bruceb

Yendi, Brokedown Palace, Barbara Hambly sequel stories to download, Teckla, Taltos. More Dragaera posts coming soon.

Kage Baker's The Anvil of the World is quite delicious so far. I want to play D&D in this setting! It's just so... so... gameworthy. I'm probably thinking specifically D&D because it has such a Vancean riff. Also one of the characters is played by multiplexer!

I also read Sunshine, because amberley was laughing about Bookshop Santa Cruz's Twilight display that was centered with Sunshine, like it was an antidote. Brad went to the bookstore yesterday and said they'd changed a sign: "The Vampire Section, Formerly Known as the Young Adult Section." Sunshine was in fact a pretty good antidote. (I couldn't get past the first chapter of Twilight, but it left a greasy coating behind.)

Somehow, I've written an entire 50,000-word novel in less than 30 days (actually, I did it in 23 days). How did I do it? It Well, having none of that pesky "paid work" to do this month was a big help, time-wise. The hardest part was developing the habit of sitting and typing every day. After about a week, I'd wake up in the morning looking forward to writing. And for a while, it was easy. But around Day 18 or 19, it became incredibly difficult again, and I crawled over the finish line, gasping for breath. And now, two days later, my brain still feels completely empty--I put everything on the page and now there's nothing left up there. Clearly, I need to spend Thanksgiving weekend re-filling the well somehow.

I'm kind of excited about what I've written, though. It's got some funny bits, and it might actually be good if I spend some time re-working it. But spending a lot of time on something to make it perfect is basically the exact opposite of my creative process--I much prefer getting something done and moving on to the next thing immediately. So the revision process feels alien and scary to me. I hope I have the patience, because I'd like to be able to show this thing to people someday.

So, once there's something in my brain again, it'll be back to writing (a couple of projects in the offing) and drawing (likewise, I'm sure). But for now, to quote my favorite Monty Python sketch: MY BRAIN HURTS.

When these things rain they pour.

Most of my readers will not be working tomorrow or Friday, so here's a special end-of-a-short-week Music collection:

Rejected Bond Theme anyone? Nobody is saying so, but the signs are there. Dame Shirley Bassey has a new album out in the UK called The Performance, which was produced by current Bond composer David Arnold. On the album is this track, which was written by Arnold and long-time Bond lyricist Don Black (Thunderball, The Man With The Golden Gun, etc.) -- it uses a five-note string hook that features fairly constantly in Arnold's score to Quantum of Solace, and just happens to track in at exactly the same length as Jack Black and Alicia Keyes' "Another Way To Die" (the theme that was used for the film). If that's not enough, the lyrics prominently feature the word "Solace." As much as I like "Another Way To Die", I really wish they had used this one -- not only for the Bassey nostalgia, but also because the lyrics (which appear to speak to Bond's inner turmoil) would've made a nice counterpoint to the go-go-go action pace of the movie. Dame Shirley Bassey - "No Good About Goodbye."

I picked up Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster, and, as I expected, I love it... Especially this track. Mark my words -- I expect that this will be the next single (after "Bad Romance"), and I expect that it's brilliance, it's brainwormy hooks, the clever bits of digital distortion and the guest-starring gig by Beyoncé will make this a massive hit. Hear it now before it's inevitably overplayed: Lady Gaga - "Telephone (feat. Beyoncé)."

That's part of a wash-my-back-I'll-wash-yours deal (picture that image for a moment)-- the other end of it being the new official remix of a similarly telephonically-themed track from Beyoncé's recent album, which has been expanded to include a verse by Gaga: Beyoncé - "Video Phone (extended mix feat. Lady Gaga)." I like the bizarre, almost Spaghetti-Western vibe to it -- but I have to say that Gaga's track is better.

This list turned out to be a bit Gaga-riffic. Can't be helped. There's a bunch of nifty stuff out there -- like this mashup which I fell in love with the first time I played it, mixing Gaga's "Just Dance" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." DJ Tripp - "Just Stop Believing (Lady Gaga vs Journey)."

This is a song that Taco Bell has stolen from Joe Jackson.... I'm stealin' it back. My soul dies a little bit, every time I see one of the best New Wave album-openers ever (from the 1979 Jackson debut Look Sharp) used to shill Gorditas or whatever faux-mexican, new-combination-of-the-same-six-ingredients crap they're trying to foist on the public. Joe Jackson - "One More Time."

There are rare cover versions which I end up liking more than the originals. This is one of them. As brilliant as the original by Gary Numan is, I find this version's far fuller sound and richer production to be superior (blasphemy, I know). Foo Fighters - "Down In The Park."

Lastly -- the first Radiohead song I ever heard (saw them perform it on the Arsenio Hall Show, of all places). Still, in my opinion, the best song they've ever done. The song aches. And then there's that sound... the violent gouge of the guitar. Still amazing, and still gives me chills. Radiohead - "Creep."

There you go, kids. Remember: Copy-and-paste if the links give you trouble.

Happy Thanksgiving.

(yoinked from theferrett)



Star Wars Facebook Status Updates.

Classic.

I'm running a space game soon and to help get me in the right frame of mind I picked up a science fictiony sort of universe-exploration space-archaeology book, Jack McDevitt's The Engines of God. It's the first book in a series.

The plot may be vaguely interesting but the writing is terrible. Terrible! Sentences clunk, paragraphs lack coherence, the author tells rather than showing ("Bob was the consummate professional" is an actual phrase early in the book) Apostrophes are missing. I'm 36 pages in and I may not be able to finish. And this is the first of a four-book series! What the hell, America?

Maybe my attitude is lousy because I just read the most impeccably-written novel I've seen in the last year, Michael Chabon's Yiddish Policemen's Union. But god, all I keep thinking is, I could write something more coherent than this.

http://www.cartoonlabs.com/comics/index.php?date=2009-11-25&show=sinfest

Sinfest
Tatsuya Ishida

Out amidst running various errands today, teaotter and I stopped at a nearby farmers market that is normally closed for the year, but had a special pre-Thanksgiving day. I picked up the carrots I'll be using for carrot soup at one of the two Thanksgivings we'll be doing this year (the large one on Thanksgiving day, the other, with less exceedingly social friends, like xtricks & athenian_abroad on Saturday). Wandering around, I saw an odd fruit, I picked it up, realized it was a quince, and was then deliciously overwhelmed by the smell. They have a smell that partakes of both fruit and flowers and is utterly amazing. I got two, and if I see more at any of the stores I'm going to, I may get another. For the Thankgivings I'll make carrot soup, pumpkin pecan pie, a pumpkin pie, and Thai chicken and potato samosa like appetizers. However, a few days after both, I will take the quinces, and some apples, and make this pie or something similar - this one is just for the three of us :) In any case, I've never cooked with quinces before, and they look to be amazing.

I suppose there is a certain low animal cunning inherent in formatting your ludicrously overpriced magazine subscription solicitations as renewal forms from the magazines themselves. However, you may want to do your homework a bit more carefully next time, as trying to get me to re-up on a magazine I've pre-subscribed to through roughly 2019 or the Mayan Calendar Apocalypse (Nebiru Remix feat. DJ Lizardman Icke) is probably not going to work too well.

Also, the tiny print at the bottom of your solicitation that reads "Not a bill" is attached to some text that's grammatically incorrect, and that I simply cannot forgive. The possessive apostrophe: learn it, live it love it. And don't send me any more bullcrap.

Thank you.

• 10:46 My vague plans for computer updatedness have acquierd a time window: January, when after-Christmas daze lowers prices #
• 10:47 I'm also kind of holding out to a trivia contest I'm participating in (currently 1st place! :D) that has an XPS laptop as a prize :3 #
• 12:43 @mkinyon But you can't use a Google Wave invite as a coaster... #
• 13:54 A sign I need a break: I misread "therapeutic abortion" as "telepathic abortion" in the document I'm proofreading... #
• 17:40 @JaDW Me acuerdo de "Oubliette" ;) #
• 17:44 @JaDW Claro, claro, nada más me dio un ataque de nostalgia repentina :) De ahi a la pregunta original... ni idea #

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I've used this icon before, I realize, for superhero games and the like. If you can't see it, it's the Tick brushing some shuriken off his body, saying, "Those darn ninja. They're wacky."

Anyway, the reason for the icon is that I'm doing a Feng Shui character. I'm on my third cup of coffee tonight, I'm still a little tired, but I don't have to get up tomorrow morning because I'm on Thanksgiving break! Yay! Five days off!

I do so enjoy being on an academic schedule.

More to say? Not especially. Suffice to say that it's been an extremely emotional week, even though it's only Tuesday. More details later if I feel like burdening you with them.

The Game: Feng Shui
The Publisher: Atlas Games
Degree of Familiarity: None, beyond reading it.
Books Required: Just the core.

( Kiiiii-yaaOW! Not in the face! )

Right, there ya go. Next, probably CthulhuTech or Mouse Guard.

What facts can we draw from Malcolm Turnbull's 48-to-35 victory in today's leadership stoush?

- A significant number of Liberal backbenchers are probably in favour of Labor's emissions trading scheme and the concessions they've won, but didn't want to publicly show their support because it would detract from the Opposition's image of being mindless naysayers who are too ironclad in their convictions to ever show signs of intelligence. The secret ballot let them throw their support behind the bill, while still pretending to be hardmen who'd eat glass and shit fine china before agreeing with inconvenient science.

- A significant number of Liberal backbenchers are probably dumb enough to think climate change is a hoax, but not so dumb that they think Kevin Andrews would be anything but a blood-drenched albatross hanging around the party's genitals on the way to the next election. Putting a famously stupid, pig-headed, bigoted liar in charge of the party in 2010 - the loathed architect of WorkChoices and the man behind the spectacular own goals of the Haneef affair - would be much like building Kevin Rudd a throne out of golden vaginas, and those backbenchers whose survival instincts outweigh their arrogance presumably decided it was better to eat a shit sandwich today than eat a 12-course shit banquet every day for the next four years.

- 35 Liberal backbenchers think that racism, homophobia, mealy-mouthed false Christianity and oppressive labour laws were just great back in John Howard's day, and surely the Australian public would jump at the chance to vote for those things again. Those 35 backbenchers presumably pay someone to tie their shoelaces for them and wear crash helmets at dinner so they can't hurt themselves. It's a little staggering, and very amusing, to realise that perhaps Alexander Downer isn't the dumbest person in Parliamentary history.

- Kevin Rudd is probably a bit sad that he can't just put his feet up and drink sherry with his underpants on his head for a year before the election, but can take some comfort in knowing that he's going to win anyway.

- Joe Hockey knows this just as much as Kevin Rudd does, which is why he'll be spending the year polishing his public image and avoiding the Liberal leadership like it was radioactive jailbait. He may be a feckless thug, but he's not stupid.

- And speaking of stupid, I hope Kevin Andrews enjoys his upcoming new role as Shadow Minister for Sewer Inspection and Being Stranded in Unpopular Countries. Possibly he can use his spare time to write a paper on how it's his failures are the fault of the gay Sudanese terrorists who live in his cupboard and keep giving him bad advice and hairstyling tips.

God, I love politics.

My fiance has a rare disease called Psuedo Obstruction. Basically, his digestive system is slowly failing. I have started a Live Journal account explaining our situation in hopes of getting advice or answers to some of my questions. Please read it and comment. I need all the help and support I can get to continue to be strong for him.

And he doesn't do LJ so he won't see this, but still...

Happy Birthday Brett!!

There's something a little exciting and empowering about getting a call from the Blood Bank, asking me to come in ASAP for an emergency platelet donation.

It's kind of like my very own Batsignal. Except with a lot more sitting around. And probably a lot more wincing, despite losing the same amount of blood.