The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by Cat D:

Show all comments by Cat D.

Posted on entry More linguistic markers ::: September 28, 2004, 11:26 AM:
Okay, time for me to fess up.

I was taken in by an electronic self-publishing scam when the internet was younger. Did I learn my lesson? Yes I did. How much did it cost me? Ohhhh, I don't really want to go there, but for the purpose of coming clean, let's say $2k. The reasons I don't continually go crazy over the memories are because 1) I escaped when I know of other people who got burned much worse, and am now able to warn others 2)I did not go into long-term debt over this 3) Having been burned, I was able to dodge much better packaged scams, and spread the word 4) The company involved has had sooooooo many complaints filed against it, it may go belly-up soon. (Or, then again, like the cockroach it is, it may mutate into something else while undergoing the atomic consumer wrath aimed at it.)

So now, I have come to the same 1+1=2 conclusion that wiser heads than myself decided long ago -- if the legitimate publishers don't want you, it's probably because you're not at publishable standards yet.
Posted on entry Risk assessment ::: September 16, 2004, 11:45 AM:
Dad, who lives in Lafayette, LA, which is four hours west of New Orleans, is fine and is staying through the storm. (We had a house on high land, and never had to evacuate once, while other people in the city would row down their streets in boats every couple of years.) He said yesterday that the highway leading out of New Orleans was down to a bumper-to-bumper 2 mph crawl. My Aunt Angela and Uncle Gilbert, who live in New Orleans proper, evacuated to go to D.C., where my cousin John and his wife live. Hopefully, the damage will not be too bad, and they will have a house to come back to.
Posted on entry A callous disregard for human life ::: June 03, 2004, 08:23 AM:
Did anyone die as a provable result of the power outage? If so, what are the legal differences between man-slaughter and murder 1? Everybody's going after stolen money, which can be given back under duress, but stolen life, however . . .
Posted on entry Things I believe ::: April 13, 2004, 01:01 AM:
Being nick-named 'Cat' not just because of my full name but because of my "What happens if I do this . . . ?" nature, I must say that I came to my present set of religious loyalties because of what I like to think of as "Applied Curiousity". I started out Catholic, turned atheist for college, went down a few mystic paths, and came scampering back when (in my subjective opinion) I had raised enough spiritual ruckus to give myself a good scare, which -- fortunately -- I survived.

So, in short, having been around a few odd blocks, I cling to Divine Mercy as expressed by Jesus in His death on the Cross. And, though it feels like pulling teeth some nights, I make the effort to ask "Have Mercy on my enemies as You have had Mercy on me."

Another particularly dangerous prayer I turn to is "For the sake of Divine Mercy, I wish to forgive." (Not that I like to forgive, or want to forgive, but that I am trying as an act of will to do so. I usually find that the interesting social fireworks start up after I add that one in my daily meditations.) I mean, half the time (after all that big-hearted desire to forgive my offender and if I really think about it) I was the one in the wrong, which means I'm the one who should be giving out the apologies . . .
Posted on entry Making shirt ::: April 03, 2004, 09:30 AM:
What about:

"Never blame on a Right-Wing Conspiracy what can adiquately be explained by a spam filter." ?

Fortunately, I don't get much spam. But I give up! Could someone please de-encrypt the mug for me?

Posted on entry Scalzi on writerly subjects ::: March 23, 2004, 07:57 AM:
A few years ago, I found a PowerExec Notebook while I was taking out the trash. I wrote my YA novel on it before it died again, but I didn't know that I was *supposed* to do it at a coffee house. I mean, like, being a female, I could have had real monkey-sex with a lost Chippendale dancer that was stopping by for a cup of hot cocoa? Or would it have been with one of those soulful, artist types who was always there, working hard with his sketchbook?

I *so* missed out!

But on a more serious slant: Rule 8

I have messed up and afterwards wanted to go bury my head and other body parts in the sand. Or does Rule 8 only cover "Constant Out & Out Maliciousness" and not "Puppy-dog Eagerness"?
Posted on entry Holy Trinity, Batman! ::: March 20, 2004, 09:46 AM:
CREDO sounds fun, and I could probably round up at least three other players who don't belong to religious orders. Of course, that does not rule out my giving it to a Jesuit friend as a Christmas gift (insert cruel laughter).

On the subject of the movie, I saw it, liked it, and was able to describe a part of it to a curious friend as "Satan? Yes, imagine an Evil Xaan from Farscape, only not blue . . ."

Here in small town Worcester, everyone is talking about it. I couldn't get past government building security guards the other day without one of them noticing that my wallet (had to empty my pockets) had a small picture of Jesus laughing on it. ("Who's that?" "Jesus." "Laughing?" "He wasn't crucified the whole time, you know." "Oh, right. Did you see the movie?")

So would a "Left Behind" film in any way be considered the sequal?
Posted on entry Is it me -- ::: March 20, 2004, 12:36 AM:
2004 did start off terribly, but matters have managed to turn around. From a year where I dragged more friends and family into the ER over frighteningly ridiculous things ("No Dad, potential kidney infection is not your friend!"), and then gotten caught up in humiliating things myself ("I lost my meds and I have four hours left before things get nasty."), I had the recent pleasure of watching legal justice stop eviction proceedings and rescue two close friends from the jaws of homelessness (They even got to keep the cat!). We're still celebrating, and for the first time in ages I was able to sit down and write for the joy of it.

Some time life does work out, even if it's only in one corner of the world.

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