so please continue posting and tagging. Of course, you can also sit back and enjoy the view at lj_photophile.

You can see a sample of this week's gorgeous photos and check out spotlight communities and awesome user content after the jump!

( Read more... )

Curtains

We thank you, once again, for joining us. See you next week!

I'll use my French horn icon because, well, it's what I use for music. But given that I'm talking about Metallica, it might not be the most appropriate choice.

Or is it? You see, this post is about one of my odd collections: Weird Metallica Covers. I'm not just talking about S&M, though since we've brought that up let me take a moment to drool over what happens when you pair a metal band with an orchestra. (The band acquires body and the orchestra acquires teeth. Oh yeah.) No, I'm talking about piano solo, grand harp duet, cello quartet, plus Rodrigo y Gabriela tackling the odd song here and there.

(For the curious: the most frequently-covered song I've got is "One," which clocks in at four and a half renditions, not counting the original. ["Half" because the Rodrigo y Gabriela version segues into "Take 5" partway through.] It's narrowly trailed by "Enter Sandman" and "Master of Puppets," with four apiece.)

Can anybody recommend more of this to me? Or, y'know, odd covers of things other than Metallica. I have a string quartet doing Evanescence, Richard Cheese doing lounge-singer covers of all kinds of random crap (including "Down with the Sickness," which is freaking hilarious in lounge style), Rondellus doing early medieval covers of Black Sabbath in Latin. Techno remixes of opera, shamisen duet of Radiohead -- if it's a weird mashup of instruments or styles, I'm there*. What should I look for?


*(I haven't actually soundtracked any of my Driftwood stories, but in the back of my head, this is what it calls for.)

This morning Natalie and I took Minnie, our dog, to be groomed. Natalie was thrilled the three of us were out together, laughing and giggling the whole time into the store, pulling me along like she knew where we were going. We did all the paperwork and handed the leash to the groomer while picking Natalie up. Well Natalie saw this and lost it. She cried out, "Oh no...Minnie! Daddy, Minnie. Minnie, Minnnnnnie! Daddy, Minnie!" It made me laugh and cry at the same time. She was positively distraught over us leaving the dog behind. We came home and she searched the whole house for Minnie.

I wanted to take Nat to pick her up, but I had a hundred other things to do and dropped her off at my brother in law's, but she was giddy when she came home to see the dog home. It was awesome!

TV is set up and AWESOME...

But that's not my news I've been teasing, which will stop now that it is all out of my hands.


Goodnight!

EDIT@08:16 UTC/GMT. Wow. That was ugly. I expected it to go for 30 minutes and have maybe 1 minute of broken connectivity. Instead it lasted over 4 hours and we had 10 minutes of downtime directly related to the load balancer upgrades and then another 5-10 minutes of downtime when our primary Pingback database server crashed and the secondary couldn't take over; which could have been indirectly caused by the network upgrade missing a self-VIP.

Anyways, we're up, we're working, the load balancers are barely breaking a sweat right now and I need some food and a shot of whiskey. I don't even *like* whiskey!!

Thanks mhwest and dnewhall for helping out!

---

On Saturday the 14th at 4AM UTC/GMT we will be upgrading the operating system of our network load balancers to a newer version, one that will allow us to use both CPUs! Nifty, because multiprocessing is nice.

Since we have 2 load balancers, the plan is to upgrade 1 at a time, and there really should be very little impact to our website. Hopefully you won't notice a thing and I'll get to go back to the hotel and watch some wonderful late night infomercials.

We've got a lot of exciting projects coming up for 2010 and we're hoping that we'll be able to deliver them all to you, that you will find it useful/cool/lovely and then you will use the site even more. Behind-the-scenes work like this will give us the capacity to handle the anticipated traffic, so expect a few more maintenance windows especially in the beginning of next year as we've got some neat ideas to improve performance around here! We had the recent 30-45 minute outage yesterday due to one of our logging databases filling up disk space -- not so great design coupled with my human error in handling the initial problem -- and it looks like we're going to finally have some resources to eliminate stuff like that. I can't wait!

As usual, I will be updating status.livejournal.org before and after, just in case you are not able to reach our main website during the work.

"Good as it is to inherit a library, it is better to collect one." - Augustine Birrell

I've been  totally manic today and have written 7284 words so far today!!! I absolutely cannot believe it. The bug bit me in the ass and I've got the fever.

~Mab

Sound Off!

It's my sad news to report that the local Waldenbooks, in the Oakdale Mall, is on the list of stores to be closed at the beginning of the new year. This is sad in more than one way--everyone hates to see a bookstore close--because this particular bookstore manager, April, has treated me and many other fellow authors with both respect and fan-glee. She has supported us by making certain that our books are on the shelf at the store AND, perhaps more importantly, talking the books up to her customers and making certain that they are in the hands of potential readers out there. I honestly can't believe the bookstore is closing.

However, before the news of the closing hit the airwaves, we'd arranged for a holiday signing at the store. It's now become a "last hurrah!" signing, and we're hoping to make it a huge send-off not only for April but for all of the employees at the store who've helped push our books in the past. So if you're in the Binghamton area--or even within a reasonable driving distance--come by on December 5th from Noon-4pm and help us let April and the other employees know how much we appreciate all of their efforts over the years. We'd like this signing to be a huge success! In addition to having our books there to sign for either you OR as gifts for all of your friends, we'll be wrapping the books you intend to use as gifts as well. FREE GIFT WRAPPING!! By authors who may (or may not) know anything about gift wrapping!! That, in and of itself, will be a blast. *grin* I'm sure we'll also have some candy and other freebies to give away.

We realize that not everyone is within even an unreasonable driving distance of Binghamton, NY. If you can't make it for whatever reason, you can still help us celebrate and thank April and the other bookstore employees by buying the books through the store and having them shipped to you (or someone else). April has graciously agreed to handle ordered copies in two different ways: you can either have the signed books shipped to a local Waldenbooks in your area so you can pick them up there, or April can ship them directly to you. For the second option, there will be no shipping cost (for shipments in the US), April will simply charge you for the books. For either of these options, send an email to fireun3@gmail.com with either the name of the town or city where the local Waldenbooks is located OR with where you'd like the books shipped. You should include what books you'd like by what author, how you want them signed, and (if they're shipping directly to you) if you want them wrapped.

Here are the details of the signing if you think you can make it. Keep in mind that Christmas is inching ever closer. Ask yourself who on your gift list might enjoy some great fantasy novels! Signed even!

The "Last Hurrah!" Signing

Waldenbooks @ The Oakdale Mall
Reynolds Rd., Binghamton, NY
December 5th, 2009
Noon-4pm
Gift-wrapping available!
Featuring:
Patricia Bray; S.C. Butler
Barbara Campbell; Laura Anne Gilman
Jackie Kessler; Joshua Palmatier
Anton Strout


And if you aren't certain what books are up for grabs, here's a list of all of our books in print and available through the store:

Patricia Bray: The Sword of Change series: Devlin's Luck, Devlin's Honor, Devlin's Justice; The Chronicles of Josan series: The First Betrayal, The Sea Change, The Final Sacrifice

S.C. Butler: The Stoneways Trilogy: Reiffen's Choice, Queen Ferris, The Magicians' Daughter

Barbara Campbell: The Trickster's Game series: Heartwood, Bloodstone, Foxfire

Laura Anne Gilman: The Retrievers series: Staying Dead, Curse the Dark, Bring It On, Burning Bridges, Free Fall, Blood From Stone; The Vineart War series: Flesh and Fire

Jackie Kessler: Hell on Earth series: Hell's Belles, The Road to Hell, Hotter Than Hell; Black and White (with Caitlin Kittredge)

Joshua Palmatier: The Throne of Amenkor Trilogy: The Skewed Throne, The Cracked Throne, The Vacant Throne

Anton Strout: The Simon Canderous series: Dead To Me, Deader Still

And there you go! A long list of great books to browse from. I hope to see you at the signing, but if you can't make it, definitely send April a message with what books you'd be interested in. Help support good booksellers! Us authors can't survive without them!