A Monster Size Post
May. 23rd, 2004 08:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mmerriamTomorrow we go to the attorney's office for a telephone hearing before an Administrative Court Judge concerning our ongoing struggle with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The argument is over interpretation of law, and whether I am, or am not, able to work and so eligible for the benefits they paid me. I hope that the Judge will find in our favor, otherwise it is going to be a deep hole to dig ourselves back out of. So, think happy thoughts for me on Monday at 9:45 in the morning.
I didn't send any stories out this weekend because my spouse and editor, the wonderful![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
careswen, is very busy writing her annual LARP. I don't think waiting another week to send a couple of stories out will cause the fall of western civilization as we know it, and I don't think careswen needs anymore distractions, so I'm content to be patient.
I have been working on "Move Along Home," adding another 800 or so words over the last couple of days. The story is rapidly approaching 9000 words. I have also been jotting down notes for the other stories I'm working on, as well as starting to prepare for the panels I am sitting on at CONvergence.
While I am not a big television watcher, I do keep track of a few shows. This season saw the end of four different shows our household watches.
The "Friends" finale was neither bad nor good, it was, sadly, predictable. "Friends" had a long run, but looked awful tired at the end, and the annoying 'rush to the airport to profess my love' scene in the finale simply stunk.
"Frasier" on the other hand, had a much more enjoyable finale. While at moments it seemed a little spastic, part of the show's charm was its French Farce quality. The ending was nicely done, with the title character going off to seek the next stage of his life.
The "Angel" finale left me feeling odd. There was no closure. They might have all died, but we don't know for sure. I hated the way they handled Lorne, but loved the final scene between Wesley and Illyria/Fred. One nice thing about the finale was the clever dialogue sprinkled throughout. I'm still trying to decide on how I feel.
"Andromeda" on the other hand had closure to the max. Yes, they saved the universe from the evil Magog and their giant doomsday worldship, but they all, except for the Dylan Hunt character, died in the end. Every last one of them. And Hunt ended up on a different plane of existence. While this show had plot holes you could fly a starship through, and a mythology so confusing and muddled there was no way you could possibly follow it, I loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other. To have them all die saving a universe full of races that were at best indifferent to them, and at worst hostile, was a brave choice by the writers. That, my friends, is closure. "Andromeda," while not the best SF show to ever grace the small screen, saved its best effort for last.
This doesn't leave us with much TV to watch next season. I still watch "Enterprise," though if it doesn't show improvement next season it may get dropped. "Charmed" continues to be a bit of a guilty pleasure show for me. I try to ignore it, but I always keep one ear open and listening when it's on. I've heard next season is its last. "Joan of Arcadia" is the best new show on the TV in my opinion; we'll see if it continues to be quality in season two. "Tru Calling" is probably getting the ax over the summer.careswen has a couple of shows she watches that I don't, and that's it for us.
But hey, fewer TV shows means more time for writing and reading in the evenings, so I'm not all that bummed.
I've been trying to catch up on my reading, which of course is both good and bad. I have been reading stories by guys like Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, Steven Brust, and the late Roger Zelazney, and I am amazed at the story-telling abilities of these authors. It both inspires me to keep creating, and makes me want to toss my laptop out the window in despair. I realize these writers are a ridiculously long yardstick to measure oneself against. I really do. It's just that after reading these guys I always come away feeling like such an amateur. A gifted amateur, but...
Anyway, I've also started Peg Kerr's "The Wild Swans" and I'm getting the feeling, although I'm only a chapter into it, I might in for something special. Once I've finished this book I plan to track down a copy of Pamela Dean's "Tam Lin" and give that a go. We have all these wonderful local authors, and I've been meaning to read their books for forever. Well, there's no time like the present.
I suppose I should go do something useful, like wax the porch, or shave the cat.
In Peace
Michael
I didn't send any stories out this weekend because my spouse and editor, the wonderful
careswen, is very busy writing her annual LARP. I don't think waiting another week to send a couple of stories out will cause the fall of western civilization as we know it, and I don't think careswen needs anymore distractions, so I'm content to be patient.I have been working on "Move Along Home," adding another 800 or so words over the last couple of days. The story is rapidly approaching 9000 words. I have also been jotting down notes for the other stories I'm working on, as well as starting to prepare for the panels I am sitting on at CONvergence.
While I am not a big television watcher, I do keep track of a few shows. This season saw the end of four different shows our household watches.
The "Friends" finale was neither bad nor good, it was, sadly, predictable. "Friends" had a long run, but looked awful tired at the end, and the annoying 'rush to the airport to profess my love' scene in the finale simply stunk.
"Frasier" on the other hand, had a much more enjoyable finale. While at moments it seemed a little spastic, part of the show's charm was its French Farce quality. The ending was nicely done, with the title character going off to seek the next stage of his life.
The "Angel" finale left me feeling odd. There was no closure. They might have all died, but we don't know for sure. I hated the way they handled Lorne, but loved the final scene between Wesley and Illyria/Fred. One nice thing about the finale was the clever dialogue sprinkled throughout. I'm still trying to decide on how I feel.
"Andromeda" on the other hand had closure to the max. Yes, they saved the universe from the evil Magog and their giant doomsday worldship, but they all, except for the Dylan Hunt character, died in the end. Every last one of them. And Hunt ended up on a different plane of existence. While this show had plot holes you could fly a starship through, and a mythology so confusing and muddled there was no way you could possibly follow it, I loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other. To have them all die saving a universe full of races that were at best indifferent to them, and at worst hostile, was a brave choice by the writers. That, my friends, is closure. "Andromeda," while not the best SF show to ever grace the small screen, saved its best effort for last.
This doesn't leave us with much TV to watch next season. I still watch "Enterprise," though if it doesn't show improvement next season it may get dropped. "Charmed" continues to be a bit of a guilty pleasure show for me. I try to ignore it, but I always keep one ear open and listening when it's on. I've heard next season is its last. "Joan of Arcadia" is the best new show on the TV in my opinion; we'll see if it continues to be quality in season two. "Tru Calling" is probably getting the ax over the summer.
careswen has a couple of shows she watches that I don't, and that's it for us. But hey, fewer TV shows means more time for writing and reading in the evenings, so I'm not all that bummed.
I've been trying to catch up on my reading, which of course is both good and bad. I have been reading stories by guys like Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, Steven Brust, and the late Roger Zelazney, and I am amazed at the story-telling abilities of these authors. It both inspires me to keep creating, and makes me want to toss my laptop out the window in despair. I realize these writers are a ridiculously long yardstick to measure oneself against. I really do. It's just that after reading these guys I always come away feeling like such an amateur. A gifted amateur, but...
Anyway, I've also started Peg Kerr's "The Wild Swans" and I'm getting the feeling, although I'm only a chapter into it, I might in for something special. Once I've finished this book I plan to track down a copy of Pamela Dean's "Tam Lin" and give that a go. We have all these wonderful local authors, and I've been meaning to read their books for forever. Well, there's no time like the present.
I suppose I should go do something useful, like wax the porch, or shave the cat.
In Peace
Michael
