[conventions] Write to Publish
Had a good time yesterday at Ooligan Press’ Write to Publish conference. ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=1)
kenscholes was there, as was ramblin_phyl, Jason Brock and a number of other folks. Plus I meant some neat new people, including Allison Moon.
It was a well-run conference put on by Portland State University’s student-run press. The panels were nicely moderated with some good questions. The mix of folks attending was rather different from what I see at SF conventions, et cetera.
I dragged a little more than I expected I would, due to pain and fatigue from Friday’s chest port extraction. Still, very glad I went. Wouldn’t mind going again next year if they do more genre stuff.
Tags: Cancer, Conventions, friends, health, Personal, Portland
Posted: 6:59 am Sun April 29 2012 | Comments(0) |
[cancer] Having the port taken out today
I’m off in a couple of hours to the clinic to have my chest port removed, for the second time. It’s a very minor outpatient procedure lasting less than an hour under local anaesthetic only. Which involves a doctor and a nurse digging about in my chest for most of that time, via an entry wound just close enough to my right clavicle that I can’t actually see what they’re doing. Fairly twitchy about that, even though I’ve had this exact procedure before. The last time, I was so nervous that I took two Lorazepam before I went in. By the time I got to the clinic, I could barely walk, I was so looped.
I think I’ll stick to one Lorazepam this time.
Of course, after mentioning last night to mlerules how well I sleep and how consistently I sleep well, I had a terrible night’s sleep. Though I wasn’t consciously worrying about the procedure today, I rather assume that medical stress played its part.
I’ve lunch with a friend from high school today, and I’m due at the Ooligan Press social tonight with lizzyshannon and the_child, otherwise I’d be tempted to pop two Lorazepam, call in a sick day, and sleep off the stress post-procedure.
So, yeah. Yesterday’s no writing was due to schedule whackiness (of the good kind, a nice potluck dinner, among other things) and me wanting a day of brain break between sections of Their Currents Turn Awry. It’s quite possible today will be no writing as well due to me being in a drug-induced haze and medically stressed out. Or not. We shall see.
Tags: Books, Cancer, Child, Conventions, Currents, friends, health, Personal, Process, Sunspin, Writing
Posted: 5:40 am Fri April 27 2012 | Comments(5) |
[travel] Heading to the Bay Area
I’m off later this morning to San Jose, and from there by car up to the East Bay area. Business meetings in connection to the Day Jobbe tomorrow there. I won’t be home til late tomorrow night, which makes me a tad grumpy, but there’s not much I can do about that except smile and fly.
Next month I am currently scheduled to be out of town 18 days. Plus the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival here in Portland taking up one of my weekends as well. Apparently when I am healthy, I am busy. Who knew?
And of course, June brings JayCon.
But for now, off to California.
Tags: Conventions, Personal, Travel, work
Posted: 5:42 am Tue April 24 2012 | Comments(0) |
[conventions|repost] Announcing JayCon XII
This is a repost, which I will roll forward about once a month through the spring
In celebration of my natal anniversary, JayCon XII, my 12th annual 37th birthday party, is Saturday, June 9th, 2012 from 2 to 5 pm at the Flying Pie in SE Portland. We’re partying because I was born, and because I have beat cancer again and again.
If you can read this, you’re invited. Prior JayCon experience not required.
Note that I am announcing this early because people always tell me, “You should have told me sooner!” Except for the people who tell me, “It’s too soon, remind me later.” (Sometimes these are the same people.)
Flying Pie Pizzeria
7804 SE Stark Street
Portland, 97215
(503) 254-2016
http://www.flying-pie.com/
[ Google Maps ]
As is traditional for JayCon, Paul M. Carpentier is specifically not invited.
Tags: Cancer, Conventions, health, JayCon, Personal, Portland, Repost
Posted: 5:34 am Thu April 19 2012 | Comments(1) |
[links] Link salad waits for the drums to stop beating
Review of Die Räder der Welt — At Phantasick-News, a German site. (Thanks to Marcel Bülles, my German translator.)
The Rejection Generator Project — The Rejection Generator rejects writers before an editor looks at a submission. Inspired by psychological research showing that after people experience pain they are less afraid of it in the future, The Rejection Generator helps writers take the pain out of rejection.
Mark Bourne Clarion West Scholarship Fund — A memorial for our dear friend. Check it out, and contribute if you can.
A View Inside the Sausage Grinder — Scrivener’s Error with more detailed legal neepery on the new ebook pricing lawsuit.
How My Aunt Marge Ended Up in the Deep Freeze . . . — Weird, weird piece.
Greenland ice sheet may be sliding away due to surface lake melt — Just a hypothesis so far (tip for denialists: what you like to confuse with “theory”), but more evidence of the inherent bias of reality in favor of a reality-based worldview. Weird, huh?
Roger Ailes: Soledad O’Brien Was ‘Named After A Prison’ — Ah, how I love the measured, thoughtful and rational tone of conservative discourse.
“Pro-Life” Community Very Upset More Women Will Not Be Collateral Damage in Their Religious Jihad Against Abortion — If they are so convinced they are right on the issue, why must they LIE about EVERYTHING? I would ask that of conservatives in general, and religious conservatives in particular.
If Romney Loses, the Republican Desire to Win the Presidency Will Trump All Other Considerations in 2016 — If Romney wins, it will be America turning a blind eye to the utter disaster that was the last period of Republican rule.
Mitt Romney thinks his wife lacks “dignity”? — Mitt Romney said this past January that he thinks stay at home moms taking care of small children are lacking in dignity since they’re not working real jobs. But Hilary Rosen!
Romney’s Live Mic Moment — But what stands out to me most is [Romney's] explicit statement of what seems to be his campaign strategy — remaining as vague as possible about what policies he’ll actually pursue. “I’m going to take a lot of departments in Washington, and agencies, and combine them. Some eliminate, but I’m probably not going to lay out just exactly which ones are going to go.” That’s because to get specific will alienate lot of voters. Nobody, not even Republicans, likes conservative policies when applied to them personally. Punishing the “other” is terrific GOP politics, but the reality is that even “real Americans” will get scorched of any of this ever turns out to be true.
Romney’s remarks on limiting tax deductions draw fire — Once again, conservative “ideas” aren’t popular when applied to conservatives personally. Removing the home mortgage interest deduction doesn’t punish liberal sluts or little brown people or the greedy poor, it punishes “real Americans”, and that will never fly with the GOP base. Republican voters like to imagine the cruelties behind which they rally will never apply to them. (See “the only moral abortion is my own” phenomenon for another glaring example of this deep hypocrisy inherent in the Right’s worldview.)
?otd: Got rhythm? Got music?
4/17/2012
Writing time yesterday: n/a (cancer stress)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 6.5 (fitful)
Weight: 240.0
Currently reading: Somewhere Else by Sally McLennan
Tags: Books, climate, Conventions, ebooks, gender, Language, Links, Mainspring, Personal, Politics, Process, Publishing, reviews, weird
Posted: 5:35 am Tue April 17 2012 | Comments(1) |
[conventions] Norwescon Day Four
Well, that was an easy day. Woke up, worked out, spent some time with lizzyshannon, packed, checked out, loaded the car with the help of the_child, hit the panel on book covers which was oh so ably managed by John Picacio, with supporting roles from Jack Skillingstead, Mary Robinette Kowal and me, then hit the road for home.
I hadn’t expected to write much if at all yesterday, but I did managed 75 minutes in back seat of Irene Radford’s car, pulling out 2,600 words of Their Currents Turn Awry. Given my state of mind and body, I doubt they’re very good words, but that’s what revision is for.
My next writerly appearances are a DAW reading in Seattle on the evening of May 10th, then the Paradise Lost conference the week after that in San Antonio. For now, I’m staying home, working on the book, and trying to keep my happy ass out of the oncology ward.
Tags: Books, Conventions, Currents, Seattle, Texas, Travel, Writing
Posted: 5:53 am Mon April 09 2012 | Comments(2) |
[conventions|cancer] Norwescon Day Three, meltdown edition
Well, that long delayed cancer meltdown I’ve been wondering about finally triggered yesterday evening. I had an overwhelming amount of programming yesterday at Norwescon, was tired from the previous two days, and generally was feeling my mortality.
I realized yesterday that about my favorite version of myself is the fun, flirty, fast-moving me who comes out to play in conland. I was on, more or less, that way the first couple of days of this convention. And this is only the second time since the summer of 2009 that I’ve been able to be this person I really like most to be. Cancer stress, cancer treatment and chemo fatigue have either kept me away from these events altogether, or had me attending on a much more limited basis. The only real exception, oddly enough, was Norwescon of last year. Even that was tainted by just having received the then-new cancer diagnosis.
And, well, here’s the new round of tests coming in eight days from now. I am terrified I’m going to lose another year of my life to this disease and its treatments. Lose more of what I’ve struggled to gain, just as cancer has cost me writing time, parenting time, an entire major life relationship, teaching gigs, speaking appearances, many of the things I love most in my life. It even steals my waking hours.
This disease is a fucking thief.
I let myself get overworked and overtired yesterday, and it all caught up with me. In turn, stealing my evening from me. Just like I’m so mortally afraid it’s about to steal another year of my life and those things I love most from me.
lizzyshannon and I finally did make it up to the DAW party for a little while, but my heart wasn’t in it.
So the main arc of my Norwescon experience ended with a miserable whimper instead of the usual Saturday night crescendo of partying and frenetic socialization. I’ve got a panel today, then we’re heading home, where I can go back to my quiet everyday life, and spend this next week wondering if I’ll be trapped there for another year. Cancer, or at least the stress of it, certainly stole what should have been the peak experiences of this weekend.
Tags: Cancer, Conventions, health
Posted: 8:24 am Sun April 08 2012 | Comments(4) |
[conventions] Norwescon Day Two
Yesterday was busier than Thursday, unsurprisingly. I took it easy and gave myself rest breaks, but still crapped out by 11 pm. I had two panels, “Breaking In” and “Discover Your Inner Idea Mill”, both of which were quite well attended. I also caught lizzyshannon on paneling, as well as her reading. Otherwise time was spent hanging out with friends, cruising the dealer room and whatnot. And resting.
I certainly don’t have the stamina I used to, before chemotherapy. Even just a few years ago I could burn through a convention on five hours sleep per night, and just rally every day with few breaks. Now, bouncing around this hard spikes my sleep needs up, and the rest breaks in my room have become a lot more important.
Annoyingly, I have six hours of programming today in an eight hour stretch. Which is about like to kill me. It’s a systemic problem with Norwescon scheduling — from a guest liaison/programming point of view, I only have three panels. But I also have the mass autographing session, and the two-hour time block for the writers’ workshop. Each of which is scheduled in a separate process. That all adds up. And I didn’t even get all the scheduling at one time in a holistic overview, so I didn’t put it all together in time to gracefully refuse some of the commitments.
Because of all this, I’ll be at the DAW party this evening, but I don’t know for how long.
See some, all or none of you around the convention.
Tags: Cancer, Conventions, health, Personal
Posted: 8:20 am Sat April 07 2012 | Comments(0) |
[conventions] Norwescon Day One
Yesterday was a fine day. the_child, lizzyshannon and I rode to Seattle with ramblin_phyl at the wheel. We got in pretty early, and after some small comedies of error with respect to rooms and logistics, everyone was settled.
The day was fairly kicked back until my reading at 6:00 pm. I was pleasantly surprised at how well attended that was, given the somewhat infelicitous time slot. My profound thanks to everyone who tuned out. Afterwards, the_child, lizzyshannon and I had dinner with bravado111 and tbclone47. Some rest time ensued until bravado111‘s reading. After that I hit the small press party, then wound it down.
Exercise and blogging this morning, then (hopefully) some writing time. Today’s a fairly easy day for me from a scheduling perspective. Tomorrow is overwhelmingly busy.
See some, all or none of you around the convention!
Tags: Child, Conventions, friends, Personal, Travel, Writing
Posted: 8:36 am Fri April 06 2012 | Comments(0) |
« Older Posts | Newer Posts »
