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Complex Numbers
Complex Numbers
A complex number is expressed in the standard form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is defined by i^2 = -1 (that is, i is the square root of -1). For example, 3 + 2i is a complex number.
The bi term is often referred to as an imaginary number (though this may be misleading, as it is no more "imaginary" than the symbolic abstractions we know as the "real" numbers). Thus, every complex number has a real part, a, and an imaginary part, bi.
Complex numbers are often represented on a graph known as the "complex plane," where the horizontal axis represents the infinity of real numbers, and the vertical axis represents the infinity of imaginary numbers. Thus, each complex number has a unique representation on the complex plane: some closer to real; others, more imaginary. If a = b, the number is equal parts real and imaginary.
Very simple transformations applied to numbers in the complex plane can lead to fractal structures of enormous intricacy and astonishing beauty.
November 30, 2007 at 5:49pm November 30, 2007 at 5:49pm
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Another month gone - always surprised at how fast they go by, now.
One more month left in the year.
As much as the "holiday season" sometimes gets on my last nerve, I do like the week between Christmas and New Year's. That's what I look forward to - the time when everyone else is finally coming down from their holiday highs, and sanity prevails everywhere (except, of course, at retail store return counters). No one has yet made impossible New Year's resolutions, and things are just generally slow for me.
Then there's New Year's Eve. I don't always do traditional stuff on New Year's Eve, but it's something I always enjoy. Not just because of the drinking, but because it's a kind of closure for me. An artificial one, since the year can really begin and end whenever we decide it does, but that time is one we can share with friends.
First I have to get through the next three weeks, though - part of that in New York City.
I'll manage. |
November 30, 2007 at 12:48am November 30, 2007 at 12:48am
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Okay, I can deal with paying hundreds of bucks to be tortured by a dentist. I can deal with lying there with a big rubber thing in my mouth and being unable to swallow or breathe naturally. I can deal with the soreness afterwards. I can even deal with the time it takes, and the anesthetic, and all that.
But next time I get a root canal done, it will NOT be in the Christmas season when I have to listen to the ALL-CHRISTMAS music piped in while I can do nothing but lie there imagining the horrors being visited upon the inside of my tooth.
AND now I have to go back there next week so they can finish the procedure.
I'm buying earplugs. |
November 29, 2007 at 11:38am November 29, 2007 at 11:38am
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My Sarcastic Dictionary defines "fun" as "getting a root canal."
So guess where I'm going to be this afternoon? That's right - at the endodontist, having metric braloads of fun.
Contrary to popular belief, root canal work isn't particularly painful - provided they use novocaine. You go in, they stick you with that damn needle (the only painful part, and that's like giving blood), and then they get to work. The problem is the "work" can take an hour and a half, and the whole time you're sitting there with your jaw wedged wide open.
Like I said before, it's boring - in both senses of the word. At least they're giving me Valium.
I may pass the time seeing how many digits of pi I can calculate in my head, or practicing counting in base 3 for the hell of it. That would make it less boring.
The worst part, though, is that at this first procedure, they pack the tooth with antibiotics. Then, some time in the future, I have to go back and have that replaced with permanent inert fillings. And THEN I get to go to the other dentist - two visits, again - and get a crown.
So that's my afternoon.
Meanwhile, maybe this will entertain you - it's certainly more entertaining than what I'll be going through. Mavis Moog  posted it as a reply to a comment of mine in her blog, and it may be the coolest thing I've ever seen on YouTube (considering that I haven't seen any Springsteen videos on YouTube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMWl_5NujBw&feature=related
And when you're done with that, well, consider this list of the nine most BADASS Bible verses - because with all the religion discussion we've been having lately, I just have to:
http://www.cracked.com/article_15699_9-most-badass-bible-verses.html
If the Bible had been written by King Leonidas and the rest of the Spartans from 300, it would probably read pretty much the same as it does now.
It turns out, the Bible is already chock full of ass kicking. Here are the verses that make us want to take to the streets and put some unbelievers to the sword.
Turn the other cheek? Not these guys! |
November 28, 2007 at 12:30pm November 28, 2007 at 12:30pm
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These days, it's hard to find just one, solitary thing that you can point to and say, "There it is. There is the Sign that the end is near; that we've reached the Cosmic Cul-de-sac and some asshole's U-Haul is blocking the turnaround." But here's a candidate:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/redandjonny/
Maybe Problematic Content needs to meet these folks.
There were comments about the religious slant of one of my blog links yesterday. Now, everyone knows by now that I'm not Christian; I make no secret of it. And yet, stuff like that doesn't bother me much.
Stuff like THIS religious psycho freak nut - this bothers me:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071128/ap_on_re_us/papa_pilgrim;_ylt=A0WTUdJ7CU1HfP...
A man who called himself "Papa Pilgrim" and took his family far from civilization to raise them according to his interpretation of the Bible was sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a daughter.
...
Hale insisted that he had a perfect spiritual understanding, his wife, Kurina Rose Hale, testified Monday.
Now, after reading the article, think about it for a moment - consider possible reactions and results had the guy professed to be ANY other religion. As it is, most of us read that article and think, "That guy was a psycho, and it's no reflection on Christianity in general." But what if he'd been Muslim? Hindu? Wiccan? I suspect there'd be a lot of "Oh, it was because he was <whatever>."
I don't doubt that there's a bias concerning our American majority religious inclination, and that bias can work both ways. I've known Christians who automatically trust someone because he or she professes to be Christian. I've known other people who automatically distrust for the same reason - and honestly, I've fallen into that trap, thanks to some bad experiences.
But then I realized:
People are people. Some of them are okay (naturally, all my readers fall into this category). Most are idiots. Some few are sociopathic, psychotic, dangerous. Most of each of those groups are religious in some way; some are not. But professed religious leaning is no indicator of what a person is like; it is, at best, a rough guide to a person's beliefs, and beliefs may or may not manifest themselves in actions. The converse is true as well, though we, as humans, tend to ascribe to a group the characteristics of the representatives of that group (which is why a lot of Christians distance themselves from Pat Robertson, and why many Pagans distance themselves from Silver Ravenwolf - they're embarrassed by those representatives of their religions).
Bottom line for me is, judge by the deed, not by the creed. |
November 27, 2007 at 4:33pm November 27, 2007 at 4:33pm
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If you think being born with a silver spoon in one's mouth is a clichéd euphemism for being a spoiled rich person... well, that's old news now. Silver spoons? Feh! Now we have:
http://www.giftaboo.com/The_Diamond_Pacifier_p/pp-001.htm
That's right - it's a diamond-studded pacifier, with a $17K price tag.
...featuring a genuine silicone nipple and a real moving handle...
...can be customized with colored diamonds...
If you're going to spend $17K on something for your baby to suck on, though, I bet you could mail-order a wet nurse for that. And she might have other uses, too.
And then there's this (rather cute, actually) sign of the coming apocalypse:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JiJzqXxgxo
Now, I don't know, but if that were my cat... well, the outcome would be in doubt. Someone left a "present" on our back deck Friday morning. It was furry, not feathery, and I can't swear it was Ghost who did it, but still... |
November 26, 2007 at 8:15pm November 26, 2007 at 8:15pm
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I've been wondering why I haven't been able to sit down and write, even though I have a bunch of ideas floating around. And what it comes down to is I don't handle conflict very well - in life or in stories.
Going to have to work on that. |
November 25, 2007 at 8:33pm November 25, 2007 at 8:33pm
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...except, obviously, me.
I'm sitting here in my house, all alone in the dark, playing a video game, minding my own business, when the message tone on my mobile goes off.
I discourage text messages. If you have my phone number and want to get in touch with me, call me. We're not in 8th grade, here. And if you are, you don't have my mobile number (Claire).
So I ignore it until I'm done with the current quest, then heave my ass out of its chair to go see who had the bad manners to make my phone beep.
Oh, look, it's Pat. When we were in 8th grade we didn't have mobile phones (we had to walk to school in the snow without shoes uphill both ways and kids these days don't know how good they have it), so maybe he's making up for...
No, it's an image. What the...?
Turns out they were out shopping for his kid's first Christmas and they came upon a Hello Kitty display.  And of course, he just had to share it with me. 
Fortunately, my phone screen is small, and even if I ever figure out how in the hell to get images off my phone and onto my computer (I know everyone else in the world has probably already figured this out, but I have no need to know this procedure), I will NOT view an enlarged image of this.
It's pink.
And it has Hello Kitty on it.
Everyone thinks they're funny. Even Pat. |
November 24, 2007 at 5:52pm November 24, 2007 at 5:52pm
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...and I ain't got no ideas for next week's Comedy newsletter, so I'm using this entry to bounce ideas off an audience - you know, kind of like that old video game Pong where you had to bounce a little digital "ball" off a couple of paddles on the other side of the screen? You two are the couple of paddles.
I suppose I could do something holiday-related - but, as I've mentioned before, I don't find the holidays all that amusing. More like irritating. If I could find a way to alchemically transmute "irritating" to "funny," things might be different.
We watched A Christmas Story last night - we actually own a copy, since it's one of Kirstin's holiday tradition movies, and it's one of the few holiday-themed movies that I actually like. I like it because while it's nostalgic and family-oriented, it also has an edge. There are little things that I find ceaselessly amusing, like when the camera cuts straight from the younger brother about to use the bathroom to something resembling cabbage stew boiling on a stove, or the kid who gets his tongue stuck on a cold metal lamppost.
Well, I suppose it would kinda be my job as a sometime comedy writer to perform the abovementioned transmutation of irritating to funny. That's what we do, right? We take something sacred, or profane, or irritating, or annoying, or completely mundane, and turn it around so people find a way to laugh at it.
Thing is, I didn't start out to be funny - I started out to write science fiction.
A common trick in science fiction, one which goes all the way back to its roots in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, is to write in the Alien Observer.
The Alien Observer probably has some literary name, it's so common. The basic idea is that you have a society like our own that is visited by a stranger. The stranger is rarely the main character in the story; more often, he, she or it (it could be a computer or literal space alien) serves as a conscience or foil for the protagonist. A prime example is Heinlein's Man from Mars in Stranger in a Strange Land, but I could come up with dozens of examples if I weren't basically lazy. The A.O.'s purpose in the story, besides to help move the plot along, is to point out absurdities inherent in the reader's own society, culture or modes of behavior. (There's also the reverse, where the main character is a human in an alien world so the alien world can be conveyed through the eyes of someone familiar.)
What this has in common with humor writing is that a lot of humor is all about pointing out the absurdities in society, or in human behavior. The humorist has to be the Alien Observer, finding things that the rest of us take too seriously, or for granted. This is, in fact, a sacred duty; the court jester has long enjoyed protected status - in exchange for being a virtual outcast in the society that spawned him or her.
Comedy is essentially an antisocial activity, and its practitioners are often marginalized. When's the last time you had a drink with a clown? And I don't mean that weird guy from Accounting, either.
I'm not saying I'm marginalized, of course. Sure, I marginalize myself in many ways - avoiding television, staying out of retail stores, pursuing math as a hobby and the like - but I'm aware that I'm not nearly funny enough to suffer the Clown Curse. I'm just procrastinating the writing of the newsletter. |
November 23, 2007 at 8:39pm November 23, 2007 at 8:39pm
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I just can't bring myself to participate in the orgy of consumerism that fuels this Day After Thanksgiving. They say they call it Black Friday because it's the day retailers go "into the black," or start actually making money.
I suppose it should be my patriotic capitalistic duty to exchange cash for stash; to blow bucks on consumer items for myself and all my friends.
Well, fuck that.
I didn't even buy anything online today.
What I did do was have friends over for a feast. It started a bit late, but I kind of expected that. Of course, everything was purchased beforehand, so I suppose we just rearranged the spending. Well, actually, Kirstin bought something today, but as long as it wasn't me, I consider it a success.
I hate shopping, anyway. I get what I call retail anxiety - that feeling when you walk into a retail store and watch rapt shoppers in an ecstasy of excess. They call it retail therapy. I call it hell.
On the other hand, today is the day that I officially no longer resent holiday decorations and piped-in music. Before Thanksgiving it's annoying and makes me stabby. Afterward, it's just one more thing to put up with.
Just don't get me near the one Salvation Army busker on the Downtown Mall who insists on singing Christmas carols - with the wrong words and off-key. |
November 22, 2007 at 6:18pm November 22, 2007 at 6:18pm
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Let me preface this by emphasizing that I like my in-laws, and I'm not just saying that because my wife reads this. I honestly do like to be around them.
The problem is when they all get together on Thanksgiving.
There are three traditions that seem to dominate on Thanksgiving Day here in the US: A turkey dinner (which is actually eaten at lunch by most people), the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC (which is what's on TV), and football (American football, which is distinct from what we call "soccer.")
Of those, the only thing I can stomach is the turkey dinner. Wine helps. Wine also helps to deal with the other two things. I couldn't even allow myself to glimpse the parade for fear of beholding the Hello Kitty balloon.
There were 13 people there today (which I hope isn't some weird psychic reference to the Last Supper), and the bulk of the conversation was centered around the upcoming UVA vs. Virginia Tech football game. I'm a UVA grad; my wife went to Tech (as did my business partner, though she is into football, but of course she wasn't there). Meanwhile, some pro football game was on television. Oh, they also talked about hunting (which I don't do). My one attempt to talk about Springsteen was short-lived; there was one other fan there, and she was glad that the concert fell on her birthday.
I would have been bored silly were it not for the wine, and my brother-in-law.
He's not into football, either (nor is my wife). So while the others all sat in rapt attention before the Altar of Sports, Erik and I came up with the one thing that would make us want to watch football:
The Womens' Football League.
Now, in spite of some of the references I've made here in the past, I'm all for equality. And every other sport, up to and including rasslin', has a womens' equivalent - why not football?
Even knowing in advance the general build of the women who would be involved in such sport, I think it's hot. There would have to be a few changes made, though.
-The Quarterback would be called the Rebate (get it? quarter back?)
-The Line of Scrimmage would be termed the Line of Discrimination.
-There would not be "downs," but "tries."
-There would not be "quarters," but "periods."
-The goal line would be called the Glass Ceiling.
-There would be team names like the Amazons, the Shoppers and the Mace.
-The cheerleaders would all be gay men.
-The Blitz would be retermed The Half-Off Sale.
-It wouldn't be a Hail Mary pass, but a Hail Joseph pass.
There were a lot more, but I had rather a lot of wine and I don't remember much. I think once my wife caught on to what we were doing, she started laughing and writing them down - all three of us were laughing our fool heads off, earning us puzzled looks from the gathered family - though I think if her brother hadn't been involved she'd have dismissed my idea as being sexist.
Okay, so some of those terms are sexist, though I don't particularly care. But I think the WFL is an idea whose time has come. Equality for all! |
November 21, 2007 at 4:32pm November 21, 2007 at 4:32pm
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I tried to be cynical; I tried to be grumpy; I tried to be cranky.
I tried to go this year without doing a sappy, saccharine "Things I Am Thankful For" Thanksgiving entry.
Can't do it.
I have my own business; I am my own boss, creating my own destiny. My partner is cool, and we have good employees.
I have a wonderful wife whose only known flaw is leaving comments in my blog to the effect that I'm too cranky.
I don't lack for anything I need, and few things that I want (the Tesla Roadster comes to mind).
I have excellent friends, both here and in real life (some both  ).
I saw a Bruce Springsteen concert this year and expect I'll probably see one next year as well.
I have no kids.
I have a decent amount of leisure time.
I have a good computer with a high-speed internet connection.
I'm in good health.
Sure, I could wish for other things, but doing that just gives me something else to look forward to.
And if I get grumpy around the holidays, well, perversely, I take joy in that, too. It's FUN. I don't know what I'd do if I had nothing to complain about. Complain about that, I suppose. Paradox.
I love paradoxes.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone (even my grumpy British readers who should be glad the Puritans left).  |
November 21, 2007 at 2:15pm November 21, 2007 at 2:15pm
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It's that time of year, again - as if you didn't already know what with radio, television, newspaper and even the goddamn internet reminding you on a daily basis. The time when if you don't find the most unique, thoughtful, crafty, expensive and appropriate presents for all your family members, friends, employees, servants, and meter maids, you're a Horrible Person who will Go to Hell.
So to help you avoid that fate, Santa Waltz is here with The 25 Most Baffling Toys From Around the World
"Surprisingly, not all of these are from Japan."
http://www.cracked.com/article_15670_25-most-baffling-toys-from-around-world.htm...
Speaking of weird, ill-conceived, annoying toys,
Hello Kitty Update
Guess which obnoxious pseudo-feline is going to be in the Macy's Parade tomorrow?
http://www.kittyhell.com/2007/11/19/hello-kitty-macys-thanksgiving-parade-float/...
This is something right out of one of a horror movie - could there really be anything scarier than a giant Hello Kitty hoovering [sic] over you? Guess who is going to be having Hello Kitty Hell nightmares tonight
However, there is hope in sight. Yes, indeed. The Nefarious Neko is finally starting to show her true colors:
http://www.kittyhell.com/2007/11/20/hello-hellish-kitty/
wife: “Why would someone do something like that?”
me: “hmmmmm…” (trying to keep the laughs from bursting out) |
November 20, 2007 at 9:52pm November 20, 2007 at 9:52pm
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Okay, remember how my last entry was all about hating everything for the next month or so?
I might have to cancel that this year.
Why, you ask? When you were SO looking forward to another 31 days of grumpy bitching, pissing and moaning?
It's simple.
Bruce Springsteen extended his tour dates into 2008.
That's not all.
On the evening of April 30, 2008, the band will perform in my town!
I'm calm. I'm calm.
Now all I have to do is get tickets... I managed before; I can do it again. They haven't announced the sale date yet.
Hallelujah! Praise be, brothers and sisters! Testify, my friends! The Light is upon me!
The only thing that could possibly make this better would be backstage passes. I'm sure the local stations will be running promos. I'll be doing a lot of radio listening over the next few months.
Amen! |
November 20, 2007 at 12:27pm November 20, 2007 at 12:27pm
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I've been getting some flack lately for some of the things I've said. They've been insensitive, callous - even offensive. My wife took me to task for being bitter and cynical. I told her that it's only going to get worse as the "holidays" approach, especially if I'm lured out of my cage to go to stores. Why, just yesterday, the red and green decorations at the grocery store made me contemplate reindeericide.
All the fake cheer, all the ringing bells, all the extra traffic, all the long lines, all the sappy, crappy Santas and bright penguins and laser-nosed reindeer - all this conspire to overshadow even my arch-nemesis Hello Kitty as the bane of my existence for one month out of the year.
So yeah, it makes me cranky, and when I get cranky, I rag on things. I don't set out to offend, but it happens. If it helps - and it probably doesn't - everything's fair game when I get on one of my holiday jags. If you don't like it, I suggest skipping this blog until after the solstice, at which point I usually start to feel better.
But just to show that I'm an equal opportunity offender, I present these gems, collected from the Internet. Of course, I don't find these funny at all; in fact, they offend me terribly. *snicker*
Q. What should you do if you see your ex-husband rolling around in pain on the ground?
A. Shoot him again.
Q. Why do little boys whine?
A. Because they're practicing to be men.
Q. How many men does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. One - he just holds it up there and waits for the world to revolve around him. Or, Three - one to screw in the bulb, and two to listen to him brag about the screwing part.
Q. What do you call a handcuffed man?
A. Trustworthy.
Q. What does it mean when a man is in your bed gasping for breath and calling your name?
A. You didn't hold the pillow down long enough.
Q. Why does it take 100,000,000 sperm to fertilize one egg?
A. Because not one will stop and ask directions.
Q. Why do female black widow spiders kill their males after mating?
A. To stop the snoring before it starts.
Q: Why do men whistle when they're sitting on the toilet?
A: Because it helps them remember which end they need to wipe.
Q: What is the difference between men and women?
A: A woman wants one man to satisfy her every need. A man wants every woman to satisfy his one need.
Q: How does a man keep his youth?
A: By giving her money, furs and diamonds.
Q: How do you keep your husband from reading your e-mail?
A: Rename the mail folder to "instruction manuals"
Now, back to my regularly scheduled grumbling. |
November 19, 2007 at 5:14pm November 19, 2007 at 5:14pm November 19, 2007 at 5:05pm November 19, 2007 at 5:05pm
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Short week, lots to do. As per usual, I suppose.
My company is applying for SWaM certification for public projects - that's small, woman-owned and minority-owned. Well, we're small, and my partner only owns 50% of the company so it's not woman-owned. But the definition of small company is something like 250 or fewer employees, or gross receipts less than $10,000,000 per year. We're at 4 employees (one part-time) and, well, a lot less than that in receipts.
We're not just small; we're microscopic.
We need to do this, though - there's a slump in the market now, and if we don't find some work soon I'll be out on the streets with a hand-lettered cardboard sign inside three months. That means public projects. That means a metric shitload of paperwork.
So that was my Monday - getting nothing done while my partner worked on the certification requirements, stopping to ask me questions I couldn't answer every ten minutes.
Given all the crap the government requires, it makes me even more glad that they repealed Prohibition a while back - 'cause after that, I need a drink. |
November 18, 2007 at 8:00pm November 18, 2007 at 8:00pm
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When reviewing an item on Writing.com with a Content Rating of 13+ or above, it is entirely likely that words and phrases such as "goddamn," "bullshit," and "asshole" will appear in the item. You may find these words unnecessary; I do not. I like cussing. I especially like cussing in front of children and church ladies - though none of my writing is targeted toward children or teens, regardless of the content rating. If your ears are easily offended, stick with the ASR and E rated items on the site. Sadly, this will not reach my target audience, as this blog is rated 18+, which allows me to occasionally say, "fuck."
Further, do not ask me to participate in anything that has the word "angel" in it, unless said angels are fearsome and wielding flaming swords with which to smite enemies. "Cute" angels make me vomit - though at least they don't incite in me the unfettered rage engendered by Hello Kitty.
Yeah, I'm cranky today. My back hurts. Get me a waaambulance. |
November 17, 2007 at 10:16pm November 17, 2007 at 10:16pm
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So my pseudo-Thanksgiving Black-Friday-Buy-Nothing-Day dinner is going to happen!
Haven't bought the stuff yet, but will. In addition to the turkey, we're going to have gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans with almonds, a sweet potato - apple thing, mashed potatoes, bread and whatever our guests feel like bringing (hint: dessert would be nice )
Yes, a lot of that will come out of a package; the rest comes from recipes.
A guest (who never got invited back) once told me that using recipes is cheating. Me, I figure being able to follow directions is a rare skill. A lot of people can't; not even simple ones. Partly it's problems communicating, but there's more to it. An aversion, perhaps, to being told what to do. Can't order off the menu; can't bear to make anything without embellishing or changing it. Sometimes the result is great, sure; but sometimes... well, experiments DO fail.
I won't be told what to do, either - but as an engineer, following written instructions comes naturally to me. However, there's another part of that skill, and that's knowing when the written instructions are full of shit. Recipe books have typos, too; more, every oven is different so you still have to know when something's ready.
So yeah, I'm cheating. But it's still going to be the juiciest, tenderest roast turkey you've never tasted. |
November 17, 2007 at 10:44am November 17, 2007 at 10:44am
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You know that EPIC EVENT to which I referred a few days back?
Well...
Here it is!
Double-elimination writing (and other creative activity) tournament. Enter to win buttloads of GPs! Contest begins January 1. |
November 16, 2007 at 12:50pm November 16, 2007 at 12:50pm
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Why the 1970s are best left forgotten (except, of course, for Bat out of Hell, Hotel California, and Born to Run):
http://teamsugar.com/group/46813/blog/771943
Excerpt: Last weekend I put an exhaust fan in the ceiling for my wife's grandfather. While my wife's brother and I were fitting the fan in between the joists, we found something under the insulation. What we found was this:
A special feature from Cracked.com, just for writers and heterosexual men:
http://www.cracked.com/article_15664_9-words-that-do-not-mean-what-you-think.htm...
I read the articles. Honestly.
Excerpt: The English language is under assault by stupid people who use words they don't understand, and is defended by pompous asses who like to correct those people. We're not sure who to side with.
For all of you who had to suffer through the "Classics" in high school and college - actually, for those of you who didn't, here's the Cliff's Notes on the Cliff's Notes on the Cliff's Notes:
http://www.rinkworks.com/bookaminute/classics.shtml
Excerpt: English teachers have the inconsiderate habit of assigning mammoth-sized works of literature to read and then actually expecting you to do it. This wouldn't be so bad except that invariably the requisite reading is as boring as fly fishing in an empty lake. Half of those books don't even have discernible plots. And let's face it -- the Cliff's Notes are pretty time-consuming too. Worry no more. Your troubles are over.
The "Tale of Two Cities" one is especially useful.
And finally...
I know none of MY readers will enter this contest - but I know you all know people who would qualify:
http://www.shoutmouth.com/index.php/news/The_Shoutmouth_Emo_Poetry_Contest
Excerpt: Think all emo kids are miserable, cut themselves, dress in black, and listen to whiny music? Well, you're probably right. But what you didn't know is that these kids write some pretty terrible poetry, too!
Now excuse me - I'm overdue for my lunchtime cutting.
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I'm more than happy with Carrion Luggage, however.
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Congratulations on winning an honorable mention for Best Blog at the 2018 Quill Awards for [Link To Item #1196512] . *^*Smile*^* This award was sponsored by the blogging consortium including [Link To Item #30dbc] , [Link To Item #blogcity] , [Link To Item #bcof] and [Link To Item #1953629] . For more details, see [Link To Item #quills] .](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Blogging-2180.gif)
![Merit Badge in Highly Recommended
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I highly recommend your blog.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/Kudos-Highly_Recommended.gif)
![Merit Badge in Opinion
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For diving into the prompts for Journalistic Intentions- thanks for joining the fun!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Opinion-1150.gif)
![Merit Badge in High Five
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For your inventive entries in [Link To Item #2213121] ! Thanks for the great read!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/Kudos-High_Five.gif)
![Merit Badge in Enlightening
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For winning 3rd Place in [Link To Item #2213121] . Congratulations!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Enlightening.gif)
![Merit Badge in Quarks Bar
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For your awesome Klingon Bloodwine recipe from [Link to Book Entry #1016079] that deserves to be on the topmost shelf at Quark's.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Quarks_Bar-2046190_12.gif)
