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Friday, November 20th, 2009
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4:33 pm - Bubbles of Thought
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So, the aforementioned working and collapsing has meant I decided to abandon NaNo last week, as I'm just too tired to write _that_ much. Thinking instead of trying to work through some short writing exercises to keep me writing and to try adn improve my techniques. If anyone has any recommendations for good writing/creative prompts/exercises let me know. I've just bought A Writer's Notebook by Ralph Fletcher, which was recommended elsewhere and I'm reading The Courage to Write.
Of course, thinking of notebooks means I have to overcome the desire to rush out and spend lots of money im paperchase...ummm, lovely stationary....
Off to Thought Bubble tomorrow. We'll be sharing a table with Terry Wiley who will have copies of the new collcted Petra Etcetra in memory of Ade Kermode. Sad reason for the collection but looking forward to re-reading the Petra stories.
We will have the latest issues of Girly & Violent! and the last 12 or so copies of The Girly Hardback... so one of teh last chances for peopel to get one as we're very unlikely to reprint in this lovely edition.
Hoping to get to a few talks and have some cuppas and chats with people, as I've learnt I enjoy an event much more if I don't sit at the stall _all_ day.
Oooh, I'm starting to feel hungry from smelling the lentil and carrot curry I have cooking in the slow cooker. Very pleased with how my cooking skills have improved this year since basing meals around the veg box contents and experimenting more with recipes.
Started to think about Xmas, as we're trying to clear our major debts we'll be doing things on a shoestring this year... so I feel some biscuit baking coming on!
current mood:  hungry
current music: Gin Whigmore - Holy Smoke
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| Friday, November 13th, 2009
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8:53 pm - Busy Bee
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November has turned out to be even busier at work so far than the first week of term, so mainly been working and collapsing. Partly due to covering a colleagues job as well as my own. Lots of teaching, including an experimental teaching method which failed miserably: used a free online document editing software (www.etherpad.com) to create some online documents, then split class into group to add their comments on information sources to the documents. Software worked well and has some nifty features, but it meant the students were anonymous and turned into 12 year olds by posting comments and links that ranged from silly to obscene. Ah well, apparently 1st years don't want to be treated as adults.
Doing NaNoWriMo again this year, already managed twice what I did last year (at 13k), but not pushing myself as been too busy/ill. Just doing it as a fun way to get myself writing fiction again.
Enjoyed the Women in Comics event last month. Some great talks and met a few people whose work we weren't familiar with. Some leads to follow up with regards to a possible comic conference at work, and stuff for Caption.
Also enjoying the new writers group we've joined locally. A good bunch.
Looking forward to catching up with people at Thought Bubble and MCR.
In Decembr we need to revamp websites and get the new online strategy for Factor Fiction in place. Not looking forward to trying to update wordpress and comicpress, as I killed the site and shed lots of tears last time I tried!
current mood:  drained
current music: The Power Station
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| Sunday, October 18th, 2009
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12:54 pm - Me & new Godson Sam
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| Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
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8:01 pm - Catching-up...
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So, the last month has been a little insane in terms of stuff to do and places to be. Mid-September there was FantasyCon, where we failed to win the British Fantasy Award for best comic but it was great to be shortlisted. Went to some interesting stuff, including talks by Brian Clemens, Jasper Fforde and a panel on pulp fiction/archaeology in fantasy/sci-fi/horror. I'm always a bit shy at FCon because although we know some people it's not the same as waking into a bar at a comic con and knowing 80% of the people in there! Picked up lots of good books from the speculative fiction small press plus some freebies. Just started reading Conjure by Mark West from Rainfall books.
Work is hectic, as it always is for the first few weeks of term... not helped by the fact that the other science librarian has moved over to be the full time document supply and repository manager leaving me to look after eight departments (instead of three) on half-time hours. Promised they'd advertise the post asap but everything in academia moves slowly so unlikely to have anyone in post until after christmas. Ho-hum.... getting better at saying no due to being overloaded. Managed to do seven hours of induction teaching last week and have another six hours to do this week. Decided to do interactive induction lectures, which have mainly gone down well apart form with the Computer Scientists who just stared at me in stony silence so I had to abandon the interactivity! Not looking forward to the other four hours of teaching I have with them later this term.
Work and creating a 1980s scrapbook present left me very exhausted last week, which meant arrived at BICS already fairly zombified. Not helped by me forgetting to check the hotel booking before we left... meaning we turned up at the wrong travelodge and them got pretty lost in the centre of Birmingham trying to find the correct one. Meant we missed the Friday night launch party but sounds like we didn't miss much. Got to the venue in time to set-up on the Saturday and we were later joined by Ellen Lindner. Had nice table mates in teh form of Mal (Fallen Angel Media) and the Bostin Heroes crew (who overwhelmed me with their energy & enthusiasm). Sales were slow but got a chance to catch-up with a few people. Have come back with bruises on my knees because the tables were so tightly packed that we had to climb under it to get in or out. Deserted Jay on the table several times due to having an asthma attack and then running away with Mags to have a cuppa.
If Saturday at BICS was slow then Sunday was completely dead & we sold a handful of issues. Confirmed my opinion that after ten years of table manning I'm burnt out on cons (not including Caption). Luckily we'd already decided that we won't be having tables net year as we're too broke to continue doing that, or printing comics. So, the current plan is to continue to do issues as free pdfs and weekly strips online instead. Will probably still do Bristol Con in order to visit badasstronaut as much as anything, and of course we're still on the Caption team.
In other news, just read the latest Felix Castor novel by Mike Carey (The Naming of the Beasts).. damn good read as usual, plus it ties-up the current storylines. Also joined a local speculative fiction writers group, which looks like it should be really good fun... like-minded individuals. We write at the group... as Damien makes us be quiet and write and then go to the pub to chat afterwards. Started working on script for some motodraconis artwork last week at the meet.
So, generally been feeling very ill with all teh stuff going on, but on the good side I haven't actually completely collapsed from it like I would have previously and have managed to make it into work each day. Yay.
current mood:  crazy
current music: Knight Rider (old series)
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| Monday, September 7th, 2009
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9:00 pm - Cooking & musing on making friends...
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We were sad to miss ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) jinty & tortipede 's non-wedding celebrations this weekend, as we had been looking forward to seeing lots of friends. Nice to have seen the photos & read the reports.
It did make us realise once again that the majority of people with think of as good friends are spread across the country, and due to finances/health we rarely get to see them. So, we're looking forward to FantasyCon, BICS, Thought Bubble & particularly the MCR (as it provides a much better opportunity to catch-up with people properly).
Since moving to Leicester about six years ago we don't seem to have been able to create or maintain a local circle of friends. I'm keen to change this as I'd love to be able to pop round to see people for a cuppa, have friends round for dinner or a movie etc. Just not sure how to go about it! We know lots of people to chat to from work, writing events, and gigs but don't seem to have taken it any further. I suppose the only thing to do is keep putting ourselves out there, to keep inviting people to things and see who responds. I think we shrank back from doing this the last few years due to my health & a string of rejections. Time to try again?
Anyway, as we were at home this weekend we nipped to Brum to drop off a load of stock at Nostalgia & Comics for their new small press section, and decided to try some new recipes.
Anytime Cookies: Recipe from the TV show Economy Gastronomy
We also cooked Martinique Coconut Chicken Curry from the TV show Caribbean Food Made Easy for Sunday lunch, which my sister & her friends Ian came round for.
Lots of chopping required! Ingredients included aubergines, potatoes, onions, butternut squash, papaya & mango:
Jay adds the tamarind sauce:
The finished dish was very tasty & I'd like to cook it again. Best done for groups of friends I think as it requires lots of prep & the essence of Caribbean food seems to be about big, shared meals. Might add more chilli next time, as we were quite conservative in case we made it too hot for our guests.
current mood:  cranky
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| Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
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7:46 pm - Women in Comic Conference
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| Friday, August 28th, 2009
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5:15 pm - Musing on my Teaching
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One of the rather unintentional side-effects of being ill so much the last years is that my teaching practices (teaching information literacy skills) at work (Uni) have become very stale. It's much easier to just stick to doing things in a traditional/or already written way when your confidence and energy are low. I'd even abandoned using the cephalonian method of library induction despite having had some success with it previously. I was very mean in one session where I still employed it despite only having had 3 students turn up (there should have been about 60).
So, I decided I would try and improve things a little bit for the upcoming academic year... nothing majorly experimental but at least try and make things less boring/a little more interactive. My asthma has been playing up in the last 24hrs so I worked at home today, which gave me the opportunity for a good think and read some literature in order to come up with some things I could do.
Decided to include using electronic voting handsets (also known as clickers) in smaller sessions (we only have 50 handsets) to gage the level of previous experience with resources at the start of a session, quick quizzes to test comprehension during sessions and to get feedback at the end. In bigger sessions I might try using coloured strips of card for voting when I can't use the handsets.... as I suspect due to the doubling of student number on some of the courses I support I may have to do sessions in a lecture theatre instead of hands-on in a computer lab.
Might replace some of my talking with an online tutorial with quizzes that students can work through, while I adapt the session to meet the needs identified with the voting at the start. Also going to put more emphasis on critical analysis, as many students feel patronized when you're trying to teach them how to search resources.
Probably ought to be posting this to our work blog instead of this one!!
current mood: Tired but productive
current music: Hairy Bikers
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| Thursday, August 27th, 2009
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4:01 pm - Jeffrey Lewis Gig
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| Friday, August 21st, 2009
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11:03 am - Cook Clever Launched
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My friend the_ladylark has launched her new business: Cook Clever http://www.cookclever.co.uk/
So, if you're not confident in the kitchen, or want to replace those take-aways with easy home cooked meals, or need help overhauling your store cupboard then give her a try.
She's currently basing the company in the North West of England, but may be willing to travel further a field.
Having tasted her food I can say it's very delicious :-)
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| Sunday, August 16th, 2009
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2:19 pm - Caption 2009 Glorious
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| Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
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9:13 am - Just love this...
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| Monday, August 3rd, 2009
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9:46 pm - Jeremy & Tim's Wedding
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5:56 pm - Loki's Weekend Away
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So, while Jay & I nipped down to Oxford for cleanskies wedding Loki went to stay with my sister. When we fetched him earlier, she had transcribed an account of his weekend for him....
Dear Mummy, I had a lovely time at Aunty Sharon's but I was a bit silly & rolled around a lot. I got something stuck in my tail hair & Aunty Sharon had to cut it out, but I didn't mind. While she had the scissors in her hands I asked for a short back & sides, as I was feeling very relaxed. I like going to Aunty Sharon's, but I don't think I'll go back for a haircut - have you seen what she's done to my tail? I don't think I can go out in public for a while. Please could you straighten me up a bit and give me lots of cuddles so I keep my self-esteem. Lots of Love,
Loki P.S. I'm a little hungry as I didn't eat my breakfast, but I was a good boy & ate nearly all my meals. --
Glad to hear he had a fun weekend & the hair cut's really not that bad! :-)
current mood:  amused
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1:55 pm - Dublin Trip
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Summer Edition
Originally uploaded by GirlyComic.
I finally got around to uploading our photos form our trip to Dublin. They include shots of the Summer Edition comics event, the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin Castle & lots of food!
Clicky, clicky to flickr for more.
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| Monday, July 27th, 2009
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6:16 pm - 80s Ephemera & Stuff
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My next project is to make an 80s scrapbook for my Sister's 40th birthday, as she's having an 80s theme party.
So, if anyone is chucking out any 80s stuff in the next month then I'd be a willing recipient... I'm after stuff like material (o cover the scrapbook), bages, stickers, magazines to chop up, VHS film covers, vinyl/cassette covers... anything that can be cannabilsed for scrapbooking.
In other news, we're about on top of the fianances.. just have to stick to our budget!! Been ill on & off with cold/flu symptoms but unlikely to be swine flu. Busy with Caption prep, the line-up is looking fab and getting art in for the programme book/exhibition.
August will be busy with cleanskies wedding, Caption, and Sam's christening.
Debating dyeing my hair again for the weekend...pink, red, purpleish...?
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| Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
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4:00 pm - Godmother
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My oldest friend Clare, who I've known since we were five, & her husband Gary have asked me to be a Godmother for their son Sam. I'm very hounored and thrilled, despite feeling a twinge of hypocrisy as I'm not in the slighest bit religious and would classify myself as agnostic. I'm seeing it as an invitation to be interested in Sam's life and upbringing, rather than in the strictest religious sense.
Now if only I could be fairy godmother or scary godmother... but in lieu of that I'll start thinking about christening gifts and what kind of godmother I want to be.
current mood: pleased
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| Sunday, July 5th, 2009
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9:00 pm - In Dublin
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Flew into Dublin friday evening & it felt like the plane had hardly lifted off before it was setting down again. Though Ryan Air manage to try & sell you an impressive amount of stuff in that short time. Haven't flown Ryan Air lately so was a little surprised by the tinny trumpet salute played on landing.
The Summer Edition event went really well yesterday & we even sold teh 5 Girly Books we'd bought over, as well as quite a few issues. The organisers & Irish creators were very welcoming & had a nice evening chatting in the pub, after the traditional after-con curry.
Today saw us wandering around Dublin, drinking malts at Eddie Rocket's, visiting the Museum of Archaeology & History and taking a rather long detour around the suburbs of Dublin due to getting on the right bus, but heading in the wrong direction!! Finally made it back to ztoical's brother's flat & now crashed out in front of the net with take-away.
Saw bog people at the museum, which makes me want to read some Seamus Heaney, which I never thought I'd say after studying his poetry for 4 years at school!
Plan for tomorrow is more touristy stuff, probably a gaol so Jay doesn't get homesick & the obligatory comic/book shop visits before flying home.
So far knackering but fun... but still not solved the mystery of why Toucans are associated with Guiness. Photos when I get home.
current mood: tired
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| Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
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2:29 pm - Caption Q&A
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| Sunday, June 7th, 2009
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7:38 pm - Flabbergasted
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The Girly Comic Book Volume 1 has been shortlisted for a British Fantasy Society Award for Best Comic/Graphic Novel!
Highly unlikely to win as we're up against things like:
30 Days of Night: Beyond Barrow (Steve Niles/Bill Sienkiewicz) IDW Publishing | All-Star Superman (Grant Morrison/Frank Quitely) DC Comics | Comic Book Tattoo Tales Inspired by Tori Amos (Ed, Rantz A. Hoseley & Tori Amos/ Various) Image Comics | The New Avengers: Illuminati (Brian Bendis & Brian Reed/Jim Cheung) Marvel Comics | Hellblazer: Fear Machine (Jamie Delano) Vertigo |
Hellblazer: The Laughing Magician (Andy Diggle/Leonardo Manco & Daniel Zezelj) Vertigo | Locke and Key (Joe Hill/Gabriel Rodriguez) IDW Publishing | The Girly Comic Book 1 (Ed, Selina Lock) Factor Fiction | Buffy Season Eight Vol. 3: Wolves at the Gate (Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard/ Georges Jeanty) Dark Horse Comics |
Very lovely to be nomiated though, and all due to all our wonderful contributors.
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9:29 am - Diet Update & other stuff
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Generally been busy trying to write, garden and stay on top of the housework. Managed to 2k on the Angela D'eath story I'm trying to write, although I already know I'll need to re-write a lot of that in the edits! Hoping to get another big chunk of it done today.
Managed to get through the whole of May without taking a sick day, which may sound appalling to some people but is a pretty big milestone for me. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it up by scheduling my activities & breaks in a sensible manner.
My first goal for the diet was to loose half a stone by August and I've managed to loose half a stone by today. BIG YAY!! To celebrate I've ordered Supernatural S3 and a Kelley Armstrong book from my wishlist. It would be lovely to loose a stone by August as I'm doing well, but in the short term I will try to loose 5lb and reward myself for every 5lb lost.
Strategies that are working for the diet for me are keeping a notebook on me which lists why I want to loose weight and other diet reminders (like eating slowly, giving myself credit, making time to plan adn track etc), and which I read when I get cravings. Planning the week's menu in advance (which also helps with budgeting) and tracking my calories everyday with Sparkpeople. I allow myself some choice each day by having a range of similar calorie puddings or treats to choose from, but which are built into the diet.
In terms of exercise I'm trying to do housework more regularly and take the dog out.
Overall, very pleased with my progress & Jay has also lost weight too.
current mood: cheerful
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