Caren Gussoff writer. geek. bon vivant. dot com

1. I spent Veteran’s Day at the Seattle VA Hospital. My 78-year old father had a thoracic aneurism correction last Monday, and has been having trouble recovering enough to go into short-term rehab or back home.  So, things have been worrisome in the Gussoff-Sumption household*.
Anyway, spending Veteran’s Day at a veteran’s hospital surrounded by a lot of ill and/or disabled veterans adds a whole new perspective on the holiday.
Thank you, all soldiers, past/current/future, for having the guts to do what I never could and most days don’t have the stomach to even think about.
1a. Having a 78-year old father in the hospital, especially since my mother and sisters are gone now, is, well, interesting. I’ve caught myself saying sentences I never thought I’d say in any context—like, upon removal of his Foley catheter** today, I said the following sentence to my father as he tried to pee on his own for the first time in a week: “I believe in your prostrate!”
2. NaNoWriMo has been subjugated in the light of the rest of things. I refuse to feel the least bit guilty about it, either. However, I am one scene shy of finishing a story that I have been rewriting since last May, and am almost happy with it. Almost.
3. It’s dark and gloomy here, just how I like it. I just need to make myself some more coffee and it’s a perfect afternoon to finish that last scene.
3a. The best thing about writing SF is that I can consider watching reruns on the sci-fi channel as being “career specific directed activity.”
4. My hair has reached the looking-stupid-while-growing-out stage. Why hasn’t technology tackled this very real problem? I don’t consider “hats” to be a technological solution.
5. I’ve been eating crap, because much of my eating has been on the fly or in the too-tired-to-cook stage. Frozen pizza, fast food burgers. I think the closest to anything green I’ve eaten has been in a green wrapper.  And I wonder why I’ve been fighting off a massive headache all day?  I really wish there was a salad delivery service right now. That also brought pints of ice cream.

*In fact, things have actually been worrisome actively since June, when life has gone: me unemployed-apartment fire-drunk driver totals our car-Chris unemployed-my dad sick-his dad sick-us broke-WTF. Actually, come to think of it, aside from Clarion West this summer, 2008 can just go suck it.
**Google that if you don’t know what it is. Prepare to suck in your breath a little bit.

An incredibly good couple of days. Really. I just need a couple of hundred hours of sleep now.
I spent the weekend, as planned, with Pam, Maggie, and Chris R. Love them so much. They listened to me rant about Steampunk and helped me develop what I hope will take off as the newest sub-genre (with a hearty nod to Connie Willis, of course): PLAGUEPUNK*

We were also lucky enough to be invited along by Leslie (of Clarion West and NWMediaArts) to tag along on social time with Charles De Lint and Ellen Datlow. They were both really kind and easy to talk to. Charles giggled at my earnestness—and even a few of my jokes. I, of course, got him to sign my battered copy of Mulengro, because, well, OF COURSE.

More SFF spotting: Ted Chiang and Neile Graham.

Charles’ reading was really more of an entire-freaking-evening of entertainment. He read a wonderful novella, “Yellow Dog” (available only from Sub Press, I believe) and played guitar/harmonica and sang. I was waiting for a chorus line. It kicked ass.

I spent most of yesterday getting to know my first client at my new day job. She’s a wonderfully funny woman, very verbal, with a long litany of developmental disabilities. I’m excited to start working with her, although I can tell she’ll be quite a handful.

I then came home, zonked from the weekend and my day, so my Chris and I sat around and watched as many terrible horror movies as we could before passing out. I think we managed five. Two of the better ones were Hard Candy (which is more of an arty thriller than anything and not without its problems. Worth watching, though, just for the solid tweak of your expectations) and Devil’s Rejects (which I’ve managed to not see all this time, although I saw House of a 1000 Corpses in the theatre).

I’ve also begun a personal experiment, in conjunction with NaNoWriMo, and inspired by my good friend Shane Hoverston (who got it elsewhere, and so forth and on).  I am going to try and take 120 minutes every day and document what I get done, writing-wise, because keeping track of words is utterly useless in general for me (aside from NaNo, of which word trackage is the point). Thing is, some days, I wind up not writing many words, if any, but have spent time reading non-fiction or doing research or something…but then I wind up feeling like I have done NOTHING because I can’t empirically prove tangible results. If I take 120 minutes (not necessarily consecutive minutes), budget them into like, oh, 60 minutes writing/drafting  and 60 minutes writing/research, directed writing related activity—and physically keep track, I think I will get more done and feel like a better person. And! I decided that the days that I actually accomplish this (today was the first I got in the full time), I am tossing some small change or bill into a jar just for me for a prize (I’m still totally broke and shit, so we’re talking like 50 cents here). But it will add up, sometime. Eventually.

Of course, if (optimists in the audience will say when) I sell a new story, that would go into this magical pot of mystery prize awesomeness too.

*I have been reading up, actually, on the black plague and medieval technology. This was a far more progressively inventive time than most folks realize. I see vast untapped possibilities here. Watch for it. Plaguepunk will be the nextbigthingOMG1111111111, and you read about it here.

1. I am waiting impatiently for Pam, Maggie, and Chris R., three of my Clarion West fam, to arrive. They are in town for the Charles De Lint workshop this Sunday at Hugo House. I am hosting and getting some muchly needed f2f hive mind time.
Don’t know what we’re up to this weekend, aside from Sunday, when they are actually in the workshop. I am sure some philosophical discourse, some in-jokes, and quite a few drunk dials are in order.
I know I will be at Charles’ reading Monday evening:
Fantastic Fiction readings and conversation salon with Charles de Lint
Charles de Lint, author of “Moonheart” and “Dingo,” among others, reads and discusses his work. Co-sponsored by Richard Hugo House. $5.
 www.nwmediaarts.com
Cabaret
Monday, October 27th, 2008, 7:00 PM
W00t.
2. Aside from cleaning the house in expectation of said visitors, I have pretty much spent the day researching the psychology of colonialism and post colonialism for a story revision.  You know, because I like to write about happy stuff.
Ow.
I am also trying to grasp desperately at an idea for my NaNoWriMo project, which starts in like, oh, a week.
3. I have five stories actively circulating the markets. I can’t remember the last time I had that many out at one time.
Oh, yeah. Because I NEVER have before.
4. I’ve been really, really, really burned out on contracting in IT as a day-job, and full time, lately, has been UNpossible. But, I just found something very, super, uber part time.  I am VERY excited about it, because it will eventually lead to a new day-job career entirely—and the non-profit that hired me is really confident in my aptitude and willing to spend time training me…as a vocational coach for adults with developmental disabilities. I have my first client already and am supposed to start with her next weekend (the hours right now are Saturday – Monday. Not a dream schedule, but it’s a start).
5. I have my Halloween costume altogether: a paper “H” I will tape to my forehead*. Now, if I only knew of something to actually do on Halloween this year.

 
*Say it with me now: “GEEK.”
Don’t get the reference? Hrm. That means you probably had a social life in the 80s.
And hey, it’s better than the two consecutive years I went as a serial killer, dressed like I always do, because serial killers look just like everyone else. That was both geeky and lame.

 …is now committed to writing way more than that. November should kick me towards my 75,000 words before midnight, 31 December, quite nicely.

If you want to “friend” me there, I’m spitkitten (of course).

One percent (and this is in the midst of some personal chaos and upheaval of the engrossingly unfun sort)!

So, apparently, what I need to do is just sit the hell down. That’s the process.
If I keep sitting the hell down, eventually I type some words.
I now have two stories out to market, and am hoping to finish the current one (which is a rewrite–a deep rewrite) and send it out to seeks its fortune over the weekend. Then, onto the next (another deep rewrite; this one needs about 2,000 new words). I have a vague inkling, maybe, I think, of what’s after that.
Point is, I’m working. It may only be for 30 minutes at a time, but I’m working.
Step three: sit the hell down.
I have also “offiicially” committed to doing NaNoRiMo, so I’d better get accustomed to sitting the hell down. That sucker is 50,000+ words. I’m going to do it too, and I pinky swear that the last 10,000 words will not be “Screw Flanders.”

Also important: I know you’ve probably been looking in your closet and thinking, “What I really need is a mess of teeshirts and crap that have aliens on them, or that, at least, talk about global donimation.”
Me too.
Well, Maggie @ Apex has anticipated our garment needs and re/designed a bunch of ringers, tanks, mugs, and hats that look really swell and go to a great cause–keeping dark SF awesome:
Apex at Zazzle (There is nothing like a hot cup of global domination!)
Apex at CafePress (personally, I’m coveting the Apex Minion Ladies’ T in black)