Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Playful Puppy

Crazy lady has received many letters, asking to post more pictures of my beautiful self:After editing & writing all day, we go to the park. Crazy lady chills on a blanket & reads. I play. She thinks I am regressing into puppyhood. She brings plenty of toys & treats to the park, otherwise I get bored and demand her attention. The most important thing? I'm happy and secure in my environment.

We leave for Easthampton tomorrow morning. The trip includes a ferry ride-- my first adventure on a boat! Crazy lady will try to take plenty of pictures.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Positively Riveting


Click on picture for wondrous speech.

The only difference between Ian Dunbar and crazy lady? She would have confronted the man who abused his kid on the plane. Crazy lady wishes she could attend a TED conference, but she is unwilling to bribe a psuedo-intellectual and pay thousands of dollars. She has to accept her place in this world as a TED lurker. Meanwhile, enjoy!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Summertime Sprinklers

We had a visit from Princess Kaylie & spent the day in the sprinklers.
It was (yet another) beautiful day in Boston and Cambridge. Crazy lady had to leave early for a Haar-vaard meeting, but she took me for an extra long walk in the wee hours of the morning.
Crazy lady is preparing for Pi-Con this weekend. I'm looking forward to hanging out in beautiful rural Massachusetts, although crazy lady is trying to warn me that the weekend will be filled with "people who are interested in Pi, games, and sicko science fiction." That's okay. We're taking the MIT shuttle to the conference, and P-Man will be there with his blitz out dog, Max. Woo hoo!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Haar-vaard

Crazy lady has spent some time at Haar-vaard the past couple of days, meeting with her advisor and planning her classes. Yes, she is returning to school. She thought it would be a good idea to take business and publishing classes (and maybe collect another degree) since she has started her own small press. Crazy lady can't live off of royalties, indefinitely. According to crazy lady, we become slaves to the dollar. I think she is just bitter about her experiences in Corporate America. She often wonders: How can a major U.S. Bank lay off over 10% of their work force, eliminate entire departments, outsource to India, and then refuse to give common folks a raise-- but yet give senior executives a 12% bonus? She just saw the Bank CEO proclaim on MSNBC that, "everything is fine." What the hell? Crazy lady smells a stinky, rancid fish. Crazy lady feels lucky that she has escaped this unprofessional and unethical corporation.
Anyhow, this article was required reading, and crazy lady wanted to share it with my fans (yes, I have fans...) Interesting, huh? She read it to me, but insisted on providing political commentary. I almost feel sorry for the "stiff suits" in the business classes-- especially the executives from "lying, thieving corporations who ream the working class to build their egos." What was Haar-vaard thinking, letting her on campus?!?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Dead Dog

In some parts of the United States, I would have been a dead dog. Many government funded rescue agencies would have deemed me "unadoptable" because I'm shy. Human hands scare me, and human sizes are threatening. If you want to be my friend, ignore me. Look away. Give me food and toys. Give me time to fall in love.

Many shelters are unwilling to give shy dogs time to work through their issues. Instead, these shelters conduct "humane euthanasia" for critters like me, other shy dogs. They need to make room for other rescued animals, especially the ones who are "easy adoptions." It drives crazy lady bonkers when she learns about these "kill policies," and the criteria some shelters will use to "throw away life." Crazy lady used to run a program for children living in a domestic violence shelter, and she often wonders: What if we disposed of the shy, unapproachable, wary children in the human shelter, much in the same way we disposed of shy dogs in animal shelters? Children in crisis need stability over time, and a chance to feel secure in their environment. Just like me.

A special friend in Denver sent crazy lady a note, highlighting a new group in Texas who is fighting the Houston SPCA's "kill policies." Here is what she learned about this group, Furry Pals Rescue:

"Furry Pals Rescue, Inc. is organized exclusively for the charitable purpose of preventing cruelty to animals by rescuing homeless companion animals from animal shelters and any other place they may be found. The organization will provide or cause to be provided food, shelter, and appropriate medical care for each animal. Furry Pals Rescue, Inc. will work to reduce the number of homeless animals by providing for spaying and neutering of all adoptable animals that come into its care which will help reduce the problem of overpopulation. The organization will work to place each animal in an appropriate, qualified, permanent home. Each adoptive owner will be educated by Furry Pals Rescue, Inc., as to the medical and other needs
at the time of adoption of each animal to reduce the chance of an animal being homeless again."
You can learn more by visiting their website, www.furrypals.blogspot.com. Their non profit status is pending with the IRS, but they are registered as an official non profit in Texas. They are currently looking for donations, to help manage over 30 rescues a month.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Jazzy Princess

Princess Kaylie, her mom, and crazy lady went to the Farmer's Market on Thursday. There was a free modern jazz concert, and the Princess decided to have some fun. Go, Princess, go!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Popeye Love

Remember Bandit, the dog who needed leg surgery? See him in the picture? He's doing great! And, my foster mamma Judy's BIG heart has given her another gift: Popeye. He's in the picture, too-- he's the one with the makeshift wheelchair, on your right. Popeye was abandoned on the side of the road and hit by a car in Taiwan. Judy is taking care of him, and he will probably need surgery in a couple of months. He definitely needs a new wheelchair-- the one he is using is too small, and it hurts. You can read more about Popeye here.
Information on making a tax deductible donation is on the right side of Popeye's blog page. You can also donate through Paypal, if his story touches your heart. Any donation-- big or small-- will help Judy with the many, many bills for Popeye and Bandit.
Crazy lady is a relic, a throwback, a "peace loving hippy" guaranteed to throw Cartman into rage. Even though she is a woman who writes horror, crazy lady still firmly believes in the "positive power of human kindness and networks" So, even if you can't donate, please "pass the word" in case someone else can help. Thanks!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Those Crazy Ups & Downs

Crazy lady is traveling to Rhode Island today, to attend some weird awards banquet. They told her: "You don't qualify for anything but the Academy, but you should come to the banquet to meet the judges, who will then determine if you qualify for next year's awards..." Yes, there are others in the world who are just as crazy.

Anyhow, crazy lady wanted to post a brief note about her writer friend who is having a difficult time. She has received dozens of emails from people, asking "Is everything okay with your friend?" Here's an update posted on her blog this morning. Michelle (the writer) is going through "medication adjustments," something that crazy lady says is not unusual-- but a total drag. Michelle finds that walking her dog helps. Crazy lady completely understands. She made me crispy chicken skins, gave me a hug, and headed out the door to Rhode Island. Woo hoo! I have the couch and toys to myself!
Of course, I can't end this post without a beauty shot:

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Amazon? Antitrust? Never! (insert sarcasm here)

As many of you know, crazy lady has been keeping an eye on the latest round of battles between authors, publishers and Amazon. There has been some impact to her books-- buttons were removed in France and the UK-- with print-on-demand changes that impact her business. Here are some overviews of the issue:

(1) most recent NY TIMES article
(2) lawsuit
(3) original publisher's weekly article

Well, Amazon has responded to the lawsuit, and it has been a busy couple of days for crazy lady. She sits on an advisory committee for women horror writers, and received the following email from Richard at BookLocker, the folks who filed the original lawsuit:

" Just wanted to let you know that we've released PDFs of Amazon's motion to dismiss and BookLocker's response to that motion. The federal judge will use these filings to make a determination as to if the lawsuit should proceed to trial or be thrown out. I'm posting the links here in case anyone is interested in diving deeper into the arguments of the lawsuit.

BookLocker's response

Amazon's Motion to Dismiss

Crazy lady has accomplished "zero, zippo, nada" today because of worried calls from small publishers, academics and writers impacted by Amazon's tactics. While there is no official boycott, crazy lady is suggesting that people shift to Powell's Books or Zubal's or something local to your community. It's hard. Amazon is cheap & convenient. It's too bad that Amazon has turned against the writers and publishers that gave it a boost in the early days.

Ah yes. Capitalism at its best & worst.

p.s. Some folks have asked "what else can we do?" There is an online petition sponsored by the Small Press association. They also have a web page dedicated to 5 things you can do, to help.

Cosmic Cuddles

Ah yes…don’t you love my favorite spot for early morning naps? Warm and comfy, until crazy lady wakes me up from my lovely dream.
Crazy lady is in a weird mood. She met a writer friend for coffee this morning, and ran into the very first man who broke her heart. He wasn’t her first love—that happened in college—but it was her first serious crush in high school. The man had claimed she was ugly & useless, as he trampled her feelings and started dating her best friend. He was bald when she saw him this morning, and crazy lady didn’t remember what he looked like 30 years ago-- but he immediately recognized her and invited himself to her friend’s house for coffee. To “catch up on old times” and ask “how come you’re living in Boston?” Yep. In crazy lady’s world, her first heartbreaker lives next door to her writer friend.

Crazy lady is also in a weird mood because her writer friend sent her this email:

“Help! I just received my first review, and it was bad! I know you are used to people hating your work, but this is new ground for me. He actually gave me 1 star on Amazon! I’m in the U.K., traveling back tomorrow. Let’s meet Tuesday for coffee, and you can give me tips on dealing with haters.”

So… she meets a writer friend, to help with the “haters,” because (apparently) crazy lady is an expert on bad reviews. Then, she runs into the man who spent considerable time & effort mocking her in high school. Crazy lady has decided that we live in a very cosmic, very bizarre world. And people still ask her: How do you find material for your stories?
I told her, “Cheer up, chick-a-dee! They’re not worth your energy. Give me cuddles, instead!”