I think I mentioned that my desktop computer was dead when we returned from Iceland. What I didn’t mention was that my scanner and my camera both require a serial port, which neither of our laptops have. Now, you’d think that we could just buy an adapter cable, but nooooo. The cursed machines only work if plugged into a serial port. I know. It’s stupid. So, for awhile the only way to get images into the computer was to use my Palm Pilot. Functional, but not stellar.

Today, Rob bought a new camera–well, a different camera from Craig’s list. It works with both computers. Hurrah.

By coincidence. I also got my hair cut today. Pretty, huh? We’ll see how it does when I have to do it on my own tomorrow.

I also got new glasses about a month ago and completely forgot to mention them. I tend to wear contacts most of the time, and usually just wear the glasses to and from bed but I’ll also sometimes go a week without putting contacts in. It sort of depends on what I’m doing. I don’t like performing or biking with glasses, because I want that extra peripheral vision. Thanks to the magic of the new digital camera you can see the new glasses.

I picked this up at Chris Azure’s site. I know it sounds like I travel all the time, but look at all the gray areas I haven’t been yet.

create your own visited country map

create your own personalized map of the USA
Well… Okay. Five years of tour will cover most of the U.S.

Rob and I will be in Hawaii from March 19th – March 26th to visit his parents.

I’m in Brooklyn from February 6 -22 to build monkeys

Paul Abbamondi posted a list of his favorite short stories EVAR back in November and I somehow missed it. Look! I’m number 31.

#31.Mary Robinette Kowal – “Cerbo en Vitra ujo” (Effing disturbing. That’s all I’ll say.)

This is the first time I’ve ever been on anyone’s favorites list and I’m just delighted.

So. The day after I get back from New York, Rob and I will get on a plane and go to Hawaii. I can’t think of a better way to recover from building monkeys, can you? We’ll be there from February 23-March 1.

Ahoy, me maties! Cap’n Adams decided that it were a good idear to give ye lot o’ scurvy dogs a wee bit more time to get yer stories in ta him. Bein’ the benevolent cap’n he is, he’s givin’ ye till February 28th ta submit to Shimmer. But not a moment longer, or he’ll keel-haul ya.

Any questions? Arrrr!

Just to keep you up to date, here’s the website for, Serendib, the show I’ll be building monkeys for.

The Ensemble Studio Theatre

First Light Mainstage Production
Power. Sex. Status.
And that’s just the monkeys
David Zellnik’s SERENDIB is a witty comedy about a group of scientists trying to save the world’s most important monkey study. The scientists invite a team of filmmakers to create a documentary of their work and of the monkeys. But the guests prove to be more unwieldy than their hosts can handle. Combining puppet work and traditional theatre, SERENDIB ponders the line between empathy and anthropomorphism.

March 28 – April 22 , 2007
Tickets will be on sale starting February 1

Emily DeCola is designing the monkeys.

I spent more time packing today and got a corner of the dining room cleared. Whew.

Also, finished reading The Android’s Dream, by John Scalzi, which I really enjoyed. Good clean fun, which is something to say for a book that starts with a chapter-long fart joke.

Rob and I took the bus over to Cinema 21 to see Pan’s Labyrinth. Wow. Highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of dark fairytales. Beautifully acted, filmed and conceived. My only complaint is that woman sitting behind me was an idiot and didn’t turn her cellphone off. She also talked during the film. The film itself is very, very strong.

Ooo! Ooo! Who wants to go with me to the Morgan Library & Museum to see the exhibit on Victorian Bestsellers?

Although today’s public may think of the bestseller as a relatively recent development generated by modern mass marketing, many of the literary formulas and publishing techniques of the bestseller actually date to the nineteenth century. Victorian Bestsellers explores the rise of this cultural phenomenon using original manuscripts, first editions, illustrated editions, and rare printed ephemera, drawn largely from the Morgan’s renowned literary collections.

The period covered by the exhibition (1837–1901) was a time of rapid social change and enormous economic upheaval, when new technologies, improved transportation systems, better living standards, and rising literacy rates greatly increased the market for fiction and other types of popular reading matter.

This morning Rob and I were standing in the kitchen. The classical radio station was playing the background as we waited for the opera to begin. As we were talking, I heard the announcer say, “And that was ‘The dance of the dolls’,” which immediately made my head turn to the radio, because dancing dolls sounds suspiciously like puppetry. He continued speaking, “And it was played by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra.”

I just laughed. I mean, that’s as fine description of my last year as you can get in music.

It turns out that the piece is called Okon Fuoko. I’m going to have to track down a copy and listen to it with intent, because the plot does look like something which might be adapted to puppet stage. It’s like Petruchka in Japan.

Yep. David Lee Roth performs “Jump” with a bluegrass band. You must listen to believe. You have John Scalzi to thank for pointing this beauty out to me.

You’re just a trove of usefulosity!

–John Scalzi

I went into the WRW recording studio today to get caught up on some of the audio work that I owe folks. I didn’t get it all finished, so Rob and I are hoping to head back down tomorrow at some point. (Thanks, Sam!) It felt good to get back in there, and I loved the material I was working with.

The rest of the day passed in doing sketches for book cover. I’m not providing the art, I’m just doing the layout, but I still call my rough layouts sketches as I dink around in the sandbox to see what I like.

As you might be able to tell, both of these projects are ones which are still in the hush-hush phases. I’ll pass the details on when I can. And now, I’m going to turn in for bed.

This is… I’m a little baffled that someone actually made a program to catproof your computer.

When cats walk or climb on your keyboard, they can enter random commands and data, damage your files, and even crash your computer. This can happen whether you are near the computer or have suddenly been called away from it.

PawSense is a software utility that helps protect your computer from cats. It quickly detects and blocks cat typing, and also helps train your cat to stay off the computer keyboard.

My favorite quote from the website, “Most cats dislike the harmonica.”