Saturday, January 31, 2009

Saturday, January 31, 2009
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

For all of you struggling writers wondering why you aren’t getting published, read Anne Wayman’s great article here.

The bulk of the unpublished who come to me for advice like the idea of writing more than the actual writing, and aren’t willing to do what it takes to get AND REMAIN published.

And Anne is much nicer in the way she communicates it than I am! 😉

If you didn’t click the link to my favorite Super Bowl commercial ever, the Herding Cats commercial, scroll down to the post below this one and click the link. It still makes me laugh so hard I nearly fall off the chair.

I might actually enjoy the Super Bowl more tomorrow because I have no emotional investment in either team.

Come on over to the Goals, Dreams, and Resolutions site. We’re going to wrap up January today and put up our February lists tomorrow. And I talk about my January reading over on A Biblio Paradise.

I pitched a few jobs, responded to a positive response on one of my earlier pitches, and wrote the first draft of a ten minute play for a contest. It’s ten minutes, the theme intrigued me, and I got the first draft out in one fell swoop. I need to come up with a good punch line for the last line, tighten it a bit, and out it goes. I already talked to the company who put up the ad – they’re legit, and they’re eager to read it. You’ve always got to do your research with the Craigslist ads!

I’m sure it’s, um, different, from the other entries. Let’s just hope it’s along the lines of what this company wants.

Ryan, I feel your pain on the treadmill. I’m not much of a runner or jogger. But when I do, I prefer outside – if I’m going to work that hard, I want to end up somewhere else when I’m done!

Got a tiny bit of work done on The Lucy Gothic, but not much. That’s fine, because when I’m doing the site work the rest of the month, I’ll be dragging it along with me. Since the first draft is handwritten, I can work on it anywhere.

Worked on CHANNELLING JIM MORRISON, FEMME FATALE, and two of the three men’s monologues.

Didn’t get much work done on the Billy Root story. Jain had an aha! moment that I had to go back in and add in Chapter Five, but I need to think through her conversation with Natalie in Chapter Six further before I can write it. And Billy just gets more endearing by the page.

Devon

Best Super Bowl Commerical EVER!

This is my all-time favorite Super Bowl Commercial, the Herding Cats commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8

Friday, January 30, 2009

Friday, January 30, 2009
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

Not a lot to say about yesterday. I ran some errands – ended up walking all the way across town to the library to pick up state tax forms, because the state decided to save money by not mailing any out. I love our local library – it’s a brick building, and the inside looks like an English country house, with the big chairs and the fireplace – but it also has computers and all the tech gadgets. It’s small, but it’s friendly.

It was nice to be out in the sunshine and the cold air. I had to be careful due to the ice, but I just took my time and enjoyed being out.

The rest of the day, I wrote. I finished the assignment for Confidential Job #1 and sent it off. I searched job boards – found an interesting job way out of my normal realm, but there are things in it that might make us a good fit, so I pitched. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? I’m considering jobbing in with another company, but their rate is lower than my usual rate by an amount that makes me suspect I’d resent anything I did for them – which means, ultimately, it wouldn’t work out. I’ve talked to them before . . .and it’s more than just the rate, there’s something that just doesn’t sit right. In any rate, I’ll wait until Mercury goes direct before I make a final decision.

The computer is running badly again – gee, what a surprise.

I spent a lot of time percolating on the play (CHANELLING JIM MORRISON) and think I have a good direction for it. FEMME FATALE is also percolating.

Did some work on the dialogue workshop materials. I’m going to do this a little bit differently than in past workshops – stricter, in some respects, because I’m tired of people pulling out fragments from their drawers that have nothing to do with the exercises. So many people who think they want to write can’t even follow the instructions for a simple, two-page exercise. And they wonder why they keep getting rejections. Anyway, this should be a smaller group than I had in October, which will have its own joys and challenges.

Tried to do some work on The Lucy Gothic and got nowhere. The cats were climbing and rolling all over the manuscript, batting the pen out of my hands, etc., etc.

I’ve been re-reading Tristine Rainer’s THE NEW DIARY, which was a huge bestseller when the modern diary movement took hold from the 1970s-1990s. I read it originally in the 1990s. While there’s still some good information in it, we seem to have evolved, fortunately, beyond some of the more self-indulgent naval-gazing aspects. Granted, a diary is supposed to be a way to explore inner life – as some blogs are about exploring the parts of inner life one feels comfortable making public. But a lot of stuff I accepted as “the rules” of journal writing years ago (even though the only real “rule” is to date every entry) are things with which I strongly disagree now. Still, it’s an interesting read, if only to see how perceptions shift over time.

Started reading the fifth volume of the PARIS REVIEW WRITERS AT WORK series, edited by George Plimpton. These books have always fascinated me. In the days before blogs, George Plimpton’s team interview well-known writers on their process. Most of the questions are far above the run-of-the-mill interview questions and the answers are fascinating. They’re books to be read slowly, or it’s all too much. I read the PG Wodehouse interview – now, there was a truly happy man. But then, his wife took care of everything dealing with the real world, so he could just kind of coast along doing his writing. The feminists in the 80’s weren’t kidding when they said that we all need a wife! I started reading the interview with Archibald MacLeish – it’s fascinating, but there’s so much information packed into every sentence that I have to stop and think constantly (which is a good thing, but slows down the reading).

If you ever get your hands on these books, I highly recommend them.

Decent morning’s work on the Billy Root story. I really need to update my continuity notebook on the series before I can go much farther – it’s much easier to have it all in once place, rather than flipping back and forth through the manuscripts all the time to make sure I’m not contradicting myself.

Cooked a variation on turkey chili last night – great comfort food for cold times. It hit the spot, without sitting in the bottom of my stomach like a leaden lump. And I had a great workout last night. I even got a little knitting done. I’m so awkward at it, but I’ll never get better unless I keep working on it.

After months of having trouble getting started on the evening workouts, I’ve hit the point where I now look forward to them. However, I’m so eager to get to the page in the morning that I have to be careful not to rush the morning yoga.

Breakfast and then back to the page.

Oh, does anyone know where I can find out how many taxpayers are in the US? I’ll reveal the “why” once I’ve got firm numbers.

Devon

Billy Root story (Jain Lazarus Adventures) – 13,741 words out of est. 60,000

13 / 60 (21.7%)

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde
Year of the Ox
Sunny and milder

I forgot to mention, earlier this week, that we’re getting into Chinese New Year, and that it’s Year of the Ox! Happy New Year! I could use a little oxen strength right about now.

Pitched for four jobs yesterday, caught up on a lot of business stuff, spent a good portion of the day trying not to get annoyed by the renovations they’re doing in other apartments in this section. Because you all know by now how I react to repetitive noise. “Not well” is an understatement. However, between the yoga and the MP3 player, I’m getting by.

I think I want to do some more work on ELUSIVE PRAYERS, not just the tweak at the end. I think I can take it farther, make it much more than it is. What I want to do is refrain from taking too much focus from Brother Joseph. I need to go back and re-read some of the WIDOW’S CHAMBER episodes to recapture some of his raffishness. He’s much more focused and more pious in this story, and I’m not sure it serves him well.

I found an interesting market for some of my work, but their guidelines contradict themselves. I sent them an email pointing it out and asking which I should follow – which could knock me out of contention should I submit, for the mere audacity of questioning, but if that’s the case, we shouldn’t be working together, right? Better to know now than later.

Start putting together your wrap-up for the January GDRS and putting together your list for February, then come visit over the weekend on the site.

I’m actually pretty happy with what I got done on my list.

The weather was dreadful, so I just stayed tucked in at home, getting things done. Today’s weather is a bit better, so I will venture out to do a thing or two.

Read Edward Marston’s THE PARLIAMENT HOUSE yesterday, a mystery set in London during the reconstruction after the Great Fire. I enjoyed it, it was interesting, the historical detail was good, but I kept getting ahead of it.

Got to put a polish on the work for Confidential Job #1, and then it’s back to the page. I had a really good morning’s work on the Billy Root story. I’m getting into the flow of it again, and figuring out how to tie the two separate sections together.

Devon

Billy Root story (Jain Lazarus Adventures) – 12,939 words out of est. 60,000

12 / 60 (20.0%)

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde
Snowing

Busy day. It’s never as productive as I’d like, but there you go. I caught up on correspondence, surfed the disappointing job boards, caught up on blogs, etc., etc.

Got ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT transferred to my flash drive, so that when I start revisions on it shortly, I can actually get proper work done. I really need to transfer everything off the floppies onto flash drives, or I’ll be in trouble when I get the new computer. I have to make a revision I don’t want to in order to fit “genre rules” – but it’s not that big a deal, and I’m keeping the material to one side; I’ve got some alternate publishers that might take it in spite of the deliberate break of the rules. So I’ll see which version holds together best and then decide on the submission list from there.

Finished the guest blog post for Urban Muse and got it off. Worked on the materials for the workshop I’m teaching next week.

I swear, I get more work done in the shower than anywhere else. I had a real “aha” moment concerning the rewrite of the western, ELUSIVE PRAYERS. I rewrote it extensively last fall, but something didn’t sit quite right, and I’ve held back from putting it back out on submission. I couldn’t figure out why I hesitated. It features Brother Joseph, the character so many loved to hate in THE WIDOW’S CHAMBER, and had three solid B storylines woven into it. Yet, something was off. In the shower this afternoon, I figured it out. Now I can go back and fix it; not only can I fix it, it opens up about a half a dozen potential publishers for it.

Now, if I can just have a break-through for THE ANNEYM ROOSETER’S RETURN, I’ll be doing well . . .

Made meatloaf last night for dinner. The recipe’s okay, but I want to work on it some more. There are plenty of herbs in it, but I think I want to add some spices next time to deepen the flavor. I don’t like tomato in my meatloaf, so I don’t use it, but it needs something a little different.

I have blueberry muffins in the oven right now for breakfast.

Decent morning’s work on the Billy Root story. Not great, but decent. After breakfast, I’ll go back to the plays and then finish the assignment for Confidential Job #1. I’m waiting for two checks to arrive, and they better arrive today (one is four months late), because I have bills to pay. I’m tired of being socked with late fees because people are late paying ME.

So Citicorp “decided” not to spend $50 million on the jet. Guess they realized that people were not going to put up with their antics any longer. They said they’re giving up three of their five corporate jets. They should give up all five. If they are operating on MY dime, on all of our dimes, I get to say how they travel, and I say they go by bus! 😉

The whole Blogojeveich mess in Illinois is rather eerily fascinating. Separate from the combination of outrage and resignation one feels at the way politics is handled, it’s a mesmerizing character study.

Back to the page.

Devon

Billy Root story – 11, 109 words out of est. 60,000

11 / 60 (18.3%)

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde (as of January 21).

So Mercury IS retrograde, which explains just oh, so much.

I felt so badly for the lovely people at my local pharmacy yesterday. I tried calling in a refill for one of my mom’s prescriptions in the morning. Couldn’t get through. Called the main number to let them know, and they were nice enough to take it down on that line. When I went to pick it up, they couldn’t find it, even though the record was noted as “completed.” I told them to take a breath and not worry, a few minutes’ wait while they looked for it was no big deal. They were really scrambling with everything, which is completely unusual, because they’re always organized. And they’re always NICE, which means when they have their designated Rough Day, one cuts them slack. They’ve earned it. They eventually found the order, and it was all good.

Ran around and did all the necessary errands I would have normally spread out over the week, since we’re supposed to get another 3-6 inches of snow tonight into tomorrow. So, if it’s nasty out, I don’t HAVE to go anywhere.

The publisher told me to figure on a late summer release date for DIXIE DUST RUMORS, which sounds PERFECT.

I’m seriously thinking about joining SCBWI. Those of you who are members, would you share the positives and negatives with me?

I pitched for two jobs yesterday that, should I get them, would be tons of fun. If the money sucks, I’ll have to say no, but if the money is decent . . .tons of fun. I heard from one of the jobs this morning – they filled it, and now wished they hadn’t, because they think I’m better qualified; so we’re going to keep in touch and if something opens in the future, we’ll talk again.

So Citigroup got $45 billion in TARP money, none of which has gone to help consumers; instead, they’re spending $50 million on a new luxury corporate jet. I urge everyone to take the 5 minutes it takes to send an email to your senators and representatives to demand action on this. Citigroup should not get ONE PENNY more of bail-out money; not only that, this action should forfeit the money received, and they should be forced to return it. They shouldn’t have ANY corporate jets; let them take mass transit. This notion corporate executives have of their inflated importance, and that they must fly in private jets in case of terrorist attack, is ridiculous. No one wants ANYONE to die in another terrorist attack, but let’s face it, separate from that fact, if these corporate types do, the only ones who will mourn them are their friends and family – just like any other death. All of these companies will continue to run – and some will run better – without these top executives. Getting killed in a terrorist attack is not the way anyone wants to see them removed from their positions, but that fear and inflated sense of importance does not justify a $50 million jet. Citigroup cannot be allowed to get away with this.

These people can take the MegaBus for five bucks, just like everybody else. They’re worth the least of anyone in the company, actually, because they’re the cause of the problem, not the solution.

Finally finished Chapter 4 on the Billy Root story. It needs a lot of work in the rewrite, but at least the first draft is out, the information that needed to be communicated is on the page, and I can move on to more interesting parts of the story. I’ll probably rip it apart in the revision and figure out how to drop in nuggets of this info elsewhere, but for now, I needed it out on the page.

Back to CHANNELLING JIM MORRISON, and whatever else needs to be done today.

Abby, I answered your Mercury Retrograde questions in the comments section under the post. Amy, yes, Merc Ret affects travel – leave yourself lots of extra time for travel, expect screw-ups, be meticulous with your documents, and pack an extra book for waiting times. Diane, according to my calendar, Mercury goes direct on February 1, which is really unusual, because it’s usually about a three week retrograde. Because it’s so short this time, maybe that’s why it’s so intense.

Devon

Billy Root story – 10,083 words out of est. 60,000

10 / 60 (16.7%)

That Explains Everything . . .

Mercury went retrograde on January 21.

No wonder everything’s been such a mess!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Monday, January 26, 2009
New Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Sunny and cold

Back home, phew! Sunday was a quiet work day, much appreciated. I got a nice chunk of work done on The Lucy Gothic – I’ve written almost all the scenes I outlined. Now I have to percolate the next section of the book before I can go much farther. Did some more planning on both the third and fourth Jain Lazarus books. Did a nice, big chunk of work on the assignment for Confidential Job #1, which I think I can finish by tomorrow (it’s due on Thursday).

Was able to leave the site early, which meant I could get home early, always a pleasure. The cats were both relieved that I was home and angry because I left in the first place.

Started back in the Billy Root story this morning. Chapter Four really sucks. I’m going to have to do something about that in the rewrite, but, for now, I’m just trying to get through it.

I’ve got some errands to run, some more business correspondence to handle, job boards to search, pitches to write, and I need to get some work done this week on both CHANNELING JIM MORRISON and some monologues.

And I need ink. I’m out of ink.

I’m eager to get back to the revisions of ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT. As I mentioned a few days ago, it definitely needs work, but the meat of it is marketable, and, with the right revisions, I should be able to get it out on submission in the next couple of months.

The signed contract arrived for DIXIE DUST RUMORS, so I can start building the Jenny Storm web presences, do the photo shoot for the icon, and get going on that. It’s a relief to know that I’ve got two books coming out this year, and two plays slated for production (one currently running, one set to run in the fall). The fall play is already partially cast.

Devon

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Sunday, January 25, 2009
Dark Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Sunny and cold

Either I’m allergic to Manhattan or I’m coming down with a cold. I think it’s closer to the former — I’m not used to the lack of air quality.

Yesterday was fine. Busy site day, but hey, that’s why I’m paid, right? It was fun, so that’s all good. I managed to get out and walk around a bit — went down to Vosges for my drinking chocolate — Chocolat Parisienne, dark drinking chocolate with steamed milk served in a flute. They use a machine very similar to an espresso machine to prepare it. And it’s delicious.

Encountered more spoiled upper east side brats who did nothing to lessen my contempt for them. I stopped in at one boutique because a garment caught my attention and (wardrobe person I am) I wanted to see how it was put together. They had a statue inside and people left coins for good luck. A woman was talking to a clerk, trying to decide between two multi-garment pieces, each costing several thousand dollars. Meanwhile, the expensively dressed little girl (who resembled her, so I assume it’s her daughter), swept all the coins around the statue into her coat pocket. Her mother looked at her and said, “Oh, don’t do that; people will think we’re POOR.” Yet, she did not make the kid return the coins, which I thought was telling. There was also the girl who threw a tantrum in the middle of Lexington Avenue because she wanted candy NOW, not when she got to the party and various other children crying and whining at their parents around the 92nd St. Y.

I did encounter one kid, probably about 12, walking the family’s cocker spaniel, who seemed to have a brain, a heart — and a sense of humor. At the corner, both disgusted by the displays around us, we exchanged one of those looks you sometimes share with a stranger, where you know you’re both thinking the exact same thing.

It’s interesting how differently — in general — kids behave in the different neighborhoods. You’ve got these Upper East Side examples from the past few days. A lot of the kids I’ve come across on the Uppper West Side may be bratty and entitled in their own ways, but they tend to me more indepedent. It’s more “I do” than “Do for me.” And in Greenwich Village, even with rising prices and neighborhood changes, they tend to be the children of artists and writers and actors and teachers, people who encourage reading and education (actual education, not just the name of a school) and social activisim. So they tend to be sophisticated for their age, well-read, and interested in what’s around them than just themselves. These are, of course, generalizations based on my experiences. There must be intelligent, compassionate kids on the Upper East Side and narcissitic brats in the Village — I’m speaking in overall terms, on the law of averages I’ve personally experienced.

Did a little bit of work on The Lucy Gothic and hope to get more done on it today. I leave tonight to head back home to the cats. This job has been fine, and I’ve certainly collected plenty of material for future writing, but I’m looking forward to being home for a week before the craziness of February begins.

I’ve actually almost plotted out the whole fourth Jain Lazarus Adventure — which focuses on Jain and Wyatt and ties up some loose ends from Book 2, set to release in spring. Now, maybe, I can go back and finish plotting Book 3.

Devon

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Saturday, January 24, 2009
Waning Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Sunny and cold

If you opened the dictionary to the word “dumbass” yesterday, you’d have found my picture.

I had a few unexpected business things to resolve before I left for the city. It took, of course, longer than it should have — mostly due to a wonky computer. But everything got done, I shut everything down, picked up my bags, locked the door and walked to the train station. Waiting for the train, I realized I had to make a call. I reach for my cell phone and realize I walked out of the house without my purse. Which means no wallet, no train ticket, no money, no site keys — you get the picture.

Fortunately, my house keys were in my pocket. And I realized it before I got on the train, or THAT would have ended in tears.

I hauled everything back home, unlocked the apartment, picked up my purse, and hauled everything back to the train to wait for the next one.

It all worked out, but boy, do I feel like the Ultimate Moron.

Too much stress.

Train ride in was fine, but the bus ride up Madison Avenue was revolting, mostly due to the badly behaved, spoiled Upper East Side Demon Children who epitomize every lousy cliche of entitlement you could come across. One little boy, who couldn’t be more than six, screamed racial slurs at his Jamaican nanny. You know he had to learn that kind of behavior at home. Another boy, around eight or nine, pitched a tantrum because he had to stand for five blocks and said that all old people should be killed, and so should anyone else who didn’t give him a seat. I bet you their parents work in the financial industry. Just horrid, inexcusable behavior that demonstrates the worst of what this country represents, and shows what the Bush Administration has wrought — the sense of entitlement from those with money, who tried and succeeded in moving this country towards a Medieval-type Feudal society with lords and vassals.

It’ll take more than four years to clean up this mess.

Hopefully, those children will learn both manners and compassion before the Universe decides to give them a good kick in the butt.

Settled in (late) at the site job. Busier than I expected, but okay. Lots to do, not much time. Had a nice relaxing dinner and some good wine, and a fairly early night of it. I managed to tweak my back in all the ruckus.

Busy day again today, but hopefully less frantic. It’s getting colder again.

I forget how much noisier Manhattan is than outside of it, even quiet areas. I had trouble getting to sleep last night.

I should have a chance to work on The Lucy Gothic for a bit today, too, and get in some work on Confidential Job #1.

And, on a break, I hope to trek down the 11 blockx and get my drinking chocolate!

Have a great weekend.

Devon

Friday, January 23, 2009

Friday, January 23, 2009
Waning Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Cloudy and milder

The computer’s running very badly; hopefully, I can get this up before I leave.

I didn’t get much work done yesterday – a few pages on The Lucy Gothic before I went to my friend’s place to do laundry. I came back, cleaned the apartment, packed, attempted to do some work on the computer, but the computer wasn’t working properly, so, so much for that. Problems with both the internet and the regular word processing. So, if it wasn’t done in longhand . . .it wasn’t done.

I’m off to a site job in the city for a few days. Supposedly, I have internet access, but not word processing. I’m taking handwritten work with me, including the latest assignment from Confidential Job #1.

If I can, I’ll check in over the weekend; if not, I’ll be back next week.

My producer loves the rewrites on THE MATILDA MURDERS. Phew! I was worried, but then, I always am.

I re-read ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT, the draft of the romantic suspense novel I wrote over two years ago, to see if anything in there was salvageable. To my great surprise and delight, there is. It definitely needs work, but the characters are great, the details are rich, and the story, for the most part, holds together. With some work, I think it can be marketable.

I’m doing pretty well with my January To-Do List!

I did some work on The Lucy Gothic this morning. It’s pointless to delve into something composed on screen when I’ll have to put it aside for the next few days, so I went back to a handwritten piece that I will take with me.

Can I just say that our new President makes me feel like a total slacker, even on my busiest days? 😉 Fortunately, his To-Do list is far more important than mine!

Devon

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Waning Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Cloudy and milder

It’s supposed to get up into the thirties today, which is positively balmly compared to the weather we’ve been having lately. But hey, it’s January, and I prefer seasons, so that’s that.

Finished the revision on THE MATILDA MURDERS yesterday and got it off to my producer. Hope she likes it.. I’m having trouble with the logo file, which has delayed sending out the press release for the play that’s running.

Didn’t get much done in the afternoon, because the rewrite wore me out. I need to get a start on CHANNELING JIM MORRISON today and clear off some other business. I caught up on some email and other stuff. I’m kind of hesitant to start CJM because today’s the only day I can work on it until next week, and, for me, the first draft of plays need to be written in one swath. I don’t think I can manage a full-length in one day. I set up some of the stuff for the Jenny Storm name. I’ll put up a page on the DE site at some point next week, and, next week, I’m also doing a photo shoot for the icon connected to that name (the way the coffee cup, books and pen are the DE icon).

February’s site work schedule keeps shifting around. It’s a mess. I need to clone myself to get it all done, and, at the same time, I can’t afford (in every sense of the word) giving up any of these jobs. So I just have to be very, very, very organized.

A BOOK OF ONE’S OWN is wonderfully enjoyable, as always. No matter how often I read it (and I read it about once a year), I always learn something new. That’s what a good book does – it gives you more each time you return.

Yesterday was a tough day in regards to missing my grandmother. I have to remind myself that grief is a process. Unfortunately, we’re supposed to just have the funeral/memorial service/whatever and “move on”, instead of letting the process play out. We have to remember that it takes time and there’s a roller coaster of emotion involved in loss, and honor that.

On top of that, I listened to Saturn Retrograde (and my instincts) in regard to someone with whom I’ve considered working for the past couple of weeks. He pulled a trouble-making stunt yesterday that, while not aimed directly at me, proved to me we are not a good creative match. I’m disappointed, but I’m glad I trusted my instincts and took some “getting to know you” time to find out this is NOT someone with whom I want to work, rather than getting deep into a project and finding out at a point where I might be tempted to grit my teeth and just get through it. This isn’t something that can be negotiated and good middle ground found – we approach work and life from two very different points of view, which could either create a wonderful dynamic or a toxic one. My gut tells me that this would wind up being toxic, and I certainly don’t need to go down that road again. The payoff isn’t worth it. I have no interest in spending a lot of creative time with someone who has such a cruel streak. I don’t find cruelty funny.

I’m delighted that Hillary Clinton was confirmed as Secretary of State. Last February, a friend and I were talking about what we thought would be the best of all possibilities. She was a huge Clinton supporter; I hadn’t made up my mind completely between Obama and Clinton, although I leaned towards Obama, and I said I’d love to see Obama as President and Clinton as Secretary of State. I got my wish.

And kudos to NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Not only did he put the screws into AIG when they tried to spend the TARP money on more resorts, he’s forced United Healthcare to cough up for overcharging their customers. I believe Oxford is involved in this as well, and Aetna settled to avoid a thorough investigation. Cuomo and his office are really good at getting things done for the people of New York.

I’ve got another blog post up on the SDR blog. This one’s about the importance of silence. Enjoy.

I’ve got to get back to the page and figure out which pages I need to face today. And then I have to pack for the weekend’s site job. I leave in the morning.

Devon

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Waning Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

Well, yesterday was both exciting and exhausting, wasn’t it? Loved the inauguration speech, and I think most people will take it to heart, roll up their sleeves and get to work. The majority of citizens will take on the responsibility and the work to repair the problems in this country, but we need leadership in order to do so effectively. Now we have it, so let’s get to work. Wall Street, of course, ran scared because now they have to be accountable and can’t just scamper off stealing people’s money, begging Congress for a bail out and then spending it on themselves. And those dodgy last-minute resolutions The Great Pretender tried to push through have been put on hold for review.

Heck, I was exhausted from just watching it all yesterday! But if our new President can get out of bed and attack his workday with enthusiasm after such a long day, I guess I can get some work done, too, right? 😉

So, we’re in the middle of waiting for the parade and someone pounds on the door, scaring the heck out of all of us. It was the exterminator. We’ve been trying to get the Scumbags to bring in the exterminator for nearly two years now and he shows up without an appointment or anything on INAUGURATION DAY? Not exactly what you want prowling around in the middle of a lunch party, but I was so grateful to see the guy that we coped.

I got about a page and a half done on The Lucy Gothic, but that was it. I had the television on most of the day, whether people were here or not, and that’s something I NEVER do. I can’t stand having it on in the background as noise. And one cannot write effectively in front of the television. Trust me, you do it, and you won’t get published, because everything you write picks up the flavor of what’s running in the background. And, after what seemed like umpteen hours, I just couldn’t stand having it on anymore, so I shut it off and read.

I’m re-reading A BOOK OF ONE’S OWN by Thomas Mallon, which is about people and their diaries. If you’re interested in people at all, whether or not you’re interested in writing, this is a book you should read. I first bought it in 1986, and I re-read it at least once a year.

I’m back to tackling THE MATILDA MURDERS, which I need to complete and send to my producer before I leave for my weekend site job on Friday.

So I better get to work.

Devon