Category: Untidy Heap

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Linkin Park sings about Writing, Publishing

(Not really, but this song’s been my personal anthem/cattleprod, so y’all get to see it.)

I am not
a pattern to be followed.
The pill that I’m on
is a tough one to swallow.

I’m not a criminal
not a role model.
Not a born leader
I’m a tough act to follow.

I am not
the fortune and the fame.
Nor the same person telling you
to forfeit the game.

I came in the ring
like a dog on a chain.
And I found out the underbelly’s
sicker than it seems.

And it seems ugly.
But it can get worse.
‘Cause even a blueprint
is a gift and a curse.

‘Cause once you got a theory
of how the thing works
Everybody wants the next thing
to be just like the first.

And I’m not a robot.
I’m not a monkey.
I will not dance
even if the beat’s funky.

Opposite of lazy
far from a punk
Ya’ll ought to stop talking
start trying to catch up, motherfucker.

-Linkin Park, When they Come for Me

No commentary today; I’ve got a lot of work to do.

Still, a question: A Thousand Suns has been my touchstone album this November. How about you?

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Tweets for the week of 2010-11-07

  • “I am a Tea Partier …” (http://j.mp/aA1PlP) – Vote on November 2nd. #
  • My daughter, the witch. http://flic.kr/p/8PBR5x #
  • #nanowrimo looms, and I seem to be out of soda. #planningfail #
  • A re-tweet for #NaNoWriMo This is How I Get it Done – http://bit.ly/cls22L #
  • This is, in fact, what she looks like all the time: RT @maureenjohnson: @lauracato as me. "I just stared." http://twitpic.com/32s9e3" #
  • If ya'll didn't get enough candy yet, you can come trick or treat at our house… #
  • The 100 Best Signs At The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear: http://bzfd.it/cU0ZuB — These are my PEOPLE. #
  • RT @seananmcguire I hate it when people are right about things that create more work for me. – Describes my current revision-pass perfectly. #
  • For #nanowrimo – Blogged: All Used Up http://doycetesterman.com/index.php/2010/11/all-used-up/ #
  • RT @ChuckWendig: You voted? Pshh. You're not done. Vote for your favorite VACATION HELL flash fiction: http://bit.ly/9TLefm #terribleminds #
  • OKAY: Revisions done. Manuscript sent. Now… what's this about #nanowrimo When does THAT start? #
  • I don't say this enough. As AWESOME as it is to be married to @DaphneUn, I'm unfairly lucky to have @AgentShana to pester about book stuff. #
  • Post from past #nanowrimo – The Thing You Did Wrong Yesterday – http://bit.ly/cq11Zg #
  • AC/DC's Thunderstruck on the bagpipes (http://j.mp/cdmU7Y) – Love it. #
  • “I Wanna Be Your Man” – Willy Moon (http://j.mp/9OJpnJ) – Welcome to my earworm. M-O-O-N. #
  • Oh sure NOW you want to meet for interviews about fancy new jobs. I HAVE NANOWRIMO TO DO, PEOPLE. #sheesh #
  • After having a copy for years, I finally read The Stand. Damn, you sure can string a story together, Steve-o. Hat's off. #
  • And I want to add that without a nice, portable ereader, I might've never attempted that monster. Next up? Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel. #
  • Just went to share something funny with @daphneun, but she's not here. #sadface #workingfromhomeisaripoff #
  • ohmygodwhataheadache. #intoomuchpainforahashtag #
  • Random Average: A long time coming. http://bit.ly/aa6tgV #
  • Dude: you TOLD me to call you back first thing, Nov 5; don't give me a hard time when I DO THAT and you aren't prepared. #asshat #
  • RT @ChuckWendig: Some hot fresh #NaNoWriMo advice: novelists, stop posting premature… erm, excerpts. http://bit.ly/9YA3Bn #terribleminds #
  • Also, I want to thank @neilhimself for tweeting a link to my blog post today. Now I think I'll have a quick liedown. #
  • RT @Migweld: I'm not sure of @doycet coined the phrase 'Twitterbation' but he wields it with such ease that I can't help but be impressed #
  • Heading to l'hospital for a 'child prep' class with @daphneun. Seems to be something about making babies. #veryexcited #
  • RT @Writepop I wear headphones at work, but I never listen to music, because there's no nicer sound than people not talking to me. #
  • Last night's class: not about making babies. Actually a prep-for-delivery class laced with eeeeever-so-subtle anti-pain-medication shaming. #
  • Hear me: if you did natural childbirth, you get mad, mad props. HOWEVER, I disapprove of a mindset that treats ANY new mom like a failure. #
  • It's the same problem I have with formula-haters. Jesus, what a rabid pack of guilt-trippers. Like new parents don't have enough stress. #
  • Surprised @neilhimself didn't #neilwebfail my site yesterday with link to the procrastination post. Assume people just didn't click yet. #
  • Spotted @Three_Star_Dave and assorted #nanowrimo folken at the local #tatteredcover Why look: a comfy chair. Think I'll stay awhile. #
  • MY EAR WORM – LET ME SHOW YOU IT: http://bit.ly/cwnfYY #
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Tweets for the week of 2010-10-31

  • Revisions for the day begin with one of the characters saying "The hardest part is getting started." The clown-faced guy speaks truth. #
  • "THAT'S the wrong woooooord, and it's iiiin the wrong plaay-haayyyce. *sings the revision song* #
  • I'm already really happy that we've switched the biweekly Wednesday game to weekly, and we haven't even gotten to the second session yet. #
  • Scrivener for Windows Beta is out: http://bit.ly/9YfO96 #
  • 110 pages of edits/revisions today. Roughly the same amount left to do, but that's misleading, because I've finally reached the Hard Part. #
  • Random Average: The Library of Worlds, Part One http://bit.ly/9B35HI #
  • And the show was good too. RT @DaphneUn: Just watched the new Sherlock: Study in Pink with @doycet. Brilliant and funny and SMART. #
  • "Due to call volume, call-wait time may be… one hundred… twenty… five… minutes." O.M.F.G. #
  • (I'm calling a state government agency's office. It took forty minutes of REDIALS to get into the two-hour queue.) #
  • *whistles along with the hold music, which he has now memorized* #
  • … annnd my call disconnected in the middle of talking to a real person. #eyestab #
  • Stephen King's "From a Buick 8". #booksthatfreakedmeout — it's a regular re-read for me. #
  • Speaking of #booksthatfreakedmeout I'm reading The Stand right now. Every time someone coughs or sneezes, I have to repress a freak-out. #
  • RT @dboshea: 3rd campaign sign seen blowing like tumbleweed in today's driving wind, like God is trying to scour bullshit from the earth. #
  • The graffiti app for Droid shouldn't make me as happy as it does. #
  • Gah. Note to self: never tweet the word that rhymes with 'bumbleweed' ever again. Silly rt spambots. #
  • Highlight of my day has been my dad NOT calling to say he's had a cancer relapse. Otherwise? A crappy morning. Whattaya got for me, Twitter? #
  • Another home repair successfully 'rigged. Would be nice if the book revisions went as fast. Pity I can't use decks screws on the manuscript. #
  • 1288385988872.jpg http://flic.kr/p/8P4oEA #
  • Trying this picture post one more time. http://flickr.com/#/photos/doycetesterman/5127034270/ #happyhalloween #
  • RT @boymonster: This year for Halloween I am going as "Guy in Jeans." #
  • Man, the water in the pool is SO clear and clean today… #newgoggles #
  • Steam (Punk)? (http://j.mp/bMADJ4) – "Where, exactly, is the punk?" A elephant in the room I've pointed out a couple times. #
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Tweets for the week of 2010-10-24

  • I just learned how I'm going to die: it's called 'The Entourage': a 10oz hamburger between two grilled cheese sandwiches. #yum #
  • EeePC seems to have asploded overnight. May be time to try the F9 F9 F9 reinstall. Won't lose files, but I will lose many installed apps. :( #
  • A Cool Thing on Monday: Rollabind (http://j.mp/a16QcG) – For the office supply nerds in my posse. #
  • RT @fredhicks: The new Doctors Without Borders RPGNow bundle contains Don't Rest Your Head http://bit.ly/9a51LO — Good cause, great games. #
  • A *fine* pairing with my post today: RT @jeffkirvin: "I guarantee the Big Six take the wrong lesson from this." http://bit.ly/9No3tT #
  • Notes from a stay at home dad (http://j.mp/dtf99Z #
  • RT @ebertchicago: There's something I'd like to make clear. I'm not a breast fetishist. I'm a cleavage fantasist. #
  • The Solo Adventures http://on.atom.com/dxSCLr — better than anything Lucas has done with Star Wars in the last 15 years. #
  • Random Average: Finding the fun in Star Wars again http://bit.ly/9BYELy #
  • Because he IS. RT @DaphneUn: Watching the original Star Wars with @doycet and Trixie. He keeps telling her R2-D2 is the hero. #
  • A quarter of the way through The Revision That Wouldn't Die: Son of the Son of Revision 2 – The Revisioning. #
  • "Giraffes: A Study of Nature's Most Reluctant Heterosexuals." http://bit.ly/97Poj4 #
  • GAH! There's cinnamon and sugar mix covering the whole kitchen counter. What… How am I supposed to… *looks around* *licks counter clean* #
  • You know, I think I like hotdogs because of the buns more than the actual hotdog. #
  • Live Undead – Marketing Draculas (http://j.mp/aY6AS2) – This is the kind of Konrath post I find valuable and interesting. #
  • RT @DaphneUn: Heh. @doycet just called our home remodeling project a "revision" instead of a "renovation." Someone's been writing! #
  • GOD I hate when people take the heel off a loaf, take another slice, then put the heel back. THE HEEL IS THE BEST PART. IT WILL DRY OUT. #
  • Also: what the hell is the deal with not eating the heel? Too much crust? Are you six? Have you ever LOOKED at the hamburger buns you love? #
  • This is the same #foodrage I wade through every time I get back from a trip and find out what the house sitting person did THIS time. #
  • Anyone down in south Denver interested in a Burning Wheel one-shot this evening? #
  • Parkour on a skateboard? (http://j.mp/9SsgHq) – I shouted "What?!?" And rewound a half-dozen times. At least. #
  • Random Average: Burning Wheel (finally) http://bit.ly/bIbtE7 #
  • Okay, am I an idiot, or is there really no way to get a 'recent documents' link off the Win7 start menu? #
  • Even after all this time, this story still makes me laugh out loud. I love it. #revisions #
  • A HA! I found it! Right click on the on the orb. Start menu tab. Customize. Check "Recent Items". #
  • RT @fredhicks: RT @kwnewton: Whoa! Amazon adding a "lend" feature to Kindle – http://goo.gl/07ME #
  • Author: 4chan bootlegging led to big sales increase (http://j.mp/cdAXdl) – Someone tell me again how piracy hurts sales. #
  • I don't normally tweet food, but… Opened brand new containers of: oatmeal, raisins, AND brown sugar for breakfast this morning. So good. #
  • Has anyone else shut off the new version of twitter and gone back to the old design? Besides me, that is. #
  • On my computer and gaming, I drink a soda an hour. At least. Writing? It's 1 pm and there's one, half-empty, forgotten can sitting here. #
  • RT @ebertchicago: 6.43 times more French films than Hollywood films can pass The Bechtel Test. http://j.mp/dwYvgo #
  • RT @tommccammon: Twitter makes you like people you've never met. Facebook makes you hate people you know in real life. #
  • Heading to the roller derby with @daphneun and my five-year-old. Need to establish her role models. #goodparenting #
  • Daughter jamming out to Prince's 'You Got the Look' as we get a slice at Denver's Sexy Pizza. The #goodparenting continues. #
  • Whoa. The line for the roller derby goes around the block. #holymoly #
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Tweets for the week of 2010-10-17

  • White Men With Guns–Reconstruction Redux – Keka – Open Salon (http://j.mp/9T9pao) – Just makes me ill. #
  • There are a few stories that leave me exhilarated, yet sad the ride is over, every time I finish them. Tolkein… King… Mass Effect? #
  • You guys remember that one time when you were a kid and you ate so much beef jerky you actually became physically ill? No? Just me then? #
  • The transmedia stuff circulating today is interesting, but… I read up on Transmedial Play and think "Oh. RPGs with a big budget." #
  • I respect the Transmedia idea, but I'm unconvinced it's a thing that a corporate entity can gantt chart. At best, that's astroturf v. grass. #
  • [Blog] Transmedia: Dirty Commie Creativity – http://doycetesterman.com/index.php/2010/10/transmedia-dirty-commie-creativity/ #
  • Gay Sex vs. Straight Sex « OkTrends (http://j.mp/aQR35V) – Innnnteresting. #
  • This is a test to see if I remember how to write using Graffiti text. (Droid app.) Man I miss this. Much more comfortable than the keyboard. #
  • Messing with Vignette after @chuckwendig gave me Hipstamatic envy. http://twitpic.com/2xc24p #
  • Delaware senate debate's on CNN right now. Ouch. Joe Biden must be spinning in his grave right now. #
  • Once again, I find myself vaguely annoyed by the degree to which I've parsed my interests into multiple blogs, rather than one. #
  • Random Average: A hard lesson from Bioware http://bit.ly/a9DkHC #
  • [Random Average]: A hard lesson from Bioware http://bit.ly/cDGMek #
  • RT @drhorrible We made this video #Remains to celebrate the release of the #Dollhouse S2 DVD. http://twe.ly/5-i in reply to drhorrible #
  • RT @Linnaeus: Supers RPGs and Comic Book RPGs http://bit.ly/cTdB08 – Possibly the best replacement for 'trad' and 'indie' game lables, IMO. #
  • This is How I Get It Done: Making a quick ebook with Jutoh (http://j.mp/cfM7r6) – . #
  • RT @rdonoghue: Project management, railroading, and some RPG heresy. http://j.mp/czZBEa — Rob takes my offhand comment and makes gold. #
  • "Take Me Out" by Atomic Tom, performed live with iPhones on NYC subway (http://j.mp/cApdEh) – This is, simply, amazing. #
  • Random Average: “Is is a ’supers or ‘comics’ game?” http://bit.ly/avjpb6 #
  • Dear nine-year-oid with the brassy red dyejob and black nails, reading seventeen: you make me kind of sad. #
  • Know what else makes me sad? "Your flight has been delayed 2 hours." #
  • A collection of links on sexism in gaming: http://wundergeek.blogspot.com/2010/10/sexism-in-gaming-list-of-links.html – today's reading. #
  • 'I am grateful an indifferent universe conspired to give me life.' (RT @curiouskate09) #
  • I note my spot in The Black Company with a pink-and-glitter bookmark my daughter made. I like how my life has turned out. #
  • I am at another wedding, Twitter. You know what that means #
  • The first worrisome sign: the wedding party have been given barstools to sit at for the duration of the ceremony. #howlongwillthisrun #
  • Oh good: there's a short in the priest's mic. #snapcracklepop #
  • Not to tell the priest his job, but I think it's 'bedrock' of a relationship, not 'rockbed'. #
  • GAH! Lightning struck the church. Oh, no: just the mic. #
  • And now comes… The… Mixing of a Nice Viniaagrette? I really don't get some of hese customs. #
  • The salad dressing appears to be a Catholic thing. Involves oil, wine. The priest keeps looking up at the ceiling like he forgot the recipe. #
  • And the ceremony ends with a traditional Irish blessing – the only time the mic didn't crackle. #appropriate #
  • RT @Ihnatko: RIP Benoit Mandelbrot. Thank God he wasn't murdered. It would have taken the cops forever to draw the chalk outline. #
  • Why YES, I *am* taking advantage of @daphneun's unwilling Designated Driver status. (Later, she gets a footrub.) #pregnancybenefits #
  • The reception is at the family's home. Which means their puppy is here. IN A BOW TIE. http://twitpic.com/2y6owd #
  • People, I don't want to overshare, I was just in the nicest portapotty I have ever seen. Seriously: I should provide photos. #
  • For all I make fun, I want to say: Hooray for weddings. Hooray for love, and its celebration. Faith? Orientation? Pheh. Hooray for Love. #
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Updates for the week of 2010-10-03

  • Oooh. It makes me angry when one of those twitter analysis things posts something 'for' me when I specifically tell it not to. #
  • Burning Wheel blue balls — yeah, there's an image. I remain frustrated with the failure ratio for Skype-based game sessions. #
  • Phone hunting soon. Anticipated getting an Incredible, but the Droid 2 has a lot to recommend it — I am a BIG fan of longer battery life. #
  • Roaming bookstores isn't as much fun anymore. #dontfindouthowtheymakethesausage #
  • As a newcomer to political giving-a-crapness, I'm unsure what I should feel in election years. Pretty sure "ever-increasing dread" isn't it. #
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Updates for the week of 2010-09-05

  • Question: has anyone ever (EVER) seen one of those 'pocket' sliding doors that actually lock? #
  • Damn, East Coast: what's up with this heat AND humidity thing? They kind of suck when you combine them. #goinghometomorrow #itsadryheat #
  • An explosion of unfollows. Mmmmaybe live-tweeting weddings won't be a Thing I continue to Do. #
  • Those of you voicing support for the live-tweeted weddings have been heard. #
  • RT @wilw: OMG today's Penny Arcade is fucking GENIUS. http://bit.ly/cawB8R Fuh-huh-king jee-nee-you-us. #
  • Annnnd I left the driver's side window of my car open in the airport parking lot for the last 10 days. #dustisthenewblack #