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The weekend is being a combination of domestic goddessness and frivolity. It's a bit disconcerting. Friday involved laundry and grocery shopping and was unremarkable. Yesterday, ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) taliesinn headed off to the Toys For Big Boys exhibition in the RDS, there to make an exhibition of himself. I stayed home and made ham-and-tomato soup. Then, in the evening, there was johnciall's birthday drinks. Why he chose Fibbers for a venue, I do not know. But he did. Still, it wasn't so bad. Good company, and we found a corner where conversation could actually be had (!). So, apart from wanting to go home a good hour or so before we did, I had a good time. The hangover this morning was disproportionate, however. taliesinn headed back to the RDS this morning; I went to my parents house, where were also my brother, his wife and their baby. We had lovely roast dinner and bubbly and wine and Spanish wine that was like sherry, and it was very good. And then I came home and decanted the soup I made yesterday into butter tubs and put them in the freezer. And then I made a cake, for the first time in about five years but I have all these apples from Halloween to use up, so apple cake is a Plan. It is in the oven now, so I don't yet know how successful it may be. Tomorrow I have to go into town and find a birthday present for taliesinn's mother. I also have to make more lemon&ginger cordial. And we are having friends over for dinner. Hmm...
Can you see the Dulok graffiti? Even from before the Duloks even existed!
http://jonnynexus.com/2009/11/08/my-writers-confidence-t-shirt-explained/ http://jonnynexus.com/?p=447  There used to be a simple principle when it came to getting custom designed T-Shirts printed. They would either be fairly cheap and very crap (screen printed); more expensive, but still fairly crap (transfer sheet); or very expensive and still not very good (embroidered).
Most people ended up with transfer printed white t-shirts, and since I hate white t-shirts, I generally didn’t get custom t-shirts done, and if I did, generally didn’t wear them. Then for GenCon last year, my friends @luciddestiny and @syleth found an American company that could do fully custom t-shirts: you chose the colour of the t-shirt and of the writing, and put whatever image you wanted on it.
And the t-shirts they produced were awesome, with white text (quotes from the book) on the front and full colour pictures of the cover on the back.
I remember thinking that if there was ever anyone in the UK who offered the same service, I could think of a whole host of things to do with it. And then a couple of months ago, I came across a company called T-Machine (http://t-machine.co.uk) who offered exactly that service. You design your t-shirt using a tool on their website and they then print it and send it to you. (Well that’s the theory, if not – it turned out – the practise).
 Anyhow, I immediately thought of an idea I’d once had which was itself copied from a t-shirt General Tangent had – which was a quick reference cheat-sheet for a piece of unix software printed upside down, so that it could be read by the wearer.
I figured that it would be pretty cool to take my favourite ever Game Night review (favourite not simply because of what was being said, but because of the skill with which it was being said, and for the fact that it was being said by a highly regarded peer of mine) and put some excerpts from that on the t-shirt, upside down. So if ever I was feeling down about my writing abilities (which happens quite often) all I’d have to do is wear my special t-shirt, and then periodically look down.
Now it didn’t quite go according to plan, and it is because of this that I can offer only a qualified recommendation for the guys at T-Machine. The exact sequence of events that occurred is something like this:
1) Create t-shirt design, entering the text, and then clicking on the rotate tool several times until the text had been rotated through 180 degrees.
2) Enter in all my payment details and hit go. According to their website it can take 5 working days plus delivery to get your t-shirt.
3) Wait 50 days. Several times I remembered about the t-shirt and resolved to call them, but then forgot.
4) T-shirt finally arrives, and is printed… right-way up. Yes, they assumed I was a moron who’d both managed to get the supposedly right-way up text upside down and then failed to notice this, even though it was there on the screen in front of me, upside down, and superimposed on a little t-shirt shape. And having assumed I was a moron, they’d “corrected” my “mistake”.
5) Send long email explaining he problem.
6) Wait 7 days, getting no reply.
 7) Call, and talk to a very nice chap called Nathan, who agreed that my design had indeed been entered upside down and should therefore have been printed that way, and promised to produce it and send if off that afternoon.
3 days later it arrived, all good.
I wore it all that day, and you know what? It might be supposed to be a joke, but I did keep finding myself looking down and reading bits, and it was really nice.
So in the end, you get a good result, but if there is a notes section on your order (given that it was two months ago, I can’t remember) I’d suggest putting in an explanation if you’re doing anything strange.
And if you want to know what the t-shirt actually says, you can click on the picture to the side to get a larger version. Either that, or turn up to the next London Writers’ Club, because I might wear it there.
This one's a "Caterpillar-beast" from Uranus, basically a series of six-legged animals that join together to look for food - they're blind (sight isn't actually much use because the planet is always covered in dense mist limiting visibility to about 50ft) and the leader uses its "sensory disc" (the sucker thingy at the front end of its body) to seek food. Once they find it they attack in a continuous chain of teeth and sharp claws. Their nervous systems are linked so they essentially become one animal. As usual some jagged edges etc. should be invisible in the book, since it's going to be reproduced pretty small. ( caterpillar beast )The idea was later used by James White in one of his Sector General books, the second collection of Ambulance Ship stories I think. That's almost the last creature, apart from some living crystals from Pluto, basically nanobots with an appetite for metal, carbon, etc. Next I start on the tech side of things, space travel, etc. which will hopefully go a bit faster. Incidentally, does "Load Up On Guns (Friends Optional)" sound good as a title for the section on weapons?
I'll be running two adventures at Dragonmeet 2009Slot: AM Slot
System: Forgotten Futures XI: Planets of Peril
Adventure title: A Ceres of Unfortunate EventsThe Smithsonian Institution needs scientists and other personnel for an interesting mission - exploring the water-filled interior of the asteroid Ceres. Somehow the adventurers have exactly the right combination of skills they're looking for. It's the opportunity of a lifetime... just hope it isn't the final opportunity of your lifetime. 3-6 players 2-3 hours characters provided. Slot: PM Slot
System: Forgotten Futures XI: Planets of Peril
Adventure Title: Earth Girls Aren't EasyAfter the mysterious death of a mine owner, his daughter must travel to Titan to unravel his affairs and get the mine back into production. Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to make sure that she doesn't rock the boat too much. Titan has a lot of secrets, and it will be a disaster if some of them come out... 3-6 players 2-3 hours characters provided. As usual I'll also be selling stuff for charity. If I understand things correctly I'll be in the basement near the stairs - same place as last year. Hope I'll see some of you there.
Just a few quick notes in case anyone is thinking of watching various new series.
Stargate : Universe is one of the best series I've seen in a while. Very dark. Robert Carlyle is excellent. The tension onboard the Destiny is palpable. Its not flawess, its constrained by TV running times and predictably the heroes have to get away, though there is a bodycount and I am always hopeful that that will increase.
V is pretty mediocre. Again probably not helped by the 41minute format. Morena Baccarin is hot though, and that helps. There has only been 1 episode so far, so maybe it will improve (it probably won't though, it just has that feel...) (there are actually posters in the bus shelters for this in Canada... V. CTV. 8 Tuesday..).
I haven't seen enough of the new season of Dollhouse yet to say if its an improvement over the first season though it shows signs of being. Its probably too late anyway. Its ratings in the US have been terrible so it might live out the season based on the fact that it is in a bad slot (friday night) and there is probably hope of strong DVD sales (a la Firefly), but I would guess that it will be gone then. Time will tell.
Conversely Flash Forward is the telefantasy ratings hit of this season. However it shares alot of resemblances with the first season of heroes in terms of a few dull characters and a meandering storyline. The premise is good and from time to time the execution is good, but overall I am bored already. This is one that it might just be worth reading a synopsis of.
That's all for now...
So, people actually pay the somewhat expensive fee for Internet access in airports to just log into Facebook. I'm not speaking of nerds who can't not check their email every 30 minutes, but "real people" (I hate this expression, but it happens to be quite close to what I mean.) I think we're there, finally. Good, it should just be a couple years until cheap data plans arrive massively.
Raven Moon: The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?
Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance: shining, moonlit ebony musk with benzoin, myrrh, smoky vanilla, patchouli, nutmeg, and dried red chili.In Bottle: I was afraid of this..."ebony musk" = "black musk", which on me turns super-powdery-chemical sweet. On Me: Yeah, like I expected, super powder and sweet. No vanilla, no nutmeg, no chili. Damnation. Poison Apple: (Conjure Oils) The Queen disguised herself as a country woman and convinced Snow White to eat the poisoned apple. Too bad she didn't get to just wear the scent.
Green apples coated in caramel sprinkled with brown sugar slathered in buttered rum.In Bottle: When they say green apples, they ain't kiddin'. These apples are sharp and sour, reined in only slightly by the creamy-caramelly odour of butterscotch. On Me: It's...almost lovely. But there's something under the fresh, crisp apples and creamy caramel, some faint after-scent that's nasty and soapy. No, I do not like that at all. Dem Bones: (Conjure Oils) "Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones..."
They come alive at God's command! Dance with the skeleton crew in the moonlight as you attempt to connect your foot bone to your leg bone.
Dried bones dampen in a rare desert shower. Night blooming cactus explode in fragrant response as desert sage, sweetgrass and the scent of the tumbleweed that rolls amongst the tombstones perfumes the cool evening winds.In Bottle: Oh, I like that. The mingled spice of dry wood and leaves and grass, carried on the cool night wind of the desert. On Me: It stays much the same on me, become a little more subtle, a little wetter. I can smell more of the cactus flower now. less of the dry wood. It's a very pleasant scent, but I think I'll try it in the oil warmer first. Murder of Crows: (Conjure Oils) Every fall they gather in murderous shrieking clusters blacking out the branches in the oak and apple trees across the street. They caw and cackle in a long-overdue maniacal avian family reunion from Hell.
The softest touch of black leather feathers, oak splinters, acorn, crumbled leaves and baked apples drizzled in brandy all illuminated by creamy vanilla moonlight. In Bottle: GAH VANILLA. Now, I love vanilla, but that was a nasal assault. Okay, it's settled some now...yes, there are the apples. Very clear distinction from those in Poison Apple too...those were fresh apples, not quite ripe yet. These are baked apples, hot and steamy and encrusted with cinnamon. On Me: ....it fades away to something really nondescript. Like some vanilla-scented hand cream or something. And it's not a bad smell, not at all, it's just...not distinctive in the slightest. Calavera de Azucar: (Conjure Oils) Muscovado sugar, royal icing and meringue powder with a slight hint of metaphysical white musk.In Bottle: Muscovado sugar, for anyone who doesn't know, is a kind of dark, wet, unrefined sugar made from sugarcane juice. It's often used to make whisky, and tastes similar to brown sugar. And muscovado sugar is exactly what this smells like. Man, is that luscious. On Me: I hate to say it, but as this dries the rich, heavy scent of muscovada sugar is being invaded by something. Something that smells like wet, dirty wood shavings (a scent I know well after working in a stable). Blech.
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Why do women wear make up?
 "Shatterglass Datakey" by arianhwyvar. Is it not gorgeous? Click the link; there's a gallery. Her statement: I have always loved old things, lost or serendipitously found objects, keys and doorways and passages. I earned degrees in computer science and medieval studies; both data and history are important to me. So is memory, and the nature of who we are.
I have dabbled in a host of media and crafts — stained glass, collage, songwriting, off-loom bead weaving — but have been captivated by wire work for the last two years. My main focus is wire wrapping antique keys, decorating them with watch gears, glass leaves, crystals and charms and other bits and pieces. My keys are often a fusion of stylized natural and mechanical forms, as if a bit of machinery were animated by a spirit of growth, and unfurled its own little leaves.
My pieces often have stories reaching backwards in time, through the past history and the associations of the objects I use. This piece reaches forward as well. I marked the glass chips wrapped onto the key with phrases written down by the narrator in Shira Lipkin’s story Valentines, but not all the chips were attached to the key. A handful remain lost, unmoored. These fragments are included with the auctioned pendant, but what is done with them is up to the recipient. Make them into matching earrings. Give them away. Hide them. Bury them. Continue the story of these shards of data.That last bit? I love. So much. She gets it. :) So go bid! And today's your last day to bid Susan Saltzman's "Write Everything Down"; which I covet; any of these things would make a lovely $WINTERHOLIAY gift for me anyone. There's other nifty stuff up, too from such artists as <lj user="copperwise> and IAF working group member Wendy Ellertson; go see!
As I was having a late lunch at the local Starbucks, a red travel mug caught my eye. No handle, so it would take less space crammed down in a bag. And very pretty exterior (I like red). Unfortunately, many reviews claim that since it doesn't have a stainless steel liner, it doesn't keep the drinks hot for very long. Bit pointless then. Unless of course people use their travel mugs as thermoses, and the travel mug will actually keep the coffee/tea hot for an hour or so. Has anyone of you guys used them, and can tell me how long the drink stay hot? I haven't done much today otherwise, as I woke up late (couldn't keep my eyes open at 10pm yesterday, so sleep was clearly needed). Still need to sort out the laundry, and clear the desk. I have one week until Essay Writing Week(s) and I have no time to faff around. I want to buy a big box to put my linen summer clothing in, to clear up some wardrobe space, but then I realised I have no obvious place to put it. Hmm...
...I am going to write this weekend. I don't know why, but my little dragonrider has been piping up again. He wants his story finished. I'm rereading the beginnings of it now...making some edits. It's still got potential, and I'm still feeling the characters. We'll see.
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/11/final-reminder-for-bookshops.html posted by Neil
A quick reminder (as I was just asked) that today is the day that the bookshop Graveyard Book party reports have to be in to Harper Collins. By 9 pm PST. http://files.harpercollins.com/Mktg/HarperChildrens/PDF/GraveyardContest_rules.pdf are the rules and info for those who lost them. Hi Mr. Gaiman,
I was disappointed today to read you won't be part of the judging for The Graveyard Book contests. My not-wealthy, middle-of-nowhere bookstore just sent in its entry, and something we're concerned about is the fairness of judging.
For example, independent bookstores like Powell's (I'm sure you know) easily have enough money and are in a convenient enough location to ask you to come at one time or another. Against stores like that, who were able to put more money into their parties, we stand little chance.
I don't think that it's a lost cause for us; we were very creative. I'm just nervous to know you won't be judging. Can you tell me whether you think the judges will take things like size and location of bookstores into account? It would make me sleep a little easier until the results are announced.
Tusen takk,
AllisonWell, per the rules, the judging is based on:
(i) Overall creativity of the Party, as demonstrated by the invitations, signage, decorations, activities, entertainment, and refreshments.
(ii) Customer attendance and response (i.e., enthusiasm, costumes, participation).
(iii) Ability to capture and represent the spirit of The Graveyard Book....specifically to reward creativity, and not the ability to outspend other shops. (That was also why the party had to actually be at the bookshop, and not at another location.) I asked my editor, Elise Howard, and she said,
Gosh, yes. Here's what we think is happening. We are looking at all the entries. On Monday, we'll send you the best 11, from which you will choose the Grand Prize Winner. The rest will get the first-prize package. So the short answer is that you ARE helping to choose.
The longer answer is that we will be very fair and will consider creativity, which includes work done with available resources, along with pure execution. (Don't you think? We haven't done anything yet; still waiting for more entries to come in.)...which means that a) I was wrong and will be the ultimate judge, from the shortlist. (Damn.) and b) everyone's on a level playing field. Does that help reassure you? PS -- Widgett's Graveyard Book Dessert competition winners have been announced over at http://www.needcoffee.com/2009/11/06/graveyard-book-dessert-challenge-winners/. This one had NOTHING to do with me at all. But lor' the winning desserts look tasty...
I told you. I told you all. The Dog is the Enemy of the Human. But you wouldn’t believe me. Now look.
…dogs have a greater eco-footprint than gas-guzzling SUVs.
See? SEE?
(Automatically crossposted from warrenellis.com. Feel free to comment here or at my internet church at Whitechapel. If anything in this post looks weird, it's because LJ is run on steampipes and rubber bands -- please click through to the main site.)
- Oldest American artefact unearthed : Nature News
"The tool shows that people were living in North America well before the widespread Clovis culture of 12,900 to 12,400 years ago"
(tags:history )
- Brazil crime wars: Spiderman’s story of drugs and Jesus in Rio’s slums | World news | The Guardian
""If you add them all up I control 15 communities," boasted Spiderman as his shiny 4×4 hurtled through the narrow backstreets of western Rio de Janeiro. Behind the wheel was Juarez Mendes da Silva, 28, one of the Brazilian capital's most wanted drug lords, better known by the nickname Spiderman. The words "Jesus" and "Christ" were tattooed on to his forearms in black. In the boot his pet dog, Bloodsucker, shared space with an M-16 assault rifle."
(tags:crime drugs pol )
- Detroit: Urban Laboratory and the New American Frontier | Newgeography.com
Not a lot new for Detroit watchers, but I love the phrase therein: "urban prairie"
(tags:cities )
- New podcast: Shift Run Stop ? Roo Reynolds
Roo says: "I?ve been working with Leila Johnston on a new thing. It?s a fortnightly podcast called Shift Run Stop and as she explains it?s ?an ambient soundscape sort of production, an undulation of chatter and noise, ideas, games and food?."
(tags:podcasts )
- re-inhabited circle-k?s - mammoth // building nothing out of something
"photographer Paho Mann documents the diverse array of stores that re-inhabit the empty shells abandoned by the national corporation Circle-K; the current lives of Circle-K's include "a dry cleaners, a couple of florist shops, a tattoo parlor, a tuxedo rental place, several mini-marts and dollar stores, and Bridgett?s Last Laugh Karaoke and Fish Fry." "
(tags:architecture culture )
- The Psychedelic Review Archives 1963-1971
"MAPS has posted PDF scans of The Psychedelic Review Archives 1963-1971."
(tags:magazine history drugs )
(Automatically crossposted from warrenellis.com. Feel free to comment here or at my internet church at Whitechapel. If anything in this post looks weird, it's because LJ is run on steampipes and rubber bands -- please click through to the main site.)
And next week doesn't look as if it will be much easier. There are three major big pieces of work I'm involved in to some extent or other. One deadlines Monday (functionally today, but the meeting is Monday afternoon), on on 12th Nov and the other on 15th. These all involve slightly different sets of people who all need data etc. and don't really have a clear view of what each other are doing. This leaves me feeling fairly liable to snap at people who want me to do stuff they should be able to do for themselves (you know, it takes as long to send me an email asking me to do something as it does to do it yourself). And the routine work does not stop at all. Tonight at around 17:00 I get a flurry of emails from someone who wants to meet me on Monday (no time specified) presumably on site X. I'm planning to be on site Y (I gave him the ext. I will most likely be on there) where the meeting referred to earlier in this para is taking place at 14:00. And I have bad data for that meeting. Mainly because it was only requested/agreed yesterday and there was a limit to what could feasibly be done. It's not data I can pull myself. One of the people who can pull it is a temp and needed some support, the other is very senior but suddenly got other, more urgent, demands upon her time. So, if this consultant wants to talk to me about the work I need to help him finish by mid-month, he's going to have to do it by phone... On Wednesday a load of us went out for dinner at Zizi's in Paddington. All I can say is 'don't'. Service was terrible and my pizza was cold (waited ages for it). Though, as it was only £10 for two courses, you can't really grumble. It was a girls' night out. Not really my scene but it was a good crowd and I got to hear some really interesting stories about eating goats head(s) in a tiny village built on sand in Nigeria. My new computer and new phone continue to be shiney. I like the wii fit plus. Though I may not do any tonight. Currently awaiting a Sainsburys delivery. Today I took my ECDL Advanced Access Mock paper which I passed. I also heard that I passed the Excel I had to resit. That was good. Ashley came to see me at work to pick up the piece of paper that told us that his ebay item (some really nice boots) had been left at the post office. We thought it was the sorting office which is easy for me to visit on the way into work but it wasn't and the post office doesn't open till 09:00. Anyway, he noticed (and mentioned) that I still have a load of scoliosis in my spine, but utterly failed to notice that I had my hair cut. My colleagues (both male and female) expressed surprise that he had survived this but, honestly, why should I care? Yesterday I activated my physiotherapy referral. I should get an appointment in about 13 weeks.
are the inviscats surfing these days? Ran CCleaner and there were 37 megs of temp files in IE, a browser I never use. One has to wonder indeed. |
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cheerful
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