The bus photo contest results are in, and...

...Michael won!

Thanks to everyone who voted!

Now...any ideas where we should go with our two roundtrip tickets to anywhere in the continental US? :P

Here is an albino dolphin for your consideration.

That is all.

(But you can read about it here.)

I stood on street corners so Michael could take this photo of a bus.

Seriously, buses.

The SDMTS sponsored a contest.

The best fifteen photographs are up on their site, until the 27th, to find the most popular image.

Popularity contests being what they are, his fabulous composition might not automatically win on its merits.

That's where you come in, if you'd like to spend the moment.

Won't you go here and vote for his photograph?

Your vote doesn't just go to the photograph.

It justifies the five hours I spent standing on street corners, or in dark parks and
dark parking lots, as Michael took dozens--perhaps hundreds!--of
pictures of the new environmentally friendly buses that traverse the
San Diego streets. I was there for moral support, and to hold the
camera bag so that no unsavory people would make off with it while
Michael's eyes peered through various apertures, and to make sure he
gave up each evening before the vampires came out.

I was there to wait.

And wait.

And finally, on the last night possible, just as the long white fingers of the underworld were poking up through manhole covers down by Horton Plaza Park, Michael captured that shot.

Voting ends on Feb 27.

Cheers, and thanks!

(Of course, he would say that while he
would appreciate your vote, if there's another photograph you like
better, you should vote your aesthetic tastes. I won't say that. I'm
not as humble nor as nice as he is.)

My first accepted short story arrives in the mail!

Today is an excellent day, and it was a long time coming.

Dan Wickett accepted my short story, "One Moment - 1330 South McLeod," for his anthology, VISITING HOURS AND OTHER STORIES, published with Press 53 .

I don't have a record of when I submitted this story to the anthology, but I received word it passed the first round of cuts on April 6, 2005.

By then, the collection the story comes from (MISSING: A NOVEL IN STORIES) had won a Phi Kappa Phi Honor award from USC, also known as the first $$ I ever made for fiction.

Strangely, I don't have a record of the story's actual acceptance. It must have come between 4/6/05 and 2/7/07, which is when Dan got the word that Press 53 wanted to go forward with the anthology.

Since then I'd set the collection aside to concentrate on novels. I've written thousands of pages, some pages getting further along the publication process than others. Always there was this story.

This accepted story.

Because of this story I knew (with perseverance) that I could succeed at this often frustrating, often inexplicable business.

I've got a novel out to editors during a terrible economic depression, so you can see why I might need some validation. :)

So now it's January 28, 2009. I've got the proof in my hands.

It's a gorgeous anthology and the stories are varied and intriguing and I am proud to have mine wedged among them. Some of the authors I know, some I know of, and some I will discover for the first time when I read this book cover to cover.

Now I need to get back to writing, and more importantly, to submitting.

2008: A year's worth of catching up.

January

Went to NYC for AWP.
Didn't actually go to AWP, but went to literary parties.
At one literary party, noticed four other women wearing the same boots as me.
Felt smug at my NY style rather than appalled at the serendipity, until I noticed how much older all the other women were.

None of these are they.

Realized I have the NY style of a 50 year old woman, felt better when I realized I have the financial resources of a 50 year old NYC woman.

February

Convinced Michael to take me to Kauai. <-- pics!

Realized it gets harder and harder to convince Michael to take me to Hawaii, despite cheap airfare, despite his scuba hobby, despite the fun time we always have.

Kauai is, of course, extremely ugly. You should not go there if you like tropical flowers, gorgeous beaches, bluer water than anywhere in the world, whales in the distance, hiking, relaxing, etc.

In other words, had a great time.

March

After Kauai, realized I should probably do some work.

Worked.

Bleh.

Michael took a wreck diving course for SCUBA, so now he is certified to explore sunken ships.

April

I stayed home and worked more.

Michael went to Europe on business, and also learned to create HDR photography by hacking his phone.

Munich.

I might have gone with him, but it's dull traveling on someone else's business trip, and also, someone has to stay home with the dog, lest she forget us entirely.

May

My birthday! <-- pics! of mostly flowers.

Made Michael take me to Bali Hai, a hilarious Hawaiian restaurant. I might have mentioned this already.

Felt depressed about my birthday but at least Michael took the day off and celebrated with me.

June

Felt generally dissatisfied with life. Realized I hadn't had any music in my life for a really long time, and that was upsetting...

July

So in July, when Michael got an electronic drum set for his birthday, I bought myself a ukulele!

Tried to post a picture of myself here from my Myspace gallery and got a terms of service violation error. Sheesh.

Began playing immediately.

Played even if the instrument was out of tune, because why bother tuning when no one else is around?

Hurt my own ear with out of tune chords.

August

Went to Tuscon for the weekend with friends (<-- pics!) who were going for family reasons.

Felt silly going to the desert in the middle of the summer until we got there and had perfect weather.

Stayed at the Loew's resort, which is lovely and cheap in the summer. Woot!

Scorpions glow in the dark under black lights! Freakish.

Saw tarantulas and scorpions running around freely and decided that visiting the desert was one thing, but if I lived there I'd exist in a constant state of anxiety.

September

Decided rather spur of the moment to visit my brother, who lives in Santiago, Chile. Since he and his wife will be leaving there soon, we had to get our trip in ASAP.

Planned quickly. Went for two weeks.

Visited (with pics!):

Santiago

Buenos Aires

Iguacu Falls

Valparaiso

The trip deserves better breakdown than I have time to give now, but here's the quick version: Santiago is nice for a day or two, but otherwise get out into the country in Chile. Buenos Aires is awesome but has air quality problems. Iguacu Falls is worth every penny they wrest out of you for its tourism appeal. Valparaiso: go quickly before it gentrifies and loses its personality, but stay in the tourist area if you're not comfortable with low feelings of personal safety.

October

Worked like mad to pay off the South America trip.

Went to the dachshund picnic.

Part of me would totally buy this painting.
The part of me that's evil.

Prepared for the holiday onslaught.

Avoided all news and media because of election overload.

November

Created new holiday!

Thanksmas!

Don't trust this santa with your poultry.

Includes every fantastic part of Thanksgiving and Christmas, only with friends instead of family.

Went in search of Thanksgiving bargains, only to find they were gone the Monday after in anticipation of Christmas sales that never happened.

Completely ruined two pumpkin pies by trying to carmalize sugar and succeeding in burning it instead.

Successfully made jello salad.

Got way too into creating the gingerbread compound.

Thanksmas: Highly recommended.

December

Went to Seattle for Christmas, eager to see family and friends.

Snow fell.

And fell.

And fell.

Moxie loved it.

Saw no one.

Got to wear my NYC boots in the snow, though.

Got back in time for New Years Eve at Cafe Chloe.

Oh, so ready for 2009.

So, catch me up!
What did you love in 2008?
What are you looking forward to in 2009?

This is a baby aardvark.

That is all.

For now.

I really wish I could promise there will be more soon.

Maybe this will be my gateway back into blogging.

Hm.

Hope you're all well...those of you still out there...

Side effects may include...

Peroneal Tenosynovitis

So I hurt my foot somehow.

No idea how. I just woke up on Monday to a pain in my foot that increased over the day and night so that by Tuesday I had to push myself backwards around the loft in my office chair.

The pain was such that I actually went to the doctor.

It's not that I dislike the doctor. It's that I prefer not to have to go. Ever. I figure the chances of running into someone contagious with something is greater the closer I get to a doctor, especially as I live and work in my own little sheltered bubble.

So I went, and it turns out I have (most likely, because they can never be absolutely sure) a little something called peroneal tenosynovitis, which sounds a lot worse than it is.

So what is it?

In my case, it's an inflammation of the blue tube in the diagram called Peroneous longus (or perhaps it's in the brevis, or both). The blue tube is kind of a protective coating that keeps the two tendons and the one stretching over them from rubbing and causing friction.

How did it happen?

I have no idea. I didn't do anything Sunday that was unusual. Walked to the coffee shop, walked my dog. Walked to breakfast before all that. Too much walking? Too much walking in these shoes?

No idea.

But one thing is for certain--I'm done taking the anti-inflammatory medications.

Not so fun to feel nauseated and dizzy. And the pain in my foot is mostly gone, so what's the point? I mean, I'm wearing the ace bandage and the squared-off velcro shoe.

That indignity should be enough to heal some tissue, right?

So, who's right?

In Seattle there are two women who live in an urban setting in the kind of apartment with floor to ceiling windows that look out to a great view of the water and the city.

Marring the view somewhat are their neighbors who constantly watch the "show" using flashlights and binoculars.

This couple claims that since the women are "putting on a show" by walking around their own bedroom in a state of undress, they are allowed to watch.

The women claim otherwise.




Since I live in a downtown urban environment, I think I can speak to this issue.

1. The women have the right to not be spied upon by their neighbors, especially neighbors who would use binoculars to get a better view.

2. However, the women can't expect people not to see them if they have floor to ceiling windows and a lower level apartment. They may just have to decide whether partial nudity is more important than their killer view.

3. Still, the couple needs to get a life. Subscribe to some pay channels or download free internet porn. Women walking around in tee-shirts and boy-shorts isn't exactly obsession-inducing, nor is it a peep-show, no matter what AARP Magazine might say.

4. The rule is: if you can see them, they can see you.

5. So, when I see the guy in the office building across the way changing into his work out clothing because I'm standing on my deck, I'm fully aware that if he were to look up, he'd see me on the balcony. And as tempting as it is to go out on that balcony in dishabille, I don't. Maybe he should step around the corner.

If he cares.

6. If he doesn't, perhaps he could look up tomorrow at sunset when I step onto the balcony and launch into my favorite Madonna recitive to my faithful subjects, the people who wait at the bus stop below.

Don't Cry for Me

In three weeks Michael and I are going to Argentina and Chile to hang out with my brother and his wife who are living in Santiago at the moment.

Some of you may remember way back in the day that I folded 1000 cranes for their wedding.

I'm not folding any paper this time, but I will be learning to Tango in Buenos Aires with them.

If my foot heals in time, that is.

Damn.

The Tango just isn't the Tango in a velcro shoe.