DISQUS is annoying!

I participated in two blogfests back on 31/5, and encountered two different blogs that required you to post via Disqus comments. Well, I have to say these are becoming my new pet hate in the blogisphere. For one thing, when I'm at home I can't even get these comments to load, so can't leave a comment! Then, on a PC at work where I can get them to load, only one of them let me post as a guest. With the other one I tried signing in with Google+ and Twitter, but they still required me to have a Disqus account. To me, this is just too much hard work, so sadly one blog missed out on a comment from me...and I really wanted to leave a comment there, too! I even have it still cut, ready to paste.

That's really all I wanted to say for today - but I may as well give an update on my BuNoWriMo writing while I'm here:

SMALL TOWN
is 13% complete

6746 / 50000 words written

And yeah, I am now calling it SMALL TOWN (formerly ELLA), but that is still a non-permanent title. I'm enjoying the story though I am having that familiar "this is crap...isn't it? maybe it's not" feeling as I write. But that's perfectly normal. ;)

[O&AM] I...hate the sun (though I know I need it)

"Out & About Me" is a monthly blog series in which I tell you guys a bit more about me. I'll focus on a particular topic each month, and let you all get to know me a bit better than you already do.

Today I'm going to talk about the weather. I know a lot of you will have received comments from me over the years about how I hate summer, and I've also mentioned it in this blog now and then. But today I am focusing entirely on the weather and my sheer hatred of (the Australian) summer. I'll admit I don't mind a bit of Norwegian summer, what with its dramatic rainclouds overhead and the threat of a shower or two. Yeah, that's what I saw in Norway back in 2004, and the friend I was having lunch with that day indicated it was quite typical of that part of the country in summer (it was actually fairly reminiscent of a Western Australian winter). But the Australian summer is a different beast.

A friend from the US recently posted a link to this story on my Facebook page, about how in some parts of Australia it's so hot they had to add a new colour to the weather map - purple for the extreme heat of up to 54° c (129° f). Thankfully where I live it gets nowhere near that revolting sort of temperature (max temps tend to be around 43° c = 109.4 f). I live on the coast, and we get the sea breeze in the afternoons (called the Fremantle Doctor). But on days when that precious breeze fails to arrive, everything pretty much sucks around here. I always comfort myself with the fact that some people in the world have it worse than us, hot weather-wise.

I do have better reasons to hate the sun than most - I am susceptible to skin cancer and have already had a few cut out of my face. Not only is it physically and emotionally traumatic to go under the knife like that, but it's costly as well. And yet I know that the sun is life-giving, and that I need it to survive! Thankfully I recently got my Vitamin D checked and, surprisingly to myself and all who know me, my levels were within the healthy range. I guess around here you can't help but get some sun exposure no matter how hard you try to avoid it. It bounces off the ground and the walls and the leaves, no doubt, and finds you even in your shadiest hidey hole. ;)

E.J. Wesley's "Bury the Hatchet" blogfest

Today I'm posting for the "Bury the Hatchet" blogfest hosted by E.J. Wesley. This blogfest celebrates the publication of E.J.'s debut novelette, BLOOD FUGUE, which is the first in his series of MOONSONGS BOOKS. Wahoo!, congrats E.J. and I wish you the best of luck with your monstrous endeavour!

To answer E.J.'s question about who or what I'd love to bury the hatchet (literally) in, I will say that lately I've discovered a seriously intense hatred of hand drying machines that cut out after five seconds, don't even start working at all, or blow icy cold air on your hands. "Take a chill pill, girlfriend!" you say? Well maybe I should. But I challenge you to keep a chirpy smile on your dial when putting up with any of the above. ;)

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Author E.J. Wesley is launching his latest title, BLOOD FUGUE, and wants you to help him celebrate! Check out his blog The Open Vein for details on how to take part, and how to enter for a chance to win some sweet prizes!

What's BLOOD FUGUE about?

Armed only with an ancient family journal, her rifle, and an Apache tomahawk, Jenny must save her grandfather’s life and embrace her dangerous heritage. Or be devoured by it. Blood Fugue, by E.J. Wesley, is the first of the Moonsongs books, a series of paranormal-action novelettes.

BLOOD FUGUE is available now via Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble and most other eBook retailers. Check out the author on Goodreads!

I've been horribly busy and it ends now!

Here's a photo I ruined tonight (lost the original)
while trying to figure out the new iPhoto.

Lately, life has been a little bit crazy. I've had family visiting, and I've been travelling. And in the last week, for various reasons (including a *gasp* 32nd birthday!), I haven't had a single night totally at home. Thankfully things should calm down now, 'cause though I love my friends and family (and...work?), I sure do crave my "me" time when I don't get enough of it.


I'm also currently grappling with the disappointing reality that is my shiny new MacBook Pro. Okay, I'm not disappointed by the laptop itself - not at all; it's delightful...except when I mess with permissions and suddenly can't find any of my files in Finder - but I'm very disappointed with iPhoto. On my old laptop it was at least serviceable, and I could at least find my photos when I searched for them on my computer. In this latest version of iPhoto, it seems they're just not having that. But I won't rant anymore, 'cause it's pretty boring.

I'm still working on my rewrite of SUNDOWN, and enjoying it a lot. But I haven't done much in this last week of madness. Hopefully from here on in I won't have any more weeks where none of my evenings are entirely my own. I do hope to get to work on a first revision of DANNA, 'cause I think it's one of my more promising works.

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In recent times The Smashing Pumpkins brought out a new album, Oceania, and kicked off a tour (I attended the show in my town this Thursday just gone). I've been listening to Oceania a lot. But for the last few days I've been newly addicted to a song by Lacuna Coil called "Daylight Dancer". It's from their album Comalies, which apparently is coming up on its 10 year anniversary. There's talk of a tour where they play the album in its entirety. I'd love to see that show, though I'd prefer to see a show where they played the entirety of the previous album Unleashed Memories live. ;)

My laptop aims to misbehave

She likes my laptop too.

I've had this little laptop since just before NaNoWriMo 2008. I bought it just in time to start writing my second Squeaky McLean novel. Which, ahem, I have yet to complete. But none of that is the point. The point is that my laptop has been through many trials and tribulations with me. It's given me much joy and, lately, a fair bit of pain(-in-the-butt-ness). It has been with me while I recorded many a song, it's been with me while I wrote many a novel and short story and the odd poem too. It was with me when I made my first post in this blog! It's also travelled the world with me. Basically, we've shared good times.

And he's all, "This thing's niiiice.
Think I'll make it mine."

Either it needs a new battery, or it's planning on dying sometime soon. It's not even that old, and it's a beautiful Mac, and Macs aren't crap right? Maybe it's just trying to tell me, "Enough! You have worked me into the ground, this is slave labour, my joints ache and I'm old and damn it it's my time to go!" But I'm not giving up on this little baby just yet.

Ordinarily I'd have a Sunday Session and maybe some other random thing for ya today, but instead I'm going to whine about my stupid (lovely, I love you, don't die!!) laptop and call it a day. I hope your laptops are behaving better than mine!!

P.S. I watched HOUSESITTER (Steve Martin, Goldie Hawn) again last night, and it was cracking me up all the way through. It's been ages since I saw that movie. Also, I'm reading BROTHER OF THE MORE FAMOUS JACK by Barbara Trapido, and loving it!

Tagged by Leigh Covington...after a little rant

Well, I'd have to be a robot to be able to read this!

I've seen a lot of bloggers ranting about word verification lately. The reason can be seen above! What the hell does that first word say? Believe it or not, I entered letters after squinting at the screen for a while and actually seemed to get it right. I'm not convinced, but maybe I was really that lucky. I certainly couldn't read the damn word, so it had to be pure luck.

Anyway, moving on!

A while back I got tagged by Leigh Covington, and she charged me and my fellow tagees (for the purposes of this post that is a word) with answering some questions. On that note, I used to write that 'qvestions', just for fun. Anyway, here I go with the question answering!

1. What is your dream vacation?
I've travelled a lot, but one thing I would love to do before I die (other than see the Great Pyramids, at least) is check out the Arctic Circle and see the northern lights.

2. Are you spontaneous or do you like to plan ahead?
I guess it depends on the situation. With travelling I tend to have a solid plan at least of where I'm going (I don't do open-ended tickets). But with writing and creativity in general, I tend to be more of a pantser. At work I'm a bit of a perfectionist, but I still don't necessarily have my whole work day planned out. I may jump around between numerous projects in one work day, if possible.

3. Tell us one thing you want to do, but don't dare to do. (Unless of course, you dare to do everything!)
Go and live in another country for a while. I know so many people who have done that, but I've only ever travelled with the certainty that I will return home (I kind of like that certainty, to be honest, but I think living overseas would be a nice challenge).

4. What's your biggest phobia?
Cockroaches! The big, brown, flying kind. Other than that, speaking (or performing) in public makes me feel just a little queasy. I think I'd rather deal with a flying cockroach than speak in public. Unfortunately sometimes I have to do it for my job, even though it's technically not part of my role. I hate that. (It's no coincidence that I have to do some public speaking today at work)

5. If you were stranded on a desert island - what 3 things would you want with you? (not including laptop, or family.)
The Smashing Pumpkins' forthcoming reissue/remaster of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness; the complete Harry Potter series of books; Wilson the volleyball to be my friend! (Yes I just re-watched CAST AWAY for the first time in years. I love Wilson).

6. Name three blessings in your life.
My family, my friends and the privilege of living in a relatively free country.

7. What was your nickname in High School?
Well, one of my friends called me Fish Face for a while, until I told her she better stop if she wanted to live. I also had a self-imposed nickname of Carrie (not related to Stephen King's book at all, which I have yet to read!). I think I might've also been called Danielle Johns at one point (ya know, Daniel Johns...Silverchair).

8. If you could meet the President of the United States, what would you say to him?
I'd say, "You're a darn sight better to listen to than your predecessor, man!"

9. If you could be any literary character for a day, who would you be?
Hermione Granger! I think her life is pretty cool, even if she's gone through a lot of crap.

10. What is your favorite quote?
I don't know that I have one single favourite, but...umm, I'm always partial to Billy Corgan's variation on a popular saying: "If practice makes perfect and nobody's perfect, why practice?" Not that I particularly live by that, of course!

11. In the colour code personality test, what colour are you? (If you don't know, go HERE!)
I was a White:
"Whites are motivated by Peace. They seek independence and require kindness. They resist confrontation at all costs. To them, feeling good is more important than being good. They are typically quiet by nature, process things very deeply and objectively with great clarity. Of all the colours, Whites are the best listeners. They respect people who are direct but recoil from perceived hostility or verbal battle."