Date: 2009-11-28 22:39 Subject: *shakes head* Security: Public

http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/11/heath-reform-and-big-tradeoff.html

Ah, the truth of it comes out. Healthcare reform is bad because it'll give Americans more security, and if we have more security, we'll be more free. And that would ruin everything.

Date: 2009-11-28 14:12 Subject: Mundania Press holiday sale Security: Public

Hullo, all.

For those of you who might want, but have not yet gotten Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad, an anthology that contains my first 2 ever published stories, well, this is the time. The book is back in print (with a new cover, upon which one of my characters appears) and is now 20% off until Jan 1.

http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=Bad-Ass+Faeries+2:+Just+Plain+Bad

While you are there, check out titles by my friends, Dani and Elaine.

http://www.mundania.com/author.php?author=Elaine+Corvidae

http://www.mundania.com/author.php?author=Danielle+Ackley-McPhail

Date: 2009-11-28 09:25 Subject: here comes the sun Security: Public

here comes the sun
do do do doo
here comes the sun
and i say
it's too bright

Date: 2009-11-26 15:33 Subject: a question Security: Public

how can this exist, and the world not throw itself into the sun?

Date: 2009-11-26 11:38 Subject: a public service announcement Security: Public

My dislike of facebook increases over time. The interface is weird and to some extent uncontrollable. It spews masses of unwanted goop at you. It filters not just by your own choice, but by some arcane and mysterious algorithm, so that you don't actually receive everything. And then, by Sturgeon's Law, 90% of everything you do receive is crap. And there's so much of it.

Lately, facebook has taken to showing even more minutia about one's acquaintances. It has become intrusive. Not only is a whole bunch of your fairly personal data out there for people to investigate, which is, lets face it, an unpleasant truth about all social networking sites, but it is - by fb's terms and conditions - tied to one's real name, and then broadcast promiscuously to All & Sundry.

For several months now, my use of facebook has largely been to log in briefly to post things, or to see things that are responses to me, or that I'm tagged with. While I'm on, I'll peruse the first page of whatever comes up and see if there is anything of interest. Also, I've used facebook chat through the Adium multi-chat-protocol client (rather than the largely unusable and wholly annoying facebook web page pop-up chat thingie).

Most recently, facebook has changed the way that their chat protocol interacts with third party clients. Now, if I try to use adium, it causes facebook to log me out and then have to "prove" my identity. Fuck that.

I disabled facebook chat. You can find me via AIM, MSN, yahoo and lj chat. That's enough, really. I'll still log in to facebook and post things here and again, but I'm not browsing it. FB has never been a reliable way to communicate anyway, and I can't even count the number of times I've heard "Well, I posted about it on facebook. If you were interested, you should have said something."

Eh. No. Never saw it, even when I was trying to keep up with all the hundreds of messages per day. "John Doe has gotten his second cup of coffee" makes it through facebooks you-must-know-this-about-all-your-friends filter, and "Going to the Mutter Museum on Saturday, who wants to come?" does not.

Facebook is not built for communication. That communication sometimes occurs is a testament to human resilience, I suspect.

Date: 2009-11-25 23:58 Subject: les enfants terribles Security: Public

it's a novel, it's a film, and now it's a wine.

we found some in the local bolshevik likker store and couldn't resist. and now we know. terrible babies make a damn good wine.

which is good, 'cause you wouldn't want terrible baby oil. that would be wrong.

Date: 2009-11-23 22:04 Subject: I'm totally failing at this blogging thing Security: Public

Both at writing consistently and reading consistently.

Looks like I haven't read LJ since the 13th, which was years ago, or at least 10 days. So I'm trying to catch up. Only 360 posts...

The madness of the last few weeks is over. Faeriecon is done. Grand fun, but the cost of vending outstripped what we could earn. Philcon is over. From a vending perspective, the term I heard that best describes things is "grismal." Due to various & sundry complications, we did not actually get copies of the trade paperback version of The Evil Gazebo in, in time for the book launch, which makes it hard to sell them.

On the other hand, we'll have time to get the fine-tune the layout.

Got to hang out with some wonderful folks both weekends, and met some very cool folks, including Neil Clarke of Clarkesworld, and Linda got me into a kilt. Sunday morning on the way to the con, the kilt got me some interesting looks at the Gryphon Cafe as I obtained the necessary nutrients to successfully survive the morning.

Sunday afternoon, I went to a wedding. There were martinis, and discussion of the poise necessary for successfully drinking said martini whilst moving through a crowd. The tables were all named after WoW places. We sat at Thunder Bluff. There was food and dancing and awful music from decades past. People who have no right ever having even HEARD Journey demonstrated that they know ALL THE LYRICS.

Today - MRI for the shoulder issue. Results are pretty damn fast nowadays, and HIPAA regulations that force the labs to only give info to the doctors and not the patients can be overcome with adequate paperwork. Verdict? "There is mild osteoarthritis of the glenohumeral and acromioclavicular joints. There is mild tendonopathy and partial low grade tear of the undersurface of the supraspinatus tendon." Everything else is ok. Hopefully the dr will call soon and we'll see what's in store next.

Tomorrow there's a trip to the farm in Kimberton for yummy CSA food and compost. Wednesday another trip to the car doctor to get the locks fixed. Then Tofu Day.

Mebbe next week things can become sane again.

Date: 2009-11-19 11:16 Subject: Philcon Security: Public

So. Philcon schedules have been posted. I'm on 2 panels, both on Saturday afternoon.


* Sat 11:00 AM in Plaza III (Three)—Was Philip K. Dick right? (33)

Are we now living in Philip K. Dick's future dystopia?

Diane Weinstein (mod), Mark Wolverton, David Louis Edelman, Bernie Mojzes, James Chambers


* Sat 1:00 PM in Plaza I (One)—Philip K. Dick As Classic Literature (24)

He's in Library of America these days. Irony of irony, his science fiction has achieved mainstream acceptance, even though his mainstream fiction never did. What has caused this academic/critical awakening?

John Moore (mod), Diane Weinstein, Bernie Mojzes, Gary Feldbaum, Andrew C. Murphy

There was a third panel, which I begged off as it takes place at the same time as the "All Things Dark and Dangerous" book launch party - we're launching The Evil Gazebo (by yrs trly, illustrated by Linda Saboe), The Halfling's Court (by Danielle Ackley-McPhail, illustrated by Linda Saboe), and Dead Souls (ed. by Mark Deniz, containing stories by yrs trly and James R. Stratton, who will also be there for the launch).

The launch is in the con suite on Saturday from 7-9pm. There will be a raffle with prizes. There will be munchies. There will be prints by Linda available - illustrations from both books, plus some other images.

Date: 2009-11-19 10:20 Subject: The Blue Stream Security: Public

Yeah yeah, I know. Bad form to review a book I'm in. But really, I just wanted to mention one particular story - the one that closes out the anthology. Kaaron Warren's The Blue Stream was chilling and disturbing, and a reminder that when it comes to horror, there's nothing a monster can do that is more horrific than what we do to ourselves. The most dangerous and awful creature in the universe is a fearful human, and the ugly truth of it is that it is not horror that creates fear, but fear that creates horror.

There are a lot of good stories - great stories, even - in Dead Souls (which makes me worry for the editor's sanity that my work is also included...). But The Blue Stream stands out as one of those rare sparks of brilliance in the short fiction world. It's an honor to share space in the same anthology.

I'll definitely be seeking out more of her work. Because, y'know, the to-be-read pile isn't big enough yet.

Date: 2009-11-16 16:06 Subject: the week in preview Security: Public

I got my schedule for philcon. I'm on 3 panels, all of them on Saturday, and one of which happens to be at the same time as my book launch party. So. I'm secretly on 2 panels. None of them, strangely enough, having to do with writing sex scenes.

The launch party will be held in the con suite from 7-9pm on Saturday, and features The Evil Gazebo, Danielle Ackley-McPhail's The Halfling's Court, and the anthology Dead Souls, edited by Mark Deniz, in which I have a story. Jim Stratton, another Dead Souls contributor, will be joining us. There will be prizes, shiny, happy giveaways, including a gloriously handbound copy of The Evil Gazebo.

Friday, I have no panels scheduled, so the day will be reserved for drinking, and the night for sobering up for the ride home. I have informed Mr. Stratton that under no circumstances shall I have more than 5 of his infamous martinis.

Thursday - the car goes in for inspection, and hopefully for a fix of a nagging lock problem that causes the alarm to sound at inopportune moments, like just as the little ol' lady struggling with a large bag of groceries walks in front of my car.

Wednesday - there is no wednesday.

Tuesday - the car goes to the body shop for a new windshield and new rear lamp cover, so that it can later pass the aforementioned inspection.

Even if I refrain from buying large amounts of stuff at Philcon, this promises to be an expensive week.

---

On the bodily function front - got blood tests today so that my dr will feel better about the bp pills and such. The young woman who prepared to take my blood was nervous. Her hands shook a little as she pulled on her gloves. The older lab tech looked at the paperwork and told her which color vials to pull. She dabbed my arm with alcohol, tied me off with a rubber strap, and then, hands still shaking, pressed the needle against my skin.

She took a breath, the trembling stopped, and she pushed the needle through my skin. Perfect. Painless. The vials filled. She held the needle motionless while changing the vials. Again, perfect.

The older tech watched the entire procedure very closely. When it was done, she said, "Oh, good. I was wondering if you'd notice his vein goes a different direction from most people's."

Which explains why people fuck that up so often, and leave me with giant bruises. Once, at a different facility, the tech left me with a bruise about the size of a softball. I had to go back a few days later for more tests. She looked at my arm and said, "Wow, someone really did a number on your arm. Who drew your blood last time?" "You did." She excused herself, and the other tech came to draw my blood.

I have thus far failed to schedule an MRI for my shoulder. Their computer systems are down, and they still have no idea when they'll be back up. Sometimes I miss paper.

Date: 2009-11-13 18:01 Subject: just say NO to radioactive milk Security: Public

After wandering around Kimberton Whole Foods for a bit, I'd gathered all my goodies and waited in line for the checker to get through the people in front of me.

And really, there were signs, if I'd been paying attention. The woman in front of me managed to arrange herself and her cart so that, even though there was plenty of space on the conveyor belt, there was no way for me to actually reach it to put down my basket. A lack of awareness, perhaps? Really, she was too busy commenting on every item that the man in front of her had chosen, as the checker rang it in. "Oh, you are a wise man. That is a very healthy choice." At first I thought that perhaps they knew each other, but he gradually became less and less responsive to the running commentary, and fled as soon as he could.

Then it was her turn. Each item was passed through the bar code scanner and set aside to bag, except for the milk. KWF carries raw milk from local dairies, and this stuff does not come with bar codes. The checker keyed in the amount and then set the milk to the side.

"Thank you!" exclaimed the woman. "Thank you for not radiating my milk. Not everything needs radiating, you know."

Then she was gone (after some lengthy confusion with the credit card machine), and it was my turn.

"Did she really thank you for not radiating the milk?"

The checker nodded, wide-eyed, and then shrugged.

"Ok. Just making sure I heard right."

I'm not worried. She'll get all the radiation she deserves from the big slab of beef she bought.

Date: 2009-11-13 00:18 Subject: august 4th, 1993 Security: Public

Back in 1993 I made a nigh-fatal mistake. I stopped at a red light. Good part of it was I got to ride in a helicopter. The bad part? Well, I wrote the story down, typing it one handed and emailing it off to the intarwebs. In 2005, I posted the story on LJ.

On Wednesday I got some x-rays of my shoulder to see if there was anything bone-wise that might account for the symptoms from the torn rotator cuff. There wasn't, but the tech called in from the other room, "Uh, have you ever broken your humerus?"

( Um. Yes. )

Date: 2009-11-09 23:02 Subject: an interesting conversation Security: Public

...at the doctor's office today. We're looking at all the hoops necessary to get my shoulder actually looked at appropriately. This will require an MRI, which the insurance co may deny.

"So, what do you think about this whole health insurance reform thing?" I asked.

She sighed. "There's some good things and some bad things. But it would be nice if some money could go toward people's health in our own country, instead of being prioritized toward... other things."

But the main problem as she sees it is this: if everyone who needed medical assistance could get it, the whole health care infrastructure would collapse. There's simply not enough primary care physicians, and no incentive to enter the field. Before we can actually start providing health care to the people who need it, we need doctors for them to see. If we start seriously working on training more doctors in family medicine now, she said, we could start the process of treating more people in five years.

Date: 2009-11-04 12:50 Subject: wondering Security: Public

How many civil rights would have found support under the local popular referendum model of recognizing basic rights at the time those fights were being fought?

End of slavery?
Voting rights for African-Americans or other racial minority groups?
Integration?
Interracial marriage?
Voting rights for women?
Equal treatment under the law for racial minorities and women?

Basic human rights are not a matter of popular opinion, which can always be manipulated through fear and doubt to incite all of our worst bigotries.

This is something that needs to be dealt with nationally, from an enlightened leadership.

Pity all we have is sheep and wolves.

Date: 2009-11-02 14:52 Subject: "she gets cooler every day!" Security: Public

Which is what Linda said, upon the revelation of the new copies of The Evil Gazebo that arrived at our doorstep a few minutes ago.

The spectacular ladywind consistently outdoes herself, which is no mean feat.

There will be pictures. You will see. If you come to Faeriecon or Philcon you will see for yourself. If you come to Faeriecon, you can meet her as well.

Date: 2009-11-02 11:45 Subject: Limerick Composed in a Dream Security: Public

The Thing wandered into a drain
And chose not to exit again
It found a great room
That would serve as its tomb
And displayed on a plinth its own brain.

Bob Drake - "Limerick Composed in a Dream," from The Shunned Country

[edited to fix dreams and drains - 11/3/09]

Date: 2009-11-01 09:49 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public

Spring forward.

Fall down.

Date: 2009-10-30 00:13 Subject: Hotel Horrors Security: Public

Late last night, I dropped in at my preferred cheap hotel in the close vicinity of the datacenter where our gear lives to see if they still had any rooms available. The parking lot was pretty full, so I was less than hopeful. There was another potential patron there; the clerk was giving her directions to another nearby hotel.

"I guess you don't have any rooms left," I said.

"Oh, no. We have one room left." The clerk looks at his computer, and then leans forward a little as he looks at me. "But you may not want this room."

"Uh... what's wrong with it?"

Because the possibilities are endless.

Is this the room with the serial killer in the closet?

The room with the ghostly wailing?

The one with the unsettling smell of decay, and the mysteriously recurring bloodstained bedsheets?

The one with the vortex that sucks people into the world of Evil Spock?

"Nothing," he says. "It's just handicapped accessible."

"You mean, I might not want the room because there's aluminum bars in the bathroom? Who does that?"

He looks out the door after the woman who had just left. "Lots of people. You'd be surprised." He shrugged. "People are weird."

Date: 2009-10-27 23:40 Subject: a taste of halloween Security: Public

Hullo, all you zombies out there. I've put up a bit of Halloween storytelling on my web site for y'all. Don't worry, it's short. And it won't bite.

Much.

The Trouble With Brains