daystarsearcher

Next week will finish up the spring semester of Levers class I'm teaching. I want to do something nice for my Tuesday kids, especially since some of them have been coming back for classes with me since September, and I don't know if I'll be back at this job in the fall. I'm thinking just some homemade cards, but I also have some action figures they might like more than me, and if I get sneak them into geekhood early...

In other news, I'm trying to keep myself more focused and on-track with my goals, reminding myself that happiness is good but contentment is a trap. (It's a TRAAAAAAAAP!) The other day at my weekend job at the Hall of Hamerica I realized that my job description was essentially "spray industrial strength poison onto tables while watching people tip entire slices of pizza into the garbage," and I've been trying to hold onto that anger as a focal point to keep me pursuing my goals.

I got the idea of "writing sprints" from Jane Espenson, which has been helpful in getting shit done without panicking or getting overwhelmed. I have an outline for my first Cracked pitch (now I just have to fill it out and make sure I'm citing everything correctly), I've applied to two jobs (and have a list of like fifteen more), and I've been working on an original short story that I haven't touched in almost a year. Other goals: finish novella, sign up for some poetry slams, research Creative Writing MFAs (yes, I am considering wading back into academia).

It is definitely also helping that I am taking a temporary hiatus from Tumblr, so that I don't get sucked down that black hole of adorable behind-the-scenes Classic Who pictures.

EDIT: Whoops, spoke too soon. Some sort of error processing my second application; need to retype and send via their e-mail. Will have to do that after I get back from the Minnesotans United phone bank.

Originally posted by sio at House Passes CISPA: Make Sure It Dies In Senate
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Originally posted by sio at Stop the Arizona Birth Control Bill</div></div>

Originally posted by sio at here we go again....CISPA is the new SOPA</div></div></div>
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Going to try to finish my Sarah Jane Adventures fic for Dark-Fest today. Meant to do it last night, but I came home after the gay marriage phone bank and promptly fell asleep. Meant to do it this morning, but only just finished lesson plan for work (also meant to do that last night).

If anyone wants to be a drill sergeant and/or cheerleader, that would be most appreciated. Messages of the "YOU CAN DO IT!" or "DO IT, YOU LAZY MOTHERFUCKER!" both appreciated.

Volunteered at a phone bank for Minnesotans United for All Families today. It was kind of depressing; most of the people weren't home, and of the people I did talk to, no one volunteered to take shifts. One guy got really snarky about "wow, you're really asking a lot from people, aren't you?" and I was panicked for a moment thinking I'd said the time commitment wrong, but no, he was actually pissed about being asked to help out for three hours. And the script was redundant and confusing and at one point some girl hung up on me because she thought I was against gay marriage, when I'm actually against the constitutional amendment for banning gay marriage. And some dude got ridiculously angry about how I had his information; he was all, "HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH WAY I PLAN TO VOTE? HOW DO YOU HAVE MY INFORMATION?!" And I was like, "Well, sir, presumably you gave us your name and number and indicated you were interested in volunteering." "WELL I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU ANYMORE!"

*sigh*

And I mean, these were all people who indicated they plan to vote no, so it wasn't like I was dealing with anything super-depressing or scary like potentially cold-calling homophobes or anything. But on the walk home I kept thinking about it anyway, how if the vote were held today the anti-gay-marriage amendment would pass, and just...I don't get it. I really don't get it. I mean, look at me. I'm five foot one and I cry at Star Trek episodes. What are they so scared of? What possible threat could I be to anybody?

Title: Two Birds in a Cage
Characters: alt!Sarah Jane, alt!Three, Section Leader Shaw, Brigade Leader Lethbridge-Stewart, references alt!Jo
Summary: Miles below the earth, in the most secret and heavily guarded of all their prisons, they keep a man who builds them weapons that are decades and sometimes centuries ahead of their time. Reports come back of the things they bring him: books, chemicals, lab equipment. Young girls.
Notes: An AU for the Inferno-verse, which I guess makes it an AU of an AU. Basically, the Doctor we know never popped in from our universe, but their version of the Doctor has been their prisoner for as long as he has been in exile. Oh, and the world never burned up, obviously.
Warnings: Descriptions of torture (including allusions to sexual assault). A friendship with occasional Stockholm Syndrome overtones. Stockholm Syndrome.

Edited for more accurate warning.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

( Part Five )

Does anyone know of a good comm where I could find a beta for my original fic? I need someone with science fiction experience who won't expect the story to spoon-feed them the details of what a laser blaster is (it's called having common sense and a basic knowledge of popular culture, former creative writing class), and I want to get someone I don't know so they won't feel obligated to be nice to me and just tell me the story's great.

Originally posted by denorios at Please take a seat in the shaming room...