Watching the news this morning

For once, I managed to catch the news this morning, and what I found out disgusted me. They are making a reality/game show called The Donor Show. Basically, they are making entertainment out of who gets donor organs. Very Bachmanesque for those of use who remember the novella Running Man.

It just floored me. What's next? Blood sport after 10 pm on the networks? I haven't been able to blog in awhile, but when I saw this, I knew I had to make time. There are things you just have to say no against.

Anyway, that's all for now. If anyone is wondering why I'm suddenly so busy--we are trying to potty train Freesia. It's not going well, and I try to watch her constantly.

Wow, it's been awhile!

And I've not got the time to really blog like I want to. Freesia is teething and potty training. She also has begun to get up incredibly early. With the days heating up, we take our walk in the mornings now. All of this combines to make a running turtle, let me tell you.

More later.

Novella news

So, with Aimee's help and some drastic cutting, my word count is about the same at the end of the first edit. And I did cut almost 51oo words. So you can see how much got put back in. Basically, I just condensed some of the subplots into the main plot.

Now with the first edit done, several strangers (mainly through critters.org) are critiquing my novel. So now, its a waiting game. Once the critiques come in, and I make sure they get their credits, I'm going to take a break before reading and using them. I have plans to ask Aimee to reread it after the second edit, which will be based on those critiques. I'm planning on some more streamlining if possible.

I've been keeping everything I've taken out in case it needs to go back in, but mostly as ideas for other stories. I took out complete subplots in some cases, and I didn't want to get rid of them all together.

Well, that's about it on the novel. I'm thinking about starting on another story, probably this afternoon.

Well, that's all in writing news.

So phone calls have been made ...

... and the spawn's b-day celeb is underway. We will be cooking out and having cake and ice cream in about three weeks. Freesia doesn't seem to understand what's going on, but that's all right.

In the meantime, we need to put together a Easter/Eostara basket. We are certainly late for Eostara (Spring Equinox) but it seems strange to be celebrating it when everyone else around us will be celebrating Easter just a couple of weeks later. Especially, since the two holidays are so similar. Indeed, Easter's observance is determined by when Eostara is; it is the only Christain observance determined by the lunar and solar calendar.

However, we will be observing Beltane this year. Probably with a fire and another barbecue, except with just the farm residencts. How could we live on a farm and not observe the major fertility ritual of our religion?

Anyway, enough religious stuff. I'm waiting on a friend of mine to get back to me about her copy edit/critique of my novel. I have someone lined up from critters.org to take a look at it. But I'm hoping for at least one more person to look at it. If I don't get anymore volunteers from critters.org, I'll be posting on www.nanopubye.org to find someone who might be interested in critiquing my novella in exchange for me critiquing their novel/la.

In other news, if carefully watched, Freesia no longer eats crayons. Yeah me, cause that means I can color with her :D.

Stuff and the things are piling up

So I've been editing my novella as often as possible, but I may have to ask Chris to make some sort of allowance for me so I can finish before April. I've got a call for dedicated readers going out for critters.org and I'm hoping to get a few more people to read it all the way through.

My friend, SheWhoReads, has read half of it and is going to read the rest, and she has really helped. There's only so much editing you can do with the door closed. Aside from that, I'm also taking out several side plots that don't have anything to do with the main plot.

It's all starting to come together. Now I just need to inflict it on a couple of complete strangers.

In other news, I just finished King's Dark Tower series. May I just say:

All Hail the King

Whale porn?

Wow, I haven't posted in awhile. I've been so busy trying to keep up with Freesia and housework that I haven't actually spent as much time online as I usually do. Nor have I spent as much time knitting as I've meant to.

Mostly I've been reading--I finally found the local library. Very nice little place, about the size of our trailer with all the walls knocked out. But the librarians are helpful enough when it comes to finding or getting books in.

As for the whale porn reference, we've been watching a documentary on the life of mammals. Very nice one. It shows these blue whales in a breeding frenzy. In the first part of the ritual, the female plays a little hard to get, and the whales around her reach out with their tentacle like penises and poke her in the vagina as she tries to get away while swimming on the surface. Then after she's had enough of this she dives and lets them gangbang her.

When I say tentacle like penis, I do mean that. They thrust out and sort of wave around out of the water until they find the vaginal opening. Their ejaculate is measured in quarts. And as I'm sitting there watching this with my husband, I can't help but say in a questioning voice, "Whale porn?"

This of course is quite funny to the tribble that is my hubby. There are few other instances where they show animals mating, and at each one, it was "blank porn?"

Let's just say it was funny, and I don't think you really had to be there to get it. So there.

Weather and small children

It's been raining here about once a week, but for some reason, yesterday was the worse. I think it was because Chris hasn't been feeling well. Thankfully, Freesia hasn't caught what ever it was, and as always I only got the stomach portion of the show.

Freesia is going a little house crazy. I'll be glad to get to the library today so she can at least get out a bit. Also, I need to get out myself. There is just something about the farm that grates after awhile.

I'm thinking of putting up some flyers in Butler about maybe getting together a play group for Freesia. Also, I would love to get a knitting group started. I'm going to ask around at the library today to find out if they have any info on it.

Hopefully, this will be something that will get both Freesia and I out of the house.

P.S., there are new pictures up in our public gallery--check out the latest album for the ravioli smeared umpalumpa baby.