Green Room - Week 14 - Day 4

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

It's Monday.

You have the topic: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/754594.html

You have the Work Room: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/754830.html

and you have this:

(Video description: Hamster running on a wheel)

Comments

[n3m3sis43.livejournal.com]

Frist?

My weekend was mostly chill. I'm struggling to have a post that doesn't suck in time for the deadline. Work is crazy. What else is new?

Also, when do you stop missing people after they're gone? I am guessing the answer is never, so I'm listening to depressing music because that fixes everything, right?

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

It depends on if by "after they're gone" do you mean "eliminated from Idol", "moved somewhere else" or "no longer with us".


The first - as soon as I eliminate them. ;)

The second - it depends on the person and the relationship

The last - never.

[jem0000000.livejournal.com]

*Hugs*

In my experience it gets less painful after the first decade or so, but I think it's different for everyone.

[bleodswean.livejournal.com]

The answer is never. *hugs*

missing loved ones

[minikin.livejournal.com]

At some point it turned around for me from sobbing on the couch to being happy when I remember the good stuff. I'm not sure *when* it happened; sometime in the last 30 years.

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

You're dead to me?

(Sorry I was slow. have two cookies.)

Since I mentioned this to a few people...

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

and want to keep the field as level as I can:

At the start of the season I announced that there would be a "commercial break" coming up at some point in the season. We usually have a break around Christmas anyway, but this is going to be a special one.

It will be in the next couple of weeks.

During that time, there may be a Free Topic, or maybe I'll just give you an extended period for entries. Not sure yet.

But I want you to know that it is coming up.

Re: Since I mentioned this to a few people...

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

Depending on how long the break is, you could do both!

It might be a good week for an Intersection, if we are going to have extra time to write the topic for that week (makes it easier when folks are in different time zones), huh, huh, whaddayasay?? =D

Re: Since I mentioned this to a few people...

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

So, it would be a case of either "you don't HAVE to do anything for this period of time unless you want to" or "I'm giving you extra time to post, and you either post or take a bye." Is that correct?

Re: Since I mentioned this to a few people...

[eternal-ot.livejournal.com]

Cool...I was thinking of a break..:)

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I got my entry done really early for a change, yay! So if anyone wants a Beta reader, just drop me an email to Pandria@aol.com and I'll be happy to give it a go (if there is anything specific you want feedback on, please include a comment about it in the email).

I had a nice 3-day weekend. We went and saw Mr. Peabody & Sherman at the dollar theater over the weekend, and it was very cute! Other than that, just chilling with friends, doing laundry, playing games on Facebook... the usual. :)

[reckless-blues.livejournal.com]

Hey, STEM types. I'm in school right now and it's been hard for me to want to write anything. I just sort of detach and go off into my own little world with math and biology and it's the only thing I really want to think about - it's very hard for me to get back into the headspace where I want to think about human beings and their emotions which is the basis of most fiction. Does anyone else get this problem? How do you get in the mood to think about people?

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

My suggestion is simple: DON'T get into that headspace. Stay where you are - write something from the perspective of a computer, an android, or something/someone which either does not have emotions, or who denies or suppresses their emotions. For example, if you're a Star Trek fan, write something from a Vulcan viewpoint.

Alternately, write from the perspective of an inanimate object - trust me, it's fun to do!

[kickthehobbit.livejournal.com]

I transition back by reading soft SF. :)

[banyangirl1832.livejournal.com]

Maybe write about someone who's a STEM type? Insert that kind of character, that very literal and black and white kind of thinking, into your fiction?

[anyonesghost.livejournal.com]

Find the nearest bar or coffeeshop. The more quirky, the better. Order a drink. Watch. Take notes. Imagine where they came from, where they're going -- and if you don't much like them at first glance, so much the better.

Seeing people, for me, is a good reminder that there are people who exist outside my headspace. (Speaking as someone who's been doing the STEM thing for about 1.5 decades now, not including college.)

[adoptedwriter.livejournal.com]

I love all furry creatures. I lost my 28- year- old Jelly-the Belly-Bean yesterday. We're in mourning for the kitty in black. Both kids got to tell her goodbye. She was their first pet raised from age four weeks till yesterday. The Bean had a sweet life and lots of people who loved her. I miss her fcking awful.
AW

[kickthehobbit.livejournal.com]

:( I'm so sorry to hear that.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

That's a very long life for a cat! I'm glad everyone got to tell her goodbye. I'm very sorry about your loss.

[banyangirl1832.livejournal.com]

Oh no! I'm so sorry. :(

[bleodswean.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

It now takes 20 minutes to get from the house to the bus terminal to get over to work.

When school is in session - it takes 40 minutes.

I think that I may now be becoming an advocate for Home Schooling! ;)

[banyangirl1832.livejournal.com]

Careful, Gary, there's a fine line between sane home schooling types and absolutely bats*** crazy home schooling types. And once you step over that line, you can never go back. It's forever.

[banyangirl1832.livejournal.com]

Pretty quiet weekend, but nice. Made dinner with Sam and a friend on Saturday night, went on the motorcycle with Sam yesterday, hit up a tag sale where I found a Dutch cast iron stock pot and griddle for $4 total, wrote a bit of my Big Bang story (yes, I'm doing LJ Idol and BB at the same time, plus short challenge prompts for the BB community, plus the new restaurant is opening this week - I might be a little nuts). Today I'm planning on washing dishes, eating lunch, getting myself together and going down to the restaurant to help with setup - unpacking plates, putting away glassware, getting service stations ready to go. Fun times!

Also, I love my new Chromebook. More specifically, I love the keyboard. Like, I am in serious love with the keyboard. It's just so easy and fast to type on and the keys make great noises (not as great as my favorite Thinkpad keyboard, but still pretty great). Definitely recommend getting one if you need a new laptop.

[theun4givables.livejournal.com]

CHROMEBOOK USERS REPRESENT.

Look, I fell in love with mine totally and will never look back after my son dumped pediasure on it and it still works perfectly fine. PERFECTLY. FINE.

[whipchick.livejournal.com]

Iiiiiiiiit's Ramadan! Ramadan Kareem!

Which is weird, to see commercialism in another religion - it shows up a lot because it's not what I'm used to. (Ramadan Collection? Really? You're making this religious holiday about fashion?) It's actually probably more subtle than Christmas, but it really sticks out to me.

Also in Ramadan - it's a fasting holiday. Between sunrise and sunset, no eating, drinking (including water), smoking or gum in public. Or in your car. Or in view of a window. No music (softly in your car with the windows up is OK).

So as a writer who writes best in the coffee shop, I am screwed! There is a list of open restaurants--it is a short list. I'm switching to night shift writing for awhile.

Went into an open restaurant today. It looked closed. Every window had a shade down and the outside patio was packed up and the doors were closed. But a little sign outside said, "Ramadan Kareem! Please be aware that food and drink are served inside this building."

Inside, the place was dim (shades) and dead silent (no music). But they had coffee and they had mango splash (fresh mango juice with mint) and they had unlimited wifi, so write I did. At ten minutes after sunset, the shades went up and the music came on, and in the street outside there were phalanxes of waiters moving to their now-open restaurants.

It was a cultural experience.

That I will continue having for about 21 more days.

Ramadan Kareem!

[spydielives.livejournal.com]

My younger son is (his words) "common law engaged" to a lovely young woman who's family is devout Muslims.

As a show of good faith, he is (for the first time in his life) fasting...

He offered me one of his dates the other morning. I very much enjoyed it... then teased him he was eating vicariously.

His face went all red... and apparently this means no more dates for me.

[spydielives.livejournal.com]

round and round and round and round and round and round...

I'll keep my promise!!