Year: 2011

It snowed today.  I don’t see an Official Announcement of how much it snowed today, so we’ll do a Quick ‘n Dirty:  From the sole of my boot to the snowline on my jeans, 15 inches.  That’s respectable.  Happily, it, too, is a light and fluffy snow, so the deck and the stairs were easily recoverable.  Unhappily, the plow-guy has not yet been by to do the drive.  Well, perhaps tomorrow.

For today, the bird feeders have been refilled, the cats are working in their various napping places, Steve made us salmon cakes for a late lunch, and now?  It’s time to seek out a late-ish dinner.

This weekend, Steve and I need to brainstorm the short story that’s under commission, but for tonight, I worked on George. I can now say with authority that Chapter 13 is completed — and a long time coming it was. Let us praise Chapter 13 for its patience, interrupted so many times and over so many days.

Progress on The Book Presently Known as George:
31,670 words/100,000 OR 31.67% complete

Syl Vor woke up so completely that he thought for a moment that he hadn’t been asleep at all. He must have been, though — for Thorn curled bonelessly under his chin, making the little half-snore, half-purr sound she only made when she was deeply asleep.

. . .being another in a series of dull titles.

So. . .Got up betimes and went out to shovel the snow that had fallen overnight — about an inch? Inch-and-a-half, maybe? Very fluffy. The moon was high in a dark, cloud-striped sky, keeping watch while I got the deck and the steps and the cars done.  Gloves wet and fingers frozen, I went back inside for coffee and day-job prep.

The rest of the day. . .went badly, I fear. The phrase “weeping with exhaustion — or possibly frustration –” comes to mind. I found that several of my faculty had determined not to “bother” the lady covering my office with various things, which they then wished me to take over, since I was back. Um, thanks for the vote of confidence, I guess.

Back home to pick up Hexapuma and ferry him back into town for a visit with his good friend Dr. Slack, then back to the Cat Farm, where I sat down with George and actually wrote a scant few hundred words. Feeling calmer now, and it’s time for lunch.

Winter storm watch tomorrow from 4 a.m. until 7 p.m., with a call for 4-7 inches. That’ll be fun.

Progress on The Book Presently Known as George:
30,758 words/100,000 OR 30.76% complete

“I think that it is a case,” he said slowly, “of bringing one’s heart and one’s thoughts into — into balance.” He winced then, as if his own words had nipped him.

Weight of Stone, Laura Anne Gilman
The Story of Chicago May, Nuala O’Faolain

Omighodwhattaday.

I feel so very sorry for the woman who will be replacing me at the day-job while I’m helping Steve in his convalescence. There’s ‘way, ‘way too much work coming down on my/her desk next week, and it all has to be done at once. It’s too much to ask of anyone.

Note to self: Send Sue flowers

In other news, “Skyblaze” has moved into my jurisdiction, so that’s what I’ll be doing for the next while. In lieu of a snippet of George, have something from The Liaden Book of Dragons:

The thing to recall about Dragons is that it takes a special person to deal with them at all. If you lie to them they will steal from you. If you attack them without cause they will dismember you. If you run from them they will laugh at you.

It is thus best to deal calmly, openly and fairly with Dragons: Give them all they buy and no more or less, and they will do the same by you. Stand at their back and they will stand at yours. Always remember that a Dragon is first a Dragon and only then a friend, a partner, a lover.

Never assume that you have discovered a Dragon’s weak point until it is dead and forgotten, for joy is fleeting and a Dragon’s revenge is forever.

If my calculations are correct, tomorrow is Monday.

Oh, well. At least it’s a short week.

I’m not entirely sure where the day went — answered some business correspondence; started a pile of stuff to go to the hospital; caught and repaired an infelicity in George before it became an error; washed dishes and dosed cats. Jotted down a couple new words on George, and. . .welladay.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend.

Progress on The Book Presently Known as George:
30,265 words/100,000 OR 30.26% complete

His mother sighed and came over to sit next to him on the bed. Thorn raised his head and yawned, which was rude, but cats, Syl Vor noticed, were never scolded for being rude.

Off in another part of Teh Interwebs, someone has raised a hue and cry about the Hugo Awards and how Their Favorite Authors don’t stand a chance of getting on the ballot, specifically because the readers of TFA exist in numbers insufficient to sway the nomination process.

Let me pause here for a moment and acknowledge that I have a horse in this race. As a matter of fact, I have three horses enlisted (Saltation, Mouse and Dragon, Carousel Tides) — which this year means very little, since 2010 saw a new Miles book published, which History Has Shown will eat the lunch of every other book that came out last year.

Which brings us handily back to our topic — i.e. How To Get Your Favorite Work of 2010 Onto the Hugo Ballot.

It’s easy: You have to nominate it. Then, you have to convince about 19 other friends to also nominate it. That’s right, it only takes about 20 nominations to get a work onto the final Hugo ballot.

The nomination period is open right now. Here’s the link to the ballot. Now, notice! In order to nominate you must fulfill one of the following conditions:

1. You are an attending member of Renovation, this year’s WorldCon
2. You are a supporting member of Renovation, this year’s WorldCon
3. You were an attending member of AussieCon, last year’s WorldCon

Now, suppose you and your friends have put your nominating where your mouths are and Your Favorite Book achieves the final ballot. That’s when you abandon all hope, right? Because thousands and thousands of voters are going to vote for something else?

Well, let’s look.

Here’s the vote breakdown for AussieCon 4. A total of 1094 ballots were cast, not all participants voting in every category. According to File 770, AussieCon’s total membership was 2034. Some of those members would not have been eligible to nominate, because they had not achieved membership by deadline.

This is actually Quite Good, I’m impressed. More than half of the AussieCon attending membership voted on the final ballot. Compare that with the 2007 stats from LACon, where 500 people (out of a convention massing 6,000 members) bothered to vote on the Hugo Awards.

Now, the Hugo’s claim to importance is that they are “the reader’s award.” If you (yes, you) want them to better reflect what you’re reading, then you need to nominate, and then you need to vote.

That’s how it works, see? Easy.

———–
Here are the Hugo Award Rules

Here is a previous post by Yr Hmbl Narrator on this same subject

Yeah, what did I do to earn Tom O’Bedlam as an earworm? On the other hand, far better Mad Maudlin and Tom than Lola and Rico.

The rest of the day hereabouts was caught up with dinner (Steve made spaghetti; mmmm, spaghetti), dishes, getting the new humidifier set up (well, starting to get the new humidifier set up — the filter beads have to soak in water for 24 hours before they can be used), and various like chores.

I did some work on George — barely over 700 words, but I’ve finally got the most enigmatic of the three main characters nailed down, so it’s all good.

It might snow tonight.

On the other hand, it might not.

Progress on The Book Presently Known as George:
29,106 words/100,000 OR 29.11% complete

“Tea is a simple comfort, of which there are too few in life.”

For those who voted in the Goodreads Choice Awards (and a huge thank you! for those who voted for Saltation) — the results are in!  Let’s give the deserving winner a big round of applause!

Also!  Carousel Tides by Sharon Lee, published by Baen Books, and Halfling Moon (Adventures in the Liaden Universe® #16), by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, published by SRM Publisher, Ltd.,  hit Uncle Hugo’s Bestseller List for December

Not only that!  Four Lee and Miller titles placed in Uncle Hugo’s top 50 bestsellers of 2010:  Fledgling, Saltation, Mouse and Dragon, and Halfling Moon.

Man, that’s a lotta lists.  That’s a lotta chapbooks.  Motor on, Number 16; you are a wonder and a marvel.

In other news, the day-job was a zoo, and tomorrow looking like more of the same, but with the addition of a first-thing-in-the-morning visit with the dentist.

Eep.

Progress on The Book Presently Known as George:
28,377 words/100,000 OR 28.38% complete

“Excellent. You have nothing to fear from your delm,” came the soft voice. “When you speak to the delm, you speak to Korval Entire — which is nothing more frightening than speaking with your kin. Or yourself.”

No bats in the hallway today. Lists made, emails sent, more lists made.  Explodey tooth exploded.  Dentist appointment made for Thursday before work.  Not much in the way of writing done here at the home desk, but a little progress is still progress.

Progress on The Book Presently Known as George:
27,476 words/100,000 OR 27.48% complete

“I. . .expect that I will be a trader, Uncle — unless Uncle Shan finds me buffleheaded.”

The Story of Chicago May, Nuala O’Faolain (began in 2010, but had read less than half by year’s end)