Monday, July 09, 2007
Taking a Break
Tafka sent me a private message. While I’m not at liberty to divulge the contents, I will reveal this excerpt:
And some advice from a friend — take some much-needed break time. You’ll feel better for it.
I hadn’t actually asked Tafka for break time — I believe the comment was more like, “I think you need a vacation. Seriously.”
However, I intend to hang on to this advice like a drowning man hangs on to a piece of smoking lumber from a burning ship, and I shall indeed “take a break.” Possibly for a month, maybe more. Lest this be misunderstood as a plea for pity, I shall make it clear — it is not.
The parties involved in the argument will have to solve their own problems. No more HaloScan comments will be posted from this blog, unless one asks very politely — and I’m going to make every effort not to check the comments, lest my resolve break.
As for now, I’m getting out my Hawaiian shirt, packing my suitcase, and enjoying a rest — to my relief, and undoubtedly to everyone else’s.
Labels: Blog
Friday, July 06, 2007
No New Posts for a While
Jupiter saw what simple and foolish creatures they were, but to keep them quiet and make them think they had a king he threw down a huge log, which fell into the water with a great splash. The Frogs hid themselves among the reeds and grasses, thinking the new king to be some fearful giant. But they soon discovered how tame and peaceable King Log was.
In a short time the younger Frogs were using him for a diving platform, while the older Frogs made him a meeting place, where they complained loudly to Jupiter about the government.
To teach the Frogs a lesson, the ruler of the gods now sent a Crane to be king of Frogland. The Crane proved to be a very different sort of king from old King Log. He gobbled up the poor Frogs right and left and they soon saw what fools they had been. In mournful croaks they begged Jupiter to take away the cruel tyrant before they should all be destroyed. — Aesop
For personal reasons, there will be no new posts for a while until I decide the final fate of the Daria Fandom Blog. If new posts come back, you might with that they had not returned and that the CINCGREEN of old had stayed in retirement.
Right now, I sort of feel like Julius Caesar felt when he saw Brutus standing over him with a knife after he had been shredded sixteen ways to sundown on the Senate floor. “And you, too, Brutus?” he said.
Caesar’s brain was probably looking for the nearest fasces, one of the rods carried by the Protectors of the People, so that he could smile and say to himself, “I’m going to take one of you sonsabitches with me” as he decided which knife-wielding senator was within range.
But when he saw Brutus — noble Brutus! — among his assassins, his heart said, “Oh, fuck it,” and that was the end of Caesar. As Antony said in the funeral oration (according to one W. Shakespeare), that was “the unkindest cut of all.”
I’m coming to the opinion that this fandom does not deserve any of its good points to be registered. None of its stories, none of its essays, nothing. It deserves nothing new or fresh, and nothing more than the proper amount of derision and scorn to be heaped on those who would perpetually leach the good will from those who do their best to keep it alive.
The pendulum has swung too far in the direction of the “nice CINCGREEN.” Perhaps the evil, nasty-as-all-fuck CINCGREEN needs to make a reappearance ...
... but his reappearance might be hailed in some quarters. And I don’t want to give the fandom even the secondary pleasure, the way that I feel right now. I want to bring lamentation and woe.
Kara Wild was right. Sweet baby Jesus. I apologize profusely.
Monday, June 18, 2007
The Cool-Down Period
Okay, that’s it. I’ve been following “with much interest” the “Greybird is a jerk” thread on SFMB. There has been some complaining about bannination.
Frankly ... I don’t care. I’m in the middle of a ridiculous workload right now and the absolute last thing I’m interested in doing is moderating a pissing contest. I don't give a rat’s ass if y’all want to make fun of Greybird — I figure that as a grown man, he oughta be able to take care of himself — but I don’t need my fresh comment threads cluttered up by jackassery.
Maybe you should just send him some mail, or something. He does have an e-mail and private messaging. That’s where comments to Greybird belong, not here.
Therefore, I just set HaloScan to “moderation.” Nothing gets posted here without me reading it first and approving it. You can make all of your “CINCGREEN is a jerk” posts, and rest assured, I’ll read them and treat them with all the respect ... they deserve. I’m armor-plated.
By the way, this is not “taking Greybird’s side.” I would have done things differently. But everyone who has had ops on this blog — Jackie Dobson, Frank Sinisterra, Greybird — has been given leave to run things however they wanted to. To delete comments they wanted to, to post comments they wanted to, to have pretty much co-ownership.
The blog just works better that way, without some co-owner having to mail me all the time and asking if something can be done or not.
So now there’s gonna be a cool-down period. So I say, “Chill.” Get some liquor. Take off your socks. Fire up your favorite Daria episode. And create some content, why don't ya?
Labels: Blog
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Look OUT!
(At the flea market, Jane and Jesse are walkingDunno ’bout ’chew, but I’m gonna be extra careful today. Especially when, in honor of the renovated Yeagers, I fix bacon and (store-bought) garlic toast for breakfast! Don’t want the stove turning on me when I turn it on.
back to their LP booth, sodas in hand)
Jane: You see, my theory is that our primitive hunting instinct has no outlet in modern society.
Jesse: Cool. (slurps soda)
Jane: So, rather than stalking animals, we substitute it with the shopping experience, and hunt for objects.
Jesse: Cool. (slurps soda)
Jane: (a bit exasperated) And then, Jesse, while we’re asleep, those objects come to life and plot their secret takeover of our civilization. April first, 2007. That’s the day they make their move!
Jesse: Cool. (slurps soda)
(From “That Was Then, This Is Dumb,” 1998)
I don’t have one LP any more of “Boston,” let alone three, but since I’ve been too close to voluntary simplicity {g} these days (it’s those gas prices), I’m gonna go download “More Than a Feeling” from the Internets ...
Two-week fanworks update coming soon, if this computer is willing to keep worki
Labels: Blog
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Slow Cookery ...
... is more savory. We hope. Anyway, crock-pot thick-stock chicken soup is good for colds like mine. Thanks for your patience.
Here, have a Valentine from fan-artist S.C. ... what?! you've never had the florist deliver ’em late before? {g}
I’m trying to get links to about three months of the most recent fanworks corralled by creator. From PPMB and active fansites, as well as from FF.net.
Speaking of which, our left sidebar is updated and slightly rearranged.
~ “Active Fansites” have had updates in the last three months. (Or so. We know it takes time, look at us {g}) “Dormant Fansites” are definitely Out There, but have snoozed for a while. If your site has reawakened, tell us when and how in the Blog comments.
~ Links to fan awards have been updated. A link to the Wikipedia Daria entry has been added. (This has many links, in turn, to entries for other series characters and elements.) And the DFB archives links have been moved down.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Drinking Some Aspartame
Looking at my Sprite Zero. Yep, aspartame. Tastes pretty good to me. Your personal experience, though, might vary from mine.
This is why I try to avoid posting in PPMB’s “Nick’s Corner.” (Although I’ve posted there more than once or twice in my alternate identity — but never as a regular.) Topics like politics, and “Flame Wars” over at the SFMB, are just buzzsaws waiting to happen, to chew up and spit out the unwitting Daria fan. Didn’t Robert Nowall leave over some foolishness at “Nick’s Corner”?
Can’t post more about it, because I never read the thread in question until after the fact. But boy, I wish I were there for the blowup! What I love more than just about anything is good old-fashioned gossip, and seeing the meltdown in progress would have been compelling.
In general, things that should not be talked about without knowing what you’re getting into: politics, religion, and class/money. That’s just one of those general lessons of life that applies across all message boards.
Oh yeah, and where’s my update post? At the bottom of a “to do” list that has included phone interviews, cleaning the house for a party on Wednesday, and a nasty back muscle strain that has left me virtually immobilized. Selah.
Also: new policy at PPMB. The next time you scream “I’m leaving!” expect to find the door locked when you get back. I don’t know what this policy actually serves, but it’s their board and we just live there. Me, I want to know what happened to Thea Zara and who is going to fix SFMB.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Invariably Late
... well, better late than never, as they say. (I disagree — in some cases, it should be “better never.”)
Hopefully, we’ll get a real blog update tomorrow. It’s been a very busy week for me. Plumbers. Dentistry. A job interview tomorrow. All kinds of good and not so good things.
In the meantime, go over to the PPMB and vote for the 2006 Booties — Visual and Written Works. There is still time. I managed to slide my ballot in under the doors of Richard Lobinske and Mr. Orange in the nick of time, just before I got audited.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Everything Old Is ...
... new again? If this works, I’m back on the masthead of the DFB to help out, after a year away.
Just in time to not vote for any of the fan awards {rueful smile}
Labels: Blog
Monday, January 08, 2007
The Monday Morning Call
Will work on getting the left-handed links updated.
There is still time to get your nominations in for the 2006 Daria Fanworks Awards (the “Booties”), in both the visual and written categories. You snooze, you lose.
At the PPMB:
• The Angst Guy completed “Scarlett” Chapter 14, “The Mark of the Beast”.
• RLobinske completed “John Lane” 24, “Heart Flush” Part 1.
Monday, January 01, 2007
“Grad’s Cruel”
... well, that little entry into grad school was fun. As fun as having hot sealing wax poured into my urethra.
So, we will close that little chapter of my life, effective immediately. The blog might possibly probably definitely maybe be back on line. Expect a real, honest-to-goodness update at some date in the future. And expect more frequent updates as well.
Labels: Blog
