Three Bitches and a Bastard

Source

When you read a book, do you like to read 
the author's dedications and acknowledgements?

I am fascinated by these, especially when I consider
all the people who help shepherd a book into publication.










The biggest thrill I ever had 
reading an acknowledgement in a book
was in my sister Bertie's first published book
Why Kids Can't Spell:
A Practical Guide to the Missing Component
in Language Proficiency.

Sioux Lookout, 1963

Bertie and I:  Presenters
at CCIRA Conference,  2011

In part the acknowledgement read:
"My big sister, Louise, 
my lifetime mentor,
thanks for all your reading, 
editing, encouragement and enthusiasm."

Who knew that sweet little toddler
would write that to her big sister 
in the acknowledgement 
of her first book?

So this morning I was flipping through 
George R. R. Martin's A Dance of Dragons
while warming up in front of the fire.
Yes, our fireplace is on, and snow is forecasted for tomorrow!

I was brushing up 
on some of the minor characters
in the Free Companies 
which I had lost track of
reading late into last night.

George Martin at the San Diego
Comic Com International 2013
Source:  wikimedia

Low and behold ~
a page of acknowledgements!
George Martin began:
The last one was a bitch.  
This one was three bitches and a bastard. 









While I wouldn't think of putting myself in Martin's writing class,
I can certainly relate to the frustration 
inherent in the writing process.
Maddening frustration!

But unlike me Martin has people.
People like Stephen Boucher 
who keeps Martin's computer greased and humming,
and Ty Frank who tends to Martin's computer
when Stephen's not around.
Martin even has a webmaster, Pati Nagle.
By the way~ if you haven't read the Game of Thrones books
or watched the series on HBO, you are missing out Big Time!
Source:  A Dance with Dragons, p. 1017

My computer and I are having our latest go round this morning.
Poor thing is overloaded, and I am seeing 
the Spinning Wheel of Death everywhere.
If you have a Mac, 
and you challenge it like I do,
you'll know exactly what I mean.

Source

OMG!  You can actually Google
Spinning Wheel of Death
and get a picture of it.
And I thought we teachers at Sunrise
had come up with the nickname!


So I'm trying to compose my daily quota
of 500 new words for my manuscript,
and I get these messages popping up.
I'm out of memory in my MacBook Pro.

Source:  Wikimedia

You would not believe the shenanigans
I have gone through this morning
to outwit my pesky computer
and get this tinsy post written
and with images from 
my ever faithful Wikimedia.

So the long and short of it is,
my next Apple lesson is next Friday,
and I may not be able to post anything
until after then ~
If my trainer can unscramble the mess
I have made on my hard drive.

I can't write any more on my manuscript ~
no memory.

I can't work on my photographs ~
Aperture went toes up 
trying to digest my Moon House photos
for a post I was working on.

I can't even play Passenger performing
at the 2013 Pinkpop Festival on You Tube
(while working on all the above).
Forty-six minutes can pass in no time
when you are tearing your hair out!

 Pinkpop 2013

Do you think all this is going to stop me?
No way in hell!

I already have my own
dedications and acknowledgements
running through my mind!

Warning to Bertie:
I'm looking for paybacks,
sister dear!

I'll be back in a week or so ~
unless I can come up with a brilliant solution
to my computer's memory problems sooner.

One thing is actually working this morning.
Google's ads-just-for-special-me
are getting through A-Okay!
Hey Google, how about sending me a real bottle of rum
instead of Captain Morgan ads?