R.A.W.

Signing off (or is that sighing off?)

2006-11-12T16:21:00.000-06:00

For the nonce, I'll not be doing any more writing in this blog since I've been really inconsistant about it anyhow and there is a Live Journal my bestfriend and I have been writing in. If you wanna check it out, here's the address:http://punkbeaver.livejournal.com/It's kind of schitzo since there's two of us writing in it, but I like it.

Check this out!

2006-10-24T17:45:00.000-05:00

At Kate the Great's Book Emporium, we're releasing our first 'zine EVER! With 6 stories about Cemetery Guardians and some amazing artwork by Bek Huston of tattooheathen.com it's a lovely little find at $3 a copy... and you get a piece of candy with it too! What fun!But wait, that's not all! This

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

2006-10-13T23:39:00.000-05:00

Check out Dark, but Shining! Patty Templeton, one of their fabulous writers does a review on Sunshine because I recommended that she read the book. Too cool for TV!!! And free publicity for the store... how lucky are we?

2006-09-21T15:33:00.000-05:00

In a Past Life...You Were: An Albino Monk.Where You Lived: Poland.How You Died: Buried alive.Who Were You In a Past Life?

Who invented chewing gum and why?

2006-08-09T12:57:00.000-05:00

Ron, a friend of mine, threw this question at me as kind of a sidelong joke in an e-mail he sent me. But it was a question I didn't know the answer to so I did a bit of research and wah-lah, here's a website on the invention of chewing gum. (gods, I love the internet!)It turns out that who the original inventors are is actually a toss up between the Greeks and the Mayans. I'm tempted to give it

Lately, I've been missing theatre

2006-08-01T17:07:00.000-05:00

Ninja Techie!Congratulations! You scored 114! You are a Jedi Master of stagecraft (...this is not the tie-line you're looking for...). You've done a fair bit of everything, and are uber-competant. Blathering directors are impressed by your vast knowledge and experience, and when doing on-stage scene shifts, the audience sees nothing! You have become one with the Gaff Tape. The Theatre Geek Test

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

2006-07-18T18:29:00.000-05:00

I'm a slow reader. So when a book has entangled me in its web, I usually sigh and set it aside many times in order to get on with my everyday living. I COULD NOT do this with The Time Traveler's Wife*. After reading just the prologue, I knew I was hooked. It's not only a great love story, it's a story that explores the deeper metaphysical meaning of life without ever getting preachy. It's a book

Mary-Anne said...

2006-07-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

Mary-Anne said... "Too much information? That's my middle name. "I don't believe in too much information. When people cry out that I'm sharing too much, it usually just means they're repressed or bored. If they're repressed, then it's my duty help them become less so, right? And if they're bored... *evil laugh* as a wise woman once said, "only boring people get bored."And Mary-Anne, you have a

Lake Allison said...

2006-07-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

Lake Allison said... "I get those voices, too, non-fiction is hard. What I struggle with is: When is it an article, and when is it just a journal entry."Hell yeah, sister! I'm always trying to understand the difference between what is merely me blathering on about something NO ONE (except maybe those near and dear and then sometimes not even) and what is actually publication worthy. Do I

Voices in my head

2006-07-06T13:38:00.000-05:00

Miz Dagmar wrote:"I think you can share as much as you are comfortable sharing. Personally, I haven't gotten bored yet. I did a smidge more sharing than I expected in my own blog, myself, recently. Perhaps now that we have a feel for who our readers are, we have gotten comfortable enuf to share. Kinda funny, really."While I think part of it is getting a feel for my readers, for me at least, it's

Good Questions

2006-07-04T10:51:00.000-05:00

Spinning Girl commented on my previous post and asked some good questions." Hmmm. I guess the obvious question would be, why is he in prison?"The 'why' has to do with some forgery he did when he was much younger. He was foolish, then he left the state during his probationary period. I've known people who've done much worse who've never gotten caught. If he was there for violence or something

I'm not one to wait but here I am

2006-07-02T17:10:00.000-05:00

waiting by the phone. My love is to call today and I can't even leave the house because he can only use the landline. There's plenty for me to do here, I'm actually taking a break from vacuuming, so it's not as if I'm bored. Not that vacuuming is a thrill a minute or anything like that, but I'm keeping busy.My problem is I have too much of an imagination. Once noon, when he was supposed to call,

a rant on driving

2006-06-27T14:27:00.000-05:00

I use to hate driving. I didn't even get my license until I was almost 18 and that was mostly because everyone else was sick of dragging my ass around. Plus, I'm dyslexic and while it's something I've learned to work with in almost every area of my life, it's a real hazard when traveling. Maps give me headaches and whenever anyone says, "it's real easy to find," I hear it as, "if you get lost,

the healing powers of poetry

2006-05-20T13:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at the bookstore:A shabby man was just here. He was unbathed but smiling. I showed him where the poetry section is. When he was ready to check out, he had stuck the book in his bag. He said, "I'm sorry, I'm handicapped and I sometimes have trouble doing things in the right order," he smiled and showed me the contents of the bag without my asking him so I could be sure he hadn't taken

Terremotita

2006-05-19T12:13:00.000-05:00

As a kid, I never understood boundaries. I didn't have many myself, so I didn't quite understand why other people had times they didn't want to be touched or were embarrassed when I'd squeal at the top of my lungs about something that delighted me.I was a child without subtext.Of course everyone wants a hyperactive child tackling them with a hug. And everyone understands when I'm just being silly

IDAHO

2006-05-17T18:00:00.000-05:00

Did you know that today is the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO)? I sure didn't. I didn't even have a clue that May 17th had any significance, until now! So here's what I've learned about today:1536 - Anne Boleyns 4 "lovers" were executed.1620 - The first merry-go-round seen at a fair (Philippapolis, Turkey)1804 - Lewis and Clark begin exploration of Louisiana Purchase1954 - Brown vs.

At Home Vegan - a rant, of sorts

2006-05-15T12:29:00.000-05:00

Don't roll your eyes thinking, "Damn, another bleeding heart lecture about eating meat." or "I need my meat, my cheese, my eggs!!!" or "Vegetables are for pussies." or "Friggin' freak!" Okay, thinking the last one is fine.Honestly, what you do or don't eat is none of my concern.Though I do believe carnivors should have to hunt and kill their own prey with their bare hands... and, AND it should be

If you're in the Chicago area, come see Dragon, a play I directed!!! (it's fantastic!)

2006-04-13T12:32:00.000-05:00

Dragon a never before seen psychological drama aboutMurder, Lust, Therapy and all the little ways people dominate each other photo courtesy of Tattoo HeathenAt the end of the performance, we will pass a hat for donations, but there is no up front charge to see the play. So Come!!! ; >* * Warning: this play would be rated R due to content, language & sexually explicit scenes if it were a movie.

Beauty

2006-03-31T11:46:00.000-06:00

I want, no I NEED to move to Scotland! (or at least visit...) This beautiful, this gorgeous this amazing older (as unto, in her 60s or 70s...) woman with pink and purple hair, eyes like copper pennies, a smile that matched the color and sweetness of mamones, a lovely Scottish accent and the glow of a goddess was just in my bookstore. She was wearing a handmade metal pentagram and explained that

Quiz-a-rama!!

2006-03-05T15:28:00.000-06:00

Okay, okay! I'm just avoiding getting homework done... I'll get to it now. shesh!You Are An Intro-Extrovert!Sometimes you're social - sometimes you're shyYou've got a bit of an Introvert / Extrovert split going onYou enjoy all sorts of situations. Parties, small groups, and alone time.Too much of one, and you'll long for the other. You need varity!Chances are, you've got both serious and fun

reasons why my postings are so randomly... posted

2006-02-23T16:48:00.000-06:00

1. At home I work on a Mac. Mac and Blog Boy are like little kids who like to play but don't like to share. Blog Boy is always demanding cookies and Mac is always hiding them. Then Blog Boy whines and cries until Mac grudgingly gives him a cookie 'cause the Hyena told him he better or else! I like Mac and I like Blog Boy, but I don't like them so much together.2. I'm taking Master level classes

too true... ;>

2006-02-17T11:47:00.000-06:00

hyena9 --[adjective]:Pretentiously academian'How" will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Sex Ed Cow!!

2006-02-13T08:30:00.000-06:00

How could I not dig a guy who has this tattoo?

Transplant

2006-02-05T09:43:00.000-06:00

The bleeps and blips that I always associate with hospitals are what first register for me. My Mom is later convinced that I first responded to her voice, but really, it was those sounds that truly brought me back. “Vivian - should I be calling her... I mean, by name?” Without opening my eyes, I can feel the lines of worry pulling across my mother’s brow. Her large green eyes are even wider and

Blame the Assassin Chick

2006-02-02T13:47:00.000-06:00

Oh that Quick! She inspires such amazing frivolity of life. And I thank her. ;> Life is too often taken too seriously when it's really just so goddamn funny!Your Birthdate: November 7You are an island. (Wow, I'm HUGE!!!)You don't need anyone else to make you happy.(Self-lovin', that's what it's all about! Though sometimes it's nice to have a big... thick... sandwich.)And though you see yourself

My Victorian Romance

2006-01-29T12:32:00.000-06:00

I'm in love! It’s true, I’ve become romantically entangled with a man who’s several states away -- in Idaho. He's moving to Illinois in November, but until then, we're having quite the steamy Victorian Romance. Perhaps I should explain... If he were close by I could at least visit. But alas, he’s in Idaho, the land of potatoes, so many states away and in a situation where the internet is

My Uncle Al died today

2006-01-28T20:02:00.000-06:00

I never knew either of my grandfathers since they both died before I was born. But Uncle Al always had a grandfatherly way about him that he generously extended to this grandfatherless niece. His smile could warm the world and his quiet way spoke volumes on the simple pleasures that life has to offer. I was never a child to sit still, yet Uncle Al could always calm my frantic ways and patiently

Henry James (from The Kiwi Mosque of Lilly Lee)

2006-01-24T12:39:00.000-06:00

The following is a chapter (though I'm not sure which one, I know it's not the first) from my novel in progress The Kiwi Mosque of Lilly Lee. Any and all comments are appreciated. Thank you ~ j9The fire in the middle of the clearing burned to low cinders as Lilly Lee hummed a low melody into the bright darkness of moonlight, plucking absently at the autoharp in her lap. It had no chord keys, yet

It's all so damn amusing...

2006-01-03T09:12:00.000-06:00

The truth is, I was being lazy. I should have ended things as soon as I saw his true nature. But my damn curiosity got the better of me and I was having fun. He's the one who kept trying to push for something more serious.It's interesting that a pathetic little xenophobic, homophobic, racist boy with an impotency problem who lives in his mamma's basement thinks for a second that I care. It's been

erotica and paper dolls... bookstore confessional

2005-12-30T11:26:00.000-06:00

Recently, I had an older gentleman (he looked to be in his 70 or 80s) bring in a list of out-of-print erotica books. Among the titles were: Woman and her Master by Jean de Villiot, The Torture Garden by Octave Mirbea and two Anonymous books. We did not have them, but I was intrigued. I looked them up online and found Olympia Press, a site where you can download out-of-print erotica for only a

a very thoughtful dog

2005-12-29T15:46:00.000-06:00

The winged dog is never vicious, unless you mess with the sacred electrical wires. As he guards them, he thinks on things no faerie dog has ever thought before. He thinks: what would happen if I disconnected the sun? and... what if the extension cord is not long enough? and... how many licks does it take to get to the center?and...would I get electrocuted?

I'm a Eunich! yippy!

2005-12-27T17:24:00.001-06:00

You Are 60% Boyish and 40% GirlishYou are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch.Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes.You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them.You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be."http://www.blogthings.com/howboyishorgirlishareyouquiz/How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

Yup, it's Yule! And we got us some Xmas Evil!!

2005-12-21T13:07:00.000-06:00

Xmas Evil...? That's what I said, fool! It's the hottest thing to hit Christmas since Rudolph's ruby shnozz!!This Yuletide themed horror zine features fantasticly twisted gruesome stories written by such amazing writers as Allison Quick the Assassin Chick , Shagdar the radiant / C.S.E. Cooney and yours truly, j9 vaughn."But where, oh where can I get my hands on a copy of this salacious solstice

the REAL issue

2005-12-10T11:57:00.000-06:00

I was reading about how some corporate big wigs are crackin' down on the christmas greeting issue. It seems that employees have been asked to say, "Happy Holidays" instead of, "Merry Christmas". Due to this, there have been some cries of outrage that sound a bit like, "help, help, we're being oppressed!" as often happens in cases like this. The problem is, they're not addressing the real issue.

a mantra of want

2005-12-01T11:55:00.000-06:00

No amount of psychoanalysis could convince me that there was anything deeper to what he did than pure unadulterated selfishness & a complete disregard for the consequences that would inevitably follow. Why else would you steal a UMD for your PSP? It's not even self-love that supersedes his love for his girlfriend who told him if this ever happened again (yes, this was a repeat offense -- twice)

Strange things in cyber space....

2005-08-29T04:07:00.000-05:00

Yeah... So the entire month of August, I have been unable to post anything due to not feeding cookies to Blogger or something like that. I really should have contacted someone, but out of sheer laziness, I did not. I subtly hoped that the problem would resolve itself.... and it did. This is going to do nothing to help motivate me to be less lazy. In fact, I feel like my laziness was rewarded.

not my typical post...

2005-07-24T22:24:00.000-05:00

I cannot contain my glee!!!! I have done something I never thought I would do. (No, not THAT.) I outlined the entire novel of Funky Sushi. Seriously. It's very possible that once I get past the outline, I won't stick to it, but I have a weird feeling about this. I feel like I already know the ENTIRE story and I just have to get it to the page. I've already revamped the first chapter, which is now

Zertully

2005-07-23T12:38:00.000-05:00

As I wake to the blare of my alarm clock, I guess it’s still called that even though it was more of a meditation on the bare white ceiling than any sleep, I pull the letter out from underneath Zoë’s pillow and read it again, for the hundredth time.My dearest Cub, I came home from work today and the children along my street were running towards the Ice Cream Truck that was parked, to my dismay, in

barometric brain

2005-07-12T02:32:00.000-05:00

the weather shifts pressing the air me; pressuring me. i don’t know why i get to feel the aura of the sky, nor do i know what to do with it. perhaps there’s some beauty in this gift that i’m missing entirely. but when i lay down, i am the earth a giant foot steps upon; i am the speakers dead voices flood their way through; i am the eyeballs the vultures of the underworld come to peck out. typing

A friend wrote a poem in Ireland, just for me!

2005-07-12T02:28:00.000-05:00

My Dearest Chaosto the one who holds tattoos of time gently in her handsto the one with whom entwined the sacred dragon standsand all the mighty seas unbound in her make freethe foam and waters radical and riptides merrilythis priestess errant, goddess rampant, rogue and trickster queenthis bitch witch lover licking tangled tongues of flaming greenwho rides the dead like demons and the demons

vanishing muse

2005-07-09T14:58:00.000-05:00

The last time I saw Ron DeMarco... He came to visit me in my time of dreamless sleep. At most I would sleep for three hours on any given day. This had gone on for over three months, and those were the days when I was lucky. But I couldn’t dream. Or if I dod, I never remembered my dreams. As an avid dreamer and recorder of dreams since the time I learned to write things down or even draw them, I

falling asleep to the sound of sirens (Allison Quick, the Assassin Chic)

2005-07-07T23:05:00.000-05:00

The last tendrils of music sing in his mind as he wipes the drool from his slacking jaw. "Where the fuck am I?" he mutters, sitting up on the stiff wooden bench. Above him, a night sky that would normally make his soul sigh, blinks at him unrelentingly. A cool breeze rustles the trees behind him. He turns to see that he’s been sleeping on a park bench at the edge of an unfamiliar park. A fire

Mer

2005-07-05T23:16:00.000-05:00

The air above is hot. Below the surface, the water holds us; cradle us in its cooling embrace. This is where I love to be. I live to dive down deep where the slickness is thick and movement is a melodic song of fluid motion. It’s not that I’m not curious about the world of the Walking kind, it’s just that I do not trust them or their ways. I’ve seen what they can do to my kind. I watch as my

A Chance Meeting - Part I (Allison Quick, the Assassin Chic)

2005-07-04T11:04:00.000-05:00

Allison Quick, the Assassin ChicA Chance Meeting - Part I "They never see it coming," Allison muttered from underneath her fedora as she casually cleaned her fingernails with a large hunting knife. Her unshod left ankle crossed over her right one as she pushed her feet against the edge of the desk to lean back in her chair. This movement caused her black trench coat to V open about midway up her

A Thousand Words???

2005-07-03T17:18:00.000-05:00

I'm reading "Making a Literary Life" by Carolyn See. Though it is a bit redundant as far as my writing education goes, it has a unique perspective on things I already know. One of the things she advises is that you write one thousand words (about four pages) five days a week for the rest of your life. Not bad advice.When I read this, I immediately thought of the Chinese proverb, "a picture's

The Blank Page

2005-06-25T03:23:00.000-05:00

The bane of creation is the blank page. My artist friend tells me that the blank page haunts the minds of the visual artists as well as those of writers. But the blank page is not the enemy. The blank page is the lover waiting to be filled. Yet, more often than not, instead of caring, the blank page receives derisive remarks, ranting, ripping, crumpling, burning, even gum being shoved into its

Goat Urine, it's a Satan thing!

2005-05-16T14:54:00.000-05:00

I'm a smitten kitten on crack. And he's a Satanist. Thing is, I'm an Eclectic (mostly Discordian) Witch, so it doesn't really bother me. It doesn't quite jive with my personal spirituality (it's almost too Christian for me) but Spirituality is such a personal thing so I don't expect everything to jive. Plus, several of the things - like the spell work & the rituals - that drew him to Satanism are

Butterfly Box - origin

2005-05-15T15:22:00.000-05:00

It’s no larger than the palm of my hand. The detail of the carving mesmerizes me. I’d been drawn to the cobolt blue of these tiny butterfly wings sitting on the dusty metal shelf in amongst all sorts of tattered curtains and ancient blenders and random nick-nackery. But the box is unmarred. And the detail... “What could I use it for?” I think, snickering slightly at my pack ratting tendencies. (I

Thanks to Allison...

2005-04-25T20:30:00.000-05:00

What Is Your Art School Major? by lakeallisonNameYear in SchoolStar SignFavorite Bodily OrifaceYou are working toward a BFA inSTD CollectionQuiz created with MemeGen!

Airborne website

2005-04-17T13:07:00.000-05:00

I tried to include this link in my last post, but i'm either linkless or link deficiant...http://www.airbornehealth.com/

listen to my mommy...

2005-04-17T12:38:00.000-05:00

i've had a cold / flu / i don't know what for over two months now and it's been driving me MAD!!! All i want to do is sleep, sleep, sleep. as a big advocator for sleeping especially when it leads to dreaming, i knew it was bad when i was sick of sleep. but even more than sleep, i've just been so sick of being so tired all the time. i can't get anything done and i feel like shit. it hasn't been

Soft Spoken??? --- a rant

2005-04-14T20:20:00.000-05:00

I still can't get over it. In my conference with my least favorite teacher (a conference to which he was 20 minutes late and blamed it on the office staff even though I KNOW he was sleeping and should know when his conferences was anyhow), I was called , "soft spoken". Now I've been accused of many things in my lifetime, but not since high school, over TEN years ago, have I been called "soft

I hate....

2005-04-10T18:44:00.000-05:00

I hate everything I have ever written! I want to delete this blog, to burn my pages, to trash my computer, to turn off my brain. How can a few hours affect everything so profoundly? I know it's just self doubt, but damnit, everyone read and, like usual, only my writing gets the "constructive criticism". You know what, go fuck yourself and your constructive criticism. I feel raw in a way I have

migrain motion-sickness

2005-04-08T10:25:00.000-05:00

consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality consensual reality

Friday, April 01, 2005

2005-04-01T19:47:00.000-06:00

April 1, 2005. April, the cruelest month according to T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and I must agree. Today is the ten year anniversary of Joy’s accident. Though I am on break and could very well spend the day with Joy, I chose not to. But I can’t help thinking about her. There’s something so twisted and wrong about her accident being on this day and and yet so appropriate. In ancient times, the