Eseme's Den

The new journal has its first post, a soon to be heavily edited character sketch (she's going to work in a very different sort of place, so I'll need to write a more fitting job intro).

I've added those who asked to be added. Any others?

September has been a sad month for genre fiction.

First Madeline L'Engle passed (for info, see http://www.madeleinelengle.com/news/ )

Today, Robert Jordan did. His blog takes an extremely long time to load, given the many fans trying to get to it, but a very heartfelt statement can be read here: http://www.dragonmount.com/RobertJordan/

While I haven't read Jordan, having had a friend tell me that the apacolypse takes too long, I have a great deal of admiration for a man who would work so hard to finish a series whilst going through chemotherapy. A Wrinkle in Time was a comforting book for me as a child, it being about smart kids who do important things and manage to deal with schoolyard teasing. I didn't like some of the later books due to the religious overtones, but that first one is a gem.

Aside from the continuous need to get ever more resumes sent out, I've gotten a fair bit done lately.

Went to my favorite beach to go Shell-hunting for silver_spider. Got the shells into a diluted bleach solution, so as not to send him germs. Still need to sort and label stuff, then off to the post office.

Got done with another errand too. Finding time to get to the shop before work was challenging (especially when they called me the day of and asked me to come in early). So the Lissa-errand is done and in the mail. Should arrive tomorrow or Monday.

Got btoblake a card at a neat shop in Wiscasset last week, and got her address last night. No one in the world is going to appreciate that card as much as her. Found it in a shop called "Rock Paper Scissor" which turned out to be a stationary shop of sorts, with a tape dispenser shaped like a garden snail and all sorts of cute stuff from Japan.

I have ideas for writing again, although it is of course for the story that I didn't bring with me. All my earlier notes on this one are in storage in Buffalo, which is annoying. However, I have a few notes, and have started plotting again, to the extent that I have what should be a cohesive plot. Yay! I have various ideas for scenes, and intend to get them on note cards so I can grab them when I get to that point. I've also got a fun short story idea and hope to use that to get in the right frame of mind.

I've got a present for little Jess, but need to get her address from her mom. And given that I'm not able to make phone calls (most days of the week) during the time that Jen is home and awake, this has been a sticking point. Poor child is going to get an extremely late birthday present at this rate.

I haven't updated much lately, especially about the fun things I've done on my days off with M. Not much since the Fiber Frolic ( http://eseme.livejournal.com/144441.html ) anyway.

That will be the goal for this weekend.

Reading through the section in the Character Creation chapter of CtL on powers. What Changelings can and can't do. And it looks like the character idea I had simply won't work as originally envisioned. At all. There are just some things one can't do with the system.

Those things being detecting thoughts or reading minds. Not even surface thoughts. Granted, that sort of thing can get out of hand very fast, so I can see why it was eliminated entirely from the system. Still, one can't even detect emotions accurately (other than with the Ability Empathy). A Changeling can determine your greatest fear, or or greatest desire. They can incite wrath, fear, desire, and sorrow, but they don't have a power to determine what an individual is feeling right this instant. They also do not have a way of determining if someone is lying to them.

Now, I will admit that I am not very familiar with the base NWoD book (I've read a few bits of it but not the crunchy ones) so it is possible that basic Abilities like Empathy are a lot more powerful in this system and would allow someone with enough successes (in tabletop) to determine if an individual is lying.

You can achieve a similar effect by either scaring someone so much that they will tell you what you need to know (but may be so scared that they tell you what they think you want to know) or by angering someone so much that they make rash statements (or just try to kill you), or make someone so depressed that they give up and tell you their secrets (but may then be so despondent or freaked out that they don't join your terrorist group), or seduce someone into telling you the truth of why they want to join the group (but they may again tell you what they think you want to hear to impress you). None of which is a good way of dealing with most people who walk through the door- someone would need to be able to do all four things depending on the situation.

Also, given the new Pledge system, it is entirely likely that my original concept (someone in the rebellious terrorist organization Never Again who works to find moles and traitors) is completely redundant. I mean, presumably members take an Oath or Pledge of loyalty when joining and nasty things would happen if they broke it.

Still, it is just odd not to run into mental powers, as so many groups in the OWoD had them. Perhaps it all was too much of a headache.

And the other omission from the set of Changeling powers is just odd, from my standpoint (although it no doubt makes thematic sense). Changelings can create four primal emotions in mortals: Fear, Desire, Sorrow, and Wrath. What about Joy or Happiness? Changelings cannot make people happy. They can't create joy. Now, the World of Darkness in general tends to be in rather short supply of this emotion, so I can see why it is left out thematically. However, I'd argue that it is one of the most important emotions one can feel. So one wonders if the story of a child's laughter banishing the nightmares is true. Is Joy the anathema to Changelings? Is that one force the True Fae have no power over? Of does White WOlf simply think Happiness is not as powerful an emotion as fear or desire? If so, they really need to laugh more. Laughter can paralyze you. It can heal. Joy can bring you to tears. Some of our most pivotal moments in life revolve around Joy: weddings, graduations, birthdays, births, reunions... and no Changeling court truly exemplifies that emotion. Odd that something so powerful and so much a part of life is essentially left out.

In any event, I'll need to come up with a new concept. I'm still not done with the book, so I'm sure I will think of something.

There are reasons why I read ursulav's LJ.

*points at icon and link*

http://ursulav.deviantart.com/art/The-Abyss-Looks-Back-62380479

It's the cookies, I tell you.

So, I'm... alive. And not online much.

The job at L.L. Bean is great, I really enjoy helping customers. It's just that the "part-time" seasonal job is giving me 40 hours a week. And many of those are the 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM shifts, where I sleep until 11:00 AM and then get out a couple of resumes for library work, drive in to my job, work, and get home at 1:00 with enough energy to read. No real internet time for me.

I want to update on all sorts of things since I've been in Maine, and it's going to have to wait. My two days off this week are today (large backlog of resumes must get out) and Saturday. Saturday will be spent at L.L. Bean, just not working. I've learned that the locals start putting out chairs for the free concerts at 10:00 AM (show starts at 7:30 PM). So if I want a front row seat for Great Big Sea, my blanket and I will need to be there at 7:00 AM. I'll just bring food and a book.

Have finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Best Insult Ever: "Brains like that, you could be a Death Eater, son."

Advice to those who read slower than I do: Bring Tissues. Lots of them. ( Barely a Spoiler )

Very good book though. It ties up plot threads that came from every other book. A very well planned series.

Someone tell Josh, as I recall he was interested in this.

I read the LJ of the artist for the cover of A Marriage of Insects which is a novel set in World Tree by Brad bloom. Herethroy (the insect race) have three genders and thus rather interesting marriages.

Cover and book blurb (as well as purchasing) can be found here: http://www.world-tree-rpg.com/marriage.phtml

Two good things.

Institution of Higher Learning Three has called. I've got another interview next week, on Friday right after the interview at Institution of Higher Learning One (the second place has contacted me and I'm not in their top three candidates). More interview is good.

But there is even cooler news

While shopping with M today, I bought a couple of Great Big Sea albums. I really like their music, and these each came with a DVD.

Having watched these, I am now aware that their lead singer not only has a great voice, he's got great hair.

I then hit their website, thinking that I really should see this band in concert. I think to myself, "Not until I've got a job. Concert tickets are expensive. And they may not play in Maine any time soon."

I check their tour schedule.

They are playing in Maine, on August 11 FOR FREE thanks to L.L. Bean and its free summer concert series.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

*Jumps up and down ecstatically, and inks this onto the calendar*

Got a call yesterday from Institution of Higher Learning One. I'm in the final three candidates, and will be traveling to the campus within the next week and a half. I'll have an all day interview - stay in a hotel the night before, then 8:00 AM breakfast with the interview committee, tours of the library an campus, at some point I'll also make a presentation (yes, there is homework for this sort of interview) and meet with HR.

Think good thoughts, please. Once the date for this is set I'll let you know when specifically good thoughts will be needed.

Oh, and all expenses for this will be picked up by the potential employer, including mileage and food.