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http://postsecret.blogspot.com/2009/12/sunday-secrets_26.html

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people
mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.






















-----Email Message-----

I was at a Borders in Ohio this afternoon when I decided to read the newest PostSecret book. I discovered that a secret written on note paper had been tucked into the book. The secret said:

I just read this with the woman I love. I hope she doesn't get away.

I left the secret in the book, on the shelf on the off chance that she comes back and happens to find it. I hope she does.
























-----Email Message----
No More Resolutions. Just change.








New Book Available Now From Bookstores & Online.

Christmas went along nicely. The kids liked getting a PS3 and the two games that came alongside. Chris liked getting a new mp3 player. Nick liked getting a new, larger guitar amp. Noah liked getting his new cellphone. I enjoyed a day of remarkable calm. (I know that sounds like crazy talk, but it's true, I tell you.) I got a good deal of quality writing done on Christmas, which was what I wanted as well. Happiness abounds.

I had fun Doctor Who dreams last night, the highlight of which was the long part where Terrance Dicks, legendary DW writer and former script editor, and I talked about how to write stories and scripts. Total subconscious win!

Last night I watched part one of the DW season finale. I gave it a 5 out of 10. It was quite an average offering by Russell T. Davies. It was generally rather meh with some really good bits tucked in here and there. The big reveal at the end was just what I'd been hoping for for years. So... a mixed bag from Mr. Davies. I hope next Friday's episode is a real barn burner, so he can make his exit on a high note.

Now... it's time for me to go to the grocery store.

Hope everyone is having a pleasant day! Kevin and I pretty much rolled right out of bed this morning and went straight to his parents' house in our pajamas, then to my parents' house, and now we're home for a quick shower before going to his aunt's. Whew!

Just found out that my extended family Christmas party is tomorrow, which is unfortunate because we're also supposed to go to dinner with his grandparents. I guess maybe we'll stop at my parents' house for awhile, go out to dinner, then come back again afterwards.

Thanks to my Amazon Christmas List, I got a lot of gifts I wanted. ;-) I got a wireless headset for my cell phone, Jurassic Park on DVD, the DVD set of the Ninja Turtles movies, two Rammstein DVDs (woohoooooooo), Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core, and Wheel of Time book 6. \o/

Well, I have to go continue getting ready to head back out for more celebrating!

well, episode one is practically writing itself. that's always nice. episode two is in my noggin already, and episode three is there as well, only slightly nebulous as to the how-to. it's my magical reboot of doctor who, a (fanboy) writing exercise.

in larger news, christmas is upon us, and merriment wishes to everyone reading this. i hope your holi-day is everything you wished it would be and more. best wishes as well for the slide into 2010.

in smaller news, i slept a long time last night and into the morning. i went to bed around 9.30pm and woke up at just past 7.30am. i fed teh kitteh and got the kids' big present set up. now i'm waiting until they come over at noon. in the meantime i've been browsing the internet and writing a bit, listening to tunes all the while. a nice, relaxing morning.

now... back to it.

i hope y'all's day is well. :)

Busy day today. We went to church, then to Kevin's grandparents' house for dinner and presents. We had a nice time, and I ate way too many sweets. Once the holidays are done I've really got to get back into jogging.

Kevin and I also exchanged our presents tonight. He gave me an indoor/outdoor thermometer because I'm ALWAYS turning on the Weather Channel and waiting for the Local On The 8's to tell me what time it is, hahaha. He also gave me a single-cup coffee maker which I have been wanting FOREVER. I'm really excited because it's got a replaceable filter so you can just put in whatever ground coffee you want, instead of having to buy little proprietary packets like most of the single-cup makers I've seen.

I gave him some new shoes, Predator on DVD, the soundtrack to Raiders of the Lost Ark, and a Star Destroyer model (since he recently said he'd like to get back into modeling.)

Tomorrow's going to be super busy; his parents' house to open presents with his brothers, then my parents' house, then to a party with his relatives on his dad's side. Whew.

Here's hoping all my friends and readers have a merry Christmas.

And you other people too.

Apparently there are a good many people who feel that the British Broadcasting Corporation is in imminent danger of folding. The reason: an expected Tory victory in the next election in Great Britain. I am not a UK citizen, but I do have something of a stake in the BBC, namely that I enjoy their programs, especially Doctor Who.

Do any of my UK readers know anything about this goings-on about the Beeb?

The tres leches cake was a hit! There were only 2 pieces (out of 24) left at the end of the day, which I ate so I could clean out the pan before leaving work.

I also managed to drink an entire 6-pack of Mike's Hard Pink Lemonade over the course of the day, but I paced myself well enough that I didn't get plastered.

After work I drove through the snow to get Kevin's Christmas presents. I think I'm officially done with my shopping, so yay.

Now to eat some actual food after snacking all day.

8GB Sony Walkman mp3 Player

My dad got me one of these for Christmas. I am now listening to a playlist of my favorite Big Finish Doctor Who audios. Happiness, it doth abound. :)

reverse
I'm backing out of one of the Dr. Who fan film writing gigs tomorrow. I had the writing started. I just needed some clarification from the producer/head writer/script editor on a few key things. I sent him an email with two very specific queries, and they were written in such a way that I explained the information I needed and why. His response was:

Yeah, kind of like 1 and part of 2.

He didn't answer anything. Nothing. So I'm backing out. I wish him well, but I'm gone.

all ahead?
I got mention as possible script editor for a script series being worked on. It's a fan project that's been in the works for several weeks now, but they want a fresh set of eyes on everything. They asked if I'd be interested, and I said yes. There are two others also being considered.

in the meantime
I'm back at work on my own Dr. Who script/serial project. It's nothing serious at the moment, simply something to keep myself writing ideas and scripting.

SUICIDE KINGS is out in hardcover (see below) and BUSTED FLUSH has been released in mass market. Meanwhile, I've delivered the additional content -- three new stories -- for the first volume of this storied series, WILD CARDS itself, which Tor will be reissuing later in the year. Since the first volume was historical in nature, telling the story of the wild card from 1946 to 1985, adding some original material to cover some of the "lost years" seemed like a natural.

The three new tales:
-- "Captain Cathode and the Secret Ace," by Michael Cassutt,
-- "Powers," by David D. Levine,
-- "Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan," by Carrie Vaughn.

No publication date yet. You'll know when I do.

As for FORT FREAK, the twenty-first volume in the series that WILD CARDS began, first drafts are all in, I've given the usual editorial note, and the writers are all off revising. This one looks to be a lot of fun. The Class of 2009 is doing some great work, and the old-timers ain't half bad either.

On other fronts, Gardner Dozois and I are very close to delivering our original cross-genre anthology STAR-CROSSED LOVERS, to Pocket Books. We're waiting for some minor revisions from one writer. Once those are in hand, the book will be delivered. Only it's not STAR-CROSSED LOVERS any longer. Pocket's sales force did not like that title, so the anthology has now been rechristened SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH. Got a great line up of writers for that one, including Diana Gabaldon, Jim Butcher, M.L.N. Hanover, Peter S. Beagle, Marjorie Liu, Jacqueline Carey, Carrie Vaughn, Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman, and many more.

Everybody's talking about AVATAR, which I haven't seen yet... but I have been going to movies. While the crowds queue up for Cameron, I've been catching up on some of the other films now in release. I enjoyed THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, and liked INVICTUS as well, but the one that really impressed me was ME AND ORSON WELLES. The guy who plays Welles should get an Oscar nomination for that performance.

As usual, I am way behind on my Xmas shopping.

Where does the time go?

Today was the official publication day for the latest Wild Cards book, SUICIDE KINGS.

Run, don't walk, to your favorite bookstore and getcha copy now. And hell, while you're there, get copies for all your friends as well. All you Xmas shopping in one swell foop.

Well, that was fun. If only every game was like this...

(Maybe it is, if you're a Colts fan).

These were the Giants I remember. The swarming aggressive D, the sacks, the knockdowns, the hurries, the interceptions, runners tackled at the line of scrimmage. And on offense, long time-consuming drives ending in touchdowns. Eli looked terrific, spreading the ball around. Nicks, Smith, Manningham, and Boss all had big catches, and even Derek Hagan scored a touchdown. The running game was back, especially when Ahmad Bradshaw had the ball. The O line opened gaping holes, and the D line was so relentless that our wafer-thin secondary was never threatened.

Yeah, these were the real G-Men.

I have no idea who those clowns in the Redskins uniforms were.

That fake field goal the Skins tried at the end of the first half had to be one of the most bizarre plays I've ever seen. Watching Steve Young talk about it in the postgame was hilarious.

I do feel sorry for Jim Zorn, whose postgame press conference was... well, obviously, no one ever taught the guy Coachspeak. Poor guy is not long for D.C.

But it was a great win.

Now we need two more like it, coupled with a Cowboys loss.

(Or a Packers loss, maybe... but while I know the G-Men have the tiebreaker over Dallas, no one has ever mentioned who wins a tie between New York and Green Bay).

Next week, the Panthers. Who beat the Vikings yesterday. Let's hope the real G-Men show up.

Went with mom and dad to rcmh to see the Rockettes. The tickets weren't at willcall, and the people at the window basically said "nothing we can do." When my mom pointed out that she and my dad were sr citizens who'd come all the way from florida, and my dad was waiting outside in his wheelchair, the guy just shrugged and said "you can talk to that guy." That guy turned out to be a bouncer, more or less. He just shrugged and said "call guest services." Of course, guest services is closed on Saturdays.

So we went early to the restaurant we'd been planning to go to. And it was closed, because it closes from 3:30-5:00 to prepare for dinner. So we went home

So, screw you, Radio City Music Hall. I guess I'm going to write something up to go somewhere, once I see how the get-your-money-back part goes.

Did 1 Rep Max type training today with trainer--deadlifts, walking lunges with barbells on back, chinups, and back extensions. Holy crap, that was hard and fun. I can't remember ever being this hungry, though. My metabolism must be through the roof. I ate Kashi Golean and blueberries for breakfast, had a blueberry, banana, glutamine and whey protein shake after working out, ate my wild rice, kinpira and salmon lunch at 11, and have now finished a chicken breast sandwich, too, and it's not even two yet. And I'm still starving. Maybe I'm thirsty, too? I've drunk a ton of water, though. I have almonds and a power bar in my bag, but I was hoping to save those until a little later.

Holy crap, I'm starving!

RIP Brittany Murphy. :-( Clueless is still one of my favorite films.

This morning on the news I heard some guy accidentally refer to her as Britney Spears, and I thought "Obviously he's been in front of the mirror a lot practicing reporting THAT story."

listening to: exile by enya

things are definitely different and changing. by "things" i mean "me" and "my life". i'm not complaining, just making the observation. having kept politics at arm's length for a goodly while i find myself not too disposed towards remarking on it much, except in odd or comical circumstances, and it opened up a lot of my mental faculties for other things. i must admit to being sometimes preoccupied trying to find those things. i'd no idea how much headspace politics had been holding. none of this is to say i ignore it. no. i still keep up with the world around me, and that includes government. being aware is the best way to navigate.

listening to: break on through by the doors

the trip to oak ridge was alright. everybody i was there to visit wound up being busier than anticipated, and so i didn't get all the visiting in. i kept myself occupied, however. i managed to have a classic dr. who marathon. the war games, the horror of fang rock, and the image of the fendahl were on this viewing list. the last two on the list there are perennial favorites of mine. yesterday's viewing of the war games was the first time i'd watched that ten-part serial in probably about fifteen years, and it was great. the dvd release featured a 35mm print of the story found in the vaults of the british film institute, and so it was a far cry better than the old grayed out copes of copies i'd seen before, plenty of beautiful picture detail and great audio. i also love the dvd extras on the dr. who releases. they're always fun.

listening to: promised land by elvis

listening to: getting to know you from "the king and i" sung by damn julie andrews

sorry for the holdup. i had to juke out to promised land.

i remember being in the king and i in 1990. it was at the oklahoma shakespeare festival, my first actual professional stage job. so i'm going to sing along with the song.

listening to: turning japanese by the vapors

the kids are out of school for the next two and a half weeks. oh boy. i'm really hoping they get invited to friends' houses and such. that would make life here at the domicile a lot easier. when it's just two of them, either two, in the house things are quite manageable. it's when the three of them are here for more than two days in a row that friction develops. that's usually every other weekend during the school year. if i had the money to take them out and do things, things would be different. being poor, however, mandates rather a preponderance of cabin fever. we'll see how things go.

now i've got to try to write a bit of my dr. who story.

ciao for niao, people and such.

listening to: symphony no. 5 by beethoven

I finally got off my butt and did some Christmas shopping today, yay!

I also upgraded to a paid account (thanks again flyingwild! Thanks also to dmentednva for sending me a coupon--unfortunately I had to decline it since I already had one, but I appreciate it all the same! :-)

In honor of my new ability to have more than 6 userpics, I'm posting with #7! :-D Yaaay. I'm way too excited about this.

I'm so happy it's going to be a short week. I'm also really looking forward to the department Christmas party on Wednesday, though I'm determined NOT to have a repeat of last year. This year all I'm bringing to drink is Mike's Hard Lemonade, which is a.) weak and b.) carbonated so there's no way I'll be getting plastered. Also, I may have mentioned this, but I'm going to be making tres leches cake for the party and I CAN'T WAIT OMG IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME.

P.S. Now that I can make custom mood themes, a Till theme is in the works.

Life is meaningless and full of pain.

I saw this one coming. Three missed field goals will always come back and bite you in the ass.

Great D, but Mark still has a lot of maturing to do.

With the Colts and the Bengals yet to come, I think we can kiss the playoffs goodbye.

And I'm not feeling good about the Giants game tomorrow either.

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/2009/12/holiday-secrets.html

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people
mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.



-----Email Message-----

In ev'ry job that must be done
There is an element of fun
you find the fun and snap!
The job's a game

-Mary Poppins















-----Email Message-----

In China, it is custom to wait until the gift-giver leaves before opening the gift -- then there's no put-on about how much you love it etc.

















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The December PostSecret/HopeLine fundraiser has raised $8,250, $10,995 $12,375 $17,465.

100, 72, 45, 0 signed PostSecret books remain. HopeLine

Thanks for your support and for helping those who may be struggling this time of year.





I received the following message from Reese Butler, Founder of HopeLine, this morning. . .

Frank -
This was unbelievable. What a great effort and response. The comments are so profound and caring. Some made the donation and asked that the book be sent directly to someone else as a gift. Some who lost loved ones to suicide and thought this would be a healing gesture. It is truly heart warming and amazing to read each one.
-Reese


----Email Message-----
Thank you so much for your support, Frank. And sincere
thanks to all of the volunteers at the Hope Center!


-----Email Message-----
Thank you for the good work you continue to perform. You have
helped me personally and I am honored to give back.


-----Email Message-----
I am an avid postsecret fan - checking every Sunday with my fiance, even attended a live show in Peoria - and recently saw your response to a woman's message about her feelings of sadness and helplessness. I think your hopeline is such a great thing. I am happy that both you and Frank Warren have found your calling - happy for you, but mostly happy for those lives you impact, and, ultimately save.


-----Email Message-----
I just saw your message on PostSecret about responding to non crises. Is there any way that I could help with this by volunteering and taking calls? I'd absolutely love to help out! Thank you!


-----Email Message-----
Hopeline is one of the miracles out there.




This week, you can receive one of the actual 6-foot by 4-foot billboards used in the making of the most popular All-American Rejects music video by your $2,000 donation to the Kristin Brooks Hope Center. 1(800)SUICIDE