Tricksters Afoot?
August 14th, 2008 by SaraSo I was out jogging this morning… or is it ‘yogging’ with a soft J?
Well, anyway. I was out jogging and a RAVEN (yes, that’s right, a giant, fat raven) landed on my head.
Out of friggin’ nowhere!
As you may guess, I shrieked like a little girl and batted at my head, though by then the raven (not crow or cuddly pigeon or anything) had already taken off.
Then he just sat there on a nearby fence, pretending like nothing’d happened. But I knew it and he knew and my poor head knew it. Their claws are very sharp, take my word for it.
Just in case it was the Angel of Really Bizarre Warnings or a trickster god in disguise, Tony and I turned around and jogged the other direction. You don’t want to mess around when there are foreboding avians on the loose! Maybe today’s a good day to go back to bed…
Posted in Not-so-nifty happenings
August 15th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Hahahahahahahahaha!! I told Damon about this, and he laughed very hard.
Did the trickster get you to agree to any deals or bets while you were shrieking and waving? ‘Cuz I’d watch out for that, next time . . . :D
August 15th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Hehe
At your expense… that’s delightfully bizzare :)
August 17th, 2008 at 11:16 am
I like the theory that it was trying to mate with you!
Sigh….
April 25th, 2008 by SaraSigh…
Today in the mail, I received the bane of a writer’s existence. “Your work was given careful consideration by one of our editors, and we are sorry to say that we do not feel like it is right for our list.” ARGGGGGGG!
The form letter has the power to derail you like nothing else. That’s because it is exactly that, nothing. You can’t fight back against it. You can’t rage against its harsh judgment. You can’t even scream ‘THEY’RE WRONG.” It’s pretty hard to argue against a non-opinion about your work.
And, of course as writers, we start imagining. Picturing the assistant editor’s assistant who looked at your pages. She sneered at them. She didn’t even bother getting to the second paragraph. She just cackled evilly to herself.
“I wouldn’t sully my pen by writing a single word on this manuscript. The ink would probably eat through those terrible metaphors anyway. How dare such filth be sent to this fine establishment! Ban the Sara-woman for life!”
I will not let the reality of my experiences and conversations with perfectly nice editors get in the way of my imagination either. The assistant is actually a dragon, sitting in her cave, surrounded by manuscripts instead of treasure. She roasts the truly despicable ones… I can even see the singe marks around the edges of my story now. Can’t you?
Whew. I’m actually feeling pretty lucky now. I’m sure the worst authors get kidnapped and skewered for dinner. At least, I escaped that fate.
Flap. Flap. Flap. Do you hear that strange noise?
AHHHHHHHHHHH!
Posted in Not-so-nifty happenings, Writing
April 28th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Sara,
let’s take a little of that WHUMP! WHOMP! energy from the drumming and open up the can of WHUMP *$$ motivation they mailed you with that lame form rejection letter.
Think about this: the best revenge will be success, HUGE success!
You are a great writer, and they just lost out on something really special.
So, WHUMP! WHOMP! On to the NEXT prospect - you’ve got the gold, you just need to find the right editor, editor’s assistant, and assistant to the assistant editor who KNOW treasure when they’ve got it in their hands!
So take that rejection letter, put it on the floor, and STOMP on it!
WHUMP!
YOU ARE A DRAGON, TOO!
WHOMP! WHUMP!
And you’ve GOT the treasure, by golly!
WHOMP! WHUMP! WHOMP!
GIVE A GOOD ROAAAR, AND SOAR INTO THE SKY!
You’ll get there. I KNOW it.
Your fan,
Lee
“I’m drivin’ on sunshine. Oooo-ooo.”
December 5th, 2007 by Sara
Biodiesel.The great misunderstood nectar.
A year and a half ago, Tony and I bought a 2003 Jetta Volkswagon so that we could run biodiesel. Luckily, in Califonia there are quite a few gas stations that sell B99. We’ve been running the car almost completely on biodiesel since, with the occasional emergency diesel fill-up.
It’s been great… until 2 weeks ago. Then our lovely Jetta, the glorious ‘Dr. Who,’ wouldn’t start. The problem probably has to do with the kind of diesel California used to sell before we bought the car having a argument with the kind of diesel California sells currently, being mediated, unsuccessfully, by the biodiesel. Love triangles always end in tragedy!
We talked a friend into helping us change the fuel filter (thanks Ryan!), but that was a no go. Then we towed it to the Volkswagon dealership. 2 days later they tell us, first that it might be a $2500 job, then that they won’t touch our car because it runs biodiesel. Yeehaw!
So we’re doing what we should’ve done in the first place. Taking it to an independent mechanic that has experience with biodiesel and no prejudices (or corporate lines).
Has any of this soured me on biodiesel? No.
With biodiesel, I can feel good about my choices. The fuel is usually reprocessed waste oil from vegetable products. When it burns, I’m returning the same oxygen and CO2 that was used by the plants in the first place. The crops used the gases from the atmosphere to grow, my car put the gases back into the atmosphere, and future crops will take it out again. Anyone else hear “The Circle of Life” playing in the background?
I’m functioning inside a closed system, instead of adding gases and pollutants from oil that has been in the ground for millions of years. Biodiesel’s not perfect, but it’s a start. And also, no one is invading Kansas in order to gain control of its soybean fields.
So. Hopefully, our clean vehicle will be back on the road soon and, even more hopefully, for less than $2500 dollars. Cross your fingers and eat your vegetables. Or at least let your car eat them.
Posted in Not-so-nifty happenings, Nifty happenings
December 11th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Great title for this post.
Great post!! Sorry to hear about your car troubles. You know I’m a big fan of your veggie car!! (So is D!)
:D
R
Let’s put the dishes in the dishwasher!
December 3rd, 2007 by Sara
*****
Ewwww! Slimy. Grimy.
Oooey. Gooey. Sink stacked full.
Think I’ll get take-out.
*****
Posted in Not-so-nifty happenings
December 5th, 2007 at 11:33 am
It’s a great picture and I know that you asked out of curiosity… but thanks for being my artistic conscience:) I ‘borrowed’ it from another website that had ‘borrowed’ it, uncredited. I can plead being in a hurry, so I didn’t track down the source, but really it was laziness. But without much trouble I found the artist, as I should have the first time. Leigh Wiener is the photographer and if you click on the picture it will take you to the fantastic website. Thanks Rita!
December 8th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Ha!
I wonder how she got into my apartment 12 years ago to take that photo! (Married life had made me sooo much neater!)
Lee
What would you bring?
October 24th, 2007 by Sara
I stare mesmerized at the tv. Orange flames erupt from everything. Skeletons of houses blaze and tumble into ashes. All those homes. All those people.
I wrack my brain, trying to think of where all my friends live. Who might need help. Who might need a place to stay. Meanwhile, the days stay hot. Golden light filters 
through the clouds. Like it’s late afternoon all the time. Like some holy sign will be delivered from heaven, any second.
What would you take if you just had a minute? How about five minutes? An hour? I load up imaginary computers, manuscripts, stuffed animals, photographs into my imaginary truck as I go through the fantasy again and again. Switching love letters for a picture album this time. Leaving my favorite necklace that time.
Over and over again. Until it’s a mantra. Until it’s a story.
As a story, I can understand it. Wrap my head around it. What would this character save? Who started it? Did they feel guilty? Happy? Terrorized? I create a parallel world inside my head, but in this one, I have control. I can let everyone escape unharmed. I know the awful mistake that started it all. I can douse the flames when I need to.
But it is only the illusion of control. So I go over the scenario again. The dogs, my laptop, medicine… What would you bring?
*Pictures from the Los Angeles Times*
Posted in Not-so-nifty happenings, Writing
Be the First to Leave a Comment »
