Prose/Option No. One: Project 38 - Other Submissions
Well, last month’s prose option was a total failure. I think I got a little too? something. Anyway, this month I’m going with the same basic approach: provide you with text from another writer’s work and ask that you use it as the opening to your story. Only this time, the text will be on a much smaller scale. Also keep in mind that since this is now the prose option, it means you can write fiction or nonfiction. I’ll get around to making a reference page for what each of the options means.
This month’s starter: I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me. (Hunter S. Thompson)
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recently, i wrote about LibraryThing. it’s a place where you can keep a catalog of your books online. as i use it more often, i’ve found that you can subscribe to other people’s library catalogs via RSS, find other people who also own the books you do or have similar libraries, leave comments for them, and all sorts of cool stuff.
here is the link to my profile, and the link for my library. just my Star Wars library, remember–not my cat books, Asian-American studies, Asian-American lit, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, history, etc. yes, i’m a total geek–my books (ours, really) are arranged by genre and in alphabetical order by author. i really should become a librarian, shouldn’t i? well, i’m looking into it again. maybe.
the lifetime membership is now $25. the first time i wrote about it, it was only $10. i knew i should have dished out the $10 last week or whenever it was. the free account allows you to catalog up to 200 books. in order to add more, you have to upgrade.
what i love about Blogarithm.com? unlike NotifyList.com, you don’t have to send the e-mail update to your subscribers yourself. like Bloglet, the updates are sent automatically. unlike Bloglet, it actually works! nor do you get fake subscribers.
what i especially love about Blogarithm.com? you can subscribe to blogs that don’t have RSS feeds! yay!
read my original post about Blogarithm.com here.
why, they are! here on the northwest side, even. congratulations, White Sox.
well, not entirely toothless. we just brought Hee Seop home from the vet, and according to the doctor, his dental surgery went well. they pulled 7 teeth, not 13, which was the worst case scenario. the whole thing cost about $865, approximately $100 less than the estimate. he had to have 5 dental X-rays, which added to the bill.
they sent us home with antibiotics, which fortunately, he only has to take once a day. i made Brian promise to help me catch him because the medicated beef chews aren’t working out. and anyway, he’s on a different antibiotic than what they prescribed pre-op.
Hopper has had 2 dentals in the past, but was never sent home with a pain patch. Hee Seop, however, has a rectangle shaved on his side and has a morphine patch stuck there. morphine. it’s called a Fentanyl Patch, and has to stay on until Monday. like Brian said, as long as Hee Seop doesn’t sell the TV and computer and stuff to get more, it’s all good. the vet tech assured us that he won’t tear it off, but we’ll see.
one of my new favorite blogs is called Strange New Products, and today they posted an entry about a product that keeps cats from killing birds: Cat Bibs. maybe it could even keep them from tearing morphine patches off their bodies. then again, why would they want to do that?
pictured here is Sophie, who looks an awful lot like Hee Seop, sporting a stylish purple Cat Bib. thoughts?
finally, Beau the cat (and Hopper’s very good friend), who writes Beau’s Blog, has a question for readers. he’s been doing a lot of thinking about football, and notes that players run, jump, catch, block, and do other things pets do when they play. he wonders, then: is football more of a cat’s game, or a dog’s? pay him a visit and let him know what you think! and while you’re there, vote for him in a Halloween Photo Contest–he’s the handsome devil. heehee. or, just vote for him here (poll closes at noon, Sunday, Oct. 30).
the 847 lawyer left me a voice mail yesterday, but since i was sick and in bed all day, i didn’t get the message ’til today. i called back and the receptionist/secretary/assistant (?) said he was out for the rest of the day, but to call tomorrow.
as i hung up, i almost threw up from anxiety. i didn’t think this would affect me that way. i thought i could be completely detached from this, but apparently not.
or it could just be because i didn’t take my morning meds for two days in a row because my sleep schedule is messed up. i think that’s why i’m sick. i don’t have a cold, but i feel really weak and shaky.
or a combination of missing meds and anxiety.
See more progress on: apply for disability
when you leave a comment to any of my posts, it doesn’t show up right away because it must first be approved. i have this option set up to avoid stupid spam comments, which i haven’t been receiving since i’ve been using the comment moderation option.
however, if you have a TypeKey account, i think that if you leave a comment while you’re signed into it, there’s an option for me to be able to allow your comments to be published automatically in the future since you are already authenticated via TypeKey. er…does that make sense? so if you have a TypeKey account, leave me a message while you’re signed in so i can see if it works. ok? thanks.
also, for the past couple of weeks i’ve been replying to people’s comments via e-mail. some bloggers respond in their own comments section, but since TypePad doesn’t have a feature that allows readers to be notified when their comment has been replied to, i often wonder if people even realize that i’ve responded. but since there’s a thing in the sidebar that lists Recent Comments, maybe i’ll go back to replying in the comments section themselves. decisions, decisions.
so, what do you guys do? respond directly in the comments section or via e-mail? and why? remember–i used to teach freshman comp, so i expect examples and details. 
what’s up with Alan Shore (James Spader)? so far this season, he’s actually showed compassion for his clients on Boston Legal. what’s with that? his character is the only reason i even started watching The Practice–he’s the epitome of a sleazy, unscrupulous, over-the-top unethical lawyer, and he gets away with it! if he starts going soft, i’ll get bored and stop watching, just like i’m already bored with CSI and almost didn’t watch it last Thursday. same for Without a Trace, which i haven’t watched for 2 weeks in a row.
the only thing i’m still digging is invasion. that show rocks! i just don’t know how they plan to keep it going after this season. i mean, they’re going to have to figure out what the lights in the water are at some point. right?
believe it or not, i’ve actually moved on this. i called the local DBSA chapter and got the names of two lawyers. a year or two ago Brian and i went to a meeting there where one of the attorneys gave a presentation about applying for disability, but i couldn’t remember his name. anyway, i left a message on DBSA’s machine, and someone called me back the next day.
i contacted both the lawyers, and it turns out that one of them actually practices employment discrimination law, not disability. he’s the one whose office is probably closer–it’s in the (312) area code; the other guy is in (847)?so probably 847 is the one i need to talk to, even if it’s farther away.
anyway, when i called both offices on Thursday and Friday respectively, both lawyers were on the phone and i left messages for each. i haven’t heard back yet, so i’ll call back tomorrow or Tuesday.
i also found out that you can still get disability if you have a job but make less than $830 month. my pdoc will be glad to hear that because it means that i could teach a class, maybe even two, a semester and still qualify. how sad is that? but my degree won’t go to waste. just my time.
See more progress on: apply for disability
though i took 2 Restoril last night at 11:00, i have yet to sleep. admittedly, i dozed for an hour earlier this afternoon, but besides that, nothing.
tonight i’m going to take 3 of the damn pills, and they better work.
