The voices in my head don't think they're imaginary

I got a haircut, and eight years!

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:27:59 GMT

I got my hair chopped and highlighted again, and it feels great. I can't do long hair anymore, not even 2-inch long hair. Especially not in this heat.

In other news, I totally failed to remark on the fact that my LiveJournal had its eighth birthday on June 13. Eight years of this crap, and somehow I still have friends. The mind boggles.

Now, I must go do things. What things, I will not say. But things.

My Head Hurts ...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:54:12 GMT

... and someone keeps blowing off M-80s in the street in front of my house. I wonder if the two things are connected.

My Daughter, The Bad Seed!

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:17:47 GMT

Yes, it seems that my one and only offspring, with her dimples and curls, is destined for a new nickname, "The Blonde Widow."

She was the only one in my whole family to figure out the "correct" answer to the following riddle:

A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met a guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing. She believed him to be her dream guy so much, that she fell in love with him right there, but never asked for his number and could not find him. A few days later she killed her sister.

Question: What is her motive for killing her sister?

Answer: She was hoping the guy would appear at the funeral again.

According to the original source, answering this question correctly means you think like a psychopath, and that "many serial killers have taken this test and answered it correctly." Thank goodness Snopes.com doesn't agree, or I'd have to start sleeping with one eye open!

My Labrador "Retriever"

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:38:45 GMT

My puppy has this whole "chase" thing sussed out.

So this evening (and a lovely warm evening it is) we're out walking along a deserted gravel road where she can roam off-leash. I've got the chuckit, and I'm throwing a tennis ball for her, and she's LOVING the chase. However, each and every time she finally runs the ball down, instead of bringing it back to me (i.e., retrieving it) she plops her furry ass down in the middle of the road, ball in mouth, and waits patiently for me to catch up.

I must say, I greatly respect this dog's intelligence.

It's the little things ...

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:21:18 GMT

You know, I hadn't realized how completely trained my daughter is to not bug to me when I'm on the computer until she started bringing untrained friends over to the house for sleepovers. I'll be sitting there, innocently typing away on a post or an email, and some 11-year-old will settle herself next to me ... peer over my shoulder ... ask me what I'm doing ... ask me who I'm emailing, and what about ... launch into some interminable and incomprehensible story about "The Wizards of Waverly Place" ...

Now I know how Mr. Wilson felt!

AAAALICE!

Tweet, Tweet!

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:00:50 GMT

00:16 Watching "The Sting." Amazingly, I've never seen this movie before! #
01:13 How can I not have seen this movie before! I was an f*ing film major, for hell's sake! #
01:55 Now I have the urge to see "The Hustler" again too. Young Paul Newman=so cute! #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Every cloud has a silver lining ...

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:32:47 GMT

I guess the Dandy Warhols are free to cover "Blackbird" now.

Whee!

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:07:35 GMT

On Monday got word from my editor at Bantam Spectra, the wonderful Anne Groell, that they're getting started on next summer's books ... of which The Native Star is one!

In the past 24 hours, I've turned (via email) a book summary, updated bio, and final MS for Anne's editing pile. I've also received a very detailed Random House author information form to be filled out by week's end.

I've heard it said that, from the author's perspective, the book publishing experience is 90% waiting and 10% running around in a panic. I can see what they mean.

However, I am not in panic mode because I worked on all of these things already, and so I had them ready to be turned around with quickness and dispatch. How did I know I needed to work on them? Because I have friends who have been around this carnival ride before (often many times before), and they have shared their valuable knowledge and wealth of experience on their LJs.

In honor of SF/F writer's day, I'm saluting SF/F writers from a slightly different angle. Here's to all the writers who've taken the time to pay it forward, answer questions, and blog about their experiences. Thank you!

Is this thing on?

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:31:34 GMT

So Readercon is less than a month away, and I still don't have a roommate to share my luxurious hotel room at the Burlington Marriott. C'mon, people! Work with me here! What do I have to throw in to cut my expenses? You want to share my granola bars? FINE. You can share my granola bars.

Anyone? Bueller?

UPDATE: I have a roommate! Yay!

Argh!

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:39:35 GMT

Google is *totally* failing me. Someone help me with this West Coast historical reference that I'm half remembering and mostly forgetting:

During gold rush days, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco were referred to as the three sisters. Seattle was the whore, Portland was the schoolmarm, and Seattle was ... what? The maiden? The nice girl who stayed home and knitted? WHAT? And am I even getting the first two right?

I know I've found reference to this quaint little attempt at categorization many a time, but for some reason it's now utterly gone from the interweb. And it's driving me right up the wall that I can't find it.

Someone, help!

UPDATE: Thank you for finding the answer, hhw!

Solstice / Father's Day

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:47:05 GMT

This year, husband requested that we make him biscuits and gravy, so daughter and I whipped up some scratch biscuits that turned out really well. The cream gravy turned out OK, even though all we had in the house was dried nonfat milk that we had to reconstitute, and ground turkey, which doesn't *really* do full duty for sausage.

In other news, we've had two or three big turkey vultures circling over the ravine next to our house. I wonder what they're after down there.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers on my fList.

"Push of the Sky" Reading at Powell's -- Awesome!

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:09:03 GMT

More awesome writerly times. It's beginning to feel like Summer Writer's Camp here in Portland, with cool stuff going on every few days.

This evening it was camillealexa's reading at Powell's Books in Beaverton. She read from her new collection "Push of the Sky". Buy it, people! It's a brilliant collection. My personal favorite pieces are "Observations of a Dimestore Figurine" and "Shades of White and Road." Oooh, and "Weird Fruits." That's a beautiful creepy kinda sad one.

In other news, I was also introduced to Peter, the SF organizer guy at Powell's, and I got to talk to him a little about the book I have coming out next year. Thanks to all my writer buds who steered me his way, you know who you are. ;-)

Tweet, Tweet!

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:01:24 GMT

20:43 I just found out that my agency finally has their new Website up! (Well, new to me at least.) Go, Curtis Brown LTD! tinyurl.com/kld3 #
20:43 Um, the tiny url in my previous twitter went to Google Pakistan ... why? #
20:44 For the record, here is the right URL (untinyfied) www.curtisbrown.com/index.php #
20:45 That was really screwy.. #
22:22 Bravo, you're losing me with your new summer shows. NYC Prep? Miami Social? Neither one really appeals, sorry. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Delicious sushi ... and TRAGEDY!

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:10:54 GMT

So the day was going swimmingly. I woke up, had some time with the daughter, did some serious plotting on a new proposal, then headed off for a delicious sushi lunch with karindira. On the way to sushi, a big gorgeous red-tailed hawk swooped low in front of my car, and it had a salmon in its talons, silvery tail still flopping. Wow! What an interesting and cool omen, I thought.

It turns out, however, that a hawk swooping in front of your car with a flopping salmon means you will discover that somehow, in trying to fix your BlackBerry which has been giving you problems and switching off at random intervals, you have deleted your entire address book containing lots of phone numbers you have stored nowhere else.

In short, it portends TRAGEDY!

I am tray desolay.

Wonderful writerly times

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:43:43 GMT

It's been a great writerly week. There was a Writer's Lunch on Wednesday, then jaylake's fantastical reading at Powell's Books last night (at which I spent WAY too much money on books, including an autographed copy of E.L. Doctorow's "World's Fair") ... and now this, from camillealexa:

from Portland Monthly:

Sky's the limit for Alexa

Attention local literati: We have a real writer in our midst. Camille Alexa’s debut collection of short fiction, Push of the Sky, which received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, is an exhilarating read. Her ability to juggle genres, including space western, mystery, magical realism, horror, and clock punk, is astounding. "

http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/arts-and-entertainment/category/books-and-talks/

Too freaking cool! And by the way, Camille is reading at Powell's Books (Cedar Hills) this coming Thursday (June 18) at 7 p.m. Be there!

Tweet, Tweet!

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:01:17 GMT

14:49 Some poor moth just committed suicide by flying into the wrong end of my fan. A rather dramatic explosion of particles ensued, alas. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Tweet, Tweet!

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:01:18 GMT

16:29 RT @eighteenmayors RT: @timpratt: Cat Valente needs help. Could just as easily be any of us. See bit.ly/edNC9 for details and hel ... #
19:50 Pollen, you little bastard. You've worn out your welcome! #
23:59 Just washed the dog, who smelled like poop. Now she smells sweet as a field of flowers! #
01:01 Not only does my dog no longer smell like poop, her fur is downright shiny and sparkly. It's almost worth the part where I got soaked. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

15 books

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:25:22 GMT

A meme, via coyotegoth: Don't take too long to think about it. List 15 books you've read that will always stick with you -- The first 15 you can recall in 15 minutes.

Here are mine, in the order I thought of 'em, but not necessarily my order of preference ...

1876, Gore Vidal
Burr, Gore Vidal
Main Street, Sinclair Lewis
Up In The Old Hotel, Joseph Mitchell
Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow
Master and Margarita, Bulgakov
Low Life, Luc Sante
Money Town (don't know the author off the top of my head - Someone Collins)
The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck
Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis
The Case Against the Fed, Murray Rothbard
The Blind Assassin, Atwood
The Beautiful and the Damned, Fitzgerald
Perfume, Patrick Suskind
The Adding Machine, William Burroughs

Attention Facebook Users ...

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:21:30 GMT

Everyone's probably heard about this by now, but it's news to me, so I thought I'd spread it around just in case. Apparently starting tomorrow night at 9:01 p.m. (that's Pacific -- 12:01 Eastern) you can log on to Facebook and select your unique User ID.

Me, I thought I already had a user ID. But no, this is a User ID more like LiveJournal's UserIDs, where you can type in:

http://www.livejournal.com/mkhobson

... and have it get to my blog. Facebook still uses some strange number system so you can't link someone directly to your Facebook page, you have to link them to some butt-ugly URL like:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1323465649&ref=name

So, after the changeover everything will be much neater and cleaner and more elegant. That being said, however, if you have a somewhat commonish name (douglascohen and johnjosephadams are two gents who come to mind) and you want to ensure that you get YOUR name, I'd advise getting on Facebook tomorrow night and staking your claim.

Even I, with a somewhat unique name, have come across other users in the Intersphere with the name MK Hobson. So, whatever. Just sayin'.

Find out more here: http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=90316352130

Tweet, Tweet!

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:01:20 GMT

23:11 Another dispatch from the 1930s: I spent a half hour this evening shuckin' peas. Later, I may do some a'pickin' and a'grinnin'. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Tweet, Tweet!

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:01:31 GMT

21:50 Online Canadian pharmacy, you rock. You saved me more than 50% on my Cymbalta prescription. Thank you, someone else's socialized medicine. #
21:56 Summer is here, according to the four screaming preteens in my living room. Dare I venture out to make dinner, or will they descend on me? #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Where do I collect my first $10 million?

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:52:29 GMT

Your result for Which Fantasy Writer Are You?

J K Rowling (b. 1965)

-1 High-Brow, -27 Violent, -3 Experimental and -7 Cynical!

Congratulations! You are Low-Brow, Peaceful, Traditional and Romantic!

J K Rowling is the creator of one of the present's great cultural icons, Harry Potter, and one of the best selling authors of all times. The Harry Potter books, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosoper's Stone (1997) and concluding with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007), set off a re-newed interest in reading in general among children, as well as increasing the perceived commercial potential of fantastic literature for children. Rowling achieved this by returning to good old story-telling (owing a lot to Roald Dahl, the grand old master of British children's books) and by being unafraid of mixing grand emotions and serious messages with comedy and adventure in her fiction, a combination that has made her books equally loved by readers of all ages. Though the value of her books is sometimes questioned by critics, it's obvious that she has been able to entertain literally millions of readers of all ages all over the world. This makes her one of the most admired fantasy writers of all times.

You are also a lot like Robert Jordan.
If you want some action, try J R R Tolkien.
If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, Mary Gentle.

Your score
This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs Traditional and 4) Cynical vs Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.

High-Brow vs. Low-Brow
You received -1 points, making you more Low-Brow than High-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, while a typical low-brow would favour the best-selling kind. At their best, low-brows are honest enough to read what they like, regardless of what "experts" and academics say is good for them. At their worst, they are more likely to read what their neighbours like than what they would choose themselves.

Violent vs. Peaceful
You received -27 points, making you more Peaceful than Violent. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you aren't, and you don't, then you are peaceful as defined here. At their best, peaceful people are the ones who encourage dialogue and understanding as a means of solving conflicts. At their worst, they are standing passively by as they or third parties are hurt by less scrupulous individuals.

Experimental vs. Traditional
You received -3 points, making you more Traditional than Experimental. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, traditional people don't change winning concepts, favouring storytelling over empty poses. At their worst, they are somewhat narrow-minded.

Cynical vs. Romantic
You received -7 points, making you more Romantic than Cynical. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, romantic people are optimistic, willing to work for a good cause and an inspiration to their peers. At their worst, they are easily fooled and too easily lead.

Author photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jk-rowling-crop.JPG Click the link for license info.

Take Which fantasy writer are you? at HelloQuizzy

A great weekend

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:42:40 GMT

Lots of fun stuff this weekend, including Jaycon IX, which was attended by many lovely people who I simply don't get to see often enough. Daughter and I made this for Jay (to bring together his passion for fiction with his passion for fashion:)

We also won the first signed copy of Jay's new book, "Green", by plying him with a spirited, if probably terribly off-key, birthday serenade. Daughter launched in to reading it in the car, which I considered quite a signal event, in that she usually sticks exclusively to manga. Oh, and the birthday cake, made by Jay's aunt & niece? Absolutely delicious. I've never had such a moist yummy cake. I wish I'd asked for the recipe.

A few other rather blurry photos (I needed to clean my Blackberry lens) at Flickr.

(Oh, by the way ... also at Flickr, some photos from Mansion Hill in Wisconsin ... I took a walk around before leaving Wiscon, and saw some incredibly lovely buildings. This ...

... is totally my dream house. Peeking inside, however, I see it's all been cut up into student apartments. What a goddamn shame.)

After Jaycon, daughter and I went to see "Up." I think it's my favorite Pixar movie so far. It's sweet and charming and really quite brilliant. What I love about Pixar is they don't stuff their movies full of horribly tired pop-culture "jokes" that just make you want to cringe. They tell strong, important stories and make them fun and interesting, and they animate them beautifully. No wonder they've had such wonderful success! Keep 'em coming, Pixar!

Let's see. What else. Slept a lot on Sunday (the cold is still not *quite* gone) and took the dog for a nice walk. I like this dog a lot. We learned a lot about effective (and ineffective) training methods from Butterscotch, and we're reaping the rewards with Sugar Cookie. She's reliably potty-trained, is solid on come, sit, give a paw, lay down, and up (to sitting from down). She's also just a darn sweet-natured pup.

Now I've got to get to work and make some damn money. All this fabulousness is not self-supporting, more's the pity.

Tweet, Tweet!

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 07:01:12 GMT

10:56 Watching the puppy hump her big teddy bear into submission. Oh, they grow up so fast! #
11:21 Now she's got her nylabone positioned between the teddy bear's legs and she's chewing on it. Good lord, my puppy is a porn star! #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Tweet, Tweet!

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:01:48 GMT

14:22 Yes, the 1930's are back again -- I'm darning a sock. #
16:05 retweet @aliettedb Virtual rent party for writer and fan Chelsea Polk, who just got royally screwed over by her roomie: is.gd/PkRu #
16:06 In other news, Alka Seltzer truly is the wonder drug that works wonders. #
18:07 Welcome to Mind Head. #
18:07 Happy Premise Number One: There are no aliens. #
18:08 Happy Premise Number Two: There is no giant foot trying to squash me. #
18:09 Happy Premise Number Three: Even though I feel like I might ignite, I probably won't. #
18:09 Keep it together! #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter