greygirlbeast | Watching Bats and Smelling Roses

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Current Location: Moria
Current Music: The Decemberists, "The Crane Wife 3"

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Watching Bats and Smelling Roses

The crack of one pm. And this is Saturday, right? Spooky's already had to chase some Xtians off our front porch, so it must be Saturday. The sun is too bright through my office window, because Hubero insisted. Damn cat. But I've had my oatmeal and vitamin-B "stress" thingy, and coffee can't be far behind, so maybe I'm up to blogging.

Yesterday was spent proofreading Tails of Tales of Pain and Wonder for what I hope, sincerely, will be the last time. This is the 50+-page chapbook that comes FREE with the 3rd edition of Tales of Pain and Wonder (which you should preorder today, says mein Herr Platypus). The chapbook includes a poem, "Aperçu", which includes a line from Stoker's "Dracula's Guest" — "The Dead Travel Fast." Back in '95, when I wrote the poem, I translated the line into German as "Die Toten reisen schnell." Spooky's better with German than I ever was, so we were checking the line yesterday, and I noted that Stoker says the inscribed words appear in "great Russian letters." I take this to mean the inscription as observed by the narrator was in Russian and in Cyrillic. Now I'm annoyed I can't do it that way in the poem (I even have a Russian friend who could translate, but the font would be a bitch). Oh, and the proofed ms. for the actual collection returned to me from Sonya Taaffe (

sovay), who's way off in Boston, but who kindly agreed to edit it for me (as I had long-since ceased to be objective). I have to get it in the post to Bill Schafer at subpress on Monday.

Oh, and I was bad and caved into stress and bought the first pack of cigarettes I've bought since New Year's 2005. Spooky is not happy, and I am disappointed in myself. I have sworn it will not be more than this one pack...and maybe one more. My dentist and doctor would murder me, if Spooky doesn't "beat" them to it.

Last night, I attended a ball in Second Life. This was as the Nareth who is the sadomasochistic daughter of the parthenogenic union of a Nephilim and a (now-deceased) cyborg (also named Nareth), and who lives in that purgatorial city by the sea. I was accompanied by a mysterious woman known to Nareth only as "Dancer," who recently began performing in Haven (a strip club in that purgatorial city). Oh, the part of Dancer is played by Artemisia Paine, aka Spooky, who actually managed to pry Nareth out of her stinky old trench coat and boots and into a gown. Anyway, the ball, given by a vampire named Teya Castaignede, was quite wonderful, held in a snowy garden beneath a full moon. But it also provided mine and Spooky's first real, firsthand taste of homophobia is SL. As we were waltzing, the het couple next to us, abruptly stopped and readied to leave. The following was overheard from the male avatar, speaking to our hostess:

JediMa Katscher: sorry Teya but we prefer to leave
JediMa Katscher: i don't like what i'm seeing around
JediMa Katscher: mainly 2 girls dancing together
JediMa Katscher: bye

He and his date, some girl name of Christall Beck, then took their leave. Spooky checked the guy's SL profile, and he's all about the Xtianity. But this was a ball made up of angels and demons, vampires and lycanthropes and worse things still, where most of the attendees were from a sim where perversity and "deviant" sex are the norm. Often, have I seen "JediMa Katscher" there. Anyway, the ball went on just wonderfully in the asshole's absence, and, after all, you really can't expect too much from some tight-assed jerk who decides to call himself "JediMa," in the first place, and who can't be bothered to capitalize and use punctuation and write out the word "two." But it was rather a shock. After the ball, Nareth and Dancer returned to Haven, where they met up with the changeling Cerdwin Flanagan (

blu_muse), and soon thereafter a bit of drama ensued in the street outside the club, involving two righteously pissed-off vampires and Nareth's surviving mother. Long story. This place is sort of like Angel crossed with Dark Shadows crossed with The X-Files and Millennium, on crack. Sort of, yeah. Anyway, photos behind the cut:

Beware "teh ghey" Romance! (Nareth at left, "Dancer" at right)

(this photo stolen from Cerdwin; left to right, Michiko Akina, Nareth, Cerdwin, and "Dancer")

After SL, Dancer and Nareth's typists ate chocolate cake and watched Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny for the fourth time. Just because.

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What a jerk--and I would totally be at that ball (and I would most likely hope that you both had room on your dance cards:))

(and Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny is wonderful.)

(and I would most likely hope that you both had room on your dance cards:))

Though she had other offers, Nareth danced with no one but Spooky...er, Artemisia...er, Dancer.

Awww:) I commend you both on your exquisite taste:)

'Oh, and I was bad and caved into stress and bought the first pack of cigarettes I've bought since New Year's 2005.'

Oh, my.

As a hopeless smoker myself, I can only offer sympathy. Owl keeps wanting me to cut down or quit, but I can't manage stress without it. Given how expensive this habit has become, I often wish I had never started, but I'm well and truly addicted.

As a hopeless smoker myself, I can only offer sympathy. Owl keeps wanting me to cut down or quit, but I can't manage stress without it. Given how expensive this habit has become,

Gods, yes. I think it was almost $5 for a pack. Crazy. But these days, given the price and certain health issues, it's just not something I can allow to become a habit again.

'Gods, yes. I think it was almost $5 for a pack. Crazy.'

Pardon me while I laugh a bitter laugh.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Mine are $6.29 a pack.

American Spirits. David Lynch's brand. I don't smoke them because of that, but it's a cool side effect to be ruining my lungs the same way David Lynch does.

'Almost $5 for a pack! My word! I may have the vapors!' Jesus Christ. *shakes head in affectionate amusement*

See, it's because you live down south; cigarettes are way cheaper there. It's why people up north buy cartons when they're down there. And fireworks. Presumably so they can smoke and blow their hands off. Ah, America.

Well, I think your avatars both look fabulous and JediMa is clearly a witless idiot. Much better off without that kind of person!

I have tried and failed to get to grips with Second Life - our radio station has a stand in a region of it, so we need to get our heads round it. Need more processing power, though!

SL can be a pain sometimes, even with enough processing power.
But there are many beautiful things to see... when you find your way out of the vast array of strip malls, bling, and palm tree lined beach sims.

I understand we're on Glastonbury Island. I will get into it, but need a bit more oomph computer-wise.

Well, I think your avatars both look fabulous

Thank you.

I have tried and failed to get to grips with Second Life - our radio station has a stand in a region of it, so we need to get our heads round it. Need more processing power, though!

I will have to check out that region, and we will ahve to meet up in SL. Artemisia and I can show all the best (non-yucky) shopping spots.

The chapbook includes a poem, "Aperçu", which includes a line from Stoker's "Dracula's Guest" — "The Dead Travel Fast."

I repeat that if you wrote more poetry, I would read it.

Last night, I attended a ball in Second Life.

The dancing photographs are lovely, particularly the second.

I repeat that if you wrote more poetry, I would read it.

I said to Spooky yesterday, I'm giving up genre fiction, moving to Paris to write nothing but erotica and poetry, and I'll live in blessed poverty off wine and bread and cheese.

I wish I had such nerve. ;-)

moving to Paris to write nothing but erotica and poetry, and I'll live in blessed poverty off wine and bread and cheese.

That does sound tempting . . .

LOGO is running Henry and June.

What beautiful characters!

And I'm glad the asshole escorted himself out.

Nothing makes me want to make out with a girl more then hearing close-minded people bitch about the gay disease.

I am going to be stealing that awesome icon...

Speaking of awesome icons, yours is pretty fabulous too!

It was created by

fortunateizzi. I love Tim Gunn. *g*

Nothing makes me want to make out with a girl more then hearing close-minded people bitch about the gay disease.

I'm the same and I'm about as het as they come. JediMa is clearly the easily-threatened sort.

(Sorry, first line should have been in quotes. Stupid LJ. Stupid me!)

I'm straight, but homophobia makes me want to find my inner bi-girl.

JediMa is lame and needs to read a book, expand the mind, get over himself.

I'm straight, but homophobia makes me want to find my inner bi-girl.

See? A great motivator...

You should warn the homophobes, "every time you make a homophobic comment: a straight girl goes bi."

Brilliant line :)

Danke. *g*

>Nothing makes me want to make out with a girl more then hearing close-minded people bitch about the gay disease.

Ditto. Cerdwin is gunning for that guy now and if she finds him in Tox she'll make a messy scene...

Sweet. *g*

Nothing makes me want to make out with a girl more then hearing close-minded people bitch about the gay disease.

Indeed, I have bigotry can be a powerful motivator.

And yes, the icons rules. Tim Gunn is one of my Heroes.

I wish I could take credit for the icon, but it's one of

fortunateizzi's. *g* I love my icon.

gorgeous dance photos btw...

But it also provided mine and Spooky's first real, firsthand taste of homophobia is SL.

I'm still hoping to run into Newt Gingrich's avatar (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOpOZ3Y9eD0) in a dark alley some evening.

you really can't expect too much from some tight-assed jerk who decides to call himself "JediMa," in the first place,

He is no Jedi.

I'd bet fifty bucks he considers the idea of actually having a name to be gay.

Beware "teh ghey" Romance!

Looking good.

The inscription "The dead travel fast" would likely have been written in Cyrillic script, but the language in which it was written would've been 16th- or 17th-Century Romanian--specifically, the Transylvanian dialect of such, which was heavily influenced by German (as Transylvania was primarily inhabited by German-speaking "settlers" [that is, invaders]) in the 13th Century. Due to the fact that Cyrllic was the official script of the Russian Orthodox Church, it was the primary alphabet used for almost all eastern-European languages up until the early 20th-Century.

I need to bone up on my Romanian, but I could translate "The dead travel fast" into Romanian. Alas, I know VERY little Cyrillic (non-Western "alphabets" are but inferior heathen scribblings to me), so I probably wouldn't be able to convert it into "Russian letters."

Oh, and "teh ghey" is always, by nature, hot.

The inscription "The dead travel fast" would likely have been written in Cyrillic script, but the language in which it was written would've been 16th- or 17th-Century Romanian--specifically, the Transylvanian dialect of such, which was heavily influenced by German (as Transylvania was primarily inhabited by German-speaking "settlers" [that is, invaders]) in the 13th Century. Due to the fact that Cyrllic was the official script of the Russian Orthodox Church, it was the primary alphabet used for almost all eastern-European languages up until the early 20th-Century.

Nice. I did not know much of this.

A lifetime spent learning about Eastern Europe has some uses outside of Eastern Europe. :) Admittedly, not many. Although it's rather amazing how many Romanian and Slovenian people I've met in my limited travels simply because they overheard me cursing violently at some American jagoff on a streetcorner in Romanian and/or Croatian and thought I was a fellow countryman!

Now I'm annoyed I can't do it that way in the poem (I even have a Russian friend who could translate, but the font would be a bitch).

Not quite sure why this is a problem... if including it as letters using an odd font would make problems during printing, couldn't you have it translated and printed, then turn it into an image file, rather than a text file, and print that image as you would any other art (chapter heading designs, etc.)? Or is it a problem with not having access to the necessary font itself?

The main problem is that the book is just too far along in the production process at this point to get into what would probably be an elaborate patch.

Also, did the belated years-turn package arrive?

I did, yes, and it was utterly marvelous, and I'm a dork for not having said something sooner. I shall in tomorrow's entry. Thank you.

The main problem is that the book is just too far along in the production process at this point to get into what would probably be an elaborate patch.

Ah, that makes sense. Congrats on the starred review for Tales by Publisher's Weekly, by the way.

It did, yes, and it was utterly marvelous

Glad to hear you liked it. The mosasaur seemed appropriate, given your work on them!

'Oh, and I was bad and caved into stress and bought the first pack of cigarettes I've bought since New Year's 2005.'

I'm running my second longest quitting streak, at this point. Mid-February it'll be one whole year, which doesn't quite match my mid-July 1999 to mid-June 2001, but... Yeah.

I'm trying to stay quit, against all odds and stress, and I wish you the best of luck in dropping it, again.

Also, thank you for the discussion of Thomas Kuhn, last year; it's come in handy.

I join in the appreciation of the SL purty. Nicely done avatars; they feel like you two. Yay for you guys salvaging a good time.

I currently have nothing more in-depth to add.

I wonder if JediMa would tell the host of a party in First Life he was leaving because there two women dancing together? It's easier to be a rude frak in an anonymous space than to a real person. You can't log off and avoid being told you're a homophobic prat, for one thing...

Humans, meh.

Spooky checked the guy's SL profile, and he's all about the Xtianity. But this was a ball made up of angels and demons, vampires and lycanthropes and worse things still, where most of the attendees were from a sim where perversity and "deviant" sex are the norm...

Surely you're not accusing a Xtian of carrying around a double standard or failing to maintain some kind of logical consistency?

Beware "teh ghey" Romance!

*points to icon* More, please.

Also, and I don't say this about people's avatars often, but you two look gorgeous and f'in resplendent in your attire.

And the blighter has the unmitigated gall to call himself "Jedi".
Still, it is wonderful to see the two of you out and about and having a good time, despite the rudeness of the ignorant and intolerant.

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Watching Bats and Smelling Roses

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Paris, erotica, poetry

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Russian letters.

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Re: Russian letters.

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