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Post by Phalon on Jan 8, 2008 1:57:29 GMT -6
They liked it! They liked it! Shhhh, shhhh, I know it's the middle of the night and I should be asleep, but I'm just so excited, my brain won't turn off......or the rain pelting on the roof is keeping me awake; probably a mix of the two.
I received an e-mail from the editor of a magazine with a nation-wide distribution, "I love the piece … it’s refreshingly well written...". They accepted my piece for publication, are "looking for another voice" for their gardening/horticultural department, and wonder if I can come up with 3 or more articles for their 2009 issues. (The magazine sets their editorial calendar a year in advance!)
This is exciting for me. The magazine has been in publication for forever, over a hundred and twenty years, and it's not huge - it's got a circulation of approximately only 150, 000 supscriptions. Not the big-time, but a bigger small time than what I've been published in previously. And though it's not enough to quit my day job, they pay over three and a half times more per article than what I've typically been receiving for articles of the same length. It's more of a pat-myself-on-the-back, yay me kinda thing.
Ok - now that I've gotten that outta my system, I return you to your regularly scheduled sleep pattern....or whatever else you might regularly be doing at this time.
Hiya Dobs....shouldn't you be sleeping also?
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Post by katina2nd on Jan 8, 2008 6:49:41 GMT -6
Well of course they liked it Lady P, the mag hasn't been going for over a hundred and twenty years because it's run by idiots, they obviously know quality writing when they see it. You have every right to be excited, and to give yourself a pat on the back, it's quite an achievement and another step up the literary ladder. Not enough to quit your day job you say, what you need is an agent, how does twelve and a half percent sound? Right I'm off to bed now, you're not gonna start yelling again are you? P.S. I'm SERIOUSLY pleased for you Lady P.
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Post by moonglum on Jan 8, 2008 14:54:10 GMT -6
The noise was deafening. Dancing, cheering, whooping and hollering. I opened the window. A crowd was gathering at the waters edge. "What's going on mate," I called to someone. "It's some woman, over the other side of the pond. I think she's being publicised." "I don't care what they're doing to her, some of us are trying to sleep," I replied.
Seriously, well done Phalon. If I had longer arms, I'd give you that well-deserved pat-on-the-back.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jan 8, 2008 16:41:36 GMT -6
Yay, Phalon! You go girl!
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Post by Phalon on Jan 8, 2008 22:36:56 GMT -6
No, no - I'm done yelling, Katina. Sorry to have woke you, Moonglum - I forgot how sound carried over the water.
Thanks everyone. As I said - it's not a huge thing, but big enough for me.
Now, if I were to have an agent..... Twelve and a half percent sounds good, Katina; we've got a deal as long as you agree to provide a bottomless pot of sludge....and no turning your nose up at the aroma.
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Post by Siren on Jan 8, 2008 23:19:59 GMT -6
Fan-damn-tastic, Gams!! I'm so very proud of you, and happy for you!! "refreshingly well-written" - yeah, that's you. And I bet it is indeed refreshing for her to read a piece by someone who's not only passionate and knowledgeable about gardening and horticulture, but is a good writer. So many "experts" are just plain boring. Lucky editor, to find you! Yay, Yay, Yay! I'm so happy!
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Post by Phalon on Jan 9, 2008 8:28:46 GMT -6
Thanks, Siren! And yeah - BOLL - I can get passionate about plants...maybe a bit too passionate about them at times - both those I think are great, and those I'm passionate about in my distaste for them, (I should never try to sell barberry to customers - I hate them, and end up listing their faults instead of extolling their virtues, of which I see none).
Hubs proofed the article for me. Nice dear, (his standard opening), but all this fuss over one little plant? Pfft - it happens to be a big plant, weren't you reading? I still remember him proofing one of the first things I ever sent out; his response then was, Nice spelling, Dear. "Uhm...I used spellcheck." "Well, it works."
I need to find a new proof-reader.
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Post by katina2nd on Jan 12, 2008 21:04:34 GMT -6
Now, if I were to have an agent..... Twelve and a half percent sounds good, Katina; we've got a deal as long as you agree to provide a bottomless pot of sludge....and no turning your nose up at the aroma. You have a deal Lady P, all the coffee you can drink, and no complaints from me. I'll even take over the proof reading from Hubs if you'd like, as long as it doesn't include placing all those little thingies, you know, commas, punctuation marks etc. etc. in the correct place, otherwise you'll need a proof reader to check my proof reading.
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Desire
Whooshite Apprentice
You may conquer with the sword, but you are conquered by a kiss.
Posts: 218
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Post by Desire on Jan 13, 2008 10:08:35 GMT -6
Woohooo good job.
Yeah i'd be good with spelling too, for the most part, but comma's no count me out, as you can see I decide to ere/air/err (so maybe I'm not good with spelling hmm) on the side of caution with commas and stick them anywhere and everywhere hoping they are right.
But yes good job.
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Post by Siren on Jan 13, 2008 22:53:15 GMT -6
Just poking my head in to say "welcome back, Desire". Good to see you!
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Post by Phalon on Jan 14, 2008 0:00:25 GMT -6
Same here, Desire. Though I whispered hello in one of the word threads, wondering how you're doing and whatcha been up to?
And you and Katina are more than welcome to ere/air/err out my dirty comma laundry; I throw them in but never wash them out. I figure you both can randomly red-line through 12 and a half percent each for a total of twenty-five percent of the commas I randomly throw in, and there'd still be more than enough to go around.
As the saying goes, "If I had a nickel for every comma I misplaced, I'd be a very rich woman." Ok, so it doesn't go like that....but it should.
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Post by Phalon on Jan 26, 2008 22:25:10 GMT -6
Remember this, Siren?
We all met this afternoon, and "as bitter as an old maid's memoirs" got a round of "ooooo"s and "ahhhhh"s. I think it would have made Leon smile.
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Post by Siren on Jan 29, 2008 9:04:08 GMT -6
Lol! Oh yes, Gams, he'd have loved it. Thank you for remembering him.
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Post by Grrlpower on Jan 29, 2008 18:40:44 GMT -6
Congratulations Phalon. You have a knack of making things interesting and appreciating the things most people walk by every day and don't even notice.
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Post by Phalon on Jan 30, 2008 6:47:08 GMT -6
Oh!!!!! Can it really be?! It has to....that wiggle is unmistakable.
GP! How've you been, and whatcha been up to all this time?
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Post by Phalon on Feb 23, 2008 23:14:17 GMT -6
Have you ever had a momentary lapse of reason; a minute of forgetfulness, carelessness, or just plain stupidity? One of those times where you've said to yourself, "how could I have been such an idiot?!"
I had a meeting at the library today. I had DVDs to return to the video store, and even though I was running late, I didn't want the DVDs sitting on the front seat of the car for the three hours or so that the meeting would last. I stopped at the video store first. Locking the car for once while at the library didn't occur to me. Same for throwing the DVDs in the glove compartment, out of plain sight. Besides, the video store is right across the street from the library; returning them first would only make me a few minutes later than I already was.
Pulled in the parking lot, left the car running, jumped out, and ran into the store. I turned around, and noticed a car slowly moving across the parking lot. It only took me a moment to realize the car had no driver, and was headed for a line of parked cars. Just a split-second later I recognized the car as my own.
Ran out, fast as lightning, jumped back into the car, and hit the brakes with just a couple feet to spare; a couple of seconds later and my driverless car would have rear-ended another car. I wonder what I would have been charged with? Besides stupidity, I mean. Driving reckless? Driverless wrecking?
Apparently in my rush, I left the car in drive! I am so lucky the parking lot has a slight incline, and my car was driving uphill. Also lucky I got rid of my Butterscotch shrew years prior. That thing idled at twenty, and would have been across the parking lot before I even entered the store.
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Post by katina2nd on Feb 24, 2008 5:10:08 GMT -6
Have you ever had a momentary lapse of reason; a minute of forgetfulness, carelessness, or just plain stupidity? One of those times where you've said to yourself, "how could I have been such an idiot?!" Well pull up a comfy chair, brew a large pot of coffee, and I'll answer that question for you Lady P, probably easier if I start with today and work backward. Good thing you looked back, even better that you have cat like reflexes and gazelle like speed or you could have been answering some awkward questions, "How fast were you traveling at the point of impact Ma'am?" "Errrr well "I" wasn't actually traveling at all Officer" "Right Ma'am, but how come you failed to see the cars in front of you?" "Errrr because I was across the street at the time Officer" "Riiiiight, well I'd just like you to blow into this bag if you don't mind Ma'am" "Okay Officer." Seriously though, glad things turned out okay, just shows how easy it is for accidents to happen, a momentary lapse of concentration is all it requires I guess.
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Post by Phalon on Apr 16, 2008 21:56:11 GMT -6
Hhmmm....last posts here, over a month ago, were about my run-away car. The saga continues, I suppose.
My brake lines on the old B!tch burst....or more accurately as best I can explain whatever it was the mechanic was telling me, the valve thingies that have something to do with the brake lines went bad, causing brake fluid to run in a steady stream from the car whenever I apply the brakes. I didn't quite catch exactly what he was saying because after he told me how much it would cost to replace those valve thingies, which have to be ordered, I kinda blotted everything else out. Not too bad, I suppose, in the realm of what car repairs could cost, but much more than I thought it would be. Sigh.
Previous to my runaway car post here, I mentioned a magazine was interested in an article I'd written. I received copies of the magazine with my printed article, and a check for $350 on Monday. I handed it all over to the mechanic today - the $350, that is......too bad my mechanic has no use for a plant article; trade a little plant knowledge for valve thingies would have been cool with me. Ah well, it's a wash.
And what is it they say? It all comes out in the wash, and when it rains, it pours, and if your laundry is hanging out to dry while it's pouring, you're tough outta luck. Or something like that. And if you can't do laundry, you're even worse off. And I can't do laundry - we have no water.
Three-fifty for car repairs, I can handle. God-only-knows-what-ungodly-amount for plumbing and reconstruction work, I'm sure I can't. What is it with me and leaking lines today? Our water line somewhere between the first and second floor burst. Currently, we had to shut the water to the house off, and only turn it back on in the morning for quick showers and stuff.
Who knows how old the plumbing is; the house is over 100 years old, and I believe it was built without plumbing originally. We replaced the downstairs plumbing years ago - that was easy, because the pipes just ran through the floor to the basement. The upstairs pipes run through floors, ceilings, and walls, and again, god-only-knows-where, made of god-only-knows-what. Oh! this is gonna be a mess - a mess much sooner than later, I hope. Waiting for an appointment with the plumber is like waiting for a dentist appointment - you don't really want either, but it's a necessity, and want to get it over with as soon as possible.
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Post by Phalon on Apr 18, 2008 6:01:28 GMT -6
I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for that hideous dropped ceiling that I've hated since the day we moved in. The break in the pipe is just above the original plaster ceiling in the living room, and the plumber can go through the drop ceiling to get to it, without tearing through the walls. An easy patch job with some dry-wall after the pipes are replaced will do until we get around to re-doing the whole ceiling; the quick-repair will be hidden by the dropped ceiling tiles.
The plumber also found what we could not.....water shut-off valves to whole upstairs. Like so many things in an old house that has be added onto, changed, and "upgraded" throughout the decades, things are not in the places where you'd think they should be. Whoever added the plumbing to the upstairs, put the shut-offs between the basement ceiling joists.
We now have water downstairs, while the water upstairs remains turned off until the plumber can get the repairs done......sometime next week....maybe. Sigh.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 18, 2008 23:40:38 GMT -6
LMAO, and eyeroll. Sheesh, reading through this last page, and it seems this bottom-of-the-barrel had-to-be-dug-from-the-basement thread has become stories of my personal woe.
<shrug>
And so the woeful saga continues.
I've been fighting in the Trojan War the last couple of days. Who the hell opened the damned door, and let the horse in?
Computer's been infected with a Trojan Horse, and though I think I've won a few battles, it keeps coming back for more.
Maybe now's the time to finally break down and buy a new computer. 'Til that happens, or until I get this one back on its feet with a clean bill of health, I'm staying off-line.
Just wanted to say "hey", and see you all when I see you. Say "hi" to Mom and the kids. Give Uncle Albert a hug from me, and Aunt Mildew a peck on the cheek. There's beer in the fridge, and help yourselves to whatever's in the kitchen.
Later, Sweet Taters.
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Post by katina2nd on Aug 19, 2008 0:29:53 GMT -6
*Sob* Hurry back Lady P, missing you already.
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Post by Siren on Aug 19, 2008 8:26:21 GMT -6
Dang, Gams! I miss you, too.
Stupid horse!
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Post by Mini Mia on Aug 19, 2008 17:56:53 GMT -6
I swear those things are getting really bad. It seems someone figured out how to get them to download without permission and without even letting you know it's doing so. I've thought seriously of going with a Mac/Apple computer, simply because they are less prone to infections.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 19, 2008 22:38:21 GMT -6
Ding dong, the horse is dead....or actually the old computer is....or maybe they're both just put out to pasture. Didn't think you'd get rid of me that easily, did you? I got a new computer....it was long overdue, but I'm not adjusting too well to the new one. Everything is so different. Spent much of the evening trying to recover files and programs from the old; lost much of it, I'm afraid. Hubs and I - what a team! It's like the blind-in-one-eye with the-other-eye closed, leading the blind-in-one-eye with her-hand-over-the-other-eye-because-it's-too-scary-to-watch. Splitting headache; I'm going to bed. Sweet dreams. Goodnight, Mordy, wherever you are. (I think I really did scare her off - hope that's not the case.)
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Post by Scrappy Amazon on Aug 20, 2008 23:06:32 GMT -6
Ok so....phone call from Madam P today. Unfortunately the new computer is toast too. Apprently the same thing that infected her old computer killed her brand new one. And when I say killed I mean DEAD. It won't even turn on now. So....she says to tell you all she will be back as soon as possible. Even if she has to brave the library biddy to do it.
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Post by katina2nd on Aug 21, 2008 1:30:18 GMT -6
*Insert appropriate expletive here*
That's really bad news, hope Lady P didn't lose to much data, and that she'll be back again soon.
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Post by moonglum on Aug 21, 2008 4:53:50 GMT -6
Sorry to hear about yor problems, Phalon. Only just caught up with this thread, been busy running around after two grand-daughters. (It's like having the 8th Army staying with you).
Computers, don't you just love them. When they work properly, they are 'twitchy'; when they don't, they are a pain. I've been building and using them for 30 odd years and they never change! Bring back the ZX81. LOL.
Hope you sort it out soon, missing you.
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Post by vox on Aug 21, 2008 10:33:55 GMT -6
Ditto from me too! speak again soon!
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Post by Phalon on Aug 22, 2008 6:14:56 GMT -6
Two Trojans, and an Angelina later, I'm back once again.
Scraps was right - the new computer died....completely. Nothing was left after I got through with it. After the "Physical Dump" occurred - Windows, and everything else was erased, leaving the thing as nothing but an empty hull.
Could have been the virus; could it be just me? LMAO. A handful of zapped cordless phones, a television that turns back on by itself after I've turned it off - without a picture, but with the sound coming through loud and clear, and automatic car windows that wouldn't roll down for a week, but worked fine a week later, (after my touch-it-and-it-breaks phase had ended that time around) - I am beginning to think there is actually some truth to me joking that there are certain times that I shouldn't touch anything mechanical or electrical. In a Saturn of events, the planets must have been aligned just right this week, causing the computer to blow when I touched it. The phase of the full moon coinciding with my cycle means death to electronic equipment, it seems.
My free-spirited Earth Mother-type friend swears this is entirely possible. She actually read of other instances of this type of weird phenomenon occurring. It's all linked to "Ohmmm" - you know, that basic meditation chant, and also that thing you see on electrical equipment "ohm". Apparently, I am suppose to chant when I feel these phases coming on, making myself one with the electricity instead of clashing with it. (eye-roll)
Regardless of whether I ohm, or don't ohm....and don't phone ohm, ET, when Phalon's around; the phone will blow up....I learned a lot about this latest experience. Some of it may even be helpful to some of you with even way more technical savvy than my computer illiterate self.
I'll post later. I've got to get to work now.....if my truck will start.
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Post by vox on Aug 22, 2008 9:14:05 GMT -6
Welcome Back Phalon! you were missed!
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