Whaddaya MEAN You've Never Heard of Me?!?

Since Livejournal went the way of POTUS45, by which I mean, under total Russian control while pretending everything is the same as it's always been, I've not been able to read anyone's stuff. Drag. As a result, I spend even less time in the bloggerverse than I had been. Plus, Facebook is where everyone is. I mostly use this space for long rants or things I want to keep easy access to.

Anyway, writing for a living makes me want to write less for fun and pleasure. Plus my new desk is awesome, but my chair is now monstrously uncomfortable. I ordered the Queen of all Purple Cushions, but despite swarms of ads, they don't have any to ship. I'm told they won't ship for several more weeks, which is a drag.

I still don't know how to plot this screenplay properly, and my "writing partner" hasn't been partnering much. I was hoping an enthusiastic partner would inspire me to...I don't know, be more inspired. But no. So far I feel more frustrated, and more cautious because I'm aware that I have a tendency to railroad people and don't want to do that here.

Plus, POTUS45 still hasn't been impeached. His minions are protecting him at every turn, which is how we got into this mess in the first place. *sigh*

As many of you know, I've been blogging at Livejournal since 2002. When they sold their site to Russians who gave far less control over content, I started blogging at Dreamwidth and cross posting to LJ instead. I've always continued to read at both places, and to make sure my own posts make it there.

I have a pet conspiracy theory about Russia and our internet. It's one that seems increasingly true the more things happen in the world with President Cyka.  It seems super obvious to me that this Syria bombing is 100% fuckery to make us stop questioning DJT's many Russian connections.  And just like every time he gives a speech where he doesn't manage to sound like a sundowning mental patient...the media can't shut up about how "presidential" he's being.  STOP BEING FOOLED.

Even if he was being super Presidential, bombing some random base and killing civilians isn't going to make Assad suddenly be cooler to his own people.  Maybe if we were going to kill Assad or swoop in and take his Sarin and shit, that might make sense.  But we're not doing that.  We're shooting missiles that are killing civilians--in order to demonstrate how fucking awful it is to kill civilians.  And before anyone gives me that shit about how war has casualties, I'll remind you all that once again, we have not declared war.  As usual, we just started shooting shit up and daring the rest of the world to either join in or stop us.  And because most of the rest of the world aren't the buttinski's that we are, they don't.

Anyway...
I went over to Livejournal today to take down my account.  See, any digital info that's stored outside the US can legally be given to the CIA without any sort of authorization. So when I got a notice saying that there's a new TOS, I did not agree.  They also have a policy against "political solicitation."  I'm not 100% on what political solicitation involves, but I'm reasonably sure that I engage in it.  Even if I didn't, I'd prefer to have at least the semblance of privacy as I cling to the idea that no government agency is interested in what I'm getting up to online.  

My plan was absolutely to take my entire account down.  But in order to do that, I have to agree to the new TOS.  I do not agree, and I'm not about to say that I do.  If I agree, doesn't that mean they can keep a copy of all my old blogs?  But if I don't do anything, they already have my old blogs.  Presuming a reality where I've said things that would make Putin mad (like say, I do not like POTUS45 and think he's a lying cyka), I'd just as soon live in a world where that doesn't put me in danger.  I order a lot of delivery food, so poisoning me would be pretty easy.

And you know that guy loves to poison people.

For now, I'm not doing anything and will try to continue crossposting there.  Not sure if they'll let me though.  When I said "not now" to the new TOS, the only choice they gave me was "Log Out."  Pretty scary what happens inside of just a few years, right?  

Like many of you, I have a family. And within that family, there are a wide range of people, some of whom believe things I think are patently batshit. My favorite Aunt once told me she'd never vote Bernie because "he's a socialist." I have a cousin who swears the min wage shouldn't be raised because it mostly applies to kids working part time, and that Citizens United is a "free speech" issue. I enjoy spirited debates when I encounter beliefs like that, but I find not everyone is willing to discuss what they believe.

So today, my youngest cousin posts a hate video....( Cut for what prompted this post )

This led me to think that one reason it's so difficult to talk about racism is this idea white people have--that the only way to be "racist" is to be in a skinhead group, the KKK, or to liberally use the N-word. Kids, that's not so. Even if you've never uttered a racial slur, you can still be less than inclusive. Tim Burton probably does not hate minorities. There's no evidence to say he does. But that doesn't mean it isn't an issue that his movies have very few POC. Thinking "white" people/culture/hairstyles are "normal" and everything else is "other/different/weird/ethnic" is a problem in terms of race relations. So is presuming that every character in every book is white unless the author specifically says they aren't. So if someone tells you that you aren't being inclusive, or racially sensitive, or are being kind of a dick, they aren't necessarily saying you're Mel Gibson or Hitler. That doesn't mean you shouldn't hear them out. Though yes, you have free speech and can absolutely choose to tell them to fuck off.

To that end, I say: Ron Weasley.
JK Rowling made Ron Weasley racist on purpose, and for this very reason. He's not a Death Eater, he's one of the heroes. He's not a supremacist, but he's got issues with squibs (they have one in the family, but he's never talked to them), werewolves, giants, Durmstrangs (or maybe just the one who's sweet on his gal), and Slytherins among others. He's also fine with house elves in servitude and considers Dobby an odd man out (in fairness, so does Hagrid).
Ron isn't a bad kid. He's not malicious, though I do find him petty and tantrummy at times. I don't think he's hateful either. He just believes certain things because they make sense to him, and has never bothered to question it. You know, like how a lot of the people who go around talking smack about Muslims have never knowingly had a conversation with one--or if they have, they come away saying they're "ONE of the Good Ones." It's why the Washington Redskins logo doesn't offend people who have never been called a "redskin" out of hate. Why WOULD they understand it?

But after someone explains it fully, to respond by saying they're lying or being "overly sensitive" is...pretty racist.

When I hear someone say something overtly bigoted, the first thing I try to do is ask questions to make sure I got that right. "Are you being sarcastic? Are you saying he deserved to be shot because he took his earpiece out? Are you saying all Muslims want to kill us for our freedoms?" The answer to that question usually determines whether a discussion ensues, or a screaming match, or I just disable notifications for that post. Calling someone a "racist" is a bad idea most times, since no one, even members of the KKKlan, actually admits that they're racist. Besides, "racist" is a label we slap on a person to let them know we don't like their opinion. It doesn't help anything. Nothing is solved by calling someone a racist. But opening a dialogue? That might help.
It's hard to hear that you're not being racially or culturally sensitive. I hate hearing it, and my first impulse is to explain why I'm not. But dammit, if you've got any kind of privilege, you also have an obligation to acknowledge it, and to think about how life might be (or listen to people when they explain it to you) for those who don't have it.

People tell me it's "not worth it" to "argue" with people on the internet. I maintain that discussions can make all the difference in the world if both parties have some modicum of respect for whoever they're talking to. If I'm wrong, I wanna know why. I want facts or a fresh perspective that tell me why my thinking is wrong, and what I should have noticed that I didn't. I deserve the chance to say, Holy Shit, Long Duk Dong is TOTALLY racist, and I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner.
So yeah, if you begin by calling someone a racist because they posted a meme they didn't even read carefully, the ensuing discussion probably won't go well. But if you open up an actual dialogue you might actually get somewhere. Not always. Some people love being angry and hateful, it's like a fuzzy warm blanket to them. But usually, people just don't want to be afraid. If they learn why they don't have to, that might also help.

Ultimately, my cousin took down the fake video because she "didn't want to argue." I think that's a shame, because the ensuing discussion was a good read.

When I was a kid, if you really wanted to talk to one of your idols, it was a long process. You had to find their fan mail address, which could be very difficult if not impossible. Then you had to hand write a letter, find a stamp, get it mailed (at a mailbox), and wait...and wait...and wait...for a response that might never arrive. When I was a kid I wrote letters to Charles Schulz, Donald J Sobel, Dr Suess, Judy Blume, and a bunch more. I got a few letters back, though they're trapped at my mom's house. When I was about 11, I even wrote a fan letter to Scott Baio. He had a PO Box in Studio City for fan mail, which I found in a Tiger Beat mag. I never got even a form letter back. As a kid, I was sad about that. But now that I know what a gross, womanizing, Drumpf-loving goon is in RL, that sting is gone.

The point is that we only wrote to celebs we really liked a lot. It took a lot of effort and time. We did it because we were fans, and we wanted our heroes to know it.

But now...
Anybody with access to a computer or smartphone can Tweet at celebs in real time. Roughly half of said Tweets are complete asshole fodder. Telling people they suck and should kill themselves is Level One for a lot of these clowns. Unlike occasional stalker behavior from deranged fans (that no one really talked about until the girl from My Sister Sam was murdered by one such nutcase), modern celebs often get daily beratings. Robin Williams's children were hounded off Twitter within 2 days of their father's suicide. Those dicks that harassed Sandy Hook parents for "lying about their kids existing" started on Twitter. Twitter hosts murder threats, rape threats, doxxing (though I hear they're better about removing stuff like that now), and a bunch of other things we used to think only criminals thought about.

Much like men who want to show their dicks to virtual strangers (remember when that was a crime committed by a random pervert wearing a long trenchcoat with nothing underneath), stalking via the Internet is more popular (and less criminalized) than ever. Ditto hate speech. Anybody else find it insane that posting a pic of a nipple can get your Facebook account deleted, but threatening to murder the POTUS or calling him the N-word won't get you blocked from Twitter unless the feds get involved? I'm a staunch supporter of Free Speech, but with great power comes all the stuff Spiderman's Uncle Ben talked about.

And like LSD, the internet amplifies and distorts the shit we see and do every day. While we all know that the internet is incredibly helpful overall--it also allows some of the worst behavior on the planet to be widely seen, or even applauded. The immediacy of social media and the ease with which we're able to communicate with people the world over is being squandered, taken for granted, not truly considered for the opportunity that it is. A lot of that is due to people who live as if the Internet has always been there--for youngsters, it has. I started a Livejournal in 2002, in my early 30's. If that blog was a kid, they'd be old enough to have a smartphone and be on Facebook. Yikes!

Not sure what my overall point is. We can use the internet for good or bad, to help people or bring them down. We can use it to educate, inform, or to spread misinformation either deliberately or through apathy or ignorance. Is there a way to encourage people to make better online choices? Or at least, is there a way to truly hold people accountable (at least morally) for the things they say and do online? No, I'm not saying we should curtail speech. Wednes don't play that. But it's obvious that plenty of online assholes are only being assholes online because of the anonymity the internet affords them.

For now let me just ask--if you're only on Twitter to let female singers know that their asses are big, or to tell Jonah Hill that he's a "faggy asshole," maybe take some time to work on RL interpersonal skills before trolling total strangers. If you wouldn't say it in front of your three best friends or your favorite grandparent, don't say it to Lady Gaga. Besides, no one should ever insult Lady Gaga. She's amazing!

I finally, at long last, have my proper medication in hand after being more than two weeks without it. As of last night though, my psyche was pretty much broken. I was within a breath of telling H to "shut the fuck up and stay away from me," which is simply not how we speak to each other. But my brain was broken.

In weirdness news, I learned that there's a way to report people who steal your Tweets. One wouldn't think stealing Tweets would be a thing, since there's a simple button that lets you retweet. But for a few months now, there's a chick who's been copy/pasting my tweets, putting her initials in front--basically posting Tweets that look like she's telling me something I just said. But on her feed it looks like it's her own content. Why would anyone do this, aside from general fuckery? I do not know.
So today, after this person stole and copy/pasted my tweet about (of all things) reporting stolen tweets, I told her that I reported her. She responded as if she had no idea it was unethical to copy/paste other people's Tweets. She seemed to think that because she tagged me in "her" Tweets, that she was giving me credit.

I had to SMH and laugh, because I have a book client right now who I've literally spent hours with, trying to explain Twitter. But they still don't understand it. I realize that all social media sites have their own idiosyncratic elements that have a learning curve. But really?

Blue Cross Blue Shield can fuck right off, BTW. They decided to stop covering something I need. So instead of it costing $5 a month, the new "uninsured" price is $235 a month. Needless to say, that means I won't be getting it. I can almost understand why they wouldn't cover it. But I cannot understand how concentrated hydrocortisone could possibly cost that much. Fucking pharma-bros, all of them! I'm told that in other parts of the world, it's illegal to make a profit on medical supplies. Seems like common sense, right? Another way the US of A is teh oligarchy. Maybe everyone should shut the fuck up and stay away from me, at least until I feel more like my usual charming self.

Facebook is down. Please feel free to take some polaroids of whatever you're eating and mail them to me so I can see.

The season finale of Fear the Walking Dead is next week. I'm digging the slow burn, but am irritated that the little Johnny Deppish kid is still wearing the same old man clothes he stole from the hospital. Ridiculous.

I don't care what the wags say. I'm digging the hell out of Gotham and am stoked that it's back. Penguin is just delightful and Nygma gets better (and crazier) all the time. Sleepy Hollow is back soon too, though why it moved to Thursdays I do not know.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is back tomorrow. Yay! Can't wait to see Coulson's new arm.

Scream Queens is marginally entertaining, nothing great. I think it's for teenagers who think American Horror Story has too many references and old people. I don't care who the killer is, or what happens to any of these people. But I do think the killer is the main chick's dad.

American Horror Story is back next week. So. Stoked. Did a bit of research to find out who the hell this "Lady Gaga" is. She seems like an interesting chick, and someone I'll enjoy more as an actor than a singer--like Cher.

I have to make a listicle about American Horror Story by Weds afternoon. Taking suggestions. Normally I'd ask on the Facebooks, but it's down.

Good ol' Maude. If you know her in RL, tell her from me that she's awesome.

I really wish I didn't have to use Facebook sometimes. They are such lame pains in the ass about this name business.

As you may know, they logged me out of my account last Thursday morning, telling me I had to prove to them that I was using my real name. Why they couldn't just google me, I do not know. Since I use that name on both of my own websites, plus every online account I've ever had, it seems like that would be the easiest way. But no, they gave me one week to get my documents in order.

The next day I sent them their required ID (my wedding certificate, and 2 pieces of mail from different senders--neither of which were hand written). After 6 days, I heard nothing. Suddenly today, I'm locked out again. I resent everything, and am still waiting to hear. Now not only can I not use my Facebook account--I can't use any account that I usually sign into via Facebook. So no YouTube, no commenting on various websites, all that annoying shit.

And like an idiot, I have business correspondences that happen through Facebook, so I can't do some of my regular work. I don't even know how long this bullshit will take.

Funny thing, when I was paying them for advertising, or back when I'd occasionally pay for game perks--they had no such desire to confirm my identity. Now suddenly it's some huge problem?

Keep in mind, that this is a site that says right in their TOS that they don't have the ability to keep our info safe. Yet they want a pic of my driver's license (even though I don't drive), my marriage certificate, and all this other shit? Just to prove that nobody is impersonating me? Fuck that shit, Facebook. Fuck it right in the ear.

Worst of all, they couch these intrusive requirements as a matter of safety for me, and truthiness for them. Bullshit. It's as much bullshit as when Google tells me that giving them my phone number makes me "safe" when all it really does is increase the amount of scam texts and calls I get. All this name bullshit combined with their facial recognition software makes this something downright Orwellian.

So why couldn't they look over my shit when I sent it 6 days ago? Nobody knows. You can't talk to or even Email an actual person. I have roughly a dozen bylines using this name on different sites: LJ, DW, Kinkly, ZZN, Associated Content, Geekbinge, Puckermob, Articlecats, Disqus, and a few more that are eluding me at the moment, plus my own pro website, Amazon, Under the Bed, and The Horror Within, not to mention the scads and oodles of fiction I've published.

What a fucking pain in the ass.

My name is Wednesday Lee Friday, and I despise Facebook's bullshit policies.
And we have always been at war with Eurasia.

So Harold Ramis died.

No, wait...he didn't.

Actually yeah, he did.

What the fucking hell, man? I know that troll levels on the Internets can be both plentiful and passionate about fucking with people anonymously for no damn reason. It's like an entire counter culture made up of sociopaths who lie for fun. They couldn't ALL be abused children in denial--surely some of these trolls are just assholes at heart, right?

Seriously though, some of these trolls are like yelling FIRE in a crowded...world. Trolls of this type make people jaded, cynical, and angry. It's the kind of shit that desensitizes us and makes people unwilling to care about others. And before anybody gives me that "People shouldn't take the internet so seriously..." or "People shouldn't believe anything/everything they hear on the Internets" shit--let me remind you that the Internets are where most people get their news, do their socializing, and even work. Whether or not you think that's a good thing or a bad thing--people shouldn't be fucking around with that for "fun." If you think upsetting complete strangers with made-up bullshit is fun--get thee to a psychiatrist poste haste! Seriously.

Entire websites that are nothing but troll? Who thinks it's a good idea to build, fund, and maintain such a thing? What kind of sick mind thinks posting nothing but deceitful clickbait is a good use of time and energy?!? I really don't understand the mindset behind this sort of thing...other than general sociopathy. Really--what the fuck is wrong with people.

I have fucking had it with this shit.

Lots of you know that I'm a fan of Health at Every Size. This is a philosophy that essentially says I'm going to eat as well as I can, and exercise regularly. If that doesn't make me lose weight, so fucking what. I'm also a fan of Size Acceptance. This means that if you have some sort of problem with the size that I am, so fucking what. One might say I live on the philosophical corner of MindUrOwnBidniss Ln and HateElsewherePlz Blvd. One of the chick bloggers on FA and HAES I've enjoyed reading is Ragen Chastain. I've been reading her for a long while now. While I do think her blog is hella repetitive, I also think it's full of good information.

But here's the thing...
Like many blogs written with a concrete foundation in feminism, Ragen bends way the hell backward to not offend readers. Every opinion, every statement of philosophy, begins with a long disclaimer stating that just because she says something works for her--she's not telling everyone else that they should do it, or that it's the only right thing for anyone to do. I presume she does this because, on the internet, you can't say anything without someone jumping on you about it. If someone says "Hey, what a lovely sunny day it is" someone else will rag on them for being insensitive to people with skin cancer. If someone says "I lost weight and I feel great," others will undoubtedly ask how they enjoy being a tool of the diet companies. People are dicks, and anyone even remotely visible online needs to have a strategy for dealing with dicks up front.

But see, we all make judgements. I actually think the occasional shaming of idiots can serve to better the world, if only to encourage them to be a little less vocal in their idiocy. We all think that some people look better in certain clothes or with specific haircuts, would be happier dating different people, having a cat instead of a dog, finally admitting they're gay, watching HBO instead of Honey Boo Boo. We've all got opinions about other people and the things they do. Me, I can't shut up about mine.
Still, I don't think having those opinions makes me a hater. I'm not putting people down to feel better about me. I don't think even thinking ugly things about others does not make a person evil or mean-spirited. Own your judgements just like you own every other emotion--even when it doesn't make sense. Just like we eat foods we know are bad for us, miss people we know are actually assholes, we sometimes make judgements about people that we later feel guilty about. That's okay, really.

What's my point? I'm getting to that.
it's about my peeve: What I really, super, dooper hate.
When people pretend they aren't being judgemental when they are. I hate when people, even people like Ragen, whom I admire, do this. If someone you admire is doing something you hate (say, a fat sports hero going on The Biggest Loser) fucking say so. Otherwise, you get into this infuriating sacrificial-grandmother posture. Oh no dear, you just go to that party instead of playing cards with me like we do every Saturday. You make your own decision like the grown lady you are, and if I'm dead when you get back...well, that won't be your fault. You just went to a party.
This whole put-upon narrative of You can do any foolish, harmful thing you want...I'm not saying one single solitary word about it...not ONE WORD... thing is such utter bullshit. Prefacing your judgement with passive-aggressive ranting about how judgemental you're NOT being is uglier than simple judgement would ever be.
Why? Because it's dishonest. It also places the judger on a higher moral level than the person being judged--even though in most situations, the one being judged is actually the one being genuine. Look how judgemental I'm NOT being in the face of so-and-so's complete idiocy. I think it's their right to be an idiot so I'm not saying one word... in the middle of a post where you're saying a bunch of words about the idiocy you just said you weren't judging.

If you think people shouldn't buy or use Slimfast, say so. If you honestly believe it's harmful and dangerous-- don't pretend like you're cool with it either way, and will respect the other party just as much if they do the thing you're making it pretty clear that you don't want them doing. Disclaimer: I don't know Ragen in real life. I've not met her so I have no idea if she's the same in her blog as she is in person. She's certainly not the only person who fits the examples I've described. But it was her recent blog post that burst the dam on this issue.

All people make judgements every day. All of us. Even people like me who barely leave the house these days. I still make judgements about people based on what they say, what they do, how they respond to issues, what they say about their children. We all do this. There's no shame in it. It's how you navigate humanity. If you're constantly treating others in a way you wouldn't want to be treated--well, then you might be an asshole. Get that checked out. If not...relax. Having an opinion, even about other people, is normal, natural, and unavoidable. Opinions are actually part of instinct. We need them for survival, though this is less true on the internets

I'm what my mom used to politely call "mouthy." I've got lots to say, and I'm reasonably good at saying stuff--so I do. If I start becoming a pompous jackass, a rude bitch, or a mean-spirited asshat, I fully expect my friends to tell me that. No, that won't be a fun way to spend an afternoon. I can be rather defensive and difficult if I'm feeling insulted. But I also have enough introspective skill that I can look at the advice objectively and see if there are things I need to address.
I feel that improves me as a person the same way an aggressive editor improves prose. While I do have those moments of "Fuck you, really?" I end up a better person for it in the end. I was being a total snobby bitch about fanfic a while back, and a few people took me to task for it. It wasn't fun, but as I was out of line, it was an asskicking I totally deserved. Just because I hate something, people who like it aren't necessarily vapid morons with nothing to contribute to literature. Who knew, amirite? ;-]

So no, we shouldn't all go around thinking we know what's best for everyone. But if we've got something that we feel strongly enough about that we're sharing it with a wide audience--it should be truthful, honest. If it isn't, it's deceptive, which means it might just as well be manipulative.
Don't manipulate me, just tell me what's up.
I'm a big girl, I can handle it.

I am terribly sorry to hear of the passing of opalcat.

I plan to mock some stupid people in her honor.
And maybe be kind to someone too.

This new Kindle version comes with a sneak preview of The Finster Effect, which you should totally read if you haven't already done so.
Unless you're waiting for the paperback, in which case...gimme a minute--Jeez!


If you're only reading me here at Dreamwidth, or landing here via my website, you'll want to know that I have a goddamn Twitter. I'm still not good at summing up a thought in 140 characters. And I regularly embarrass myself by saying random shit to celebrities in the middle of the night. So yeah...I am there, and you can totally follow me.


In random confession news, my favorite David Bowie album is Never Let Me Down. It's also the only one you can buy in a bargain bin.

Yeah, I know I'm way behind on the whole Tweeting thing. I hate restricting myself to a single sentence, because you can't actually talk about anything. I'm following tons of celebs--the interesting ones. Except when I scroll down my Twitter feed, I just respond to them like I'm talking to my regular online buddies. Not sure if that's the best way to go. Somebody already told me I should leave the internet because I hate all things Evil Dead. Yeah, the internet is no place for people with shitty taste.
If you want to read my Tweets, they crosspost to FB and LJ, but I don't know how to make them post here. Yeah, I'm sure you're bummed.

Have you seen the greatest thing to happen in the history of horror television?
No? Then by all means, feast your peepers!


If you're in the mood for an announcement, you should know that both A Stabbing for Sadie and Kiss Me Like You Love Me are getting shiny new complete audiobook editions. They'll be distributed by the good people at Audible dot com, through my publisher at Macabre Ink Digital and Crossroad Press. So there. My widespread popularity is imminent. So get ready for a bunch of trollish commenters to tell me my work Suuuuuuuxxxxx1!1!1!! Because that's what happens when you get famous. I look forward to people judging my entire existence based on a single Tweet or post, and perhaps assuming things about my life based on a single photo.
That's gonna be awesome! Luckily, I've already worked a ton of customer service, so I won't be surprised at the shitty meanness of the public at large.

Putting together a series of articles detailing my career in phone sex. Also did a review of...well, I'll post it once it's up. Let's just say, it's been a long while since I've been able to write off sex toys as a business expense. ;-]

Hope to have S4S edits done by next week so I can seriously draft and polish Millicent Mixter's Guide. Been writing that in sections that I have not put all together. Stig and the Puppetman continues to be awesome. These days, all the comics are 4 pages long. I'll have a book in no time!

I'm signing a contract for a freelance gig that is essentially well-paid, per project content creation. It's cool, but not exactly my dream job. And I'm not sure how steady the work will be.

Was supposed to hear back on the job I was testing for. Was supposed to get an automated Email last night letting me know. I stayed up until 12am PST to get it, even though 3am on a Sunday is late even for me. Didn't hear. Still haven't heard. The site indicates that I finished the test, but no results. I are irked. It specifically says not to write and ask for results, but if they're more than 2 days late, I probably will. Right now they're only 18 hours late.

Also waiting on another contract that will allow me to make a big announcement. I imagine most of you have figured it out already. Plus, I told 3 people not counting H. I hate waiting, and I suck at it.

For movie night, we watched Hannah. I was hoping it would be pretty good. I ended up digging the hell out of it. Was worried at one point that the ending would flop, but I felt quite satisfied. H and I are fans of Eric Bana, and Cate Blanchette is great in everything. Tonight, H and I are finally gonna watch The Horde. Last week we checked out The Revenant, and thought it was pretty good, and I'll likely write that up for ZZN.
Speaking of ZZN, got some fun interviews coming up. A few of the kids from Zombie Hunter and a Dr Rotz who does a series of web vids that I'm finding pretty hilarious.

Michael Dorn is the Captain in the new Star Trek series.
Imma watch the hell out of it! (Of course, I said that about Enterprise but didn't actually watch it due to its lameness)

And finally Mel Hines and James L Grant have dropped yet another webcomic on an unsuspecting world. Failure to Fire is online as of today. It's gonna be awesome.

Trying to finish a short story draft today that I intended to finish by the end of last month. Oops. Can't seem to get around to all the anthologies subs I want to sub to. Ah well...
Still not sure how to set up the reveal. It's pretty damn creepy though.

Reviews are still trickling in for my various books. Funny how I haven't put out a novel in over two years, and people are reading my stuff more than ever. Reviews are largely positive, and I'm nowhere near the point where I want to avoid reading press on myself. I really need to get my Finster packet together so I can go about the task of securing an advance. I wish I could just pay someone to do everything but the cover letter. That just feels like cheating to me. Funny considering how many times I've written college papers for cash--back in the day.

If you missed Neil Gaiman's recent interview with Stephen King you really should check that shit out.

Game of Thrones is still super badass. That little prick Joffery better not live out the season. I'm with Robb, I really don't care who rules as long as it's not him. We shall see, I suppose. I don't really like watching a show where I have to constantly resist the urge to go to Wikipedia and find out what's going to happen. It requires a level of self restraint I simply do not possess.

Gonna check out an extreme horror movie called Farmhouse on DVD. Still can't really afford to see Cabin in the Woods or The Raven yet. And the early word on The Avengers is that it's extremely ordinary. I welcome you to confirm or deny in the comments.

I have a 3-day weekend I plan to fill with Short Story writing, reading another big hunk of this AMAZING book that is changing my life and confirming a bunch of shit I already suspected, making thanksgiving casserole for H because he asked for it, baking banana bread for the day-job, and applying for freelance gigs. I'll watch The Comedy Awards, Game of Thrones, and roughly half of whatever FOX is serving up on Sunday. I will also be resisting the urge to order more sushi, and figure out why this goddamn blue will not stay in my goddamn hair.

Livejournal peeps, the site is working like ass (again/still) and not letting me comment. I have plenty to say, I'm really not ignoring you.

Question: What causes the phenomenon where after an hour+ visit with someone, one or both of you thinks of a zillion more things you HAVE to say after you've gone to the door and opened it, so you just stand there conversing in full earshot of any neighbor within 5 meters of their front door?
Seriously. It's rampant.

Been thinking in the shift in how I spend my time online. As it happens, I'm on Facebook more than anywhere else. That's not necessarily how I want it; it's just where everyone is. I still pop by DW/LJ, and I hit up Google+ mainly to wait for people to show up. I haven't figured out how to get a decent feed that shows posts in chronological order. That might help. I don't like that I can't go back and find Facebook conversations I had a month ago. I don't like how much information I'm entering but have absolutely no control over. I can't put my finger on my fear--since I'm not really hiding anything from anyone. I just have a feeling that all this sharing is going to come back to bite me later, and I'll wonder how the hell I ever could have been so stupid and naive. After all, humanity is always coming up with new and terrifying ways to exploit the vulnerable for profit.

Watched both parts of Appropriate Adult, the BBC movie about Fred and Rosemary West. As far as I know, I've read or watched all available material on this case. Godawful parents are a speciality of mine. This movie didn't come close to the true horror of the case, the family, the crimes, the victims. Emily Watson, the chick from Red Dragon, was the main character, as some sort of civilian helper for criminals--some kind of barely trained social worker I guess. She was great in it, but the movie itself was just a big dud. It implied that all sorts of facts about the case weren't known--stuff I'd already read about years ago. I don't get it, and I didn't like it.
The most striking thing to me was the treatment of the main characters partner (live-in bloke but not married). He was bi-polar and went off his meds. So the MC calls an ambulance and says "My partner's bi polar and has gone off his meds. He's having a manic episode." So the ambulance picks him up, takes him to a nice hospital where he has a private room. He stays there until he's better. And when he gets out, his job is waiting for him with no reprimand or judgement whatsoever. He starts taking his meds again, and everyone moves on. As an American, that knocks me on my ass. How much healthier would our country be on the whole if we had such a reasonable attitude about helping the mentally ill? How many less people would be in prison? How many less drug addicts who deteriorate slowly over years of dysfunction and unhappiness? What am I saying? If Facebook is any indication, people can't even agree that gay people should be allowed to be gay--let alone that people are still worthy of dignity even though they're mentally odd.

Scaling back on everything but The Finster Effect, as I am in the home stretch. No more freelancing for a bit. May even skip a podcast, we shall see. TFE is shaping up nicely, just like I keep saying.

New TV season starts soon. Yay! This season, I'll be watching
(or at least saving to the DVR or catching On Demand):
Criminal Minds
Dexter
Boardwalk Empire
The Walking Dead (I know...I can't resist)
Person of Interest
Sunday night FOX
and we'll probably keep going with Falling Skies whenever that comes back, midseason I'd guess. H also wants to start downloading Fringe.

Sleep Study on Wednesday. They were supposed to send me some paperwork that still hasn't arrived. I called, and they sent me a link to download it, saying that it often doesn't arrive until the day before. Front page, it says you have to give 48 hours notice to cancel (everywhere else on earth it's 24 hours). If you don't, they charge you $200 out of pocket. Fine, fair enough. But if that's the case, shouldn't they be telling you that within 48 hours of your appointment? *sigh* As my great-grandpa used to say That's how they gitcha!

New Zombie Zone News interview is up. This week: James L Grant. Some of you local types may know him as flemco. He's what my mom would call "mouthy," which made for a great interview.

For someone behind on deadline for a new novel, I've certainly been doing a lot of frivolous shit lately. The novel is fully outlined (by "fully" I mean, all the way to the end with no expected major changes. May add a chap from a character I wasn't expecting.) and the redraft is coming along well. I don't really have much farther to do, it's the first pass of editing that will make me want to die inside...a grandiose punching up if you will. That's when a passable story and some tolerable characters magically morph into people you adore and don't want to die--and then we watch many of them die horribly while the survivors suffer through it.

My paid account finally ran out at Livejournal. I swear, if LJ had been what it is now when I joined, I probably never would have started blogging in the first place. Seriously. No wonder nobody fucking uses it anymore, it's nothing but ads. Slow, page filling ads about shit that I could not possibly care less about. Cars? Really?

Ordered that Fantasia box set I've had on my wish list. Those stupidheads at Disney are putting it back in "The Vault" at the end of the month. The Disney Vault, in case you don't know, is what they call it when you have to start paying collectors prices for movies within 6 months of release if you don't buy them when Disney tells you to. It's also where they keep Song of the South, I imagine. Anyway, the set is very pretty and sounds awesome, even if it is edited. I do think they should not label something as "original" if it is, in fact, edited to take out racism.

Watched The Social Network finally. It was pretty good, though not terribly factually accurate. Dug the soundtrack. Dig Justin Timberlake. I can't help it.

Was given a book about the making of Psycho, which most of you know is one of my top-three fave movies of all-time (the other two being the original Night of the Living Dead, and the first remake of The Ten Commandments). The book was garbage. It began with a whole chapter on how Ed Gein was this huge "mass murderer" and killed all kinds of women. False! It went on to say that Robert Loggia played Sam Loomis in Psycho 2. Double False. There is virtually no info on Anthony Perkins, and 3 chapters that go on and on about how they covered up Janet Leigh so she didn't have to be nude in the shower scene. Like I care. So...feh on that.

Working the day-job until 9pm. Then home to make H and I some stir-fry with a yummy peanut sauce. Then, Daily Show and Colbert, then, back to work. Aside from a few short visits, it's gonna be all writing all the time for the rest of the week.

You may have noticed that I'm still here at LJ despite my rather dramatic announcement from last week. You may suspect that because LJ reversed it's choice to allow sharing of our locked posts, that perhaps I would just go ahead and stay. This is emphatically NOT the case. I fully intend to make the move over to Dreamwidth. They have some cool features and do not appear to be dickheads. So that will be good. My weekend was filled with fun and productivity, so I simply did not have time to do it.

Friday night custardfairy drove me to a party at sarahmichigan's place. We watched a terrible "scary" movie, and there was food, wine, and hilarious and stimulating conversation. I totally have a girl-crush on a chick I met there.

Saturday night I finally mixed my new podcast ep. The day-job has been kicking my ass and I haven't had as much time to do my real work. absinthofheart took me out for a feast at Red Lobster--which is her fave chain restaurant. I had an amaretto sour, and many, many shrimps. Then back to my place for Lips on the Xbox. Once in a while, *I* get to be the loud, annoying neighbor. ;-]

My website hits are way, way down. Having to switch to every-other-week is hurting me much more than I thought it would. I am bummed, but as my main actor for KMLYLM simply cannot get me chapters every other week, this was really the only solution. Once again, fame eludes me and I'm feeling far too impatient to wait for it.

I have one week left to finish watching Season 5 of Criminal Minds. I want very much to be caught up by the Season 6 premiere on the 22nd. I have ten episodes left, and they are all on my iPod. *insert profound and relevant quote here*

Almost ended up with a 4-day weekend. But then I remembered that I require money to buy the things I want to have. Like groceries and meds. I'm off tomorrow and back to work on Monday, so that's still gonna be sweet. Tonight I'm having fun, getting some cartoons off the DVR and putting them on some discs. Got a bunch of fun things planned for the weekend, parties, recitals, shopping trips and visiting the bro. I'm gonna bring him my famous mexican dip, because he's never had it, and some kind of fancy dessert--maybe a Pepperidge Farm cake. Those are surprisingly cheap and good. I'm also going to cut new versions of Chaps 1 & 2 of the podcast for the new book. I have some much cleaner, better versions of the vocals. I'm stoked.

Any of you guys check out Home Movie? My God. It is terrifying. Even my saying that is kind of a spoiler because you wouldn't really guess that it gets as crazy as it does. Yikes. The direction and camerawork are quite good. My copy was kinda shitty, but I thought it needed more light a lot of the time. I can chalk that up to truthiness and scariness, but as a viewer, I was straining to see more. That's probably just what they wanted. *sigh* This movie has some chilling performances, unbearable suspense, insane music. It's Dark as Hell. I am not kidding. LOVED it.

I also intended to watch Martyrs this weekend. But the version I got lost the subtitles when I converted it for iPod. Sucks. I can't find a version with subtitles, so I'm hoping someone I know has a DVD of it. I work less hours in the summer and I can't go around buying stuff like I like. My love of shopping is why that Pet Society game on Facebook is so damn much fun. Or I guess I could learn French. Pierre Boulle has eluded me for far too long anyway. ;-]

Speaking of NOT buying things, I'm about to run out of both paid time and extra userpics. I doubted the staying power of LJ when there are so many other popular places to hang out online. But dammit, I'm in this for the long-haul. I likes it here. There's plenty of smart people around saying cool things. There's also lots of wankers spouting nonsense and serving as a cautionary, virtual example. So yeah, if anyone feels like hooking me up with a month or two, it'll be well utilized.

In case you haven't heard, I'm contributing to the new blog by League of Extraordinary Women of ParaNormal and Horror. Yes, that's a long title. But we have a lot to tell you's, so you might as well settle in. I chat it up about horror, movies, a lot of the stuff I'd mention around here, but more objective and (dare I say) professional--and less personal. Feel free to sign up if you can possibly bear to read more of my ravings.

And finally, please enjoy this Burger King placemat that people get to use when they aren't in Los Estados Unidos:


Clicky-Grande

I changed my background gif to something that's less likely to induce a seizure.

You're welcome.

Also, that guy who was LaFayette at the Vampire Ball just hit me back on Facebook.
Turns out, he's straight. I would not have called that...especially since he knelt down before Voltaire on stage and later kissed this guy dressed up as Andrew Squigmond from Laverne and Shirley.
It was so cute!


In other news, I'm working 5 whole days this week, plus I have an interview on Weds for a new magazine that's local to my town. They want to interview local authors, so that is me. Very glad I just got some new publicity pics taken. Also, working with a local minister about doing some community outreach stuff on the importance of writing and communication skills in general.

My work is having a chili cook-off on Friday. H has been edgy about how much money I'm spending on marketing stuff, so I'm not going to do any more money intensive things for a while. I have spent much, much more money trying to market myself than I actually make selling books. It's a bummer, especially since I have so many more talented friends who seem to be doing a whole lot better than me for a whole lot less money.

As you might imagine, I have a ton of books leftover from the weekend. So if you are local and you need to buy one, hit me up. That's my new slang expression I'm picking up. Like it? ;-]

Several (read: many) people with journals completely in Russian have added me, then disappeared recently. Some of them are spammy things for hot girl on girl action, some are just weird. Anybody else getting this?

Python problem worsens in Florida. Python genocide in effect. Sad, but I've talked about this before. I do think it's dumb to mention the baby killed by a pet python in an argument about pythons in the wild. Their choice seems to be either kill the pythons, or watch as the pythons kill native species. When I read about it, I vacillate between feeling very sad, and hopping mad. It really, really bothers me.

In cheerier news, We're ALL GONNA DIE!!!! Brahmans must be losing their goddamn minds round about now. I gotta say, I'm not looking forward to the social discord that may well follow (or precede, I forget how that works) this thing. Anyway, keep your eyes peeled! Myself, I'm looking forward to watching footage of this amazing eclipse on the internets.

Speaking of Teh Internets, this next vid comes courtesy of a bunch of peeps on the Facebook. It used to be that people dreamed of having access to music or movie making equipment. Often, only lucky or well-connected people would be able to get near such things. This meant that people did not squander that access. Movies and music were mostly created for either serious self expression, or a serious desire to make money. Now that lots of people have access they are able to dick around with such equipment and do frivolous things with it. We, the viewer, are then treated to some amazing and wonderful stuff with (arguably) little or any cultural value. This, for example:



It's like some kind of wonderful grungy rick-rolling.

Even though I'm trying not to pick up any new shows, I did give Life on Mars a try last night. It is based on a BBC show, so the concept is solid, and the cast (Lisa Bonet, Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli) is well put together. Other than that, I was not very impressed. It seems pretty clear that the lead guy is actually in a coma and has not really time traveled to 1973. I'm gonna give it a few weeks and see if it falls into it's groove.

I'm about to lose my "extra userpics" on LJ, and I can't decide which ones to keep. In fact, I'm not even sure how many I will get to keep, I got lot of free ones for being an upstanding contributor or whatever. How do I find that out? Anybody know? I'll look into it when I'm at work today. I have a feeling it's going to be a long, slow day.

Last October we had free shipping at work, so we were crazy busy. I missed half the month though, because I was busy getting married, having a honeymoon, and making a life with my beloved H. But our sales goals are the same as they would be if we had free shipping. Needless to say, no one is fussed about the very real fact that we will not make our sales goals this month.

My buddy Steve will be getting an LJ soon. Details to follow. He is trying to increase his online presence because he is writing a book. So we'll likely see him around soon.

( here's a Halloween meme )

It looks as if I will not be doing the NaNoWriMo this year, much as I might like to.
Well, I may surprise myself. I haven't gone through my idea file yet, I need to.
Any of YOU doing the NaNo?

EDIT: Okay seriously, stop sending paid time and userpic time, you anonymous wonderful people!!!

Had a swell weekend out of town. It was chilly and windy, but also sunny and nice. Never quite made it onto the boat, but got a lot of reading done, saw some deer, and ate lots of yummy food I'd never get to eat around here. Plus we watched Dan in Real Life. It was kind of ordinary, but a fun watch all the same. Later, there were fire works. Nice.

wednes's LJ stalker is zenithberwyn!

zenithberwyn is stalking you because they have nothing better to do with their time. They are also stalking you in real life. Look out!

Kids love marijuana...still. I find articles like this both infuriating and sad. Kids are starting with drugs younger and younger. Why? Are they as goddamn miserable as I was when I started (I started with alcohol, and didn't smoke weed until college, but I drank a LOT)? I sure hope not. I guess I just find it sad that eighth and ninth graders find it necessary to use drugs. Does that make me a hypocrite? I don't think so, just a sad Wednes. I feel like nobody is giving kids proper information about drugs, so they don't learn the difference between things like pot and drinking (which are still pretty dangerous if you don't know what you're doing) and pain killers and huffing, which will fucking kill you if you aren't really careful. Also, where are teenagers getting Vicodin and Oxycontin in the first place?!?

My friend bought Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for me yesterday. I just have to go pick it up. There are quite a few DVD's I'll be needing, including LOST season 3, Simpsons Movie, and Rob Zombie's Halloween. I'm hoping I'll like it more the next time I see it. I'm also thinking of picking up the directors cut of 1408. It has to be the directors cut though, because the theatrical version has a terrible, stupid ending.

TV has started to suck really badly since the writers strike. Not only can I not have Daily Show and Colbert, but H can't even have Bionic Woman. Everything is being replaced with game shows or "reality" TV--which I always knew didn't actually have writers. It almost makes me want to be a scab.

I've come to a conclusion about this whole LJ kerfluffle. I really, honestly, for realsies don't care about people flagging accounts. It all sounds like some kind of masturbatory party for soccer moms and other won't somebody please think of the children types with nothing better to do than trying to censor the internets. Of course, the policies are hysterical, unclear, and pretty stupid. But that doesn't really affect me. I guess in the end I don't care that much; even though I get the feeling I'm supposed to be outraged and yelling about free speech and adult content. Kids shouldn't be reading porn online, nor should they be posting naked pics of themselves. And face it, furry and Harry Potter fanfic usually isn't very good. Maybe somebody can tell me what there is to be so upset about???

Anywhoo, I'm off to work, two hours early.
I guess I'm just a sucker for punishment.

Do I understand correctly that Six Apart has been suspending the journals of those posting about their past history of sexual abuse? That they are suspending locked communities where consenting adults are engaged in age-play? All this in the name of catching pedophiles (who we all know are really over at MySpace anyway)? ;-]


Once again I'll go on record as saying I'm against pedophilia.
But is this right?
I mean, I know they can do it. But I think we all expected that they'd be a bit more discriminating and go after people who are actually a danger to children.

Funny, I've always taken a no age-play stance in my own comm erotillectuals, and people used to get lippy with me about it. No more I suppose. LJ agrees with MEEEEEE!

Seriously though, WTF?






While I have you all here, do any of you guys wanna be Wii buddies?
Let me know and we can trade Wii #'s by Email.