So it's been like two months or more, shoot me (you won't, I'm too damn quick).

I've been very, very, very busy since August. As Technical editor for Mid-American Review, I've just finished updating the website with its new look and design. Our eighth annual Winter Wheat Festival of Writing wrapped up last weekend, so now I'm coasting on final projects and papers until finals week.

Writing's going well, I had my Lit for Adolescents instructor look at the manuscript for the book, and just off of four chapters she gave me some great suggestions and also said I should start looking into an agent, which I now have.

Also got a short story about to go out in the mail (already out through e-submission).

Yay!


More to come...

Tis true, themrzt would be the name. I dunno how I like it, but I feel it's my responsibility to be on the cutting edge of these social networky things for reasons I don't yet grasp. So, yeah.

Drinking a wine cooler is hard when you've got rubber bands in. And I got my iPod Touch screen guard in the mail so the case is on and it's ready to check my emails from the office in August.

I'm going to act like I'm going to bed now, bye!

You'd be right if you thought something was missing, but I decided there were some things on here that ought best be left to my eyes only until such a time when I am ready to unleash them.

Needless to say, some will see them quite soon.


Smile, dearies.

Here's how it goes; Mom wants Macbook Pro. Zach uses academic discount to get said Macbook, Zach gets iPod Touch out of the deal, and Adobe CS 3. Zach also gets old Mac mini.

So now I can check my email/facebook/livejournal on the fly. Going to make communication easier next year. It's not an iPhone, but it's damn close. Especially for those of you who have heard anything about .mac becoming MobileMe. I just have to say, my email updated the moment its sent? Hell yes, Apple. Because too often I email something to myself to print it in the computer lab at school (not using my own ink on assignments), and it takes twenty minutes to arrive.

Not anymore...

And, side note, I really want to apply to the Apple store. They had more people working (and more customers) than I've seen at one time in Target since the first time I worked the Saturday before Christmas.

So Saturday I had another "no, fuck it, it's shit," moment. And today we have two pages of a rephrased version of Chapter One. Written in a more mature voice. I've been doing a lot of reading, finished Fight Club, working through David Sedaris' "While You Are Engulfed in Flames," and then some writing books (which I may just laugh at and return to the library, because they usually aren't very inspiring).


I need to get this book done. Oct. 25 is eight years.

It'll happen, when it's ready. When my skill is at a level where it can flop onto a desk, and be taken seriously. And it shall. Why? Because I read widely. And while I buy the trite line of advice for young writers "read as much as you can" I'd take a carat and insert "and as widely." Like a genre? Write genre fiction? Good. I think it's great that there are people who are passionate about writing, it's wonderful. But I think some people have the illusion that literary fiction doesn't inform anything to do with genres and this is a huge, fucking Snorlax of a misconception (and yes, I made a Pokemon reference). Don't expect to get anywhere quickly if genre fiction is all you're aware of. Seriously. And yes, that may entail reading books you end up discovering or know you will hate with an undying passion. There's a reason we have to read them.

And, unrelated, to that reviewer who called "fight club" science-fiction...you're on the journalism shitlist.

Readable here or viewable (and funnier) here is "The Fringe Benefit of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination," the Harvard class of 2008 commencement speech by JK Rowling.

Wow. I'm not one much for acceptance or commencement speeches, but I think what she said is crucially important to college students, and especially today; 1. You will fail, at some point or at some thing, it's inevitable. Learn from your failures. and 2) Live with imagination, because it is more than a tool for creation and escape, but a doorway to empathy.

Her Amnesty International stories are astounding.

The best speech I've heard in a long time.

In another clear defecation on the entire idea of net neutrality, Time Warner Cable is testing metered Internet access in Beaumont, Texas.

Essentially, instead of paying for, say your phone, cable, and Internet, in one bill as I do, and as several other households do, you're going to have to pay for the bandwidth you use. Now a 1 Gigabyte cap seems awfully large for a month, but watch YouTube, visit several sites, maintain any sort of website, and it adds up really quick. Not to mention the services like Apple TV and the Netflix Box, Xbox Live, Wii Connect 24--and you're going to pay more money than you can possibly imagine. Time Warner says it's in an effort to stop people on "P2P networks" who are "downloading terabytes." TWC, your definition of "P2P" just happens to include YouTube, Joost, and Hulu, all of which are LEGAL.

But, what are you going to do? A lot of townships don't have an option who they use for their cable or Internet access because that's the way the local government has stipulated it.

There's been a huge outcry against Comcast, particularly, for just pulling the plug on people who go "over" their bandwidth. There's even been demand on several members of Congress to get the FCC and the Federal Government involved to regulate this sort of thing--and I'm for it. Consider the rise of the Internet phone (such as Time Warner's Digital Phone) that's going to count into your bandwidth...

This sort of thing really makes me sick. What happened to the anti-trust laws in this country? Oh, yeah, the people who are supposed to be watching are trying to save polar bears and bickering about half-votes in MI and FL.

I hate to say it, but the analogy of the US to the Roman Empire is relevant, and right now I'd say Rome's burning. Not in that London Fire, "Oh, shit!" way, but in a "We've got to get these wildfires under control before they burn the crops," way.

...because they both come, forced out of mouths.

I'm at that point where the protagonist must learn that he is not who he's thought he's been all his life. Using a segue of another major character learning she's the distant granddaughter of a convicted witch.

The simplicity of "You're a wizard Harry," is beautiful, if you're trying to do the similar scenario without making it sound utterly convulted. But that's too trite and cliche at this point. And honestly, this is probably point one of the five or so points at where Potter and Travers intersect.

Probably doesn't help that it's nearing two, it's eighty some degrees in my room (with 70-some percent humidity). I won't be able to sleep, and the big storm is missing me.


F_CK_NG SH_T...care to buy some vowels?

John McCain wants to end hyperpartisanship. About fucking time.

No, I don't think he'll actually accomplish it, nor the weekly press conferences with the Washington Press pool (a shot in the foot or a mess of redacted information either way) but he actually said it. I like the idea of the President being forced to go and face both the House and Senate for a Q&A, I watch the British Prime Minister do it with Parliament on C-SPAN and it's informative--what's more is it works and would only be of benefit when you have issues where Congress and the President are refusing to budge, and refusing to talk.

Not saying I'll vote for the man, frankly at this point I loathe all the candidates. It is going to be a lesser of all evils in the end. Then again, I don't see any candidate genuinely pulling through and doing what they say they want to in a term, let alone two. But I like the fact that someone finally said let's have an end to this "well the Republicans want this, so everyone just go no." Nothing of worth gets done with one party sitting on its hand and blocking votes. That's as bad as counting "present" in a vote, rather than being for or against. You were elected to serve, serve, or resign. There's a very, very fine line when parties get too powerful when things just become the party line. Washington didn't like the idea of parties becoming too powerful. Am I saying we need a third party? No, I don't think it's necessary because I think everyone, despite the party they're in, needs to make their own decisions after listening to their constituents.

The world is changing. The US has enjoyed its status as global superpower, arguably since the end WWII, if not WWI, but we are treading on thin ice. The rising cost of gasoline in a time of economic instability has worn our people and our economy down further. China (not exactly the shit hole Fox News ((read: Poor excuse for journalism, aggrandizing and deliberately misreporting facts)) and CNN make it look) has grown to be an economic superpower, and nothing is done to stop the outsourcing. America's central nervous system is a bit like Windows right now, when you're trying to run too many programs in too many windows. It's time to defragment, close that game of Solitaire the public is playing, and start watching the system processes. Ah, but it's an election year, so no party wants to commit to anything--and particularly not Obama, Clinton, or McCain--that would hurt the party's chances. Again, fundamentalism, "It's all for the good of the party." There needs to be an electric current running through senators, act for the good of the nation, not in the interest of your party. Do otherwise and *buzz*. The fact of the matter is, how long does this continue before we enter into something vaguely reminiscent of the Cold War. Because a lot of people still see Communism less as another way of managing government, and more as the direct enemy of the United States.

So good job, McCain, wanting to actually do something bipartisan and be accountable. Now, if you actually go through with it, I might actually think you've got a chance.


*Note* I am neither Republican, nor Democrat. I consider myself a moderate (neither consverative nor liberal) and independent. I was registered thusly in the primaries, and it does upset me that the way I vote determines my party affiliation for the Fall. I understand statisitics and records, but for fuck's sake, let's get real.

The funniest thing...ever...

Most of the jokes below are paraphrased, unless I say otherwise, and most of his act is improvised anyway, so the wording is probably never going to be the same.

I've been an Eddie fan for, what, almost four years now. There was no way in hell I was going to miss a one-night only gig in Cincy, so I shelled out the $43 and went, my dad went as well. Now I had my concerns with my dad going, as Eddie's--well, renown for being a transvestite--but he's in "bloke mode" in Stripped (and I should add for those not introduced to the Izzard, he's not gay. If you want an explanation go to Youtube and search "Eddie Izzard; Dress to Kill; Army" and you'll find a clip that explains it all).

As far as the content goes, hilarious. "Stripped" is an attempt to strip everything back down, the heels, the outfits, even the runtime of the show (which may have been longer, he improvs a lot, but he really got into some things i.e. British Wrestlers. "Your wrestling is the WWF: The Wrestling Wildlife Fund. Oh, you've pinned him, congratulations, here's a panda!" *Gasp* "did he hit you? You've got two black eyes." "I'm a fucking panda.") Anyway, the goal of the show is to examine civilization and how we've grown. He touches a lot on religion and his decision (not that I agree with it) that if there is a God, his plan is to basically not have a plan. While I don't necessarily agree on that, it's still utterly hilarious to watch him live out these hypothetical ideas (God arguing with Moses over the commandment "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors ox? Why?" "Someone wanted my ox, once, and it pissed me off. It's annoying, that is." "Hey, check out that guys ox--no, it's alright, I can covet it, he's not my neighbor, he lives across the street.." etc. "...surely it should have been thou shalt not cover thy neighbor's ox. That is annoying.") I loved his opening about Cincinnatus and Wikipedia, because it's true that there ought to be a giant banner on articles that says "some people think this article is shit."

Absolutely amazing. Also my first stand-up event (and everyone goes "Quois?", but yes, though I know a lot about it, I've never been to one proper), very pleased.

A few other things that made me laugh;
"And Charlie Darwin wrote that book, 'Monkey Monkey Monkey Monkey, You.'" (Exact)
"I don't know if there is intelligent design, because you pick up a rock and look under and don't see intelligent shit, just shit."

I hope he tours more, and that I'm in areas close enough to see it. If you can--go. Cincy sold out the day I bought my tickets (the second day they were available) so get them...if possible.

Ah the joys of cleaning. If you're me, that means finding a whole bunch of writing stuff that's accumulated over the semester; short story assignments with teacher comments, workshop copies with comments. I save most of these as a record of the original if I lose something. However, flipping through these is extremely discouraging, because you realize how much your skill has jumped in the course of a year. I was just discussing something similar at the staff party today with our fiction editor. I am at that age where my skill just shoots up so much that working on a big project is difficult. That's why there's a three hundred page copy of the book that had to be restarted--tonal shifts, mechanic shifts, it's called learning to be a writer and not just an undergraduate writer.
Not that I'm tooting my own horn, but you can tell when someone has either not written extensively before, or is learning. There are signs such as gratuitous adverbs, proliferation of exclamation points (Not, everything has to be exciting! And under no circumstance should anyone, ever, ever, ever, ever do one of these; !!!, !?!, ??? or ?!? etc.) I don't think it's a bad thing for an undergraduate to sound like an undergraduate--however I do think it is important for undergraduates to learn the signs of a beginner and try to surmount them.

Random note: Kind of want to propose a Winter Wheat session on fanfics, but I think it might be too late. I think I'm down for leading one already, on character development.

First off, an aesthetic statment; People ask me if I consider Tolkein an influence. The answer is a resounding no, while I enjoyed the Hobbit, the LOTR trilogy progressively lost my interest as time went on. It's just a thing. I'll admit he deserves acclaim for throwing the genre to the forefront of literary scholarship, but I don't think touting him as the forerunner for people such as Pratchett, Le Guin, or Rowling is necessarily fair. He may be a writer (and a good one even if he did lose my interest) but he's not a literary god. I've been reading Pullman's "His Dark Materials" and find that despite the general outcry from Christians, there is some terrifically pro-Christian arguments to the series--not Christ-like parallels as in "Deathly Hallows" or imagery like Narnia, but subtle inklings that probably weren't the author's intention. I have taken the statements he's made about the Church thus far (the statments in the books, I mean) not to be criticisms of the Church as we know it, but instead warning of the dangers of a Church run state in a surprisingly original/non-Nazi Germany way.

Secondly, the copyright infringement rant, stand well back, this bang is going to be bigger than that big one...
People probably don't have to think hard on where I stand in regards to the current trial between Jo Rowling and RDR books regarding the injunction preventing a print version of Steve Vanderark's "Harry Potter Lexicon" from being published. For those of you who haven't been noticing me sitting and reading transcripts of testimony, copyright law, and screaming at the press coverage: I stand behind Jo--not because I'm a fan--but because I'm a writer.
Any freshman, no matter how badly they did in ENG 110/111/112 or the equivalents can tell you how to properly cite a source, Mr. Vander Ark has not done this properly. To be considered in fair use a book must provide a certain amount of commentary/scholarly research to the work being examined or it does not count as fair use and may be treated as a violation of copyright. What Mr. Vander Ark has done is to rob Jo's work wholesale by alphabetizing the Harry Potter series into short, almost dictionary entries. Entries, which, in several cases copy or lift exact phrases from the Potter canon (including charity books) without quotation. In fact his only method of citation and attribution is almost uniformly in the format of (HBP 11) for book and chapter, with no regard to edition or page.
And the judge thinks there's a case for both sides. Reading the testimony (1.5 of three days worth so far) I've come to this conclusion influenced not from a fan perspective but from a legal one; the book is atrocious and violates all statutes of fair use. And furthermore, RDR engaged in some seriously unethical practices by offering the book to foreign publishers while not handing over a copy of the manuscript to WB/JKR for evaluation. When someone asks to see something before they legally challenge it, the proper thing to do would be to comply unless you have something to hide.

Yeah...really going to bed now...I'll rant more later--in a month--depending on who wins, and if it's going to be appealed. (Go Jo!)

Before someone asks me (which they won't, because as of this posting I don't think anyone knows about this yet), yes I had a Livejournal previously, and no I don't remember what it was called, what the password was...but there probably wasn't much of use on it anyway so I have this one now. And the name! The name of course comes from the book series, Raxiault being the deceased King, the Heir of Raxiault referring to the mythical "hero" mentioned in Aurelius Zed--part of The Travers Legacy.

It's been a landmark week though, named Technical Editor of Mid-American Review Monday night, Thursday night elected co-Editor-in-Chief and President of Prairie Margin. Yay for lit mags. In fact, Yay so much that I'll reiterate with an exlamation; Yay for lit mags!

Now I'm going to go to bed, as I have class in six hours, fifteen minutes. Not really terribly tired though. Tomorrow:
Class
Class/Presentation
Meeting
(Lunch?)
Reading Testimony on JKR/RDR case for Paper
Writing (Travers Legacy: Book One)
Writing (Revising "Work in Progress"/"Red Friday"/Untitled Sesame Street Assassins Guild story)
(Rec? Library?)
Arts Village Safe Zone Training (Mentoring Program)
Whose Line Performance
(Irish coffee?)
Bed.