Friday, September 29, 2006

Naughty Behavior and Other Stories

Weekend Assignment #131: We've all got a little bit of a devil inside. Share a (small) moment in your past where you did something a little less than entirely ethical. I'm not thinking of moments that could, you know, have you tracked down by the police because the statute of limitations is about to expire: Those big trangressions against the law and morality you should probably not reveal here. We're talking a little bit bad here.

Extra credit: Devil's food cake vs. Angel's food cake: Which do you prefer?

Humph. I wasn't expecting a kind of Spanish Inquisition. But then again, nobody does.

This is not my Favorite Topic Ever. I feel guilty even thinking about the subject, and frankly, I have enough guilt in my life. Even before I get to actual, clear-cut sins, I can feel guilty about lack of diet and exercise, lack of sleep, the friend I promised to call two weekends ago and haven't phoned yet, the dishes in the sink and the laundry on the floor. Then there's the backlog at work I can't seem to get caught up on, which is only partly my fault.

I was always behind on my work in my Worldwide Travel days, too, especially after I a) started school and b) started blogging. I don't blog at work any more, but I occasionally did so at Worldwide Travel. These days I mostly just keep the Outpost open, and refresh about once an hour, in case I got a comment. (Pathetic, ain't it?)

The other major distraction toward the end of my decade-plus at my previous job was schoolwork. When I was at the University of Phoenix, I also sometimes finished writing papers at work on the day they were due.

I've tried to make up the time spent on such things by staying late, but I usually didn't quite manage it. Really, though, if I worked eight hours nonstop, my brain would be even mushier than it usually is at work, and I wouldn't get that much more done. Other people chat at work, or go outside and smoke. I check my watchlist. But I really shouldn't.

That's it. That's my big confession. How about you folks? Do you blog at the office? Do you work on school stuff? Watch videos? Do something else you shouldn't?

On the angel food / devil's food question, I used to be quite fond of the light, sweet squishiness of angel food, but I haven't had it in years. I suspect it wouldn't appeal as much to me now. On the other hand, it's hard to go wrong with chocolate. Just don't let it get dry from overbaking or staleness or a bad recipe, and don't put some horrible sweet icing on it. Whipped cream-based will be fine.

*****

Earlier tonight, after some gentle prodding by Sarah (not Sara), I finally finished writing and posting my serial The Jace Letters. I crammed four emails instead of the usual one or two into the conclusion of this all-email, epistolary story of a godmother who has been kidnapped out of normal space/time, and the goddaughter who teaches herself physics in order to rescue her.

Now I need to figure out what to post next in my fiction blog, preferably something I can post on schedule without too much trauma. Those of you who read my fiction, or may want to read it in the future: what would you like to see next? Your choices are as follows:

Black Rose Katie Spacks
  1. Black Rose Kate's Own Story - a bit of autobiography Kate left behind in one of my spiral notebooks

  2. Letters from Mâvarin - written by various characters at key moments in their lives

  3. What About the Children? - a Mâvarin prequel that I got stuck on years ago

  4. Joshua Wander. Art by Sherlock.
  5. My Favorite Ghost - a Joshua Wander story I've been holding back to preserve its salability (besides, I'm stuck!)

  6. Something else entirely - the catch is, YOU have to suggest the premise, and I have to like it enough to do it!
Rani Fost. Art by SherlockWhat say you? Shall Katie Specks regale you with the story of her escape from normalcy? Would you like to know about Del and Crel and Rani as children? Are you curious how a reluctant ghost gets a novice wizard off the hook after they're framed for armed robbery? Does the idea of Mâvarin apocrypha appeal to you? Or are you dying to see what I'd do with that fun idea you've been kicking around? Let me know, okay? Kate, Jace, Rani, Josh and I thank you.

*****

The next Round Robin Photo Challenge, "ABCs of Autumn," has a posting date of Wednesday, October 4th. The idea, courtesy of TJ, is to post Autumn-related pictures based on your first and last initials. For example, this is a Kinetic Bird (KB), a hummingbird that is still in Tucson in September. (This photo is actually a rerun from the Round Robin blog's announcement entry. I hope you don't mind!) Click here for info on that particular challenge, and to RSVP if you'd like to participate. Everyone is welcome!

Karen


1 comment:

Becky said...

The ghost story sounds good... so does What About The Children. I know I could come up with an original story idea...but the baby and I need to get to bed. LOL