25 August 2007

Counting Foxes

I only just now finished word processing chapter 16 of White Foxes, Full Moon (or whatever it's going to end up being called). It now stands at 47, 425 words, plus chapter 17 and the beginning of chapter 18 in longhand. Perhaps I'll get more done tomorrow. We'll see.

I also did something I meant to do ages ago and sent a nice letter and chapter one of The Coming of the Fairies (the YA novel formerly known as Taken, 1941) to a literary agent. I don't expect this particular agent is even accepting new clients, but I figured I might as well begin at the top and work my way down. Whatever transpires, I will report it here.

And in a little less than two weeks, the new school semester begins. Damn, but this summer has gone by so fast! As usual, I didn't get nearly as much done as I had hoped. I will try to get a few more small projects finished in the next couple weeks, plus working away at my print book projects and at getting my little printing press up and running (much cleaning of cast iron with steel wool shall ensue).

Here's what my school week will look like as of the second week of September:

  • Monday 13:00 to 15:00 AHIS3200 History of Photography
  • Tuesday & Friday 13:00 to 17:30 PRTM3106 Intermediate Lithography
  • Wednesday 13:00 to 17:00 PHOT2500 Lighting Workshop
I'll have Thursdays free, and I'm hoping to add Relief Printmaking to Tuesday nights (18:00 to 22:00), but it's currently full with a long waiting list. I'll still be working at the VRC, and I hope to get my hours in Monday, Tuesday and Friday mornings (well, maybe not Tuesday if I end up getting into Relief). It leaves me Wednesday mornings for either working on About stuff at home, or continuing to help organize in the printshop. That depends on a variety of things.

13 August 2007

For Anyone Counting

I've started working on White Foxes, Full Moon again, though I've come to the conclusion that only the first section will have that title; I'm going to need something else for the whole thing. Maybe. I have 44,043 words so far, plus a final chapter I may or may not use when I get that far, and a chapter that is so far only in longhand.

It has been really really weird, and rather distressing to have not written anything besides school things and work things for something like a year. I imagine it must be something like a musician unable to play music. But then, I'm not a musician, so I really have no idea. Anyway, it's a relief to be writing again, though I don't know how long I'll be able to keep it up. I'm actually thinking of trying to do NaNoWriMo this year, if it turns out (as it well might) that I only have 12 instead of 15 credits of classes this fall. But that remains to be seen.

Now if only I could get working on Fey again. I actually have a couple of pages drawn but not inked.

LEGO! Indy!

Your must-watch video of the week (unless you've never seen Indiana Jones or Star Wars or don't know who Harrison Ford is or even what LEGO is): Lego Indiana Jones. (Warning: you will laugh.) (Unless there's something wrong with you.)

09 August 2007

Arr!

For all your piratey needs: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

05 August 2007

What Have I Been Doing?

Funny how, when I theoretically have all this time to blog, I still don't get around to it very often.

So, what have I been up to . . . I already wrote about the one class I took this summer. Now that that's over, I'm working 10 or so hours a week at the Visual Resources Collection (aka the Slide Library, alias the Non-Print Collection) at school. Though it's not exactly an exciting job, the necessary tasks are varied and my co-workers are fun, so I really, really like working there.

I'm still doing my About online job, though feeling guilty for not working on it as much as I had planned over the summer. It's still fun, too, even though I haven't received any free review games lately. Exciting things are happening with a redesigned PSP model due out in September. I'm probably going to wait until October, though, and see if I can snag one of the Star Wars bundles in which the PSP is white with Darth Vader's head on the back. I'm not nearly as big a SW geek as I used to be, but Darth Vader. Of course, I'd really like one of the Japanese ones with the Final Fantasy design on, but I'm not going to pay extra to import one.

The other thing keeping me occupied is helping my book arts teacher tidy, sort and organize the Dawson Print Shop at school, one morning a week. Last week we sorted out ink and threw out a lot that was too dried up to be of use. I came home with six cans of black ink that are dried up on top, but salvageable if I dig out the dried bits. I figure probably close to half of each can is salvageable, and since one only uses small amounts of ink at a time, it should probably keep me going for a while.

And that ink will some in handy because this summer I splurged on a printing press. It's a little Kelsey Excelsior. I'm not sure of the date, but it's an oldish model. The chase is only 5x8 (inches), but any bigger and I wouldn't have been able to afford the shipping (assuming I could find one with a seller willing to ship). It's only little, so it doesn't take up a lot of room (it's currently occupying the top of a tv stand), but along with the two nipping presses, the sewing frame, board cutter and various other bookish equipment, I'm starting to think that a studio would be really, really nice. I'm working on cleaning the rust off (it's old and cast iron, so there is rust), and waiting for new rollers to arrive. Now I just need some type.

I finally got a PS3 last month. The price dropped and Future Shop had a deal where you got a free Blu-Ray movie (I got the second Pirates, since I didn't have it on DVD yet). And there's a mail-in on Blu-Ray players, including the PS3, for 5 free movies. Of course, I looked a day or two ago, and for the same price you could get a bundle with a vertical stand and a game, which would have been nice, but I'm not unhappy with what I did get. Of course, now I need a decent tv. My cheapo 13" lowest-possible-resolution just doesn't do it. I can barely make out the text on the screen (sometimes I have to guess at words from their context). A small flat-screen should do nicely . . . I still have my birthday FS gift card from Dad & Cat, which I meant to use on the PS3, but the sales guy was talking so fast and also mumbling that I had to use all my concentration to figure out what he was saying and I completely forgot about the gift card. I had thought I'd go and get the new animated Hellboy and maybe Final Fantasy I for PSP, or maybe series two of the new Doctor Who, but if I use it and the $25 off coupon I got for getting a FS credit card, and wait until August 19 at 5pm when all tvs are 10% off, and buy the less expensive brand, I think I can afford a 19" HD tv. But we'll see. The one I'm considering can also be used as a computer monitor, so I'll probably also sell my flat screen monitor when I sell my desktop Mac. Then, if I really need a big monitor, I can hook my laptop up to the tv.

Yes, well. I plan.