Jay Lake: Writer

[calendula|cancer] Points North, and the weekend

calendula_witch and I are heading for Points North in a few minutes. This is where I get to meet the family. I have promised not to wear my underpants on my head this time. I will be partially or fully offline through Sunday night, so further updates will be irregular at best. Writing time may also be at a premium, but as I’ve already met the week’s goal, that should be cause for only minimal alarm.

In other news, my mom is fine. ER visit was a false alarm.

In other other news, the inside of my head is a complicated, scary place cancer-wise, with the chemo train now building up a head of steam at the platform. When I understand myself a little better, I’ll talk about the emotional process, as I do. For now I’m happy to love and be loved and have a distracting, still-healthy weekend.

Tags: Calendula, Cancer, family, Personal, Travel

Posted: 9:15 am Fri July 03 2009 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad heads for Points North

maryrobinette is liking of the Green [ Powell's | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders ].

newroticgirl liked Green maybe a bit too much

Moving the goalposts — My last Tor.com guest blog post from the recent run.

Carnivorous Clock eats bugs, begins doomsday countdown — Brings a whole new meaning to the idea of a “mainspring”. (Thanks to lillypond.)

The danger of safety — Road, rail and air crash comparisons.

?otD: Where is Mendocino County again?

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7/3/2009
Body movement: 60 minute urban walk (Buena Vista Park and back)
This morning’s weigh-in: n/a (forgot to get on the scale before I showered and ate)
Currently reading: P.S. Your Cat is Dead by James Kirkwood

Tags: Books, clockpunk, Green, Links, Personal, Process, reviews, Travel, weird, Writing

Posted: 8:53 am Fri July 03 2009 | Comments(1) |

[cancer] And so it goes

More news today from my oncologist. Unless something crops up to contraindicate, we’re committing to chemo. This is based on the MRI results, and her further discussions with my cancer surgeon about my case.

I have some followups in San Francisco the week of 7/20, including further imaging studies of the various sites, and a full chest imaging to evaluate the lung spot and see if there are more lung spots.

I meet with my Portland oncologist on 7/27 to formally prescribe the chemotherapy. On 7/29 I have the chemotherapy orientation class. Sometime thereafter (as yet unscheduled) I will have the port put in — I’ll be a Harkonnen! — then commence a six month course, with a break at midpoint for evaluation through further imaging studies.

So sometime in early August I’ll be entering the magical land of chemo. This makes WorldCon very iffy, though we’ll look at scheduling issues. I’m not going to delay treatment just for the sake of a Con trip, but if it all fits together, that can be my hurrah. I am probably good for all commitments before then. On the plus side, I can probably get the first draft of Endurance wrapped before the killjuice starts melting my brain.

In other news, my mom is in the ER in Portland tonight with a blood clotting issue which is not particularly serious now but needs to be addressed before it becomes serious. I, of course, am in San Francisco, and my sister is at the Washington coast.

Never rains but it pours around here.

Tags: Cancer, Conventions, family, health, Travel

Posted: 4:08 pm Thu July 02 2009 | Comments(4) |

[writing] Endurance progriss riport, day 19

5,400 words in 2.25 hours today, to 85,400 words. I’ve made my week’s goal, having reached 19,500 words since Monday. This will make my weekend with calendula_witch and her family more relaxed, because I won’t be feeling pressured about writing.

Well, less pressured.

( A WIP for today... )

Tags: Books, Endurance, Writing

Posted: 2:08 pm Thu July 02 2009 | Comments(0) |

[cancer] Top 10 reasons why cancer is like the zombie apocalypse

10. Cancer strikes when you least expect it.
9. Like a zombie lurking in your basement, cancer is with you no matter what you do.
8. Cancer scares the hell out of everybody around you.
7. Cancer isn’t contagious, but it spreads anyway.
6. Cancer turns your body into an enemy of the state.
5. Cancer makes the familiar terrifying.
4. Cancer is always on the wrong side of the locked door, with you.
3. No matter how hard you hit it with a shovel, cancer can come back.
2. Somehow there’s always blood involved.
1. Cancer eats your braaaaaaiiiiiiin, no matter where in your body it’s happening.

Tags: Cancer, Funny, health

Posted: 4:54 am Thu July 02 2009 | Comments(1) |

[links] Link salad is pleased about the long weekend

The toaster project — A British artist tries to build a toaster from scratch. More here. (Snurched from Freakonomics.)

Stunning new technology allows parents to hold a life-size model of their unborn child — Weird. And cool. (Thanks to danjite.)

Can Aging Be Solved? — Gerontology pioneer Leonard Hayflick discusses the biological causes of aging.

Volcano awesomeness from Bad Astronomy Blog

You say Burma, I say Myanmar — A post on the cranky_editors group, pointed out to me by garyomaha. The action is in comments, with special guest appearances from danjite.

“The only chance we have as a country right now is” for bin Laden to “detonate a major weapon” in U.S. — And conservatives wonder why the reality-based community thinks they’re crazy. Remember, Beck is a major figure in Your Liberal Media. Amazing what that liberal bias gets up to.

?otD: Why not Minot?

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7/2/2009
Body movement: 60 minute urban walk (Twin Peaks!), 10 minutes of stretching and meditation
This morning’s weigh-in: 215.5
Currently reading: P.S. Your Cat is Dead by James Kirkwood

Tags: Cool, Culture, health, Links, Personal, Politics, Science, Tech

Posted: 4:45 am Thu July 02 2009 | Comments(0) |

[cancer] A bit more progress (or not)

Spoke on the phone today to the oncologist from my core team in Portland. The MRI read is back in, and supports the cancer diagnosis without being fully conclusive. She indicated she was leaning toward confirming the diagnosis and proceeding with chemo, but that my case would go before the tumor board (again) tomorrow. I’m expecting a call from her after that meeting, which will open some doors and shut some others.

This news was very upsetting to both me and calendula_witch. Not much has changed in truth, not yet, and this is the path we’ve both expected, but it feels as if we’ve passed a tipping point into a much darker place.

More tomorrow.

Tags: Calendula, Cancer, health, Personal

Posted: 6:08 pm Wed July 01 2009 | Comments(1) |

[writing] Endurance progriss riport, day 18

4,300 words in two hours across two sessions today, to 80,000 words on the manuscript. A little distracted due to cancer news, but writing eases my mind. It’s like meditation. Or fulfillment.

( And the WIP for today... )

Tags: Books, Endurance, Writing

Posted: 5:49 pm Wed July 01 2009 | Comments(1) |

[links] Link salad surveys the middle of the week

Finding life in the ice — Exobiology!

Japanese Ironsmith Creates Bulldozer Out Of Fiat 500 — Automotive madness at its finest!

The Chaplain General — Cool art from Ellis Nadler.

To everyone who wants prayer in American public schools — What he said.

?otD: Is it hump day again?

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7/1/2009
Body movement: 60 minute urban walk (Twin Peaks!)
This morning’s weigh-in: 220.0
Currently reading: P.S. Your Cat is Dead by James Kirkwood

Tags: cars, Cool, Links, Personal, Politics, Religion, Science

Posted: 4:56 am Wed July 01 2009 | Comments(1) |

[writing] Endurance progriss riport, day 17

5,000 words in two hours today, broken over three more abbreviated writing sessions. Manuscript is now at 75,700, and I’m at 9,800 words towards my week (Mon-Sun) goal of 17,500. Also, passed the pivot point in the plot today, which means a while lot more action happening now. Set up? Set up? We don’t need no more stinking set up!

( And some WIP for you all )

Tags: Books, Endurance, Writing

Posted: 8:20 pm Tue June 30 2009 | Comments(2) |