Blibber Blabber

No rhyme, no reason

 

Snerf!!

Commenting on reviews is taboo; commenting on rejections is fair game:

Very well written, however at this time we are not able to use this
short story.  Best of luck with it, it really is great.

Oo!  Snerf!  %$##^&*())_)_*&^%$$!!!!

Geez, editors, don't fuck with me.  And I say that as a friggin' former editor!  Please, I'd rather get back a form letter than someone telling me that it's a great story, but they just don't want it.  No, I cannot remember if I did that to anyone, how many times, etc.  Probably a few.  I was a kind editor-- I got a shitty, over-the-top pompous rejection letter from Weird Tales years ago, and I resolved never to be like that... (meanness deleted)...person.

Sigh.  Writing fucking sucks.  Still, I sent out a story this morning, and I plan on sending out this apparently beautifully-written-but-unpublishable piece tomorrow.  Double sigh.  It's a big surprise I'm not a total masochist.

I have a handle on how I want to start my novel, so I'm ready.  I'm ready.  I think I've been influenced by "Children of Men" and "Pan's Labyrinth" because I've been thinking in somber, dark, washed-out tones.  Very dark tones.  Should be fun. ;)

I'm pleased to announce that OD has been driving back and forth to school the past two days and is still alive, and there are no dings in her car.  Although I did see that her left brake light is out, so that needs fixing pronto.

The sweetest thing is to go in to say hello to your little rats, and they're laying down, and they stay still and close their eyes so you can pet their heads.  Considering how wiggly rodents can be, it's a pleasure. :D

And do my cats really, seriously think they're going to catch a squirrel?

posted by: athenawj at 19:17 | link | comments (3) |
writing, kids, crazy kitties

Forked!

Friday night, we were forked.  Spooned too, if you wanna get technical about it.

Imagine coming home to this, all over your yard.  The stone pineapples at the end of our drive were knocked over, too-- not an easy feat, considering I'm left huffing and puffing when I've moved them to mow the grass.

Don't be mad for me-- I wasn't mad at all-- a little astonished to see it, but then it became funny.  They (and I'm 99% sure "they" were drunk teens who got bored on a Friday night and decided this was the twenty-first century version of teepeeing) didn't break or steal anything, and there weren't more than fifty forks and spoons in the yard.

Believe me, they had a harder time planting them than we had getting them up.  Clay, folks-- it's what TN soil's all about.

***

Sunday we took the girls and YD's best friend to the Frist Center for the Everyday Objects in Art exhibit.  There was Andy Warhol stuff there, and other artists that I can't remember the names of.  Pretty good-- I enjoyed the huge vinyl viola (although, Dear Artist, there are not SIX strings on a viola, there are FOUR), and a gigantic "No Exit" highway sign, but I could not, will not, get behind pieces of plywood nailed to canvas that dares to call itself art.

Subjective, I know.  And my subjective view is that you gotta put a little more effort into it.

***

I am now part of the Terrified Moms club.  OD got her first car last night.  It's a 2001 Ford Focus, white, sorta cute.  To all you moms out there who have gone through this, how do you calm down about your kids driving?  Seriously.  Any help to calm my nerves would be tremendously appreciated.  Frankly, I'm scared, because many other drivers in this city are friggin' nutso, but I'm doing my best to hide my fear from her.  I don't want to make her any more nervous than she might be.

posted by: athenawj at 06:55 | link | comments (4) |
art , kids, silly stuff

Pan's Labyrinth

OD and I went to see Pan's Labyrinth last night.  Beautiful, wondrous movie-- my only complaint would be that I wish more of it had taken place in the labyrinth, but t realize to do so would have taken away from the impact of the action and horror in the 'real world'.  And oh, yes, this is a horror movie.  But nowhere near the lines of shit like "Cabin Fever" or that Paris Hilton crapfest.  Good, fine, beautiful horror.

There is a tale of a young princess who ruled the underworld, but dreamed of sunlight and fresh air.  One day she makes it topside and becomes mortal, forgetting all that she knew.  Her father knows that one day she'll return, and sets up labyrinths around the world to await her return.  This short tale starts the movie, and we meet Ofelia, a young girl, and her pregnant, ill mother, on their way to join Ofelia's new stepfather, a captain in Franco's army.  He and his troops have set up camp in an old farmhouse in the forest and are fighting to bring in the rebel factions.

While the guy seen on the movie's website, the one without eyes, is visually terrifying, and Pan is creepy and untrustworthy, it's the Captain who is the true villain of the movie.  He hates Ofelia, and only wants the son her mother is carrying.  He's vicious, uncaring, slick, and he does truly horrific things because of his beliefs, his position, Franco.  He is reminiscent of those who carried out the Crusades; Nazis; any hardliner who refuses to see past the blinders.

A fairy seeks out Ofelia, and she finds the labyrinth built behind the farmhouse; within, she meets Pan, and he sets her tasks, believing she is the princess returned.  But it isn't these tasks that are the focus of the movie.  Once, her mother berates her for believing in fairies and imaginary tales, telling her she needs to grow up.  That's what this film is about: a young girl having to face the horrors of the real world she lives in.  It's tragic, and scary, and at times touching.

I know what foreign film I'll be rooting for on Oscar night.  9/10

posted by: athenawj at 08:00 | link | comments (1) |
movies

Haven't done much this week.  Gave the house a good scrubbing yesterday and everything feels so dandy.  Made some brownies from scratch today, along with icing that Kiwi and Pogo found extremely tasty.  And I played around with my camera.  Here's some of the stuff I put up on Flickr.

I also had to repierce my nose.  I felt fourteen again, spending the night at my friend's, grimacing as the needle went through my ear.  YD criticized me for complaining through the pain.  I told her to come back and talk to me after she gave birth to two babies. :P

posted by: athenawj at 19:00 | link | comments (4) |
photography

Saturday we went to YD's MidState Orchestra performance.  As usual, it was a lovely performance.  I was so moved by the first piece (wish I knew the name of it) that tears sprang into my eyes.  Maybe it sounds corny, but halfway through the piece images of sweeping green vistas with lush trees and fields popped into my head-- like an aerial shot in a movie.  Just... breathtaking. 

The rest of the performance was good, too.  The kids started cracking up a minute or so after the performance ended-- the conductor had told them beforehand to watch him for the bows, and he kept making them bow.  After four or five they just lost it.  Here's a pic of lovely YD warming up:

Even though her hair isn't as orange as when she was a tot, she still stands out in a crowd.  I'm sure other parents of redheads feel as blessed as I do; nothing like red hair to make it spectacularly easy to find your child in a crowd or across a distance.  Especially under a bright sun, where it positively glows.

I've been playing a lot with my new camera over the weekend, playing with the Super Macro feature, which I just ADORE!  Wow, to get that close to stuff now.  And I have a closeup lens on the way, to help me with distance macros (with the super macro, I can't zoom).  I've also been adding a lot of pix to my Flickr account, as well as joining some groups. Many of the shots over there are just amazing-- gives me that kick in the butt just to do better.

I'm also going to do some self-portraits, see what I can come up with.  Nothing fancy.

I think this week will be another of those weeks where I regroup and see where to fit things, manage time, etc.

 

posted by: athenawj at 08:33 | link | comments (2) |
music, photography, kids

O Happy Day!

I'm free!

My car's fixed!  I get to drive again!  I was so happy, I went outside, hooked back up my Sirius and put a Valentine Mickey antenna ball on my antenna.

Of course, the car needs a good wash to get off the hundreds of kitty paw prints that now cover its hood and roof.

And...

I ordered my new camera! 

Doing boring work for your husband sure does pay off sometimes.  It should be here by next Wednesday.  I absolutely can't wait to play with it, although I'm dreading just a little learning to work a new model of camera.  But oh!  A new toy!  All the new picture possibilities! (does cartwheels like she did when she was a kid!)

And...

I've been writing for the past two days.  When Mr. Calm and I went to lunch, and he actually asked to hear about it, the way I explained it actually made it sound like a really good story.  Which is a wonder unto itself, since writers are notoriously bad at explaining their own work.

posted by: athenawj at 13:56 | link | comments (7) |
photography, writing, car

The lovely miss funnyshoes asked me to contribute photography to the final issue of HeavyGlow.  I took some pix, I subbed them, and she accepted them (yay :)), so you'll see them around March 15.  The series is about best friends.

Today, for the first time, I subbed four pieces of art to a magazine (and I mean "for the first time" in that I have no invitation from this place to do so).  It's a little nerve-wracking, and I'm weirdly reminded of being decades younger, although it's SO not the same.  Back then I knew I was good and so did everyone else.  This is a whole 'nother ball of wax.  I might be shit, like I am at sewing (Middle Sis got that talent).  I'm so new to this form of art, but really, the time's come to move on to another phase.

***

I spent the past two days thinking, jotting from time to time, and spent thirty minutes today writing in my Lenore notebook (she's my buddy) the ideas for the first four or five chapters of the novel.  Nice to have things in order for a change.  Gonna be fun! :D

***

What do you tell a kid who wants to escape drama that drama is half of high school? :?

 

posted by: athenawj at 16:19 | link | comments |
art , photography, writing

Reviews

Talledega Nights: Eh, a 7 out of 10.  I know this got great reviews out the wazoo, but I really only laughed the most when Sasha Baron Cohen was onscreen.  I found Ricky Bobby pretty annoying and unlikable through most of the movie.  Did love me some Gary Cole, though-- can't go wrong with him.

And again, what the hell is up with Will Farrell taking off his clothes all the time?  Good grief.

Jackass Two: I can't believe these guys are still alive.  I wonder if they're drunk during all these stunts, to keep themselves loose.  I also feel I've now seen more balls than I have in real life.  Still, I did really like most of the movie-- always was a fan of the series so I wasn't about to pass up seeing this.  However, I would have liked to have seen more stunts with less testicle involvement.

(BTW, I've always felt the Jackass special about the Gumball Rally was the best ep ever.  Wish they'd put that on DVD.)

Children of Men: Beautiful, beautiful movie.  There were so many points that bucked a standard screenplay that you really didn't know where the story was headed through most of it.  The cinematography was gorgeous-- stark, depressing-- and there is a point in the movie where you follow the action with a few blood splatters on the camera lens (significant to me now, wasn't when I watched).  Don't expect to be given any answers about the most important plot point-- you won't get any, but it doesn't really matter.  9 out of 10.

Up next is Pan's Labyrinth, when/if it ever gets to town.

***

I'm totally restarting my book, gutting almost all of it and beginning again.  It came to me yesterday, lovely and wrapped with a pretty red bow, and I only have a smidgen of regret that I just piled a shitload more work onto my plate.  But in the end it will be a much more satisfying story to me than what I've got now.

Also got a nice artwork project in my head too yesterday.  It was a great day for pretty presents!

posted by: athenawj at 07:06 | link | comments (2) |
movies, writing

I know funnyshoes read it way back when, but for any others who're interested, my story "Chocolate Ex-Lax Cake and the Sucker Man" is up at Apex Online.

There's also an interview up there somewhere, but eh, I'm meh.  Ain't no gettin' around that.

I've got to get my ass moving.  Being productive as an fine artist is all fine and well, and certainly satisfying, but I'm going through one of those periods where I just need to friggin' write something!  Something good. 

Unfortunately, I think I'm out of good, original ideas. Makes me wish I lived back in the days of Ambrose Bierce.  Oh, to have written something like "Oil of Dog".

posted by: athenawj at 16:21 | link | comments |
writing

Eulogy

I found out last night that my daughters' music teacher from middle school passed away.  Even though he had lung cancer, and chemo, it was still a horrible shock to hear.  I have an initial reaction of thinking things like that are jokes, although why I would think that my children or husband would play a joke like that is beyond me, but no, he's really gone.

As a former student and a parent, I know the difference between a good and bad teacher.  My good teachers still stand out in my mind.  YD respected Mr. W. as her piano teacher, and hands down, as OD's band director for three years, he was one of the best teachers she ever had.  I know she didn't realize it at the time: he was very strict, but he had a hard class to handle-- great, talented kids mixed in with kids who had no business being there (thanks, zoning).  She moaned and groaned about going to his class, and she didn't like how strict he was.  But come performance nights, the proof was in the pudding: these kids played better than most other kids in town.  They learned compositions that most kids wouldn't play (or be able to play) in high school.  One of the things I respected about Mr. W. is that he knew where he was-- an arts magnet middle school-- and did his damndest to make sure that these kids were challenged, and taught them accordingly. 

I know OD began to realize what a good teacher she had when she spent her freshman year at our zoned high school.  You don't know what you've got til it's gone comes to mind.  We talked about how much she'd learned from Mr. W., compared to how little she was learning in the high school.  Of course he couldn't move on with his students, but I was glad to see that after all that time, OD had finally gained respect for the man that taught her clarinet, pushed her to be good enough for first chair, singled her out for a solo and gave her confidence in herself.

I had quite a few conversations with Mr. W. through the years, even after OD left middle school.  Naturally they revolved around the girls, mostly OD. I always appreciated that he took the time to talk with me, and I liked that he was a straight talker without being condescending.

It took me awhile to calm down enough to feel like I wasn't going to burst out crying last night (it doesn't really help that you're told someone has died at the end of dinner in a restaurant).  I don't know why I didn't want to cry in front of the girls-- Lord knows they've seen me blubber enough.  I was sorry he's gone.  I was heartened that a lot of students showed up at his memorial service (I wish I'd known about it).  He was gruff and strict, but yet I could always tell how much he loved teaching music.  I wish every school had a Mr. W. in its music department.

Goodbye, Mr. W.  Thank you for teaching my children.

posted by: athenawj at 07:20 | link | comments (1) |
the seriousness of it all

Success! and Sting Rays

Put a check in the win column: the guy's insurance company got the police report, and said it was totally his fault.  The inspector's coming out in a day or two, and then we get the money to get our car fixed.  And then I won't be trapped anymore!

The other night we did the most fantastic thing: we went and fed stingrays. 

On a whim, and since the line to the movies was at least twenty-five minutes long, I suggested we go over to Stingray Reef, which you'd be surprised to find is in the mall.  It's a small aquarium, with a huge pool for the stingrays (there are several different kinds-- don't ask me what they're called).  I have to admit that I was terrified the first time I stuck my fist-- with a little shrimp jutting out from between my fingers-- down in the water and saw a big stingray heading for it, but what an exhilarating experience!  It literally took my breath away-- I love doing stuff like this.  You can feel the teeth on most of them, but the small ones just feel like they have squishy, soft mouths.

Surpringly, I was the only one who totally got into this, going back for more food, sticking my arm way down and feeding them time and time again. Mr. Calm refused to hold the food correctly, not liking the way they felt, and stepped back just to take pix on his phone.  OD squealed like.... well, like a stereotypical girl, and even with her hand next to mine, and once with me holding her hand down in the water, was just too scared.  But I friggin' LOVED it.  It's so much fun.  The stingrays will raise out of the water to grab the food sometimes, and flap their fins against the surface.

My youngest sister swam with stingrays down in the Grand Caymans, and I told her about this.  "Next you'll be diving!" she said.  Uh, no.  I'm ashamed to say I have a slight phobia about water, although I'm still a very good swimmer.  But I'm sure I'll be heading back to Stingray Reef very soon.

Such strange, lovely creatures.

posted by: athenawj at 09:57 | link | comments (2) |
animals, the seriousness of it all

Milestone

Does anyone remember Paul Zindel?  I read a bunch of his books when I was a teenager, and have seen the film adaptation of "The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds".  My favorite book of his was "My Darling, My Hamburger".  Odd title but totally great book.  I picked it up a few years ago at a yard sale and until a few days ago it's sat on the bookshelf.

While I was checking YD's Odyssey report before Christmas break, I noticed that her grammar and spelling isn't as up to par as it should be for a kid who's as smart as a whip (and that smartness does extend to the sarcasm, let me tell you).  YD is like her father-- she doesn't consider reading a pleasure.  Reading for school takes her ages, and the few books I've made her read have been accompanied by complaints and whining.  But I'm a firm believer that reading strengthens you in so many other areas (God knows I wouldn't be the writer I am today if I hadn't read like a fiend), so after I saw that Odyssey report, I told YD she was going to start reading more.

Whining ensued.  Complaints stank up the air.

I gave her "My Darling, My Hamburger" yesterday and told her to start reading it.  Sometime mid-afternoon she shuffled off to her room to read a little.  This morning she finished it and told me how much she loved it.

Hallelujah!

Now I guess it's off to the library to pick up some more Zindel books, eh?

posted by: athenawj at 18:33 | link | comments (3) |
kids

Home again, jiggety-jig

Happy New Year again.  We're back home after a too-short visit.  Here's a picture of me and my lovely granny:

Isn't she just the cutest cutie-pie?

In other news, you can read a review of my story and many others in GUD here.

posted by: athenawj at 14:47 | link | comments (4) |
writing, family

Happy New Year!

2007.  Wow.  Let's see how long it takes me to start writing that date instead of 2006.

I'm off to Huntington today for a three-day visit with my family.  I don't think I'll have internet access. After I get back, you'll find an interview with me and a reprint of mine over at Apex.  Poe Little Thing and Fusion Fragment should be out this month, too.

I only sold five stories last year.  Although I love doing the art, I'd like to see those stats rise in 2007.

See ya!

 

posted by: athenawj at 06:49 | link | comments (4) |
holidays