What I think

Cute Overload

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:31:54 GMT

So I went to see the kittens yesterday after lunch. They're adorable! It would have been hard to choose if I had to pick them right now. They'll be ready to be adopted in about two weeks, so maybe by then I'll have a better idea of which ones I want. So far the yellow one with white boots (probably the only female) is a strong contender. But that may change. I hope to get over at least once more before Adoption Day to visit again.

I'm still leaning toward one of each color, simply because they'd be quicker to tell apart than if I get a matching pair. But who knows, I may decide to go with a matched pair.

Kitten Adoption Soon

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:48:30 GMT

I haven't really LJed since Yorkie died, I see. That's been a while now, and lo and behold I'm going to be getting two kittens in a couple of weeks. They were born the last weekend of September, so they should be old enough in about two or three weeks for me to bring home. One of the teachers where I work has a cat who had the kittens, and there are four to choose from--two yellow and two gray. He's brought in pictures so I can see them, and they are really cute.

So tomorrow afternoon I'm planning a visit to his apartment to see them in person, and see what sort of personalities they have before I choose which ones are best for me. I know that when I got my cat Sheik as a kitten, when I visited him at his mommy cat's home he came right up to me and sat in front of me and looked up as if to say "So you're my new mommy!" I'm not sure I can expect a similar experience with these kittens, but I do know that many times it's the cat that chooses the human rather than the other way around.

So anyway, I am looking forward to the new babies. I'll have to "kitten-proof" my place a bit. Yorkie was such a sedate cat ever since I had him I sort of got lazy as to making sure there weren't things around that a curious cat could get in trouble with. I've been looking my place over and removing a few things that could be too easily swallowed by a kitten, or too easily caught in, or...well, those who own cats will know what I mean.

I did decide on names, tentatively (came up with two of each sex, just to be sure), but I really do want to see them before I saddle them with anything permanent. Kittens are sure to be fun, as well as keeping me on my toes.

Fall Has Fallen

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:25:12 GMT

Five things make a post...

1) This whole week has been a lovely one, temperature-wise. Highs only in the upper 60s, lows in the low to mid 30s--and the leaves on the trees have finally started to change. Not that we have tons of trees around, but the ones that are have turned some lovely shades of yellow and orange. With the weather changing like it has, of course I now have some sniffles and a little bit of a cough, but I've learned these symptoms come with the changes. I don't feel sick, just sniffly.

2) If you've never seen an Arizona sunset over the stark mesas of the northeastern corner of the state, you've missed a treat. I've always loved Arizona sunsets--you get so many different colors here, and no two are the same. In my many travels (and no, I haven't been everywhere, but I've done my fair share), no sunset can measure up to an Arizona one. Some have come close, though.

3) I'm up to chapter 19 on my final portion of my trilogy. I can see where I'm going to have some heavy duty editing once I'm done, to make everything fit smoothly in all three parts. Still, overall I'm quite pleased with this arc, and even if I never get it published, I've had a grand time writing it. Just don't expect me to leave my day job for a while.

4) I think I'll try Nanowrimo again this year. I've yet to "win" that, and I would like to do so at least once in my life. Maybe the third time is a charm. I'm thinking of writing a "youth of" for my MMC in my trilogy. I already did for the FMC, and I believe it's time for equal treatment. If I like it well enough, maybe I'll have a four-part series rather than a trilogy when I'm through.

5) Many thanks to all those who offered condolences when my cat, Yorkie, passed on. Now it looks like I'll be adopting a pair of kittens from a teacher whose cat just had kittens at the end of September. I'm just waiting for them to get old enough now. I get a choice of colors--the litter has two greys and three marmalades. I'm thinking one of each, so I don't get them mixed up. I don't really care whether they're male or female; either way they'll be neutered once they're old enough. By the time I can adopt them, I expect to have my apartment fully kitten-proofed, though from experience I also know they can still get into a surprisingly large number of adverse situations.

Yorkie is gone. RIP

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:40:37 GMT

It is with a very heavy heart that I report the passing of Yorkie, my tuxedo cat, this morning at 6:05 am, MDT. I had the care of him for the past 9 1/2 years, and he was a wonderful cat. It happened suddenly, with no warning. He started crying and panting, then went into convulsions. Within a minute, he was gone. I have lovingly wrapped him in a blanket and put him in an open-topped box for later transport to the vet. It's still too early to call to get an appointment.

I don't know what was wrong yet. I plan to take him to the vet for a necropry (whatever the autopsy on animals is) to find out. It almost seemed like he was poisoned, but he was a totally indoor cat, with no access to outside sources.

I will be at work today, since my worksite certainly won't give me bereavement leave for a cat, even though he was like my child. I think, though, that I will forego going to my Eastern Star meeting, so that I can take care of things with the exam and cremation stuff, unless when I call the vet I will have to wait to take in his body.

I know that losing a cat in no way compares to losing a human relative, but the grief and anger and wondering if I could have done more is as real as for any loss. I would appreciate your prayers.

UPDATE

The vet could not do an autopsy because it would have needed to be done within 3 hours of the incident for it to be able to tell them anything, and as I live 2 hours away from the vet, and it was already two hours after Yorkie died that I was able to call...well, that did not happen. The vet did say (based on my description of what happened when he died) that the likely cause was either his lungs collapsed or he had heart failure, and because he did not evince labored breathing, she was leaning toward the heart failure. At least it happened fast, and he was not in distress for long.

I will still have him cremated. I should be able to pick up his cremains the middle of next week. I'm not exactly sure what I'll have done with them, but I want to do something, especially since I never had an opportunity to do anything about my previous cat.

Thank you to all who left kind thoughts and comments. You are a great bunch of friends. I do intend to get another cat soon...in fact, one of my co-workers cats is pregnant and he says I can have one of the kittens, or maybe even two. It will be a little while still, but that will give me time to clean up old cat stuff and see what can be reused and what needs tossed.

Thank you!

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:29:52 GMT

To all those who once served, or still currently serve, in any of the armed forces, thank you for your contributions to the safety and well being of our country.

School's Out

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:31:16 GMT

Yesterday was the last day of school for the 2008-2009 school year. Now we get a week off before starting the summer school program. I'm not quite finished with my checkout forms, but all I need is my final room and book inventory stuff. I also want to give my room a good defragging, since I had piles of old papers from not just this year, but the previous year as well. I got about halfway through yesterday, and I'll finish up this morning so I'm ready for next year.

I'm not exactly sure what all I'll be doing this summer. I will have a week-long meeting with a state committee that is reviewing the state standards for English Language Learners, and I'm pretty excited about that. I've been grumbling about the standards since they came out, but I've grumbled even more about the whole "jump-through-the-hoops" the state is requiring of these children. I don't think we'll be addressing the latter, at least not officially, but anything, however small, that I can do to help our students succeed is okay with me.

After my week on the committee, I will be working with incoming freshmen to introduce them to what high school is like. Another teacher, Tammy, will be team-teaching the one-week course with me. I was supposed to work with her for two weeks, but this committee thing came up and as it is a great privilege for someone from my remote district to be invited on it I chose to miss the first week. Sorry again, Tammy!

Then I'll have a few weeks that I can use to visit family and friends before heading off for San Diego the first week of July. I need to call/write/email/contact my cousins there and see if I can drop by for part of the time to visit. I'll be a delegate at the Regional Assembly for the NEA (teacher's union), and it is my first time to go to a national type meeting. I'm totally excited, even though sometimes I take a stand diametrically opposed to the majority of my union on some of the issues that come up.

After the RA, I get to have a couple more weeks of vacation time before we have to report back to work. We start back at work the last week of July. In today's economy, I'm just glad that I was given a contract and can continue to work!

Okay, fellow writers. I have a poll for you (short and sweet)

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:33:31 GMT

I've been actually writing, both in edit mode and in create-a-new mode. But I decided I'd like a little input, mostly to know I'm not alone in this sort of effort.

So, here's my poll. Be kind, it's the first time I've tried this function myself.

View Poll: When writing...

Choosing more than one answer is acceptable, as are comments. I lurve comments....

Five things make a post...

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:37:01 GMT

1. Spring weather is very variable. Since the equinox, we've had snow, rain, wind, dust, and heat, not necessarily in that order. The one thing that marks it for me most personally is that here in the valley I live in, the Russian olive trees have gone into bloom, and that means my allergies have returned. So I have my Claritin and lots of nice soft tissues and cough drops. And I'm praying the allergies don't develop into a sinus infection.

2. Another key ingredient in spring, at least at the high school, is the number of students who have already "tuned out" for the rest of the school year. They're here, they're moving around, but they aren't thinking about school at all. They're thinking about their boyfriend/girlfriend, they're thinking about going down to the canyon, they're thinking about pretty much anything but doing their schoolwork.

This would be less of a problem if this wasn't also a key time for state-level testing.

3. I've been a bad daughter. Haven't talked with my dad for several weeks. I meant to call him this weekend, but I got so busy I didn't. I'll call him tonight (I know he is busy in the mornings, so I doubt I'd get to him until I get off work). I love my family, but I'm such a poor correspondent! I keep making promises to myself that I'll call, or write, or visit, or something, and then don't follow through. Sigh.

4. I have put my writing on hold for a few weeks while I get some other, more urgent, stuff dealt with. I'm hoping by May to be back in the swing.

5. Enough about the Obamas' new puppy, for goodness' sake! I'm glad they have it, but I certainly don't think it's headline stuff that they have a dog now. I'm more excited that the captain was rescued (though I regret that some of the pirates were killed) than I am that Senator Kennedy provided the puppy for the Obamas.

Writing frustrations

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:37:26 GMT

I usually pride myself on being able to put myself into the heads of my characters. I like to think it makes me more able to make them real people, even those who appear for a brief sentence or paragraph. Yet I have some areas that apparently I'm blind to.

For example, in my current WIP, I have a male character. I try to make him think the way I think a man thinks, but apparently men think of sex more than I do. At least, that's what a couple of my (female) beta readers tell me. Now, I realize that men and women do, to some extent, have differing priorities, but surely not so much as all that. I can understand the adolescent fixation on sex, what with having to deal with newly raging hormones, but surely eventually even men outgrow that particular thought process?

This particular story isn't about sex. This particular story is about exploration, about one's past catching up with one, and about growth. I don't particularly want to put in gratuitous sex scenes. I don't like reading them in other authors' works; I certainly don't want them in mine. Sexual tension, perhaps, but not the act.

Ah well, I'll work it out. Eventually. Maybe. Meh.

I could use a good idea

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:52:00 GMT

I was reading through my notes for my third-in-the-trilogy story, and I have hit a road block. I want to show (rather than tell) how sensing other's emotions has had an impact on my MMC. I can tell easily enough, but it's hard to show it.

I'm trying to think of actions that would indicate reactions to people, without repeating things like blinking, staring, wincing, and so forth. I have him blink too much, I think. Or wince. I'm really tired of him wincing, actually--he's not the wincing type!

So, my writerly friends out there--can you help me with a few other ways for him to show his reactions? I don't want to just write "He felt her surprise" or He sensed the other's anger."

I'm so fail here....

Write write write

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:31:46 GMT

I have finished my first draft of the first part of the trilogy. Yay! Not complete yet--not till I have a chance to do some editing (I already know of some I can cut and some I need to add), but the arc works, and goes into part two the way it should.

So to step back for a bit, give it a chance to settle, I'm starting on the final part of the trilogy. Well, starting to continue on it...I have about 100 pages but they're mostly scenelets and they need to be connected into a coherent whole. I've already deleted one entire scene, except for a few paragraphs I morphed into a different scene.

Such a great feeling to be able to say I've gotten this far.

Meme--The Cute Monster Test

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:57:04 GMT

I gakked this from hotarunokokoro. It is surprisingly accurate, except that this particular demon doesn't always stay an inner demon...

Your Cute Monster Says Your Inner Demon is Depression

You are both a realist and an idealist. You're able to see the world as it is - and how it could be.
You dream big, and you never give up on your beliefs. You have big plans.

Sometimes you build things up in your head.
People think you're cute because you're determined. You're a fighter, and that's charming.

The Cute Monster Test

Thank God I was diagnosed and received treatment for it. I'm not "cured" but I have learned how to sidetrack it, how to derail it once it hits, and how to deal with it if everything fails and it still hits.

Today I get to go back to work after a 4-day spring break (I'm not counting the weekend--I always get weekends). This is the time of year when the kids either pick up, thinking "OMG it's almost school out and I'm failing and I don't want to have Miss B again!" or they start fading back, thinking "Who cares, I don't want to study, it's too nice outside, and my boy/girl friend is much more important that any of my classes." Come to think of it, that's pretty much how the teachers are thinking, too. Heh.

On the writing front, I have about 2 more chapters to go...one for sure, and probably one more to wrap everything up. The cool thing is I found an old note that I wrote with this ending in mind, and it gave me a whole "Oh! Yes! That's how it needs to go!" so I expect this last chapter (or two) to go rather quickly. Then it's a matter of editing so that it fits with the central story (which may mean editing the central story a bit, too), and then I can start on finishing the sequel. So go me!

Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 12:41:28 GMT

I'm back from my trip to Phoenix for a meeting with my OES committee. I don't mind going to the meetings, but it seems to be a lot of travel for a 1-hour meeting. (In my case, at least. It's 10 hours round trip for me. I think the next farthest away has a 5 hour round trip.) The WGM insists that we have at least 2 face-to-face meetings a year, which really isn't all that many, so it's doable. But in this age of internet, really, do we absolutely have to have face-to-faces? Other than to prove we're really people?

That said, the drive was actually very nice. The weather was lovely, the traffic overall rather light (Phoenix on a Saturday noon is never light, but that's the big city for you) and I only had one time I had to stop for some reason on the interstate in the Phoenix area. The biggest problem with having a 7 hour drive in one day (I had made it partway there the night before) is that I would get sleepy behind the wheel, which is a Very Bad Thing. I pulled over four times (that's double what I'd normally do) just to get out and move around so that I could get rid of the sleepies.

Also as usual when traveling, I messed up my eating pattern, which messed up my blood sugars, and this morning, after several days of low blood sugars, they were way too high. So breakfast this morning consisted of two boiled eggs, no bread, but a small amount of apple juice (so I could take my meds). I'll be checking my Post-breakfast sugars in about 40 minutes, to see if I corrected enough.

I'm kinda sorta planning a short trip this summer so I can attend a gathering, though I won't be incredibly disappointed if it doesn't work out. If I do go, it'll probably end up costing about $1500, what with travel, food, and lodging costs plus possible buying and emergencies. Not to mention either boarding my cat or finding someone to keep an eye on him. I'll see what my finances look like after I pay my taxes.

If I can't afford it, oh well. I can have just as much, if not more, fun just visiting relatives and friends in the (relatively) nearby areas. It sure would be nice, though, to be able to travel as much as I liked, without having to worry about such mundane issues as where I'll get the money to do so.

Anyone have a rich uncle who could give me, oh, say, 100 grand, tax-free?

Heh, didn't think so.

Writing

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 21:09:30 GMT

I got another chapter in my prequel finished, so go me! I now have to kill off a major character (he has to be dead before the original story's start), and I know how it's going to happen...already wrote that part. I just have to figure out how to get him to where he dies. Then I have to have my protag recover from the trauma of the death, meet her previously unmet half-brother, and set her up to a point where only a few months separate the end of the prequel with the start of the original.

I didn't use to think I could effectively write "Scene X" first, then go figure a way to fit it into my universe. But now I find it's actually making the composition of the interim scenes easier. So I have about 4 scenes pre-written, as it were, and now just have to connect the dots. I figure about 4 or five chapters will finish up this prequel, and then I can work on the editing of it so that it smoothly matches my protag's past with her present. After I've done that, I can start concentrating on the sequel, of which I have about 5 chapters already finished (approximately 1/4 of the story) and another three scenes written that will need the dots connected.

I'm good at writing scenes; I need to improve on finales and on introducing necessary world-building without getting too much exposition so that the reader gets bored. I think (thinking back over the trilogy) that I have perhaps seven or eight spots that I need to split up so that the exposition isn't all in one chunk. The challenge when writing new worlds that are not earth is you want to let your readers know why this isn't earth and how it's different, but you can't drop the action for long or you lose your reader's attention.

And I just want to say a public thank you to my beta readers--you have been a huge help by giving me feedback that's more than just nice words to make me feel good. I realize that one chapter needs more conflict--that's where the editing comes in and I've already got some ideas on how to fix it percolating in my brain.

Writer's Block: Down on Memory Lane

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:17:20 GMT

What is your earliest childhood memory?

View 501 Answers

I remember being at a beach, playing in the sand. I remember the sensation of water rolling over me, the taste of salt water, and the gritty sand. I apparently was submerged by a wave and managed to swallow some of the seawater. From family history documents, this happened when I was about 2 1/2.

I also remember being in the hospital once. I remember the sensation of moving and watching the ceiling lights go by and the elevator door opening. I was three, and my brothers and I were all in to get our tonsils taken out (they did things that way when I was that age). It's the only time I was in a hospital as a patient until I was in my thirties.

Well, duh....

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:58:12 GMT

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

And it's another snow day...

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:44:50 GMT

No work today...well, no work I get paid for, anyway. Housework, yes. There's also a possibility (not a certainty) that tomorrow we will have another, or at least a half day.

One thing I still need to do is put up the cover on the inside of my wall that blocks the wind that comes through my swamp cooler. At least this year I have an exterior cover, so that blocks some of that cold wind. I was hoping it would be all I need, but apparently not.

Also I'll be wrapping presents.

Snow!

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:41:55 GMT

We have a major weather system moving through our little corner of the world. Yesterday the school went to a "half day" (that means the kids get to go home early--1:35 instead of 3:40), even though we're supposed to be giving finals. Then towards the end of the lunch period, they announced that Wednesday would be a snow day, and so no school. So I get to stay home today and actually get some housework done before I leave for my vacation. I'm currently watching the news, and it looks like tomorrow will just be bringing more snow, so it's quite possible that I won't be going to work tomorrow either. Unless they decide to make it a "delayed start" and give us a chance to give the second half of our finals.

Either way, looks like travel anywhere for a few days at least will be problematic. I looked out my windows and it's definitely snowing heavily right now. I love the snow, so long as I'm not required to drive in it.

And they say we're having global warming.....

Writer's Block: Coast Range

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 02:47:54 GMT

If you had to choose, would you rather live in the mountains or by the ocean?

View 501 Answers

Mountains. The ocean is nice, but I love the mountains.

Just because I haven't posted for a few weeks...

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:32:47 GMT

You Are a Ragdoll Cat

You are extremely cute and cuddly. You are downright adorable.

Your personality matches your exterior. You are very laid back and sweet.

You don't really like the outdoors. You prefer to stay inside where it's cozy.

Luckily, you are the perfect houseguest. You are polite and obedient.

What Breed of Cat Are You?

Writing and stuff

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:52:53 GMT

All righty, I think I have figured out how to add the NaNo ticker to my LJ...we'll see if this works.

I managed to get my 8K in very early this morning, so I'm back on track with my desired 2K/day goal. I'll need to get a bit ahead, as I don't think I'll have much time on Friday to write (will be out of town) so I want a buffer of at least 1K so I'm not frantic on Saturday or Sunday.

And follow the link for
“Good morrow, lady,” said the newcomer. Her voice had a cheerful tone and she came further into the room carrying a tray holding some dishes and a metal goblet. “The master said thou wouldst likely be awake by now. Art thou perhaps hungry?”

At the question, phrased archaically as it was, Jennifer’s stomach rumbled. “Yes, I guess I am. But where am I, please?”

“Master Torren will be speaking to thee about that, but first, perhaps, thou shouldst like some apparel, true?” The woman set the tray on a small table near the door. Then she went to the cabinet and opened it. “We have clothing for thee here. I shall leave thee for a small time, and return to take thee to Master Torren when thou hast broken thy fast.” She bustled out before Jennifer could stop her.

The smell of the food drew her to the tray, where she found some fried eggs and a small roll accompanied by a goblet of what proved to be a very light wine. How odd, that wine was offered instead of tea or coffee. She realized she was ravenous, so she quickly gobbled what was on the tray and, holding the goblet, she approached the cabinet.

Within the cabinet, which was deeper than she expected, were several dresses, all of floor length with long sleeves and high neck lines. And very modest, almost medieval, Jennifer thought as she fingered the cloth of the dress nearest the opening. Judging by the appearance of the trees outside, wherever she was it was nearing winter, and something warm appealed. A minute of rummaging provided her with a soft green gown of what appeared to be wool, and a pair of black slipper-type shoes. She looked in vain for any sort of underwear, and realized she was going to have to do without.

When the woman tapped on the door a few minutes later, Jennifer was fed and dressed. She appraised her critically, nodded, and said, “Thou dost appear ready. Wilt thou come with me, lady?”

Jennifer nodded. “I’m ready.”

“Follow thou me, then.”

Jennifer did so, at the same time wondering just why she was feeling so docile as to do as she was told. After a few minutes, she decided it was because she was feeling her way around here. Not only the clothing and the language was medieval, she realized, but the whole setting was. So where was she? If it wasn’t against all reason, she’s think she had stepped back in time to the days of knights in shining armor and fair maidens needing rescuing from horrible beasts or even more horrible villians.

Not much time elapsed before her guide led her to an ornate wooden door at the end of a long hallway. With a quick rap before opening it, she entered, and gestured for Jennifer to continue on into the room beyond. “The lady is here, Torren,” she announced.

A mellow voice responded. “I thank thee, Lorissa. Leave us, please.”

Lorissa nodded once, and did so, shutting the door behind her. Jennifer hovered near it, not sure where to stand.

“Come here, lady. I’ll not harm thee.”

Cautiously, she did so. The voice belongs to a short, dumpy-looking man of indeterminate age. Jennifer estimated him to be in his forties, or early fifties. They looked at each other, neither one speaking, for almost a full minute. Finally Jennifer broke the silence. “I have no idea where I am.”

The man called Torren smiled slightly. “That dost not surprise me. Come, sit here and let me try to explain.”

Tuesday

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:53:37 GMT

Yes, I voted. But this story's not about me.

When I reached the table where they were checking bona fides, a family of three who were in the other line were discovered to have been in the wrong line. (Where my polling site is, they had two lines--one for those who live on the south side of the community, and one for those who live on the east side.) The checkers found the two younger people's names easily enough, and handed them their confirmation cards, but the third, the eldest (I would have put his age at about 70, maybe a bit younger but not much) had a slight problem. Apparently he had not registered, somehow, and was not on the "alpha list." So they gave him a different card and told him he could fill out a registration form and vote provisionally.

At this point I was pretty impressed. It was indeed heartening to see that they wanted everyone who could have a vote actually get to vote.

Then the shoe dropped. The gentleman said, in a very soft voice, "I can't read." My first thought was, He's 60-something and never learned to read? I hear about people like that but never did I actually meet someone who really couldn't. Oh, I've known poor readers, yes, but no one has ever admitted, in my presence, that they could not read at all. The lady at the table led him to a woman who's job it was, apparently, to serve as an interpreter (many semi-skilled English speakers at our place) and she helped him fill out his registration form.

Do we live in a great country or what?

On another front, it has always amused me that our ballots are printed in both English and Spanish, but the many indigenous peoples' languages are not represented.

On the NaNoWriMo front, I fell a little behind yesterday, but I fully intend to make up for that and still get in today's quota. It's my unofficial quota, since for NaNo all you really need is 1667 words a day, but I want to try for 2000. So far, after three days, I'm just shy of 5,000. So all I really need to catch up is a tad more than 3000 words. I can do it! I can! And I will!

Okay, I think I've cheered myself along enough...time to get writing.

NaNo Update #1

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:21:15 GMT

My first day of NaNo has been a success. Slightly over 2000 words, so I'm on track so long as I keep up the pace. I had a little bit of trouble with the website, though. I did post my numbers, and an exerpt, but for some reason it wouldn't let my use their wordcount feature. I couldn't get the post posted there. Maybe today. I suspect it was very busy yesterday.

I'm going to post exerpts here that I'm particularly fond of, but probably not too frequently because I'll be too busy writing them! So for a first installment, follow the link.

The shadow against the wall moved quickly, barely visible in the pale light of the waning moon. An observer would not be able to tell what cast the shadow, had there been any to observe. The darkness oozed up the face of the wall, to an open window some thirty feet from the ground, then slid inside.

The shadow coalesced into a hunched figure with skin as black as the night. Only vaguely humanoid, in that it had two legs, two arms, a body and a head, it crouched low in obsequiousness before the woman who stood silently within. A slit of a mouth cracked open, showing yellowed shark teeth as it hissed, then said, “Thou didst summon, mistress Bishana?”

“I did, Trass.” The woman’s voice was cold and clear as she acknowledged the demon’s presence. “Hast thou done what I commanded?”

Again the demon hissed, this time in reaction to hearing its name. It blinked its glowing red eyes and narrowed them, but answered, “The portal is ready. It needs but have the right person trip it.”

“Good.” She turned her back on the demon and moved to a tall mirror to gaze at her candlelit reflection. “Tell me, Trass. Would a man find me desirable?”

“Most assuredly, mistress.”

“Then we must be sure the portal brings a man.” Bishana turned suddenly back to the demon and challenged, “Canst thou assure that?”

“There are ways to be sure,” admitted the demon Trass. “Thou wouldst have to release me to his world to draw him close.”

“Thou wouldst like that, I’m sure.” Bishana’s smile was as cold as her voice. “Dost thou grow tired of our association?”

The demon hissed and glared, but did not answer. Bishana nodded. “I thought not. Nay, I have much still I wish you to do. However, I must have a man for this task. Therefore, I charge thee…”

The demon crouched lower, its hissing now a constant, much like a kettle steaming. Bishana ignored its glare and continued, “…I charge thee, I charge thee. Go thou to this other place and draw a man suitable to my needs to your portal, then bring him to me.”

Like a shadow, the demon slipped out the window it had entered. Bishana returned to the mirror, contemplating her reflection critically. Aye, she was beautiful, not even the angels could deny her that. Beautiful enough to ensnare a man, and that was all she needed.

Now to wait. But she could prepare while she waited. It had indeed been long since she had enamored a man, but she still knew how.

I hope all who are doing the NaNoWriMo had a successful start!

NaNo, Here We Go!

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:15:23 GMT

I won't be posting much this month, because the NaNoWriMo is upon me and I will be spending much of my time writing instead of blogging or playing computer games or grading papers or talking to people.

Maybe this year I'll actually win NaNo...the past two years I failed miserably, mostly because of health issues (first year I ended up flat on my back for two weeks...hard to type in that position, and last year I got a srsly bad sinus infection). So pray for my health, as that seems my biggest hurdle for getting this stuff done.

Okay, I'm off and typing!

An interesting meme.

cabwriter@yahoo.com — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:54:24 GMT

Your result for What's your key signature?...

A-Flat Major

Congratulations, you’re A-flat Major, a nice quiet break from all the rocking going around. A-flat is a key more suited for symphonies and chamber music halls than for rock concerts, and a look at the number of rock songs in A-flat confirms that. In my exhaustive search for rockers in Ab, in fact (I spent about 12 seconds on Google) I only found one. It makes sense why this key is so associated with peace and serenity, most of the music played on it is by woodwinds. Guitar, Piano, Bass and other non winds tend to have some trouble with 4 flats, leading to naught but woodwindy love for this key. :3

You’re the type of person who is a vegetarian only because you don’t like the thought of killing animals, and you prefer protests to parties. Keep up the lovely environment of happy you create around yourself, and you’re going to snap eventually.

SONG EXAMPLE:

Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 55 (Shut up, I tried.)

INTERESTING TIDBIT:

* Some nuts consider A-Flat one of the best keys for flute music, despite flutes being tuned in C.

* One of the most popular uses for the key overall is as a transition key for the second movements of symphonies in C Minor.

Take What's your key signature? at HelloQuizzy