it's snowing again

Another six to ten inches tonight. That's snow once or twice a week since Christmas. Pretty impressive! I don't mind having snow around for a month or two straight. I love snow. But I wish we wouldn't end up with those frozen-solid mounds of it on the sidewalks that you will either slip on or break your toes on. Am I the only one fearful of encounters with the wild snowmounds of NYC?
Anyway. I feel like I should be working on something. A radio play episode. Finish typing that short story. Clean out the fridge. Make a dent in the bag of clothing I have to handwash. But so far, all I've manage to bring myself to do is type a little. Is that such a bad thing? I've got three hours still until bedtime. That's so much time! I could move mountains in three hours! . . . Or, well, I could maybe knock out some sit-ups, get the fridge cleaned out, and stare at the radio play episode for a bit. Maybe that's more reasonable. And at some point I'll go sit in the falling snow with a warm coat on and a glass of red wine in hand. Because that sounds nice.
Tune in next time for a brief discussion on the third book I've read this year. In the meantime, stay warm, talk hard, and enjoy the snow!

oh, the places I've been

visited 17 states (34%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

baby it's cold outside!

14 degrees right now, to be exact. At 10 am. Brrr. I'm cozy in the apartment with some sporadic space heater assistance for now, but I've got brunch plans at noon. And you know what? I'm going to walk all the way there and home again after. I'll bundle up. I love a freezing day with wide open blue skies and air so frigid that taking a breath is like a drink of ice-cold water.
I've got a lengthy to-do list for this weekend, as always. But I'm taking time out for me, too. I slept in this morning (until 9:20!), and will do it again tomorrow. I've got a freelance deadline Monday, so we'll see how that goes. But I'm enjoying the project, and looking forward to reading the rest of it.
Lately I've really been craving a simpler life. Just me, a small cottage, some wilderness, and a whole lot of creativity and art. Doesn't that sound lovely? And perfect? Sometimes I just want to crawl into the photos that Terri Windling posts on her blog. She lives in a cottage in Dartmoor. Rima Staines lives in her village. The Frouds and William Todd-Jones live somewhere nearby. It sounds like a dream world, a fantasy land brimming with everything I could ever ask for.
So how do I make that happen for myself? I'm not sure. Ironically, I don't feel like I can afford to live somewhere like that. Literally. I think that maybe the best thing I can do for now is to keep living and loving and creating and reaching out to other creative people. It's a tricky thing, this life we live.
It's time to be off. I do feel that a bigger web presence is important for me to have, but I've got to balance that with everything else. Besides, there's brunch ahead!
Bright blessings!

she's got no compassion for the action

January is positively flying by. Busy at work, busy at home, busy socially, just socially. I'm enjoying a rare night to myself, and thought I'd catch you up on what I've read so far.
First, I'm going to add one more book to 2010, to bring it to an even 70 books read. Gemini (draft) by my friend LG. It's dark women's fiction. First draft, so it had some spots that need work, but all in all, a good read and I hope she finds an agent with it!
On with the books for 2011. 1) and 2) are Changeless and Blameless by Gail Carriger from the Umbrella Protectorate series. I love these books! They're like a Victorian comedy of manners plus werewolves and vampires plus a lot of knowingly inappropriate moments. Go read them right now!!
I wish I had more exciting things to report, but the fact of the matter is, I'm just working my tail off between day job and freelancing and radio play right now. So that's that. Tonight we're expecting three to six more inches of snow in the city, which will be beautiful!
Good night!

2011 goals

Short and sweet, two lists of goals for this year:

Writing goals

• write Emmelina novel
• write Witch/Ghost book I
• write two short stories
• edit 2010 shorts
• brainstorm on Caged novel
• submit Superheroes

Nonwriting goals

• less freelancing
• more exercise
• take better care of myself
• finish watching Buffy
• bigger apartment
• read fifty books

I know that some of these are from my goals for 2010. But I feel really good about this year. I can really make things happen, if I focus. And at the same time remember to take it easy on myself!
What about you guys, out there in the internet-verse? What are your goals for 2011?

i can't seem to stop it

My nose, that is. It's running like crazy! I came down with a cold the day after coming home from the holidays, and so far it's centered almost entirely in my nose. I bought some Benadryl this afternoon in the hopes that it'll help me sleep.
Well. The holidays were nice. Saw my family a fair amount, spent a little time with my partner-in-crime's family, and got some good time with my godchildren and a couple good friends. I never see everyone in one trip, but I've learned to accept that. I can, and have, drive myself crazy trying to see all of my friends in ten days or so, but have mostly learned better than that. So it was good. Mostly relaxing. My niece and nephew are huge and beautiful and will be entirely different peopel again by the time my next visit rolls around. That's the downside of living so far away from my family, I suppose.
But. Two books to add to the list for 2010. 68) Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund. This is the sequel to Rampant, and I just loved this one too. Astrid is in a tight situation on multiple levels and you can't help feeling for her. While sequels often suffer from second-book syndrome, this one just takes the series to the next level, intertwining relationship woes with morality issues and some serious health disasters as well. I can't wait to see what's next!
And, 69) The Habitation of the Blessed by Catherynne M. Valente. I fall in love with Cat's writing in all of her books, and this one is no exception. This takes the story of Prester John and tells it with innocent, awkward beauty. You can tell as a reader that Cat takes great care in the choice and position of each and every word. Sometimes her prose is so intimate, it feels like reading a love letter or watching a baby sleep or something. I know that sounds a little sentimental, but I defy you to feel otherwise upon reading this book. It's so, so good. Run to the closest bookstore and buy all of her books right now!
Anyway. Illness takes its toll, and there's a book and a cup of tea calling my name. Happy 2011 to all of you!

the rain collects outside the door

It rained pretty much all night; I could hear it every time I woke up. It's too bad I couldn't open a window and listen to it properly.
December's been busy so far, both at work and at home. I covered for my work spouse this whole last week, on top of a full week with my own titles. I finished my last freelance project for the year. I've made good progress on editing my novel, and on critiquing someone else's. I've also been sorting through the apartment, getting rid of some things, choosing some other things to go to storage. My band concert was a week ago, so I was practicing a lot up until that, as well. None of this is surprising, though; I'm adept at keeping myself busy. And now it's the season of holiday parties, of people wanting to squeeze in one more hangout before I leave for the holidays, so there's a lot on my plate socially. I enjoy seeing my friends, and it's all going to be fun, but it's still a fine balance between the social, the work, and the writing.
A couple more books to report:
65) Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler. This book is wicked good! It's about an anorexic teenager named Lisabeth who becomes Famine, one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Kessler doesn't shy away from really showing how eating disorders affect people. Lisabeth is an interesting heroine, learning who she is and how to be strong over the course of the book. This isn't for the squeamish (Lisabeth's bulimic friend gets a graphic scene about her eating disorder) but I really think this is a fresh, interesting YA urban fantasy. Definitely recommended, and I can't wait for the sequel, Rage, to come out next April!
66) Averno by Louise Glück. This amazing collection of poems, Glück dives deep into the story of Persephone. I think that these poems are beautiful, as is the way she digs so deep into the Greek mythology to unearth new layers. Absolutely recommended for anyone who likes poetry or Greek mythology.
67) Life Sucks by Jessica Abel, Gabriel Soria, and Warren Pleece. This graphic novel is about a vegetarian vampire named Dave who is the night manager at the Last Stop mini-mart. He falls for a Goth girl named Rosa, but she's mortal. Then total-jerk, surfer-blond vampire Wes decides he wants Rosa, and the story takes off from there. This was a fun run. I wasn't convinced in the first few pages, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. The art is good and the story is fun, with no conventional happy ending. I'm glad the story didn't get tied off perfectly; I think that would have detracted from it. Anyway, I really liked this one.
And now, I'm off to check my e-mail, wake my partner-in-crime, and get ready to head out into the rain to see a play. Happy Sunday!