Friday, January 4, 2008
Waning Moon
Mars Retrograde
Saturn Retrograde
Sunny and cold
First and foremost, Happy Birthday to Chaz Brenchley! Not only is he a brilliant writer, he’s a wonderful friend. Many happy returns of the day and the year for you.
Lyd, all is good between us. I think where we got our wires crossed is that you assumed I was blogging and making lists INSTEAD of writing, when I do it in ADDITION to writing. When I get tired (because the creative energy does flag after awhile), the blogs and the lists help me get back on track. Also, because of the amount of projects I have to juggle as a freelancer, if I didn’t track them with lists and spread sheets, I wouldn’t be able to stay on top of deadlines, outgoing invoices, and know when the chase down the money from clients that are slow payers and won’t be getting my services again!
My printer died yesterday morning, right as I’m in the midst of trying to get out all my work. The “ink waste tank” is nearly full. It will cost me $100 to fix it, which does me no good between now and the time I have to leave; it costs $279 to get a new printer that seems to do everything I need it to do. I contacted Canon – I’ve had trouble with this printer since the first week I had it, and for four years, they promised to replace it and never did. I at least want a partial credit towards a new printer.
And I’m not sure how or where I can get my printing done, but maybe I can run downstairs to my friend’s place once a day or once every few days and print.
According to one of my forums, where they’d know this kind of thing, it’s good to have a small, inexpensive printer just to print manuscripts AND the all-in-one. I used to do that – you could drop-kick my Baby Bubble and drive a truck over it and it would still churn out the pages – but I’ve stuck to one printer for the last few years. Maybe I should go back to using two. I wonder if I can keep both plugged in all the time.
I just cried. It always, ALWAYS happens when I’m on deadline. I HATE technology. It’s built to fail, especially when you need it not to, and it’s created that way on purpose to get the maximum amount of money out of the consumer.
I’m telling you, I’m ready to go back to quill pens and ink, and keep a couple of pigeons around to transport manuscripts. Okay, maybe I need a bird that‘s a little bigger than a PIGEON to carry a 400 page manuscript, but you get my drift . . .
Instead of doing what I was supposed to do, I worked on Hex Breaker all day, finishing the second draft in the late afternoon. I’m going to let it sit today, and not look at it, as much as I want to, and then revise it, print it at my friend’s place, and get it out before I leave. I love these characters, even though I know the piece needs more work. Hopefully, my editor will love them, too!
Exhausted, and still trying to figure out a way to make the last bit of this assignment with Problem Client work so it doesn’t cost me, literally, hundreds of dollars in wasted time for which they won’t compensate me. Yes, the Saturn retrograde is kicking my ass, and I damned well better learn this time around. I learned the show stuff since last time, but this go-round I’ve got a whole new set of life lessons to face, gosh darn it!
I was lousy company last evening for one of the men in my life (yes, there are more than one; one just can’t keep up at this point), but, fortunately, it all worked out and my, ahem, mood improved as the evening wore on. He knows how to distract me! 
So, the insurance company who’s dumped me sent me a letter offering me a $100 gift card if I had a mastectomy last year. WTF????? That is just twisted. Not only is it sick that they’re trying to make it a game to publicize the results of one’s mammogram (isn’t that illegal?), they’re offering a chance to win a gift card if you have a mastectomy. It is so inappropriate and so twisted. I’m furious. I’m calling the union today with a few choice words, let me tell you! I think I also might file a protest with the state.
It felt odd this morning to wake up and not jump into fiction right after my morning yoga. I still need to do the cheat sheet before I can get back to EARTH BRIDE. I’ve got the characters worked out for the time travel novella, but the plot is still too shaky to start. It would be nice to get that in well ahead of the deadline. Last night, I worked on a short story for a bit.
But, of course, I’m chomping at the bit to get back to Hex Breaker. I did some tweaks last night, but I’m determined to let it rest for at least a day so I can come back to it with fresh eyes.
Off to work on articles and run my Friday errands – which, today, unfortunately, includes printer shopping!
Devon
Devon’s Bookstore:
5 in 10: Create 5 Short Stories in Ten Weeks by Devon Ellington. This ebooklet takes you from inspiration to writing to revision to marketing. By the end of ten weeks, you will have either 5 short stories or a good chunk of a novella complete. And it’s only 50 cents, USD. Here.
Writing Rituals: Ideas to Support Creativity by Cerridwen Iris Shea. This ebooklet contains several rituals to help you start writing, get you through writer’s block, and help send your work on its way. It’s only 39 cents USD. (Note: Cerridwen Iris Shea is one of the six names under which I publish). Here.
Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. This is a collection of short stories, poems, and other pieces by a writers’ group of which I am a member. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois. You can download it free here:
By Jenny Storm. A young girl fights to save her horse trainer father's reputation when vicious rumors could ruin their lives. Purchase from 
Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. A Jain Lazarus Adventure. Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, teaming with tough, practical Detective Wyatt East on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
Currently out of print. Stay tuned for re-release.
Visit the site for 
Hi Devon,
You won’t know me but I am (with my partner Jean) Chaz’z webmaster. Your problem with the Canon ink waste tank being nearly full is ringing bells. I think I may even have fixed it myself some time back. If you Google canon ink waste tank fix you’ll get a bunch of websites that offer advice. I believe you can reset the printer so it metaphorically goes through the red light. If you email me (roger at cornwellinternet dot co dot uk) with your printer model I may be able to advise further.
That is so bizarre about the mastectomy gift card! Freaky.
I have three printers.
I didn’t do as much writing yesterday as I wanted, but I did edits, which still kept me in the story.
I’m DYING to start my Roman book!
That is so wrong for that insurance company to send something like that out.
Good luck with your printer search. I hope the fix that Roger mentioned above can help you.
Best of luck with the printer shopping. The idea of 2 printers and being a writer sounds like a solid idea.
The Insurance Mastectomy gift card sounds really twisted. I don’t blame you for filing a complaint.
Have a good day tomorrow! (Because I’m late commenting tonight!)
Purlimil,
Thanks to the powers that be; I am so relieved that our misunderstanding is repaired. I was and am so grieved over it. When a soul is bruised it takes a long time to heal; much longer than a physical bruise.
I am tempted to not comment here anymore as I do have this personality fault of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong way.
However, I cannot let a friend pass by without hoping to help a little. I have a Lexmark X75 Printer that I purchased at WalMart for $100.00 three to five years ago and it is still working. It is a copier, a scanner and a fax machine all in one. I can do black and white and also color and photos. I really don’t know how to use it very well but it works fine. The ink jets cost a fortune. However, if a person had a bottle of black ink and another bottle of colored ink (the special printer kind), I don’t see why the person could not refill the jets periodically.
I learned a hard lesson about printers. Never turn one upside down or sideways. The ink spills out of the little trays and makes a sticky mess all over the *floor* of the printer. Then when the paper is run through it gets stuck on the *floor* in the spilled ink. Remember, these ink trays are little paint color pallets that intermix to make the colors. It is almost impossible to clean the printer because it is plastic and to pry the parts loose will break them and then a person will have to go buy another printer.
The Lexmark printer comes with two half filled jets. Perhaps only half filled because of shipping. So if you print a lot it might be wise to get two new ones to go with the two half filled ones at the time of the original printer purchase. Then if you can find a place to buy two bottles of ink for the next refills you will be all set up with two sets of two and two. Did I say that right? The two new ink jets, one colored, one black, will total about $100.00 or close to it.
Lyd
Suggestion:
Save the masectomey gift card. Find someone who really had it done. Photo copy the paid bill. Tell the insurance company that you had to use your real name at the medical place but now you are free to pass as a “real girl” and you would now like to have the $100.00 please.