30 December 2007
Three days left in the madness...
Donations have been coming in steadily; thank you all. The bills have been paid up completely, and the larder is nearly full - like laundry, you usually can't get it completely full because you're using the stuff out of it immediately.
Tuck writing has occurred; yay.
Check this out:
DM Of The Rings
This is likely funniest only to roleplaying gamers - by which I do not mean you
computer MUD/MUCK/MU* wankers. But if you did the paper-and-dice kind for a few years,
or a few decades, you will enjoy this. FOOD&DRINK WARNING: Do not go to a new page
without clearing your mouth, or you will choke.
Also note that it is all true. All of it.
Since yesterday I've felt something heavy growing in my chest. This morning,
I coughed a few times, and brought something up, and now...
I find it vaguely disgusting, in an abstract way,
that I can tell what respiratory disease I've got based on the
taste.
The SO seems to have gotten it at the same time too. This is annoying.
Another annoyance, is that my throat tends to hurt, either from the infection or the mouth-breathing; which makes me drink more fluids; which eventually have to come out. It's hard enough sleeping in between cough syrup doses, as Tuck mentioned; harder still when adding the aftereffects of gallons of liquid.
Yet another: I try to stockpile cough syrup and other OTC meds and things, so that I don't have to go to the grocery when I'm sick. However, being sick depletes the stockpile...
I suppose I should be thankful that nobody has been at the window lately. I'd really hate to have to deal with cops when I feel like this.
If you sent an email in the last few days and are wondering why I haven't replied, I haven't felt like doing it yet. Now I know why I haven't felt like doing it.
2.5 hours until the next dose...
23 December 2007
Eleven Days Left In The Madness...
Remember last year, actually about 18-19 months ago, when I mentioned someone was fucking around our ground-floor bedroom window about midnight, and they stole the window screen? And the scariest part was that they came back in five minutes after I ripped the window open and cursed them? (not the mark of a sane burglar - the cops didn't like that part at ALL, and neither did I...)
Well, tonight about 0400, scrabbling noises around our ground-floor bedroom window woke me up...
Really, this is not the approved method for belated Christmas shopping.
This time, I called the cops the first time, and there wasn't a second.
A weird thing was, one of the cops was the same one that was here 18-19 months ago. I recognized his face; I'm not sure he recognized me until I mentioned it, because he does this sort of thing a lot - as if it's his job or something? - but I don't, so it's sort of highlighted in my memory.
Anyway, I'm real fucking alert at the moment, but not quite focused enough to do Tuck writing. And since I moved the bedroom furniture around the last time - at least this time it didn't happen right next to my head - I don't need to do that again.
The SO and I are also going to have some more discussions on tactics.
Anyway... it would have been real nice if we had some sort of plan that we all knew, and remembered, and had practiced, and could trust the other person to do when awakened out of a sound sleep. Kind of like the Tuckers do.
Eleven Days Left In The Madness... and @$*@*&^!&@$ I can't wait for it to be over.
22 December 2007
Happy Winter Solstice!
And, Twelve Days Left In The Madness (counting to 02 Jan)
Meanwhile, I did finally get Tuck #134 done. Hardly worth the wait, I know. #135 is coming along, and shouldn't be delayed like this one was.
Utility bills have not been paid in two months. A donation or two would be appreciated, but I expect that once again releasing an episode will cause them to stop entirely.
Bookmarks have once again been checked, and some new ones added; it hasn't been prettified yet though. I am, of course, still taking links if anyone would send some to me.
I also found out that I am the sole 'live' website hosting GURPS High Heels, if you can believe that. So I managed to scrape up the original pictures and stick them in, and now the page is available in all its original glory. Hoo-ray. Note the picture showing relative heel heights.
14 December 2007
Right now, #134 is waiting on editing/proofing. I am writing #135, sometimes; but I also redid the links page(s) like I said I was going to. Go take a look.
Donations would actually allow us to pay the utility bills. They are overdue.
One week or so until the Winter Solstice... not quite three until the insanity is over.
01 December 2007
No, it's not out yet. Yes, I suck.
The SO had one day of Acute Gastroenteritis, and one is-this-a-stroke-or-what incident the day after (it wasn't; but it wasn't fun either). My nerves are a little frazzled.
Slightly on the plus side, as a part of the convert-the-links project, I updated the Links page as it currently exists. Note that I don't have a lot of links there at the moment, and some of the categories are very sparse. This is your fault; if you'd send me more links, I could put them in. However, I also have to add the current bookmarks from the browsers, which I mentioned should be in the thousand-plus range (though you won't get all of them).
The anti-spam measures I took seem to be working; I haven't gotten a single one yet since I activated them. Yay... Note, however, that this probably merely puts the change-the-email-address off for a time. I'm certain that someone manually added me to a spammer's list, and I'm sure that it will happen again and again until I'm getting the few hundred a day that other people report. Most of those will be filtered out, but not all...and my tolerance for spam is really low, since I can remember years of my life in which there was no spam at all, anywhere.
25 November 2007
We hope you had a nice American Gastronomic Overindulgence Day. We spent Too Much Money on grocery goodies, which we've been eating for the past four or five days. No turkey, though, just to be iconoclastic. Plus the SO wanted ham, not turkey.
Having spent basically all of our money on food last week, we'd really like some donations to come our way.
I've been spectacularly unmotivated to write lately. Bad bad BAD Ellen! I have, however, been somewhat proofing the next episode, so it should be out next weekend. It's the one after that...
I have done some useful things, though.
Pacchi got in contact with me, and is producing Tuck related art. Some new items are now located here. Feedback is doubly appreciated, by Pacchi and me both. I'm awaiting word on what email address to use; until then, email me and I'll forward it. Anything at all is better than nothing, yah? Yah.
Backups have been done, twice. Backups are good.
The spam has increased dramatically (again) to about 10-20 per day. *sighs* You know, I was on the Internet before this kind of shit even existed... Anyway, I might end up changing my email address again, but before that I'm going to try changing my local email setup to include Naive Bayesian filtering (I have been saving all the spam to its own file for precisely this contingency). This sort of suggests changing the local MTA from Exim to Postfix. This is the sort of configuration change I find scary, because it WILL break things until I get the new configuration right. Also I need to back things up again. But if it works, I shan't be changing the email address. Also other things may be possible. Exim supposedly has wonderful documentation, but I find it suckful because there's so much and it seems not-well-cross-referenced. An O'Reilly book would do the trick, I'm sure; but I refuse to spend $50 on a single book for a single program.
I've been very very lax on the local Links page (bookmarks), yet I've
also been eagerly collecting bookmarks in various browsers.
Transferring them from their various file to the Links page is a severe
pain in the ass, which is why I haven't been doing it. I am now
looking at a variety of free ways to convert bookmarks into other file
types. Debian packages "xbel-utils" and "bk2site" are the main
contenders at the moment; neither does quite what I want, though.
I may end up putting up different ones and asking you which I should
use.
Also I have well over a thousand bookmarks to integrate, sort, edit,
and so on. This is taking a while. Hopefully, though, when it's done
there will be a very quick transfer-to-website option so you can be up
to date; and links
checking (see below) will also be so quick and painless I can do this
weekly or whenever, instead of the previous semiannual.
The local GUI, Debian + X + Blackbox (the smallest) is working well; though I still use commandline for about two-thirds of my browsing (Lynx no habla Javascipt, Java, Flash, tables, or inline images, which means pages load in seconds even through dialup) and 80% of my other computer work. Also working well is Iceweasel the Firefox-under-a-different-name-for-finicky-licensing-reasons browser. If you are using Firefox (or Iceweasel), may I suggest the following addons?
21 October 2007
Eh, whoops, my bad; haven't been doing notes.
But I did some writing, and I have something to do next weekend, so I got this one out "early". Be thou yayness, verily.
Enjoy episode. Donate.
29 September 2007
Tuck 132 is up. I'm tired; I did a long set of proofer-merges last night and then two passes myself this morning. And I have a major rewrite or two on 133 to do, plus first-drafting on 134...
23 September 2007
Well, response has been somewhat underwhelming, both in the donation category and in the opinions-about-print category. In fact, I would go so far as to say they've both sucked.
Ah well. I've been working on either fresh Tuck or figuring out how to use new software - I hate new software; I very much hate MS-style software, and bloody OpenOffice is very much MS-style - to get Tuck into print with the least amount of other-company-suckitude.
Wouldn't you like to know what Tuck's wearing to the ballet? And what happens afterwards?
19 September 2007
This is sort of an odd mid-week update; normally I don't write a Tucknote except around the weekend. But Things Have Been Happening.
On the bad side, donations have slowed to a trickle. We do not have food money at this time, much less utility bill money for the upcoming first of the month. Send some money!
On the good side, I've done a lot on computers this half-week.
First, I did a major backup of the server (which is also my
computer) on Saturday, five DVD's worth.
Have you backed up your computer recently?
Best way to do this IMO is to just take your favorite CD/DVD mastering
program - Nero and Roxio's EasyCD are common - and just copy over/write
selected chunks of your filesystem hierarchy to a disk (and then, on the next disk, do
the parts you couldn't fit the first time). That way, you can load the
data to any other computer (that has the appropriate drive) and you're
okay. The problem with any backup software I've ever seen, including
Unix tape backups, is that you need both the specialized hardware, AND
the special software, to be running on another computer, to get your data
back. CD-ROM drives are ubiquitous nowadays, and DVD-ROM drives nearly
so; if you write them in Joliet format and close the disk, they are
usable in nearly every computer.
Second, I mounted another 9Gb hard drive and copied over the previously- installed 9Gb (the one that holds the OS and program files, and my person data) directly. I do not think this is really possible in Windoze; I don't ever recall getting it to work. But it makes recovery from a disk error - hardware or software - trivial - just switch some cables.
Third, and the reason for the first and second, I performed a major version upgrade, from Debian Sarge to Etch (for the Debian pedants: yes, I know the names of Debian releases are not capitalized). That went well, though slowly - there were something like four or five hundred packages to upgrade, and dragging all that through the modem was not pretty. But it got done, and I've gotten everything working again (the upgrade ate the sound capability - that took another "upgrade" to ALSA).
Fourth, I installed X. I also subsequently got dosemu working, for the
first time; now I can use my favorite editor in Linux as well as
DOS.
(for future reference, you need: xserver-xorg; xdm or another
display manager; and a window manager such as blackbox. xfs font
server is nice but not required. xdm is the little bastard that
installs itself in rcX.d and autoruns the bloody GUI during boot.
Remove the link in /etc/rc2.D and it won't)
Fifth, I installed OpenOffice 2.whatever's-in-Debian-stable.
Sixth (though chronologically this happened before the weekend) I requested (and got) a set of altered Tuck files, that had all the hard-coded CR/LF pairs removed. They happen to be CSS-based HTML. This could be important.
About two weeks ago I signed up a user account on Lulu.com, and did some investigating.
All this adds up to
The path looks like:
Note: The one software thing I need to do, is to either: check that the SO's OpenOffice 1.x.x can read the 2.x files I can write over here; or somehow install 2.x on her system (it barfed on installation, complaining about the lack of a new installer).
None of these things are "finished"; the first two-thirds are going to be concurrent, like the write-code/compile/link/test/debug cycle of making software.
What I don't know, entirely, is how I want the book to look. Since Pacchi (see the artwork) has disappeared in the last couple of years, I can't get Pacchi covers. Damnit. I'd REALLY LIKE them, but I'm not going to do two or three and then have to do the rest of the series in a different cover style. Pacchi, if you're reading this...
I'm also not sure about fonts, what to do with the cute end quotes, and similar mechanical stuff dealing with printing.
I DO know the basic structure of a volume (and yes, there will be a lot more than one volume - the idea of printing it in 6-point type and nearly no margins in a seven hundred page anchor was, erm, discouraged by fans on Tuckerspawn). It will have:
If you have opinions on any of these matters, then I'd like to read them. Please DO NOT say "Well everyone does
it this way"; this is a stupidity. "Everyone" also uses Microsoft,
which I don't. "Everyone" stays in the gender they were born into and
raised in, which I didn't. If you have a real reason, use that
instead.
Also, don't claim you have such-and-such experience in the Real World
with books unless you're willing to point me to sources I could use to
independently verify your claims; like a phone number at the company you
claim to have done publishing work for, and the name you worked under at
that time. Otherwise, I won't believe it, and it's a waste of my time
to claim such a thing without providing verification.
However, "I saw {one particular thing} in a certain book, and I really
liked it" is perfectly valid, if you can actually describe or show me
what it looks like. Or "What about {...}?" I don't require that you
be a professional to contribute.
There should be a big discussion over on the Tuckerspawn forum shortly, as soon as I set it up. If you're registered, or want to register, do so and throw your hat into the ring.
14 September 2007
Currently I am not sucking too bad. Amazing. And hopefully Tuck #132 will be out by the end of the month (and not waiting past that for me to get off my ass). Maybe it's the end of summer - we could open the windows today, in the morning, for the first time in months. I did some Googling, and more than a handful of people have also come up with the concept of "reverse SAD". Comes from growing up in the South, methinks.
In case you wondered, donations have been low. We have all the bills current - for the next fortnight - but buying food would be nice... *sighs wistfully*
02 September 2007
Well, something to read on Labor Day; Tuck #131 is released.
My mind has been scattered this last week. I have also found two more kitty whiskers, and carefully saved them along with the others.
A bit IN the kitty would be helpful, assuming I can get out of the house to spend it. I haven't managed until today, and that went poorly.
On the brighter side, I found an odd site: Iusedtobelieve.com [EXTERNAL LINK]
A choice one:
I had a strange fear that if I closed my eyes in the bathtub, William Shakespeare would come up through
the drain and kill me. I knew his name, but I had no idea who he was, so I just naturally assumed he was
some sort of bathtub vampire.
Have any good, odd ones of your own?
27 August 2007
Writing has been slow, and will be stopped for a few days.
(please don't send sympathy letters - they'll only hurt me worse)
In addition, someone's put my email address on a spammer's list. I'd really suggest you don't click on anything in an email that purports to go to YouTube; the emails I'm getting SAY 'YouTube' as the link, but that's not the address of the link. Those of you who read your email in HTML, won't be able to see this; with Mutt, it's blindingly obvious. The spamming has been small so far, but I expect it will increase tremendously. I may end up changing email addresses again before Christmas.
I've been abominable lately. I'm not exactly depressed - or I wasn't - but I've had no energy for anything for the last month. Getting groceries has been Very Hard, much less anything else.
I found this piece, I dunno where, on my Web roamings a while back, and saved it for here....
Posted by Ellie, 27: It is disgusting how we live and I'm a British Citizen, the Americans have been a greedy nation and now THEY must make changes which OUR politicians must make sure of. [emphasis added; rest of post deleted] Saturday, February 3rd 2007 @ 3:36 AM
Ellie, she said as if this poster could hear her, this is what
we Americans call "an invasion". We revolted - and made it stick -
once, and the last time you tried this invasion thing we eventually
beat you out of our country again. Once we noticed you. Now we have
thermonuclear weapons that can vaporize large sections of your
population and your historical artifacts and set much of the rest on
fire. Yes, we Americans invade other countries and do the same thing to
them, that you are (effectively but not directly) suggesting
England/Britain do to us; but we've never felt a strong ideological need
to be consistent that I can tell.
Besides, you're just jealous that we can still throw our weight around
like an Empire - like you USED to do, back when you could.
Oy.
28 July 2007
Tuck #130 is out, #131 is finished, #132 is coming along nicely...
And, the electric bill is paid.
Though I had a spazz the morning after I paid it, when the electricity went off. As I've mentioned a few times, I cannot sleep without fan noise; right now, I have a 120v 120mm computer-case-type fan plugged in near the bed. I woke out of a sound sleep and was in the front room before it spun down to a stop. Luckily, it was not us; unluckily I suppose, it took two hours for them to "restore service" - which often means replacing what the suicide squirrels targeted. If you want to know what sort of disruption actual terrorism can cause, look for squirrel + electrical transformer incidents.
The squirrels, as far as I know, did not release a statement claiming responsibility, nor stating their demands. Oh well.
22 July 2007
Ow! Crap! I didn't realize it had been a month...
Okay. On the bad side, I've been depressed, and not writing; also the electric bill is overdue, now with a cutoff notice, because we haven't had the money to spare after food and gas. (Donations would, of course, fix this) The SO's computer dying one day a couple weeks ago did not help; I have old issues from when she used to freak out over computer problems, and I keep expecting her to do that now - which she doesn't, because she's drugged cross-eyed, under medical supervision - which makes it hard to concentrate on technical concepts. She did not freak out, and I did eventually get the disk transplanted into another computer - Windows does NOT like this, BTW, but older versions can be forced into adapting - but the stress I was under was not something you'd believe if I told you about it.
On the good side, I am full of writing tonight, and got some proofing done, as well as work on the next episode, plus a nearly complete plan to finish it and go into the next one. Maybe two. So Tuck #130 should be out next weekend, and possibly one after in three weeks.
If the electricity continues. Hint hint.
22 June 2007
Tuck #129 is finished; #130 is in proofing, a bit early; and #131 is about half done. I want to write more.
Bills still haven't been paid yet, though. Donations get them paid.
16 June 2007
The reread of the last ten chapters took me longer than I expected; Tuck #129 revision is finished, and it should be out next weekend; #130 first draft is completed, and will be going out to the proofers later today, after I make another editing pass myself. #131 is... interesting.
On the other hand, bills haven't been paid yet.
10 June 2007
Well, I am in the middle of revising #129; I have what I remember as a large number of small chunks to rewrite, and I should probably re-read the last five episodes or so, just to make sure. That shouldn't take long... I'd guess it's no more than two weeks away at this point.
Donations, you know.
I also got one unit of caseless computer done, the new shelf for housing them, and my computer area a little cleaned up. Total cost for the 7'6" unit is around $15 in "new" materials plus stuff I had on hand from before. Excuse me while I feel clever about being a packrat...
With some luck, and some more work, I should be able to reduce the clutter around the computer area down from "three computers on various floor or furniture plus a tangled mess of cables" to "one shelf plus a pair of speakers". This has to be a good thing. I'm still mentally juggling where to put some pieces, but that will continue until I physically move them and find out what works and what doesn't.
If you are very nice, I shall not only put up pictures but also directions. Most of you will hate the idea, and that's fine; if I wanted to be like everyone else I would be.
I now have a decent idea for a television-containing box, and where to put it. The sort of 360 degree swivel bearing one finds under a "lazy susan" is available from www.woodcraft.com for around $1, with a 200lb capacity. That ought to work for anything I can lift... And, amazingly, the television is a lot less annoying than I thought it would be, even when I permanently disconnected the speaker. I haven't gone into a frothing rage over some stupidity more than once a day, and I think less... which is about the same rate as the SO's habit of reading Internet news ignites me.
The last few Tucknotes have been longer than they were a few months previous... I guess it's been too long since someone made me regret putting personal information here. I'm sure it'll happen soon, so don't worry; the Tucknotes will shorten right up to the bare minimum of information on Tuck when it happens.
27 May 2007
I have just sucked lately. I apologize. Hopefully the episode won't suck, though CE/proofers have said this one is kind of slow. It's not slow, it's just... calmer. Despite the noise.
Locally, the SO's therapist recommended a fucking TELEVISION. And gave us one. Which had exactly one 75-ohm connection. This is probably why she was getting rid of it. It now also sports a 1/8" mono jack in the front, which is the only way I'd keep the fucking thing in the house; the speaker - and while the case has room for two there's only one - is now totally disconnected and she can only listen via earphones. No we are not getting cable; it sucks just as much but on more channels than broadcast television and, last I saw, had MORE commercials per half hour than broadcast, in addition to costing money.
Also more furniture must be built to handle this inconvenient box, plus the associated other-source feeds she wants, like VHS and DVD players.
Fleas seem to be gone; it is, however, about time to run some more insecticide over where the cat has been sleeping, juuuuust in case. I shall, however, wait until the cat is not actually sleeping on those spots. The virtual fleas have also disappeared, thankfully.
16 April 2007
Well, I can't say the stress has gotten better. But I did finally get episode #127 finished.
The house has developed a raging case of fleas. The cat has gone insane; she's been acting like a normal cat, going places she shouldn't and knocking stuff over, yowling at odd hours, and generally being a pain in the ass. Today, finally, the Advantage antiflea topical came in, and I also hit a pro pest-control shop for something to spray the house with. Naturally they also happen to sell the other antiflea topical (and the one comparative review I found said they worked about the same for fleas).
*sighs*
Also, the real fleas biting me are bad enough; the virtual fleas, when I can feel something biting me but I look and there's nothing there, are worse. But I didn't have the virtual ones until the real ones. Hopefully liberal amounts of poison will exorcise both.
I would suggest, if anyone has a similar problem, don't even bother with a grocery store solution; they seem to be an utter waste of money. It's worth it to get some professional level permethrin or similar, FleaFix or other IGR, and so on.
Many many thanks to everyone who has donated in the last few weeks. I did get the car window fixed; now I have to go back and try and get the door lock fixed (which worked fine before the window glass got into the mechanism; and fool me didn't specify "Make sure the door mechanisms work" when I had the window replaced).
I'm still very tired and unoptimistic, though.
31 March 2007
Life has been utterly suckful and stressful this week. First a radiator leak in the car - wide enough that I could hear it dripping but couldn't see the source - and the only auto mechanics I know in town I do not trust. Naturally I discovered this by the car overheating while out and about in the rain while dressed nicely. I feel vaguely clever for having a recycled 3L of water in the car (milk jug type bottles leak far far too easily during normal trunk use); I feel unclever about not having a pair of flats for similar circumstances.
Located a mechanic via Internet research, tried it, got rained on during the day whilst traveling back and forth; spent $300, got it fixed.
Next day, I find my driver's side window smashed, so hard in fact that there is glass inside the car, on the windshield, on the roof of the car, on the trunk lid nearly around to the passenger side, and on the ground in a 0.5x2.5m smear. Nothing stolen, and nothing disturbed either; apparently "just" vandalism. No one, of course, saw or heard anything. Window repair will be $200 at the one place I called; I haven't had the heart yet to try pricing other places.
I also called the auto mechanic to get him to verify the windows had been intact when I left his place Thursday afternoon. I have a hard time believing this myself.
Of course it rained last night. I did manage to catch this info before it actually rained, and got a patch up which might hold and might not strip the paint off when removed, but I am not very hopeful.
So I have done nothing on Tuck this week. I'd like to do something today, but haven't gotten to it yet; I've been trying to sleep.
Donations would be very helpful at this time. Bills are not paid this month either.
Altogether I would not call this a good week.
25 March 2007
Tuck is coming along; slower on the rewrite than on the first-draft, but coming along nicely. Many surprises... =)
18 March 2007
I really do not want to stop writing at the moment; #128 is coming along in fits and starts, as my back can stand the pain of sitting (badly). I think the excruciating agony from my lower back at times like this is god's way of saying "Stop $&*&ing around and set up a proper work environment. Stupid!" with a cuff to the head.
Lemme get back to writing Tuck.
Update: Episode is now over the minimum length, but there's some more needed... today has been going tolerably well writing-wise. Maybe god was saying "Get up and walk around occasionally, and burn some of that fat off your ass." Hard to say; I do better with email than Omens, Portents, and Signs.
10 March 2007
Hopefully banged the error out without introducing new ones. Tuck #126 out.
04 March 2007
Tuck writing continues. So does editing; #126 has an error in it I have to bang at for a while. Which is why it will be out next week.
17 February 2007
Tuck writing continues. There will likely be a new episode up at the beginning of March.
Bills are current, though I didn't get the phone bill paid in time and they sent me this month's bill showing last month's unpaid... *sighs* I hate that. But many thanks to everyone who donated this month.
Meanwhile, did you know that Daylight Savings in the US has now changed
the start/end dates? Yep.
Read about
it at the US Naval Observatory website.
Suggesting that Congress is the opposite of progress...
On a totally unrelated note, there is an item of physiological interest, Named 2nd to 4th digit ratio which is "merely" whichever of your fingers is SECOND longest, the index or the ring finger. Oddly enough, it seems to be (probability disclaimer disclaimer) sex-differentiated, with males having a longer 4th digit (ring finger) and females having a longer 2nd digit (index finger). Oddities...
04 February 2007
Well, I haven't had the money to pay any of the utility bills this month, and I need hormones Real Soon Now... and I'm sure that as in the last three or four times, donations will stop immediately and not resume for two or three weeks, but here's another episode of Tuck anyway.
Enjoy.
27 January 2007
Once again, I put out an episode, and once again, donations almost completely stopped. This is very discouraging.
Very discouraging.
I also lost my server's uptime, at 165 days; apparently the UPS works for momentary flickers but not for a few minutes. Damn. At least it rebooted; sometimes I wonder about that one's hardware.
Next one should be out in early February, I hope.
07 January 2007
Tuck #124 is out.
So is something with my local network; I seem to have buggered some setting or another, and now the laptop won't transfer files easily to the server. This means I can't easily back up the laptop (which is ten years old at this point) Damn; I smell a learning experience coming. And quickly.
Don't forget, I changed my email address. But not the address for donations, if that's what you were worried about. =)
31 December 2006
My email address is changing. To the email address that is at the bottom of this page. Immediately. Within twelve hours, I shall be shutting off the 'ehayes' email-box, which will then bounce anything sent to it.
I have gotten tired of the ever-increasing spam to the 'ehayes' box, and the last four trojans that showed up kicked it.
You should go and read this information if you run Windows. If you run Windows AND Outlook of any sort, you should get another email program. There are free ones out there, and they don't do the computer equivalent of holding you down while some nasty biker-mass murderer rapes you anally.
I wouldn't be so, uhm, 'pungent' in my language if Outlook hadn't been so fucked up from design. However, note that - having warned you and advised you - you will get the complete antithesis of sympathy if you complain to me about what happened via Outlook, Windows, and some malific email. I'll call you names and laugh at you.
Why not use 'ellen' like you used to?
I was going to, but dearly-bought caution suggested I activate that
mailbox and let it sit for a while first, just to check. It collected
four spams within 24 hours; I have not used this account in years, and
it's been bouncing everything that went to it. So the spammers have been
getting at least 4 bounces a day every day from that account and it
hasn't stopped them in YEARS.
Fuck. This is vaguely scary... until you realize that nowadays, the "thing to do" is to hijack other peoples' computers and send the spam through them, through their accounts if possible... and, hey, guess what? Spyware and email trojans are a great way to take over peoples' computers to turn them into spam-spewing zombies.
Are you still running Outlook or Outlook Express? What are you, stupid?
Writing continues, donations have been sparse... luckily I laid in supplies before the bedamned Week/Fortnight Of Madness. So the kitty has somewhat-fresh litter...
Oh, and we've almost survived The Madness... and remember to eat some blackeyed peas tomorrow to ensure your prosperity in the coming year.
23 December 2006
Happy (belated) Solstice!
The tuck.zip file which was not updated last week, due to an ld10t error, has been updated.
I've written a bit, but I've been very low-energy lately. I'm not so much still sick, it's the "after-sick" in which I am still guzzling cough syrup - $20 worth of the cheap stuff, well over a quart - and sleeping no more than five hours at a time, waking up and having an immediate unproductive coughing fit, and coughing little tiny bits up the rest of the day. Eugh. And this might last as much as a fortnight more. *tired sigh*
Still, writing is going, and editing/proofing shall be going as soon as I emit some source.
15 December 2006
Tuck 123 is finally up. Do your part...
I was fully intending to have this episode out last week, but Wednesday I fell ill, and I've felt like $*** since then. I pretty much ate slept eliminated took drugs and read, much like Tuck being restricted to shell programming. Respiratory, as a betting man would have predicted; I am finally at the stage where I merely wake up and have sixty seconds to do anything before I overbreathe and explode in a paroxysm of coughing for at least a minute. This is the part I hate most, more than the Nose That Drips Like A Faucet or the chunky cream-of-chicken soup taste in my mouth for days from Unspeakable Foulness. But my energy levels are climbing, to the point I can actually think about doing stuff like writing, instead of ... sitting there.
I probably won't have another episode up before the end of the holidays... might have one around the first week or so of January.
Luckily, fevers are conducive to 'executive planning' of the sort that can only be committed by the unemployed and the hideously overpaid strategic planning sorts; I got a few situations in Tuck worked out much better than I'd managed before. *chortles*
Unfortunately, I no longer have a fever. Just snot, in all its endless varieties...
Front room reformat went sort of okay; I didn't have to disconnect anything, which preserves the 120+ day uptime on the server, and I got another computer up; however, the furniture is not conducive to how I want everything arranged, and I still need to re-shove a lot of cables, once I figure out where to put them.
On the SO, all path reports except one report benign whatevers. I found out how to remove stitches, and that I can do a better job than the last yahoo, with stuff I have in my purse (which I am not allowed to carry into the facility; now I know why, because I might show them up). Less pain, less bleeding, faster. *sighs*
01 December 2006
Oy, been a while...
Tuck is roughly on track; I might put one out next weekend, if the editing keeps going well. (Can't have enough editing passes...)
Donations have been better; much thanks to everyone who sent some money, as everyone seems to like it when I pay bills on time. At this point, I actually have the electric up to date, and the phone is as-soon-as-I-get-out-and-run-errands. The kitty has fresh litter, too, for which she REALLY thanks all of you.
However, I may be offline for a day or three, as I need to reformat the front room again (wherein the server and my workstation sit). This involves disconnecting things, and I've noticed a regrettable tendency for disconnected things to not work when reconnected; this applies to anything, but especially the server's powerup. Not sure if/when I'll actually have to unplug it, but it might happen, and then I might be out for a while. At this point, I have enough crap computer stuff - which is the local tech level - to rebuild the system a couple times over, but doing so would take me a while...
Luckily, this isn't where I write Tuck. Tuck, in fact, can be written with the use of any Intel-type computer that has a 3.5" floppy drive, as my favorite editor can live on one such disk (if "high" density, 1440kb) along with system files, CD-ROM DOS driver, and nearly a meg of Tuck (which is at least the last twenty episodes).
19 November 2006
Since Tuck #122 went up, I have received zero donations. When I put Tuck #121 up, it was two weeks and a rather sharp message here before I got any donations. (then those donations paid the overdue phone and electric, and bought two weeks of groceries and sundries. I am quite grateful!)
This is not encouraging. It seems, to my overly-pattern-seeking neural net brain, that IF I put up an episode THEN donations stop.
Is this the pattern you want me to find? Is this the pattern you want me to base future actions upon?
Prove me wrong. Please.
SO had more things removed, this time bilateral arm and a couple from the torso. (no I didn't get to keep any of them) The torso items were benign; we don't have pathology reports on the arm ones yet. She's got two sets of stitches, and they want us to come back in two weeks to remove them. I'm inclined to save the $15 gas money it takes to get there and back, and the two hours minimum travel; it's not that hard to remove stitches.
As for Tuck, which seems to be the least of anyone's concerns, Halloween night seems to be dragging a lot; or maybe that's just because of all the things that are happening that day. It's going to be a Halloween to remember... if Tuck takes notes promptly.
11 November 2006
Thanks to those who donated, Tuck episode 122 is now up.
Writing has progressed... Halloween is getting realllllly interesting. If I keep getting money enough to pay the bills, you will get to read this; perhaps sooner than usual, as I have been thinking I could almost go to a fortnight-and-a-half release schedule, if I keep the writing up.
There has been some Real Life in my life lately, which I hate; and next week is yet another trip to get yet more skin thingies removed from the SO. I'm starting to wish we had kept the first ones; we could make a little kitsch-looking rack and keep the cut-off bits in formaldehyde. Ah well.
28 October 2006
Donations in the last fortnight have been very poor... so poor, in fact, that I may get cut off from the 'Net as the phone is disconnected. It's over two months due at this point, because I haven't had the money to spare after food.
But if you think this will stop me writing Tuck, you're wrong. It'll just stop me POSTING Tuck (as well as editing). So even if I can't access the Internet, I'll just keep writing on, past Halloween - which I have achieved already in draft, BTW - and you'll just have to wonder what has been happening to Tuck and his friends and associates...
14 October 2006
Tuck 121 is up. I have been exceedingly lax this week, in all things, but I feel some writing coming on... or maybe a chest cold. No, it's writing...
Hopefully also some chores will occur tomorrow, when I have done some writing.
On the good side... ah, hell, I don't want to jinx it. I just seem to be doing better at both writing and getting episodes up than I was a year or two ago, and I hope the seeming upward long-term trend continues. I'm TRYING to improve...
I can still use some costume ideas, though now more for background color than important characters.
Did you donate this month?
08 October 2006
Half done with #124, though I could REALLY USE some ideas for costumes for the kids at school. I have Tuck, Debbie, Mike, George, Kim, and Jill... and James, of course; the rest need YOUR HELP in finding decent costumes so they won't be laughed at.
Proofing drags, but I think I can get 121 up next weekend.
01 October 2006
First-draft of *counts on fingers* 123 is done, and proofing begins. 121 and 122 are already in proofing... which is not going fast. Sadly, the writing seems to be going faster.
A few links have been added as well.
Donations are nearly up to last month's bills. Which ain't this month, natch.
24 September 2006
Writing continues, despite all sorts of nastiness, including a heart- stopping dropped-the-laptop incident. It may be time to upgrade to something that isn't held together with duct tape... luckily, the floppy drive still worked, so I was able to save the Tuck writings thereupon.
Donations pay the bills so we can continue to eat and have electricity and a phone. And buy fresh kitty litter.
10 September 2006
Tuck 120 is out. This may be the LAST episode for a while, unless I get some bill money. That requires donations, folks.
And a hearty "Still got my shooting fingers you bloody wogs!" to those who scorned my insistence on having floppy drives on all computers; you wouldn't have an episode today if it wasn't for floppies.
02 September 2006
Tuck 120 is within a week or so of publication; 121 is in proofing; I've been slow in writing 122 because Real Life Is Full Of Shit, and a couple of RL people decided to fuck me over.
Donations would be very helpful; not only have they raised the phone bill 25% but they want it earlier in the month. Plus my expenses have gone up due to fuckation.
20 August 2006
Tuck 119 is out. Proofing continues (slowly, always slowly) on 120 and 121; I'm still writing 122.
Send money! The kitty is running low on food... *picture of very sad kitty with cheeks sucked in* See? Hungry kitty! *picture of kitty flopped over on her side* Too weak to stand up!
Mom showed up, with several cubic meters of Stuff, which I now have to cram into some sort of order within the walls. This is the reason for the extra two-day delay; I had a lot less "free" time than I thought. We're decent friends, I think...
I now have a sewing machine - Kenmore 1640, I think - in good working order (two shop visits to two repair shops in two towns saw to that) and so I now have something to do in my copious free time... and with my copious free space. Haha.
Comments and emails always welcome... but read The Rules first.
12 August 2006
Proofers have been in relatively short supply lately, but the next episode should be out next week. Hopefully Friday. I had to do a couple of extensive rewrites.
The usual plea for Donations. Electric bill still hasn't been paid...
Luckily, I have been going on, and the next episode is also in proofing at the same time; I have yet another rewrite & finish to do tonight on, um, *counts on fingers* episode 121. But I think this is going to be an all-nighter, so I've plenty of time.
Mom has somewhat derailed her schedule, so I don't know what day she'll be showing up, but sometime next week and/or weekend.
31 July 2006
Whups, a couple days late... I wanted to start doing these on Saturdays. Apologies.
Donations keep us in food, electricity, and connectivity, and the cat in kitty litter and larks' tongues sauteed in Guernsey butter. [that's a joke. Anyone ever read The Silent Miaow?] Seriously, it's starting to look grim again...
I've slacked off a little in writing compared to the previous fortnight; the episode count is up to 2 & 1/2. Proofing is still the major stumbling block, unfortunately; but I'm working on that.
The SO is now relatively staple-less, which she definitely appreciates. The docs pulled a switch on me the last time, so once again I didn't actually get to talk to them. Cowards!
My mother is coming to visit in a couple of weeks. I haven't seen them in a few years, and it's been a lot more than that since she came here, rather than me there. Don't think this is an especial thawing of relationships, though; the relationship isn't bad, and she's bringing a sewing machine for me - making room for which has been a major time- and calorie-sink lately - and I think she wants me to build her another computer.
23 July 2006
Two episodes in proofing, a third has begun... Yep, no kidding.
Bills are also starting to come up again. Not helped by the last trip to the moron-I-mean-surgeon, who looked at the staples on the SO's arm and went, "Nope! Come back next week!" Thanks for nothing you fuckwit... now give me the gas money I spent back! (the three hours spent are irrevocably gone...)
So Donations are appropriate. The less I worry, the more I write.
Speaking of worried, which I am not; one of the bits-removed on the SO's arm was benign, the other was a melanoma, caught before it got greater than 1cm and less than a year old and presumed removed-entirely. Hardly the first skin cancer, doubtful it's the last...
Mostly recovered from cold/whatever. I hate snot. I especially hate eating snot for a week, which didn't quite happen this time, but has in the past.
16 July 2006
Work continues, though slower; I read "The Coming Plague" by Laurie Garrett in a couple of days, and either by coincidence or perversity I also seem to have picked up a cold/URI. I don't think this is a case of MSS (Medical School Syndrome) since I noted the pre-sickness feelings IN WRITING before I picked up the book; however, I'm perverse enough to have an interest in things like Ebola while feeling ill, so maybe it worked in reverse.
You'll be happy (I hope) to note that I am currently showing no signs of Ebola such as massive hemorrhaging, high fever, or dementia.
The SO has a dozen or more staples in her arm after a skin cancer removal Friday. She's bearing up well despite the fact that the cutter who did it apparently doesn't believe in pain medication. Nice. She didn't tell me this until we were on our way home, most likely because I am a great believer in pain medication, and might have attempted to convert the doctor in my own inimitable way. He also skipped the cancers on the other arm, for no apparent reason. I truly appreciate his thoughtfulness in condemning us to another three hours of driving plus Ghu knows what in waiting time and other bullshit to get those taken off at a later time.
So I haven't been writing very fast this last half of the week. I have been writing some, however. I may end up delaying release of the next episode a bit, until more proofing accumulates - one of them actually managed to convince the parole board she wasn't a threat to society, can you imagine? - and this would be good as it allows me to knit that episode together with the subsequent one(s) better.
More specifically, I thought I was finished with #119 but I missed an obvious thing that required a substantial alteration; the rewrite is half done. #120 is I think more than half done, and I know where it's going so all I have to do is sit down and write about it. #121 is not plotted but I know what's going on, for the most part... and so on and so on.
09 July 2006
Been a busy week. It being Independence Day (American), I decided to get off my a$$ and re-setup the crypto stuff I had before. So, you now get the weird-looking footer at the end of every email, which is a GnuPG digital signature. Key is here.
I also finished #118 - now going up on the site - and finished the first draft of #119.
Donations help keep us ALL free, in some nebulous but definite way I can explain to you if you have a couple of hours and a credulous nature. More seriously, donations pay for our (me, the SO, and the cat) food, utilities, and kitty litter.
02 July 2006
Time flies... but Tuck is moving along. #118 is in proofing, and should be up next week. #119 is half finished, and I expect to get more done today.
Donations are always good; they buy things like electricity (runs computers), phone (allows my computers to talk to the Internet), and food (lack of which keeps me away from computers as I attempt to catch small wildlife and dogs).
25 June 2006
Tuck #118 is first-draft-finished, and is now in proofing. This is going to take a while, I think; the proofing phase is slower than it used to be. Tuck #119 has begun - well, I've begun writing it - and it may be written a touch faster. Or not. I hope so.
Donations are definitely appreciated, and well-used. We're almost caught up to the point we can afford food without slighting some other obligation.
18 June 2006
Good news: the first draft of Tuck 118 is half finished.
Bad news: we're running out of money. Donations are where the food money, bills money, etc., come from. Having electrical power (bill not paid in two months) truly promotes writing via computer. Yes, I could stand to lose a few pounds by not eating for a fortnight, but instinct WILL propel me out the door to hit the local dumpsters quite quickly; and I shan't take a laptop.
11 June 2006
Tuck 117 is out. Next one is "back to usual" if you can remember that far back.
Donations would be very helpful...
04 June 2006
I apologize for the long delay and non-info. I am aiming Tuck #117 to be released next weekend.
Donations pay the bills, which are mounting again to critical levels.
What follows is a touch of explanation for some of the delay; I really don't want sympathy, and in fact I debated not putting this up at all, because of the likelihood of getting stupid "sympathy" letters and "suggestions". I don't need them; I am quite certain I shall get them anyway.
Delay was caused by a recurrence of black depression (2 weeks) and the curious incident in the nighttime last weekend.
To summarize, me and the SO were going to sleep when a perp started
fiddling with the window screen on the bedroom window (which window was
within inches of my head); I barked at him and he took off. Before I
calmed down, he came back - I say within five minutes, SO says ten - and
yanked the screen off and ran (taking the screen). I did not shoot him
because: A) all the guns in the house were removed due to suicide risk
some years ago; B) I didn't trust my instincts (which said "Get a
weapon") over my 'reason' (which said "Too late now, you're being
silly").
The only reason I'm glad I didn't shoot him is that I'd be
embroiled in legal crap for the next six months, at best.
What creeped everyone, cops included, was that he came back within 5 or
10 minutes to a place that he knew was alerted. This strikes me as
similar to rabies; a derangement of mental state so profound that even
basic cunning is gone. Cop's opinion was that he was intent on
harm-to-persons rather than theft-of-property.
I did go after him the second time, but I should've gone through the window, not the door, because he was vanished when I got outside.
In case you've wondered why I advocate guns, this is why; the cops got there within a few minutes, after I called, which was loooooooong after he disappeared, and long after anything had happened. If he'd been intent on mayhem - and the way the furniture was arranged, he could have punched through the window and instantly grabbed me by the hair - then that few minutes is long enough for a great deal of pain and suffering.
The bedroom furniture has been rearranged and other hardening measures have been put in place; I have recovered the 'family' firearms, and have re-placed my favorite by my bed; I'm still having trouble getting to sleep, though no nightmares (rearranging the furniture that night seems to have given me enough conscious time to process things; or, it's simpler than what I usually worry about).
I will now pay more attention to my instincts when I am disturbed.
But the good news is, Tuck #117 is almost out.
10 May 2006
I'm up to Monday night on #117, which may indicate to the sharper of you that I am moving faster than I have been story-wise. Still have some writing to go to get where I want, but not that far.
I've also done a few things to the site; I'm reorganizing the links section a bit, plus I found some old art which should have been up long ago. I also found where I had not included some information on the donations page, about what email address to use in case the link didn't work. Sorry about this; it's a simple thing, but one I just didn't realize was necessary until about now. My stupid, I guess.
I also solved the trivial problem of where-do-I-SMTP-to-get-my-mail-out, which had caused me problems in the past. I think it's fixed, and if you ever sent mail to me and NEVER got a reply, now would be the time to try again.
Still haven't fixed the guestbook, but I can work on that today as well.
30 April 2006
Tuck 116 is out. 117 is speeding things up, which I'm sure you'll all be grateful for; I know I am.
Donations are what keep me, the SO, & the kitty in food and kitty litter. Thanks to those who donated last week; the phone got 'saved' before the cutoff.
20 April 2006
Episode 116 is finished, and I'm sort of proofing it. Probably going out either this weekend or next. #117 is about 60% done, and we're getting someplace and tying up loose ends. I hope that I can go back to Tuck POV about #118, and I am definitely looking forward to it. #117 may be a bit long, therefore...
And, the phone's about to be cut off... You know what to do.
In addition, the guestbook is still fucked - thanks for not telling me - and I can't figure out how; and the person who did finally send me an email about it, I can't write back because my own dialup ISP is being blocked so many places. D, I tried to write back... So I have to revise my mail setup.
This is very frustrating and depressing.
Update:
I think - I THINK - I have the email routed in a way that goes around
the blocklists. No, I'm not spamming; one of my to-do's if I ever
acquire time travel is to kill messily (look up "blood eagle") the first
several spammers like Cantor & Siegel, in hopes that this would
propagate through net.culture ("Dude, you don't want to do that; they
only found thirty percent of the body of the last sucker who did it...")
In a not-really-related rant, why do people do this in email?
> *hugs* > > [signature]Would you actually do this to a person upon meeting them? I did not remember this person; even if they have sent me email before, I don't recognize them. This can also happen in Real Life; I might meet someone who remembers me six months later, whilst I don't remember them at ALL in six months. Or two months.
2 April 2005
Tuck 116 trickles onward; proofing has been slowed tremendously, not surprisingly.
Suggestions to implement a Canary Trap have risen to thirteen. C'mon, folks; I got the concept...
21 March 2006
Well, I've now gotten eight suggestions to use a Canary Trap, named in a Clancy novel and used at least two other places I know of ("Oath Of Fealty" by Larry Niven, and "Day Of The Cheetah" by Dale Brown). Thanks, I got it. So stop suggesting it.
Also, I found out today that I had buggered the guestbook; one person assumed that I had disconnected it. Not intentionally, I assure you. I changed the name and mentally missed the difference between 'oo' and '00'. Duh. Nor did I check for functionality after I'd made my changes. Take the lesson, kids... always test after a change. It's now working again.
19 March 2006
Tuck 115 is finally up. I had anticipated putting it up rather a while ago, but lack of work on my part caused some of that - but I have been writing more in the previous fortnight; I have another episode first-draft'd - proofers' objections and subsequent rewrites caused some of that, and then there was this week...
Some of you may have noticed two posts on the discussion board about someone violating my licensing requirements. They stemmed from an email... There's several emails here, or the text within, actually; I've removed names out of consideration for privacy...
Anyway, the first email told me of the problem.
(A) A link from [C] over on Erin's site has most of your tuck series included on the page that it is linked too, however a majority of the files posted there are in an html format without your digital signature and there is also an apparent advanced beta copy of chapter 115 that is in a Zip of all of the main tuck chapters. Also there are the files of the old Tuck seasons storyline that you had pulled for rewrite. Just thought that you may want to be aware of this distribution of your work that may not be legal as you have established your wishes of how your stories are released to the public.Pretty damned irritating; I have very a liberal use policy, and yet some people can't even be bothered to read it, much less adhere to it. I've gotten far more assholish about misuse since I started, but ever since the first episode went up, I knew people would fuck with it if they got the chance... it's happened more than once.
Anyway. I asked some questions, and got this:
(A) Let me clarify. I followed the link below to that site from a message posted on Erin's site and it appears that others may have an issue or two about copyrights and authorship.The 'message posted on Erin's site' had another complaint, about removing one of two co-author's names from a reposted story. Many of the links on that site wouldn't resolve either; I think IE ignores spaces in URLs whereas every other browser in the world pays attention to them, so that a followable URL in IE like "xxxxx/Ellen Hayes/" (note the space) is considered the same as "xxxxx/EllenHayes/", whereas everyone else needs a '%20' as in "xxxxx/Ellen%20Hayes/" to find the actual link instead of a 404 page. Or maybe it's MS's sucky server software, because I recall the 404's were MS standard (though I might be misremembering this).
Luckily, I am smarter than the average, so I could 'decode' the bad links and pull them up. Indeed, perfidiousness! The individual had taken each PGP signed episode and altered them, putting them into HTML format and specifying a font. If you don't know why this is bad, check this link to the PGP International FAQ, dealing with digital signatures and hash functions. Any alteration to the file will of course change the hashed value, and therefore the signature will no longer match the file - the very condition that I require in my license.
I pitched a bitch, and demanded that it be removed, and demanded help in doing so since no email address was available.
I got this from the apparent site controller:
(B) Hi Ellen they have been pulled per request.within a few hours. Good.
I got this from the... person who was responsible.
(C) I'm am sorry that I got you mad, I didn't mean to. But I did leave the copywite information (PGP signatures) in your stories (honest) all I am doing is changing the format from text. to html. and the font type. I was and still are correcting all the stories that I have removed your PGP tags from.As you may be able to guess, this person had not read the PGP Internation FAQ and thus had absolutely no idea what those funny scrambly bits were for.
The email continues:
As for the Yim contact. I didn't do that and (my mistake) I hadden't gotten around to changing it to my email address. (I just did!) but I borrowed your idea and set it up so one has to type it in. Please, please, Oh please let me post your great stories! (grovel, grovel beg, beg,) If not the I'll feel verry sad, mite cry some, may even get over it "in time, ""YIM" is Yahoo Instant Messenger for anyone who was confused like I was.
I'm still irritated at this person, for the same reason I sometimes wish computers required licenses to operate just like cars. "Just because you don't know what you are doing, doesn't mean you should do it." I am grateful for the prompt response and compliance.
Then I got this:
(A) In a side note the chapter file that is not supposed to be floating about, it is entitled "tuck115v1.htm" and is time stamped by [D's] computer supposedly as being created on 1/28/2006 at 10:03 PM. I do not know if this will help as far as tracking down why it is out and about illegally.I hadn't especially paid attention previously - or at least I hadn't panicked, that I recall - but this file, with that name and that date is instantly recognizable: it's the format in which I put up proofing copies, for proofers - NOT THE GENERAL PUBLIC - to download and comment upon.
Proofers are under NO circumstances to share the prerelease copies with anyone, ever. I blew a friend over this back in 1998 or thereabouts.
Naturally, I started asking pointed questions.
(C) I don't remember where I got it from and that is not a lie, if I dd that my wife would kill me. I suffer from short term and long term memory loss due to the medications I'm on. I'm permanently disabled because of this, ( its scary when you wake up and don't remember your own name ) [two lines deleted by me] As far as I know the original was wiped from the old computer when it was reformatted to become the kids computer (I'm sending you what I have but this is modified some). I lost more stuff then when that was done. I wish I could help you more. All I remember was that it blew my mind out that I had it and it wasn't posted in your site SO I didn't make it public .The fact that it was in the zip was most likely from my [identifer and several sentences deleted by me] I wish I was more help and I feel really bad (stupid) about this. Now I think I'm gonna be sick because I might have screwed up big time. I don't know if it is one of your stories or a fanfic. I'll send you a copy I stored it in my new computer. Shoot I wish I could be more help.I checked, and the file I got was exactly that which I had posted on 28 January, being the first revision of the episode I've put up today. (I'm now on, oh, sixth revision or so).
At this point I am extremely, shall we say, alert. I ask some more questions from the person who put the file up.
(C) I know I got it in a email from somewhere but I don't have that local server anymore. Not after they closed and wouldn't give a refund. I even had my in-law "geek" hook up the old hard drive and nothing was on that.And again:
(C) [I asked: Do you keep old emails? ] all old email information other then address has been wiped out, I am using a new computer thats only 5 day old. My old internet service provider is no more. Fools over extended themselves and are now out of bussness.Maybe I am just being paranoid at this point - I do have a tendency in that direction - but this person has claimed that they have mental problems, a wiped drive, AND a gone-into-bankruptcy ISP, when asked to provide information about where he got that file from.
I'm kind of suspicious.
So I remove all files from proofing, and tell people "either someone cracked it or one of you leaked it; I'm not doing anything until I fix things so this won't happen again."
Then I get this, from a proofer:
(D) Did a little asking around, and in fairly short order had a name. I've got a bit of a moral dilemma, though, since to get the name I had to promise to not say who it was. I will go so far as to say, though, that it's one of your proofers who (intentionally) made it available to the person who spread it around. (No, not me. I value my life.) :\If I wasn't paranoid before, I became so when I read this.
So many possibilities occurred to me that I wrote them down; they form a lot of combinations. I can't even tell if this supposed culprit is real - maybe the email-writer is just saying they know who it is to torture me. I've had people torture me psychologically before, just for the amusement value I presented, so this would be nothing new, just unusual (most of that sort of torture stopped when I got out of mandatory schooling).
I think it unlikely, but I have so little objective evidence that I really don't have any idea what is true and what is false, because all I'm getting is bare text words.
See, I'm paraplegic, which happened after my husband got into a car wreck and died himself; it ruined my modeling career, which was just starting to take off, and I spent months in rehab, which is where I learned to use a computer. I'm also lying, just as easily as any or all of these email writers COULD be; and if I hadn't said I was, you'd have NO way of telling for sure.
I saw the proofer-copy file, though, and checked it, and it was a proofer's copy, not to be released to anyone else. I'm sure of that.
I ask this'un some more questions, and get this:
(D) I just chatted with my source (who, btw, is a third party, not the leaker or direct leakee), passed on your message, and asked again for permission to rat the leaker out. Denied. Shit.Shit's a good word. "Shit" is how I feel about my trust being violated. "Shit" is where my mood went. "Shit" is where my enthusiasm for writing went. "Shit" is about the level of trust I now hold for every single one of the proofers... and that, dear readers, has always been the prime requisite for being a proofer, that I (thought I) could trust them.
I've gotten four denials from four proofers, in email. *snorts* I'd like to think they are true, I really would.
So this has been occupying my brain for the last several days, in addition to deaths happening (separately) to two RL friends and the SO having recently 'achieved' a memory which sickens me (and her) and the therapist taking a vacation.
I have a tendency to "blow" things and people that betray me like this - think scuttling charges. They hurt, and I don't like to keep something around that hurts every time I think of it. I decided I wouldn't do that. I do like writing, I re-found that recently; other people do like my writing (thanks for all the fans that have written nice letters in the last week, they REALLY helped); I think very few of you are involved in this.
So you're not being punished; as soon as I could get my brain and soul up to it, I posted the episode I had ready, today.
I don't know what I am going to do, though. I want to keep writing Tuck, and proofers/CE's help with that tremendously. I am unsure as to what to do next and how to prevent this from happening again, and I have to do something different or I shan't do anything at all and Tuck will stop right here because I can't bear to face betrayal again.
So, the next episode may be somewhat delayed... it might not. It may have lots of proofers, or none. I don't know yet.
I'd like to ask for donations again, because I AM going to find a solution to keep Tuck coming, and I already have another episode ready for proofing.... except I can't trust anyone to do it, especially not someone who writes me out of the blue offering. But I'll figure something out. Also the fresh litter from nearly two months ago has run out. =) (play cat_scraping_repeatedly_in_litterbox.wav)
27 January 2006
Tuck 115 is now over the minimum length, and has entered proofing. While I don't consider it finished, I think it's well on its way.
Donations are what keep us alive, and I'd really like some more in the inbox. The kitty would like fresh litter, too...
22 January 2006
Tuck 114 is out. Would have been here sooner, but something occurred to me last weekend, and then I had a critical rewrite to do. Damnit.
Donations keep me and the SO alive; thanks to everyone who donated over the Holidaze.
Luckily, 115 is going alright, and I hope to have it up in three weeks. But no promises. Yet.
The Tuck-in-print concept has been revived again; if you have any thoughts, I'd like to hear them. It does not look, however, like it would be feasible to put them into standard-paperback format; cost would be about the same for other POD (Publish On Demand) books, that being around $20 each. Yikes!
My general preference for books is minimal margins, small print, reduced page count, and as much information as can be packed in. Do you disagree?
Have any of you bought anything direct from one of the POD publishers out there? Any review or comment upon of the quality of the POD work (as differentiated from the authorial or editorial work) would also be helpful. When I do this, I'd really like to have a $20 book that doesn't fall apart in two weeks...
08 January 2006
I seem to have picked up a virus since the End Of All The Crap, but despite that, work on #114 continues; I hope to put it out sooner than I thought, though I need to work on the next one as well. Keeping working on multiple episodes at one time allows me to adjust continuity issues and weave threads better.
Donations are of course always appreciated and helpful...
02 January 2006
Holidays are over! Yay!
I hope you all survived with not-too-much stress. I did... didn't do a damned thing for "the holidays" except hide and snicker at the rest of the world, and this usually-stressful season mostly passed without incident.
I may be sort-of-finished with the first draft of #114; writing continues. I haven't been as diligent as I want, but it would be hard to write several hours a day every day. I'm sort of working up to that. Still, it's more than "last year" for the most part.
24 December 2005
Tuck #113 released. #114 continues. Doors locked, guns loaded, sign "NO CHRISTMAS PAST THIS POINT. DANGER: USE OF DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED." mounted... I think I'm ready for the holidays.
Good luck, everyone. And remember; just because someone says you shouldn't have boundaries, or object to things, doesn't mean you actually shouldn't.
22 December 2005
Tuck #113 is STILL in proofing; I was adding bits last night before my brain melted. It's long. It may yet get longer.
I feel vaguely bad about putting this one out at a time when everyone is likely to be busy and unable to spend time on the computer un- interrupted. Not that bad, however; just a twinge of guilt.
Writing on #114 paused for a few days as I contemplated a major change, and then I hit upon what I think will be a better solution. And I have plenty of time to write today... as well as the rest of the week, because unlike YOU saps I have managed to burn the "Christmas meme" out for the most part, and now all I have to worry about is not going into certain stores. We're not celebrating SHIT, and I for one like it that way. The SO may be of mixed feelings, but she is so boggled by her own psyche at the moment I think that no-stress is the way to go.
Donations are not only keeping us going but are in part allowing me to unfuck our lives. Weird feelings...
Oh, and Happy Solstice!
16 December 2005
Tuck #113 is still in proofing; I'm not going to say I think I've finished, since I insinuated that last entry and then had to add about a hundred lines because I'd forgotten something. Duh.
Tuck #114 is half or more done; my usual minimum standard is a thousand lines (before header and footer and quote and so on), but the recent episodes have had a lot going on, and thus have been longer on average. Still, even by recent standards, it's half done, with notes and so on for more.
Donations are what keep me and the SO alive, and me writing instead of spazzing in terror at economic collapse. Thanks to all who have contributed in the last couple of weeks.
12 December 2005
Hope you liked the last one. The next one, #113, is in proofing, and I think I've got most of the major alterations made. Episode #114 is half done as of today; I'm going to write more on it tomorrow.
Due to a reader suggestion, I am trivially changing the main page to show new Tucknotes.
04 December 2005
Tuck 112 is out. You may not like it... but it needs to be there.
#113 is in proofing; work continues much too slowly on #114, but faster than September and October (couldn't be slower...).
Donations are still delicious. Thanks to those who allowed me to purchase some much-needed bits and pieces of computer stuff.
26 November 2005
Writing has been going 'okay', which is a tremendous improvement over the previous two or three months. It's quite hard to write in the house; probably because there are zillions of other things I could be doing. I seem to be susceptible to some sort of task-selection lockup. Would that I could reformat the brain and reinstall a better OS...
Donations have been delicious. Food is yummy. So is the $50 worth of hardware which has allowed me to get two computers up and running, which will lead to the firewall computer working, which... Plans and things.
14 November 2005
Due to mostly psychological problems, I have not been writing lately... until this week.
I believe I shall officially blame all this on hurricanes.
In any case, the proofers (those that have not died due to Tuck-starvation) are now working on 112, and I have just barely started work on 113.
I realize that if I have not been writing, I can hardly expect much in the way of donations, but I am hoping to change both of these. And the SO's income just about pays for house and the water bill, leaving other things like electric, phone, and food to my "income". Remember that without electric and phone, I can't do anything on the computer or Internet, and without food I get all cranky and have to spend all my time dumpster-diving around restaurants (and fighting the other web-site designers for the choice bits).
22 September 2005
I have an excuse from my therapist about not writing lately, so there.
However, I would REALLY RECOMMEND that anyone with either a home or a web hosting service in the southeast Texas or southwest Louisiana areas, should BACK UP your systems and website(s) immediately. Rita is expected to be BIGGER than Katrina, and I'd bet money that a lot of telecommunications lines in that area route through Houston.
Wish I could be in Houston to watch... this is gonna be AWESOME.
4 September 2005
#112 has been delayed; I spent close to a fortnight in a depressive ball. Naturally, no writing happened during this time. However, a lot got done before then. The plot progresses...
A belated Links check is now in progress; we are now done with A-L. I still take links to add, even if you sent them before and I didn't put them up. What do you think my links page could use?
Those of you not in America can now laugh at our rising gasoline prices; we deserve it. It's rather a shock to us... and I suspect that the reason for the 20% jump is not 'need' or 'anticipated shortfall' but 'plausible excuse'.
Donations have almost caught up with bills and goodies like hormones for me. Thank you all very much.
18 August 2005
Writing on #112 continues. I keep thinking 'slowly', but it's faster than it was at the beginning of the year. Let us hope it goes faster still.
15 August 2005
Tuck 112 is "half done" in first draft; as I did last time, I'm putting this one up early in the hopes of catching problems early.
In a completely unrelated item, apparently I've been adding links to the links page, without changing the "last changed" date. My bad. And, of course, if you have any links you think ought to be added, feel free to suggest them - an idea of what the link is, is quite helpful.
07 August 2005
Tuck #111 is up. I have a dental abscess, which is why it wasn't up yesterday; I was dopey enough from drugs and lack of sleep that I didn't think I could do a final proofreading.
Donations are helping a great deal.
31 July 2005
Tuck #111 is even more finished. I keep saying that, and I keep adding
stuff to it... we're on the third 'finished' version, after I added one
this morning two hours after putting the second 'finished' version
up.
Nnnng.
Still, it's really chock full of Stuff. I am now going to concentrate on #112... I think. I hope.
No, really, I will; it's exciting stuff.
Some have complained that it's taking a while; yeah, I noticed. There's a lot going on, and if I don't mention a person, I get bugged about it. ("Where's Amy?" "Where's Travis?" "Where's Lisa?" "Where's Paul Grant?" "Where's Bob?")
It's coming along, as fast as I can get it to go; has anyone noticed that the episodes are somewhat - like 20% - longer than normal? I'm not doing this to increase my word count.
Fingers crossed for this week, please; we are hoping to get several drugs for the SO from various governmental agencies, including something to replace the Zyprexa samples she's been using. Zyprexa Considered Harmful (go look it up) and it's not working well either. Seroquel has been recommended.
28 July 2005
Tuck #111 is 'finished' and one proofer has loved it. I think another week of proofing. And so on to #112...
There's a discussion going on about McAllen's team name and school colors over on the Tuckerspawn forum; if you have a (several) suggestion(s) for the team's name and/or colors, let me know.
And hey, I'm working harder; don't you think that should be rewarded?
23 July 2005
Tuck #111 comes along, though I had an immensely shitty week - as one item, someone stole a chair off my front porch.
Anyway, things go. Two weeks until the big set of appointments to hit the various social services in hopes of finding cheap drugs for the SO... cross your fingers for us.
I also added a couple to the Ellen's Select list... and I'm willing to add more, if I think they're worthy.
17 July 2005
Tuck #110 released. Tuck #111 continues... but it's actually GOING. So be happy.
14 July 2005
The person with Hotmail wrote back - in a NORMAL letter - and said something like "Thanks for explaining it to a non-technical person." I think that's my good deed for the week. =)
Tuck continues, and - depending on how the proofing goes - #110 might go up this weekend. Certainly by the end of the month, unless I end up in jail or something. #111 needs more work; gee, and I have nothing to do for most of the day...
12 July 2005
Why do I hate Hotmail? Because I get things like this.
<html><div style='background-color:'>
> <DIV class=RTE>Hi Ellen;</DIV>
> <DIV class=RTE> </DIV>
> <DIV class=RTE>Saw on your website that your So is having some health issues. I just wanted to add my thoughts and prayers for her speedy recovery.</DIV>
> <DIV class=RTE> </DIV>
> <DIV class=RTE>Just a quick note though - your last reply just came through as code, so I was unfortunately unable to read it.</DIV>
> <DIV class=RTE> </DIV>
> <DIV class=RTE>Yes, I am one of those technologically challenged who is using a PC with XP pro, and Internet Explorer. </DIV>
> <DIV class=RTE> </DIV>
> <DIV class=RTE>Take care;</DIV>
> <DIV class=RTE> </DIV>
> <DIV class=RTE>[NAME DELETED]</DIV>
</div><br clear=all><hr>Share a single photo or an entire slide show right inside your e-mail with <a href="http://g.msn.com/8HMBENCA/2743??PS=47575" target="_top">MSN Premium: </a> Join now and get the first two months FREE*</html>
this has been 'slightly' modified so that it appears EXACTLY as it does
within my email program.
If you look closely, you'll notice that the person is complaining that
they couldn't read my last reply. That's because in my last reply, I
set it so that the < that is used to set off HTML code, was
replaced with something that'll show up in an HTML reader like the
original shows up in my text reader.
They're complaining that they can't read my email. "Yeah, I KNOW what you mean!" is my unsympathetic thought.
Like all people, I make assumptions about a person based on the
information I have. My assumption about people who send me mail like
this is normally one of two things:
I tried something different today, though; I tried assuming that this person is merely completely clueless about what things like Hotmail actually do, behind their back; and I did some looking to find an explanation I could send this person. I found two links:
These are good. I learned a few things I didn't know. I imagine that the person who sent me the above email could learn a LOT, including how to prevent their Hotmail account from sending me crap like I got.
If they look. If they don't look, or don't change... I'll go back to previous assumptions.
Due to new medications, the SO's blood pressure is now 150/90 or thereabouts. This cost $90 in medication, and there's another one she's supposed to be on. We also have to pay to see this doctor. The money to do this comes from donations. Do I seem to be pushing this? I am. My own depression is hard enough to deal with, without having to ask myself "Do I buy pharmaceuticals for the SO's high blood pressure, OR pay the phone bill, OR buy food this week?"
In between Decision Making Time, I am writing (and proofing/editing) Tuck. #111 progresses; #110 (next) is requiring some additions. I am going to spend today writing as much as I can...
10 July 2005
Tuck writing and editing continues. So does writing on the next episode (#111). It's been hard, though; last week we had five medical or psychological appointments for the SO, and a nasty surprise about her blood pressure (220/130 is Very Bad). I am reluctant to take the laptop into an unknown situation, since I am vulnerable if it's unpacked, and if it's packed it does me no good at all; so no writing gets done.
3 July 2005
Donations are keeping me and the SO alive.
In other more important-to-you news, Tuck #110 is in proofing. Also, I think I have altered the guestbook stuff enough that I can actually turn it back on. We'll see how that goes. If I start getting spammed again, it's going off until I find a better solution.
19 April 2005
Guestbook turned off temporarily; see the What'Snew file for more info.
3 April 2005
Tuck 109 is up. America has Daylight Savings Time shift.
Donations are still helpful.
I have nothing else to say. Life sickens me today.
1 April 2005
I am tempted not to say anything, because of the special nature of the holiday... but check the site Sunday, which is NOT April Fool's Day.
18 March 2005
Rachel Greenham has released the prologue to another of her superlative fanfictions. You may enjoy reading it; you may wish to re-read Tuck Squared before you do, however, as... it's not quite regular Tuck.
She's working on more; so am I, but she's working harder.
And, for the two or three of you that worry, about whether the impending rewrite of Tucky Seasons by me will somehow 'break' Rachel's work... it won't. I'm being conspiratorial... er, I mean collaborative. Either way, Not Breaking Things is one of my goals.
Work continues on my end. Thanks greatly for the donations this month.
14 March 2005
109 is in proofing, and will probably be up in a week. I'm also working on Tucky Seasons again, as a break from regular storyline that actually involves getting some writing done; the first draft of #6 is up for proofers as well.
Donations are still accepted and still very needed.
07 February 2005
http://www.medschoolchat.com/medical_book_0385121229.html
This is a link to William McNeill's Plagues And Peoples which IMO should be required reading for junior high school students, before the little fuckers get loose and start spreading disease themselves... but it's the site that really attracted my attention. Go check it out.
If you wish, you can now amuse yourself by wondering what relevance a book on epidemics and plagues has to Tuck in my mind...
06 February 2005
Tuck 108 is up. Backup hardware is up. Software is not. Working...
Update: made one backup, think it's readable. Yay! Linux RULEZ d00d!
01 February 2005
Looks like the next Tuck will be coming out soon. Depression has been heavy lately, and other things as well. No progress on job; psych inability to look. It's rare that I don't want to die, just so I can stop struggling, at least once in a given day lately. Whatever.
Tuck is going better than it was for some of last year. I spent yesterday goofing off, but the day before was pretty good, and I've been working more on it than I have at some points last year. I'm sure this isn't any consolation, yet... but I'm trying.
I think I've mostly caught up to the last hardware crash I had... though right now I'm running without backups, which makes me nervous. It should make you nervous as well. Have you backed up your own system lately?
Time to stop babbling and start writing for the day, I guess.
08 January 2005
Tuck writing continues. So does file shuffling, which is why the present note.
I've found a few (and recently gotten a few more) Tuck fan-fictions, which I have now emplaced in the usual spot. If you have written one of them, and wish to have emails forwarded to you, let me know. Due to spamming, I shall not put in a "mailto" link for anyone; too dangerous.
Tuck #108 will be out as soon as I run it through a few more proofers. However, the proofers are not doing well... and are possibly going to be purged again if they don't come up with something in the next week or so. STRONG HINT
Depression continues, sometimes with brighter spots.
23 December 2004
Internet is now (you may have guessed) back up, with a certain amount of cash outlay (oh ghu, like I need MORE bills?). And, the links check, which was interrupted in the middle, is now finished. Thanks to all who participated; their names are in the usual place of honor on the links page itself.
The proofers are not distinguishing themselves with valour at the present time. Tuck writing continues sporadically, however, beyond the proofing. Attempting to write more; sometimes succeeding.
16 December 2004
Well, this is 'writing blind' as it were, since Internet has been cut off. Hopefully I'll have some kind of access tomorrow, and be able to post these up.
Tuck 108 is now in proofing, having finished the first draft. #109 is started, and I think I have some idea of what will happen there as well. There's a lot of threads, as you have seen in the last few episodes; it's somewhat hard to keep them all together.
The Links check will most likely be finished the day after this goes up. Thanks to all who participated, and extra thanks to those who have suggested links to add. I need to add some more myself...
12 December 2004
Tuck cometh along, but very slowly; a combination of depression and anxiety is making it hard to do anything productive. Some of that is worry about money. A donation would help.
Also, I missed the Links check back in June, and this one's late; but if anyone wants to bother, or add one or two, or six dozen, this is the time to do so. If you want to check, please do an entire section at a time; it's easier on my little overloaded brain this way.
13 November 2004
Some people think that Tuck and his family are overly-knowledgable about medical stuff.
From The New England Journal Of Medicine:
A 1999 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) featured a now-familiar statistic: 44,000 to 98,000 people die in hospitals each year because of preventable medical errors, making hospital-based errors alone the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, ahead of breast cancer, AIDS, and motor vehicle accidents.
Ignorance equals death.
07 November 2004
Tuck #106 and #107 out. Hurrah!
A donation would be greatly appreciated...
And, work continues, both on Seasons and on the next Tuck... which is why you should donate, so I can pay bills and buy food and things. No electricity or phone, no Internet, no writing. Neh?
01 November 2004
All Saints Day, in which we hope that the Portals of the night before are firmly closed for another year.
Tuck proceeds; the episode of the weekend is stretching more and more; there's a lot of people involved in this series, have you noticed? And a lot of them have something to do with Homecoming. Which, I'll remind you, is this weekend.
If things go as I'm planning right now, there will be a DOUBLE release in about a week. One episode just could not handle everything and everyone that showed up... so I'll put out two at one time.
Vis-a-vis Seasons, part 6 is being written slowly (always too slowly), and utilizing as much of the commentary from the discussion board as I can keep in my little brain. Not helped by the fact that some people have widely diverging opinions, which forces me to rely on my own judgement but leaves a feeling that I'm not pleasing anyone.
Ah well... this is one of the reasons I take the title of 'Bitch'; I am therefore excused from having to 'be nice' and accommodate everyone's wishes at once. *makes crazy noises*
Later:
Two episodes now in proofing. Heh. And don't forget to vote.
24 October 2004
Seasons #5 is finally out. Hope you like it.
No, I hope it's good. I'll worry about whether people like it when the
story is done. Which it isn't yet, not by a long shot.
Tuck #106 is still not finished, though I am on the fourth cycle of revision. I need to do more of that this morning. It's easier to write than it was, but I still couldn't do any writing yesterday (tired, then emotionally shaken for a while). It also may end up mitosing into two episodes, again... but I don't think you'll mind this time. =)
Still taking donations, too. They're keeping us (me, SO, cat) alive and online.
Seasons #6 is also proceeding along, with more being added as I think to do so. There's some tricky bits in there... You may start to see why in #5. This isn't at all the same as the previous first draft version... this one's better, and thus more emotionally distressing.
18 October 2004
Tuck #106 is mostly-finished, and in proofing. I have a few more things to add, but there's enough that the CE's can start hacking on it with editorial axes...
Writing has been easiER the last couple of weeks, but not easy. It's too simple to just not-write... and then there's the plot complications. Which you can't see yet, not all of 'em. *smirk*
However, we do have a (belated) fanfiction, starting waaaaaay back in the depths of time, which I have finally remembered to post. Say yay! Now go read it.
I'd like to avoid having my guestbook become a playing field for political 'debate', so please restrain yourself. My political thoughts are: We need a None-Of-The-Above candidate in all elections; if NOTA wins, all other candidates are disqualified for that election and someone new needs to be chosen.
01 October 2004
More problems have cropped up in Seasons, and the proofers that I thought were alive, have all disappeared again - thus the extra delay on Seasons #5. Maybe you could put some encouragement for them in the guestbook or something? (hit them with sticks, shoot their televisions...) Those that have not responded, have been culled. Those that think they shouldn't have been culled, can try emailing me...
Work on Tuck #106 progresses slower than I'd like. Still having 'fun' with paralyzing bouts of depression and anxiety; they make it hard to write. But it is moving.
26 September 2004
Work on Tucky Seasons proceeds, with an amazing number of changes in the latest revision. I'd like to mention (smugly) that 'curtsey' is listed as a completely equivalent spelling in my dictionary. And the dictionary.com meanings for 'pouf' are entirely different, and what I wanted, compared to 'poof'. Nyah nyah!
Now to go work on #106 until my eyes start bleeding again...
Your donations are keeping me afloat financially; the cat thanks you for her Kitty Krunchies.
18 September 2004
Tuck #105 is published.
Now, some of you aren't going to be satisfied with the lack of some resolutions in it... and neither am I. But there's too much going on to get it into one reasonably-sized episode; in fact, I have a decent 'starter culture' for 106 from outgrowth of 105.
On the other hand, the existance of a starter culture for 106 ought to give you an idea that it may not take so long as the last one. And, I hope it won't.
Seasons part five is in proofing, and part six is coming along as well.
Economics are dire at this point. I would really appreciate a donation at this point, as right now I have about zero money remaining. Remember, I'm cheaper than income tax, and I give you more tangible results... *grin*
*grin goes away* Other than that, my life sucks about as much as usual for this year (which is a lot) though I'm not as depressed as I was a fortnight or so ago. While some of you were anticipating the episode earlier today, I just could not sit down and do it; other things are worrying me as well.
12 September 2004
Life still sucks. However, Tuck #105 is in proofing, if the proofer/CE members will actually wake up and check the appropriate drops.
26 August 2004
Life, such as it is, sucks.
I'd ask for your patience or forgiveness, but I don't have any, so it's
stupid to expect any from you. Suffice it to say, today's one of the
better days, and I've gotten some things done.
Tuck #105 is first-drafted and in proofing.
Tucky Seasons #5 is also in proofing, though I think it requires another
few passes.
There are three new Tuck fan-fictions up, one an
alternative September , and one an
alternative episode #105.
And the third I dug up out of the dusty bits, and it is presented
here, finally.
There are also three new SickTime endings,
18,
19, and
20.
You should also go and read The John Edwards Epiphenomenon, The New World Order, And Ronald McDonald which is an amazing work by an enigmatic source going by MarcoPolo. Let's hope this isn't the last thing up here by him. Hint: positive comments in the guestbook and email work quite well as motivators.
There are a few more things in the box waiting to be put up, which I may get to today, if the sort of shit that fell on me last Friday doesn't happen again.
25 June 2004
Must be depressed or something. Or, hopefully more correctly, I must HAVE BEEN depressed, and thus unable to write much of anything; because I am slowly starting to write again. Not enough, of course; if I wrote an episode a day, that wouldn't be enough for you greedy folk...
*grin*
Still, a little is a fantastic improvement on what I was doing before. *sigh*
So, the fourth episode of the revised, final edition of Tucky Seasons, is now available for your perusal.
So is some new fan art by Pacchi - go look at it, and marvel. There's some more in the works as well.
I finally posted two new Mono-Mania endings. And I still take submissions, and I hope to process them a leeeetle faster than I have been. Like, before the authors forget they've written something.
There's still a discussion board over at Tuckerspawn, and there's lots of posts there. I read them occasionally. And laugh a lot...
You can also donate and add to my fast-dwindling funds (still no job).
I'm also working a bit on other tasks, like at least one more Mono-Mania ending, and some reviews of other pieces. Basically, I should lock myself in a small box with the laptop and a wall plug, and stay there for a few days.
Keep sending that good karma and positive energy and whatnot this way; I need it, and I think it's starting to help.
16 May 2004
Well, patience is finally rewarded. And you can call off your assassins; the ones you can afford have been a waste of your money, and since I got fired - again - I now have much more time to work on writing. When I'm not digging through dumpsters to find nifty things to eat.
As soon as the hoopla dies down over this episode, though, I also have two more SickTime/Mono-mania endings, including one I bet the original author has forgotten... and there's Seasons to work on as well.
More of this, more of that...
12 April 2004
Well, my life has once again fallen into chaos and despair. I hate that.
On the positive side, I have a new SickTime ending from Emily, so go read it.
Work on Tuck, both sides, proceeds slowly but onward.
And, doesn't anyone have any comment on the picture of Charlene I put up? Sheesh.
3 April 2004
Happy Tucker's Birthyday!
Now that we have that out of the way...
Another TWO episodes of Tucky Seasons are up. Also, a picture which I am saying is Charlene. This is of an actual person, that I found on a website somewhere, and while it is a real person (I think), it really isn't the character in the story. Story fictional. Not real. I have some shots of other characters, all of which I think are 'my' characters, and they'll be showing up when the characters themselves do.
20 March 2004
Bitch bitch bitch, when's she gonna do something, bitch bitch
bitch...
So, okay, I did
something.
Probably what you wanted, but... hey, this next section of regular Tuck is hard to write. I know what will happen; but to actually write it, I have to be there for long periods of time, and I am - shamefully - out of practice at feeling this bad and writing it down. Lately, when I've felt this bad, I've gone and cried, and not on the keyboard either.
But at least I've got something fresh...
By the way, I am also taking suggestions for things I can stick into Ellen's Select if you happen to know any decent fiction. But DON'T SEND ME A STORY; send me a LINK where I can get it myself.
Any bets on how many people will be stupid enough to send me a
story after that warning?
I suspect no more than half a dozen in the first month; I've made a
concerted effort to remove those obnoxious 'readers' that seem to skip
over the important parts that start with DO NOT.
Oh, and feel a gnawing sense of guilt until you make a donation. No, a bigger one. I mean, when was the last time your children did something you liked as much as you do Tuck, huh? So who deserves a new summer wardrobe more, them or me?
5 March 2004
In order to keep your brains from shriveling completely, I've added Ellen's Select to the website, to keep me from having to repeat the answer to "So is there anything you like to read other than Tuck?" or "Are there any OTHER good stories out there?"
Go read all of these; it'll help cut down the shaking.
25 February 2004
Ha ha, very funny.
It has taken me rather a long time to remove the applewood stake from my chest and dig my way out of the rather lame grave (WITH NO INTERNET) that I've been stuck in. I am also in an extraordinarily bad mood.
However, I know that cremation WORKS, so we won't be having that particular problem from that particular 'fan' ever again.
Folks, as a general tip, if you can't decide which myths and legends to believe about disposing of those Dark Forces you're trying to off, use 'em all. And Buffy The Vampire Slayer is not a reliable source.
Now, not actually being in a dyspeptic state of digestion (since I found a couple of rather inattentive co-eds, who will apparently not be graduating) like I was when I wrote the last note, I can assure you with beaming countenance, Tuck Will Go On. Please ignore the bits of flesh in my teeth; I haven't had time to brush.
However, I'm still having... mmm... call 'em hunger pangs; so email will not be going out this evening. Gimme a day or two.
16 January 2004
"Well, this grenade ought to stir things up a bit."
15 December 2003
Busy week. 'Some little fucker' decided that I was being annoying, so he had my ISP whacked. So, not only was I off 'Net, I had to spend a week tracking the shit down. Still got sand in my panties, I think. I was very glad to hear the news, Sunday morning... he got found 'somehow' by the authorities. Heh. Bet it's a while before he gets access to a phone or computer again...
But email is partially down - I can get it in, but I can't send replies out at the moment. Time, perhaps, to reformat my algorithms for doing things, and go to something better, like mh.
Anyway, work progresseth on the new episode, and there are things beyond it which also need writing, and I can work on those as well. Wheee.
Links check is done, and muchos nachos to those who participated.
Mmmmm, muchos chile rellenos y queso....
I think I need to go home and eat something. Several somethings.
7 December 2003
In the early morning hours of December 7th...
Anyway, I got #103 in first draft editing/proofing today. More letters might help... and more money wouldn't hurt either.
The email change has been a WONDERFUL success - it's a great feeling to hit the mail server after six hours and find NOTHING waiting, rather than a couple of dozen lumps of foetid shit.
Meanwhile, this file is getting kind of long... should I truncate it?
And, it's about time for the semi-annual links check once again... except I missed the summer one. Stil, that means there's plenty there to check... This is also a good time to ADD links that you think ought to be included. Which I won't know about unless you mention them to me.
1 December 2003
I wasn't sure I'd get this one out 'this weekend', but I guess I did.
Controversial episode amongst the proofers...
Which, someone pointed out tonight, do a hell of a lot more than 'just' proofreading. They also do continuity checking, realism checking, and a host of other things. The someone suggested they should be called "Contributing Editors", and I have to agree.
So, a Great Thanks to the Contributing Editors of Tuck, who are still protected under my cloaks of anonymity for their own safety...
Also thanks to those who donated in the last few weeks; it's nice to have some financial cushion, especially this time of year. So much more dignified than robbing the Salvation Army bellringers.
I'm a little blasted, so I'll stop here, and toddle off to FTP all this up, and then you'll have something to do on a dreary Monday morning...
27 November 2003
Ahh, American Thanksgiving...
What I am thankful for, is that my ISP and a couple friends have helped out, to change my email address so's to dodge the spam that has been deluging my account.
Go find the email page, re-read the email rules, and the new address is at the bottom.
If you think it's ugly, I'll take suggestions, but I can no longer have a link-to-email, nor have the address available in text. The spammers have ruined that.
I suppose there are other things I am thankful for, but at this particular moment, that's what I'm thinking of; how blind slithering commercialism and the desire to make a quick buck by fucking anyone they can find, has ruined and despoiled something that used to be far more fun and good and open and relaxed.
23 November 2003
Eh, sorry, I thought I'd said something more recently than that.
Well, due to donations, I had a nice carouse last weekend; that was fun. The scabs fell off today, too, and I have all the feeling back in my feet, so I'm just about fully recovered.
And, Tuck progresseth. Which it has been, silently and unbeknownst to you poor fans, sitting out there gazing woefully at the "0.8" that sat there on the writings page until now.
Do not despair; it's been at '1' for a while, and has been going through the necessary and inevitable proofing cycles, a vital and oft-neglected part of the Internet writing/publishing process.
Sorry, I'm feeling loquacious or something tonight. *shrugs*
Anyway, one in proof, one coming along nicely, first couple parts of Seasons ReWritten in proofing - that's the 'final' version of Tucky Seasons, BTW - and in general we're all gonna have a good holiday season.
Or the beatings will resume.
1 November 2003
Another All Saint's Day and still alive, which means I did not get my soul sucked out of my body by the forces of darkness the night before, nor was I murdered by a vengeful soul from beyond the veil. Which I am glad for. 'Course, the sun hasn't come up yet...
I feel vaguely ashamed... I seem to have been very productive this last week, and I didn't WANT to tie any of it to the donations thing, but there may be some correlation. I feel annoyed at myself if there is.
Or is it just Post hoc ergo propter hoc ?
On the other hand, I wrote at least 1/4 of #102 so far tonight, and I may go further... and the Seasons rewrite is progressing when I don't feel like working on #102. And this happened after I talked with our therapist, a lot about the donations thing and about writing and self-esteem and things like that.
I dunno.
On another matter, I've only had one opinion on whether I should
publically thank donors; that's not enough for me to decide. If you
have an opinion, let me know.
In addition to all those lovely discussions going on all over the
place that are giving me plenty of ideas and hints - keep THAT up!
However, I did get this from one correspondent:
On the other hand, I think you could offer something for donations, but not exclusive episodes of Tuck or drawings. As someone who attended a Catholic school you should be be aware of the importance of relics. Couldn't you send a lock of your hair or a toenail clipping in exchange for large donations?I am... stunned.
Addendum:
You know what I find really annoying? I've read a few dozen articles
and warnings about carpal tunnel and repetitititive motion injuries from
using computers... and the only time I have problems is when I try and
do things like a normal person. If I sit with my legs crossed, pull the
laptop or monitor up to the edge of the desk, and put the keyboard (my
lovely IBM 1391401 monster) on my lap, I never have eyestrain, I have no
wrist problems, my ulnar (elbow) nerve never gets pinched, my fingers
don't go numb (happens within 60 seconds with the SO's nice wrist rest)
... Everything works out perfectly if I sit on the floor, back to a
wall, and put the laptop in a chair. (Except my butt starts to hurt
after a while - the solution to that is simply a large pillow)
But try doing that in 99.99% of workplaces, and they'll pull you into a manager's office for a 'talk' about 'proper workplace etiquette' or something like that.
26 October 2003
See? Good things come to those who wait. Tuck #101 is out.
Did you see the part about donations yet?
25 October 2003
Believe it or not, some people actually have written me saying that they wanted to give me money. Go figure.
Well, now there's a way.
Through the rapacious conniving of PayPal, a tiny burst of mental
effort from me, and a great deal of work from the somewhat-faithful and
ever-hungry minions, I can now accept donations without having to deal
with the icky necessity of having to launder checks, money orders, and
credit cards through the local drug dealers.
Isn't that nice?
Instead, I can now launder it through D & E Personal Services.
I can assure you, that every dollar you send (minus the chunk that PayPal takes for itself) will be spent on improving my life in minor but telling ways. Since I am making around $11,500 after taxes - no that is NOT a misprint; it's well under twelve thousand dollars a year - I could rreeaallllyy use some extra cash.
What donating WON'T get ANYONE is some sort of special consideration. There is NO amount of money that will make someone a proofer, editor, co-sysop of the site, or anything else. It's a GIFT, and if you don't understand what that means, go look it up.
So, those of you that are poor as churchmice don't have to worry that other, richer readers will somehow get something that you can't. Well, they will, but not from me.
I am debating whether or not to make a list of financial contributors (you'd pick your handle or nickname). Should I or shouldn't I?
Tuck #101 may come out this weekend, depending on how some more proofing
goes. #*&@ it's hard this time... and none of the kids are helping me
write this one; I think they're all pissed at me for letting Tucker get
caught.
I'm also working on the first draft of #102. Yay!
The email change is in the works. Not yet, but soon...
Tucky Seasons Rewrite is also coming along, for those of you that like that one. I could, I suppose, put the four or so redone chapters in the proofing pile, and see what the folk do with them...
Visualize Rich Fans Sending Ellen Lots Of Money So She'll Be Happy And Write A Lot.
20 October 2003
Well, maybe in a week. And, maybe not. This one is also darned hard to write right. (Heh) But I am, we are, working on it. Let's hope...
You are hoping, right?
13 October 2003
If you saw that a new Tucknote was up on the 11th, and then couldn't find it, I shall lay the blame on Eris and hubris. Who seem like they should be twins...
Suffice it to say that I had a reason to make a panicked backup Friday night, then felt relieved, then had the computer crash before I saved that Tucknote (but after I saved everything else). No, I won't explain further.
Anyway, most of what I said was:
Episode #101 is going to be as hard to get right as #100, and thus will
take at least as long to get out, minus computer crashes, illnesses, and
catastrophes on this end. The less of those I have, the faster it'll
come out...
Some of the proofers are working hard on this; I thank all of them who
have commented so far. We're just having significant difficulties, and
not surprisingly Tucker wants NOTHING to do with this, so he's not
helping the writing along like he does sometimes.
Little selfish brat.
But, we'll get it eventually...
6 October 2003
Well, #101 is first-draft-done, and now in the proofing cycles... which ought to keep my blood pressure up for the next couple weeks.
Also, I am being blackmailed. Rachel has intimated that she will refuse to work on a sequel to her excellent Tuck Squared until I get the long-anticipated Yeah Right Tucky Seasons rewrite and finalization done.
Darn her to heck anyway.
But it is helping, since if I get tired/sick/upset/bored with one, I can go work on the other one. I'm still not writing 'enough', but I wrote more than I have usually/lately the last couple days. Which is GOOD.
And, thanks to the half-dozen of you that wrote to tell me that the Jargon-file link had changed - now _I_ have changed my pages to match. After several months.
So. Good news in the works, eh?
Keep visualizing Ellen Happily Writings, and keep them letters comin'!
26 September 2003
Be happy.
It would have been out last week, but a dental abscess almost the size of my little finger (along my left-side mandible) had me rather, well, demoralized and lethargic. Not to mention crazed with pain at times.
Working on some other things around here as well. I am just about COMPLETELY FUCKING FED UP with spammers, and I'm probably going to change my email address before the next episode comes out. I'm getting around a hundred spams a day now, 300k or more, and that's getting tiresome to deal with. I don't like spending the time necessary to download the damned things either; I have better things to do with my CPU cycles.
Anyone who is blind, needs assistance programs like JAWS to read, uses a text-only browser, or otherwise isn't going to be able to handle a human-only-readable image file containing the new email address, better tell me now. When I make the switchover, everything to the old address is going to be bouncing, completely unread.
And, by the way, if you've ever even looked at someone's spam, you are encouraging the fuckers to keep doing it. Get rid of Outlook and Outlook Express and get something that doesn't automatically spread its legs for any HTML or program included in the email, mmmmkay?
6 September 2003
Well, this one's going to be late too, but not because anyone's been slacking off. Except possibly me, on the got-it-right-the-first-time writing part. Yep, the proofer/editors and I are engaged in a titanic battle of wills...
No, seriously, they keep coming up with major objections that make sense.
So, if _I_ get it right soon, it'll be up next weekend. Cross yer fingers, and keep Visualizing Ellen Writing!
And STOP visualizing Ellen eating fast food, okay? I've been having cravings...
16 August 2003
Got it this time! Thanks to the few proofers who either made bail or
escaped... big help, folks. The rest of you proofers should be ashamed,
and you're likely to be disbarred if this keeps up.
It's bad enough when I sit around on my keister not doing
anything, but when y'all do it too...
Anyway, like I think I said, the next one is in proofing since last week, and that's coming along better too. Now just to work on the one after that... and faster than I have been...
The reformatting is sort of done, sort of. Kind of. Vaguely. At a plateau, anyway.
10 August 2003
Yeah, well, oops.
On the other hand, I've gotten episode #100 finished and in first draft.
On the gripping hand, I wish someone would find the money to bail most of my proofers out of jail, which is where I guess they've been hiding lately. That's part, though hardly all, of the reason that #99 has been delayed so long, lack of proofing.
You know who you are; I just hope you know who your bail bondsmen are.
And, the reformatting continues...
2 August 2003
I have been busy reformatting things. I have reformatted my hard drive (several times), I am reformatting my purse and other LBE/kit, I am reformatting my entire house. A friend and I were talking tonight, and we independently had decided that if we could find installation sets for Humans, we'd be reformatting ourselves, too. I still need to reformat my finances and my car - though maybe just a good defrag would work on the car...
Next episode, that being #99, will be up next week.
14 July 2003
Got some more done this weekend; proofing continues on #99, writing on the next ones. Slowed, but not stopped.
5 July 2003
Well, finally made the episode come out the way I wanted it. I think. In actuality, this one was almost finished, I thought, when I realized something 'should' happen, and so I had to go back and rewrite some of it. Which, given that Real Life is hanging on me like a pack of Jehovah's Witness pit bulls lately, wasn't last week.
Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me!
Which some of you might actually remember hearing. The older ones, anyway.
I could tell you about my RL woes, but then some dumbass out there would send me some sort of idiotic mundane's brainless pseudo-empathy spasm and then I'd be all frustrated because I can't afford to go travelling right now and kill the fucker. Make sense?
Sure it does. You know it does.
And, I was thinking, I've got an awful lot of fanfiction that, to my eternal shame and darn-nation, I haven't worked on enough. So I think I'll do some of that this week, and do some polishing on the existing draft for #99, and not worry too much.
IwillnotworryIwillnotworryIwillnotworryIwillnotworryIwillnotworryIwillnotworry
If I repeat it enough times...
Anyway, keep visualizing Ellen happily writing and editing.
22 June 2003
I made ONE little mistake on the writings page, and two people have asked me in FAR less than 24 hours where the 'new' episode is?
There isn't one - yet - because I changed the wrong date. I shoulda aimed for the 'latest Tucknotes' date not the 'last release' date. Whups, my bad.
On the other hand, in my offended state, I think that both of you should have checked the S'new page to confirm a release, if you couldn't find one instantly.
Anyway.
I did finally get an episode finished - 'BOUT FUCKING TIME - and got that up for the proofers, and I'm working on the one after that. I think the way to do this is to reverse my usual order and do writing FIRST, and THEN reply to email.
21 June 2003
Since at least two of you have mentioned it, that means there's probably close to two hundred of you that have wondered. So here it is:
Somatic mosaicism: when all cells in a person do not have
essentially the same genetic makeup. This can result from a mutation in
one cell during the early stages of embryogenesis, or even from fusion
of two fertilized eggs to produce one person (i.e., a chimera -- *
ponder that!, fortunately, it's rare.)
Chimerism may also result from blood exchange between
fraternal twins, and the person has two people's bone marrow. Future
blood bankers: these patients will probably have two different blood
types.
Somatic mosaicism probably underlies many (if not most)
birthmarks (for example Lancet 345: 596, 1995). People living
comfortably with a "forme fruste" of some dreadful classic lethal
disease may be mosaics (forexample, Am. J. Hum. Genet. 46: 591, 1990).
It's also the basis of tumorgenesis[...]
From somewhere on the
PathGuy website, in his lecture
notes I think.
I took last week offa Tuck, working on [CLASSIFIED] instead, but I think I'm back on track. Sorry 'bout that.
1 June 2003
I actually put the Tuck episode up yesterday, but you didn't see it, because... it was invisible. Yeah. *nods a lot*
Anyway it's there^H^H^H^H^Hvisible now, so go have fun with it. Hopefully by this time tomorrow I'll have another one in first-draft proofing.
Also, Pacchi came up with a somewhat smaller version of hir latest, so check that out too.
25 May 2003
No Tuck this weekend, as you might have figured out by now; but it's coming next weekend.
And, I seem to have gotten out another first-draft, which is good. I also seem to be in a groove again, at least for the moment, so I think I'll write some more tonight.
That's good, right?
Also, the wonderfully talented Pacchi has come up with another piece of art, and I do mean 'piece of art' rather than drawing or pencil or whatever. Go look, if you haven't.
11 May 2003
A day late, and many dollars short...
I said I'd get up some fan-fictions, but I haven't done that. They need proofing, and I need to work on that, but I also need to work on writing more Tuck. The just-released episode needed a fair amount of proofing, including several logical/continuity errors that no one caught but me, on the last read-through.
On the good side, I do have another episode sitting in proofing, and 'plenty' of time to write another episode, and I have a good idea of what needs to happen in that one, and the ones subsequent. "A hundred lines a day..."
28 April 2003
Finally, some vindication for MY Tuck story.
>I now understand one thing, it was nice and then scary to have >all the extras stripped away (parties and field days) and get to >the meat of the stories. Getting to the meat that fast [meant] >getting to the END fast. I really dont want that.!!
See? There's a REASON I made you go through so many episodes where 'nothing' happened.
Also, during writing, I encountered the damnable question, What's the difference between a shrimp and a prawn?
Naturally, I got more than one answer. Here's some distilled wisdom on the topic, links one, two, and three.
Or to summarize: unless you're a marine biologist (or taking a marine biology class), there really isn't a difference that is consistent.
In direct Tuck news, I have Now+2 about half finished, and Now+1 is shaping up nicely. Although, you'd better generate some enthusiasm for MY series, or I'll hold back release until you do...
Rachel: see? I wasn't worried, because I knew I had 'em hooked. =)
26 April 2003
Haha, silly me; I thought releasing a Tuck episode on the same day as a fan fiction might make the fan fiction sort of disappear beneath notice. Judging by the approximate doubling of the size of my guestbook in the last week, none of which is directed at me, I'd have to conclude that isn't the case.
That's fine; I saved mine until this weekend anyway.
19 April 2003
First, the 'new Tuck' is a fanfiction, but not JUST a fanfiction; it's the longest one by far that I've received yet, it's fantastic, and I have a great desire to see more. So will you, after you read it.
So, put your comments in the guestbook for Rachel, or use your little brains and send her an email, thanking her for the tremendous amount of effort she put into this and worshipping her imagination and creativity.
If you don't, I'll know, and I won't be pleased with you. YES YOU!
Vision upgraded, I now have an extra week to twiddle Tuck episodes, which is good, because this Now+1 episode can use a little more twiddling, and while I think I've got it, I need to integrate it into the next one, and re-work that one as well, and then have the proofers go over it with their bloody keyboards and mice to make sure I haven't screwed it up again. But the Next One is essentially done, and the one after that is probably more than done, which leftovers will provide a crystallization seed for Now+3...
14 April 2003
No writing this time to announce, but I did get out all the mail, make major proofing revisions on the Now+1 episode, and survive an attack of Volcanic Colon, about which I will not speak directly. But it did enervate me quite a bit, and I spent quite a while dazedly reading and wishing I could sleep.
Next, vision upgrade. And more email, more revision/proofing, and more Tuck.
Sometime in here I gotta get the concessions stand going...
7 April 2003
Two episodes in proofing. Two in, what, less than a month? I feel rather pleased with myself.
And this one is... interesting. *evil grin*
6 April 2003
Despite this being the shortest night of the year - due to US Daylight Saving Time, the clocks theoretically advanced from 01:59 directly to 03:00, do not pass Go do not collect sixty minutes - I seem to have written a large amount of a new episode of Tuck. More than half, anyway. With luck, and fortune, and most importantly me getting off my mental ass again Real Soon, I could have this finished within the week.
Which means I'd be that much more confident about putting out #95 Real Soon too.
Which can't be anything but good, right?
Proofers to your stations! Full speed ahead!
3 April 2003
A new Tuck episode is finally out, and I've still got another one in reserve. More writing to come; I can feel it.
And, today is Tuck's Birthyday! Celebrate! Preferably in some subversive and non-conformist way, that scares the mundanes... he'd like it that way.
30 March 2003
Seems so easy now, I wonder why I stopped...
New first-draft Tuck now in proofing. New episode coming out on Tuck's Birthyday. Eat some cake and do something subversive to celebrate.
I still don't feel like doing the character listing yet, but the night is young...
23 March 2002
Well, it's not actually new art - since I've had some of it for months and months - but most of you haven't seen it, and some of them I don't think have been seen at all. So, I finally got around to putting them up.
No new writing as of yet, but you might've noticed that a week or two hiatus in email has now been cleared; you might also notice that I finally put up the fan art like I was supposed to long ago. This is Good; this is Positive Motion.
Next, I have some fan-fictions... and then it's either a new episode of Tuck, or the character listing, or - just barely possible within the physical laws of this universe - both. Don't hold your breath for both, though.
And keep visualizing Ellen Writing New Tuck. It's helping; I keep having these weird dreams...
Later:
I changed my mind about doing the fan fiction editing I'm supposed to
do. Instead, I went and wrote about 40% of a new Tuck episode, which is
the first time I've written anything new in like months.
Anyone mind?
4 March 2003
Well, work has become a major problem; I am trying to get around it, but
if this keeps up you can expect MAJOR delays in Tuck compared to the
last year or so - I just do not have the time lately at work, and I am
no longer used to writing at home.
On the other hand, I have been coming closer and closer to quitting,
which would give me plenty of time to write until I got evicted.
As for a character listing...
The idea, I always thought, was bad - mainly because I've seen them in the fronts of other books, and they give a lot away, usually. You may have noticed that Tuck is full of surprising revelations about characters, yes? I would really hate for those surprises to be given away wholesale by a character listing. That is why I have rejected all such ideas before now; fear that they would give too much away, like Cliff Notes.
And I'd really REALLY hate it if someone was distributing one 'behind my
back' as it were. I mean, really intensely hate it.
You know who you are...
But on the other hand, what Ol' Mo came up with, which is a fairly sparse listing that (importantly) doesn't give anything away, is actually a decent idea.
So, if I get a listing (or several listings) that allow me to strip out the detail I don't want people to 'cheat' on - it's been a fucking effort to write it; people should make the fucking effort to read it if they want to know what's going on - then I'd be happy to put that up as a publically accessible thing.
21 February 2003
Looks like I remembered to put a new Tuck up today. Be Happy.
Now, visualize Ellen Writing New Episodes.
...
Also, there are a few more fan-fictions and SickTime endings on the way, if everyone else will stop imitating me and actually keep writing and revising like they are supposed to. One of them is really long and really excellent; the rest are somewhat less than 300k of text *grin* but nonetheless I look forward to putting them up as well.
19 February 2003
NO the Tuck series is NOT ending anytime soon (unless I die in a completely unexpected fashion).
NO fan-fiction is NOT impeding my writing.
NO neither are emails.
NO neither is Real Life (TM).
I just have not been in the mood lately. I had a semi-decent string of about two years or so, and I think I needed some time off. So, I've been taking it. I've been reading instead of writing, and doing the occasional bit of research into Tuck and other topics. Tuck is still on my mind - the little bugger seems to have written himself into ROM somehow; I'll never get rid of him - and I have some idea of what I'm doing next, and where everything is going in the next few weeks/months of Tuck. If anything, I have a hurdle occupying a couple of hours at most, and it's not very high, I just have not been that interested in getting over it.
This is slowly changing. I'm starting to miss writing, rather than dread it, and I am also running out of books I want to re-read. *grin*
I am also re-reading the entire thing, start to finish, which takes a while. Not that long for me, but there's these other books too...
And I'm putting up a new episode this coming weekend. So there.
22 January 2003
2 new fan fictions up, and I like them both. Also, there are two SickTime endings in the editing/revision pipeline, and I am still (always) accepting more for that story...
18 January 2003
Nope, not this weekend. But, I'm working on it.
I feel a little weird - I actually had to write out a timeline about what is going to happen in the next six weeks so that I could keep it all straight in my head. It's been a long time, like maybe never, I've had such a complicated set of situations to juggle around.
Also, there are several fanfictions on the way. If you haven't sent me a revised copy in the last week, and you wrote one and it's not up yet, send it again ASAP - formatted with hard carriage returns at 75 columns, or Save As MS-DOS Text With Line Breaks for you wusers out there. I don't quite remember who you are, but I can find out.
2 January 2003
Starting off the new year (in some calendars) right this time, by finishing the episode of Tuck that I was working on, as well as a few other things.
Let's hope this year is a lot better writing-wise than the last one, which really wasn't a good productive year...
28 December 2002
Have a present from Ellen...
And remember, Ellen likes fan mail. Ellen is also close to done with another first draft.
18 December 2002
The links check is done - thanks to everyone who helped!
As for Tuck, I was so happy at getting the links done tonight that I am now up to about half a chapter of new first draft. Isn't that nice?
Now if the power won't go out any more...
11 December 2002
Eris was not kind. I have, however, persevered... slowly.
On the good side of the ledger, I'd forgotten I'd written about 25% of the Field Day episode already, so I'm that much further ahead than I thought.
On another note, it's about time for the semi-annual Review Ellen's Links Section. If you want to help, pick a section, check all the links in that section, and tell me the broken ones. I don't need to know the ones that work - wastes my time, slows me down even further, which I don't think we need at this point do we class?
15 November 2002
Well, Tuck is coming along in what I see as dribbles, but it's coming along. Haha, the old writer's dictum of "Sit down and WRITE, you dumbass! SOMEthing!" [wildly paraphrased] seems to work wonders. You'd think I'd know that one by now...
And, for this quarter's Audience Participation, someone needs to name the cat... it's quite young, maybe nine weeks old, male, and a long-haired orange tabby. Despite appearances, it sustained no permanent damage from its abuse - the vet checked it out pretty well, and let it come home, so we know it's okay.
Come up with the best name, and a reason for the name ("It's cool" or "I just like it" is fine) and a handle to attribute the name to if you win, and you'll be Mentioned In Dispatches.
If you have a better 'color' or description, or can point me to a good high-quality picture of a good-looking cat on the Web, I'd even change the official appearance of the cat. No Persians, crossed-eyed Siamese, or 'weird' or unusual breeds like Russian Blues or Manxes - I want it to look like a cat, not a cat-that-someone-slammed-its-head-into-a-wall-face-first or a cat-with-its-tail-missing. You know, a real cat, Felis Domesticus.
9 November 2002
Well, I got this one out... but the 'replacement' first draft of Now+3 is nowhere near finished. I think I'm either avoiding something, or I need some old Asian dude to beat me with a stick for a while. Can't tell from here.
Maybe I can get a little done tonight, now that I'm thinking about it...
30 October 2002
On track and moving forward... looks like PERHAPS the next episode will be out in a fortnight, rather than a fortnight-and-a-half. Go look it up.
And, let's all be careful the next few days... for those of you that don't know the original reason for this upcoming holiday, it's not to spend money, have parties, and eat candy. It's to confuse the ghosts and spirits that come through from Beyond, on one of the nights when the wall grows thin.
26 October 2002
I didn't realize it had been quite that long, but here's another episode...
Must write more, must write more...
23 October 2002
Tuck is delayed again from the usual fortnightly release, but that's the way it goes sometimes. I dunno. Life is hard, and sometimes the hardest thing for me is to just sit down and DO. I've been doing other things at night lately, though those of you that are sending email know that I am keeping up with that, pretty much.
Looks like another episode will go out around the end of this week, though. So you can stop holding your breath...
10 October 2002
Why, someone has already asked, has Tuck been removed from
Sapphire's site?
Here's why.
27 September 2002
Some days go better than others, of course... at least I finally got this one out. And I don't want to hear any complaints from English majors or theater types about what I took liberties with.
Everything else needs those damned rewrites... *sigh* I'd really feel awesome if I could get more of it on the first try, but I can't. At least I'm sparing YOU.
21 September 2002
What's a good day's worth of writing for me? A quarter of an entire episode.
This looks like it may just be one of the better days. *grins* You know the writing's going well when I keep forgetting to take the cough syrup which is within easy reach. Until I start dry-coughing, of course.
Next episode will be out when it completes proofing, which should be any day now, I hope.
18 September 2002
Well, I haven't added much lately; that's because I haven't written much lately. RL and illness, plus a general malaise, have kept me down, so to speak. But I got some done tonight.
6 September 2002
Looks like the unofficial Tuck fan site and discussion area is at http://tuckerspawn.ateros.com
Throw in your two cents...
I am assured by the owner/operator that the registration information is collected only by the locally-run software, and not mailed off to some corporation for collection and spam purposes. If this turns out to be a false assurance, well... I like vengeance. Anyway, it's not too bad, and I'm checking there a lot. I like reading about Tuck as much as you do.
And, oh yeah, Tuck #87 is now up. And another episode is finished enough to go into proofing, thus maintaining three in the pipeline. Not as good as the six or eight, but better than I've been doing for a while... and I don't feel quite done yet tonight.
As for paper-printing... I'm still looking into it. It looks like initial cost is going to be in the $500-1000 range (probably closer to the low end) for the first X episodes in paperback, for which X is not defined yet. I'm gonna have to do market surveys amongst you to see what you'd prefer, 'more cheaper' or 'fewer bigger more-expensive'. Letters of inquiry are going out, slowly...
3 September 2002
I gotta sit my ass down one of these days and just WRITE - maybe some
tonight, but I'm missing those six-hour blitz sessions I used to have.
Damnit.
Anyway, with the addition of some minor corrections and a few additions
in story arc, I think I have most of September plotted out.
But, that's not why I'm writing this tonight...
There has been a Big To-Do (who knew, what you'd do, you otaku you!)
lately about me (or someone) publishing Tuck in a paper format.
Don't think I wasn't paying attention.
And, here's what's going on in my head:
Later: half done with Now+4 ...
23 August 2002
Episode 86 is released, I have three more in proofing and one first
draft about a third done. Something plotwise has been causing a lot of
thought, which takes away from writing Tuck, since I can only torture
the poor brat while I'm thinking about him. Hopefully, I have it
somewhat figured out at this point, and the proofers won't projectile
vomit on it.
I'd tell you more, but that would spoil the surprise. Surprises.