sundries

[rm]

Patty will be headed home to Ohio on December 17 and returning on January 1. I'll be on my own for New Year's which is a bit superstitious and odd for me, but I'll get her back on the first, so it sorta solves that too! And she'll be around to keep me sane for cruise packing on the 2nd!

Our household is in the midst of a full-fledged Plants vs. Zombies addiction.

Tonight we have a bookstore date to look at some travel books to plan our cruise excursions.

What really killed Jane Austen? No, it wasn't zombies.

in Lebanon there's a high suicide rate amongst domestic workers from abroad related, it is suspected, to abuse from employers.

The price of the gamble on gay rights. I came of age as a gay person during AIDS. And man, the 80s were weird: The Berlin Wall, Tiennamen Square. And I keep thinking, through that distorted lens of teen romance and tragedy and change on the news that part of the problem must surely be that while we are fighting for our lives, we're not actually goddamn acting like it, are we? Sometimes I think we are too used to losing to know how to win.

On the push in France to require digitally altered images of people to be labeled as such.

carlanime alerts us to the fact that Canadian quarters are not secret spy devices. Apparently, at one point, the US government wasn't so sure.

The solid security gates of NYC have been banned, but business owners have until 2026 more or less to replace them. This New York is a different country than the one I grew up in.

Doctor Who: Through Time and Space is out today from IDW and has a story by _tonylee_ and Paul Grist in it. See, he's not just your favorite malevolent presence at cons, he makes stuff too!

The Book of Harry Potter Trifles, Trivias and Particularities will be back in stock on December 5 with Amazon. You can order now and have it in time for the gift-giving holiday of your choice.

bentley tells me a friend of hers, doubtful_salmon is doing a stand-up comedy show in NYC in a location that, she hears tell (yes, this is true), used to be an S&M club. This says more about the horror of the life of a stand-up comic than just about anything else could (and that's no aspersion on the BDSM scene! Just on being a comic!). Anyway, now that my own joke has fallen flat, doubtful_salmon says it's at Comix on 14th and 9th on December 12 at "about 4:30 p.m." It's a private show (that I'm being exhorted to promote on LJ, so you know, for definitions of private), so you have to call to make a reservation at 212.524.2500 (she thinks). Ask about cover or table charges when you call, as the comic was unsure if there's a cover or if you just need to buy a couple of menu items or what (whatever it is, it's pretty cheap, that's the point there). (Pro tip: when promoting your stuff know precisely when it is and how much it costs and be sure of the phone number for reservations).

My day is going to be long and crazy, but there are two other cases of People on LJ I Know Who Could Really Use Your Help, that I'll be posting later. So you've been warned or some such.

Bristol: the waiting is still driving me mad.

WHY DOES OUR HOUSE SUDDENLY HAVE NO RUNNING WATER?

Dammit, I did not get a Yuletide pinch hit I really, really wanted. I sort of want to write the story anyway, but not sure if I will.

Comments

[drfardook.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I think we are too used to losing to know how to win.

My ex used to rant about this all the time from her work as a grant maker. She didn't give a shit about how right someone was, how important the work was, or how they were going to "raise consciousness" on the issue. She wanted a blueprint on how you're going to solve the problem and win the fight.

Feeling like you have the moral high ground often means you skip out on things like hiring lobbyists (which in many cases means hiring a republican firm), engaging in media tactics (robo-calls, misleading ads, etc), or utilizing the pulpit to get your message out. The Other Guys have no problems with these sorts of things.

So its an identity crisis. Do you want to act like The Other Guy to win?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Real politics isn't like the goddamn West Wing. The Obama presidency is the sad proof.

[drfardook.livejournal.com]

You know, I suppose I should watch that show at some point.

Which means I'd have to take up crochet or chainmail again. I've worked in interactive media so long I've lost the ability to watch things.

[elainasaunt.livejournal.com]

Keeping fingers and toes crossed for you re Bristol.

NYT analysis on gay rights: yeah, rationally, I know this is true, recent progress etc. etc. But damn, this struggle's been going on so long - I've been in it 40 years, as an ally, and if it's disheartening for me ...

Re French laws: after 30 years here (or, actually there - I'm in Italy for the moment) I've concluded that, on social matters, they are often not real laws at all but rather a means of testing the wind, of determining whether the society is ready for the development in question. See today's Guardian on gender parity laws, for ex.

[tdanaher.livejournal.com]

It's a private show (that I'm being exhorted to promote on LJ, so you know, for definitions of private), so you have to call to make a reservation at 212.524.2500 (she thinks). Ask about cover or table charges when you call, as the comic was unsure if there's a cover or if you just need to buy a couple of menu items or what (whatever it is, it's pretty cheap, that's the point there).

It's not really private. It's listed on the Comix web site and people can buy tickets ($10, cheap!) right here:

http://www.comixny.com/event.aspx?eid=507&sid=2410

I love Comix, it's my favorite club in town even more than Carolines. The ticket price is the cover, and there's a two-drink minimum. The food is pretty good, too.

[mizg.livejournal.com]

Out of curiosity, when / on what cruise line is your cruise?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Holland America, leaving on Jan 4.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Thnx! The more accurate pro-tip then would have been: "don't make rm google your shit, because she won't."

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

No running water? The suck!

I was afraid that would happen here. I usually prepay (overpay) the water bill since it's about $10 a month and you can't pay online and it's a pain in the arse. But I occasionally think I'm ahead but get a "you owe $10!" bill or something. I'm so paranoid about them cutting it off because I suck at mailing stuff.

[rm.livejournal.com]

We don't have water bills in Manhattan. So I'm not sure if they are doing pipe maintenance or what.

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

Free water!

I KISS YOU, AMERICA! :)

Yeah, probably some work being done. That happens here once every six months or something.

My lovely water company once upped the pressure without notice and blew out my washer hose, flooding two rooms. Enjoyable!

[vashtan.livejournal.com]

Our household is in the midst of a full-fledged Plants vs. Zombies addiction.

My boy recovered only by getting addicted to Dragon-Age. :)

[rm.livejournal.com]

I normally NEVER play video games, so this is a little weird.

[vashtan.livejournal.com]

There's a game for everyONE. At least one. I got addicted to Bejewelled something fierce on the plane to New Zealand...

[rm.livejournal.com]

I do go through occasional phases (I was big into Sonic the Headgehog) and do play Zuma and Bejeweled on my phone. But most of my video game love is for stuff from big stand-up machiens in the 70s and 80s. And pinball. Most of this home stuff isn't the same (also 3-D first-person game animation makes me seasick, which rules out a lot).

[vashtan.livejournal.com]

Similar here. Sometimes there is a game that just grabs me (Gears of War 1&2, Deus EX 1, Splinter Cell) and then I lose my life - just as bad as writing a novel. But I allow myself those because I think I can't work ALL the time, and it's just fun. Especially if the levels are well-designed and people actually put some thought into it. :)

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I hear you.
First video game I ever played from start to finish!

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I think we are too used to losing to know how to win.

I feel like that.
All the time.
At the same time, I feel like if I don't fight (even if it's a losing battle) I may waste away.
If there's something I learned over the past year it's that it is my life on the line, I don't think it's something that really touched me until the shooting, which is just horrible - how sheltered can you be?

The quarter sized spy

[newwaytowrite.livejournal.com]

"I don't think it is an issue of the Canadians being the bad guys," the Pentagon's counterintelligence chief wrote in an exchange of emails obtained this week by The Associated Press, "but then again, who knows."

That is so hilarious!

Now with regards to your book. Do you know if your problem with Amazon is the same problem happening on the Chapters website in Canada?

I thought maybe I would like to buy with some spare poppy quarters I have been spying, I mean saving?

Re: The quarter sized spy

[rm.livejournal.com]

No idea. The Amazon problem is actually because it sold out, and they are waiting for a new shipment (until then it's listed as how long it would take my publisher to send). The new Amazon shipment is due in on December 5, resolving that.

I'll drop a note to my publisher about it.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

14th and 9th? The old Hellfire? I hope it is a short stage. That place had such a low ceiling we spent most of our time flogging the light fixtures.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yes, I recall that as well.

Also what are you doing Tuesday? Ellen and Delia are having a reading and still want to meet the woman who almost made them cookies.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

I could do that. Where is it?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Down at the Seaport.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Kewl, thanks. I've got a minor diagnostic procedure Tuesday, so there's a small chance I'll have to bail, but since it's basically injecting painkillers I figure I ought to be at least as good as usual and maybe better.