Yes, yes. I know. I've been a bit AWOL and being a hardcore lurker on teh Internets.

Like everyone with a soul out there, I've been heartsick at the images coming from Haiti.

While I fully support donating to earthquake relief efforts, there are also long-term systemic problems in Haiti that did help contribute to the disaster and are even now plaguing relief efforts.

There are a number of organizations that are already on the ground in Haiti that, while not as large as Doctors without Borders provide vital services outside of Port-au-Prince.

Once such organization that I've supported in the past, in large part because I know people who are involved with it, is the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation (so named for the town that it's located in).

The Saint Rock Haiti Foundation has worked for more than 25 years to create long-term solutions. Aside from providing immediate medical care (and my sources tell me that the earthquake has wiped them out medicines-wise), they also invest in livestock (goats, primarily) so the local residents have a leg up in supporting themselves, as well as a microloan program to help residents start their own businesses.

If education is your thing, you can sponsor a child for a minimal monthly fee. Said fee covers books, uniforms, tuition, and food. Not for nothing, but one family I know of has sponsored one child (now adult) for 15 years. All these years later, he is now a university student in Haiti. (Yes, the young man is alive and well, although had he stayed in that meeting with his professors for 5 minutes longer than he did, he wouldn't be.)

For those (like me) who are reticent about giving money to religious-based organizations, the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation is nondenominational. While the founders may have been religiously motivated (Catholic socialism at its finest), the organization itself is fully secular. Furthermore, all your money goes exactly where it's supposed to go.

While it's fantastic that so much support is pouring into Haiti on an emergency basis, Haiti is a country that has long needed long-term solutions for its problems. And there's always an important bit to consider: what happens after the news cameras leave and the hard work of rebuilding begins?

As for me, the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation is an organization I do trust, and have trusted in the past, to work towards long-term solutions for Haitians by Haitians.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/388334.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

The The Sing-Off live show sounded better than the three pre-recorded shows combined — and all three groups really did sound outstanding.

[According to scuttlebutt, NBC pulled in a few sound people that are big in a cappella circles to make what was supposed to be a throw-away talent show a little shinier because, as it turns out, the ratings were surprisingly good for the relatively small price tag attached.]

And can I just say: What a nice, feel good show! With the sole exception of Noteworthy's so-obvious-everyone's-remarking-on-it entitlement issues, all of the groups genuinely seemed to be having a good time and seemed to be genuinely supportive of each other, complete with rounds of hugs.

In any case, I think everyone going into the live show pretty much knew NOTA was going to be crowned. I called them the winners during the opening night, in large part because they do Latin-flavored pop very well, they were better than most of the other groups on the stage, and a lot of their weaknesses can be overcome via technology in the recording booth and improvements in their stage show for live performances.

And unlike some people on the NBC boards (and a couple of other chat boards I've poked my nose into), I think NOTA won the popular vote fair and square for those reasons.

(Note to my geography-challenged fellow Americans on the various chat boards I've poked my nose into: Puerto Rico is a protectorate of the United States, which means that Puerto Ricans are Americans citizens, which also means that the members of NOTA are Americans. They are not "foreigners", nor are they "illegals", nor do they need "green cards". In short: Die in a fire, you racist asswipes.)

I definitely didn't get the impression that the Tufts Beelzebubs (My homies came in second! Go 'Bubs!) were in the least bit shocked that the NOTA won. Besides, 'Bubs (and Voices of Lee) would've been looking at a fuckload of headdaches if they won the Sony contract (they were planning to split the money if they won). Does it go to the group that performed on stage? The a cappella groups as a student organizations where the membership changes year in and year out? To the universities these groups are associated with?

So, not only do I think the right group won on talent, I would also say that the right group won on "ease of dealing with the legal world of Sony for the recording contract". As a bonus, both the 'Bubs and Voices of Lee got a fantastic shot in the arm publicity-wise and financially, since a lot of people were on the boards asking for CD recommendations. Both groups will be fine,

In other news, I was shocked to spot celebrities in the audience:

• Harry Connick Jr.
  
  
• Masi Oka (aka Hiro of Heroes). As it turns out was the musical director of Brown University's all-male a cappella group The Bear Necessities when he was an undergrad student at Brown. I don't know why that makes me happy to know, but it does.
  
  
• Jack Black. Or at least someone who looked a lot like him.
  
  
• Peter Gallaggher of The OC. Turns out that he's a Tufts Beelzebubs alumni, which explains why he was sitting in the 'Bubs cheering section. Heh.
  

I also saw that the SoCals stuck around, and were clapping and cheering for the three finalists in the audience, which was really nice to see.

While there were parts of last night's show that I did fast-forward through (thank you DVR!), there was plenty I watched.

Put me on the list of people who'd like to see this show pop up again next year.

In the meantime, here's a video capture from the Sing-Off of the 'Bubs singing their melody of The Who from the second night:



This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/386629.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I woke up this morning with my lower back going into full-on bitch mode at me.

I of course blame this on the Plow Snot that had been dumped at the end of my driveway that came up to — OhSweetJeezus — my chest. Now, I admit I be short (5-feet, 1-inch in my stocking feet to be precise), but that's a fuckload of snow.

Even in snow that wasn't pushed into a tiny mount of Plow Snot, it came up to my knees, which is roughly 16 inches (I have long legs for my shortness). I figure...drifting snow. And I'm being a baby about this (I mean literally, because I was whining the entire time I cut through the Plow Snot just so I could see my car, let alone reach it.)

Thanks to my local paper, I can now officially say that I was not being a baby. My town got whammed with 14 inches of snow. So there.

And my lower back is still in full-on bitch mode, although giving myself a nice big stretch seems to make it happy and calm it down for an hour or two.

In other news, Sing-Off Live Finale Tonight! Go Beelzebubs! Okay, not a chance in hell you're gonna win, but I'll be happy if you beat Voice of Lee, if only because their fans over on the NBC community are kind of ass-hatty.

[Side note: Stay the hell away from from the NBC boards for this show if you want to prevent cranial trauma by head-desk. The FAIL is great there. And I mean FAIL on a scale that I never thought I'd witness this side of a newspaper comments section.]

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/386310.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

ElJay Coupons

I know some people are busy making fun of ElJay for this, but know what?

I don't care.

There are some people with Basic and Plus accounts (some of whom are on my FList) who would love to upgrade, but the cost is just a little bit out of reach. And although 40% off doesn't seem like a lot, that's a hell of a lot better than some of the sales I'm seeing out there this season. (Rules of the coupons are here.)

So, if you want a coupon, please comment below. As I'm going to be a bit busy at work, I might not be able to get your coupon to you until tonight.

I only have 10 coupons to pass out.

Comments are screened for privacy, because some people may not want other people to know that they need the discount.


Dreamwidth Invites

In addition, I have 5 more Dreamwidth invites for people who want them. If you do want them, I'll need an email address to send you one.

I only have 5 invites to pass out.

Comments are screened for privacy, because some people may not want to give out their email address in public.


Please do the following in your response be sure to specify whether you're requesting an ElJay Upgrade Coupon or a Dreamwidth invite. If you are requesting a Dreamwidth invite, please give me an email address so I can send it to you

That is all.


P.S. — Edited for mistakes in the coupon rules. This is what I get for reading the rules while dodging snooping bosses who want to know if I'm actually working. The nerve! How dare anyone expect me to work for my paycheck!

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/386217.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I think just about everyone and their brother knows that my fanfiction brain has been on a bit of the blink.

Okay, okay, there was Reaping the Whirlwind for the Remix this year...a fic I still haven't managed to finish transferring to this ElJay and I still haven't finished responding to all the comments on it both here and on the remix community.

Anyway, I was cleaning my apartment this weekend after five months' of neglect (I still haven't gotten to my bedroom, but my office, bathroom, kitchen, and living room are ♥ spotless ♥), and I come across a burned hardcopy of my soundtrack to Living History tucked in some odd corner.

You have to understand how excited I was to find it. I thought the entire thing had been lost when a computer motherboard crapped out on me several years ago and forced me to buy my current computer tower. Yet, here was a hardcopy of that same soundtrack. Clearly it was meant to be a gift for someone because it had been burned to my "gift CDs", which are designed to look like 45s.

Somehow these CDs got lost or overlooked, and here was that same soundtrack, complete with tracks that I thought were pretty much gone forever, right in my hand.

I did a little jig when I put the CDs in the player (it's a two-CD set) and...

While the music was playing this plot bunny for a Xander-centric, post-apocalypse story drops right into my head. Mid-size story (not a short story, but definitely not as long as Reaping the Whirlwind), so infinitely do-able.

(Of course, it would be a hell of a lot more helpful if the bunny could help with some additional material for the WiPs, or help fix the stories that are finished but the endings are such messes that I simply refuse to post them until they're fixed — for that last one I'm looking at you "Last Tin Soldier.")

While I'm thinking, "What the hell? Maybe just picking at this will inspire you to deal with all the other stories you've left to rot," I snap on the computer and began picking away at bits and pieces of of this post-apocalypse story idea. I still have to work out some of the rules how this post-apocalyptic world works, as well as a few other things, but I think it's workable.

I'm not an apocalyptic writer in general — although I'd say Ishmael Sings of the White Whale comes fairly close, there are no actual apocalypses involved in that one — I'm finding myself really, really drawn to this idea. I think the premise is fairly unusual, and I'm kind of enjoying making up the new slang words Xander's using. Plus his traveling buddy is...different.

Do I have to tell you that the story's gen? Do I? If so? It's gen.

Anyway, I couldn't figure out there this mania to write an apocalypse story has been coming from. This, as I open my FList this morning, I see some chatter about apocabigbang.

*smacks self on forehead*

I suspect that I had been seeing people on my FList chattering about this fic-a-thon, but due to my horrendously busy schedule I hadn't been paying it that much attention. Obviously the whole thing lodged in the back my brain and, possibly triggered by listening to my Living History soundtrack, the idea for this story just fell from the sky and landed in my brain.

So, I've signed up. (*deep breath*) The first draft isn't due until February. I'm very, very sure I can make this deadline, even if the bunny fairy finally does something about my WiPs.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/361144.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

via ontd_political and The Guardian.

According The Guardian:

A team of scientists from Britain, the United States and Papua New Guinea found more than 40 previously unidentified species when they climbed into the kilometre-deep crater of Mount Bosavi and explored a pristine jungle habitat teeming with life that has evolved in isolation since the volcano last erupted 200,000 years ago. In a remarkably rich haul from just five weeks of exploration, the biologists discovered 16 frogs which have never before been recorded by science, at least three new fish, a new bat and a giant rat, which may turn out to be the biggest in the world.

Read more here....

This link will take you to a story about how the scientists finally got into the volcano's caldera.

You can hear an audio of the adventure here.


And also check out the awesome pictures of the new species. As a taste, check out the newly discovered king bird of paradise. Tell me that doesn't look like a phoenix.




Photograph taken by Ulla Lohmann/BBC and published in The Guardian on Wednesday, September 9, 2009.


Happy 09/09/09 everyone! Wish me luck with my Novocaine adventures, because baby needs her teeth drilled this afternoon.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/360941.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

What?

Hollywood Golden Age Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, and Leslie Caron dancing to Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal."

What did you think I meant?



This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/360583.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Sen. Kennedy has died.

He's been senator longer than I've been alive. Hell, longer than most people I know have been alive.

The news of his cancer last year made me feel mortal in a way that I hadn't before. His death has left me on the verge of tears. The man certainly had his personal demons, no one is going to to deny that and only a brain-dead fool would say otherwise. Demons that were certainly bad enough (and deadly enough in one case) to keep him from ever being president.

But as Kennedy later said: letting go of the idea of ever being president made him realize that some people were just better suited to be senators and that he was one of those people.

As senator — as the Last Lion of Congress — he has done more to help the working men and women in this nation than he ever could have managed as president. He was unapologetically liberal in his belief that the the least of us should be protected and that government could be a positive force for change. He fought for that every step of the way, from the minimum wage to the fight for health care reform and some form of national insurance in the US.

If you've ever been grateful for minimum wage because you knew your boss would pay you less if he or she could get away with it, benefited from the HIPAA, used your health insurance to pay for mental health services (Mental Health Parity Act), accessed your state CHIP to get health insurance for your children, taken advantage of COBRA after leaving a job or getting laid off, been glad that local businesses and public spaces were forced to adhere to the ADA for yourself or a family member, been low-income but able to gain access to AIDS treatment thanks to federally funded programs, or taken advantage of Title IX requirements that schools offer women a chance to play sports, you should thank Sen. Kennedy for being the moving force behind these and many, many other bills.

Although the history books will more likely remember his assassinated brothers, Jack and Bobby, at the end of the day Ted is the one who created the lasting legacy — the one that benefits and will continue to benefit the regular citizens of this nation. In the end, that's the legacy that truly counts.

So, good-bye Senator. Some people laughed at you. Some people hated you. Some people idealized you. But a whole lot of people loved you for the things you did on our behalf in the Senate, warts and all. That is why we kept electing you for 47 years, and that is why we're sorry you're gone. We shall never see your like again.

Rest in peace, Senator, and God speed.

For full coverage from The Boston Globe, go here.



This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/360420.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I do quite a lot of shopping at my local Hannaford super market — which is kind of a cross between your standard Stop & Shop and Whole Foods (although it's waaaaaaay cheaper than Whole Foods).

Even better, unlike Whole Foods, Hannaford's actually buys locally (where possible) for its dairy and produce.

Anyway, in light of the awful stories I'm reading about where my fellow Americans are essentially left without health care because they can't afford insurance or can't buy insurance at any price due to pre-existing medical conditions, I thought I'd at least offer some kind of solution to people in my backyard that they might not know about.

It appears that Hannaford's holds free nutrition classes (pre-reg required) at select locations.

It also appears Hannaford's has a prescription drug plan for $7 a year.

Just FYI, I'm not a paid shill for Hannaford's. I just happened to be on the Web site and I was floored by some of what I found there. I don't know if the above programs are any good, but it might be helpful to people living in the following states: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York.

Now, the reason why I was on Hananford's Web site was because I was discussing my decision to boycott Whole Foods and offering alternatives for grocery shopping.

See Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, in a show of breath-taking ignorance about his customer base, wrote the most insane libertarian rant against not only any kind of nationalized health insurance scheme, but against regulating health insurance plans at all for The Wall Street Journal.

My favorite part is how he brags about giving his employees absurdly cheap insurance that sticks them with, get this, a $2,500-a-year deductible. But that's okay! The company deposits up to $1,800 in a health savings account for those insured employees (note: up to, which is to say, the odds of the person running the cash register getting that amount is practically nil).

Yeah. No. Not a penny more. I sent a politely-worded email to my local Whole Foods and CC'd corporate to inform them that due to their CEO's dickery, Whole Foods will never see another penny out of me. (I was a lot more polite about it.) I further added that I will be henceforth make do with Trader Joe's and Hannaford's, and that Whole Foods can just suck it (again, a lot more polite about it).

To be fair, I only shopped at Whole Foods every other week, and mostly for foods that I couldn't find elsewhere (food allergies suck!). Most of my grocery dollar was spent at Hannaford's anyway, in large part because I can find most of what I need there at a much cheaper price. However, there are some foods I could only get at Whole Foods and nowhere else. I'll just have to find alternatives, or do without.

In any case, for those of you who wish to withdraw your business from Whole Foods, but don't know about any alternatives, here are two Web sites you should check out (via Hullabaloo):

• Organic Store Locator
  
• Eat Well Guide
  

And thank you everyone who's chosen to participate in my Project: Time for a Little Truth, Baby.

For your reference, you can post your stories and/or questions in one of the following posts:

• Americans Only: Uninsured and Underinsured
  
  
• Countries with Government Health Schemes: Talk About Your Health Insurance/Health Care Here
  

Once again, please keep the stories for both posts coming, and please pass the links around far and wide so people can read for themselves about the screwed up system in the U.S., and the reality of health care in other countries.

Thanks again everyone.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/360045.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

This information will make you cry (Americans Only: Uninsured and Underinsured.) As it turns out, even having insurance doesn't particularly help you if you become catastrophically ill.

This information will enrage Americans (Countries with Government Health Schemes: Talk About Your Health Insurance/Health Care Here, natch.) Why should it enrage Americans? Because I imagine there are a ton of Americans out there going, "Yes, yes. We want this. We don't care which one, just pick one!"

Also if there are any Canadians in da house, I've got a question that needs answering here.


Once again, please keep the stories for both posts coming, and please pass the links around far and wide so people can read for themselves about the screwed up system in the U.S., and the reality of health care in other countries.

The truth is out there, and as it turns out, this truth can be discovered by simply asking people for the truth. Viva l'Internet.

And in that vein:

If anyone in the U.S. happens to see a story filed by another American and you think you might know of a solution, or at least be able to point some people to aid and/or help for their situation, don't be shy and speak up. We've got some hurtin' people in there that sure could use a hand.

Comments for this post are closed. Please hit the links listed above to share your stories, facts, and figures.

And thank you everyone who's chosen to participate. A little light on the situation never hurt anyone.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/359735.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Inspired by the Canadians and Britons on my list valiantly trying to correct the lies being spoon-fed to the American public.

This is the explanatory post, if you will.

There are a lot of lies running around out there about Health Reform in the U.S., including painting other countries' health schemes as somehow "worse" than what we have in the U.S. (which is demonstrably not true), as well as the kind of people health reform would benefit vs. harm.

There's a lot that can be said about the proposals floating around out there, some good, some bad. But we'll never reach a solution if we're screaming at each other about it.

What we need is some truth. Facts, figures, and reality on the ground.

Who are the Americans who stand to gain from health reform? And is health care and health insurance in other western democracies really nothing more than bureaucratic factories o' death?

Since this is the Age of the Internet, maybe we should just ask the people who know these things.

So, all you peeps out there in Internet-land: I'm asking you to lay it your fellow netizens. What's it really like out there in the big, wide world?

I will be collecting comments in two posts:

• Americans Only: Uninsured and Underinsured
  
  
• Countries with Government Health Schemes: Talk About Your Health Insurance/Health Care Here
  

Anonymous commenting will be allowed, open, and unscreened on these two posts only. I will not be responding to any comments, only monitoring to keep the bloodshed down to a minimum.

The idea is to share facts and figures, and to tell your story in a place where people can come and read everything for themselves.

Spread the link around far and wide. All are welcome to comment.

Comments for this post are disabled. Please go to the links above to leave your comments.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/359469.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

via someone from high school who linked to me on Facebook (put up under my RL identity to screen this journal from potential snoopy-snoops):

It appears that Classmates (that online class reunion site that I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole because I just fucking loved high school...) now allows partial profiles on the Internet.

Out of morbid curiosity, I checked out the list of people I went to high school with.

*boggles*

I may be a fat-ass, but at least I've aged well. (People generally guess that I'm 8 years younger than I actually am, give or take 2 years either way.)

Not only that, if I had some dude take a picture of me kayaking away and put that up on my profile, I'd look a lot healthier by a hell of a lot, too. Actually, fat-ass that I am, I'm actually in better shape than some of the pictures of my former high school classmates, especially the boys.

I call myself a fat-ass, and sure, I look like a fat-ass, but how many fat-asses do you know can row a little over 3 miles an hour? Yeah. That's what I thought. So let's call me, "Heavy, but fit."

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/359418.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Edit: Today is not my day. I was reliably informed that the character was Emily Litella, not Roseanne Roseannadanna whose catch phrase was "Nevermind."

I did say these characters were before my time, right?

Corrected message begins:

I was pretty much away teh internetz all day yesterday and last night.

I was informed that Tim Hortons corporate apologized for what turned out to be a local regional manager's screw-up. (I hope the regional manager is put at least on probation for not following company policy.)

In any case, in the words of Emily Litella: Nevermind.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/359106.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Tim Hortons just got caught co-sponsoring an anti-equality marriage event in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island, as you know, is the lone New England hold out on legalizing same-sex marriage, primarily because the Catholic Church still have way too much sway over politicians in that state. Although, to be fair to Rhode Island, it does recognize same-sex marriage licenses issues in other states, which means there's a weird situation where gay people in Rhode Island go to Connecticut or Massachusetts to get married and then return home with a marriage certificate Rhode Island will recognize, but won't issue for itself.

The event was sponsored by the excretable National Organization for Marriage (NOM) — aka, the "Gay people should stay in the closet because they're icky" group — which really is a national anti-gay rights organization. According to the Blue Mass blog, it appears that NOM has a butt-buddy in the Tim Hortons organization.

In my mind, that makes Tim Hortons look worse.

Needless to say, Canadians frown on companies who get into bed with American right-wing religious wack-a-loons. The resulting uproar resulted in Tim Hortons pulling out of sponsorship of the event. (Tim Hortons has some store fronts in southern Rhode Island, just in case you're wondering why the company did something stupid like sticking its snout in a Rhode Island issue.)

Well, now that I know what kind of company Tim Hortons is, it appears that I will be sticking with Dunkin Donuts for the foreseeable future.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/358832.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Yay! I can finally post on LJ without anything getting eaten!

Yesterday I was out on the River getting in some quality kayaking in what was the most gorgeous day. My upper body strength must be astounding because I rowed 6 miles in just under 2 hours without hardly any effort, despite the fact I was rowing the equivalent of a cork in bathtub and was fighting the crazy hydrodynamics of a rain-swollen Charles River.

Behold, I am cute and mighty! \0/

( Cut for nattering about the Necky Manitou 13 and Rough Rowing )

Now, no doubt, you want to hear about how I saved a little old lady from getting beaten up by a swan.

First, let me set the scene. There's a section of the river that has a lot of islands and promontories jutting into the river. In this one particular area, it gets pretty narrow, just big enough for two kayaks to pass through. Worse, it's a bit of a blind curve because of the trees growing on the islands and the shore. You can't see who might be up ahead until you're already nosing into the blind curve.

Up ahead, I could see a trio of kayakers consisting of an older woman and two teens passing through this narrow area. Because I was rowing along at a pretty good clip, I was gaining on them pretty quickly, but I figured all three would be through that area before I caught up.

As I turn the corner, I see the older woman is stalled right at the opening that would bring her into the wider river, and that the kids were a couple of yards ahead.

I think, "No problem. I'll just navigate around her."

As I do that, see that a family of swans is blocking any hope of moving forward. We're talking two monster-sized adult swans and five — count 'em five — juveniles. The juveniles were almost as large as the adults, but were still covered in grey fluffy down. There wasn't even a hint of a white feather on them.

Now, I think you need to realize something important here (aside from the fact that swans are evil, I mean). When you're sitting in a kayak and you're barely 5'1" in your stocking feet, an adult swan in the water is as tall as you are. In short, it can look you right in the eyeball while it decides whether or not it's going to kick the ever-loving shit out of you.

And this little old lady in the kayak was shorter than I am.

Needless to say, life was looking to get interesting.

Dramatis Personnae:

• Our Heroine (OH)
  
• Innocent Little Old Lady (ILOL)
  
• Evil Mommy Swan (EMS)
  
• Fuzzy Baby Swan (FBS)
  

Our Heroine (OH): [sees evil swan family with two adults and five cygnets] Oh, shit!

Evil Adult Swans: *glares at kayaks*

Fuzzy Five Baby Swans: *swim, swim, swim*

Innocent Little Old Lady (ILOL): Aren't they beautiful? I've never been this close before!

OH: Don't. Move.

ILOL: What?

Evil Mommy Swan (EMS): *sidles up to ILOL's kayak*

OH: Don't. Move. You might set them off.

Fuzzy Baby Swan (FBS): *darts over to my kayak and settles in about 6 inches from my right hand*

ILOL: Set them off? What do you mean?

OH: Swans are evil. If you make a wrong move, that swan floating right next to your boat is going to go bonkers and attack.

ILOL: It's a bird.

OH: A bird that's big enough and mean enough that it can break bones if it hits you hard enough. You'll end up tipping over and wind up in the the river. So, don't move until I tell you to move.

EMS: *glares at ILOL and pulls right up to her cockpit; ILOL and EMS are now eyeball to eyeball*

FBS: *innocently looks at OH like it can't quite make out what kind of bird OH might be*

ILOL: Ummmm, they're bigger than I thought they were.

OH: [looks at FBS] Don't try and pat it. They'll take off your hand at the wrist.

ILOL: Seriously?

FBS: *looking fuzzy, cute, and innocent like it wouldn't hurt a fly*

EMS: *continues glaring at ILOL*

Meanwhile, Daddy Swan (I assume it was the male because it was bigger than the Evil Mommy Swan menacing the Innocent Little Old Lady) had corralled the remaining four cygnets and had gotten them out of the way of our kayaks.

EMS: *twitches head to see where all her babies are*

OH: Get your paddle in the water. Slowly.

ILOL: *does as she's told*

FBS: *studies OH's kayak*

EMS: *turns glare back on ILOL and makes a warning trumpeting sound without even opening its beak*

OH: Move, move move!

ILOL: *starts rowing like a bat out of hell*

OH: *waits until ILOL is clear and then rows even faster just as EMS starts turning the evil glare on OH*


The whole thing took less than two minutes. During that time, the two teens realized that they had lost their grandmother and were turning their kayaks around to look for her. They saw she was with a second person, and figured she had stopped to talk to me. What they didn't realize that we were dealing with two adult swans who were not at all pleased to see us.

As soon as I caught up to her, the Innocent Little Old Lady said she never knew swans were evil. I explained that kayakers on the river make it a habit to warn if there were swans close by to other kayakers.

Anyway, it turns out that this was the first time this Innocent Little Old Lady had ever been in a kayak. (Good for her!) And that she was there with her grandchildren because she was curious what it was like. She even asked me about lessons.

Awwwwww.

Anyway, she thanked me for helping her out because she didn't even know that she had gotten herself in a tight spot. I told her it wasn't a problem.

As I rowed off, she was telling her grandchildren about our little adventure with the swans.

So, that's how I came eye-to-eye with the Evil Swans and lived to tell the tale. :-)

The cool bit of this story is that I actually got to hear a swan's trumpet. I never heard it for myself before.

It's actually kind of menacing when a swan does it while glaring at you.

The the moral of the story: When in negotiations with Mother Nature, keep in mind that Mother Nature always wins. All you can do is remain calm until the crisis is past.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/358445.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Per the Boston Globe today, the Massachusetts Historical Society will be translating President John Quincy Adam's diary entries into Tweets. The project started Monday.

And what may have inspired this madness, you may ask?

As it turns out, J.Q. Adams's diary entries look exactly like Tweets, often coming in at less than Twitter's 140-character limit.

The subject matter is also about what you'd expect to find in a Tweet, too.

In short, if our sixth president were alive today, his fingers would be glued to the Blackberry and it would be pointed permanently to Twitter

For those who are interested, click here to follow John Quincy Adams's Tweets.

The Massachusetts Historical Society (Motto: "We're second only to Virginia in the 'real American' sweepstakes, damn it! So stop saying we're not real Americans! We're looking at you all 48 Johnny-come-lately states!") describes the project in this blog post.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/358307.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Title:  Reaping the Whirlwind (The Boom Boom Boom Ba Remix), Part 4/14
Author:   liz_marcs

Summary:  What does the addition of supernatural-related reaps to the reaping workload, Roxy’s promotion, the addition of a new grim reaper with supernatural experience, a new sort-of boyfriend who may or may not be a pirate, and an approaching apocalypse all have in common? New grim reaper boss George doesn’t know, but she’s willing to bet that in the middle of it all the universe will kick her ass. Again.

Fandom:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Dead Like Me crossover
Characters:  Dead Like Me (order of appearance) — George, Mason, Daisy, Roxy, Kiffany, Delores, Penny, OCs.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (order of appearance) — Dawn, Buffy, Willow (appearance only), Giles (appearance only), Xander, OCs.
Pairing:  George/Xander (nothing explicit)

Rating:  R for language, cartoon violence and death, sexual situations
Warning:  Spoilers for all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV show only), Dead Like Me, and Dead Like Me: Life After Death.

Original drabbles:  Six Drabbles About Dawn and Death by nothorse

 ( Read more... )

Title:  Reaping the Whirlwind (The Boom Boom Boom Ba Remix); Part 3/14
Author:   liz_marcs

Summary:  What does the addition of supernatural-related reaps to the reaping workload, Roxy’s promotion, the addition of a new grim reaper with supernatural experience, a new sort-of boyfriend who may or may not be a pirate, and an approaching apocalypse all have in common? New grim reaper boss George doesn’t know, but she’s willing to bet that in the middle of it all the universe will kick her ass. Again.

Fandom:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Dead Like Me crossover
Characters:  Dead Like Me (order of appearance) — George, Mason, Daisy, Roxy, Kiffany, Delores, Penny, OCs.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (order of appearance) — Dawn, Buffy, Willow (appearance only), Giles (appearance only), Xander, OCs.
Pairing:  George/Xander (nothing explicit)

Rating:  R for language, cartoon violence and death, sexual situations
Warning:  Spoilers for all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV show only), Dead Like Me, and Dead Like Me: Life After Death.

Original drabbles:  Six Drabbles About Dawn and Death by nothorse

 
( Read more... )

As part of my campaign to read classics of literature as an adult (thank you bargain bins at Borders and Barnes and Noble!), I've just completed Northanger Abbey and am in the middle of reading Mansfield Park, both by Jane Austen.

My reaction to both books couldn't be more different.

Northanger Abbey cracked my shit up to no end. I'm talking wall-to-wall giggling because, get this, everyone who's ever been involved with any kind of fandom knows Catherine Morland, her wanky friend Isabella Thorpe, and the laid-back reality-based fans represented by the Tileneys.

( Northanger Abbey: So that's what 19th Century Fangirls looked like! )

Seriously, though. If you want to read the funniest depiction of fangirls and fandom in general that you'll ever read, as well as a heartwarming story about how even the most awkward fangirl can grow up to be a real a person while still being a fan, Northanger Abbey is the go-to book.


Mansfield Park, on the other hand, is a bit of a mystery to me. I'm really not entirely sure what Austen is going for here, although it could be because I'm only 70 pages into the book. It's...irritating me, despite the fact that I can't seem to put it down.

( Mansfield Park: Ms. Austen tells those damn kids to get off her lawn. I think. )

I'm choosing to assume that there's a twist here, or Austen is making some kind of point how the landed gentry aren't really all that. At least I hope so. If I read to the end of the book and Fanny is still a special little snowflake, I might be tempted to throw Mansfield Park across the room out of sheer disgust.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/357537.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I kind of love Mad Men in a vicarious bleak way. It makes me want to squish the 21st Century tight and tell it how much I love it muchly, and how happy I am that I didn't have to live through this crap.

But, yeah. I love Mad Men.

Anyway, via lizziebelle, you can create your own Mad Men-inspired icon.

Also, you can create a you-type avatar:




Fun!

Now if only the humidity would stop eating my brain...

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/357269.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Oh. Fuck. No.

I can understand having this feature available to people who are being harassed by stalkers and bullies, but making it open and general to every little monkey on the Internet? If you want to talk about a tool that stalkers and bullies can use, here it is!

Fuck. No.

JUST FYI to my FList: The default on this new feature is that all visitors to your LJ will be visible and that you will be visible to all every LJ and community you visit when you visit them, even if you don't comment.

If you want to remain "anonymous" while flitting around various journals and communities on ElJay, you have to click the "DO NOT WANT" option.

Here's the post about this new 'My Guests' feature on ElJay.

entrenous88 has better reading comprehension that I do. The post says that the option default is off. I jumped the gun on that because when I went to my privacy page to shut the option down, the radial button was on "YES DO WANT" option.

In either case, I've opted out of the system. I do reserve the right to opt-in should I get hit with trolls or stalkers, but short of having actual problems, my LiveJournal won't be tracking visitors.

I also won't track visitors here if the option comes up.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/357003.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Have fun and be safe on your travels.

Wish I could come along, but unfortunately my need to be fiscally responsible has trumped all. Even my initial plans to 1) hire a cleaning service so I can go play without guilt this summer and 2) possibly by a second-hand kayak were put on indefinite hold

So, best of luck to everyone over the next few days or so.

And for those of you who'll be staying home like me, I'll be here all week. Don't forget to try the veal.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/356684.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Title:  Reaping the Whirlwind (The Boom Boom Boom Ba Remix); Part 2/14
Author:   liz_marcs

Summary:  What does the addition of supernatural-related reaps to the reaping workload, Roxy’s promotion, the addition of a new grim reaper with supernatural experience, a new sort-of boyfriend who may or may not be a pirate, and an approaching apocalypse all have in common? New grim reaper boss George doesn’t know, but she’s willing to bet that in the middle of it all the universe will kick her ass. Again.

Fandom:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Dead Like Me crossover
Characters:  Dead Like Me (order of appearance) — George, Mason, Daisy, Roxy, Kiffany, Delores, Penny, OCs.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (order of appearance) — Dawn, Buffy, Willow (appearance only), Giles (appearance only), Xander, OCs.
Pairing:  George/Xander (nothing explicit)

Rating:  R for language, cartoon violence and death, sexual situations
Warning:  Spoilers for all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV show only), Dead Like Me, and Dead Like Me: Life After Death.

Original drabbles:  Six Drabbles About Dawn and Death by nothorse

( Read more... )

You see a fanfic with potential, but it's got a big grammar problem.

You politely point out grammar problem to writer.

Writer says there's a reason for it.

You politely explain that there are other ways to accomplish what they think they're accomplishing and that this grammar problem will drive away potential readers.

Writer pulls the "well, as fanfic writers and professional writers, we do things for art..." card.

In this not-so-hypothetical situation, my response always tends to be as follows:

• Grit teeth
  
  
• Refrain from pointing out that I actually am a professional writer who's been paid for her output since high school and that I damn well know what I'm talking about
  
  
• Physically sit on hands to prevent myself from typing just that
  

Yeah...

I just don't get it when people pull that card. I really don't. Especially since no one really knows who they're talking to when they say something that condescending in a response. For all the correspondent knows, the person pointing out the problem could be a NYT Best Selling Author hiding behind a Nom de Internet.

Granted, I'm not a NYT Best Selling Author, but I'm most certainly have been and am currently being published in various venues and media.

Jesus. I wouldn't pull that card on someone online, especially over fanfic.

I suppose that's why it annoys the fuck out of me when someone pulls it on me. It's like this big red, shiny button that too many people like to press over the stupidest shit.

And because I don't want to start wank, I have to get up and walk away from the computer for 5 minutes.

Thank you for letting me vent, y'all.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/356160.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I admit it. I rather like Lady Gaga's performance artist pop-tart thing that she's doing. There's something vaguely Bowie-esque about it, only with more of a sense of humor and less with the "I am an artiste!" 'tude of Bowie's that used to get up my nose.

I also think she's a better pop lyricist ("Poker Face" was written in collaboration with producer Red One) than people give her credit for.

Below is Chris Daughtry doing a live acoustic version of "Poker Face" that really is quite good. Okay, there are pronoun changes (which I find irritating) and I'm sad to report that the line "bluffin' with my muffin" does not get sung (really, really sad since the line makes me giggle like a loon). But otherwise, quite captivating really.










If anyone wants to know how deeply uncool I am, I had no idea Chris Daughtry was a failed American Idol contestant, despite the fact I actually have a copy of the band's CD somewhere kicking around on a hard drive.

(Just as an aside: A failed AI contestant? Seriously? For fuck's sake. Who the hell beat him? Someone actually talented, I hope. Although if I were a betting woman, I'd bet it was someone less talented with a little more pretty. And this, in a nutshell, is why AI irritates me and why I don't watch it.)

ETA: Per atlantisgrrrl, who said I really needed to post the actual Lady Gaga doing a vaguely torch-y acoustic version of "Poker Face." I really do dig this version.





This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/356064.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Title:  Reaping the Whirlwind (The Boom Boom Boom Ba Remix); Part 1/14
Author:  liz_marcs

Summary:  What does the addition of supernatural-related reaps to the reaping workload, Roxy’s promotion, the addition of a new grim reaper with supernatural experience, a new sort-of boyfriend who may or may not be a pirate, and an approaching apocalypse all have in common? New grim reaper boss George doesn’t know, but she’s willing to bet that in the middle of it all the universe will kick her ass. Again.

Fandom:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Dead Like Me crossover
Characters:  Dead Like Me (order of appearance) — George, Mason, Daisy, Roxy, Kiffany, Delores, Penny, OCs.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (order of appearance) — Dawn, Buffy, Willow (appearance only), Giles (appearance only), Xander, OCs.
Pairing:  George/Xander (nothing explicit)

Rating:  R for language, cartoon violence and death, sexual situations
Warning:  Spoilers for all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV show only), Dead Like Me, and Dead Like Me: Life After Death.

Original drabbles:  Six Drabbles About Dawn and Death by nothorse

 

 ( Read more... )

So, at long last, the writers of the RemixRedux09 stories have been revealed.

As some of you guessed, I wrote the massive Reaping the Whirlwind (Boom Boom Ba Remix), which was a remix of Six Drabbles About Dawn and Death by nothorse.

Just for the record: I am never, ever doing that to myself again.

I'm filing this one under, "What the hell was I thinking?"

Actually, I do kind of know what I was thinking, and I deserved to be kicked in the head for it. Repeatedly.

Before I explain my insanity for this year, I want to take time out to thank everyone who read what was basically a novel and actually gave feedback on it. I figured that I'd get zero feedback during the anonymous period because asking anyone to read 230-page fic in one sitting is really a little bit beyond the pale. And yet, people did exactly that. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you all gave it a go.

Special love to brunettepet who not only read every part, but gave detailed feedback on every part (you don't know how much you made my day), to secondalto for listing it in the su_herald that first day, and to original writer nothorse for leaving positive feedback and reccing the story on his personal LJ.

( What worked, what didn't, and why next year I'm taking Valium before I type word one for the Remix... )

Now that I've finished with my TL;DR meta, I figure I better point you to the fic.

In this journal I'm going to post one part a day for the next 14 days, mostly because I still think asking people to read 230 pages in one go is asking just a little bit too much. For people that want to read ahead, they can get the whole story on the Remix community.


Title: Reaping the Whirlwind (The Boom Boom Boom Ba Remix)
Author: liz_marcs

Summary: What does the addition of supernatural-related reaps to the reaping workload, Roxy’s promotion, the addition of a new grim reaper with supernatural experience, a new sort-of boyfriend who may or may not be a pirate, and an approaching apocalypse all have in common? New grim reaper boss George doesn’t know, but she’s willing to bet that in the middle of it all the universe will kick her ass. Again.

Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Dead Like Me crossover
Characters: Dead Like Me (order of appearance) — George, Mason, Daisy, Roxy, Kiffany, Delores, Penny, OCs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (order of appearance) — Dawn, Buffy, Willow (appearance only), Giles (appearance only), Xander, OCs.
Pairing: George/Xander (nothing explicit)

Rating: R for language, cartoon violence and death, sexual situations
Warning: Spoilers for all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV show only), Dead Like Me, and Dead Like Me: Life After Death. All comics associated with either series is willfully and cheerfully ignored.

Original drabbles: Six Drabbles About Dawn and Death by nothorse

• Link to Part One of the story in this Dreamwidth Journal.
  
  
• For people who want to read ahead, visit the RemixRedux09 community for the whole story.
  

And, finally, while I was scrounging around YouTube for a Dead Like Me clip, I found this really nice Dead Like Me fan video by Ezyka. Although all of the clips are taken from the series proper, the song, as well as the clips used, fit shockingly well with Reaping the Whirlwind.

Song: Follow Through by Gavin Degraw





This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/355482.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

For this year's remix, I got Unsalvageable (The Hell in a Handbasket Remix), which is a remix of one of my older stories, Ishamel Sings of the White Whale.

Ishmael is one of the very few AtS fanfics I've written and one of the very few stories where Xander doesn't even appear (although he's mentioned in passing). It's strictly a Faith story with Angel and Ghost Wes.

The key difference between my story and the remix is that mine was written way back in 2004 only months after AtS's "Never Fade Away." The remix incorporates both AtS and BtVS comics canon, and it changes the story considerably.

It's a very well-written remix that I think stands very well on its own. Hell, if I randomly came across this story I maybe would've noticed some similar themes, but I also wouldn't have thought Ishmael had any role in inspiring it.

It's not a complaint by the way, just so I'm clear. I rather like the remix quite a lot, but it is a very different story so anyone going in expecting a straight-forward remix of Ishmael should put that thought out of their heads. It's definitely a remix of the some of the themes (Angel's obsessions and how it blinds him; Wes's obsessions and how it makes him incapable of actually helping; Faith realizing that staying isn't going to help anyone and that she has to find her own way).

One of the major reasons I find Unsalvageable interesting is because, in a way, it's a remix of a remix. The original Ishmael was something of a remix of Moby-Dick (a book I read at least every 2 or 3 years), and at the time I had written Ishmael, I had just finished one of my regular re-readings. In a strange way, Ishmael is the first remix I had ever done, before I even did my first story for the annual fest.

It's interesting to see that the themes I thought were important ended up being carried over into the Unsalvageable in interesting ways.

Another thing that's striking is Ishmael has that somewhat cold-blooded New England anti-transcendentalist sensibility in it (not surprising, considering the source material), which has a horror vibe that's not dissimilar to watching a scientist pull the arms off of a person just to see what happens. Unsalvageable has more a Southern gothic feel, where the horror is more visceral and lands an immediate gut-punch to evoke an emotional response.

Watch. My remixer is going to be like, "Dude. I don't read Southern gothic. I'm not even American, you twit."

Hee!

Anyway, I highly recommend stopping by and giving my remixer some love for their work this year.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/354882.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I haven't gotten very far in the Remix archive yet, thanks to still feeling slightly crappy for most of the day due to the food poisoning. I also went to bed pretty early, too. (You can bet your bippy I'll be calling the Health Department sometime today,)

*hangs head in shame*

So whoever remixed me, I apologize that I haven't read it yet, let alone given you feedback. I will most certainly do it tonight.

In any case, I'm going to play the "Remix Game" along with everyone else. Mostly because I know no one will be able to guess which one is me.

So here goes:

• Make a guess at which Remix story is mine
  
  
• Post your guess in response to this post (guesses will be screened until the author reveal)
  
  
• People who guess correctly will get a very short ficlet in the same fandom as the Remix story I wrote
  
  
• I will consider writing to requests made by folks who guess correctly (please put the request in with your guess and label it as a request) — no guarantees that you'll get what you want though, especially if it steps on the toes of the original author.
  

Offer not valid for moderators for the Remix, and people I talked to about my Remix both online and off.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/354754.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I just lost my entire weekend. To food poisoning. Goddamnit!

I love Thai food. Love it.

There's a Thai restaurant across the street from where I work. Sometmes when I feel like rewarding myself, I go grab one of their lunch specials.

Last time I ate there, oh, 4 or 5 months ago, I had a tofu veggie plate. I ended with a gastrointestinal distress (to put it politely). Maybe it was the food, maybe it was a 24-hour bug.

Friday, I went with chicken basil. I've spent the entire weekend since Friday borderline sick with serious gastrointestinal distress.

I could've gone to the movies yesterday, except that when I wasn't worshipping the porcelin throne, I was sleeping off the ick.

Today I had volunteered to pull invasive species out of the Charles River. I mean, four hours in a canoe getting muddy out on the open water doing my bit for the native environment. I was looking forward to it! The minute I put something in my mouth just so I'd have something in my stomach before going out on the water turned into *bleck* in very short order.

So here I am, in my apartment, sticking close to the bathroom.

I. Am. Pissed.

My whole damn weekend shot to hell. And it's a beautiful weekend, too.

The only positive about my day is now I've got time to go through my millionth re-review of my Remix story before the archive unlocks later today.

And, as per usual before the Remix unlocks, I'm convinced that:

• My remix story is going to cause wank. None of my remixes have ever caused wank, except this year I'm more convinced than ever that it will.
  
  
• No one will read it except my remixee. I suspect that I'll actually be right about that this year.
  
  
• I'm out of my mind for trying to pull off what I did. The proof is definitely in the end result. I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking.
  

Don't get me wrong. I actually like the end result. I'm just not so sure that anyone else will.

Needless to say, I'd still rather be in a canoe pulling river weeds.

Blech.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go bang my head against a wall in frustration.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/354353.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

When it comes to cuts at newspapers, there's only one group of people more likely to get it in the neck than reporters.

It's copy editors.

Copy editors are the firewall between the reporter, who's more often than not working under an impossible deadline, and the rapidly dwindling population of newspaper readers. They're the ones who spot the difference between the hastily spelled it's and its, beats the reporter who consistently mixes of up loose and lose (my own bugaboo for many, many years), and knows that the inappropriate use of to, two, and too and can change the meaning of an entire article, let alone a sentence.

The use of spell check in a newspaper environment is well-nigh useless. It might be able to pick up that you misspelled the name "Eduard," but what if the guy in the picture actually spells his name "Edward"?

Copy editors are also responsible for making sure the "jumps" are correct. When a front page article states that the story is concluded on page 12, who do you think makes sure that it does actually finish on page 12 and not, say, page 14? Or even better, makes sure that the second half of that article appears anywhere in the paper at all?

Without copy editors, newspapers would have to rely on reporters to make sure the copy is clean. Considering that a reporter's life is nothing but insane deadlines already, and that most reporters can't spell worth shit, I can say with great sarcasm, "Yeah. That's a plan that'll work out so very well."

That's why this article from the Washington Post Ombudsman makes me irrationally angry. He starts off well in pointing out how the constant cutting of copy editors have hurt the quality of the writing at the Washington Post. (Yes, it's true. Behind every top-notch writer is an editor with a bullwhip.)

Then he ends it with a whimpering (and I'm paraphrasing here): "The wussy copy editors are saying that the increase in content flowing through their department, coupled with the cuts we've made in the copy desk, are going to hurt quality. But it's not true! Because it'll all balance out thanks to technology! Just be patient and know that we know that we're making our newspaper painful to read! Oh, and while you're at it, could you let us know when you see a factual inaccuracy or typo so we can fix it on the Web site? Thanks."

Quoth my not-so-inner ex-reporter self: Fuck. You.

The Fred Clark over at the Slacktivist, himself a newspaper man, shares my sentiments. Of course, he's a whole lot more polite about it than I am, even if he is about a step away from saying, "Jesus wept."

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a deadline to race for my Remix fic.

This entry was originally posted at http://liz-marcs.dreamwidth.org/354228.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

A new record kayaking for me today:

7.5 miles (or a little over 12 kilometers) in 2.5 hours.

Wah-HOOOOOO!

To be fair, I did it in a Necky Manitou 14. While not as slick as the Wilderness Systems Zephyr 155, it's a peppy little boat with a similar design. The main difference is that the Necky Manitou 14 is a light touring kayak (suitable for rivers, lakes, protected harbors), while the Zephyr is classified as a touring kayak (rivers, lakes, protected harbors, and open ocean).

In either case, I'm insufferably pleased with myself.

*does happy dance*

Now, I must get back to whacking at my Remix while repeating the following mantra to myself: "I'm writing this story as if I was the one who wrote it. I'm writing this story as if I was the one who wrote it..."

All the main points of the original is there, but I've significantly telescoped the timeline, expanded on the actions taken by the various characters, and added additional characters into the mix.

In short, to borrow the example from musesfool, I'm doing the Disney version of "The Little Mermaid" vs. the original's Hans Christian Andersen version of "The Little Mermaid". It'll be interesting to see the reaction.

Now, I must get back to writing, otherwise there's no way I'm going to make deadline.

The City of Boston is encouraging people on food stamps to "buy local" by doubling the purchasing power of their food stamps at 14 farmers' markets in the city. (Boston has a total of 22 farmers' markets that run through the summer.)

When food stamp recipients swipe their benefit cards on portable credit card readers at the participating farmers' markets, they will receive up to $20 in vouchers — called Boston's Bounty Bucks — by spending $10 worth of food stamps.

The list of Boston-based participating farmers' markets can be found here. (WARNING: PDF file)

Boston Globe article here.

If you think this is a good idea like I do, don't read the comments. The idiots will only piss you off.

Many thanks to mara_sho for continuing the White Knight Awards under very trying circumstances this year.

Voting is now open for the White Knight Awards, which as you know is a popular vote contest. There are lots of nominees on the list, including many people on my list.

Go and vote for your favorites.

Clearly cabin fever is consuming me because I'm supposed to be working and I'm being totally frou-frou. I'm like, screwing around online because I can't seem to concentrate.

It probably didn't help that I dragged out the SADLight and did a 30-minute session, which I suspect was too long because my co-workers have remarked that I've gotten very chipmunk like in the late a.m.

via honorh:

Sears Tower in Chicago has opened a glass balcony on the 103rd floor.

I believe I have mentioned several times in this journal that I have crippling terror of heights.

Just looking at the pictures made me go AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

And then I had to hide under my desk for 5 minutes until I calmed down.

Slide show showing people looking like they're floating in air if you're a freak.

Acrophobes like myself might want to give the pictures a big miss.