I know we're supposed to keep it clean around here (cleaner than the other place, at least) but I'm going to vent for a minute, "Fuck the Grim Reaper." I come back to work to find one of my staff lost his grandfather just months after losing his grandmother. Now the board where I admin (I'm basically both Maggie and Gav with a dash or two of Nicola over there) lost one of its most senior and valued members, who was mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to a good-sized family. She's been struggling with her health this fall so it's not a total surprise but still .... And then add in Ravenpearl here... So, I'll say it again, "Fuck the Grim Reaper." I know intellectually that death is the natural, logical end of things but that doesn't make it any easier when it hits close to home.
(Oh, and that caps off a year in which my wife lost both parents, one expected and one not).
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Crazy old ape
Question for the denizens of this place: Does my story Night of the Wind qualify as a Christmas story? It's an adventure with a happy ending that takes place on the Eve of a major solstice festival during a winter storm. Seems kind of Christmas-y in retrospect. What do you think?
Crazy old ape
I don't drink coffee myself but my son is now a bit of an expert so if I had to buy some, I'd hit him for advice. Plus I know a roastery here in town that he used to buy from (well, he picked it and I bought since he didn't have his own credit card yet). Ditto beer.
So, I'll have some of that green tea myself. Just back from the Caribbean and not much planned for Christmas. My cousin is hosting Christmas dinner tomorrow and we have a dish to prepare, but it's fairly simple.
So, I'll have some of that green tea myself. Just back from the Caribbean and not much planned for Christmas. My cousin is hosting Christmas dinner tomorrow and we have a dish to prepare, but it's fairly simple.
Crazy old ape
Brought in a load of Christmas goodies for the coffee house crowd. Fruitcake, plum pudding, shortbread cookies, mincemeat tarts, and a big bowl of eggnog (with a bottle of rum handy to spike to taste). Candy canes, too, of course.
I'll be on vacation and mostly offline after today and possibly until after Christmas so I'm sending out an early and cheery "Merry Christmas" to all the SS gang. May all the hope, peace, joy, and love of the season be with you and yours!
I'll be on vacation and mostly offline after today and possibly until after Christmas so I'm sending out an early and cheery "Merry Christmas" to all the SS gang. May all the hope, peace, joy, and love of the season be with you and yours!
Crazy old ape
Quote by Survivor
Just starting on my second cuppa java. I've been checking some statistics here on our site.
Did you know that only twenty people have written over a third of all stories here? About 9,560 stories have been posted here and those twenty busy little bees have contributed about 3,340 stories. That means some 820 authors wrote the rest, around 6,180.
Not only that, but there have been 290 of those writers who only published one story. That was all they wanted to post, I guess. But it occurs to me that may be why we have so few really active people here. So many simply told their one story and moved on. I do wish we could change that somehow.
Anyway, bottoms up with one more cuppa.
I wouldn't worry about the 290. Probably drive-bys without much to say. It's really the rest of the 820 that are the ones to focus on. And with some of those, the problem is likely divided attention. I have limited time for writing and I still write for other sites. I'd like to focus more on here but somehow my mind wanders into other realms at times. Perhaps in 2019 I'll shift my focus.
I do have a concern about the degree to which this sites seems mostly focussed, intentionally or not, on micro-fiction, short musings, and such. For someone like me who likes worldbuilding and developing his plots and characters, it doesn't always look that welcoming to longer works when you run down what's on the front page.
Crazy old ape
Sorry I'm a bit scarce. Was trying to finish a story before I go. Not for here, alas. I'm going to try to focus on this place in 2019 but I also said that about 2018. Anyhow, vacation starts tomorrow and we leave for our trip on Friday. Won't have Internet for much of the time so you'll have to live without your favorite ape for a week or so.
Kettle is hot, green tea is brewing.
Kettle is hot, green tea is brewing.
Crazy old ape
Quote by Survivor
Just a matinee performance today. Last night the grasshoppers missed their cue to enter. They're only around 5 or 6 years old. So they gave their performance after final bows. The audience got the whole show.
Grasshoppers. You can never depend on them, eh?
*pours another tea*
Crazy old ape
Shower unless I really need to relax.
Snow or rain
For gill, these are the movie/TV characters associated with each. All are adapted from the brand's comics:
Marvel = the Avengers movies and related (Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Ant Man, Spiderman, et al) including the Netflix superhero shows (e.g. Daredevil). Next up for them is the animated Spiderman : Into the Spiderverse and Captain Marvel.
DC = Justice League, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the various CW superhero shows (Arrow, The Flash, et al.). Aquaman is next up for them.
Snow or rain
For gill, these are the movie/TV characters associated with each. All are adapted from the brand's comics:
Marvel = the Avengers movies and related (Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Ant Man, Spiderman, et al) including the Netflix superhero shows (e.g. Daredevil). Next up for them is the animated Spiderman : Into the Spiderverse and Captain Marvel.
DC = Justice League, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the various CW superhero shows (Arrow, The Flash, et al.). Aquaman is next up for them.
Crazy old ape
Quote by AnnaMayZing
Engines, big, powerful noisy engines!
I used to live in Hamilton, Ontario, home of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. The treasure of that collection is one of the last flying Lancasters. Four Rolls-Royce Merlins. When that bird was in the sky, you knew it. I suspect that would fill your bill for big, powerful, noisy engines.v8Mkm8bCsnpPWiU0
My passions:
SF/fantasy/horror media of various sorts: TV, movies, books, comics, etc.
Various topics in science: space, physics, dinosaurs and prehistoric life.
Music of many genres: opera, symphony, singer-songwriter, prog rock, jazz (some forms at least)
Crazy old ape
Never been a big ballet fan, really. Love the music to a lot of them, including The Nutcracker, but the ballet style of dancing itself just doesn't seem to turn my crank. Even modern dance, I find I prefer short, punchy pieces to long form works.
* puts on the kettle and digs out some green tea *
* puts on the kettle and digs out some green tea *
Crazy old ape
Quote by gillianleeza
Sorting through fifty years worth of things in the attic triggered an asthma attack.
Never had to sort through an attic (my parents stash was in the basement) but I was a librarian in a previous life and had to oversee inventories. Books are powerful dust magnets, and we are talking pulling every single book out far enough to wand its barcode. I'm not hugely, immensely allergic to dust, but my nasal passages were in agony by the end of some days (I tend more to upper respiratory tract problems, so sinus infections and that sort of thing rather than asthma and bronchitis).
Morning tea. Nice English Breakfast today.
Crazy old ape
Actually, not that cold here, today, but it's a one day respite. Still grey and wet, though.
I'm completely out at sea with my present story (the one I wasn't sure would be for here or another place). No idea where to go with it right now, just not happy with what I have. My delete key finger is itching but I've worked enough on it that I would rather not (it's something that I do a lot, though, probably a mental thing). And I'm still not sure if it's for here or there, to boot.
I stocked up at David's Tea, so we've got a bunch of cool flavours. Cream of Earl Grey (Earl Grey + vanilla) is in my cup.
I'm completely out at sea with my present story (the one I wasn't sure would be for here or another place). No idea where to go with it right now, just not happy with what I have. My delete key finger is itching but I've worked enough on it that I would rather not (it's something that I do a lot, though, probably a mental thing). And I'm still not sure if it's for here or there, to boot.
I stocked up at David's Tea, so we've got a bunch of cool flavours. Cream of Earl Grey (Earl Grey + vanilla) is in my cup.
Crazy old ape
Quote by Survivor
Good morning, all. Saw a dress rehearsal for Annie last night. Nicely done.
We keep singing "the sun will come out tomorrow" around here but the sun doesn't seem to want to oblige.
Never seen Annie, but I was in the pit for a production of Annie Get Your Gun back in my clarinet playing days.
Lunchtime green tea is ready.
Crazy old ape
Quote by hayley
Have been there on assignment too and had a train adventure which was an awesome experience. Every stop peeps get on the train with food and hot coffee. They are the politest people ever and their food can be just as good outside the country as in it.
Someday ....
My wife is originally from Shanghai, China, so one of our proposed retirement projects is to live there part of the year and use it as a base to see more of Asia. With the 14 hour flight and 12-13 hours of jet lag already taken care of in getting to Shanghai, places like Southeast Asia, Korea, etc. become less of a chore to visit.
Home for the morning as a guy is coming to fix some of our windows. Tea time.
Crazy old ape
Quote by hayley
Early riser me, never easy after a wonderful dinner the night before. Thai... started with prawn spring rolls which were all prawn in a wonderfully crisp pastry, served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce... followed by my fav, roast duck .. served in a Thai peanut and sweet chilli sauce on a bed of buc choy... all washed down with an ice cold Thai lager beer, Singha. For dessert I had another serving of the prawn spring rolls and a second Singha!
Like my prawns
Another Thai fan, eh. I'm fond of their noodles and green curries myself. And there's a dish that restaurants here call basil shrimp that I've become addicted to. The duck sounds delicious. Must see if any Thai places around here have it. When I have duck, it's usually Chinese, either roast duck or Peking duck.
Crazy old ape
Quote by gillianleeza
I had a final count of twenty-one people in for Thanksgiving.
I think we maxed out at 17 including four children with our family dinners. With Dad gone, we've been down to 15 in recent years but now one of my nephews is married so it might go up again.
And I'll have a cup of Early ... er ... Earl Grey tea, no umbrellas (Do you really want plastic in a hot drink, curvy?).
Crazy old ape
Quote by gillianleeza
I have made many trips from northern Virginia to Newfoundland. About 1600 miles.
Day One: 12 hours to Maine
Day Two: 10 hours to North Sydney Nova Scotia
An overnight ferry ride to Newfoundland about 6-8 hours.
Day Three: 6 hours across the island to Grandfalls-Windsor Newfoundland
After staying about ten days we take the trip in return.
That's a bit of driving. I thought the minister I know who's from Brantford, Ontario but lives on The Rock had it rough when he comes home but I think you have him beat.
Crazy old ape
Quote by AnnaMayZing
If it helps, my technical knowledge of poetry is less than zero and I am sure I am not alone... although I could be.
Anyway, I think that genre would be a better split rather than type because I can only just differentiate a limerick from... erm…the others?
While I do know a fair number of forms, I agree that genre, or maybe theme/topic, is better. I'm not generally going in looking for a sonnet or an ode. I'm looking for a love poem, nature poem, etc.
Ones I'd probably include (but there are probably more, this is just a quick brainstorm of popular poetic themes):
Romance/Love
Nature
Spirituality/Religion
Humour
History
Family
As with fiction, some poems may fit in multiple genres. I'd say pick the one that makes the most sense. My poem "On Seeing the Light (Re)born" could go in Nature or Spirituality but ... well, I'm not actually sure now where I'd put it.
Crazy old ape
Good morning, Larry. Kind of soggy here but supposed to chill out and turn snowy later.
My current writing project (a contemporary romance-drama) has reached 4700 words with no end in sight. And that's all SS-friendly so no detailed descriptions of naughtiness. It's all plot and character, basically. I am kind of at the line where I need to decide where to take it, though. The climax (of the story) seems close and that's where it moves into other territory if it is going to.
But that brings me to another thought. How long will this site really tolerate? I know the limit here is technically the same as the other site I write for (10K words), most of what I see posted is fairly short, 2K or less. Even the chapters of Anna's novel run around 3-4K words. Night of the Wind, my last full story, was 4800 words and that seems long among recent stories here. I am starting to think I might want to split this new story if I go too much longer and still keep it SS-friendly. Not for rules but just for readership. Any thoughts?
My current writing project (a contemporary romance-drama) has reached 4700 words with no end in sight. And that's all SS-friendly so no detailed descriptions of naughtiness. It's all plot and character, basically. I am kind of at the line where I need to decide where to take it, though. The climax (of the story) seems close and that's where it moves into other territory if it is going to.
But that brings me to another thought. How long will this site really tolerate? I know the limit here is technically the same as the other site I write for (10K words), most of what I see posted is fairly short, 2K or less. Even the chapters of Anna's novel run around 3-4K words. Night of the Wind, my last full story, was 4800 words and that seems long among recent stories here. I am starting to think I might want to split this new story if I go too much longer and still keep it SS-friendly. Not for rules but just for readership. Any thoughts?
Crazy old ape
Quote by hayley
OMG! Do you think peeps think I'm promoting Harney's teas????? Nooooo way .. I think they are the worst teas on the planet...
To be honest, I'd never heard of them until you mentioned them. Must be a UK/European thing. For loose teas here, it's mostly specialty shops like David's and Teavana or else Asian stuff, like Chinese greens and oolongs, sold in Chinese/Asian groceries.