Sweet Kitty is still around! Grady and Kit started howling at the front screen somewhere around 5 am, and when I got up to investigate, he was sitting on my front steps. Only, when I opened the door, he ran. Like a 'Fraidy cat. He peeked at me from the side yard, and when I called him, he ran again. Whatever happened in the last few weeks has changed him from, well, Sweet Kitty, the fearless just-love-me boy, to humans-are-not-trustworthy. I left him some dry food and went back to bed. Food was eaten when I got up later. I could not get a good look at him, so no idea if he's hurt or wasting away now or what. But he came back. Hopefully, he'll come back again and not be so spooked. Poor baby.

Sweet Kitty is gone. He was the stray who was coming around for food and love. He vanished nearly two weeks ago and has not returned. I never even got a picture of him. I'd like to think he's gone because someone kind and loving took him in...

Still not done digging up the front yard. Pure procrastination now, cuz there's so little left. I'm falling way behind on my big household chores.

In my garden. I'm guessing my poor plants aren't long for this world. Grrrr.

I posted this on my other journal, then got waylaid by migraines and forgot to mention in here.

The new scifi/fantasy/horror anthology I have a short story in is available now, ahead of the original May 1st launch date. Amazon has Sha'Daa: Tales of the Apocalypse in stock right now! There's even a nice review already out of the anthology that mentions my story:

"Deborah Koren's tale, "Tunguska Outpact," is a story worthy of praise. The twenty-two-year-old protagonist not only faces boyfriend/relationship woes but discovers she is the only one who can hold the forces of the Sha'Daa at bay and keep them trapped at the point where they entered our world. With the aid of a shaman and his pack of metal "thunderbirds," the pair stand up to the demons of the Sha'Daa and achieve victory despite overwhelming odds."

Pretty cool! This story was originally written back in 2005, and I had a lot of fun with it.

I share a ToC with fellow writers and bloggers tillane and jamiekswriter!

Check it out!

Some wacky meme fun!

1. Comment to this and I will give you 3 people. (Probably
fictional characters, and I'll do my best to pick characters you're
familiar with. No guarantees though.) 2. Label which you would marry,
shag, or throw off a cliff. (Only one for each, alas!) 3. Provide
pictures of the 3 people. 4. Post this meme with your answers. (If
you want to.)

hkneale decided my three choices would be...

1. actor Cary Grant
2. Smokey the Bear
3. Sgt Saunders from Combat! (played by Vic Morrow)
( Read more... )

So, why is it that whenever I make a baloney sandwich, I get Max and the cats all clustered around me begging. All of them. They ignore everything else I eat. Bring out the baloney and bam! Even if they're sound asleep, they're instantly at my side, meowing, pawing, climbing me, demanding a piece of my sandwich. Why baloney?

From ladygarand, I got the letter "D" for the five-song meme, only there were so many pieces I liked that started with D I got flustered and threw my hands up. The meme rules say if'n you want to play, comment and I'll give you a letter to choose your own songs.

1. "Delilah's View~The Riders" - One of my favorite cues from one of my favorite movies by one of my favorite composers... LOL! Elmer Bernstein, Big Jake. Has the bronco-busting moment - pure awesome. Of course, I could say that about the crossing into Mexico music, and the ambush and half-a-dozen other parts too.

2. "Desert Chase" - John Williams, Raiders of the Lost Ark - best part of the movie, best part of the score.

3. "Dance of Death" - Jerry Goldsmith, Justine - this cue alone is one of the reasons this score is on my favorite Goldsmith album list. Quirky, crazy, and wonderful.

4. "A Deal" - Jerry Goldsmith, Extreme Prejudice - this is actually the only cue I really like from this score, but I really like it and play it all the time.

5. "Do What You Want to Do and to Hell With Everyone Else" - Jerry Goldsmith, Lonely are the Brave - One of the most beautiful and melancholy scores Jerry ever wrote, also one of my top ten by him. This cue (and the whole score, and the movie) has made me cry more than once. Very appropriate for my current mood.

And a bonus -- real songs, like, with words! Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" and the Beatles "A Day in the Life" - because I do love both!

Okay, I don't normally do music-related stuff, cuz my iTunes is 80% soundtracks and 10% opera and 10% misc and that doesn't suit it for these kind of memes. However, sharigreen just posted hers and, on a whim, I decided to try it. The results were too funny to pass up. But really, I've got like 10 albums of 1940's songs and not one came up?

Here's the rules for those interested in playing along.
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Play tag, have fun, and all that jazz.


And now my iTunes declares:

IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Confession (Mask of Zorro, James Horner) -- so don't ask me, then!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF
The Cocky Wiseguy/ Can't I Sonny (Mail Order Bride, George Bassman) -- I swear this is totally unplanned, random iPodness. Seriously!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Escape from Venice (The Last Crusade, John Williams) -- so... I hope that's with them, not from them!

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Remembering Petticoat Lane (Jurassic Park, John Williams) -- I've been a bit nostalgic of late, so entirely appropriate.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
To Castlegard (Timeline, Jerry Goldsmith) -- this one busts me up for some reason. But hey, I always wanted to know what my life was all about.

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
Aki, Tiger, and Osato (You Only Live Twice, John Barry) -- well, it's easy to shout with fist raised in the air, that's for sure.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Something to Think About (Hellbound, Chris Young) -- I am a ponderable subject?

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Canaima Nightmare (Arachnophobia, Trevor Jones) -- great, just great.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
German Advance (Patton, Goldsmith) -- oddly, I do think about that often, with all the Combat! fanfic I write, or should be writing

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
The Telescope (Justine, Goldsmith) -- well, she does see to the heart of things very clearly

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
The German Sub/to the Nazi Hideout (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Williams) -- another one that busts me up. But why not, as my life in my head is one of fantasy and adventure.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Care of the Spitfire Grill (Spitfire Grill, Horner) -- I wouldn't mind running a restaurant...

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Be Careful (Timeline, Goldsmith) -- um, is that warning for me, or for the people I leave behind?

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Move on (Timeline, Goldsmith) -- okay, I have THOUSANDS of songs on my iPod... and on shuffle it randomly picks THREE cues from Timeline?????? How is that possible? I have not even listened to this score yet. I'm saving it for a rainy day. Three????

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Motaba River Valley (Outbreak, James Newton Howard) -- well, if that's where plague starts, yeah, I fear it.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Wrong Answer (The last Legion, Patrick Doyle) -- hee hee.

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
Viking Heads (13th Warrior, Goldsmith) -- um, no comment.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
The Trojans Attack (Troy, Horner) -- that's attacking the enemy WITH me, I'm sure.

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
The Training of a Jedi Knight/The Magic Tree (Empire Strikes Back, Williams) -- one should always be learning about oneself, yes...

I still can't get rid of the cold

Sweet Kitty is still visiting for meals and love

I still haven't unpacked from my business trip

I still am addicted to making noodle soup

I still haven't rewritten DTD's synopsis, though I keep churning it over in my head, continually narrowing it down to the relevant points

I still haven't finished writing the conclusion to 'Murder's Melody'

I still haven't called to get a quote to run a gas line to the garage for the dryer

Well, my cat-attraction powers have not diminished. There's a new boy visiting. Very pretty white and grey long-haired male. Pretty boy showed up on my doorstep, wanting in. I still do not understand how or why they come to me. He was dirty and starving and I chased him away the first day, but he was so darned friendly and sweet and "please love me," and he was waiting the next day on my porch as well, that I broke down and gave him some crunchies. Naturally, now he appears to be a permanent outdoor fixture.

He makes no attempt to fight with any of the outdoor male cats around here, and this despite the fact that he's an unneutered male. Grendel howls at him, but pretty boy just sits down and looks at him, doesn't even fuzz, doesn't run, just gets submissive and sits there. That's a good thing at least, cuz cat fights are not allowed. I'll be getting the neutered bit taken care of asap if it turns out that nobody claims him and he is as abandoned as he looks.

Anybody need a very sweet kitty cat? With the cutest meow I've ever heard?

Well, it's been over a week now since I came down sick, and while I still have one very gravelly voice, I'm somewhat better. I've been sleeping and sleeping and sleeping. And sleeping. I gave up trying to write, read, watch movies, do chores, everything. I just slept. And had weird dreams, many with the recurring theme of being unable to open my eyes in the dream. When you're dreaming about running for your life and you can't open your eyes to see where you're going... it makes for very interesting dreams indeed. Yesterday I had a dream I was trying to rescue a mermaid who'd been tossed up on the highway by a wave.

The cats love the extra sleeping. The dog does not. The dog wants long walks and play time, which I have been unable to give him, but have promised to see what I can do for him this coming week.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody. May your tables be filled with wonderful food to be shared and enjoyed, and your house and heart be filled with the love of family and good friends.

Got 8000 words over the weekend, 4K on each day, which brings the end of Nano easily in sight. I apparently have a lot more words in me on these particular stories than I thought. Saturday flowed wonderfully, 3K on one story in one really fast amazing sitting, that took me to "the end," but yesterday was a bit of a struggle. I kept changing what happened in this one important scene. Must have re-written it three times. That's not exactly conducive to forward progress. And I will probably have to re-write it again tonight because I'm missing something key for resolving the next scene. Problem is, I don't know what that key thing is yet, and without it, I'm against the stuck wall. Late last night I switched to another story, and bam... words! Fun, delicious, evil words. But -- lesson to self. Do not write horror alone and in the dark... cuz it will eventually start freaking you out.

So, a short work week will help the cause, though I'll lose Turkey Day to relatives. That's okay, I should finish up on Saturday, I'm guessing, with one day to spare.

		I will marry Ralph Meeker.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in the Old West in our fabulous Apartment.
		We will have 4 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a rainbow submarine.
		I will spend my days as a assassin, and live happily ever after.

from sharigreen - interesting, and quite accurate.

Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...

NBPS - The Idealist

Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Shape

Take The Perception Personality Image Test at HelloQuizzy

I woke up this morning to all four cats sitting around me in bed, staring down at me. They weren't lying down, they were all sitting and looking. All four. I wondered about the conspiracy that surely must be in the works.

The cooler weather sure is turning them annoying at night, too. They're already feeling compelled to cuddle up closer. I don't even have to look to know which cat is where, as they all have their distinct habits.

Rosie sleeps on one of the two pillows, likes to knead, purr, and eat my hair. Sometimes she'll curl up next to me, but I make the slightest position shift and she jumps up and moves back to her pillows.

Grady likes to sit on me with his hindquarters, purr like a maniac, and knead the covers beside me. Even with only half his weight on me, he weighs a ton. He also likes to shift his weight from hind foot to hind foot, which concentrates all that weight into one tiny little area. Eventually, when he's purred and kneaded out, he goes and stretches out on the bottom of the bed.

Elanor is a feather-weight and likes to snug in against the back of my legs. She's the only one who doesn't want anything from me but a nice warm place to settle down. She's the only one I don't mind at all.

Kit likes to claw the covers off my head and paw at my face. He is the most annoying because he won't go away and he likes to use just the tips of his claws, gently but still pokey. If I roll the other direction, he simply walks over me and tries again. He wants to burrow, only he doesn't, because whenever I give in and lift the covers, he just goes in then comes right out again. Then he'll try to pull my bracelet off my wrist with his teeth, eat the venetian blinds, or otherwise find ways to keep me awake, so I'll get up and feed him. Brat.

I talked about this on my writing blog, but I thought I'd mention it here too. A couple months ago, I decided to sign up for this six-month online course writer Holly Lisle was offering. I took my degree in Creative Writing -- and, you know? No one taught me in any of those courses half of what I've learned from Lisle in just the first month of her class.

These are the lessons I needed back then. These are all kinds of techniques and tools designed to focus great (as opposed to good) ideas fast, while keeping your excitement about them high. This is the practical stuff, the stuff we learn on our own over time, but neatly distilled down to easy to follow, and surprisingly effective steps. I honestly did not expect that. I expected to try some new things out and go yeah, okay, not for me. Not the case at all. My writing toolbox has gained some invaluable tools, and I've already put them to solid use and turned out a new flash fiction story tonight, in a remarkably short time, after not writing any shorts in... how long? And it was fun! I'm using some of it to re-figure the second half of my last Nano novel. And I'm only six weeks into the course. There's going to be a heckuva lot more to come.

This class sold out when she originally offered it, but if anyone wants to check out details of what she's offering, she just opened the course up again for new students.

I'm having a lot more fun than I expected, and I'm impressed with how much of this I can (and am) using immediately in my own writing. She gave us one of her own hard-worked book proposals, followed by her editor's detailed comments on exactly why it didn't work for him. Interesting stuff! Nicely shows you what not to do. Hee.

Click on the link below to see more information.

I have a new roof. Took them hardly any time at all. Hopefully, this means no more shingles will be flying off come the Santa Anas, and also, no more leaks. And if there are any problems? I have a 10-year labor warranty so they'll fix any problems, not me. There was a lot of dry rot on the boards underneath that had to be replaced, so hopefully that helped too. I actually need to go scare up a can of paint and paint some of the new exposed wood. I'm hoping some of the right color is in the stack of cans in my garage.

So, we haven't had a drop of rain in Southern California in... four months or so? We're due for rain today!

This would be very awesome... except...

Today I had my old roof pulled off preparatory to the new one going up. There's lots of holes around all the vents and stuff now. Now, the roofing company came back, all on their own, so all will be fine. Apparently their secretary keeps a close eye on the weather at all their job sites and sends the guys out immediately if any weather develops. Quite cool really. I picked a very good company, I did!

But this has been making me laugh since the guy showed up at my door with his rolls of plastic and boards a half hour ago, cuz really, what are the odds? No rain forever, and today it rains? Today??

Actually, I need to shut up now... it appears I am still not on good footing with the water gods, and I do not want to provoke them further.