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greygirlbeastI seem to be developing a new loathing for "weekends" (id est, Friday night-Sunday), and I begin to guess why.
Comments would be good today, if anyone still reads LJ on Saturday.
Today, I have to get back to writing "Sexing the Weird," which I truly need to finish by tomorrow evening. Yes, it's about sex, and the weird, and weird sex. But maybe not how you think. Or maybe exactly as you think.
The only work yesterday were a couple of last minute corrections to the galley pages of The Drowning Girl. Then we had to rush out to the UPS place at Wayland Square to be sure the thing would be back in NYC on Monday morning. Forty-two dollars and some number of cents to get it there by then.
Anyway, after that we wondered...er, wandered (though I wonder a lot) about Providence for a little while, as late afternoon faded to twilight, just watching the last remnants of the day and the last remnants of autumn. I'm beginning to realize that autumn will never cease to make me melancholy. Doesn't matter if it's beautiful, but that should be obvious to anyone who stops and thinks about it. Indeed, the beauty of autumn may lie near the heart of why it inspires a sense of melancholy in me.
We drove up to Blackstone Park, but it was too cold to walk through the woods. We'd not dressed for that much cold. We took the road that leads south (well, we were going south; the other lane leads north), between the Seekonk River and York Pond. I glanced over at the shadows darkening the still waters of the pond, and spotted a lump moving across the surface that I first mistook for a large turtle (despite the chill), but soon realized was a beaver. Oh, before Blackstone Park, we stopped in at Myopic Books, which is next door to the UPS Place. My favorite used bookstore in Rhode Island. I was good. All I got was an 1883 book on the sea, Ocean Wonders: Our Summer at the Seashore and Lakes by William E. Damon (D. Appleton & Co.; New York; the book is inscribed in a beautiful, looping hand, "Lotie H. Palmer 1884") and a much less old children's book on horseshoe crabs, The Crab That Crawled Out of the Past by Lorus and Margery Milne (1966, Atheneum; New York). Looking at these books now, I think, gods, remember when there were innumerable publishers in Manhattan. Now there are about six. To the detriment of almost all authors. Anyway, I was good, as I said, and didn't get a couple of pricey books on the evolution of birds that I also wanted.
We got dinner from Mama Kim's Korean food truck. It was parked in the usual spot, near the corner of Thayer and George. It was almost dark. Spooky went to get the food (I had three gochujang sliders), and I sat on a bench, smoking and thinking about the ancient buildings around me. The silhouette of some Brown University tower was visible to the northwest. Spooky's still sad she didn't get the little fish-shaped, sweet-bean pancakes. They seem too peculiarly reminiscent of something Xtian for my comfort.
Later, too much freaking Rift. But we were finally able to "buy" the cool cold-weather outfits at Chancel of Labors.
Later still, we watched an odd film, Daniel Myrick's The Objective (2007). It was almost pretty good. Well, it probably was pretty good. But there was this horrid voice over, which felt tacked on, whether it was added in post production or was part of the original screenplay. It seemed to exist to a) tell us the plainly obvious and b) make the film seem more like Apocalypse Now. Anyway, voice over aside, great idea and some nicely unnerving imagery, especially the final shot. Then I finished reading John Steinbeck's The Log From the Sea of Cortez, because I only had twenty pages to go, and I was determined to finish (even if it did mean staying up until almost five ayem). Wonderful, wonderful book. Then there were the dreams, some oddly, disturbingly sexy, others oddly, pleasantly disturbing, and still others just odd.
Here are a couple of photos, the The Drowning Girl (+ cat hair!) and the 1883 book:
Oddly,
Aunt Beast
Comments would be good today, if anyone still reads LJ on Saturday.
Today, I have to get back to writing "Sexing the Weird," which I truly need to finish by tomorrow evening. Yes, it's about sex, and the weird, and weird sex. But maybe not how you think. Or maybe exactly as you think.
The only work yesterday were a couple of last minute corrections to the galley pages of The Drowning Girl. Then we had to rush out to the UPS place at Wayland Square to be sure the thing would be back in NYC on Monday morning. Forty-two dollars and some number of cents to get it there by then.
Anyway, after that we wondered...er, wandered (though I wonder a lot) about Providence for a little while, as late afternoon faded to twilight, just watching the last remnants of the day and the last remnants of autumn. I'm beginning to realize that autumn will never cease to make me melancholy. Doesn't matter if it's beautiful, but that should be obvious to anyone who stops and thinks about it. Indeed, the beauty of autumn may lie near the heart of why it inspires a sense of melancholy in me.
We drove up to Blackstone Park, but it was too cold to walk through the woods. We'd not dressed for that much cold. We took the road that leads south (well, we were going south; the other lane leads north), between the Seekonk River and York Pond. I glanced over at the shadows darkening the still waters of the pond, and spotted a lump moving across the surface that I first mistook for a large turtle (despite the chill), but soon realized was a beaver. Oh, before Blackstone Park, we stopped in at Myopic Books, which is next door to the UPS Place. My favorite used bookstore in Rhode Island. I was good. All I got was an 1883 book on the sea, Ocean Wonders: Our Summer at the Seashore and Lakes by William E. Damon (D. Appleton & Co.; New York; the book is inscribed in a beautiful, looping hand, "Lotie H. Palmer 1884") and a much less old children's book on horseshoe crabs, The Crab That Crawled Out of the Past by Lorus and Margery Milne (1966, Atheneum; New York). Looking at these books now, I think, gods, remember when there were innumerable publishers in Manhattan. Now there are about six. To the detriment of almost all authors. Anyway, I was good, as I said, and didn't get a couple of pricey books on the evolution of birds that I also wanted.
We got dinner from Mama Kim's Korean food truck. It was parked in the usual spot, near the corner of Thayer and George. It was almost dark. Spooky went to get the food (I had three gochujang sliders), and I sat on a bench, smoking and thinking about the ancient buildings around me. The silhouette of some Brown University tower was visible to the northwest. Spooky's still sad she didn't get the little fish-shaped, sweet-bean pancakes. They seem too peculiarly reminiscent of something Xtian for my comfort.
Later, too much freaking Rift. But we were finally able to "buy" the cool cold-weather outfits at Chancel of Labors.
Later still, we watched an odd film, Daniel Myrick's The Objective (2007). It was almost pretty good. Well, it probably was pretty good. But there was this horrid voice over, which felt tacked on, whether it was added in post production or was part of the original screenplay. It seemed to exist to a) tell us the plainly obvious and b) make the film seem more like Apocalypse Now. Anyway, voice over aside, great idea and some nicely unnerving imagery, especially the final shot. Then I finished reading John Steinbeck's The Log From the Sea of Cortez, because I only had twenty pages to go, and I was determined to finish (even if it did mean staying up until almost five ayem). Wonderful, wonderful book. Then there were the dreams, some oddly, disturbingly sexy, others oddly, pleasantly disturbing, and still others just odd.
Here are a couple of photos, the The Drowning Girl (+ cat hair!) and the 1883 book:
Oddly,
Aunt Beast
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no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 06:29 pm (UTC)I haven't played a treadmill-style game in many years, but I will play that one, at least one time through.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 06:38 pm (UTC)Will you play Diablo III when it comes out?
Nope. The series has never interested me. And the graphics for III don't look so hot.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 06:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 06:39 pm (UTC)embossed and gilted..
Yes.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 06:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 06:40 pm (UTC)Yes, Peter Straub can be so blunt.
That was my reaction.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 07:26 pm (UTC)Two Worlds and In Between has arrived in Santa Rosa, CA (might I request a cerulean blue push-pin for the proverbial map please, Auntie Beast?)...it is seriously and aesthetically exquisite. I now am actually looking forward to exiling several books to The Land of Storage to make a fine space for Volume One of You on the shelf.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 09:39 pm (UTC)Truly love the juxtaposition of those book pictures: one of Drowning and one of the Ocean, with 128 years betwixt them.
That never even occurred to me!
I now am actually looking forward to exiling several books to The Land of Storage to make a fine space for Volume One of You on the shelf.
I am suitably flattered.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 07:56 pm (UTC)You probably know this, but the one book Poe wrote that did well enough to get a second printing in his lifetime was a for-hire text on conch shells. Coupla scientists needed a book for their lecture tour, so they hired Poe to translate and plagiarize a French text on the subject. It's my guess you know the Stephen Jay Gould piece about this.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 09:42 pm (UTC)The Conchologist's First Book (1839).
book cover blues
Date: 2011-11-19 07:58 pm (UTC)must read ....)
sometimes on the jacket flaps....
why can't there be something like
"worst ever".
THE FLIP SIDE.
"Never judge a cover by it's book."
just came "two worlds and between."
i'm afraid to read it"
Re: book cover blues
Date: 2011-11-19 09:44 pm (UTC)why can't there be something like "worst ever".
The reasons ought to be obvious.
i'm afraid to read it"
As well you should be. You know, hyperbole and all.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 07:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 09:45 pm (UTC)Six publishers, one or two big distributors, pretty sad and scary state for print now. Alas.
Simply the middle of the end.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 08:38 pm (UTC)(By the way, and not apropos of this post, you're responsible for my sudden acquisition and obsessive repeat play of The Decemberists and Florence + The Machine. Aii yi yi. That means, "Thank you!")
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 09:47 pm (UTC)I wish someone would put a cover like that on one of my books.
Same here.
you're responsible for my sudden acquisition and obsessive repeat play of The Decemberists and Florence + The Machine.
Occasionally, I inadvertently do good.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 08:40 pm (UTC)And here is a picture of what I'm fairly sure is a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) that I nearly stumbled over at a beach this morning.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59024397@N00/6364969819/in/photostream/
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 09:47 pm (UTC)Oh, lucky you! To see one in the wild.
map pin
Date: 2011-11-19 08:42 pm (UTC)arrived thursday.
in Brockport NY (20 miles west or rochester NY)
you could sell the map to the government!
or a think tank.
Re: map pin
Date: 2011-11-19 09:48 pm (UTC)you could sell the map to the government!
or a think tank.
Problem is, the map is only imaginary.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 10:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 10:19 pm (UTC)Imaginary maps are often the best kind.
This is very, very true.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 09:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-19 09:49 pm (UTC)Thank you, again, for adding some lovely literature to my bookshelf and to my life.
You're very welcome.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-20 12:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-20 01:09 am (UTC)To me, “sexing” means “determining the gender of”
Yes, this is the generally accepted meaning of the phrase. Otherwise, no comment.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-20 12:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-20 01:10 am (UTC)That one has a wonderful cover.
It sums up all we've lost.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-20 03:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-20 03:21 am (UTC)As a matter of fact, yes. And, as it happens, I was looking at Kafka biographies in the shop yesterday.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-20 05:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-20 05:59 am (UTC)Woot!
no subject
Date: 2011-11-20 06:36 am (UTC)To a large part it is because people who are conventionally employed seem to think that not being conventionally employed is the same as doing nothing. I am thus assumed to be available for everyone all the time, like a glory hole or a 7/11. However, they stack their demands of my time, even--and perhaps especially--concerning business, the reasoning being that the Conventionally Employed have schedules to work to, and I, presumably, do not. I'm strongly considering introducing a 50% weekend/after hours fee on everything I do, to combat this conceit.
There's also the fact that weekends are supposed to be downtime. I do not get downtime. I resent everyone who does, and especially those who flaunt it with their TGIFs and their Hump Days, their regular paychecks and annual leave. Which I think is probably your complaint as well, yes?
no subject
Date: 2011-11-20 06:39 am (UTC)A question that occurred to me the other day, when you posted the poll about potential new music... the CD that accompanied the 'Silk' Gauntlet book was by Crimson Stain Mystery. Any relation to the silent film of the same name? I've been watching for that movie to appear for years, with nary a glimmer yet.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-20 06:57 am (UTC)That's a windfall. I'm glad it was there for you.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-26 02:32 am (UTC)