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Due to popular demand, i.e. someone asked and I said "sure!" the Writing Between the Lines logo has been added to wide variety of gear and garments for your fannish delectation. Go to http://www.cafepress.com/retailjustice to place your order!
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| Backseat Driver to the Universe Mint Witch |
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A new design has been added to the Cafe Press store! Go to http://www.cafepress.com/retailjustice to buy mugs, totes, etc. Also, official Writercon 2009 tees are still available for purchase, here: http://www.writercon.com/tshirt2009
So, I agreed to interview an author about Otaku culture, which I know absolutely nothing about. I've just started reading his book, which is interesting, but I think I need more perspectives, so once again I throw open the subject to the Interwebs.
Good morning!
Writercon is fast approaching, and I'm feeling out out out of the loop. I've got this vague gnawing feeling in my stomach, part anticipation, part nerves, and part craving. The first two will be solved when I land in MSP (assuming that Delta quits trying to rape and plunder my bank account), but the third can only be assuaged by fic. Lots and lots of fic.
The vendor information page is http://www.writercon.com/magicbox2009
Congratulations to Writercon's 2009 t-shirt design contest winner, Savanna Teague! |
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tired
sleepy
curious
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busyUnsure about whether you can attend this year, but still want to show your support? Well, now you can!
Writercon 2009 Supporting Membership
Fan-run conventions run on donations of time, a LOT of time, and money. This is one way you can show your support for Writercon even if you're not physically able to volunteer in person.
* Supporting memberships can be upgraded to regular memberships at any time before June 15 (the online ticket sale cut-off date).
* Your payment will be used to help fund the convention itself. (You can also donate directly to the convention or donate directly to the scholarship fund.)
* Your registration packet and limited-edition Writercon Supporter button will be mailed after the convention ends.
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A winner has been chosen, so now all you need to do is tell us what size you will (probably) purchase and then we can start printing! Woot!
Check it out: T-Shirt Contest Winner & Please Take Our Size Poll
We will also be offering t-shirts for sale on the website, so even if you can't attend Writercon this year, you can still get an awesome t-shirt and support your fellow writers, readers, and fans!
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Writercon is offering a May Day! special registration drive:
MayDay! MayDay!
You've got your badge; we've got the fic and the fun.
Now all you need are friends, and a libation or two.
From now til the first of May, WriterCon is rewarding those who bring their friends to con with 2 free drink tickets, to be used at the hotel bar or the cocktail party on Friday night.
How it works:
Your friend purchases a badge, places your name (or your badge name) in the "Referred By" field, and each of you will receive a free drink ticket good for your libation of choice - cocktail, soda, Shirley Temple...
So shake your flist, poke your fic comms and grab your friends to join us for an amazing weekend of fannish fun!
Legal Stuff:
Offer ends on 5/1/09 at 11:59 ET. Limit of 5 referrals credited to a single registrant. Ticket may be exchanged for drink of choice however attendees must be 21 or older to redeem ticket for an alcoholic beverage.
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chipperMy Granny Teamster has called in sick, again. Day three. I don't mind, it's easier to have her out several days than just one. Continuity, you know.
Also, I can listen to Pandora when she's gone. When she's here, she wants to chat. I'm not much of a chatter, really. I face my computer, do my job, tappity-tappity-typey, answer the phone, give a presentation, go to a meeting, back to the PC, etc. But Granny Teamster is counting the days to retirement (she begins every morning with a refrain of "I don't want to be here, I'm so tired, I'm not motivated, Boss hates me" blahblahblah).
Anyway, back to me... this morning's first three Pandora offerings were:
Fuck Dying by Ice Cube
One More Night with You by The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner by Warren Zevon
What does that make? AWESOMENESS OF THE FIRST DEGREE!
Also, I sent in the UGF and my taxes on Friday, so I'm feeling especially virtuous, today.
Finally, Hello, Bo! Welcome to the White House! Sorry that Nixon drained the pool, but I'm sure the WH staff will figure something out.
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The sun came out today, after 2.5 days of steady rain. The first thing I did when I got home was check the garden. All that water and relatively mild temps caused the greens to sprout. The chard, mizuna, and lettuce beds are covered with a carpet of tiny, almost invisible sprouts. They are already showing their traits. The butterhead lettuce sprouts are electric green, almost neon, while the red oak leaf is rusty, and the chard a mossy color that melts into the peat moss, like an earthy tweed.
A single carrot sprout floats in the middle of the big pot next to the deck. Tomorrow there may be a dozen.
The sunflower and pea starts are starting to get a little leggy. I'll transplant them this Saturday and dig the last vegetable bed, for the bush beans. Then it will be time to start more seeds, and start thinking about what later season vegetables I want to grow this year. I'm already set on summer squash, pumpkin, and probably kabucha. Also, corn, more herbs, some more flowers. Tomatoes? Eh, always iffy in this climate, but I love them so much that I will probably end up buying a half-dozen plants out of sheer optimism.
We'd planned to go to the W. Seattle Farmers Market this past Sunday, but it rained to hard to spend the morning comfortably out of doors. Instead I hit Pike Place on my lunch break, and stocked up on fruit. I also got a couple of California artichokes as big as my HEAD. My own artichoke plant won't bear until late June, and I'll only get a half dozen small heads from it. I don't mind. I'm just grateful that the thing has managed to survive 10 years of ice and snow storms, mites, cold summers, and urban wildlife. Go, artichoke,go!
I am sad to report, though, that Guacamole did not survive this winter. May s/he rest in peace. I've already got a new seed sprouting on the windowsill. Joy. Another 5 years of slaving to the world's most finicky fruit tree. Of course, it's probably not as finicky in its native climate, which Seattle is most certainly not. But I am human, and therefore contrary.
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No, it's not some lame wet-tee contest. This contest is about Art! Expression! and the Admiratin of your Peers!
There can be only one...One t-shirt in all the world...
Will you be chosen?
That's right... the Writercon 2009 t-shirt contest is here!
Check out the details below and make your submissions now!
What are the design parameters?
The design should contain the word "Writercon," the con dates (July 31 - August 2, 2009), and the location (Minneapolis). After that, anything goes--let your creativity run wild! (However, consistency or tie-in with our theme/logo is highly encouraged--our 2009 theme is "Writing Between the Lines.")
Designs should be two colors, printed. The base (shirt color) can be anything, so designers should keep that in mind. JPEG files are preferred for judging, but separated EPS files might be required for the actual printing. (Don't worry, we can help if you aren't sure how to do that.)
How do I submit my entry?
Submit your entries electronically by sending them via email attachment to info@writercon.com.
When are submissions due?
You must submit your contest entries by April 15, 2009.
How will the winner be chosen?
All of the entries will be posted for public voting on the Writercon website and LiveJournal group. The Writercon concom will then decide the winner from the three who get the most votes.
When will voting end?
Voting will end on April 20, 2009.
What do I win?
If your slogan/design is chosen, you will be credited in the conference program, and you will receive a free t-shirt (plus our eternal awe and gratitude).
Who is my contact if I have additional questions?
If you have questions, send an email to the Writercon team at info@writercon.com.
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pensiveSo I'm watching a documentary about Phillip Glass and text appears at the top of my TV screen telling me that I'm not ready for Digital. My first thought is, "Duh! I know that, and I've made my decision, quit bugging me." My second thought is, "OMG, how do they know?!" My third was, "No, I bet everybody sees that." Followed by, "No, that would be stupid." Leaving me with, "OMG, how do they know?!" Not that I'm paranoid or anything.
Which I am. Actually. More now, than I was a month ago, and who knew that was even possible? But I've been hanging out at Newsvine, and wow, there are sure some serious wing-nuts posting and commenting. I thought I was a conspiracy theorist and a cynic, but these people are batshit crazy uber-paranoid. And often quite entertaining. I'm convinced some of them are professional trolls.
I didn't know much about trolls, just the word, and the more casual, throw-away use of the term, until today, when I logged on to find that the Internet had exploded all over Amazon. I've been following links for the past couple of hours, and occasionally backtracking and cntrl-f4ing as fast as my little fingers can fumble. Egad, I am old and staid and I like it that way, thank you muchly.
In other news, we have a cat. We adopted her from the UGF's hospital. Her name is Eleanor, she is 10, she is a beautiful tortoiseshell that oddly matches Lily, and she has no eyelids. We have become Casa de las Persianas, although I'm not legally blind. Just visually wonked.
Also, I've been gardening like a fiend. We're going to have flowers this year, and a real vegetable garden. My health is much improved, so I've been digging and digging and digging. I put in a bed of peonies, Asiatic lilies, and dahlias on the south side, between the deck and fence, and dug four vegetable beds in what was the vegetable garden before I got sick. I've direct-seeded a variety of greens (lettuces, kales, chards, mizuna), some herbs, and thickly mulched over the large bed, which will contain sugar snap peas, pole beans, sunflowers, and Delicata squash, all currently starting inside. I've also got bush beans starting for the remaining (un-dug, maybe next weekend) bed.
I've big plans for veggies, this year. I already started some carrots in a container. I want to dig beds around the deck and against the house and the rest of the south fence, for more vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. The UGF and I have also discussed trying corn outside the dining room, and pumpkins and harder winter squash next to the drive-way. If the county ends up removing and replacing our front yard this summer (my 'hood is being converted from septic to sewer, will we, nil we) then we will put in a fig and maybe some Italian plums, and anything else I can think of and/or afford.
Whether all of this will actually get done is anyone's bet, but so far, I'm on fire! Okay, I'm on fire for someone who spent about 18 months having trouble *walking* much less gardening, and last summer I only managed to grow a little food, with lots of help from the UGF, but still. I'm feeling fire-y. It's good to dream big and work for it, than to dream small and not grow. In my Pollyanna opinion.
I've learned a lot about appreciating the good things and being hopeful over the past 2 or 3 years. No, I can't eat wheat or most dairy, but I'm getting damn good at South and Southeast Asian kwazeen. No, we don't have much money, but my freelance print and online writing work has brought in some unexpected perks, so much of our fun is free. We have jobs, and a house, and family and friends. We lost some family and friends, but we've also gotten some incredible, impossible reprieves. I've learned to love deeper and truer; to have more compassion and patience, not just for others, but for myself, too.
Well. I didn't really expect to say all that, or for this post to go the directions it went. I'd meant to do a quick update, start marking Days to Our Tax Refund or something, and blather about Writercon. Once again, ambushed by my own subconscious.
So hey, how's everybody? Tell me something that you've done/thought/felt/etc. over the past month.
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disappointedAKA, an ass hat, in response to an email I sent objecting to his call for House Republicans to refuse to participate in the writing of the ARRA and to reject any version of the bill that came out of committee.
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Dear Representative Pence,
Thank you for replying. I'm disappointed, however, because I notice in your response that you are woefully short of facts but long on misrepresentation. I look forward to posting it on the internet.
Being from a state with 9.6% unemployment, yet a healthy outlook for the future and current strong signs of economic recovery, your state's unemployment rate is unimpressive, and your comment naive. This is a time when states' intertwined dependencies are clearly visible and a narrow focus that does not address the nationwide economy is self-sabotage. I urge you to think bigger.
However, to address your three main talking points: yes, ACORN was accused of possibly unlawful voter registration practices... in a clearly partisan move that outside, independent investigation proved to be completely false. Nor are neighborhood stabilization funds earmarked for organizations, ACORN or any other, so implying that they are is misleading. Rather, neighborhood organizations will apply for ARRA funds, just as organizations currently do for block grants, and those applications will be vetted. In my community, as in yours, such funds could go directly to employing local contractors to improve, repair, and maintain facilities that serve the public weal- clinics, community centers, etc, that have seen local funding cuts due to short budgets. In other words, a three-fer: jobs, as well as services for those that need various sorts of help, and maintaining a good quality of life for residents, to encourage them to stay, not move elsewhere seeking work, better housing, or a safer neighborhood, all of which kill local communities, especially when times are difficult.
You state that money for health care effectiveness research "may eventually lead to be used to sanction government rationing of health care." First off, that's not actually a sentence. Secondly, it's an unjustified argument, since "may eventually" is the sort of statement that could be used to argue that the combined flatulence of cows in Canada "may eventually" cause the planet to explode. Not a convincing argument, and I'm very sorry to see a member of Congress unable to parse such a basically irrational statement.
Third, the digital television conversion program has been a farce from day one, and the US government's subsidy of converter boxes is ridiculous. Throwing more money at the project may be the only way to wrap it up, but it was the FCC and Congress under Bush that started the mess in the first place. If private companies want to advertise to Americans without cable or DTV, private companies could provide the boxes. The US government should not be involved in providing entertainment, advertising, etc., to private citizens, only in regulating the method of distribution, and even there the FCC has overstepped its charter in the past 8 years. That particular intrusion of government into private life, example of wasteful spending, misused funding, bad management, and blatant cronyism is the exact sort of Republican hypocrisy which finally gained the attention of voters this past year.
Finally, I don't know where you were, but though the final language of the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act was not up on www.whitehouse.gov for a full five days before voting, due to being in committee, the fungible text was available on www.congress.gov for most of the time it was being argued, around two weeks. Also, the 1012 page document is not all that intimidating: triple spaced, big fonts, numbered lines, wide margins, lots and lots of mostly blank pages... it took me about 3 hours total, I was done around 3 PM on Feb. 13th. Really, the only thing I'm deeply concerned about, in the ARRA, is Title 17-- the Department of Energy has not managed to disburse a single technology loan or grant from the 2007 bill, but I'm hopeful that the new administration will correct this. Notice the "new administration" part of that statement? If I, a private citizen, with a mere Bachelor of Arts degree-- in Theatre no less-- can manage to read and comprehend the ARRA, but you, a professional politician, who was present when each part of the act was being argued, cannot, well, perhaps you are not cut out for the profession of politics.
(Oh, and your comment about the CBO is misleading at best, but being in Congress, you probably know that.)
Frankly, every one of your talking points convinces me that continued activism to replace you and certain other, specifically conservative/Republican, Congress-people is necessary. I'm disappointed, but not surprised. Fortunately, I'm allowed to give money to organizations which oppose your agenda within your own state and/or district, without having to live there myself. Shop local, think global!
Sincerely,
Ms. Witch
( Rep. Pence's reply to my original letter )
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Is anyone else reading the text of the ARRA package that came out of committee? I just hit Title 17 - $6B for the Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program, which is great, but the department of Energy has yet approved a single loan or grant from the 2007 bill. I'm still wondering where that money is. I hope this administration actually manages to spend the cash, I really do. There's provisions all over the place requiring that funds be used within 45 or 60 or 90 days, which means that they recognize there have been problems getting departments to actually spend the funds that have been previously allocated. Changing the culture, though... urgh.
We'll see what happens in the Senate. I am trying to hold onto hope, I really am, but the comments coming out of the Republican Congresspeople is disheartening. I know more unemployed people every day, and not a one of them is the least bit interested in income tax breaks on income they no longer have. Personally, I'm just grateful to have a job; I've not even mentioned the "raise" word, this year.
Le sigh.
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President Obama is facing opposition from Republican leadership over the economic stimulus and recovery package. If this pisses you off, write the perpetrators and tell them so!
House Republican Minority Leader John Boehner:
If you live in the 8th District of Ohio, you can email him via this page.
If you don't live in Ohio's 8th District, you can email Boehner via this page.
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor: Cantor doesn't really want to hear from his constituents, or anyone else, so he can only be reached through the Write Your Representative webpage. Go give them something to do.
Representative Mike Pence, #3 of the GOP triumvirate: Pence can be emailed via this handy form.
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I stayed out of arguments-- excuse me, discussions-- about Pastor Warren giving the Inaugural Invocation, because the only things I know about him are second-hand. I've not read his book, attended his church, seen him on television, &c. Nor did I know anything about Rev. Dr. Lowery. So, what did I think about each man after seeing them perform their respective roles?
If it were a debate, the Rev. Dr. would have won. Pastor Warren made two errors of fact, that I noticed; his rhetoric was poor; his timing and delivery were awkward; his bearing and attitude seemed pompous and false. I was not impressed.
Reverend Dr. Lowery made no errors of fact, but he didn't make any factual statements; his rhetoric was classic, drawing on many sources familiar to the average listener; his timing and delivery are obviously the result of decades of public speaking, practiced and refined; the Reverend seemed natural and comfortable, confident but humble. His speech reassured and inspired. I was very impressed: it's not often I'm moved to both tears and laughter.
So, there you go.
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my journal my friends my calendar my userinfo Writercon |
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. . . Writercon: Writercon Writercon LJ Community Retail Justice - Writercon CafePress Storefront . . . Alter Egos Seattle Metblogs Newsvine LibraryThing Good Reads MySpace Pandora Radio Twango . . . Administrative Links: Post to LJ Flists of Flist To Do List Manage Links . . . Textual Poaching: Mint's BtVS Mint's QaF US Mint's Popslash . . . Random Links: BenBella Books Epicurious NaNoWriMo The Republic of Cascadia Sparkly Interviews The Splendid Table . . . Mint Against The Music Industry: Fingertips Music 15 Minutes To Listen Nigel's 11 w/ FKA Tony Lucca's Journal . . . Blogs: Creative Commons Weblog Favorable Dicta Lawrence Lessig Mimi Smartypants Pub Rants Read Roger Yarn Harlot |
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