"Enlist The Cat In The Impending Class War..."

[mmerriam]

Progress Report:
Old Blood's Fate

107,654 / 120,000 (89.0%)

Things are moving along nicely as we head for the end. Mora has Jack in a motel room. She's drugged him, and is trying to work a ritual to bind him to her. She doesn't know that Jack and Emma are supposed to check in with each other in about ten minutes. She doesn't know that Emma knows where Jack is (Jack and Emma think Mora is someone else), and will come looking for him when he doesn't check in.

In fact, Mora doesn't even know that Emma is still alive.

One could almost feel sorry for Mora, except for the whole squicky sex thing earlier in the novel.

I found out today that the already spotty bus service where I live is about to get worse. The one and only bus that comes anywhere near my house (it's a twenty minute walk to the nearest bus stop) will no longer be running after 8pm starting in September. I will stop there, lest I get into a rant about Governor Tim "I hate everyone who isn't a wealthy white male in an SUV" Pawlenty. Oh, did I type that out loud?

In the Ralan's newsletter I received yesterday there was an article about how a small press book publisher asked to be taken out of the listing because she was flooded with manuscripts, most of which did not even come close to following her submission guidelines.

People, please, read the guidelines and follow them. If you don't, you guarantee yourself a rejection, and in this business it is tough enough to crawl out of the slush pile. Also, stupid stuff like that hurts all of us. That market might well close (at least temporarily) because 400 idiots sent complete manuscripts in whatever format they wanted instead of a synopsis and the first fifty pages in standard format, like the guidelines said.

One more time.

Read the guidelines. Follow the guidelines. Submit according to the guidelines.

Thank you,
The Management.

In Peace,
Michael

Comments

[quasipsyco.livejournal.com]

I found out today that the already spotty bus service where I live is about to get worse. The one and only bus that comes anywhere near my house (it's a twenty minute walk to the nearest bus stop) will no longer be running after 8pm starting in September. I will stop there, lest I get into a rant

Sounds like the Virginia/Norfolk area!
Every day I use the public transit here I miss the San Diego transit more.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

The sad thing is, the public transit service here in Minneapolis is still worlds better that in Oklahoma City, where I lived before. I'm just hoping for a change in government soon, hopefully to one more sympathetic to those of us who rely on public transport.

[quasipsyco.livejournal.com]

I also lived in OKC for a while, though I don't recall much of their bus system. I know Tulsa had busses that I never used because they didn't go far outside a very limited area, regardless of city developement and growth.
It always seemed to me that in Tulsa they wanted you to stay by Riverside and the downtown area.
In the Hampton Roads area of Virginia the transit system cost is split, the state picks up the cost of the busses and operation but the counties have to cover the cost of fuel and drivers. Since some counties don't believe in busses there are no runs in those areas after 6pm weekday and none at all on Sunday.
One offical out here went so far as to publicly say that "no one rides the bus anymore" and has stuck to that statement regardless of anyones attempt to point out the truth. If they keep thinking like that out here, and the current trend of reduced hours and locations continues, the poverty level here is going to skyrocket.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

The OKC buses basically ran to the state capital and the shopping malls. If you wanted to go anywhere else, too bad.

One thing that always amazes me is the politicans and business people want cheap labor for their business, malls, and personal laborers (gardeners, maids) but they don't want them living in thier neighborhood, and they don't want to provide them with cheap easy transportation.

We actaully had one idiot politico up here who said "we should get rid of the buses and use the savings to buy everyone who rides the bus a cheap car."

Well, I suppose I could go drive that car in his neigborhood. I'm sure he won't mind the visually impaired guy directing a moving vehicle down his street.

[scott-lynch.livejournal.com]

The submission guideline thing is crazy, isn't it? But too many people just don't want to hear it... when you tell them to read and follow the damn guidelines, they bring forth a bitter entitlement mentality... "Well, why should I? Why do I have to?"

Cray. Zee.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I am always amazed at these people. But hey, if thay don't want to follow the guidelines, they're just helping the editor reject them, and they're getting out of the way of those of us who do follow guidelines.

[careswen.livejournal.com]

Wow, the entitlement mentality boggles me. Shouldn't it be obvious why they "have to?"