The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by Alice Keezer:

"So it wouldn't be that big a deal for you to give me half of yours?"

She did offer a no-interest loan to pay back our moving expenses and, when I said that we couldn't pay her back anytime soon, said she could just GIVE us that much. With the way things turned out, I'm rather glad I turned her offer down.

But she asked why, if money was such a problem, I couldn't accept a handout. I replied that first, my husband and I had come by our debt honestly, and so we were going to pay it off ourselves. And second, that left several thousands of dollars of OTHER debts we owed still unpaid, so it was barely a drop in the bucket.

I like to think she understood then why money was such a big deal to me all the time. When you're skating on the very edge of bankruptcy, you pay VERY close attention to where that last penny went.


Glenn, that story made me break out in a cold sweat. I can't imagine.

Once upon a time a (now ex-)friend remarked, "You're always worrying about money! It's not that big a deal, y'know!"

This was someone who'd grown up wealthy. She spoke of her multimillion-dollar trust fund, of a husband in the military, and of never having to work.

My husband listened to me rant, and, with the way the friendship turned out, I rather wish I'd said all of it to her face. The line I most wanted to repeat (and that he talked me out of saying to her) was: "You'll understand what the big deal is the first time it comes down to a choice between eating this week, or keeping the electricity on."

I'm still recovering from my first Dragon*con.

While I was there, I caught all but one of Peter S. Beagle's panels, and I went to his table in the Walk of Fame. Spoke pretty extensively with Connor, his publisher. Really friendly and enthusiastic guy.

He's been trying to rustle up publicity to 1) get Beagle the royalties for the Last Unicorn DVD and 2) get back the rights to the live-action.

And "Two Hearts" is coming out soon, really! It was a very amusing story he shared, about how it wasn't supposed to be a sequel.

I'll refrain from posting the link, lest this gets too spammy. But since I initially heard about Conlan Press here, I didn't think anyone would mind.

Hunh. I'm related to Teresa. Go figure.

Via Brewster. I don't have the full history in front of me, but I'm certain that there's a line of descent from William Brewster (for whom there's a town on Cape Cod named).

Has anyone posted the Baen Free Library, and has it been discussed?

Apologies if it already has been. I've only been poking my head in from time to time lately. Here's the URL:

http://www.baen.com/library/

I've HAD Flash #5!

I mean I've dreamt that before. Minus the cool cameos and particular topic of conversation, but I've been floating on a lake, perched on a desk, while everyone else went about their business, oblivious to the sharks and snapping turtles and stuff under the surface of the water.

I've had it at several points in time, actually, and stopped having it after I made myself stop being depressed.

Has everyone already read this livejournal entry?

http://www.livejournal.com/users/publius_ovidius/111672.html#cutid1

Drat. I was hoping that was a nasty internet rumor.

Thanks for the verification. I hope she's not in pain.

Is it true that Andre Norton is on her deathbed?

Hey, speaking of which:

http://news.com.com/Anxious+times+in+the+cartoon+underground/2100-1026_3-5557177.html?tag=st.num

The article has an annoying habit of referring to anime as 'cartoons,' or worse, the redundant, 'anime cartoons,' but it has a lot more in-depth information than my above ramble.

For those who wanted to know . . .

Ray:

As I understand it, most tolerate it. There is one company who is looking into the potential of suing US bittorrent distributors, but that hasn't gotten anywhere. Yes, it's covered in international copyright, but it's difficult to prosecute when the person isn't making any money off it.

So far, the most newsworthy clash of fansubbers vs. faceless corporations came with the Ninja Scroll TV series, which was being funded by a US company due to its popularity here (not so much in Japan, apparently). When they were about to release the first DVD (already having owned the rights to do so since it was in pre-production), they asked the fansubbers politely if they would please stop distributing this title. Most fansubbers responded that of course they would. One company thumbed their collective nose, responding that licensed anime was so expensive, they had a right to distribute it for free.

I never did find out what happened to that group . . .

$15/hour is bad?

Man, am I in the wrong field.

Silly me, learning how to use computers instead of putting my nitpicky habits to good use.

So how DOES one become a copyeditor? If your local paper thinks it doesn't need one and you don't know of any local publishers, that is.

Not to change the subject or anything, but I wanted to mention that the United Church of Christ, of which I am a member, made the news.

See, they came up with the idea of showing a commercial, the way the Mormons used to. And they paid to show it on all the major networks and a lot of the cable networks. And then NBC and CBS took one look at the actual commercial and balked. They've refused to air it.

The refusal the air a commercial, of course, is news, and the publicity from this has probably made up for the loss of market.

If you want to see the commercial, it's at http://stillspeaking.com.

The controversy, by the way, is in the implication that the UCC accepts gay couples into its fold.

Mris: I agree with you about Diana Wynne Jones. I know some of her books existed when I was 9. I checked publication dates, and she'd been published widely since I was 2 years old. Somehow, I never stumbled across her work until now, and I never would have, if not for Studio Ghibli (which gives me another reason to adore them and all they stand for).

She must not have been carried in my local library. I must research whether that is still true of my hometown, and do my best to rectify it if it is.

Just because I was deprived until now doesn't mean all of the young readers from that geographic region have to be!

TChem:

If all you're looking for is graphic novels, I could bury you in suggestions. Most of them would be manga.

From the non-manga front, I would most strongly recommend a CrossGen title, Meridian. There is quite a bit of permanent death, so it may be a bit heavy for an eleven-year-old. Certain story elements have different impacts in different mediums, so death in literature doesn't get my radar up, while death in pictures does.

Hmm.

Anyway. I recommend that particular series because it's colorful with very eye-catching art (though I've heard the art described as Disney-esque). The heroine of the story inherits a set of powers the same day her father dies. It's about her learning about the extent of her abilities, making tough decisions and standing on her own two feet for the first time in her life. And the heroine gains the ability to fly early on, which is an appealing ability.

If you are interested in manga suggestions, here's a smattering: Rumic Theater by Rumiko Takahashi, Fushigi Yugi by Yu Watase (recommended 13+, just to warn you), Kodocha by Miho Obana and, for cute fluffiness, Tokyo Mew Mew or Zodiac P.I..

There's a good reason manga is catching on so well with younger girls, by the way. It's the most serious piece of merchandise I've seen marketed straight at them.

Oh!

In addition to the ones I posted to your LJ, I'd like to also add Carl Hiaasen's Hoot. None of his other books (not for a nine-year-old, anyhow), but I do recommend that one, and it sounds like it fits her tastes.

The strangest thing that happens to me is that lights go out. Not just street lamps that blink out as I pass under them, then blink back on after I'm gone. I mean that hall lights burn out far faster than they should. Especially if I've watched horror movies lately.

The last time I made that mistake, one of those fluorescent bulbs, which supposedly last up to 5 years, blew out after its 9th month. Another time, I caught a few minutes of Poltergeist on TV during spring break, and, upon my return, the stairs in my dorm building stayed dark all semester, much to the janitor's frustration. (He gave up changing the lights every day after two months, and changed them once a week, instead. I learned to carry a flashlight.)

As for voices in my head, I get characters speaking to me, and sometimes they forget to introduce themselves. One character got so frustrated at being ignored, he's started intruding on my dreams.

I also run imaginary conversations through my head. This is most inconvenient when I forget the conversation didn't really happen and continue it with the real, live people around me. My husband has gotten used to questions such as, "Did I talk to you about the three purchases I made on the debit card today already?" and, "Have I told you already the story one of my characters told me last night?"

I've been told I'm an owl, and my husband is indisputably a red squirrel. I agreed with the owl assessment only when I learned, upon further research, that owls are not as intelligent as they look.

If you're so certain your view is the "right" one, why aren't you sharing your name?

Shouldn't it be up to the mother how she grieves her lost child, and whether she needs an intact body to do so?

Some lyrics from a CD a co-worker lent me yesterday.

You know I've seen that face before
I'm not sure if I want it to be
That old face I used to see
Cause that's the one that left me all alone
Took my feelings and hung them out to dry
Never gave a reason why
Yes I know I fell from grace before
But all that's gonna end

Sun's gonna rise again
I'll be listening to those lies again
Sun's gonna rise

Cos I went back for more
Guess I never learned my lesson well
I went straight back into hell
But when the lightning hits the stormy sky
No one cares about who'll be left to cry
And there ain't no reason why
Yes I know I led the chase before
The chase is gonna end

Sun's gonna rise again
I'll be listening to those lies again
Sun's gonna rise

You’re feeling sorry for yourself
Don't affect my mental health no more
I've had enough and it's over
- Sass Jordan

Being 26, I suppose I also represent the 'youth' vote. Only one of my friends voted Republican, and received enough grief about it that he's refused to talk politics since before the debates. Two other friends didn't vote, but only because they're married, and cancel out one another's vote.

I understand a lot of the huge turnout was elderly conservative voters. My husband has no qualms about blaming them. I do agree with him, to a point: they've just screwed themselves out of affordable medication and decent social security. At the same time, though, they're just one group among many that did this to America. If they were the only idiots among the bunch, this wouldn't have happened. Heck, even if it was the elderly plus the young'uns' apathy, this wouldn't have happened.

But there's a large portion of mainstream America that's apparently very scared, and very easily fooled.

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