The Circular File
http://blog.sherryficklin.com
The Circular File
Tuesday Versus
Well, here it is my friends, the final Twilight Tuesday.
What am I going to do with my Tuesdays now??!!??
So, I'm introducing a new segment here I'm calling Tuesday Versus. It'll be a weekly battle of the best of random geeky pairings of unlikely foes. I thought I should go with a big one for the first week. Here it is!
This week is:
The Death Star
Versus:
The USS Enterprise
Let's break it down.
The Death Star
+ Able to destroy and entire PLANET with one shot
- Crewed by a bunch of incompetent clones (ever notice how a copy of a copy isn't as sharp as the original?)
The Enterprise
+ Able separate the saucer section
- Phasers bounce off a shield like tennis balls off a tank
Winner?
The Enterprise
Deciding factor- Captains Archer, Pike, Kirk, and Piccard. All cooler than the warty old Emperor. (Oh, and no conveniently located self destruct button the size of a wamp rat)
Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment here!!
~NOTE~
For anyone interested, the trailer for the new Star Trek movie is now available online at
www.startrekmovie.com
Next week,
Clone troopers
Versus:
Cylons
What am I going to do with my Tuesdays now??!!??
So, I'm introducing a new segment here I'm calling Tuesday Versus. It'll be a weekly battle of the best of random geeky pairings of unlikely foes. I thought I should go with a big one for the first week. Here it is!
This week is:
The Death Star
Versus:
The USS Enterprise
Let's break it down.
The Death Star
+ Able to destroy and entire PLANET with one shot
- Crewed by a bunch of incompetent clones (ever notice how a copy of a copy isn't as sharp as the original?)
The Enterprise
+ Able separate the saucer section
- Phasers bounce off a shield like tennis balls off a tank
Winner?
The Enterprise
Deciding factor- Captains Archer, Pike, Kirk, and Piccard. All cooler than the warty old Emperor. (Oh, and no conveniently located self destruct button the size of a wamp rat)
Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment here!!
~NOTE~
For anyone interested, the trailer for the new Star Trek movie is now available online at
www.startrekmovie.com
Next week,
Clone troopers
Versus:
Cylons
a quickie for the TWILIGHT fans...
It was revealed in a recent interview with Catherine Hardwic, the TWILIGHT director, that she and Rob Pattenson were not only given a partial manuscript for MIDNIGHT SUN, but decided to film a scene from it. While it won't appear in the theater, they are including it on the DVD as a deleted scene. How cool is that?
Sermon on the Mount...of laundry
I figured I should stop by and leave a few updates and goodies for you today. It's been a while so...
Let me just say that my husband never fails to amaze me. This weekend as we frantically tried to get in our new furnace ducting - only to discover that you can't but the size ducting we need in this town - Jer actually did the coolest thing ever. He got some sheet metal and built it himself. Yeah. And, dang if it didn't come out like it'd been professionally done. I'm just uber impressed with his manly skills. We still have to hook up the actual vent registers, but that should be relatively painless. Or so I'm told.
My chickens got their feathers back this week. Nothing in life is quite as funny or sad as a bald chicken.
Apparently they were molting, something they will do annually now that they are adults. I don't really care, I just want my eggs back.
Nanowrimo is going well, except that the site is so bogged down I can't get on to update my word count. No big deal. I'll do it all on the 30th if I have to. Oh, I'm just over 2000 words for anyone who's keeping track. And no, I haven't had to kill a mime. Yet.
Winter is officially here in Colorado. My Christmas boxes are out of storage (though not opened yet). The trees are bare, the air is cold, and plans for the annual Christmas tree hunt have commenced. Woo! Christmas!
I'm NOT in Denver today, much to my chagrin. Some of the TWILIGHT movie cast is up there signing autographs today. I so wanted to make the trip, but alas, funds are scarce this week. Besides, I have so much laundry to do I could stand on top of the pile and rebuke the people. But the rest of the house is clean, so that's ok too.
Speaking of TWILIGHT, my friend called me Saturday and told me she'd seen the trailer at a movie this weekend and - after making fun of my desire to hit the midnight show - (so obsessed am I), she begged me to take her too. Now, she never read the books so it will be really interesting to see her opinion of it, not having anything to compare it too.
*See Reina! I told you it was just a matter of time till it hooked you too!*
Aside from that, things are fairly calm around here. Or as calm as it ever gets in the eye of the storm, which is where we exist. I'm just doing the wifey/mommy thing, the neurotic writer thing, and the antagonistic stare thing. Why the stare? No news from the publisher yet. She said she'd call by the 28th, so no reason to freak out yet. Do you think that'll stop me? Probably not.
Oh, and Happy Veterans Day and Happy Birthday to the USMC. I really have a great appreciation for all the service members, veterans, and dependents. Most people will never know or understand the sacrifice these people make for us every day. It's a voluntary service that puts you and your loved ones directly in harms way, separates you from your family, and can even cost your very life. All to keep the rest of us safe, to liberate the enslaved, and to help those people who can't help themselves. So whatever your political beliefs, social position, or feelings on the current military situation, please take time today to thank a soldier. They deserve it.
Let me just say that my husband never fails to amaze me. This weekend as we frantically tried to get in our new furnace ducting - only to discover that you can't but the size ducting we need in this town - Jer actually did the coolest thing ever. He got some sheet metal and built it himself. Yeah. And, dang if it didn't come out like it'd been professionally done. I'm just uber impressed with his manly skills. We still have to hook up the actual vent registers, but that should be relatively painless. Or so I'm told.
My chickens got their feathers back this week. Nothing in life is quite as funny or sad as a bald chicken.
Apparently they were molting, something they will do annually now that they are adults. I don't really care, I just want my eggs back.
Nanowrimo is going well, except that the site is so bogged down I can't get on to update my word count. No big deal. I'll do it all on the 30th if I have to. Oh, I'm just over 2000 words for anyone who's keeping track. And no, I haven't had to kill a mime. Yet.
Winter is officially here in Colorado. My Christmas boxes are out of storage (though not opened yet). The trees are bare, the air is cold, and plans for the annual Christmas tree hunt have commenced. Woo! Christmas!
I'm NOT in Denver today, much to my chagrin. Some of the TWILIGHT movie cast is up there signing autographs today. I so wanted to make the trip, but alas, funds are scarce this week. Besides, I have so much laundry to do I could stand on top of the pile and rebuke the people. But the rest of the house is clean, so that's ok too.
Speaking of TWILIGHT, my friend called me Saturday and told me she'd seen the trailer at a movie this weekend and - after making fun of my desire to hit the midnight show - (so obsessed am I), she begged me to take her too. Now, she never read the books so it will be really interesting to see her opinion of it, not having anything to compare it too.
*See Reina! I told you it was just a matter of time till it hooked you too!*
Aside from that, things are fairly calm around here. Or as calm as it ever gets in the eye of the storm, which is where we exist. I'm just doing the wifey/mommy thing, the neurotic writer thing, and the antagonistic stare thing. Why the stare? No news from the publisher yet. She said she'd call by the 28th, so no reason to freak out yet. Do you think that'll stop me? Probably not.
Oh, and Happy Veterans Day and Happy Birthday to the USMC. I really have a great appreciation for all the service members, veterans, and dependents. Most people will never know or understand the sacrifice these people make for us every day. It's a voluntary service that puts you and your loved ones directly in harms way, separates you from your family, and can even cost your very life. All to keep the rest of us safe, to liberate the enslaved, and to help those people who can't help themselves. So whatever your political beliefs, social position, or feelings on the current military situation, please take time today to thank a soldier. They deserve it.
It has begun...
Not even a full week into Nanowrimo, and my brain is fried. In order to do 50,000 words in 30 days you need over 16oo words a day. Holy crap. No wonder I'm so scatterbrained today. My running total is 4,544, but I haven't done todays chapter yet.
This is your brain on NanowrimoI'm well into the 3rd chapter now, and it isn't nearly far enough. I should be doing about a chapter a day. Ugh. It wouldn't be so bad if only I could get a solid chunk of time.
I do want to thank my writers support group for the sheet they gave me of ways to untangle your plot. Here's some of my favorites:
-characters argue over grammar
-a volcano erupts nearby
-kill a mime
-send in the ninjas
-everyone gets the plague
-include the phrase "I think I saw this in a porno once."
-include a llama in some way
-there's a terrible accident involving a rubber chicken
-someone is maimed by a bendy straw
-a herd of bison stampede through your novel
All great Ideas, thanks!
Also, today I had to make some tough choices:
The Twilight soundtrack dropped today, as well as 'One Silent Night' by Sherilyn Kenyon and 'Swallowing Darkness' By Laurell Hamilton. Unfortunately for me, my wallet could barely support one purchase this week. So, Twilight won, hands down. Last week I bought my ticket for the midnight show and got a free download of a remixed song from the album. It was awesome. Bella's lullaby, remixed. Very nice. And now I have the entire album to placate myself with until the 20th.
I hope everyone got out and voted today. I did. I wasn't going to, but I decided that in the end, if I didn't vote, I wouldn't be able to complain about the government for the next four years, and I LOVE to complain.
I think that's all for today, be aware blogs will be slow this month, what with the frantic Nanowrimo and all.
Things that go bump in the night
Happy Halloween!!!
Today is my favorite day of the year, not only because of the spectacular combination of costumes and candy, but because of all the wonderful things you'll see today that you won't see any other time of year. For example, I went to lunch with the husband today, and the lady who took our order was dresses as red riding hood, post wolf attack. Any other day of the year coming to work at a restaurant covered in fake blood is some kind of protest. Today, no one even blinked. Also, it is the only time of year when you can hear 'Thriller' on the radio. Uncut. Enough said.
So, as a tribute to all things spooky and wonderful, today's blog is a tribute to my top favorite things about Halloween.
10. Tonight, every channel (except espn) will be showing an uber awesome Halloween flick. Just right now, Halloween, the Bride of Chucky, Carrie, and Army of Darkness are on. It's like a buffet of cool.
9. It's the one night you can walk up to a stranger's door and demand goodies.
8. After sending my kids around to collect said swag, I will rifle through it and pick out all the good stuff. A pox on those of you who give out toothbrushes and playdough.
7. Tonight if you look like the living dead, you might win a prize of some kind. Every other day, people just assume you have four children.
6. Halloween music. It's something you can dance around to and look like an idiot. Just like everyone else. (See Thriller above)
5. Dressing up my husband. It's like Fantasy Island without the midget.
4. Fake eyelashes and body glitter. If you wear these any other time of year, don't. Unless you're a hooker.
3. Flaming sacks of dog poo. If you aren't pulling a prank on someone tonight, someone will be pulling one on you. *hides toilet paper behind back and grins like an idiot*
2. Caramel apples. Nature's junk food.
1. Having an excuse to throw a party. Who, me?!?!?
La,la,la. Gotta go. TP to throw, candy to eat, parties to attend. Hope you all have a wonderful and safe night!
Today is my favorite day of the year, not only because of the spectacular combination of costumes and candy, but because of all the wonderful things you'll see today that you won't see any other time of year. For example, I went to lunch with the husband today, and the lady who took our order was dresses as red riding hood, post wolf attack. Any other day of the year coming to work at a restaurant covered in fake blood is some kind of protest. Today, no one even blinked. Also, it is the only time of year when you can hear 'Thriller' on the radio. Uncut. Enough said.
So, as a tribute to all things spooky and wonderful, today's blog is a tribute to my top favorite things about Halloween.
10. Tonight, every channel (except espn) will be showing an uber awesome Halloween flick. Just right now, Halloween, the Bride of Chucky, Carrie, and Army of Darkness are on. It's like a buffet of cool.
9. It's the one night you can walk up to a stranger's door and demand goodies.
8. After sending my kids around to collect said swag, I will rifle through it and pick out all the good stuff. A pox on those of you who give out toothbrushes and playdough.
7. Tonight if you look like the living dead, you might win a prize of some kind. Every other day, people just assume you have four children.
6. Halloween music. It's something you can dance around to and look like an idiot. Just like everyone else. (See Thriller above)
5. Dressing up my husband. It's like Fantasy Island without the midget.
4. Fake eyelashes and body glitter. If you wear these any other time of year, don't. Unless you're a hooker.
3. Flaming sacks of dog poo. If you aren't pulling a prank on someone tonight, someone will be pulling one on you. *hides toilet paper behind back and grins like an idiot*
2. Caramel apples. Nature's junk food.
1. Having an excuse to throw a party. Who, me?!?!?
La,la,la. Gotta go. TP to throw, candy to eat, parties to attend. Hope you all have a wonderful and safe night!
The Pirate Party
The Pirate Bash was a huge success, as always! We had over 75 people show up, and all but 2 were in costume. Not too shabby. We decided to open up the back yard this year, and with the help of a few fire pits and twinkle lights, it was the place to be.
My Girls
Connor
Jonathan
Random Decor
Thanks to everyone who came out! We had such a blast! The best costume went to Indiana Jones, because as he walked around, his theme music played behind him. Any costume with it's own soundtrack is hard to beat. Honorable mention goes to Calypso and Davey Jones (who scared the pants off the children all night!) and to The McCallister family who came as the entire cast of the Princess Bride!!! Congrats!! Now, I have to go start the massive clean up effort and begin packing away the decor for another year. I do want to mention that Jeremy has requested a theme for next year. If you know Jer, you know that somewhere, a piece of hell has frozen over. Or maybe my love of Halloween has just finally rubbed off on him. He wants to go super spooky next year. The theme? We figured since we did pirates this year ( as a tribute to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean) next year will be The Haunted Mansion. OOOOOHHH. AAAHHHH. But that's another year. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about that in August. LOL!
My Girls
Connor
Jonathan
Random Decor
Thanks to everyone who came out! We had such a blast! The best costume went to Indiana Jones, because as he walked around, his theme music played behind him. Any costume with it's own soundtrack is hard to beat. Honorable mention goes to Calypso and Davey Jones (who scared the pants off the children all night!) and to The McCallister family who came as the entire cast of the Princess Bride!!! Congrats!! Now, I have to go start the massive clean up effort and begin packing away the decor for another year. I do want to mention that Jeremy has requested a theme for next year. If you know Jer, you know that somewhere, a piece of hell has frozen over. Or maybe my love of Halloween has just finally rubbed off on him. He wants to go super spooky next year. The theme? We figured since we did pirates this year ( as a tribute to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean) next year will be The Haunted Mansion. OOOOOHHH. AAAHHHH. But that's another year. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about that in August. LOL!
Don't blog angry!!
It's good advice, really, it is. But I'm not taking it.
I just want to vent because today SUCKED! Despite a good morning that included a long hot shower (the baby slept in) and doing my visiting teaching (yay me) --- then it all came crashing down.
Without going into specifics, I will say that I've recently had to deal with two or three people/situations that I wish I could magically blink away. Actually, I wish I could back over them with a mac truck. I try to take a deep breath and relax, but my eye starts twitching and my muscles seize up and I wrestle with the urge to slap someone. Just as one problem went away today, another cropped up, leaving me shaking with rage.
Did I mention this was all experienced under a haze of migraine headache? Yeah. Super.
I should mention that there is only one way this day could get worse and it may be hiding in the mailbox right now. So...I'm just going to let the mail sit until tomorrow. It'll still be there.
Did you know I can see the pile of dirty dishes in my sink from my computer? They sit there, all dingy, giving me stink eye. They may have to wait till tomorrow too. I'm going to go have some chocolate and see how I feel about it. Whoever left the plate of goodies on my doorstep today has excellent timing (and taste in candy). It may be the only thing saving me from pulling a "Petrelli" and incinerating the planet with my mad brain skills.
I know that I should let go of the things that get me like this, but I have a very hard time forgiving people, especially people who repeatedly incur my wrath. I'm not a harsh person, like all of us I just have limits to my tolerance and once they are reached, there's almost no going back. I guess I just need to find a more creative outlet for my frustrations. Like knitting. Evil knitting...
I just want to vent because today SUCKED! Despite a good morning that included a long hot shower (the baby slept in) and doing my visiting teaching (yay me) --- then it all came crashing down.
Without going into specifics, I will say that I've recently had to deal with two or three people/situations that I wish I could magically blink away. Actually, I wish I could back over them with a mac truck. I try to take a deep breath and relax, but my eye starts twitching and my muscles seize up and I wrestle with the urge to slap someone. Just as one problem went away today, another cropped up, leaving me shaking with rage.
Did I mention this was all experienced under a haze of migraine headache? Yeah. Super.
I should mention that there is only one way this day could get worse and it may be hiding in the mailbox right now. So...I'm just going to let the mail sit until tomorrow. It'll still be there.
Did you know I can see the pile of dirty dishes in my sink from my computer? They sit there, all dingy, giving me stink eye. They may have to wait till tomorrow too. I'm going to go have some chocolate and see how I feel about it. Whoever left the plate of goodies on my doorstep today has excellent timing (and taste in candy). It may be the only thing saving me from pulling a "Petrelli" and incinerating the planet with my mad brain skills.
I know that I should let go of the things that get me like this, but I have a very hard time forgiving people, especially people who repeatedly incur my wrath. I'm not a harsh person, like all of us I just have limits to my tolerance and once they are reached, there's almost no going back. I guess I just need to find a more creative outlet for my frustrations. Like knitting. Evil knitting...
The candy cannon...of death!!!
It's finally done!!! The candy cannon had it's first successful test fire last night ( since we blew up the tank on the last one) and shot a wad of tissue paper 3 feet. Doesn't sound too impressive does it? Try throwing a wad of tissue paper as hard as you can and see how far it goes. Now throw a handful of candy that hard and see how far it goes. See the difference? We tested with paper so as not to have to pick up 300 pieces of candy from the yard. The cannon looks less like a cannon and more like something that you might have found in the ammo locker on the Death Star.
It fires at 30PSI and according to Jeremy's calculations, could hit the High School with an apple from my back yard. Not too shabby! It's over 4 foot long and weighs a surprising amount. The 'plan' is to stuff candy and confetti into a wad of cloth (to soften the blow) and launch it during the party. Sort of like a pinjata, only with EXPLOSIVES!!!!!
Yay! That was the last thing! The last hold up before the party could commence. Now it's just food and fun! That reminds me I picked up stuff to make homemade rootbeer too. This is going to be a blast! (pun intended)
It fires at 30PSI and according to Jeremy's calculations, could hit the High School with an apple from my back yard. Not too shabby! It's over 4 foot long and weighs a surprising amount. The 'plan' is to stuff candy and confetti into a wad of cloth (to soften the blow) and launch it during the party. Sort of like a pinjata, only with EXPLOSIVES!!!!!
Yay! That was the last thing! The last hold up before the party could commence. Now it's just food and fun! That reminds me I picked up stuff to make homemade rootbeer too. This is going to be a blast! (pun intended)
Is that a challange?!?!?
As anyone who knows me will tell you, I spend months obsessing over my big annual party. Usually it's a Halloween gig, but sometimes we forgo my favorite holiday to celebrate other things. Last year, it was the big Harry Potter party we held for the release of the final book. Thankfully, most of those props and decorations were leftovers from the Halloween party ("Haunted Hogwarts") two years prior. (I still have all the stuff tucked away in my basement if anyone is interested in borrowing them) My parties tend to be quite elaborate and draw a huge crowd. (Good thing I have so many great friends!) Hence, I have to begin the planning very early. For example, for the Potter party, I made a HUGE dark mark out of green Christmas lights and attached it to the roof of my house. At night the mark was visible 'floating' over my home. I had a few strangers stop at my house and comment on or ask about it. Even if they didn't know what it was, they seemed to like it.
The Dark Mark
The Mirror of Erised...
Potions Class...ect.
Everything from the food to the games to the decor is planned with the greatest of care. Our parties are kid friendly, but still fun for the grown ups too! So, this year when we decided on our Pirate theme, I began drawing up the decor I wanted, the invites, and the games/entertainment. Everything is finished except for the all important Candy Cannon, which my husband swears will be ready on time. *sigh* Trust a husband to procrastinate.... Anyway! The Ship facade went up yesterday, much to my excitement, and it turned out really cool! Drum roll please...
The Scallywag... Now visible from 7th Street
But as I was getting ready for bed last night I noticed something amiss out my window. My neighbors have put up a HUGE pirate flag in their front yard!! Yeah! The thing is, I'm torn between being totally flattered and that 3 year old inside me who is jumping up and down shrieking, "Quit copying me!!!" Mature, right?
So my solution? I'm taking them an Invite today. Anyone who loves pirates can't be all bad...
The Dark Mark
The Mirror of Erised...
Potions Class...ect.
Everything from the food to the games to the decor is planned with the greatest of care. Our parties are kid friendly, but still fun for the grown ups too! So, this year when we decided on our Pirate theme, I began drawing up the decor I wanted, the invites, and the games/entertainment. Everything is finished except for the all important Candy Cannon, which my husband swears will be ready on time. *sigh* Trust a husband to procrastinate.... Anyway! The Ship facade went up yesterday, much to my excitement, and it turned out really cool! Drum roll please...
The Scallywag... Now visible from 7th Street
But as I was getting ready for bed last night I noticed something amiss out my window. My neighbors have put up a HUGE pirate flag in their front yard!! Yeah! The thing is, I'm torn between being totally flattered and that 3 year old inside me who is jumping up and down shrieking, "Quit copying me!!!" Mature, right?
So my solution? I'm taking them an Invite today. Anyone who loves pirates can't be all bad...
NaNoWriMo, huh?
A friend of mine in the literary industry just turned me on to the most amazing thing! November is National Novel Writing Month and the folks at NaNoWriMo are gearing up for the annual competition.
The goal is to begin a novel on November 1st, and finish it by November 30th. Here's what they recap the rules as:
The goal is to begin a novel on November 1st, and finish it by November 30th. Here's what they recap the rules as:
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.
Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
I know I'm a geek, but this sounds like so much fun! Do I think I can pull it off? Perhaps. Either way, I'm gonna give it a shot. I am however, going to begin the chapter outlines and plot synopsis now, and have it all ready to start writing on Nov. 1. Wanna join in the fun? Here's a link to their website. Sign up, and get those creative motors running!
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
Please let me know if you decide to join, it'd be interesting to see who accepts the challenge! Plus, who knows? You (or I) may be the next great american writer!