Laptop Blues, Two Magical Hunks, NaNoWriMo, A BookFestival

And a partridge in a pear tree.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I had to buy a new laptop this week.

Did I want to buy a new laptop? No, not really seeing that I'm still quite broke.

But my old laptop died on me last week. Columbus Day to be exact. The place I'm temping at was closed that day so I grabbed my laptop, my binders and my notes for my current WIP (a short story) and took off early that morning for what I assumed would be a blissful day of writing.

Except my laptop died.

As for my buying a new laptop the reason I did so, despite my current dismal financial situation, is I've been spoiled. Very spoiled. I lug my laptop to the coffee shop, to the library, and to just about every bookstore in this town that has decent tables upon which to write and coffee to drink. I was going through very pronounced laptop withdrawal after my old laptop died. So I bought a new one. Do I have the money to pay for it?

Nope, not really. But I figure I can stand eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for awhile. As a a matter of fact I'm sure I can. As long as I can keep writing. I mean, heck, I don't do anything else. I can't remember the last time I went out to eat, or to a play, or went crazy in a bookstore, or bought myself a new pair of shoes just to buy them. I've been very frugal this past year I've been temping. Cutting back on just about everything that one tends to spend one's discretionary income on!

Sorry about that mini-rant.

As for the two magical hunks, well of course, I'm talking about Jackman and Bale!

The Prestige opens today but I won't see it it until Monday. One, because tonight is Dr. Who and Battlestar Galactica night. The other reason is that if I wait until Monday I can get in free and and I can use that money towards this laptop I just bought that I can't afford.

I haven't read any reviews for The Prestige yet because some reviewers don't review as much as summarize the movie! I hate that! But, as I've said before, I don't care how badly reviewed it is, there's no way I'm not going to see it! *grin*

I also want to see Flag of our Fathers, The Departed and Marie Antoinette. As to whether I'll see all of those, that's up for debate. But I will see The Prestige for sure, and my son wants me to go with him to see Flag of Our Fathers.

Now, as for NaNoWriMo there's a good chance I won't be doing it this year. Two anthologies have come to my attention looking for submissions. They are paying money. Money I could use. The deadline for both anthologies is Jan. 1, 2007. And they have to be mailed. No email submissions so the deadline will actually be earlier than that in order for me to get them forwarded in time.

My concern is that if I spend November doing NaNo instead of writing those two stories, and then if the place I'm temping at does like it did last year and requires a 50 hour per week mandatory overtime for the entire month of December in order to reach profits that will impress the powers that be, that will cut into my time to work on those stories.

I'm going to wait until the end of October to make my decision, however.

This weekend is the Fifth Annual Wisconsin Book Festival, held here in the Mad City. Neil Gaiman is scheduled to appear on Sunday - Genre Fiction and the New Wave Fabulists -- A discussion with Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, and Gary K. Wolfe: The Evolution of Horror and Fantasy.

I'm going to that discussion. There's a note on the schedule that says he's on-call for an overseas movie prodcution so might not make it. I hope he does, as I'm sure a lot of people are hoping. I've seen him once before and I'd sure like to see him again.

Quote for the day - When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about. -Albert Einstein