gratitude, grief, and gruel ~

[lookingland]

Thank you!!!

to all of you who responded to my survey in the previous post: many thanks for taking the time! I really appreciate it!

~ * ~

Death Toll Rises to 345 in Hajj Stampede <~

The site is a notorious bottleneck for the massive crowds that attend the annual hajj pilgrimage and has seen deadly stampedes in the past, including one in 1990 that killed 1,426 people and another in February 2004 that killed 244.

good God have mercy. this sort of thing baffles and saddens me.

: (

~ * ~

boring blathering: i've come up with what i hope is a reasonable schedule i can put myself on starting next week (this week is all sort of wampajog with trying to finish Eleison). i like schedules because i need the structure (if only just to break it). i'm also excited about this one because i like the way my day is split up between contract work, writing, reading, and classes/classwork. i think it's a feasible, realistic schedule and hopefully it'll help me get back into the discipline of doing things regularly (as opposed to making up my day as i go along, which is what i am doing now).

i'll especially be glad to have writing time scheduled ~ because if i don't force myself to sit still and do it, i tend to wander and be disorganized. and i have entirely too much writing to accomplish to let that get in the way. i'm enjoying the plottingfiction group ~ just because it reminds me daily to keep thinking about writing. i had really enjoyed the nano_prompt group, but it didn't last. i should prolly look for a new prompts group that doesn't have the sort of too-specific prompts that turn me off. i like development prompts, not idea generators. maybe i should break out an old prompt book of my own and start posting some of those.

i'm also looking forward to trying the 50bookchallenge. i'm a little behind already, but i'm working up my reading list for the year and then i'll leap in. i've read one and started two others so far. i usually don't read more than one book at a time, but i'm dividing my reading between fiction and some spiritual reading ~ and that i can manage just fine (and it counts!). i went to Half Price Books today to try to find some of the books i want and was sadly disappointed. i'll have to end up ordering them online, i guess.

mmmmm books ~

: D

okay i seriously have lots of work to do (not the least of which is to make some tea!)

Comments

[groundbyground.livejournal.com]

(pokey poke poke)

Is lookingland still alive an well? I'm thinking I need contests and things...

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

lookingland is a glorious experiment that has sadly failed. i've tried to recruit a number of committed writers for workshopping and it's worked in fits and starts, but never gained momentum. in its hey-day (2003ish) it was a very active and exciting place. but our committment to handling conflict constructively and definitively (it's a no b.s., drama-free zone) has caused membership to drift. (interesting how the moment you tell people to stop the ad hominem attacks you are suddenly a censorious dictator). so a few people took their marbles and went to play somewhere else while others just didn't stick. and i got tired of spending all my time critting without getting back the sort of quid pro quo that i need to grow as a writer.

which is all a crying shame because it's a big artistic playground that no one wants to play in! i've offered the space to gamers, writing groups, Bible groups ~ you name it ~ and no one wants it. some are turned off by our Charter (http://www.lookingland.com/board/showthread.php?s=270c5ddc2c47b91ecc2dc7305a6be0b2&threadid=1525) <~ or just by the fact that the board is run by a peck of orthodox Catholics (eeeeee run, run; cooties!). who knows. i'm currently at a loss.

(weeps copiously) ~

and so there it sits (more than you wanted to know).

~ and i am all ears to whatever kind of use anyone might want to put it to.

: D

[groundbyground.livejournal.com]

Eep! Project! No, no... I can't focus on another project. Well, may... NO!

(Crosses arms defiantly)

(sighs)

(Navigates back over to Lookingland)

It is a rather robust site.

[utter-scoundrel.livejournal.com]

Speaking as one of those posters who "just didn't stick" I apologize profusely. If it helps, I still swing by the site occasionally. No? Erm...

About the 50bookchallenge...are their rules against re-reading books you've read in the past? I looked around and couldn't find anyhting about it.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

hahahaha ~ no apologies necessary ~ 'tis what it is.

as far as the challenge is concerned: i intend to reread a few faves and i'm counting them.

if a graphic novel counts, then so does a reread, i say!

: D