Tim Burton is to direct a live-action Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film?
This is going to be creepy. But then, a lot of Dahl is creepy, and people tend to miss it, focusing on the humour instead.
And an official bio of Joss Whedon has just been released. On Amazon, under the editorial reviews, is this gem posted by the man himself:
Joss Whedon
“Possibly the finest book of the century; It’s exactly like A Tale of Two Cities, but with 30% more me.”
My parents are back from their trip to Italy, and when my mother called last night she sounded like she’d been roaming the pages of Janson’s History of Art, pages 278 to 473 inclusive (in the third edition; YMMV depending on the edition you consult, of course). I’m extremely happy for them; it sounds like they enjoyed themselves immensely, but I am just a teensy bit jealous. It comes from being so well educated, I think. If I’d never learned anything about art or history or Western Culture, then I’d have no reason to be envious, would I?
I’ll be interested to see the success rate of this dreaming true thing I’ve been experiencing on and off. Some events I’d like to see happen, such as the wedding of two friends at a particular time of year, or last night’s dream of a film starring Tom Cruise and Carrie-Anne Moss. Then there are others which I’d rather not see happen, like being told by a book rep during the winter that Terry Pratchett has just died. I think I’d like to be completely wrong on that last one, thanks.
Today, I sit down with my first NaNo novel and edit, edit, edit. This will be Edit No. 4, and, I think, the final edit before I write query letters and choose sample chapters to submit to an as-of-yet undetermined list of publishers. One of my cats has graciously consented to be in my presence this morning, so maybe today I’m not as cranky as I have been. Or perhaps she’s just acting out of pity, and it’s pure charity. Whatever her motivation, today will feature Maggie, laptop, peppermint tea, and lotus incense. And Mozart, whose music appears throughout the novel. (Yeah, I know; a CD tray full of Mozart should drive me crackers by about noon. I’ll strike back with Tori Amos when I can’t stand it any more.)
“Want to watch The Fellowship of the Ring tonight?” I ask my husband as we finish unpacking groceries and washing dishes. I’m antsy, waiting for the theatrical release of The Two Towers to come out on DVD in a month.
He checks the clock; evaluates his mood; thinks about bedtime, and where to work dinner in.
“Sure,” he says.
It’s not just like tossing in a Disney movie, after all. You’re talking about a four-hour commitment, for which you’ll probably have to pack a lunch, or at least a snack.
To my astonishment, I discovered today that Emily has linked me on her writing blog! You all remember my references to Emily Horner and her word count acting as my stick and/or carrot from last November, I’m sure? I stop by her writing log every week or so. I tend to read entries as opposed to scanning links on the blogs that I read (although for kicks sometimes I click on a random link on someone’s page), so I have no clue when this happened, but I’m terribly tickled. I’m always tickled when I find that somone who isn’t a personal friend, who only knows me from my blog or on-line presence, has linked me.
And finally, from Caitlin R Kiernan:
“Where do you get your ideas?” Strike that. Reverse it.
“Where do they get me?”
I check out Neil Gaiman’s log every couple of weeks or so, and this morning I found a dizzying off-hand reference that made my blood pressure soar (in a good way):
finished the last tidy on the pre-outline story draft for the TAM LIN film I’m doing with Brian and Wendy Froud and Sony Animation
Gah! Being (a) a Neil Gaiman fan, (b) a Froud fan, and (c) a huge fan of the Scottish tale of Tam Lin, I am quite naturally over the moon.
After an hour and a half break to take an Advil, make and eat dinner, and have a glass of wine, I’m back at the computer. Hey, don’t try to stop me. I’ve been restless and not-work-y for the past ten days; let me work while I’m happy to work!
Besides, it benefits two parties: the employer who needs this freelance work done, and me, because my work makes money so that I can buy more books. (This is serious. I’m currently in the throes of Egyptian and Norse mythology heaven, and I’ve got a list of titles I want as long as my arm.) Plus I’m multi-tasking: while one page loads, I’m searching out new links with the other.
Eventually I’ll stop, and I’ll watch Buffy or something. Speaking of, was anyone else left a bit off-balance by the Angel season finale? It was great, and tied up loose ends while preparing for a new season, but I guess I’m just too used to mass violence and cataclysm on Angel these days. There was surprisingly little cataclysmic action in this episode. It made for a nice break for the characters, of course – who, come to think of it, were left as equally off-balance.
Never underestimate the power a single lightbulb can have. No, that’s not a pun; I’m serious. Yesterday I picked up two of those new-ish GE Reveal lightbulbs, the ones with a faint blue-violet tint to the glass. I put one in the light that hangs over my computer, and there’s a world of difference. It’s much more like natural light.
My next trip to the hardware store will involve the purchase of a club-pack of these things to put in every single socket in the apartment. I’m not kidding.
My husband made an official date with me to see Matrix Reloaded tomorrow after I teach. I anticipate much gleeful geeking out with colleagues next week, just as much geeking as X2 got. Well, maybe not; Matrix Reloaded doesn’t have Hugh Jackman, after all. Keanu’s just not in the same league, you know?
I’ve had a busy couple of days: renewing my health insurance card and my driver’s license, doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping, lunches and barbeques, and a full-blown Beltaine ritual that was a bit late but wonderful nonetheless. (Kudos to my husband for solo-leading a ritual for over twenty people for the very first time, and for giving me shivers when he read the Charge of the God.)
In various waiting rooms, I began and finished Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Forest House, which I hadn’t read since it came out. I remember being disappointed with it at the time, and I can’t understand why, now. Perhaps because I read it directly after I finished The Mists of Avalon, which is altogether a very different book.
We’ve finally constructed and arranged the various bits and pieces of furniture we picked up at Ikea this weekend (hot tip: if you have to go to Ikea, do it at 9 AM on a Saturday morning. There is no one there. No one. It’s spooky.). We now have a pantry, and a cabinet under the bathroom sink, and a cupboard to store our towels. The best of all: we have a hanging iron rack for our pots and pans. I’ve always wanted one of these.
I still feel restless, and I can’t sit at the computer for more than about fifteen minutes at a time, which rather limits the amount of work I can get done. If it were sunny out, I wonder if I would feel more focused, or just as unsettled.