"Come attrition, come the reek of bones, come attrition, come hell."

[greygirlbeast]

Um. Yeah. Slept until the ass crack of noon, which means I got eight full hours of sleep for the first time in ages. I've been sleeping better in general, which I tend to do when I'm writing a lot. Plus, we were out yesterday and I soaked up a lot of sun, and the Vitamin D never hurts. Those gummy things are good, but they can't match getting it straight from the source.

My grateful thanks to everyone who donated a little or a lot yesterday. You guys really are wonderful. I've paid my SVP dues, dues for my twenty-eighth year in the Society, and I have a small sum left over to put towards the unexpected doctor's appointment on Friday.

Yesterday, I realized the next scene in the ninth chapter couldn't be written unless I visited a cemetery out on Aquidneck Island. I mean, sure, I could have faked it. But I fucking hate doing that. I can never write a real-world place well unless I've actually been there. So, about 2 p.m., Spooky and I left the house, and left Providence, crossing the Jamestown Bridge and then the Newport Bridge to Aquidneck. The sun was bold and brilliant (as Colin Meloy might say), and the bay shimmered like chrome. Still a lot of snow, and Green End Pond, along 138, was frozen almost solid. The graveyard in question— Four Corners Cemetery —is located in Middletown, a little north of Newport proper. It's not one of the state's most photogenic cemeteries, not by a long shot, but it plays a pivotal role in the The Drowning Girl. There was a huge crow perched on a headstone when we entered, and Spooky tried to get his photo, but he wouldn't be still. We didn't stay long, as there was a funeral service beginning, a military funeral with a bugler and uniforms and everything, and it would have been poor form to hang about doing ghoulish writing stuff.

After Middletown, we drove down to Spooky's parents' place, though her mom was out running errands and her dad's in Ecuador. We still got to visit Spider Cat and the chickens. There are photos behind the cut:





Approaching the first tower of the Newport Bridge (built in 1969, renamed the Claiborne Pell Bridge in 1992, but fuck that). View to the east.



At Four Corners Cemetery in Middletown, a crypt at the north edge of the graveyard (view to the northwest).



Like I said, not especially photogenic. View to the east.



There were some interesting stones, but we really didn't have time to examine them.



The Witherbee School (1892), home to the Middletown Historical Society. We stopped so I could take some photos. View to the north.



Spider Cat! He's sort of like a feline Walter Sobchak.



At Spooky's parents farm, snow on the back pasture. View to the northest.



Another shot of the back pasture. View to the northeast.



I'm a doofus and got snow in my shoes, so here I'm drying out my socks as we leave.



Self portrait! (Almost)

All photographs Copyright © 2011 by Caitlín R. Kiernan and Kathryn A. Pollnac



Back home, we proofed "Andromeda Among the Stones" (for Two Worlds and In Between), which I wrote in 2002, nine years ago, but it's still a personal favorite. Last night, well...there was leftover meatloaf, and then there was a WoW marathon, during which I had Shaharrazad finish off the quests in Un'Goro Crater and then moved along and did all of Dustwallow Marsh, and got Loremaster of Kalimdor. Of course, now I have to do all of Outland to get the Loremaster title (I already have Kalimdor, Eastern Kingdoms, Cataclysm, and Northrend). Nerd, nerd, geek. Later, we read more of White Cat (which we've almost finished).

Congratulations to blackholly and to Uncle Harlan on the occasion of their Nebula Award nominations!

"Comment!" says Herr Platypus!

Comments

[unknownbinaries.livejournal.com]

Those socks are fantastic. Everyone needs a lively sock collection.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Those socks are fantastic. Everyone needs a lively sock collection.

You can tell much about a person by their socks. I think of these as my Neapolitan Stockings.

[gargirl.livejournal.com]

"You can tell much about a person by their socks"

I wonder what my socks reveal... I have a sort of mad, eclectic collection; somewhat heavy on the skull motif and liberally spiced with toe socks, heavily fuzzy socks and lots and lots of color. I try to remember to keep one pair of black and one of white for any serious occasions that might crop up but am often caught wearing something rather more whimsical than current situation warrants. ... it probably just means I'm kind of a flake, actually, now that I think about it.

[cdennismoore.livejournal.com]

I like that first picture although I can't look at it without feeling, literally, as if I'm heading up the steep part of a roller coaster. My whole body reacts to it and gravity seems to shift around me so I feel I'm being pulled back. Wow.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I like that first picture although I can't look at it without feeling, literally, as if I'm heading up the steep part of a roller coaster.

Crossing the bridge is actually a little like that.

[cdennismoore.livejournal.com]

You captured it well.

[sillylilly-bird.livejournal.com]

I agree completely and won't buy socks unless they're fun in some way. Also, I want to bury my face in Spider's belly fur and give him raspberries. :)

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Also, I want to bury my face in Spider's belly fur and give him raspberries.

I'm sure he'd love that.

[egologic.livejournal.com]

After the time change I started having a lot of trouble with lack of energy, inability to concentrate and other things (feeling like hell). My husband suggested going out and sitting in the car during lunch. That way I could get some exposure to the sun. I thought yeah right. That'll really help. Mmm-hmm...

But you know? It really did help. I was shocked. I think I experienced improvement with as little as ten minutes. I often sat there and listened to music for an hour while drowsing letting the sun (or at least trying to) hit me right in the face. Especially the eyes. Total catmode.

Generally within thirty minutes of coming in I'd feel better.

I figure a ten minute pause is worth the benefits I get from it through the rest of the day and into the night.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

After the time change

I simply stay on DST all year round (which I call CaST). I started doing that in 2003, and it's helped immensely, having that extra hour or so of daylight.

[stsisyphus.livejournal.com]

Where is your icon from? I've been meaning to ask that.

Self portrait! (Almost)

Also, how often do you cut your fingernails? I know my job requires about a good 6-7 hours of typing, and that's on top of the computer gaming I do - so I grow 'em pretty fast. I just noticed you've got noticable crescents again after only a few days ago having posted your newly painted nails. Wait, no, the new-grouwth crescents would be on the other side of the nail. Um. Well. Answer anyway if you want.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Where is your icon from? I've been meaning to ask that.

An appendix to of Leaves

Also, how often do you cut your fingernails?

Very fast.I tend to chew the polish off the tops.

Crypt

[grinkat.livejournal.com]

In the second picture, it looks as though the rectangular block has been placed in front of the crypt door to keep someone, or something, in.
Creepy, that.

Re: Crypt

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

In the second picture, it looks as though the rectangular block has been placed in front of the crypt door to keep someone, or something, in.
Creepy, that.

Alas, I suspect a more rational explanation. The hinges were shot, and the block was there to keep the door from swinging open.

[lady-theadora.livejournal.com]

The crypt is definitely photogenic. It looks like an ancient barrow.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

It looks like an ancient barrow.

And I wrote that into the novel today.

[sovay]

I'm a doofus and got snow in my shoes, so here I'm drying out my socks as we leave.

Please use this as an author's photo someday.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Please use this as an author's photo someday.

Perhaps.

[jenjen4280.livejournal.com]

I love the dry-laid stone fences (or whatever the hell they're actually called) that are all over the northeastern US. You really don't see them down here in the Mid-Atlantic.

Why no snow at Four Corners Cemetery? I thought RI was blanketed.

[jacobluest.livejournal.com]

I've been putting together a website involving automatic cataloging of images...been learning about EXIF data. For example, this is why you wouldn't take a picture at home with a smartphone (http://regex.info/exif.cgi?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.caitlinrkiernan.com%2F22211-10.JPG) without modifying it via some process that overwrites / erases EXIF data. Because it may include GPS info. Yeah, I know. I've made you paranoid now...

~Jacob

[humglum.livejournal.com]

Fortunately, we do not own a smartphone.
Creepy stuff... but kind of fascinating for all the technical data.

[jacobluest.livejournal.com]

Or, Caitlín is one EXIF data editor away from a truly terrifying digital found object story:

"Oh my god I found this memory card taped to the inside cover of a collection of abnormal anatomy lithographs from the library. I opened the files on my computer...look at this one! What is that blurred shape in the corner? Are those teeth?"

and soon

"I posted these on a forum and some nerd pulled the EXIF data off them. The camera is a weird make and the data's mostly corrupted, but we got some GPS coordinates out of it. It's an exposed sewer tunnel that runs just outside Kingston. I'm getting some friends together and we're going to go check it out."

and then

"We found something. I can't explain. But I'm beginning to understand."

~Jacob

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Hmmmmm. You peak my interest.

[jacobluest.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of something interesting. I moonlight as a film developer. This woman who's a regular--comes into the shop once a week with weird portraits--stops coming in. Don't see her for months. Then I get this memory card in the mail. I think "boy, that's weird. She's a purist...only shoots these old black and whites of this family that locals say have some sort of weird disease from inbreeding or something"...anyway they're recluses and fodder for small-town gossip. So I open up these photos and yeah...weird people as always. But the thing is...my machine opens the picture data as well so I know how to color-correct for digital prints. And when I saw the EXIF data, well, see for yourself (http://regex.info/exif.cgi?dummy=on&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacob-garbe.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Frandom%2Fmisslynn.jpg).
I looked up the GPS coordinates on Google Maps. It corresponds to 504 Beachview Drive, St Simon's Island, GA. It's listed as Serenity House Tea Society. I'm going to get some friends together and check it out. What's the worst that could happen?



~Jacob

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Oh...wow.

[eluneth.livejournal.com]

I've never seen a crypt that shape before! Is it something peculiar to islands, or Just Plain Peculiar? It's like a bunker pretending to be a dune, or vice versa.

I quite like your little silver ankh ring, also.