I’ve been largely offline for the past month due to… reasons. These have ranged from OMG deadlines, to recording audio books, to the Writing Excuses Retreat, to helping out with health care for a family member who had surgery. That last I’ll be returning to help with the recovery process for the next couple of weeks, after I finish up this audio book.
Said family member does not want people making a fuss and is a private person, so you guys get no details except that I’ve been distracted and will be so for the next month. I’ll go so far as to say that it’s not Rob. Since after a month of relative silence my first blog post was about seeing him again after a month away, you might draw unwarranted conclusions. He’s fine. Needs a haircut, but is fine — in all senses of the word. Mmm… husband.
Anyway– ahem — part of what I’ve missed is what’s going on in the world. So pick an item from the last month that you think I should really, really know about and tell me. This can be world news, SF news, or a cool thing in your own life. Make your first sale? Tell me. A link to read more about any of these things is a bonus.
Also appreciated, a picture and/or video of something cute as a palate cleanser between bouts of unpleasantness.
So what’d I miss?
Welcome back to Cyberland, Mary. You were missed. I’m sending healing thoughts to your [redacted], and hoping you’re able to take as good care of yourself as you do your family.
There’s a lot of news – apologies (Kickstarter, Paula Deen), reversals (Microsoft), victories (Miami Heat), and losses (Allan Simonsen), national security debates (Edward Snowden) and a great deal of social and political unrest (Turkey, Bulgaria, Brazil). My new buddy at work is from São Paulo, so I’ll talk about the unrest in Brazil – just know that I’m a white boy from Philadelphia, and the closest I’ve gotten to Brazil is listening to João Gilberto and eating at Fogo de Chão.
It started (or ignited, really) with a bus fare hike in São Paulo of about 9 cents. While not insignificant itself, this triggered a huge national response to long-simmering resentments. There’s a large perception in Brazil that taxes are high but services and infrastructure are poor, a situation exacerbated by governmental corruption.
This environment is made even more charged by Brazil’s spending leading up to hosting the World Cup – some $14 billion. As many protesters’ signs proclaim, they want hospitals and schools, not stadiums. The São Paulo government eventually reversed its fare hike, but the movement had long since taken aim at more systemic, national concerns.
The protests have been largely peaceful, though the government was criticized early for its heavy-handed response and some violence has been reported. Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians have protested in Brazil’s largest cities, and the protests enjoy huge popular support across the country – one poll put support at 75%.
President Dilma Rousseff has unveiled a series of reforms and plans to import doctors to support the country’s ailing medical infrastructure. She has also invited leaders to the protests to join her in working to address their grievances. The responses to her efforts were largely positive, though the general sentiment is that it’s not nearly enough.
This is still very much an unfolding story, as more than 250,000 people protested last night in multiple cities against new legislation which is seen as limited prosecution of corrupt officials.
Here’s a recent piece: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/23/latest-brazil-protest-draws-streets
Here are some compelling pictures:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/brazil-protests-pictures-one-million-1975121
Here’s a Maru palate cleanser:
Wow. I had no idea about any of that stuff going on in Brazil. Thank you for the headsup on it.
Also for the Maru video.
Welcome back — it’s been a jam-packed spring, so I’m hoping for a more contained summer (though that doesn’t look like it’s happening). My debut novel Dead Roads was/is part of the Skyhorse acquisition of Night Shade, so I’m now awaiting a new publication date. We shall see — and thanks again for your help with the whole stressful thing.
For your viewing pleasure: weird photos.
http://www.slightlywarped.com/crapfactory/curiosities/2013/march/rare_historical_photos.htm
Best of luck with the publication date. Fingers crossed that the sailing is smoother from here out.
Also, those photos are amazing.
Sensei Shironeko and a couple of his adopted sons watch birds, meow, and are generally adorable kitties. With bonus moire effect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTzGgQMBVik&feature=c4-overview&list=UUGbOTPDlBwkN-4N85dK6U7Q
They have over 1200 videos, so that should cheer you and your family member up.
My stupid cat has revealed a hitherto unknown talent for identifying when our plumbing is about to be clogged. It’s not much if any better than mine, but it is adorable. “Cat’s staring at (toilet, sink) in the (name of bathroom). Better check it.”
The Daily Show (currently hosted by John Oliver) I think had the best takedown of the Paula Deen situation. He’s been doing a great job in general.
Yoicks. I hadn’t been up on the Paula Deen situation.
The Australian Chief of Army made a kick-ass speech about sexual harrassment in the ranks:
http://boingboing.net/2013/06/13/australian-army-on-institution.html
Wow. Yes, please. More of that sort of response.
Hi Mary!
As for what’s been going on..
I’ve been watching *all* the kids (we have three: an eight year old, a three year old and a four month old) since Summer break is here for the eight year old. The four month old is starting to try crawling and is getting adept at rolling, which is an adventure and the three year old is becoming an amateur locksmith. Otherwise, it’s BBQs and time with friends and some family so far this Summer!
Yoicks! That sounds like a very full summer. Good luck with the locksmith. I suspect you have a quick escape artist about to join forces.
Hi Mary,
Quiet, gentle healing thoughts to the private person. Hope the recovery from surgery is as easy and pain-free as it can be.
I see you’ve been filled in on lots of the Stuff in the World lately, so won’t repeat, but the Aussie army guy speech is most excellent. Love his firm line in the sand.
In personal news, I seem to have accidentally started writing another book, which means balancing two completely separate and different projects, something I’ve never managed successfully before, but we’ll see. So far so good.
My parents had their 45th wedding anniversary last weekend. They’ve been together since they were barely teenagers.
And you’re still working on the fifty year love story novel? Because that sounded great. Let me know how working on two goes for you. I haven’t managed that either. I mean… outlining one and writing the other, yes, but not writing two.
Congratulations to your parents on 45 years!
Yes, that’s the first one of the two. So far, I’m realizing that working on two at once is going to mean making more notes and doing a bit more outlining than I’m accustomed to doing to keep everything straight in my head. I’m not an outliner by nature, so this is new for me, too. It’s an adventure!
Some biology/doctor type folks have developed a cure for cancer based in HIV virus. Kind of turning the tables on diseases. Nifty. Astrophysics type folks think an area of complete emptiness in our Universe might be the sign of the intrusion of a parallel universe. More nifty. Some artistically inclined physics buff is making jewelry based on the movement of quarks using a 3D printer. Pretty nifty. We built a fence and this is what we got in return: http://katrichardson.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/roll1.jpg
I hope you are feeling more chipper soon.
You realize that you sent me off on a google quest with some of those, right? Nifty and more nifty…
Also, that’s a good return on a fence.
Healing thoughts, patience and strength is wished to both the patient and the caregivers. Very kind of you to help in the care, and to ask what you’ve missed in the world.
Looks like all the major things have been covered.
So that just leaves me to share The Essential Guide to Gelato in Rome (and maybe the world), in case you find yourself in need of outstanding gelato:
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=214897381437320375244.0004a009856f977d00b6d&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=41.914286,12.477379&spn=0.088908,0.171318&z=12&source=embed
An amazing video…watch to the end:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dnDeo0yhIws
And in my little personal world, a cookbook I’ve been trying to publish for the past too-many-years has finally found a cover and a printer. The first editions are at my Mom-in-law’s home, waiting for me to go home, next month, and begin mailing them out.
http://mrsmousehouse.com/M3.htm
And lastly, if you’re in need of cheering up, my favorite place to go online is here. Lots of wonderful heartwarming cute animals:
Cuteoverload.com
Congratulations on having your book ready to launch!
Welcome back!
The levels of toxic bullshit in the geek corners of the internet have stayed above safe limits for at least the past two weeks, so you picked a good time to be elsewhere. In addition to everything that’s been happening on the SFF side, we’ve had another attempted rape at a tech conference, and another attacker successfully playing the ‘bitch is lying for attention’ card in the face of overwhelming evidence.
And you know, the usual pack of Neanderthals whose takeaway from this is that women in tech are Ruining Everything Forever by refusing to play Wendy to their juvenile, misogynistic, sociopathic Lost Boys.
Anyway, though, it sounds like this nonsense is nothing you need in your life right now! So here is an extended cut of that cat in a shark suit riding a roomba while chasing a duckling, while a dog in a shark suit looks on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epytc4wMJ5Y
Here is a fun and informative tutorial on how to do the moonwalk: http://imgur.com/gallery/MoHCt
This is my favorite Kate Beaton comic of all time, concerning young Ada Lovelace. You’ve probably seen it, but I’m not convinced it’s possible to have it in your life ‘too much.’ So here it is: http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=298 (the most recent comic is pretty funny too).
This is a picture of Batman as a moose: http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5o4g6icko1qh2ae4o1_500.jpg
And all these links are probably going to shove me into the spam folder, so I’ll stop there. I wish your family member all the best.
I missed you.
But that’s not news.
I had to say it anyway 🙂
And since you requested cute things, here is a gif of a cat engaging in shenanigans. http://i.imgur.com/SNx9BdW.gif