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About This Author
I am SoCalScribe. This is my InkSpot.
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Blogocentric Formulations
Logocentric (adj). Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics).
Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:
Thanks for stopping by! 
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Congratulations to the SM and SMs on all their hard work... v10 was just released site-wide! They've done a great job updating and modernizing Writing.Com. It's been torture not telling everyone about it as we developed it over the past couple of months... but now everyone can enjoy the updates! Farewell, Eww! Welcome, v10!  |
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Well, it's all over. The "Talent Pond Tennis - CLOSED"  is officially over, with Morgan Adam Internet Problems!  winning the whole shebang, and sarahreed finishing as runner up. I have to say that setting it up, judging, and revealing the winner via live commentary was a heck of a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun and I hope everyone involved felt like it was something fresh and new that hasn't been done too often on WdC before. For anyone who missed it, feel free to check out the main tennis forum and the link therein to the In & Out item that contains the commentary of the match.
Thanks to both Morgan and Sarah for not only being great competitors, but for being great sports about the whole thing. We really ran these ladies through the ringer and it wasn't an easy road to the final (what with writing so many different types of items); they both deserve to be commended on all their hard work.
And special thanks to Brooke  , who is always there for me... to weigh in on the judging, help resolve a problem... or sit in the commentators box and keep things lively. You're the bestest!  |
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Just got home from Northern California earlier this evening; that marks the end of the family section of summer visits and vacations... all that's left are the two reunion weekends in August that my wife and I have (back in Northern California). Thankfully, we have a weekend off this weekend, before heading up the first weekend in August for my wife's reunion... and then again two weeks later, for mine. Forget the worrying about being unemployed or heavier than I was hoping to be... I'll be lucky if all this travel and lack of sleep doesn't have them thinking I've turned into a zombie! 
But for now, happy to be home.
Now if only I could get my stinking computer back...
It's always something.  |
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Just a quick note to let you all know that I may not be my usual ubiquitous self over the next couple of weeks; my laptop's video card or display is on the fritz, and I had to send it back to the manufacturer to be fixed or replaced. I should still be able to make appearances online by stealing computer time from anyone and everyone I know, but that does involve sharing a computer, which isn't quite the same as having my own machine that I can jump on whenever I want... and which has allowed me to practically live here on WdC. 
I should be able to check in at least once every day or two, so I don't anticipate too many disruptions... just wanted to let you all know, in case I don't respond right away to IMs or forum posts, etc.
Here's hoping for a fixed laptop back in less than two weeks. |
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Why is this a short blog entry? Because I should be working on my Erotic Assumptions Contest entry (due Sunday), my official Mystery Newsletter (due Monday morning), my remaining entries for Writing.Com 101 (due next weekend), and the next UEN (overdue). All while moving back into our post-fumigation apartment tomorrow, and leaving Monday for a week with family in the Bay Area and Reno.
See? Short blog today.  |
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For the past two weeks (and during my vacations!) the other tenants in our apartment building and I have been fighting with the building ownership over the fumigation happening this weekend. We're supposed to leave vacate the building at 8:00AM on Friday, and can't return until 4:00PM on Sunday. Normally, that wouldn't be a big deal, but the ownership has been unresponsive, combative, and downright unfair during this entire process.
I'll spare everyone the sordid details of a fight that's been going on day in, day out for two weeks now, but the basic gist of the argument is that the ownership has promised security personnel will be on-hand to watch the building while it's tented (and wide open to the public), but won't disclose the name of the company so we can verify their credentials... of particular importance, since fumigation robberies are a problem in our city. They refuse to even acknowledge the question, and now refuse to speak to tenants directly. They disregard emails and phone calls with questions, and only speak through handed-down mandate from the on-site property manager (who is not authorized to make decisions without the approval of the ownership). They won't even answer questions about the chemicals being used, which are of particular concern to several tenants, who have asthma, skin conditions, and other medical concerns about residual poison in the apartment after the fumigators have left.
The lodging accommodations that were offered only come with standard check-in, and check-out times, which means we'd have to vacate the apartment at 8:00AM, and then drive around (with our pets and perishable food items) for four hours, until we can check in to the hotel at noon. And we'd have to check out by noon, then drive around (with our pets and perishable food items) for another four hours, until we can return to our homes. When some other tenants and I brought up this issue, our offer of lodging was outright rescinded and our follow-up communications ignored.
And perhaps the most ridiculous of all, several tenants (including us) received threatening letters from the ownership's attorney, threatening that we would be evicted, and sued for as much money as they could possibly get from us, if anyone even thinks about holding up or causing problems with the fumigation. (Even though no one's ever even implied that they wouldn't vacate.) One tenant even got a letter claiming that, in asking repeatedly for the name of the security company and raising concerns about the building security, they were setting up a false claim of loss and damages to "stick it to" the ownership.
WTF? 
I think it's totally ridiculous that the ownership of our building is exhibiting a blatant disregard for tenant convenience (and rights!), and acting like they're the ones being inconvenienced by us, when we're the ones being told we have to leave our homes for four days, without reasonable accommodations or basic questions answered about security for our homes and belongings.
My wife and I have lived in this building for almost five years, paid nearly $70,000 in rent, don't complain about our neighbors, other neighbors don't complain about us, and we do our own maintenance whenever possible, to avoid inconveniencing the ownership with every little thing that goes wrong. But if this is how we're going to be treated in return, I think it's time to move on and find a new place to live.
We're also investigating our options with Fair Housing, because we're pretty sure the ownership has violated some law, somewhere.
This whole situation has become completely ridiculous. All the tenants have ever asked for are reasonable lodging accommodations that coincide with the times we're supposed to vacate our apartments, reasonable questions about the building security answered, and reasonable questions answered about the chemicals being used and their safety. And apparently, those concerns, in the opinion of the ownership, are outrageous, inconvenient, and not appropriate to bother them with.
Anyway, rant over. I just can't believe how out of control this situation has gotten, when all we want is a place to stay and our questions answered. Definitely time to move. Just as soon as I have a job. |
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Okay, I'm throwing in the towel on the series protagonist challenge... no entries for two weeks, so I'm calling this one. 
For anyone who's interested, the answers/authors who write the characters are listed below:
1. Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch - MICHAEL CONNELLY
2. Stephanie Plum - JANET EVANOVICH
3. Kinsey Millhone - SUE GRAFTON
4. Jack Reacher - LEE CHILD
5. Robert Langdon - DAN BROWN
6. Aloysius Pendergast - DOUGLAS PRESTON & LINCOLN CHILD
7. Rayford Steele - TIM LAHAYE & JERRY B. JENKINS
8. Drizzt Do'Urden - R.A. SALVATORE
9. Sir Sparhawk - DAVID EDDINGS
10. Logen Ninefingers - JOE ABERCROMBIE
11. Frodo Baggins - J.R.R. TOLKIEN
12. Dirk Pitt - CLIVE CUSSLER
13. Myron Bolitar - HARLAN COBEN
14. Bernie Rhodenbarr - LAWRENCE BLOCK
15. Phillip Mercer - JACK DU BRUL
16. Alex Cross - JAMES PATTERSON
17. Chili Palmer - ELMORE LEONARD
18. Kay Scarpetta - PATRICIA CORNWELL
19. Temperance Brennan - KATHY REICHS
20. Paul Atreides - FRANK HERBERT
21. Roland Deschain - STEPHEN KING
22. Edmund Pevensie - C.S. LEWIS
23. Philip Marlowe - RAYMOND CHANDLER
24. Lestat - ANNE RICE
25. Artemis Fowl II - EOIN COLFER
Who out there has read the most of these authors? I have yet to read something by Lee Child, Tim LaHaye, Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Raymond Chandler, or Eoin Colfer, but they're all on my reading list. Hey, 19/25 isn't bad! Many of these are some of my all-time favorite writers, series and characters. Good stuff! |
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| I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ridiculously excited about the July official contest. As much as I love short stories, it's fun to mix things up every once in a while. And a format where you're interviewing your character? Yes, please! I think this is going to be a lot of fun... and I really want one of these mysterious new exclusive merit badges! |
© Copyright 2025 Jeff (UN: jeff at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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Comment 
I guess that's what happens when someone makes you develop characters and think about your story. Pfft.
