"I've always been the coward."

[greygirlbeast]

I awoke about nine p.m., hot and sweaty and sick from having taken a Valium and two Sonata, but then only slept five hours. I awoke to relive, it seems, an especially grotesque day from October 1990.

It's just me, or it's everyone, or it's only some people, but even after forty-seven years, I've no idea whatsoever.

Yesterday, I wrote 1,236 words on a new vignette, "The Granting Cabinet."

I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to keep up these journal entries during Readercon. Back in March, I promised myself I'd make an entry every day for six months. But I'm not about to pay the hotel's exorbitant charge for internet access, so I really have no idea how I'm going to make it happen. Not that anyone much still reads LJ – they're all too busy with the easy, instant gratification and minimal compositional prerequisites of Twitter and Facebook – but it's important to me, if only because it's a promise I made to me.

Maybe I'll spend the day lying on the kitchen floor. The view from there isn't so bad.

Here are the photos from Saturday that I'd wanted to post yesterday.





View to the north from Beavertail. A couple of the aforementioned students on the right.



A dog belonging to the students.



The sea churning below where we'd stretched our blanket.



A shot Sonya took while wading. View to the southwest, towards Narragansett.



Spooky and I, in the sun. View to the northwest.



Sonya and fishermen (who caught nothing but seaweed). View to the southwest.



A very wonderful beetle that we found crawling on Spooky's foot.



As we left, Sonya spotted this very cool book on the dashboard of the car parked next to ours.

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

Comments

[jenjen4280.livejournal.com]

I don't comment on every post, but I do read your journal every day. I also don't care about the instant gratification of FB. And really, is it all that gratifying? I don't think so.

It's amazing to me that you do blog every day. Whether you're doing it for yourself, your fans, or just for kicks, it's pretty amazing that each day you make the time to record observations about your life and your work and throw them out to the internet for all to see, while still protecting the privacy of your partner.

Keep writing. I'll keep reading: sometimes in silence and sometimes not.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

And really, is it all that gratifying?

It's the only reasonably explanation I have on hand to explain the mass exodus.

Keep writing. I'll keep reading: sometimes in silence and sometimes not.

Thanks.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

That is an excellent beetle.

There is some lamentable chain coffee place near the hotel that I used for internet access during last year's readercon (left out of the entrance to the hotel, on the right, about a third of a mile. Starbucks?).

It is a miserable non-solution, but, should you have need, and barring the vicissitudes of schedule, I, my vehicle, laptop and questionable navigational skills are at your service.

Otherwise, I send mojo to help you find a better solution than that.

[humglum.livejournal.com]

That was a very itchy beetle. But it was sort of slow, for a bug, so made a very good subject. Most insects zip around too fast to get anything resembling more than a blur.

[ardentdelirium.livejournal.com]

I have been on LJ since 1999, and though I post less frequently on LJ than I once did, I read every day.

[mizliz13.livejournal.com]

"It's just me, or it's everyone, or it's only some people, but even after forty-seven years, I've no idea whatsoever."

I feel exactly the same way and have for years. So that makes two of us.

Lovely, wonderful, gorgeous photographs. I want Sonya's hair.

Off work tomorrow and will finally get to read the Blood Oranges sneak peek in Sirenia. Yes!

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

So that makes two of us.

Okay. I'll start keeping score.

[unknownbinaries.livejournal.com]

The beetle could seriously be a Pixar creature. Cute, expressive little face.

I'll admit Twitter has become like snacking while working for me, but I am never touching Facebook. They keep rolling out reasons for me not to, from enabling asshole exes to find me more easily, to data-mining and lack of privacy being the default setting, helping blacklist peaceful protest, offensive 'targeted' ads, and general douchebaggery.

If there's a Panera near to the con, they have open wifi, good food and coffee (their black bean and French onion soups are fantastic and pretty cheap), and as far as I know, not as questionable practices as Starbucks.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

If there's a Panera near to the con, they have open wifi, good food and coffee

We'll see. I'm not taking a laptop with me. And I have no other portable means of posting.

[kurtmulgrew.livejournal.com]

I've been reading your journal everyday since I found out about you. Half a year or more? I don't know. I'm fairly sure I haven't missed an entry yet.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Thanks, but it's not the people who are loyal readers.

It's the many people who I know have stopped reading.

And the many people on my FL who have stopped posting, or even cancelled their accounts and erased their journals. Many of them retreated to FB or Twitter (or both).

LJ is in it's death throes.

[lois2037.livejournal.com]

Wonderful, amazing beetle! What an excellent photo.

I was up all night getting work done, since sleep was not my friend. Just as I was drifting off at 8something am, Stompy McBigboots bounded onto our porch and thumped down a grinning package. My annoyance faded at once when I opened it and found Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children inside.

I hope you're wrong about LJ being in its death throes. Dreamwidth is basically the same, but really, not many folks are on there. I understand that many are now leaving Facebook for Google+, which offers and demands even LESS privacy, but it's the new flavor and there are invitations, so it just must be cool. I'll stay with LJ, even if I end up being the only one left.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Dreamwidth is basically the same, but really, not many folks are on there.

I should also note it's run by censorious assholes and hackers.

and there are invitations, so it just must be cool.

Just like the beginning of LJ. Humanity, as a whole is both shallow and fickle.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I never cared for Gulf Shores

When I was young, the Gulf was beautiful, more beautiful than any shore I've ever swum from. It was clear and warm, and the beaches were the whitest sand.

[homewardangel.livejournal.com]

I read your journal daily. I'm not a heavy commenter but I'm grateful for your insights. I hope you keep writing on here.

Also, I went to Rockstar yesterday and they did just as good a job as you mentioned. I was really impressed - so thank you for the indirect recommendation from a while back.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I went to Rockstar yesterday and they did just as good a job as you mentioned.

You're welcome.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

I stopped posting because the journal became entirely about my mom dying, which I figured would bum people out. I've been meaning to start up again, though, and I check my friends list daily. Sometimes I even comment.

Also, did Sonya not get the message that she needs to stop being prettier and younger with my hair? I might as well shave mine off now.

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Glorious pictures.

Maybe you could do as rushthatspeaks does with her 365 Books project: she hasn't yet missed a day's reading, but sometimes she doesn't post for a day or two. You could write your posts and save them up.

Nine

[kendare-blake.livejournal.com]

It's always a wonder to me how you have so many words. You post to this journal every day. You write every day (or pretty much so). And none of it feels like filler.

Also, great photos.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

I promised myself I'd make an entry every day for six months.

Guess it depends on by "make" if you mean create or post... Seems to me you could compose an entry each day you're away, but just post them when you have access again. Basically a post-dated travel journal of sorts.

[sovay]

Man, I don't photograph well.

The sea at least is as beautiful as I remember it. And I maintain that most people don't keep books that awesome on their dash.

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

I like that one, actually.

[stsisyphus.livejournal.com]

Yesterday, I wrote 1,236 words on a new vignette, "The Granting Cabinet."

There's an intriguing title. Yes, I am intrigued.

Sorry to hear that you were thrown back to 1990. I'm pretty sure there's no reason for anyone to go back to that period.

[humglum.livejournal.com]

Aside from the chronic daily migraine that began in about '89, 1990 was not so bad for me. Compared to those days, my 25% - 30% of the time migraine is nothing...
Not that I can actually remember much from '90, aside from the fact I worked and went to school and DJed and went to lots of free shows...

[amethyst-clan.livejournal.com]

Oh, these are great pics. The beetle is so adorable.

Maybe you can make your entries in a notepad file offline and then upload them when you get home from the con?

[jessamyg.livejournal.com]

There have been times when I have had no real access to the internet, so I use to go to the library every couple of weeks and catch up with your journal. The worst period was about 6 months away and I came back and read your words in one massive splurge. I'm one of those terrible people who love to read what any artist thinks and have been known to borrow books from the library to simply read introductions and afterwords, ignoring the centre of the meat completely.

Forty Three years and the world still confuses the fuck out of me - some people say that using the word fuck is indicative of a lack of vocabulary, but if it expresses exactly what you mean and feel then it's what you have to say.

The late 80's and 90's were a good time for me in most ways, if you ignore the stupidly excessive intake of drugs and alcohol, but I wouldn't be me without the lessons I learnt and the goth and weirdo (meant as a complement, we always thought it was)scene I was exposed too. I age, but still wear mostly black.

The photographs were very nice - Sonya being pretty and the sea beating at the rocks - you can definitely see where some of your ideas and imagery are born.

[prose-lover.livejournal.com]

I don't comment on every LJ, but I do read YOUR posts everyday--whatever time that may be. I look forward to them.

[thecoughlin.livejournal.com]

well, for the hardy few :) please know you have an audience here....

[deakat]

I'm reading, albeit sometimes a day or two late. Were I at Readercon this year I'd happily lend you my netbook for a bit if you were inclined to post. I'm sure there will be some other kind soul there who would do the same.

[poesillchild.livejournal.com]

There are some of us that do read your LJ and appreciate your efforts especially when you're having a bad day, but I can't think of any reason to pay $13/day for wireless at the hotel. That's criminal.

On another note, have you read Robert Shearman's Tiny Deaths?

[royal-spice.livejournal.com]

That's a really striking photo of Sonya--both for composition and subject. Beautiful hair.

I read your postings, and enjoy them. Thanks for writing.

[mb2u]

I read your journal; I don't post often because saying "yeah, you right" isn't very useful. I don't post a lot anymore to anything because I'm just not interested in it right now. And LJ has been dying for years, so until we can poke it with sharp sticks and it doesn't move...

[opalblack.livejournal.com]

Perhaps use an offline client, write the entries when you normally would and post them when you can?

I read LJ. I hate facebook.

Pose question.

[waristerrorism.livejournal.com]

Is that doggie picture real?

Re: Pose question.

[humglum.livejournal.com]

It most certainly is. Kind of creepy, huh? I had to do a double take, and then photograph it to make absolutely sure it really was there, perched on the rock, staring at the humans. It stood there for a long time, very still...
Come to think of it, I never saw it climb the rock OR climb down. Nor did I see it with the people. Hmmm....
Maybe it was Hubero in disguise as a black dog spirit. Stranget things have happened...