On huge decisions, signs, rejections and politics

Yesterday I got a call from SB saying that he was at the college, and could I come by to hang out. I drove up there and he told me that he was waiting on his friend to get out of class to take him home. I was like, Eff that, I never get to see my boy, so I drove him home instead. It was great because it's a long car ride and we got to talk about tons of important things.

He's currently taking classes at the campus where I went for four years and as we were leaving the parking lot he said to me, "I used to come here as a baby when you would get picked up from here. Now, you're picking me up in the same parking lot."

I went, O_O.

Back at their house, I got to briefly see Jo-chan and she is completely tied to school, homework, and a mad job that is devouring her adolescence. I'm sorry, Jo-chan.

It was so good to see both of them.

So anyway, one day soon, when I get it all clear and tidied up, with names taken out to protect the guilty, I am going to post the weird, random-fandom trajectory that has me readying to apply to holistic medical school.

But for tonight, suffice it to say that once I come back from vaca, I am digging up my transcript and trying to navigate the mad crazy mess that is financial aid, scholarships and grants.

Guess what? I got the rejection letter from the publisher's today. It's a good letter! It's not a form letter, it's a real one, and the guy tells me that it is too difficult to break a new author into their company without it being a sure-fire commercial success. He also tells me to keep on trying etc., you know, all the stuff they always tell you so as not to come across as a dick. They're just doing their business. It's all cool.

I'm glad it came so quickly; I wasn't expecting it till like December or something. Now I can start again with a different company. The only thing is, it's such a pain because the next company wants three chapters, a cover letter, a synopsis chapter by chapter, blah blah blah, all this annoying stuff. >_< It was easier to just send the whole damn thing out without having to talk too much.

And so I work my way across the list! ^_^

It's funny that this letter came today, right? The day after I decided what I'm doing?

Something's up, you know? The publisher in question was DAW. That's the license plate I kept seeing. It's so odd how I got the letter today, the day after talking to the woman at the medical college. If the ms. had been accepted, I probably would not have bothered with college. I think that's why I kept seeing DAW: I had to submit it not so that it would be accepted, but so that it would be rejected!

Okay, I am for sure going back to school, universe! Really! ^_^

But I am also not going to quite sending the ms. out.

Next up: Edge/Tesseract!

Word.

And then there was politics. I hope no one minds if I copy and paste something that happened today. This is something that happens to me a lot frequently. I know a lot of people who hate the Bush administration, hate what is happening to the country, hate our rights disappearing along with the climate, and hate the war. Yet they are not going to vote for Obama. Because of personal reasons of "trust" or "it's just not right" or "it doesn't feel right" or whatever, they are just going to not vote at all. They are going to give away their vote to McCain, really. Anyway, here's what I say to that.

You don't have to LIKE Obama. He doesn't have to be "for you" and he doesn't have to "fit" you. It's not about personalities or feelings or trust or these other nebulous ideas. It's not even about parties.

It's about protecting what is left of our rights and our world from further ruin. "I'm not going to vote for personal reasons" is a really dangerous stance to take when the stakes of the rest of the free world are so damn high.

McCain and Palin want to overturn Roe v. Wade. You can be sure they will make a case against homosexual marriage. They will continue the war (McCain has said this over and over again.) They are both ridiculously destructive to the environment. Bush overturned the 4th and 5th amendments and you can be sure that McCain will not only keep it this way, but will do even more damage.

The thing is, you could have McCain running against a piece of reanimated roadkill with lint for a VP, and you would still absolutely have to vote for the roadkill if you want to protect what's left.

Even if you hate Obama, he is all there is. Even if he got into office and did absolutely dick; even if he spray-painted inverted crosses all over the ceiling and peed on the walls, or if he bathed nightly in a vat of leeches, he would still be all there is to not complete the Bush agenda.

It's not about feelings or trust, parties, personalities, the media, or who "fits" what candidate. Those things can take a flying leap. What it comes down to is doing everything you possibly can to salvage what is left.

Of course, this all depends on where you stand on the issues. If you're okay with women being denied the right to choose--even in the circumstance of rape, this is--then don't vote. Not voting is your option. If you're all right with the war, not voting is your option. If you're all right with homosexuals being told how they may or may not live, not voting is your option. If you're all right with Planned Parenthood going under, not voting is your option. If you're all right with what's left of our resources and the environment going to hell, then not voting is your option.

But if that stuff bothers you at all, then Obama is the only option.

I also want to link to this, Jon Stewart on hypocrisy:

For the no-clickes or if the link gets taken down:
Wednesday night on "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart hit Karl Rove and Bill O'Reilly with damning evidence of their hypocrisy regarding Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

While Rove recently praised Palin's experience as the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Stewart showed video of Rove trashing Virginia Governor — and former Richmond Mayor — Tim Kaine's executive experience, listing all the cities that are bigger than Richmond and calling such a pick "political."

Then, after recent video of O'Reilly describing Bristol Palin's pregnancy as a family issue, Stewart showed a clip of the Fox News host blaming Jamie Lynn Spears' parents for her teenage pregnancy.

Finally, after showing video of Dick Morris complaining about the rampant sexism in the media coverage of Sarah Palin, Stewart unveiled a clip of Morris saying that Hillary hides behind the sexism defense, and that anytime "the big boys" pick on Hillary, "she retreats behind the apron strings."

"In Dick Morris' defense," Stewart said, "he is a lying sack of sh*t."

And, gacked from reanimated, if you think that there is no racism at all in this race from the Republican side, take a look.

Westmoreland was discussing vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's speech with reporters outside the House chamber and was asked to compare her with Michelle Obama.

"Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they're a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they're uppity," Westmoreland said.

I'm glad that Obama takes the high road; I think it will help him in the long run. I saw him take the political, conciliatory road on SpongePorn NoPants's show tonight, and that I didn't like. I hated it, but I got it. He can't go on there spouting about how the war on Turrism and how Humland Skurrity for Murrika is a bunch of jingoistic right-wingtards scratching their balls and beating their chests, he just can't. I get that.

But that doesn't mean that I can't get angry and spout off about it.

On huge decisions, signs, rejections and politics

Yesterday I got a call from SB saying that he was at the college, and could I come by to hang out. I drove up there and he told me that he was waiting on his friend to get out of class to take him home. I was like, Eff that, I never get to see my boy, so I drove him home instead. It was great because it's a long car ride and we got to talk about tons of important things.

He's currently taking classes at the campus where I went for four years and as we were leaving the parking lot he said to me, "I used to come here as a baby when you would get picked up from here. Now, you're picking me up in the same parking lot."

I went, O_O.

Back at their house, I got to briefly see Jo-chan and she is completely tied to school, homework, and a mad job that is devouring her adolescence. I'm sorry, Jo-chan.

It was so good to see both of them.

So anyway, one day soon, when I get it all clear and tidied up, with names taken out to protect the guilty, I am going to post the weird, random-fandom trajectory that has me readying to apply to holistic medical school.

But for tonight, suffice it to say that once I come back from vaca, I am digging up my transcript and trying to navigate the mad crazy mess that is financial aid, scholarships and grants.

Guess what? I got the rejection letter from the publisher's today. It's a good letter! It's not a form letter, it's a real one, and the guy tells me that it is too difficult to break a new author into their company without it being a sure-fire commercial success. He also tells me to keep on trying etc., you know, all the stuff they always tell you so as not to come across as a dick. They're just doing their business. It's all cool.

I'm glad it came so quickly; I wasn't expecting it till like December or something. Now I can start again with a different company. The only thing is, it's such a pain because the next company wants three chapters, a cover letter, a synopsis chapter by chapter, blah blah blah, all this annoying stuff. >_< It was easier to just send the whole damn thing out without having to talk too much.

And so I work my way across the list! ^_^

It's funny that this letter came today, right? The day after I decided what I'm doing?

Something's up, you know? The publisher in question was DAW. That's the license plate I kept seeing. It's so odd how I got the letter today, the day after talking to the woman at the medical college. If the ms. had been accepted, I probably would not have bothered with college. I think that's why I kept seeing DAW: I had to submit it not so that it would be accepted, but so that it would be rejected!

Okay, I am for sure going back to school, universe! Really! ^_^

But I am also not going to quite sending the ms. out.

Next up: Edge/Tesseract!

Word.

And then there was politics. I hope no one minds if I copy and paste something that happened today. This is something that happens to me a lot frequently. I know a lot of people who hate the Bush administration, hate what is happening to the country, hate our rights disappearing along with the climate, and hate the war. Yet they are not going to vote for Obama. Because of personal reasons of "trust" or "it's just not right" or "it doesn't feel right" or whatever, they are just going to not vote at all. They are going to give away their vote to McCain, really. Anyway, here's what I say to that.

You don't have to LIKE Obama. He doesn't have to be "for you" and he doesn't have to "fit" you. It's not about personalities or feelings or trust or these other nebulous ideas. It's not even about parties.

It's about protecting what is left of our rights and our world from further ruin. "I'm not going to vote for personal reasons" is a really dangerous stance to take when the stakes of the rest of the free world are so damn high.

McCain and Palin want to overturn Roe v. Wade. You can be sure they will make a case against homosexual marriage. They will continue the war (McCain has said this over and over again.) They are both ridiculously destructive to the environment. Bush overturned the 4th and 5th amendments and you can be sure that McCain will not only keep it this way, but will do even more damage.

The thing is, you could have McCain running against a piece of reanimated roadkill with lint for a VP, and you would still absolutely have to vote for the roadkill if you want to protect what's left.

Even if you hate Obama, he is all there is. Even if he got into office and did absolutely dick; even if he spray-painted inverted crosses all over the ceiling and peed on the walls, or if he bathed nightly in a vat of leeches, he would still be all there is to not complete the Bush agenda.

It's not about feelings or trust, parties, personalities, the media, or who "fits" what candidate. Those things can take a flying leap. What it comes down to is doing everything you possibly can to salvage what is left.

Of course, this all depends on where you stand on the issues. If you're okay with women being denied the right to choose--even in the circumstance of rape, this is--then don't vote. Not voting is your option. If you're all right with the war, not voting is your option. If you're all right with homosexuals being told how they may or may not live, not voting is your option. If you're all right with Planned Parenthood going under, not voting is your option. If you're all right with what's left of our resources and the environment going to hell, then not voting is your option.

But if that stuff bothers you at all, then Obama is the only option.

I also want to link to this, Jon Stewart on hypocrisy:

For the no-clickes or if the link gets taken down:
Wednesday night on "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart hit Karl Rove and Bill O'Reilly with damning evidence of their hypocrisy regarding Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

While Rove recently praised Palin's experience as the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Stewart showed video of Rove trashing Virginia Governor — and former Richmond Mayor — Tim Kaine's executive experience, listing all the cities that are bigger than Richmond and calling such a pick "political."

Then, after recent video of O'Reilly describing Bristol Palin's pregnancy as a family issue, Stewart showed a clip of the Fox News host blaming Jamie Lynn Spears' parents for her teenage pregnancy.

Finally, after showing video of Dick Morris complaining about the rampant sexism in the media coverage of Sarah Palin, Stewart unveiled a clip of Morris saying that Hillary hides behind the sexism defense, and that anytime "the big boys" pick on Hillary, "she retreats behind the apron strings."

"In Dick Morris' defense," Stewart said, "he is a lying sack of sh*t."

And, gacked from reanimated, if you think that there is no racism at all in this race from the Republican side, take a look.

Westmoreland was discussing vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's speech with reporters outside the House chamber and was asked to compare her with Michelle Obama.

"Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they're a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they're uppity," Westmoreland said.

I'm glad that Obama takes the high road; I think it will help him in the long run. I saw him take the political, conciliatory road on SpongePorn NoPants's show tonight, and that I didn't like. I hated it, but I got it. He can't go on there spouting about how the war on Turrism and how Humland Skurrity for Murrika is a bunch of jingoistic right-wingtards scratching their balls and beating their chests, he just can't. I get that.

But that doesn't mean that I can't get angry and spout off about it.

school, ms., new vet, pre-trip stuff

For anyone who missed it in the last post:

I am gearing up to go to the holistic medical school. I will likely start in January. Daw publishers rejected the manuscript and next I am sending it to Edge/Tesseract. Published or not, I will continue the medical school until the time at which they have a doctorate program (probably in a few years) and then hopefully continue to be a doctor of alternative medicine, or depending on which science they offer for the doctorate.

That's the best possible scenario.

I'm nervous, but not as nervous as I probably should be. I feel happy about it, but happiness is a weird thing for me. My default setting is "cheerful," that's why I'm so stupid sometimes. That's why I got stuck in that job for so long. I'm wired for happiness, so I let a lot of things go, and I tend to not move on when things get bad because, well, I get content really easily. Unless things go totally sour, I'm usually happyassing around with a stupid smile on my face, babbling about how green the grass is and how blue the sky.

A little discomfort does me some good sometimes.

In the meantime, today I took the Ninja Wizards to their new vet. She was really super nice, very attentive, and she thought my boys were hilarious. She gave Haku a Phycox nugget and he tried to roll in it. Good times.

On the agenda in the near future is, well, stretches of boredom broken up by this thing and that thing before I go to Florida. Tomorrow I'm going out with Mummy K. Monday I have Kung Fu. Wednesday I'm going to see Leathermouth and Reggie. Friday I have to drop Lohi'au and my birds off with Laura. Saturday I have to drop the dogs off at the new boarding facility, and then perhaps stop by Lao Shir's house for a while for a BBQ, and then to my folks' for the usual pre-trip dinner party thingie thing. Sunday I will probably clean the house top to bottom. Then on Monday we leave.

I keep getting my dates confused!

Anyway, that's where it's at today.

Oh, one more thing!

Gacked from backupdancer

Ann and Nancy Wilson respond to the Republicans' use of their music.

"The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission," it read. "We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored."

But after McCain finished his speech accepting the GOP's presidential nomination tonight, Palin joined him on stage, and the song was used again: Heart's "Barracuda" played as balloons fell. With that elephant in the room, Heart's Nancy Wilson felt compelled to personally respond. "I think it's completely unfair to be so misrepresented," she said in a phone call to EW.com after the speech. "I feel completely f---ed over." She and sister Ann Wilson then e-mailed the following exclusive statement:

"Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."

OMG, I ♥ Heart!

(no subject)

Wrong woman, wrong message.

Now what's this about Palin and wolves?


Ah, never mind, I found it: McCain's VP pick defends right to shoot wolves from planes.

Miller, D-Martinez, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, introduced federal legislation last year to end Alaska's policy of allowing people to shoot wolves from airplanes - a practice used to keep the number of wolves in check so they don't eat all the state's moose and caribou.

Miller - who has strong support from environmental groups around the country - deemed the kills cruel and unnecessary to preserve the moose and caribou population. What's more, he said, they violate federal law banning airborne hunting.

Faster than you can cry wolf, Palin told the East Bay congressman and his Washington pals to butt out.

What an utterly useless and destructive person.

(no subject)

Wrong woman, wrong message.

Now what's this about Palin and wolves?


Ah, never mind, I found it: McCain's VP pick defends right to shoot wolves from planes.

Miller, D-Martinez, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, introduced federal legislation last year to end Alaska's policy of allowing people to shoot wolves from airplanes - a practice used to keep the number of wolves in check so they don't eat all the state's moose and caribou.

Miller - who has strong support from environmental groups around the country - deemed the kills cruel and unnecessary to preserve the moose and caribou population. What's more, he said, they violate federal law banning airborne hunting.

Faster than you can cry wolf, Palin told the East Bay congressman and his Washington pals to butt out.

What an utterly useless and destructive person.