layangabi

...Which is why I've been incognito for the past couple of weeks on the internet. >.< Hi everybody. How have you all been?

I have not...really been to a marvelous party for three straight weeks, but I have had several marvelous things happen. Possibly things that merit their own posts.

1) I have a short story coming out soon, "The Widow and the Princess of the Dwende" via USOK. It's...OMG, you guys. It's a story that grew while I was writing "The History of the Enkanta" during Nano 2009. It's about matriarchal insect societies who are more than what they are, of people under Spanish rule, and the compromises and alliances they made to survive. It will have its own artwork --- the prospect of which still blows my mind and which I cannot wait to see.

2) I went to Aussiecon. With my girlfriend. YES I KNOW THAT WAS WEEKS AGO. D:

And oh my god you guys. I wish I had been able to write during the con, that I had had the energy to blog when we came stumbling home after the long, glorious days. Because (some weirdness with bookseller aside) it was wonderful. We met Cat Valente, Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman, Seanen McGuire, people who we've adored from afar. We attended panels on feminism in fantasy, cyberpunk and all of its cousins and and *squeeful noises.* Did I not tell you that several items on this entry merited their own posts? (Possibly their own subposts. Especially the hung Hugos. Kim Stanley Robinson, you are lovely man and a beautiful writer but you are a sadistic bastard D:).

3) We are picking up our girls on Thursday <3 <3 <3 \o/ I made their dry mix for them this morning. It has rat cubes, oats, pepitas, almonds, spelt, pearled barley and buckwheat, lentils and brown rice. I am looking at the plastic container Briony has gotten for it, and I am all :D :D :D

I am very, very grateful to friends who have looked after us, and fed us, held my hand when I was freaking out, and made was watch new shows v. pretty, very awesome and amoral people fight crime. I am grateful to friends who gave us a safe place to be, given us legal advice, and offered us networks, comfort, a shoulder to cry on, and an ear to listen to, to people who have commented online and expressed concern for our safety.

And also, cuddle their cats, be they skittish or be they sooks.


_bounce_, vivienne_aster, fnoo, minna, lena_supercat, everyone. I am grateful that you are my friends.

Not ours, alas. Briony and I are currently cat/flat sitting for our two wonderful friends, vivienne_aster and fnoo while they are abroad enjoying their honeymoon. So we are currently experiencing all the wonderful things we will experience when we finally (!) have our kittens.

For the first time in my life, I am experiencing what it would be like to have a cat as a writer's familiar, and you guys. Jabba (Who is affectionately nicknamed Jabberwocky) keeps jumping on the desk and crawling over the keyboard so I will stop what I am doing and pet him. He will then jump on my lap and grasp my arm. As in, he will put out his left paw and hook his left claw over my sleeve at the elbow. It is adorable. Because I am on a deadline, I had to eventually put down the law and refuse him access to my lap and the keyboard while I'm writing, but it was adorable. (He's quite put out about this, but I am making up for lack of desk-time by snuggling with him on the couch at night. And kitty treats, when he can stand to have them)

Lestat (who is Basement Cat) was cranky at us for a day or so for not being his person. (vivienne_aster did warn us this would be the case. But after Briony and I fed him, wooed with brush, kitty treats, and several meals, we have discovered his misanthropic reputation is (B: LIES! LIES AND TREACHERY he's just a big softy, really) He plays with his younger brother, has allowed himself to be patted, purrs very loudly to make his appreciation known. He's even rubbed up against our legs. Equally adorable (though more...cunning) are his attempts to gain access to Jabba's room by standing outside and meowing musically like Jabba. Which has worked. Once. I heard a meow, went to the door grumbling about cats and their inability to make us their mind as regards to in and out and found Lestat sitting where a Jabba should be.

Jabba meanwhile, wants all the attentions. NOW. NOW NOW. Which makes making sure Lestat gets love and attention too (which he does like, but is shyer and less devious about getting it) slightly more difficult. If we pet Jabba in Lestat's view, he will just sulk. But Jabbs will sneakily come up as if to rub himself against Lestat and take the pets for himself. If Briony and I are not careful, this sometimes results in two decidedly put -out cats. Briony is trying to be fair, and make it clear to Jabba that Lestat is entitled to his fair share of petting. He is not pleased.

In conclusion: CATS. OMG. I do not know how my father has dismissed them as evil misanthropes for YEARS. As in, ALL OF MY LIFE.

The DVD was free, Ok? AND IT WAS ALL BRIONY'S IDEA.

So. I loathed the movie as much I thought it would (James Cameron's thesis apparently being that if only all the colonized peoples of the world had somehow got together with their local wildlife, and found a Straight White Messiah then none of us would be having the problems that we do. 8} But...surprisingly, we did find things to talk about, and that there were things we liked about it.)

And there was Zoe. <3

( Cut for people who still want to watch the movie )

Hey guys is it just me, or did Diane Gabaldon delete her "fanfiction is evil and pornographic" entries? (and consequently, other folks' rebuttal of her arguments on her blog?

Dear everybody,

Cell phone just died. The day before moving. Trying not to have an aneurysm. Or an explosion. OMG.

Happy New Year's everybody! *hugs friends and best beloved.* I spent New Years with baby cousins (who are no longer babies), aunt and uncle, and then at grandmother's house with mother's younger siblings, baby cousins including one who, at six years old, unequivically qualifies for that category.

I also got to cuddle uncle's new Pomeranian puppy. Yes. My big macho, gun wielding "I am a manly man" uncle has an ickle Pomeranian puppy. Who is six kinds of adorable and was quite happy to be cuddled in the midst of the fireworks going on at the house. (Love. We NEED ONE.)

Resolutions. WHICH ALL OF YOU MUST HOLD ME TO.

1) I will finish the Disappearance. No really, come hell or high water, I will finish the damn thing. I will frantically write out part 2, go back and edit the bits of part I, and then I will let it sit, and then there will be final edits, and then I will send my reluctant brain child out into the world.

2)I will also finish and edit A Brief History of the Enkanta, which is 3/4s done.

3) Somehow, I will send a gazillion resumes in a day, and in a week. Possible five of them. Which will, hopefully, lead to a job

4) I will get a job. A wonderful job, at a library with wonderful people and wonderful books. Failing that, a job that pays me. :p

5) I will talk to my brothers more. Via email, chat, and drag Christopher out for movies and food and cafes. Even if I have to twist his arm. We're in the same city. The number of times we saw each other last year was ridiculous.

6) I will be less chicken. In all aspects. (that is a lie. But I will try not to let the chicken in me win).

7) I will also panic less.

Madame, permit me to wish you a very happy birthday.

So remember the typhoon that missed Manila and hit Northern Luzon instead?

It came back.

And it turned around and came back again

Rocket Kapre has more info, and some links on how to help. But Jesus, guys. Two super typhoons in the past month, and one of them decided we were a great punching bag. I would like it very much if we could catch a break.