Follow me. Don't follow me.

[greygirlbeast]

This morning (which is pleasantly hazy and does not make me fear the sky) I'm hoping that everyone's received Sirenia Digest #4 and are happy with its contents. Last night, as I was looking over my printout of the PDF, I discovered a very annoying typo, right there on the cover page. Never mind that three people proofed the frelling thing. Though it reads "No. 3, Vol. 3," it should read "No. 3, Vol. 2." My apologies. Otherwise, I'm pleased with how this issue turned out, and I'm already looking forward to the next. I have days when I worry that the vignettes are distracting me or leading me astray from other things that might be more important. But I think the truth is that they're giving me a much needed opportunity to experiment and explore voices and directions I might not have tried otherwise. This is a Good Thing, as they say.

Last night, as I mirrored the "red rain" entry over on my MySpace page, I was very annoyed to discover that there's no "Science" or "Science and Nature" category for entries. The categories are a dumb idea, but it's sad and symptomatic of the country's general disinterest in science that there are categories for "News and Politics" and "Life" and "Gossip" and the gods know what else, but nothing for science.

I did another 1,153 words on "pas-en-arrière " yesterday. I'm liking this piece a lot. It has a gentleness that's lacking from most of the vignettes. It's almost sweet. I finally realised how it should end yesterday, and it's a very soft-spoken ending. I'm curious how readers will respond to it. That was work yesterday, aside from getting #4 out. The new eBay auctions got off to a good start yesterday; my thanks to those who have already bid. Also, apologies if you've e-mailed in the last few days and I've not responded. I get in these moods where my generally anti-social nature spills over into my ability to answer e-mails. It's dopey, but true. I'll try to get through some of them in the next couple of days. I do appreciate e-mail, very much. Don't think that I don't.

Jerry Lewis turns 80 today.

Last night we continued our Oscarish movie binge with George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck, which I really, really liked. David Strathairn was superb. Mostly, I couldn't help thinking how much worse things are now, under Bush and the Patriot Act and this whole rogue Administration, than they ever were during the height of the McCarthy hearings. It's just that very few people seem to care. The paranoia is broadcasting on a lower frequency. Or a higher frequency. Maybe the dogs can hear it. The bogeyman of Middle-Eastern terrorists has supplanted the old bogeyman of Communism, and TPTB have more power over us than they've ever had before. After 9/11, America was more than happy to hand over their freedom to speak and think and act upon those thoughts, if only they could drive their SUVs and watch their widescreen televisions and shop at Wal-Mart without having to worry about further attacks. Consumerism has become the Great Teat, the Great Distraction. Even religion can't compete. But I am going on, aren't I? Yes, I am.

For what it's worth, to anyone who wasn't pleased with me for having no interest in seeing Brokeback Mountain, I find that I'm equally disinterested in Crash.

My thanks to David Kirkpatrick for sending me the paper from Nature describing the new Jurassic theropod, Juravenator, from the Solnhofen. What a marvelous little beast.

Okay. Time's up. I need to finish this vignette today. Tomorrow's St. Patrick's Day, and I intend to tie one on (in the parlance of our times).

Comments

[frankiemouse.livejournal.com]

i saw brokeback mountain. it was pretty good. i had no desire to see it either, but my friend was going. crash - i hated just about ever character in it. the locksmith and his family were the only ones that i liked, they were also the only reasonable characters in the film. i don't mean to say that they others had unreasonable reaction/thoughts, but they didn't think for one femtosecond before acting or how what they were doing would look from someone else's perspective.

pittsburgh had it's st. patrick's day parade last weekend. we have it every year the weekend before the actual day. i have no idea why. i didn't see the parade, but went to station square in the afternoon. it was fine when i first got there, but then it got way too crowded with drunk people and then it started to drizzle and get chilly. i've determined that i pretty much don't like people in general. one-on-one they seem to be better and some of them intelligent, but on a whole or in a group i can't stand them.

[sovay]

I passionately loved Good Night, and Good Luck. David Strathairn especially deserved his Best Actor nomination, and although this is the first year I've cared about the Oscars in any way, shape, or form, I find myself still moderately annoyed that he didn't win. He didn't impersonate; he was. People who can do that amaze me. And besides, I loved the music and its use in the film.

I finally realised how it should end yesterday, and it's a very soft-spoken ending. I'm curious how readers will respond to it.

I suspect it will be very well-received. Have you in fact had negative feedback on any of the vignettes?

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

He didn't impersonate; he was.

That's almost exactly what I said to Spooky during the film.

And besides, I loved the music and its use in the film.

Yep.

Have you in fact had negative feedback on any of the vignettes?

No, actually. I've expected it, but it hasn't come.

[sovay]

No, actually. I've expected it, but it hasn't come.

This must prove something. : )

(By the way, I love the icon.)

[frankiemouse.livejournal.com]

maybe i'm just way behind the times here but i just found fsm the game (http://www.venganza.org/games/index.htm). you've probably already played it and mentioned it months ago, but here you go anyway.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

you've probably already played it and mentioned it months ago

No, I haven't, actually. Drad! Thanks!

[mb2u]

I am so unimpressed with MySpace. I have devoted very little effort to it because it is so user-unfriendly. Same with Yah
oo's 360. I can do everything with LJ I want, and have the advantage of no hideous ads.

Jerry Lewis turns 80 today.

And he's still annoying.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I am so unimpressed with MySpace. I have devoted very little effort to it because it is so user-unfriendly. Same with Yah
oo's 360. I can do everything with LJ I want, and have the advantage of no hideous ads.


I am basically in agreement. I wouldn't be there if I weren't such a whore, and such a goddamn fill-in-the-blank fetishist.

I gave up using LJ...

[wishlish.livejournal.com]

...and am in the process of building a blog using WordPress software and a paid host. (www.whyilovecomics.com- it's not yet finished, but it's getting there...) One of the nice things about the WordPress software is that you can make up your own tags, so if you want a Science tag, you've got it. You want a FSM tag or a Farscape tag or something else, you've got it.

The host I use, Laughing Squid, was really helpful in setting up the software, and the software's not difficult to customize. And RSS feeds are built-in. The software's free, both as in free speech and free beer. Nice stuff, really.

Did you see the article on Yahoo about the first split-second of the universe? I was raised on Genesis, but even the hardest core X-tians have to admit a split-second explosion that went galactic and took 200 million years to cool just to get stars is pretty neat.

[mb2u]

So am I...::hangs head::

[stsisyphus.livejournal.com]

Speaking of which, are you being bombarded by bulletins yet?

Nice icon indeed.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Speaking of which, are you being bombarded by bulletins yet?

You mean at MySpace? No, not yet.

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

I have Good Night and Good Luck to watch tonight, and I'm looking forward to it. Did you read George Clooney's entry on the Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com)? He's my hero. He deliberately made this movie with current events in mind. And he's proud to be a liberal. I <3 him!

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Did you read George Clooney's entry on the Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com)?

No, but I shall.

He deliberately made this movie with current events in mind. And he's proud to be a liberal.

:-)

Quibble

[troublebox.livejournal.com]

Though it reads "No. 3, Vol. 3," it should read "No. 3, Vol. 2."

A minor quibble, really, but don’t you mean it should read “No. 4, Vol. 2?”
I wouldn’t bother bringing it up, but I spent several minutes trying to figure out your crazy numbering system there… Seriously, it broke my brain!

Re: Quibble

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

A minor quibble, really, but don’t you mean it should read “No. 4, Vol. 2?”
I wouldn’t bother bringing it up, but I spent several minutes trying to figure out your crazy numbering system there… Seriously, it broke my brain!

It's really quite simple.

Volume 2 = 2006
Volume 1 = 2005

In 2005, there were 2 issues, 0 and 1 (Vol. 1, No. 1-2).

In 2006, there have been 3 issues — 2, 3, 4 (Vol. 2, 1-3).

A new volume begins each year, and there are two numbering systems for the individual issues: those relative to the year and the absolute number.

So, we are now at Volume 2, Number 3 (absolute #5).

Okay. So it's confusing.

Re: Quibble

[troublebox.livejournal.com]

I was just going by the info on your title pages.

Check the .pdf for issue 3 (absolute #4). _That's_ listed as No. 3, Vol. 2. And issue 2 (absolute #3) is listed as No. 2, Vol. 2.

I think you switched numbering systems without realizing it. Before, "No." recordered _issue_ number -- 0, 1, 2, 3 ... 4 -- and now you're changing it so it to note the number within the current volume (which would be either 0, 1, 1, 2, 3 or 1, 2, 1, 2, 3).

Really minor stuff, but I hate being confused. :P

Re: Quibble

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I think you switched numbering systems without realizing it.

I shouldn't be surprised.

[sleepycyan.livejournal.com]

I just finished reading Untitled 20, and I love it. I'm not sure how to verbalize the reasons why this piece moved me so much, but it definitely did. There's just something very earthy and lovely about it.

[stardustgirl.livejournal.com]

Consumerism has become the Great Teat, the Great Distraction. Even religion can't compete.

Urgh. Don't get me started... but I'll hope it'll continue while I'm in Purge Mode. I need someone to buy my stuff. I'm pretty much over stuff. It requires maintenance, updates, etc. which has grown tiresome.

What I don't understand is how they expect that consumer-fest continue in the US when all the jobs are going away.

Sirenia

[lesser-celery.livejournal.com]

I read “Alabaster” a few months ago, and as one who loves all things Dancy, I could gush for days. But I’ll save that until I read the Alabaster collection, which I have pre-ordered.

“Untitled 20” fascinates me: a golem tale told in reverse, made more universal by the modern setting and the involvement of a goy, yet maintaining its cultural context. I especially appreciate the layers of metaphor about the intimate relationship between life and death.

[extatika.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Crash can fuck off.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Crash can fuck off.

I just don't go for this whole after-school-special vibe it seems to be giving off. The song that got the Oscar nomination was pretty good, though.