Author: Allegra

Born when atmospheric carbon was 316 PPM. Settled on MST country since 1997. Parent, grandparent.

now the work really begins

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I spent a lot of yesterday afternoon with my face hanging out in front of the tube, but I was also looking at the three books in the UPSUN trilogy. It’s really not a work to everyone’s taste, but it doesn’t have to be. The things I’m best at when I am writing are:

  1. handwaving regarding the plot BUT IN THIS CASE I HAVE STRONG CULTURAL REASONS FOR NOT WANTING TO CHOP PLOT TOO FINE
  2. snarky social commentary – Fun in Hi-Skule John Brunner, kinda
  3. snarky dialogue between people who actually love each other but are behaving badly
  4. pretty much anything to with Sixers, my current and forever fave alien
  5. snarky dialogue by people who don’t have anything to do with the action but are seriously pissed off at the moment (people in crowds yelling rude things a specialty)
  6. godawful family dynamics (nothing drives action like shitty families) (It’s a trope) (but I enjoy my own family) (however much they enjoy, or don’t, me)
  7. RESEARCH like the time I wasted a day inventing what the city elders rename all the Vancouver bridges to and did you know that psychologically we won’t actually understand how many fucking bridges there are in this town until access is cut to them? Bridges are extremely important to Vancouver, we won’t function well if they fall, are blocked, are damaged ….
  8. saying things are just so AFTER I DO ALL THAT RESEARCH
  9. inventing things like the ‘sproing’ which I think is one of the best things I ever came up with
  10. writing an entire side project – BOOK LENGTH – which is an internal fanfic for two of the characters, whom I’ve since decided do not belong together anyway, and it sure gave me some insight into why destiel is so annoying to some fans
  11. yes kids I wrote a 55000 word, elaborately researched and fabulously queer /non-conforming/whore-positive book and will never publish it because it isn’t canon in my own universe AS A THOUGHT EXERCISE about how to run a brothel in Vancouver after landback
  12. gamifying a revolution is not a new concept in sf but tricking an entire generation of mostly white, Chinese and Desi Vancouver gamers into mapping the city so that the Indigenous infrastructure techies can get a tree-by-bush overview of what food is growing here, that was irrestistable

Sooooon

Shortly I will formally retain the services of a high-powered and thoroughly qualified person to perform the cultural competence reading of the UPSUN trilogy.

I’m not lying when I say that if this is successful (there’s no guarantee that this person will enjoy doing the work enough to want to get paid for doing more than one) this is likely going to re-energize me. And if it isn’t successful, I’ll continue to look for someone who can assist.

The manuscript’s printed out. I just need to put together a one page contract and get this puppy in the mail.

another letter

this one to Jan in Toronto

I practiced this morning, that’s a plus, also reprinted the lyrics for Shit’s Fucked Up, because it annoys me that I went to all the trouble to work up an arrangement and can never remember the freaking lyrics.

I am feeling very wretched and frightened of the future, but Mike made soup two months ago and I’m eating it today and it is so very good.

Cold and overcast and miserable here today.

Paul’s out of quarantine.

Signed this today.

yesterday

voted … NDP majority is now in

Man, the BC Liberals sure are a bunch of feckless dweebs

Walked down at New West Quay with Paul, who’s supposed to be in quarantine. Honestly, I don’t know what to say. I’m certainly not going near him without masking up. Purchased excellent chocolate and Jeff and I consumed every scrap of three high end artisanal chocolate bars over the afternoon.

Paid for yet another ad to get a cultural competence reader to look at UPSUN.

Someone bought UPSUN!!!

Skipped letter writing.

Wrote a letter to Mary this am, haven’t mailed it yet.

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everything’s got spin, and the spin is in

TFW you want to boast on social media about a gaming accomplishment — but the real point is that it would be virtually impossible for someone with early onset dementia to do what you just did. I broke 5 minutes, I broke 5 minutes AND took 20 seconds off my most recent record. yay Sherlock, my favourite puzzle game for MORE THAN 30 YEARS.

I was supposed to write somebody a letter today…. I’m going to clutch the negligibly small sore spot on my flu shot arm and plead that all I want to do today is vote. Also, there are leftovers, I got mild peri sauce Barcelo chicken yesterday and I found it absolutely delicious.

Various physical signs in my body indicate that my liver is much happier with me eating less carbs and sugar. I still don’t have any way to check my blood sugar. A diabetic friend is really happy with her implant (she’s lost weight in a healthy way, she has needle-like accuracy on her sugars) but I’m hoping to turn the boat around still, so we’ll see.

I reviewed my schedule of habits to develop and I think for the next week I’m going to concentrate on drinking enough water. So every time the clock shows a multiple of three, I should drink a third of a litre of water at minimum, and make less than half my daily liquid consumption tea. Let’s see if I can get this habit established! I’m very well established with an evening routine, so I’m happy about that, and I’ve also stopped looking at the computer at bedtime, which means sleep starts faster and I’m not doomscrolling right before bed.

In the morning, the wifi doesn’t talk to my laptop from 4 am to 7 am. I get much more done in terms of writing, editing and letter writing now during that period since I’m not making myself unpleasant on twitter the entire time. That’s usually the time I mail the letter, if I leave the house for that purpose.

Murder hornet found in BC. How jolly.

Moose eating pumpkin. 

Okay I’ll be thinking about this one for a while:

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text accompanying a ‘Lower Decks’ graphic: Star Fleet Academy should not be in SF. There’s no canonical indication that the land was ever returned and military school on stolen land is a military occupation.

Voting Day

So I get to take a walk down the hill to vote today in a church. I will take the folding seat and my voting card.

During the Poop Patrol I did not train Buster for more than a minute, so hopefully we’ll be back on the training today. He was showing indications yesterday of missing it. Or the treats.

Totally sold on Kim’s Convenience now, plus every time I see those big blue street signs from Toronto I nearly die of nostalgia.

Highest daily total of new infections ever in the us, something stupid, over 80K.

When I think about the flu pandemic in 1918-19, the scientists fought against it without having a complete understanding of the disease, recommending masks because they worked, even if we didn’t understand exactly how; now we understand viral diseases a lot better but social distancing and people staying home doesn’t work for capitalism so we end up with shills for capitalism standing in front of the press and saying everything’s cool……….. cool cool cool.

gee mOm

Had an absolutely hilarious email convo with my mOm this morning, and I can’t even repeat it, but I will say it had something to do with my own mother forgetting when my birthday is. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LOOK INTO NEXT MONTH AND DON’T PUT THE CALENDAR BACK TO THIS MONTH, mOm.

I made vegan pizza. I can’t tell the difference, so yay soy mozzarella.

Supernatural was meh.

Jeff and I are going to take a walk to various errand-y things in the neighbourhood. (later… it was fucking SNOWING when we went out so car was taken… got my flu shot, Jeff provided a Buster poop for the vet to perform augurious duties over)

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went for a walk with Paul

 

scraping up my confetti

Sorry, the post title is a reference only my mOm will get.

I am so angry and sad I don’t have much place for it. Tom’s situation is not good. He’s very ill, and he’s being treated, and Peggy is being calm and realistic, which means shit’s very hard indeed. More I cannot say; I am communicating privately with the people we’re close to who are also close to Tom at Peggy’s behest, and it’s not jolly.

The Lekki Gate massacre in Nigeria…. it’s terrible. But protesting police violence has a price the world over…. that shouldn’t be death and disfigurement.

Flu shot at pharmacy and televisit with doc today.

Later – I’m feeling like maybe I do not wish to leave the house. Nope, no flu shot.

The go pro arrived, but Buster is boycotting training because we locked the cat door because Jeff needs to collect cat poop for the vet. HE IS LITERALLY ON STRIKE.

I made brown buns to go with the chili.