Little Miscellany

[blairmacg]

Dev has his car again!  We are most pleased.  He also at last settled on Halloween plans.  He is still a little amazed he can simply plan to take off without needing to coordinate our schedules.

I plan to hide at home with a horror flick or three. We're far enough out in the country no one trick-or-treats, which I must say makes me a little sad. I loved Halloween when Dev was little, and when my nephews were around. Now it's just... meh. Maybe it'll be fun again next year.

***

Autumn has been lovely so far. It's the sort of weather I'd want year-round -- upper 60s to mid 70s by day, 40s and low 50s overnight. The cloudiness gets tiresome when it lasts more than a couple days, of course, but we've had enough sun to make me happy.

Speaking of sun, I've already started my Vitamin D supplements. I was very bad about it last winter, and am fairly certain the lack helped shove me into the most emotionally crappy winter I've ever experienced. (As I told a friend, I wasn't ready to blow my head off but I could see the roadmap that would take me there.) Thus the D is for me, every day from now to March. And if D wasn't the issue, I'll gladly accept a placebo effect.

***

Dev has started making purchases with the idea of "When I get my own place" in mind. He bought himself an entertainment center for his room, and purchased some cool art pieces at Awesome Con. The cleanliness of his room has become important enough to him that I no longer have to remind him of it. Total coolness, if you ask me.

***

I'm fairly certain my opinion on who "should" write and publish has at last exhausted the patience of those who perhaps assumed I'd soon come to my senses (or at least hush up more often).

For the record, my opinion is this: We don't tell musicians they should stop recording because there are already too many songs. We don't tell artists their work must be hidden away if it isn't hanging in the most exclusive galleries. We don't deride actors who eschew blockbuster films in favor of experimental theater. There is no way I'd tell writers there are already too many books, their writing must remain unread, and choosing to remain independent is indicative of failure.

But that's just me.

***

A couple years ago, Dev was given Dragon software to help him write his papers. It actually helped him transition to doing more writing, and he hasn't used it in ages. When his computer crashes awhile ago, he didn't even bother reloading it.

Me, I got all excited about the idea of trying it out. Y'see, this whole crappy hip thing is making it hard for me to sit or stand in a keyboard-friendly posture for a long time, and my desire to write is running into increasing physical discomfort. Alas, we cannot find the serial number thingy anywhere, and don't have access to any proof of purchase.

Now I must decide if experimenting with the software is worth purchasing the software. Anyone with other ideas is welcome to share them. :)

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear on publishing! Good analogy.

[blairmacg.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

And I'm so glad your trip has been filled with good things. :)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

We don't tell musicians they should stop recording because there are already too many songs. We don't tell artists their work must be hidden away if it isn't hanging in the most exclusive galleries. We don't deride actors who eschew blockbuster films in favor of experimental theater. There is no way I'd tell writers there are already too many books, their writing must remain unread, and choosing to remain independent is indicative of failure.

AMEN. YES.

[blairmacg.livejournal.com]

:)

I keep trying to figure out why some folks are so... offended? angered? ... by the notion anyone can put their work in front of readership. I keep coming up empty.

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

That's awesome that Dev has his car back. Does he like his growing independence? Does it make him at all nervous?

Your weather sounds so perfect. We've been in the 90's again during the day, and down into the 50's at night. How's that for a point spread?

I'm out of vitamin D and waiting for more to arrive. It's one of the vitamins, I read, that has an actual affect on diabetes. Interesting how it helps with so many things.

I totally agree with you on the writing/publishing point. As long as a person writes, in fact, whether they're even published or not, how could they ever be considered a failure?

[blairmacg.livejournal.com]

Dev is still a little uncertain about the whole adulthood thing. Because I've given him so much freedom in the last year, turning eighteen and/or leaving home doesn't have nearly the same appeal it did for me at that age. Fortunately, he understands that even though he can do whatever he wishes, it's still polite to let his Mom know what those plans are. :)

On the weather, I remember well that temperature spread! I think that's why I still like to sleep with my windows open at every opportunity.

The publishing and writing notion is so important. I can't understand why "too many books!" has become a thing. And as someone who worked in regional theater for years, I've never understood the disdain heaped on writers who didn't have Big 5/6 contracts.

[danceswithwaves.livejournal.com]

That's a good analogy for writing!

Do you still have the cd for the software? (Did it come on a cd?) I have a few friends I could ask about loading the software, but short of being able to fiddle with it themselves, I dunno...have you tried calling the company to see if there's something they can do? (Maybe they can at least give you a trial period or something for you to see if you like it?)

[blairmacg.livejournal.com]

We have the CD, but lack proof of purchase, alas, because it was a gift given to Dev about two years ago. The customer service rep was nice, but not able to be helpful, and I do understand their position. Sigh.

But it looks like I can pick up the software these days for around fifty bucks, so might do that next month! With my hip giving me more and more trouble from the simple act of sitting, it would likely be worth the investment.