The Furious Spinner

Been working, organizing a benefit for Linda, and researching the novel I hope to begin this weekend, plus I wrote a 9,000 word story (about 35 pages). Whenever I write a short story that's over 5,000 words, there's usually something wrong with it. Not always, but it often means I wasn't sure of my plot to begin with, and I need to go back and rewrite. I don't like rewriting. I want to get it right the first time.

A poet friend of mine loves rewriting. He says that's when he shapes the poem. Like a sculptor with a piece of marble. I'm not a whittler. Nothing wrong with being one. I just like my art at a fevered pitch, coming out in a flow of ecstasy. Later, to have to rewrite is like having to look at the Divine and say, "Oops, your dress is torn. Let me stitch it up before anyone sees you like that." Anyway, I stayed up two days (very sick) and wrote "Dreambacks." Mario read it and agreed it was long so I cut 3,000 words. Just like that! Still too long, so I'm working on dumping another thousand. We'll see how the stitching goes...

For you googlers, did you know there is a google cheat sheet page? Mario just found it. It has great search tips. For instance, if you wanted information on a virus but you didn't want computer viruses you'd type in "virus -computer." Or if you wanted information on sex education but you didn't want porn, you'd type in "safesearch: sex education." That one is very useful.

Once I was looking for the painting "The Women of Amphissa, but I couldn't remember the name of it. So I described the painting: women lounging. Or something like that. So I clicked on one of the URL's, and it was a porno site. When I tried to close the window, several other windows opened. This kept happening as I was trying not to look at the screen and close window after window after window of disgusting, degrading photographs of women. (I hate pornography. I think it's evil and dehumanizing, and a civilized society would not tolerate it. Which says something about our society. But that's another discussion.) I finally had to disconnect from the web and turn the computer off to get it to stop showing me pornography. Patrons would tell us at the library that this was happening, and we'd smile politely—but we really didn't believe it! We didn't think it was mechanically possible. But it was and is.

I hope that made sense.

An international group is asking for accurate numbers of Iraqi deaths. It’s about time. Sometimes it feels as though everyone is asleep—even me. Today I heard Bush has nominated John Bolton as ambassador to the U.N. This is the man who said he believes there should only be one permanent member of the U.N. Security Council: the United States. Sending Bolton to the U.N. is essentially Bush's way of giving the finger to the U.N.: to the world. He thinks he's the dictator of the world. And who can argue with that? When I heard about Bolton, I said to Mario, "I think it's time to leave." Jesse Helms said once that Bolton was the kind man he'd want next to him at Armageddon. This administration seems to be taking us closer to Armageddon. More and more I'm feeling like we're in Nazi Germany, and we're all standing around shaking ours heads saying, "This too will pass," just as so many people did back then. When it does pass, what will be left of our world?

From the obscene to the ridiculous: Margaret Atwood has invented (POPUP) something that will sign her books while she's one place and the book is in another. I kid you not. Something very odd about that. Very Jetsons. Or something. 0 comments

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