I need to do more reading! I followed a link from Paperback Writer to Test Your Vocabulary.
I came up with 36,200 words. But I feel vaguely disappointed.
I suppose it could be because I'm tired from roaming around the neighbourhood for a pre-Census looky-loo; you know, who has scary dogs, locked gates, townhouses, empty blocks, etc. I'm delivering the precious cargo this weekend and it's best I get the knees back into walking mode before then.
A few years ago, it was easy - but time-consuming - to deliver junk... ah, advertising catalogues. Now, not so much; and the area is smaller but the knees are creakier. Damn the sporting endeavours of my youth!
Maybe I should do the test again and include the words I recognise, but don't necessarily know a synonym for? Or maybe I'll just go read a dictionary...
Showing posts with label Procrastination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Procrastination. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Upgrade
I've upgraded my wireless broadband, and received a Pendo Pad as a bonus. It is evil. EVIL, I tell you.
While playing around with it, I downloaded a couple of games - and then... it was hours later. The old "I'll just finish this level..." gambit. I am now addicted to the 'jewels' game; all those shinies and explosions, and whirling jewels. O_o
I need to focus on writing. So...
Woman's Arse Size study...There is a new study about women and how they feel about their arses...The results were pretty interesting.
30% of women think their arse is too fat. 10% of women think their arse is too skinny. The remaining 60% say they don't care, they love him, he's a good man and wouldn't trade him for the world...
And now, back to writing the last story for the marathon. Phew.
While playing around with it, I downloaded a couple of games - and then... it was hours later. The old "I'll just finish this level..." gambit. I am now addicted to the 'jewels' game; all those shinies and explosions, and whirling jewels. O_o
I need to focus on writing. So...
Woman's Arse Size study...There is a new study about women and how they feel about their arses...The results were pretty interesting.
30% of women think their arse is too fat. 10% of women think their arse is too skinny. The remaining 60% say they don't care, they love him, he's a good man and wouldn't trade him for the world...
And now, back to writing the last story for the marathon. Phew.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Moving day for dogs - a cautionary tail
Sometimes, with all the writing I'm doing, I need a break; one that usually involves a snicker or two, or a good laugh.
So, if you need something to giggle over:
Read this.
Or you could go over to Jill Shalvis' blog and watch a baby Panda sneeze. Who knew such a small creature could make such a noise?
Now, I need to go make some words, or this book will never be done.
So, if you need something to giggle over:
Read this.
Or you could go over to Jill Shalvis' blog and watch a baby Panda sneeze. Who knew such a small creature could make such a noise?
Now, I need to go make some words, or this book will never be done.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Hatin' on Literature
Not even the most famous authors in history write the perfect character.
For your entertainment - and so you know some books considered literary classics and that are also taught in schools can have... execrable characters - I came across a list of:
The 50 Most Hated Characters In Literary History.
Some will surprise you, others will have you nodding in agreement. Most you should know.
The list mixes hated with love-to-hate characters and if you consider closely, you can see the whys and wherfores, understand the motivations and actions of those characters.
It's worth thinking about as Nano approaches. Are your characters 3D, or cardboard cutouts? Have you set up a few mistakes or an epic blunder for them? Is your antagonist evil because you said so, or because of a genuinely held belief?
Or are you going to make it up as you go along and fix it later?
Yeah... me,too...
For your entertainment - and so you know some books considered literary classics and that are also taught in schools can have... execrable characters - I came across a list of:
The 50 Most Hated Characters In Literary History.
Some will surprise you, others will have you nodding in agreement. Most you should know.
The list mixes hated with love-to-hate characters and if you consider closely, you can see the whys and wherfores, understand the motivations and actions of those characters.
It's worth thinking about as Nano approaches. Are your characters 3D, or cardboard cutouts? Have you set up a few mistakes or an epic blunder for them? Is your antagonist evil because you said so, or because of a genuinely held belief?
Or are you going to make it up as you go along and fix it later?
Yeah... me,too...
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Girl Who Played With Fire
I took myself off to see The Girl Who Played With Fire this morning. Yeah, a foreign filum.
Interestingly, a number of critics have said the first film was better; I disagree. I've read the books, and the first, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, was slow and in need of a good editor. The second was action all the way - and so is the film.
I think the problem was that protagonists, Lisabeth Salander and Mikael Blomqvist, don't get together until almost the last scene.
In this second instalment of the Millenium Trilogy, Mikael investigates the deaths of two of his new colleagues who are about to go public with a sex trafficking story that involves highly place people, and Lisabeth tries to clear her name of the murders. The trail leads both to the mysterious Zala, albeit via separate paths.
I only had one problem with the film and that was whomever did the subtitles, missed a few - one critical to the story.
It's not for the faint of heart, either, so if you're squeamish about violence or a gay sex scene, this isn't the movie for you.
I'll be watching the final instalment, though; the makers have done an excellent job on sticking with the book (which made it easier to follow, in spite of the lost subtitles).
Interestingly, a number of critics have said the first film was better; I disagree. I've read the books, and the first, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, was slow and in need of a good editor. The second was action all the way - and so is the film.
I think the problem was that protagonists, Lisabeth Salander and Mikael Blomqvist, don't get together until almost the last scene.
In this second instalment of the Millenium Trilogy, Mikael investigates the deaths of two of his new colleagues who are about to go public with a sex trafficking story that involves highly place people, and Lisabeth tries to clear her name of the murders. The trail leads both to the mysterious Zala, albeit via separate paths.
I only had one problem with the film and that was whomever did the subtitles, missed a few - one critical to the story.
It's not for the faint of heart, either, so if you're squeamish about violence or a gay sex scene, this isn't the movie for you.
I'll be watching the final instalment, though; the makers have done an excellent job on sticking with the book (which made it easier to follow, in spite of the lost subtitles).
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Got Cake?
Aaannddd... just in case you missed it, Hyperbole and a Half blog presents the evilness and ingenuity of a child in: The God of Cake.
Jeez, my parents would have tanned my hide! But then, I was brunged up propa...
Jeez, my parents would have tanned my hide! But then, I was brunged up propa...
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Ahoy! Me Hearties!
Ahoy, ye scurvy dogs!
It's Talk Like a Pirate Day, which means poor English grammar and syntax, arrrr...
So, a quick lesson:
Ahoy! - "Yo!"
Avast! - "Check it out!"
Aye! - "Yes."
Arrr! - "That's right!" (often confused with arrrgh...)
Arrrgh! - "I'm VERY miffed."
Pirates drink tankards of ayel (ale) or rum, eat without using cutlery, don't brush their teeth (they rinse with the aforementioned ale or rum, and use dirks or boucans as dental floss) and personal hygiene is a personal choice rarely taken - unless tossed overboard, and few pirates could actually swim.
As a bit o' history, the pirate speech may have been heavily influenced by Cornish and the West Country dialects. Like a lot of dialects, distance and time changed the language
ITLAPD was created in 1996 by Cap'n Slappy and Ol' Chumbucket, alias, John Baur and Mark Summers.
Go and check out the ten top pick up lines on ITLAPD for inspiration.
Talk Like a Pirate Day.
It's Talk Like a Pirate Day, which means poor English grammar and syntax, arrrr...
So, a quick lesson:
Ahoy! - "Yo!"
Avast! - "Check it out!"
Aye! - "Yes."
Arrr! - "That's right!" (often confused with arrrgh...)
Arrrgh! - "I'm VERY miffed."
Pirates drink tankards of ayel (ale) or rum, eat without using cutlery, don't brush their teeth (they rinse with the aforementioned ale or rum, and use dirks or boucans as dental floss) and personal hygiene is a personal choice rarely taken - unless tossed overboard, and few pirates could actually swim.
As a bit o' history, the pirate speech may have been heavily influenced by Cornish and the West Country dialects. Like a lot of dialects, distance and time changed the language
ITLAPD was created in 1996 by Cap'n Slappy and Ol' Chumbucket, alias, John Baur and Mark Summers.
Go and check out the ten top pick up lines on ITLAPD for inspiration.
Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Hyperbole
All I can say about today's Hyperbole and a Half, entitled 'The Party' is... bwahahaha!!!
Damn, that cracks me up!
O_o Work? What work? I'm having a weekend in Canberra...
Damn, that cracks me up!
O_o Work? What work? I'm having a weekend in Canberra...
Friday, July 30, 2010
I write like who?
Um, yes, well, I should be doing domestic chores, but, like any good work avoider, I'm screwing around on the Internet. I found I Write Like from Tanya Huff's LJ account.
You copy a few paragraphs into the analyser and it pops out a famous writer. Of course I have better things to do, but what the hell. One of the books I'm taking to Melbourne with me, Knight Stalker came up with this:
I don't know whether that's good or bad. Great story idea but dubious execution?
The second book, Demonesque, in a different genre:
All I can say is: "WTF???"
They're the new ones. The ones already out there? Okay, let's see:
Huntress
Umm...
The sequel, Huntress: Sacrifice, came up with this:
I don't know whether that means the first few paragraphs are funny - they're not supposed to be - or it's got some weird juxtapositions about them that I should examine more closely. The third in the series came up with Dan Brown again.
And the Seasons series came up with Chuck Palanuik, Stephen King, Annie Rice and James Joyce. I should say that on Scribd, the second book (written like Stephen King) is the most popular, so maybe the analyser is onto something.
Apparently, the analyser "checks which famous writer you write like by analyzing your word choice and writing style and comparing them with those of the famous writers."
It's makes me feel rather schizophrenic, that I don't have a writing style I can call my own... precious.We wants it, we wants it... Still, it's one of those things you can procrastinate with for hours.
You copy a few paragraphs into the analyser and it pops out a famous writer. Of course I have better things to do, but what the hell. One of the books I'm taking to Melbourne with me, Knight Stalker came up with this:
I don't know whether that's good or bad. Great story idea but dubious execution?
The second book, Demonesque, in a different genre:
All I can say is: "WTF???"
They're the new ones. The ones already out there? Okay, let's see:
Huntress
Umm...
The sequel, Huntress: Sacrifice, came up with this:
I don't know whether that means the first few paragraphs are funny - they're not supposed to be - or it's got some weird juxtapositions about them that I should examine more closely. The third in the series came up with Dan Brown again.
And the Seasons series came up with Chuck Palanuik, Stephen King, Annie Rice and James Joyce. I should say that on Scribd, the second book (written like Stephen King) is the most popular, so maybe the analyser is onto something.
Apparently, the analyser "checks which famous writer you write like by analyzing your word choice and writing style and comparing them with those of the famous writers."
It's makes me feel rather schizophrenic, that I don't have a writing style I can call my own... precious.We wants it, we wants it... Still, it's one of those things you can procrastinate with for hours.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Iron Man
I’ve been writing, reading and watching Sci-fi recently, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to view Iron Man 2 (finally!) from a different perspective.
For example, I couldn’t help wonder if the suit had inertial compensators, and if so, where was it; whether it had any anti-gravity elements, what kind of servos, sensor suites, power units, armoury... and so on. I was thinking similar thoughts when Tony Stark developed his cure... and thought it a little too easy.
But the pyrotechnics were fabulous, all that flying and zipping around avoiding the droids and explosions and more zipping and ka-blamos and I do love a good bang; does that make me shallow? I am easily entertained...
Mickey Rourke was an absolute stand out. He didn't need too many words, his expression and actions said it better - gosh, he's good.
Gwennie was suitably overwhelmed by her new position and Robert Downey, jun., seemed to look tired and slightly out of sorts, until he found his cure and went off like a manic genius.
So. I'm glad I saw it - it's one movie that's an absolute must for the big screen. But only for all the speckie special effects.
Now back to the short story marathon - until Shrek 4 comes out...
For example, I couldn’t help wonder if the suit had inertial compensators, and if so, where was it; whether it had any anti-gravity elements, what kind of servos, sensor suites, power units, armoury... and so on. I was thinking similar thoughts when Tony Stark developed his cure... and thought it a little too easy.
But the pyrotechnics were fabulous, all that flying and zipping around avoiding the droids and explosions and more zipping and ka-blamos and I do love a good bang; does that make me shallow? I am easily entertained...
Mickey Rourke was an absolute stand out. He didn't need too many words, his expression and actions said it better - gosh, he's good.
Gwennie was suitably overwhelmed by her new position and Robert Downey, jun., seemed to look tired and slightly out of sorts, until he found his cure and went off like a manic genius.
So. I'm glad I saw it - it's one movie that's an absolute must for the big screen. But only for all the speckie special effects.
Now back to the short story marathon - until Shrek 4 comes out...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Dragons Ahoy!
How To Train Your Dragon was a lot of fun - even in a theatre full of kids, and the popcorn delayed.
The artwork was beautiful, especially on the dragons. I imagine there were varieties no-one thought of. Toothless, the Nightfury, bears a striking resemblance to Stitch (from the Disney film Lilo & Stitch) and an oversized, winged axolotl; the other dragons are equally spectacular... well, you'll have to see the film.
The Vikings are suitably big, rugged and bloodthirsty - except, of course, for our hero, Hiccup, who is thin, weedy and very unViking-like. He's an inventor and consistently gets himself into trouble whenever the dragons attack. This time, his invention downs a Nightfury that he befriends and trains. Misunderstandings, deceit, suspicion and an epic battle follow.
The flying scenes are better than Avatar and the final battle, man, I was so impressed by the CGI. The fire, the water, the movement of the flesh under dragon skin!
For me, the chatting children, the shushing of the adults, the crunch of popcorn consumed and slurping of soft drink all faded away under the visual beauty of the film. That might be just me, but I love kids' movies; they can present complex issues in a simple way.
Oh, and I saw the shorts for the next Shrek movie. I'm just gonna hafta see it!
The artwork was beautiful, especially on the dragons. I imagine there were varieties no-one thought of. Toothless, the Nightfury, bears a striking resemblance to Stitch (from the Disney film Lilo & Stitch) and an oversized, winged axolotl; the other dragons are equally spectacular... well, you'll have to see the film.
The Vikings are suitably big, rugged and bloodthirsty - except, of course, for our hero, Hiccup, who is thin, weedy and very unViking-like. He's an inventor and consistently gets himself into trouble whenever the dragons attack. This time, his invention downs a Nightfury that he befriends and trains. Misunderstandings, deceit, suspicion and an epic battle follow.
The flying scenes are better than Avatar and the final battle, man, I was so impressed by the CGI. The fire, the water, the movement of the flesh under dragon skin!
For me, the chatting children, the shushing of the adults, the crunch of popcorn consumed and slurping of soft drink all faded away under the visual beauty of the film. That might be just me, but I love kids' movies; they can present complex issues in a simple way.
Oh, and I saw the shorts for the next Shrek movie. I'm just gonna hafta see it!
Monday, March 08, 2010
Resistance is futile
I think this hiatus is working. The temptation to get back to the keyboard and write is growing, with an idea for a sequel to a book I'm taking to the World Science Fiction Convention held in Melbourne this September.
But I'm not going to give in, not yet. Next Monday is soon enough. This week, I'm still reading, still watching movies (Eagle Eye was great!) and I'm working on a web page for the local museum.
I'm coming to the opinion that sitting down, every single day, and writing creatively or editing is not such a good idea (Nano aside). Doing stuff away from writing recharges the batteries - which have been on a low, near-desperate buzz for a while now - has done me a lot of good.
Next week, I'll be doing an edit and probably dumping, oh, about forty or fifty pages of Hunted (those pages really suck) and post the book by the end of April to Scribd... hmm, that's when the web page is due. And I really want to get to writing.
Maybe I can sneak it in, just a few quick notes, or dot points...
But I'm not going to give in, not yet. Next Monday is soon enough. This week, I'm still reading, still watching movies (Eagle Eye was great!) and I'm working on a web page for the local museum.
I'm coming to the opinion that sitting down, every single day, and writing creatively or editing is not such a good idea (Nano aside). Doing stuff away from writing recharges the batteries - which have been on a low, near-desperate buzz for a while now - has done me a lot of good.
Next week, I'll be doing an edit and probably dumping, oh, about forty or fifty pages of Hunted (those pages really suck) and post the book by the end of April to Scribd... hmm, that's when the web page is due. And I really want to get to writing.
Maybe I can sneak it in, just a few quick notes, or dot points...
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wallowing
Nah, no work today. It's raining, a day for lazing on the couch and watching DVDs.
So: Terminator Salvation - DVD has an impurity, so I watched maybe half and it froze. No amount of cleaning or change of player would get it going again.
Four Brothers, with Mark Wahlberg. Not bad, but why do script writers have to televise who's going to die? I mean Star Trek has the red shirts, war movies have 'I'm short', or 'let me show you a picture of my girlfriend'?
The Italian Job, I love this movie, so slick and polished and so damned clever. It made me think about other scenarios I could use in writing.
Ice Age 3: Age of the Dinosaurs, What's not to like about animated comedies for kids? I'm gonna get me a copy.
A day off from outside influences, or from my own work is great and I'm trying not to feel guilty. I have the manuscript separated into chapters next me, I probably should have put it somewhere else; but it's ready for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, I think I'll watch Appleseed - the CGI version. I need some more wallow time.
So: Terminator Salvation - DVD has an impurity, so I watched maybe half and it froze. No amount of cleaning or change of player would get it going again.
Four Brothers, with Mark Wahlberg. Not bad, but why do script writers have to televise who's going to die? I mean Star Trek has the red shirts, war movies have 'I'm short', or 'let me show you a picture of my girlfriend'?
The Italian Job, I love this movie, so slick and polished and so damned clever. It made me think about other scenarios I could use in writing.
Ice Age 3: Age of the Dinosaurs, What's not to like about animated comedies for kids? I'm gonna get me a copy.
A day off from outside influences, or from my own work is great and I'm trying not to feel guilty. I have the manuscript separated into chapters next me, I probably should have put it somewhere else; but it's ready for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, I think I'll watch Appleseed - the CGI version. I need some more wallow time.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Aussie Day
Whoo-hoo! Australia Day! So I worked on the manuscript this morning and then big sis turned up with Lamington cupcakes, home made bread, Dijon mustard and franks for hot dogs. Not exactly Aussie fare (she picked up a pork pie for the maternal influencer - her being British and all) but we were actually sitting down to watch a replay of the American Football match between Indianapolis and New York.
Sadly, we were going for the Jets.
I did get to watch the Vikings/Saints match live yesterday, and wow, what a game! Might have to watch the reply of that one on Saturday.
Yes, I know it's Australia's day, but we had the lamoes and I did watch the cricket. And this is a multicultural country full of wonder cuisines and cultures that blend well with our own and make this country... great. So the Italian Pasta tonight with the American Football today isn't odd, just all part of the scenery.
I'm not one for the beach or the sun given the basal cell carcinoma removal from under my eye a couple of years ago - the sun is not my friend any more. The best I can do is watch vicariously via the teev. To wit, the above picture of the Great Sydney Ferry Race. Buckets of small boats and tall ships on the Harbour to watch.
It matters not who wins, but the sheer enjoyment of being on the water.
Now, I'm back at the desk, beavering away. I've spotted at least one plot that's missing and I'll have to go back and put it in once I'm done with this draft. It will make the book larger, but by the end of this draft, it will have more pages than the other three. There'll be other stuff I've missed, too, and the notes are growing.
I have to get back to it. Tonight, there will be fireworks and bubbly and I fully expect to become 'tired and emotional' since the parent doesn't drink much...
What? I can't let a bottle of bubbly go to waste, now can I?
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Boobs to Noobs
It's that time of year when the Darwin Awards are announced.
The Darwin Awards "Honors those who improve the species... by accidentally removing themselves from it!"
Two winners this year, both Belgian and both burglars who used too much dynamite to blow up a safe. They did, in fact, demolish the building, too.
With sixteen nominees, 2009 proved to be a year of monumental stupidity. Fortunately, these people have evacuated the gene pool on their own.
* * *
The Macquarie Dictionary has opened voting on the 'word of the year 2009'.
Words like 'noob', 'hypermile', 'cocooning', 'slacktivism', 'climate change denier', 'tweet' are all in the running for word of the year.
The inaugural winners in 2006 are:
General Interest: affluenza
Colloquialism: muffin top
Specialist terms: administrivia
The Political Scene: plausible deniability
Eating and Drinking: ethical eating
Fashion: ubersexual
Travel: envirotourism
Technology: cyberstalking
The Environment: water trading
Sport: blood doping
Health: norovirus
From 2007, the People's Choices:
Business: infomania
Carbon Terms: carbon footprint
Colloquialisms: floordrobe
Eating and Drinking: tart fuel
The Environment: food mile
Fashion: arse antlers
General Interest: password fatigue
Health: incidental exercise
Media: fauxtography
Music: nerdcore
Online: cyber cheating
Politics: Great Firewall of China
Social Scene: slummy mummy
Specialist Terms: facial mapping
Sport: cyberathlete
Technology: bloatware
And 2008:
Entertainment: car crash TV
Business: toxic debt
Colloquial: bromance
Communications: textaholic
Ecology: ecocentrism
Environment: guerilla gardener
Fashion: scene kid
Eating and Drinking: guerilla dining
General Interest: nomophobia
Genetics: divorce gene
Health: baby brain
Internet: lolcat
Law: lawfare
Politics: climate porn
Social Interest: helicopter parenting
Specialist: audiation
Sport: chicken-wing tackle
Technology: uberveillance
Tourism: flashpacker
I know English is a dynamic language, forever changing within generations, but are these words from previous year still with us, hanging around like a toxic debt or have they vanished like the debate on climate change?
The Darwin Awards "Honors those who improve the species... by accidentally removing themselves from it!"
Two winners this year, both Belgian and both burglars who used too much dynamite to blow up a safe. They did, in fact, demolish the building, too.
With sixteen nominees, 2009 proved to be a year of monumental stupidity. Fortunately, these people have evacuated the gene pool on their own.
* * *
The Macquarie Dictionary has opened voting on the 'word of the year 2009'.
Words like 'noob', 'hypermile', 'cocooning', 'slacktivism', 'climate change denier', 'tweet' are all in the running for word of the year.
The inaugural winners in 2006 are:
General Interest: affluenza
Colloquialism: muffin top
Specialist terms: administrivia
The Political Scene: plausible deniability
Eating and Drinking: ethical eating
Fashion: ubersexual
Travel: envirotourism
Technology: cyberstalking
The Environment: water trading
Sport: blood doping
Health: norovirus
From 2007, the People's Choices:
Business: infomania
Carbon Terms: carbon footprint
Colloquialisms: floordrobe
Eating and Drinking: tart fuel
The Environment: food mile
Fashion: arse antlers
General Interest: password fatigue
Health: incidental exercise
Media: fauxtography
Music: nerdcore
Online: cyber cheating
Politics: Great Firewall of China
Social Scene: slummy mummy
Specialist Terms: facial mapping
Sport: cyberathlete
Technology: bloatware
And 2008:
Entertainment: car crash TV
Business: toxic debt
Colloquial: bromance
Communications: textaholic
Ecology: ecocentrism
Environment: guerilla gardener
Fashion: scene kid
Eating and Drinking: guerilla dining
General Interest: nomophobia
Genetics: divorce gene
Health: baby brain
Internet: lolcat
Law: lawfare
Politics: climate porn
Social Interest: helicopter parenting
Specialist: audiation
Sport: chicken-wing tackle
Technology: uberveillance
Tourism: flashpacker
I know English is a dynamic language, forever changing within generations, but are these words from previous year still with us, hanging around like a toxic debt or have they vanished like the debate on climate change?
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Mooch
I'm having a mooch day. No writing (except for this, of course), no editing, just mooching.
It's raining, again. For the eighth day in a row. Yesterday, following work, I got down on my hands and knees and cleaned out the frelling street drain. Chockers, it was, of leaves, sticks, gravel and earthworms. Pulled a gor'amed muscle, too.
So, today, it's mooch day. My TBR pile is getting out of control. Time to cut it down by one or two.
* * *
Oh, a little rant:
Okay, under what criteria does President Obama deserve the Nobel Peace Prize? Where are the long-term examples of peace-making?
"for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" Nobel cites, and yet, he's done nothing to stop North Korea or Iran from their aims at gaining nuclear technology. Empty rhetoric and lecturing the rest of the world as if we're naughty children doesn't count in my book. Let's not forget the inaction on Afghanistan, the failure to support Iranian protesters, the ill-informed judgement on Honduras, the arm-twisting on 'global stimulus initiatives', lecturing Israel, the naive flitting off to Copenhagen, the acting like a popstar in foreign countries and apologising for America's past indiscretions.
Was there no-one with more visible impact? Morgan Tsvangerai for trying to rebuild his country with peaceful reconciliation in Zimbabwe for example? Doctors sans Frontiers?
Is this a popularist vote? He's been President for eight months and I've seen nothing to warrant this kind of award. If anything, he's reduced America's global influence. You don't get a peace prize for continuing conflicts, you get it for ending them.
It's raining, again. For the eighth day in a row. Yesterday, following work, I got down on my hands and knees and cleaned out the frelling street drain. Chockers, it was, of leaves, sticks, gravel and earthworms. Pulled a gor'amed muscle, too.
So, today, it's mooch day. My TBR pile is getting out of control. Time to cut it down by one or two.
* * *
Oh, a little rant:
Okay, under what criteria does President Obama deserve the Nobel Peace Prize? Where are the long-term examples of peace-making?
"for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" Nobel cites, and yet, he's done nothing to stop North Korea or Iran from their aims at gaining nuclear technology. Empty rhetoric and lecturing the rest of the world as if we're naughty children doesn't count in my book. Let's not forget the inaction on Afghanistan, the failure to support Iranian protesters, the ill-informed judgement on Honduras, the arm-twisting on 'global stimulus initiatives', lecturing Israel, the naive flitting off to Copenhagen, the acting like a popstar in foreign countries and apologising for America's past indiscretions.
Was there no-one with more visible impact? Morgan Tsvangerai for trying to rebuild his country with peaceful reconciliation in Zimbabwe for example? Doctors sans Frontiers?
Is this a popularist vote? He's been President for eight months and I've seen nothing to warrant this kind of award. If anything, he's reduced America's global influence. You don't get a peace prize for continuing conflicts, you get it for ending them.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Font speak
Every now and then, I come across a column in the newspaper that just tickles me.
Richard Glover, in the weekend edition of The Sydney Morning Herald, had a column that made me smile - and wonder.
Entitled, Funny Fonts Key to the Futura it begins thus:
I'VE decided to change the font in which I speak. I've spent a lifetime conversing in Arial 14-point but I'm finding it a bit meek and self-effacing as an everyday speaking font... I've now chosen Baskerville Old Face 16 as my new font for daily discourse, lapsing into Goudy Stout 32-point when drunk.
...
Drinking certainly affects your speaking font. My father used to prattle on in a Times New Roman monotone, usually in about 12-point, until he'd had a few gin and tonics, after which he'd revert to Lancastrian Redfaced Bold in a hearty 96-point bellow. It was as if he needed the extra size to speak over the roar of machinery in the English coal mine to which we'd all suddenly been transported.
Among drinkers, this is common. The font becomes increasingly italicised as the night goes on, tending to be horizontal by midnight.
With other people, it's more about mood than alcohol. Jocasta normally employs an elegant Palatino Linotype but when enraged loses all her serifs, lapsing into a punchy Gill Condensed. Occasionally, she even employs 104-point BLOCK CAPITALS, a process so discombobulating I find myself only able to reply in very tiny Wingdings.
I know some people who display some of the above and I shall probably never listen to anyone speak again without thinking about what font their speaking. (I think my background as a desktop publisher and journalist will exacerbate the problem, since I spent a lot of time working out what fonts to use.)
Me, I guess I'm a working font, Times Roman 12, who drops into very precise Edwardian Script 104 (bold and italic) when consuming alcohol.
So, what font are you?
Richard Glover, in the weekend edition of The Sydney Morning Herald, had a column that made me smile - and wonder.
Entitled, Funny Fonts Key to the Futura it begins thus:
I'VE decided to change the font in which I speak. I've spent a lifetime conversing in Arial 14-point but I'm finding it a bit meek and self-effacing as an everyday speaking font... I've now chosen Baskerville Old Face 16 as my new font for daily discourse, lapsing into Goudy Stout 32-point when drunk.
...
Drinking certainly affects your speaking font. My father used to prattle on in a Times New Roman monotone, usually in about 12-point, until he'd had a few gin and tonics, after which he'd revert to Lancastrian Redfaced Bold in a hearty 96-point bellow. It was as if he needed the extra size to speak over the roar of machinery in the English coal mine to which we'd all suddenly been transported.
Among drinkers, this is common. The font becomes increasingly italicised as the night goes on, tending to be horizontal by midnight.
With other people, it's more about mood than alcohol. Jocasta normally employs an elegant Palatino Linotype but when enraged loses all her serifs, lapsing into a punchy Gill Condensed. Occasionally, she even employs 104-point BLOCK CAPITALS, a process so discombobulating I find myself only able to reply in very tiny Wingdings.
I know some people who display some of the above and I shall probably never listen to anyone speak again without thinking about what font their speaking. (I think my background as a desktop publisher and journalist will exacerbate the problem, since I spent a lot of time working out what fonts to use.)
Me, I guess I'm a working font, Times Roman 12, who drops into very precise Edwardian Script 104 (bold and italic) when consuming alcohol.
So, what font are you?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Shiney
Today I'm taking a break from editing - I have a wee jobbie application to finish.
Of course, that doesn't mean I ain't rootling around the internet. Of particular procrastinating interest is from Paperback Writer's site on web personas, ie, what the web thinks of you.
Of course, it doesn't help if you have an identical name to someone else - like a fashion model - mooching on the 'net, but it's an odd distraction.
Ah, well, enough blog-hopping: Genreality, Voyager Online, Smart Bitches, Medieval Cookery. Driblets of Baen is probably the worst - too many book excerpts and not enough time. And for those creating their own book covers, try Cool Text for the title.
I need to get some jobs done!
Of course, that doesn't mean I ain't rootling around the internet. Of particular procrastinating interest is from Paperback Writer's site on web personas, ie, what the web thinks of you.
Of course, it doesn't help if you have an identical name to someone else - like a fashion model - mooching on the 'net, but it's an odd distraction.
Ah, well, enough blog-hopping: Genreality, Voyager Online, Smart Bitches, Medieval Cookery. Driblets of Baen is probably the worst - too many book excerpts and not enough time. And for those creating their own book covers, try Cool Text for the title.
I need to get some jobs done!
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Tropes
Whoo-hoo! Got the computer back after an irritatingly long delay. Now I can git back to werk; which means, of course, I've been mooching about the internet...
I could spend - and have - significant time looking at the Tropes website. There are so many! Who knew? It's one of those site where you think "Just one more" and two hours later, you're wondering where the time went.
What is a trope?
Tropes are storytelling devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations.
This page has the good, the bad, the very ugly, and the oh-my-God-how-stupid-is-that? I need something to distract me, I keep returning for 'one more look'...
I could spend - and have - significant time looking at the Tropes website. There are so many! Who knew? It's one of those site where you think "Just one more" and two hours later, you're wondering where the time went.
What is a trope?
Tropes are storytelling devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations.
This page has the good, the bad, the very ugly, and the oh-my-God-how-stupid-is-that? I need something to distract me, I keep returning for 'one more look'...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Procrastination
Brr, it's a bitey and windy Autumnal... nay, Winter's day. Near gale-force (poor Gail) winds actually, that nips at any exposed flesh.
And that makes it perfect for staying indoors, all nice and toasty warm, and werkin'. And so I have been. I'm on the last of eight books I've been reading through and making editorial notes on.
Of course, it then struck me to wonder how much note-taking is enough? The current set are about half a page - double spaced - for each book. Some are minor, like re-checking eye colours (okay, that's pretty major, not minor). Others are things like checking topography, increasing the length of scenes and adding descriptions. All in an effort to make a readable book, more readable.
Well, yesterday, I was reading the paper - as you do - and came across a book review on procrastination. I can't remember the name and I'm too lazy to go upstairs to check, okay? But if you wanna know, I find it...
What struck me about this review is that goes into detail about the whys and wherefores, in particular, perfectionism. Ah, yes, the idea that It Must Be Perfect before anything else happens.
I think everyone has heard of someone else who's worked on a book for years, usually the writing of it, without ever publishing it because it's just not right yet. And it pains me to admit that I'm probably suffering from the same malaise.
I'm scrubbing and polishing and note-taking on my books to make sure they're as perfect as they can be, and still wondering if they're at a publishable level. Sometimes, not such a bad thing - like when I discovered I'd changed two characters around in a sequel - but not always a good thing, either.
What am I going to do about it? We-ll, I'm undecided, actually. Recognising you have a problem is the first step, right? And I suppose the second is to do something about it... post something on Scribd or is that a cop out? You tell me.
And that makes it perfect for staying indoors, all nice and toasty warm, and werkin'. And so I have been. I'm on the last of eight books I've been reading through and making editorial notes on.
Of course, it then struck me to wonder how much note-taking is enough? The current set are about half a page - double spaced - for each book. Some are minor, like re-checking eye colours (okay, that's pretty major, not minor). Others are things like checking topography, increasing the length of scenes and adding descriptions. All in an effort to make a readable book, more readable.
Well, yesterday, I was reading the paper - as you do - and came across a book review on procrastination. I can't remember the name and I'm too lazy to go upstairs to check, okay? But if you wanna know, I find it...
What struck me about this review is that goes into detail about the whys and wherefores, in particular, perfectionism. Ah, yes, the idea that It Must Be Perfect before anything else happens.
I think everyone has heard of someone else who's worked on a book for years, usually the writing of it, without ever publishing it because it's just not right yet. And it pains me to admit that I'm probably suffering from the same malaise.
I'm scrubbing and polishing and note-taking on my books to make sure they're as perfect as they can be, and still wondering if they're at a publishable level. Sometimes, not such a bad thing - like when I discovered I'd changed two characters around in a sequel - but not always a good thing, either.
What am I going to do about it? We-ll, I'm undecided, actually. Recognising you have a problem is the first step, right? And I suppose the second is to do something about it... post something on Scribd or is that a cop out? You tell me.
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