Only a few more hours of freedom! And I'll be spending two of them at work...then the NaNoWriMo madness begins...except I probably won't actually start writing until I get home.

I have 43 characters. Most of them have names. Some of them are dead; they'll just be around in memories. I hadn't counted them before this...43 is kinda a big scary number! Only four are main characters though, the rest are just extended family, friends, etc. But I can think of several more that I haven't even put on the cast list yet. Yikes! Of course, this thing takes place over about 11 years, so I guess that's not so crazed.

Anyway, I'll try to post here every few days, to keep y'all abreast of how the novel is going...or isn't, depending on the situation ;-)

As my altar-ego Abby Sciuto said in the NCIS episode "Silver War", "Some people drown their sorrows in drugs and alcohol. I prefer caffeine."

"Doom" (2005) -- Initial Thoughts

Went to see Doom on Tuesday night. It was pretty good--I'm definitely glad I went to see it in the theater, because I just don't think it'd be as cool on a small screen. Especially the ten or so minutes of FPS stuff at the end (that's First-Person Shooter, for you non-video-game-players)--that wouldn't be nearly as great on just my little tv.

The movie itself was okay...I have to admit I've never played the game or read any of the novels, so I liked all the expository stuff at the beginning. And you know me...I'm a Dwayne Johnson fan! And dear Karl Urban got to be the hero, which is just so cool. Yay for KU! (He plays 'Eomer' in Lord of the Rings, who ties with Gandalf for my third-favorite character, just FYI)

It was a lot creepier than I expected, with more scary chasing and freaking out in dark tunnels than the preview suggested. The music was appropriately wailing and wicked. The acting was adequate, and brilliant now and then. Karl Urban had the best character to work with, and he did a lot with it. I hope to see him in a lot more movies soon!

NaNoWriMo begins in one week! Gaaaaaaaaaaah!

Actually, I think I'll be okay. Stressed out and drained and very grrrrrr for a month, but okay. I've already got a good handle on the four main characters, I know where the story starts and where it ends, and a few interesting things that happen in the middle. And I've already written something longer than this, so I know I can come up with enough stuff to hit 50,000 words. I mean, I've got more ideas for this one than I had when I started my first novel. More scenes worked out in my head, more characters named and gelling, and definitely a better rapport with the narrating character.

If you're wondering why I've been so silent this past week, it's because my brother and his girlfriend were here Wed-Sun on their midterm break from college. It's the first time I met his girlfriend, and I really like her a lot. He seems to have chosen wisely :-)

I should really come up with nicknames for them, so I don't have to keep saying "my brother" and "my brother's girlfriend"...how about "Johnnycake" and "Dimples"?

I have an addiction to tactile sensations. You may remember my post about being barefoot...I'd like to add some thoughts to that.

I have a thing for texture. The way things feel in my hands or under my feet or in my mouth are important to me. They inform the way I respond to the world around me, the people I encounter, everything.

If you know me personally, you're probably aware of my hatred for potatoes. I hate the texture of potatoes, particularly when they're mashed or baked. They are mealy and mooshy and dry, and they spread themselves inside my mouth, caking around my teeth and tongue. Insidious and hard to dispose of. Lima beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, and cooked egg yellows are also on my hate list for the exact same reason. Nothing to do with the way they taste, everything to do with the way they feel in my mouth. The only foods I dislike are foods with this texture.

I also dislike wearing sweaters. Why? Because of their texture. They pretend to be soft and snuggly, but really they're scratchy and constricting. They pull at my arm hairs and rub against my skin too much, like they want to take its place.

But enough about dislikes...I want to write about all the things I enjoy feeling. Crumbling dirt in my flower patch. Gloppy pumpkin innards. Slimy butter and gritty spices as I rub a turkey we're about to bake. Sticky cookie dough. The already-worn-smooth spot on the space bar of my new keyboard. Cold piano keys, waiting for me to impart my warmth before they will make music. The thick, weighty paper in old books. The demanding hardness of a trumpet mouthpiece that insists I conform my stubborn lips to its shape.

This is why I love Snickers bars and not 3 Musketeers and Milky Ways. Snickers bars have four distinct textures in one bite: smooth caramel, crunchy nuts, chewy nougat, and solid chocolate. Milky Ways and 3 Musketeers just have two rather boring textures. No fun.

I think the reason I notice and delight in tactile sensations is because I spend so much time living inside my head. I'm always thinking about something, or reading, or making up a story. Living in my head. Touching and feeling things brings me back to the real world, reminds me that I'm a part of this marvelous and endlessly variated Creation.

Maybe this is why my favorite Doors song begins with the words: "Come on, come on, come on, now touch me, baby--can't you see that I am not afraid?" I'm not afraid to experience life, even if I end up deciding I don't like particular parts of it.

Nothing makes me so eager to write as having some housework I should be doing instead.

Poor Cowboy got his wisdom teeth removed today :-( I had mine out seven years ago, bwahahahaha. But that, plus helping nurse my brother thru his own teeth-removal three years ago, means I know what needs to be done to keep Cowboy happy and healthy.

So far he's been a very good boy. No more whining than normal, and he's even managing to go to the kitchen for pudding his own self. Helps that he wasn't under general anesthesia the way my bro and I were...he doesn't have all the grogginess to dispel.

Cowboy is a quick healer, so he'll probably be feeling fine so fast I'll get envious.

You scored as River Tam. The Fugitive. You are clever and dangerous, which is a nasty combination. The fact you are crazy too just adds to your charm. They did bad things to you, but you know their secrets. They will regret how they made you.

Which Serenity character are you?
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I can live with that. She's my second-fave character after seeing the movie...and I pretty much knew I wasn't gonna end up as Mal...I think I like him cuz he's all the things I ain't...

"Serenity" (2005) -- Initial Thoughts

Went to see Serenity tonight with Noumenon. All I can say is: WOOOOOOOOOO! Way to go, Joss! To be honest, I've never actually seen an ep of Firefly, because it originally aired when I was addicted to Buffy and Angel and didn't have time for another show to soak up my rare free time. What an idiot I was! How could I miss such a great Joss world?

I had a basic idea of the premise, but I was totally unprepared for the magnificent Jossness of it all! I mean, someone has finally taken the whole idea of "cowboys in space" literally!

And now I cannot wait for the first disk of Firefly to arrive at the library for me. Because I need more! (I always thought that Nathan Fillion was too boyishly cute to be a baddie anyway)(Oh, and any time Adam Baldwin gets to play with explosives and guns, it's all good)(Also, playing "Guess Who Guest-Starred as a Villain on One of Joss's Other Shows" is way fun!)(And when has David Krumholz playing a nerd not been delicious?)

My fave line: "This is the Captain. We have a slight problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some turbulence and then... explode. " (Capt. Malcolm Reynolds over his ship's intercom)

My second-fave line: "Yes, I've read a poem. Try not to faint. " (also Capt. Malcolm Reynolds)

Joss Whedon, you rock my world!

(PS So do you, Cowboy!)

I did it! I finished writing my first novel! Okay, granted, it's just a first draft, but it took me 3 years to do, so I'm elated. Plus, I got it out of the way before NaNoWriMo begins.

But best of all, I have my first novel out of the way. It seems like first novels are generally crap, but you have to get through them and learn all sorts of things in the process, so that your following novels will be worth reading.

I'm doing research for my NaNoWriMo novel. The librarian probably thinks I've cracked...on my last visit, I checked out five books with titles like Being a Widow and Stepmothering and Helping Your Struggling Teenager. Since I'm obviously too young to have a teenager, as is Cowboy, and since Cowboy was there at the library too, she knows I'm not a widow or raising a struggling stepteen. Of course, she was too nice to ask why I was getting such odd books. All she said was, "Weren't you just here last night?"

So anyway, now you know that my NaNoWriMo novel deals with widowhood, stepchildren, and struggling teenagers. I'll tell you its title too: No Crystal Stair. It's from a line in "Mother to Son", my favorite Langston Hughes poem.

The October picture in my Coca-Cola calendar contains a very creepy man. I'm thinking of putting a post-it note over his face. His eyes are not focused. His left eye is looking at the cherry-cheeked maiden standing next to him. But his right eye is looking far off to his right, as if he's pondering leaving said maiden, just hopping into their car and taking off without her, before she's even finished her bottle of soda. You'd think the person who painted this advertisement could have made him look less creepy, more happy with his Coke and his girl and his car.

"Raising Helen" (2004) -- Initial Thoughts

I just watched Raising Helen. Interesting movie. I never thought I could hate Joan Cusack. I never thought I could like Kate Hudson. And I've never met a Lutheran minister that looked like John Corbett (alas). Or met a Lutheran minister who wore his collar so often--or looked so Episcopalian. Hmm. Wonder where they researched their Lutheran ministers...musta been ELCA...

David Boreanaz has a new tv show! And I'm watching it right now! It's called Bones, and it's so weird to see him walking around in sunlight! And smiling! And joking! And relating well with people. He's an FBI agent (formerly a sniper!), and sort of the second-main character. It's another of those forensic shows that I love. Fortunately, my tv show provider likes them too...this is a surprise present from him on a tape that I thought would only have Battlestar Gallactica and Stargate SG-1 on it. I popped the tape in and thought, "What the devil is this?" and started forwarding through it, when suddenly, there was David! Angels sang, butterflies entered my stomach in usual formation, and I screeched with glee.

I didn't even know David B. had a new show! How cool for him! He's already worn a long dark coat once in the first 8 minutes, so I'm thinking they know how to dress him best. Also I adore his hair, it's more of a reversion to season 3 of Angel before some idiot thought he would look good with longer and curlier hair instead of delightfully short and spikey. But it doesn't go straight up completely here, sort of swooshes back a bit. And his eyes are still his eyes. The Eyes. Mmmmmmmm. And The Shoulders. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

It's based on a real person's life (not his, this forensic chick with a nose that tips up like mine).

He's got a kind of similar mission going on as he did as Angel: "Being a sniper, I took a lot of lives. What I'd like to do before I'm done, is try and catch at least that many murderers."

Oooh, speaking of Buffy alumni, Nicholas Brendan (Xander) has a new show too this fall, called Kitchen Confidential (also on Fox), but I haven't seen it. My tv show provider isn't into cooking, I guess...

Well, I did it. I signed up for NaNoWriMo. Gaaaaaaaaah! I'm insane!

Betcha can't guess what my username is over there ;-)