jesshartley (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jesshartley) wrote2007-09-04 01:47 pm
jesshartley) wrote2007-09-04 01:47 pm
In which we have returned to the cool?
At what point does SE Arizona in the end of August become cool? When you compare it to, say, SW Arizona, where the daily high every day of the Labor Day weekend was over 110 degrees.
It was 104 at 9:30am when we left Monday morning.
You couldn't walk from the shower at the pool to the pool edge in bare feet without burning yourself.
It was... hot.
But, it was wonderful to visit my folks. I'm lucky enough to have /great/ parents who are so tolerant of the fact that the Viking and I (and to a lesser extent the kiddos) are total weirdos. I think they don't always understand us, but they always love us, and you can't really ask for more than that. I'm so glad we're nearer to them... I just don't think we'll be visiting again in the summer time! they can come out here when it's ungodly hot, and we'll come visit them in the winter when we need some sun and warm!
And I visited a foreign country - for whatever value of foreign Algadones represents. The entire area we visited was specifically for Americans to come across the border and buy cheap drugs, booze and jewelry. We did all three. Doxycycline, tequila and silver for all three of us (I mean, the silver was for all three of us. The doxycycline was for the Viking and the tequila was not for the Valkyrie, despite there being free shot samples in the store we went to.) We also bought giant marshmallows. And I mean... giant. Not your normal "staypuft" s'mores making marshmallows... these suckers are gigantic, two-bite minimum puffs of sticky sugar, and the fact that they even exist makes me happy. I will go back to Mexico, just for the marshmallows.
Work wise, things are... up in the air. Some setbacks, some challenges, some triumphs, some backhanded allegations that have really led to me thinking about how I view my work, what I really want and how to go about getting it. I've got a new editing contract on its way for a project I'm excited about with some people I've been looking forward to working with. I've just turned in something that may or may not manifest into something very cool. Good potential, but with people who've dropped the ball on similar things before, so I'm going into it with good hopes but not a great deal of confidence. If it works, you'll definitely all be hearing more.
Changeling: the Lost is going into reprint, after only a few weeks on the market, which is awesome news. The critical reviews have been very favorable, and it's a project I'm very pleased to have been a part of.
We're still living in "Great Aunt Selma's House", but the place we're trying to buy is coming closer. The only real hoop left is the appraisal. Since we're using a VA loan, the government insists on the house being appraised before we buy it, and if they won't loan us more than the appraised value. So, if the appraisal comes back under the price we've already negotiated, we can either walk away (which we don't want to) or ask the sellers to lower the price (which I'm sure they won't want to.) So, keep your fingers crossed for a high appraisal value, which would make this all a moot point. Barring that, hope for the sellers to be reasonable and lower their price to the appraised value, otherwise it's back to stage one for us in our house-hunting process.
But, since there's nothing I can do about that, and I have a lot of work to do, I will wrap this up. Pictures of the giant marshmallows (and my folks) when I can get them downloaded.
It was 104 at 9:30am when we left Monday morning.
You couldn't walk from the shower at the pool to the pool edge in bare feet without burning yourself.
It was... hot.
But, it was wonderful to visit my folks. I'm lucky enough to have /great/ parents who are so tolerant of the fact that the Viking and I (and to a lesser extent the kiddos) are total weirdos. I think they don't always understand us, but they always love us, and you can't really ask for more than that. I'm so glad we're nearer to them... I just don't think we'll be visiting again in the summer time! they can come out here when it's ungodly hot, and we'll come visit them in the winter when we need some sun and warm!
And I visited a foreign country - for whatever value of foreign Algadones represents. The entire area we visited was specifically for Americans to come across the border and buy cheap drugs, booze and jewelry. We did all three. Doxycycline, tequila and silver for all three of us (I mean, the silver was for all three of us. The doxycycline was for the Viking and the tequila was not for the Valkyrie, despite there being free shot samples in the store we went to.) We also bought giant marshmallows. And I mean... giant. Not your normal "staypuft" s'mores making marshmallows... these suckers are gigantic, two-bite minimum puffs of sticky sugar, and the fact that they even exist makes me happy. I will go back to Mexico, just for the marshmallows.
Work wise, things are... up in the air. Some setbacks, some challenges, some triumphs, some backhanded allegations that have really led to me thinking about how I view my work, what I really want and how to go about getting it. I've got a new editing contract on its way for a project I'm excited about with some people I've been looking forward to working with. I've just turned in something that may or may not manifest into something very cool. Good potential, but with people who've dropped the ball on similar things before, so I'm going into it with good hopes but not a great deal of confidence. If it works, you'll definitely all be hearing more.
Changeling: the Lost is going into reprint, after only a few weeks on the market, which is awesome news. The critical reviews have been very favorable, and it's a project I'm very pleased to have been a part of.
We're still living in "Great Aunt Selma's House", but the place we're trying to buy is coming closer. The only real hoop left is the appraisal. Since we're using a VA loan, the government insists on the house being appraised before we buy it, and if they won't loan us more than the appraised value. So, if the appraisal comes back under the price we've already negotiated, we can either walk away (which we don't want to) or ask the sellers to lower the price (which I'm sure they won't want to.) So, keep your fingers crossed for a high appraisal value, which would make this all a moot point. Barring that, hope for the sellers to be reasonable and lower their price to the appraised value, otherwise it's back to stage one for us in our house-hunting process.
But, since there's nothing I can do about that, and I have a lot of work to do, I will wrap this up. Pictures of the giant marshmallows (and my folks) when I can get them downloaded.
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Glad to hear that you are settling into your new lives, as much as we miss you.
Plus..um..it's a dry heat? :)
Was just thinking about you guys today, ran into a contractor who does work for one of my clients (working with speech impaired children I think), as well as HEC, and she knew The Viking as well.
Have a great day!
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Hope things go well on the writing/editing/freelancing front as well. I realized today that of the 5 books Morrigan Press has scheduled as next in-line for the next 12 months only one doesn't have material written by me. And I basically wrote the entirety of 3 of the remaining 4. Course all of that is prior to editing and last minute insertions/deletions. Course, since it takes MP a while to pay and they don't pay until the book is back from the printers and hitting shelves, it'll be a while. Too, I work cheap. But, hey, the awesome brag factor is worth more than such piddling concerns!
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That sounds like a campout to me!!
And I'm glad to hear about Lost - I am certainly enjoying reading it!
Bisbee's Brush with Fantasy
Apparently, J R R Tolkien paid Bisbee a visit once, during his legendary Grand Tour. He took all sorts of little side trips, including across the border to Canada at one time; and Bisbee, AZ, was one of those historic stops.
Re: Bisbee's Brush with Fantasy
It was also home to Emma Bull (author of War for the Oaks) and J.A. Jance (mystery author).
Lots of neat people. :)
Doxy and Tequila.
Mad, Mad Props on the Changeling.
"backhanded allegations?"
Sounds far more serious than stupid geek on a forum.
que pasa?
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(Anonymous) 2007-09-05 01:33 pm (UTC)(link)Hugs & Kisses from Oregon!
Love ya
Sis
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I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that before now. Someone should make that into a bumper sticker.
As for Changeling: the Lost, COOL news! I need to get my butt in gear and buy my copy. Then there's the bit about convincing our Vampire: the Requiem group that they should give Changeling a chance...
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