Fewer Crises => More :-)

My main computer is now fixed and waiting for me at the store. With its return I will have conquered 3 of the 6 domestic crises aflicting me. After this point, they get harder to solve, but I at least can see the end of the tunnel.

Migraine.

I'm fighting off the first migraine I've had in something like two years. Without the stress and sleep deprivation of work I've been migraine free, but what with the stress of the domestic crises and the trouble I've had sleeping, I've managed to trigger one.

Right now, I'm fighting it off. I'm gulping double espresso and I've already had taken three 222's. Hopefully that will nip it in the bud. If not, my day will be shot.

Ow, Ow, Ow.

Don't laugh out loud at the Webcomics when you have an incipient migraine! Owie Owie Ow!

Bad, Megatokyo, Bad!

Of course, I suspect is not as funny to someone who hasn't been following along and knows the various character personalities...

Its getting closer...

I've been having to rely on a Linux machine (with the Gnome desktop) for the last few days as my Windows box has been in the shop. I can notice improvements in the UI since the last time I had to do this. It makes me hopeful that the day will soon come when I am willing to permanently switch over. Many of the features I want are now here and although configuration is STILL a major bitch, its gotten better. (Like, for instance, I can move SOME of the items on the launch bar, but not others. The 'move' option for them is simply greyed out. WTF? -- Oh, I just figured it out, Some of them have a 'lock' status turned on.)

NaNoWriMo.

Haven't written anything yet today because

1. I just woke up.
2. I'm dealing with a migraine.

Still, I have been thinking about the book I'm writing. I begin to see why everyone has been so insistent that no editing be done during November. I've almost finished the first chapter and its CRAP. Oh, it says what I want it to say, but does so in a very poor way, with stilted phrasing, poor descriptions and muddled dialogue.

I have simultaneously been reading some stories in the genre that I'm writing in. These are amateur works that I nevertheless admire. Were I an editor, there are many changes and improvements I would make in them. One author desperately needs to be told that the word is 'Ma'am', not 'Mam' and that the passed tense of drag is dragged, not drug. (WFT? We left the vowel-shift era hundreds of years ago; why is he trying to bring it back???)

Still, compared to what I've just written, they are true works of art. As a result, I'm of two minds whether its a good idea to read other fiction in my target genre while doing NaNoWriMo. On the one hand, it shows me just how bad my prose is in comparison. On the other, I've always known that I'm better at rewriting than I am at writing, and the fact that I could so easily improve on much better works makes me think that by the time my novel is edited (sometime in December, or the new year, I would hope) to my satisfaction I would be willing to publish it.

In its current state I would never dare show it to anyone. My dad used to say "Never show a fool a half-done job." I've since learned that there are very few people that you can show a half-done job to and get useful and constructive feedback. The vast majority of comments are always about the glaring errors that you are well aware of and can fix easily, and never target the subtle problems that you haven't yet figured out how to solve.

Ah well, at least my migraine seems to be in retreat. With just a bit of luck I will have my old computer back up and happy by this evening, and I can continue writing my novel in the environment that I am used to using. I've got a bunch of catching up to do, but I feel strangely confidant that I will manage.

Todays Sluggy.

Today's sluggy is a joke about ninja tooth flossing. Its derivative. I have a very similar scene in a Buck Godot comic I bought from philfoglio years ago.

Migraine Gone!

It seems like I've won! The migraine is gone before it ever really got started. All I have left is a lingering tenderness that tells me that today would be a bad day to go to a concert or ride a roller coaster. As neither of those were in the plans, I think its safe to get on with my day, starting with a 'morning' shower.

Oh, and if it seems like I've been writing a bunch in my journal today, blame NaNoWriMo. I noticed the same thing during the August writing challenge. When I am in 'writing' mode, I write a lot, about everything. Please bear with me.