InterNutter

Good news, everyone!

I got the short list back from the lovely people at AR&E, agent-finders at large.

I also got a very nice letter saying I should try all of them at once, just for the ego boost. I'm sorry, Beverly, but all the ego boosting in the world is not worth one atom of being rude.

Agents and writers alike tell you every day that simultaneous submissions, especially lying about it by omission, is beyond nasty. Just. No. The letter says I don't have to say it's a trawl for attention, so I therefore don't have to mention that I'm taking them alphabetically.

Now I just have to finish reading the reports, start at the letter A, and juggle the material I send. However, nothing is stopping me mentioning that AR&E recommended them and letting them draw their own conclusions...

And in other news... the continuing saga of #myphonebygoogle.

We finally triumphed over the whole file transfer debacle with a lovely file transfer app called trolCommander and rigging up a cable relay system to make my phone look like an external drive.

Geeks. We're unstoppable.

I'm now using VLC instead of the streaming Google Play and I should really cancel my subscription to Google Play RSN... I don't want to get bit on the arse by subscription fees four months down the line.

And in other, other news...

Yesterday I decided, "What the hell" and ripped on the biggest bitch I ever knew when I was a grotty sprog. I spent three paragraphs on her sins and I might have people who share her name hating on me, but... it felt so wonderful to get that off my chest.

The resulting euphoria lasted two whole hours before I started getting anxiety about lawsuits. Or angry retribution. So, at some later chapter, I might write a sympathetic angel of a name-sharer so I can point and say, "Not all YourNames," in the same smug condescension that some folks say, "Not all men."

I might not. It depends. Thinking about turning the bitch's own words back on her is currently too delicious to try and wimp out on it. My body and brain will eventually find something else to be anxious about. I have well-worn ways to defeat those monsters. Including using them for some truly visceral writing.

My mantra to them goes: You can't grind me down. I've already been tempered and polished. All you provide is power to my mill.

My monsters plague only me, for the most part. Once I've figured out how to live with them, I make them work for me.

Challenge #01391-C296: Strange Customers

Being alive put him at a severe disadvantage -- OohLookShiny

[AN: My instant thought on this is Miles Vorkosigan, but I'm trying to exercise myself here...]

This had to be the strangest motley crew to ever find themselves in Dr Mellitus' offices. One human boy, three automatons. The doctor had been intellectually aware that Junkers cobbled together their own creations from the waste-piles, but this was the first time he'd seen some that looked that way.

Especially the short one. She had

Broken 'flow'

I get used to doing things a certain way. I get up, wee, weigh myself [89.3kilos. The first time I've been below 90 since age 20!], water the garden, rouse the kids, shower, and get on with keeping everyone in line.

Then I do my blog, Instant Story, and any other writing that I want or have to do.

But when things screw that up, it really screws up.

Yesterday, I assumed that I'd done my Instant. Why? Because yesterday was

Challenge #01390-C295: O My Mona

A soft smile hiding gritted teeth -- OohLookShiny

He called her Mona, for the smile that echoed the legendary painting. She never talked. Never opened her mouth. Never made a sound. The only communication he ever had from her was her soft and mysterious smile, and the glint in her eyes.

Not that he cared. He took his pleasures from her and left the money with the man who ran the House. But there was just something about Mona.

He came back

Fun times ahead

I've been trying to transfer my music files into #myphonebygoogle, with varying degrees of success. Our current, dropbox model has hit a snag, in that the phone must be active in order to download.

Google Pixel has a maximum activation period of half an hour. There is no 'never' option and no assumption that a user is clever enough to hook the phone up to a power source whilst that shit is going on.

I mean, come on, google. We were smart

Challenge #01389-C294: Inevitable Failure

"Hey, I might constantly manipulate people to stack things in my favor, but actually cheating is pushing it a little bit too far," -- OohLookShiny

"It's like this," said the campaign manager. "We gerrymandered, and you're still losing. We've changed the voter ID laws, and you're still losing. We've criminalised a majority of the folks who would never vote for you, and you're still losing. We've sent out false messages about easier ways to vote to the youth demographic and you're still

I am frustrate

On the continuing saga of New Phone Wat Dis(aka #myphonebygoogle), I have finally combatted the hassle of getting my music data onto my actual phone. The caveat being that the file manager in question will also play random shit that's content for games. We'll work around that when the time comes.

And speaking of workarounds... I did some 3D drafting for Bitzer's new hip handle, this morning. And once done, it should have been an easy matter to transfer those files

Challenge #01388-C293: Cheerful Charlie

"No worries, Mate! No problem." -- Anon Guest

[AN: Other phrases that Aussies have learned to fear, especially those who remember Joh "I live to fuck up your life" Bjelke-Peterson, are "Don't you worry about that" and "She'll be right" ::twitch::]

If there was a worse curse for a ship's human, T'kethi couldn't think of a worse option than a N'Ozzie Engineer. T'kethi repeatedly set herself reminders to never again pick a human based on pure aesthetics.

They were all ugly, squishy

#myphonebygoogle

I love that Google is cheeky enough to bring out a bigger, brighter, better phone than the iPhone7.

And I have to confess that setting up new apps to supplant the old ones I'm used to is a pain in the arse.

But the biggest pain in the arse is music. Porting ALL my music from iTunes is like unto a labour of Hercules. And it's not just because I own something like five weeks' worth of music.

No, it's because Apple

Challenge #01387-C292: Ancient Wisdom

Measure twice, cut once, useful advice for anyone. -- Anon Guest

Rael knew he should have checked up on Shayde sooner. She had a knack for teaching new JOATs all the wrong tricks.

Chiefly: "Measure wi' micrometer, mark wi' chalk, cut wi' axe."

So, after hearing this, he simply had to barge in and defend his own honour. "The real adage, Trainee Melkith, is 'measure twice, cut once'. Ambassador Shayde labours under the misapprehension that she is funny."

"I was tellin' 'er

Google Pixel!

So I'm a long-time Apple nerd, all the way back to the late eighties when I got my first Mac Classic.

But that time is past.

Basically because Apple repeatedly drops the ball by coming out with substandard crap and trying to market it as what the people want. If the people move, en masse, to a better product, then the companies will see what the people really want.

And better yet, I'm getting it for free because Telstra has an upgrade-your-phone

Challenge #01386-C291: Anti-serendipity

"What happened to the scarf of invulnerability?"

"Uh... my cat ate it." -- OohLookShiny

The cat in question growled from its position under the ottoman. Yellow eyes glowed out from the shadows.

"The good news," said Ki'van, "is that the scarf itself is invulnerable. We... um... just have to wait a bit."

Now the growling from under the ottoman took on a slightly musical quality. So... the cat wasn't just pissed at him.

"I know she'll try to take my arm off

Nothing to see here

It's hard to be entertaining when there's nothing to bitch about. Things are kind of okay.

I finally chatted with the counsellor people and got some useful advice to going forward with the whole mental care thing. As a result of having all that stress no longer important, my current energy levels are low.

Discoveries this week: Food is expensive. Especially the stuff that only diabetics are allowed to eat. Especially the recommended fish like salmon and tuna. We need to learn

Challenge #01385-C290: Sys iPhus

"I'm sorry, I can't... I'm broken,"

"Is that what they told you?" -- OohLookShiny

The Doctor skidded to a halt in yet another room in the complex. There, a vaguely cylindrical robot went in a circuitous path, repeatedly fixing things that, ultimately, caused everything to return to its original state.

"Sysiphus," he muttered.

Holly stopped, too, almost blundering into him. She took in the scene and said, "Excuse me?"

The robot paused. "I cannot aid you. I am... broken. I must... fix.

Glorb: It's what's for breakfast

So I usually call soup-and-bread-mush 'glorb' and is one of my very many horrible food choices.

But I've come up with a healthy one.

Two Weet Bix, one snack-sized tub of fruit, and enough almond milk to turn it all into moosh. Voila. Brekkie Glorb. At 995 kilojoules and whole grain goodness, it's the best start to the day that I can manage.

...and then I go and make my heinously over-sugared coffee...

But I am looking after myself. I even have

Menu

Indie writer seeks audience with an audience. Paying customers welcome. [pronouns: ze/hir] Daily free stories happen because it is an excellent counter to Writers' Block.

Good news, everyone!

Challenge #01391-C296: Strange Customers

Broken 'flow'

Challenge #01390-C295: O My Mona

Fun times ahead

Challenge #01389-C294: Inevitable Failure

I am frustrate

Challenge #01388-C293: Cheerful Charlie

#myphonebygoogle

Challenge #01387-C292: Ancient Wisdom

Google Pixel!

Challenge #01386-C291: Anti-serendipity

Nothing to see here

Challenge #01385-C290: Sys iPhus

Glorb: It's what's for breakfast