seanan_mcguire: (me)
seanan_mcguire ([personal profile] seanan_mcguire) wrote2012-01-26 09:06 am

Ten things make a list; this is a list.

10. Well, that's that: I am officially out of "skip days" until after March. My friend Debbie rather unexpectedly pinged me Tuesday to say that she would be in San Francisco starting Wednesday and would I have dinner with her? So we had dinner (and I dragged her along on the usual round of Wednesday errands, because there's "taking a skip day" and then there's "committing professional suicide"), and now I have to make word count every day from now to March 15th. Yes, that includes the days when I'm at conventions. I have no regrets.

9. ...okay, I have one regret: I am so far behind on everything I watch that it's not even funny. The only shows I've managed to keep up with are Fringe and Glee, and that's because I prioritize them in bitey, bitey fashion. Because I have to preserve my questionable sanity somehow.

8. I'm pondering a post on the financial realities of the Hugo Awards and the electronic voting packet, but for the moment, if you are eligible to nominate for the 2012 Hugos, and you haven't, why not nominate now? WorldCon isn't getting any further away.

7. Tax time is approaching. This means I need to clean my entire house, so that I can get my receipts into something vaguely approximating order. Oh, goodie. It also means it's time to make my annual pledge to set up a better filing system than "the bottom of my purse is full of receipts and Luna Bar wrappers, look in there." Although my faintly peanut butter-scented receipts are always nice.

6. Ryan is coming to visit! Which is wonderful, and will lead to much hugging and adoration (and also to the dry cleaning of the guest room duvet). Also much doll photography, since Ryan has promised to take some pictures of my unnervingly glossy-eyed collection for the edification of all those who think it can't possibly be that bad trying to sleep in my room.

5. I fly to Seattle tomorrow for Conflikt, where I am doing absolutely nothing official. It's going to be great. I get to spend the weekend hugging my friends, working on the books I have coming due, and going to Barnes and Noble to sign books. Plus the hotel is walking distance from the airport, so no one has to get up at four a.m. to drive me. That'll be nice for everybody. Well, except me. I still have to get up at four a.m.

4. I want to go back to Disney World. I find myself grumbling slightly at my taxes because I know that self-employment income (i.e., "writing") means that I'll be paying more than the cost of a really nice Disney World vacation. I actually like paying taxes, except for the "finding my receipts" part, but sometimes the sheer amount of tax that I have to pay makes me weep for Babylon.

3. Mailing is ongoing! At this point, there are only a few shirts I can't find, and I'm hoping they're buried under the more popular styles/colors. I got a list of inquiries on status from Deborah this morning, and I'll be answering her tonight, but really, patience is king. I'm doing this alone. Any future batches of shirts will be super-limited, because even aside from the part where some people are annoyed (and I'm sorry about that), I just can't process 300+ shirts in 30+ size/color/style combinations in anything resembling a timely manner. Like, it is physically impossible to do that and go to my day job and not miss my deadlines. And sadly, "pays the mortgage" and "makes my publishers happy" beat everything else.

2. I have been playing a little tappy game called "Pocket Frogs" during my admittedly limited free time. I don't think the game's designers intended it to be played quite like this, since I have a very "gotta catch 'em all" approach, but it makes me happy. As does slowly watching the breed counters go to 100% as I breed all 368 possible individuals.

1. Zombies are love.

[identity profile] autographedcat.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Actually, I think the games designers intended it to be played *exactly* like that. ([livejournal.com profile] kitanzi has been playing it on and off. Not sure if she's on or off right now.)

See you tomorrow!

[identity profile] seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)
So beautiful, so true.

[identity profile] seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay, see you tomorrow!

[identity profile] jslinder.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I will trade you a Neat Receipts scanner for an autographed ARC of every new book for the next 10 years :)

Seriously, receipt wise my neat desk scanner has SAVED MY LIFE.

[identity profile] seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Sadly, I don't get ARCs of every book, and the number I do get goes down with every volume. So I cannot make such a trade. :(

#8

[identity profile] maverick-weirdo.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 06:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"if you are eligible to nominate for the 2012 Hugos, and you haven't, why not nominate now?"

Because I'm not caught up on my reading yet.

I only read 7 books published in 2011, during 2011. I have managed to read 2 more this month (and hope to finish a third before the month is over.) I have 3 more in the ToBeRead pile, and 4 more on interlibrary loan request.

I still have 2 months to become "well read" before my nomination is due and I plan on giving it my best shot.

[identity profile] cailleuch.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 06:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Another fan of Pocket Frogs. And I do much the same with it as you.

[identity profile] jslinder.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
I still recommend the neat scanner. Scan the receipt and then trash the paper.
beable: (Default)

[personal profile] beable 2012-01-26 07:58 pm (UTC)(link)

So in terms of the shirts, for those of us who have been waiting patiently (as in not checking in because we knew it was still "in progress") but have not heard anything about mail-outs, is this the point where we should be confirming our shirt status with Deborah?

archangelbeth: An egyptian-inspired eye, centered between feathered wings. (Default)

[personal profile] archangelbeth 2012-01-26 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)
2: No, the designers totally intend for you to do Gotta Catch 'Em All. *beth cuddles all her little froggies* I'm on the last achievement -- I need 5K froggies!

[identity profile] lysystratae.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 08:11 pm (UTC)(link)
You are evil, as i now am sucked into pocket frogs.

[identity profile] arcaneblades.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 08:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you for this shirt status update, from one of the waiting patiently types. Your periodic updates on status are much appreciated, and help keep me from pestering anyone's inbox.

[identity profile] seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Good reason!

[identity profile] seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm breeding Velatus right now. And doing the new set.

[identity profile] seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
You can, but I just mailed a huge batch of international shirts, and have another one going out this afternoon/Monday. I believe you're in the second batch.

[identity profile] seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Good luck!

[identity profile] seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
I am evil.

It is awesome.

[identity profile] seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm really hoping to get them all packed inside of the next week or so. So far, there's only one "what the fuck is this?" shirt, and one "where the fuck is this?" shirt.

[identity profile] scifantasy.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay for no official responsibility cons!

[identity profile] jennielf.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
OMG! Pocket Frogs is AWESOMESAUCE!!!

I am doing all the achievements myself.... :)
ext_58174: (Default)

[identity profile] katyhh.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
I LOVE Pocket Frogs! Hey, sign up on Plus+ and let us gift / trade froggies. My username is katyhh, there, too.

[identity profile] loree.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 09:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Is setting up a corporation and paying yourself a salary an option? My partner did that while contracting, and the tax savings were considerable... Of course, because the universe laughs at all attempts at planning, he was hired as a Real Boy a few weeks after finishing all the paperwork.

If you're interested, I'd be happy to help once you've relocated. I've already jumped through a lot of the hoops already.

[identity profile] yellowblackhaze.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Now I'm going to have to check out pocket frogs, because I think I might like it.
beable: (run with us we are free)

[personal profile] beable 2012-01-26 09:51 pm (UTC)(link)

Does the dancing shirt dance of dancingness!

[identity profile] vixyish.livejournal.com 2012-01-26 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
So Seanan plays it on her Android phone, like me. Sad thing: the Android version of the game is by a different developer, and the user accounts for it are with Mobage, not Plus+. So far, at least, they don't let you trade or gift between them. :( (In fact the Android version doesn't have the gift feature at *all*-- though it has a space for where that button would be, so I hope that means they're working on it-- so Android users can't even gift between themselves.)

I recently got an iPad for Christmas and I have a Plus+ account on *that* device, so I have two entirely separate games going now. :) (My username is vixyish there.)

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