COVR award

Magic Power Language Symbol has won the COVR award in the category of magic.

Blogtalk Radio Interview

I had the great good fortune and honor of giving a radio interview with Dina Vessi on her show this week.  If you have some urge to hear my voice, here’s an opportunity.  Recordings of my own voice give me heartburn, so I sat in the next room and heard a muffled version through the wall as my partner listened to it.

Ahh, much better

Finally, something is coming.  It’s spotty but it always is at the beginning.  I kind of see each writing project as a series of islands arising from the ocean floor.  At first, you can’t see how they’re connected, but eventually the whole thing comes up and you see it all as a whole.  That metaphor sounded much better when it was still in my head.

In other news, evidently you can buy my second book at Target.

Bleh

This new book just — ain’t.  It’s not flying.

Geh.  I hate writing some days.  Well, actually, most days.  Still, better than anything else I could be doing.

I think the issue is, I have three book ideas in my head at once, but they’re all kind of similar and overlappy.  And none of them has that handle to them that makes them exciting to write.

Ahh, success

Look at that!  I came in two days before the deadline (the extended deadline, granted, but still).  For me that’s pretty good.

Star Trek

I just went to see Star Trek, in an effort to get an idea for this article I have due soon.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get an idea, but halfway through the movie I found myself muttering:  “Wait.  There are canyons in Iowa?”

Ah, well, I was entertained.

Yup, I’m a slacker

I feel sheepish.  Blame it on grading, if you like.

I’ve been kicking around an idea for another book — I mean, after the novel I’ve been gnawing on.  I kind of want to explore what the point of magic is — why we do it, what it’s for.  That sort of thing.  Then I can dive into epistemology and other long Greek words, get paid fifty dollars for a year’s work, and feel a sense of accomplishment.  Sorry, I’m not bitter.  I’m actually kind of perky.  But if I sold out, I thought I was supposed to get some money, damn it.

What I Did Today

Installed windows — over, and over, and over.  Until it worked.

Also finished a really good book on magic, which I’ll review on here shortly.

Grrr

I’ve been wrestling with Windows lately.  It seems to have become unstable on my (very expensive and ludicrously overpowered) home system, so I tried system restore to last month, before the instability started.  It worked fine for a few days, then crashed epically, with two blue screens in one day followed by a freeze up with no escape and a refusal to boot thereafter.  I finally got it running in safe mode, then restored to an even *earlier* point.  If this doesn’t work, I’m going to have to reinstall windows.

How can anyone sell a product that fails so randomly and completely and frequently?

Today’s Lunch

Okay, it has nothing to do with magic, but I’m bored and want to introduce a new feature.  It beats grading papers.

In order to save money, I’ve been bringing lunch to work rather than patronizing the sandwich cart.  Our office kitchen is — limited.  Therefore, I’m stuck with one-package microwave things.  I picked up a bunch cheap at Target, of all varieties.

Today’s was the Taco Bell Home Original Salsa Chicken Bowlz [zic, I mean, sic].  It is Mexican-style rice, refried beans, zesty tomato salsa with white [gray]-meat chicken.  Now 30% more chicken!

I hesitate to imagine how much chicken was in it previously, as I counted six bits.  Wait, I don’t have to hesitate.  I can do math.  Originally, we had 4.6 pieces of chicken.  Woo!

The beans were hard, the rice more like rice pudding (although it was the best part).  How the hell anyone got the idea that salsa mixed with chicken is, in fact, a dish I have no idea.  It’d be like selling “ground meat with catsup!  American style!”  I suppose that does exist, but shouldn’t.  The chicken was mercifully gristle-free and actually not too bad.

Price <$2.00

Resemblance to Dogfood on Initial Inspection: 65%

Guilty Pleasure (1-5):  3

Calories:  290 (45 from fat)

Still hungry:  No.