Three Things

WRITING RACE

I’m going to be the guest racer at tonight’s Australian Writer’s Marketplace Writing Race, an online gathering where a bunch of writers…well, write.

*Waves hello to any AWM Writing Races that drop past*

I last guested at one of these back in 2009, just after Horn was released, and it proved to be a lot of fun. Kind of like Write Club, only online and with people who aren’t the inimitable Angela Slatter. If you’re a writer at a loose end this evening, why don’t you strap on your writing pants, fire up your keyboard, and come join us on the AWMforums around 8 o’clock.

THE DALEK GAME

I know I’ve said this before, but if you’re not following Kathleen Jenning’s Dalek Game illustration, you really are missing out on one of the most charming series of illustrations on the internet. I recommend Daleks Can Jump Puddles, the flappereque Roxie Dalek, The Dalek in the Rye, and…and…and…look, just go follow the entire series, okay?

Especially the second Neil Gaiman Dalek, which is all kinds of aweseome.

LIMINAL LIVING

Life’s been…chaotic…for the last few weeks. I took on a new role at the dayjob until the end of the year, I gave notice to my landlords, and I’ve been out and about in the world far more often than is normal for me.

Right now, there’s a definite sense of things being in flux, and so I cope with three of my favourite activities: writing, packing, and planning.

The packing is probably the most fun of the three. I’ve been threatening to move out of my flat for about three years now, usually whenever my lease ends and the landlords put up the rent, but a few weeks ago the apartment finally sold and the new owners informed me there was a considerable rent hike coming in December. I took one look at how much they’re asking, factored in the inconvenience of renting from owners planning to do extensive renovations, and told them as politely as I could that I’d be moving out the week before the rent hike took place.

Fortunately I already know where I’m going and I’ve got three and a half months to prepare for it, so there’s very little of the usual anxiety that comes from house-hunting. I’m going into liminal mode from December on – putting stuff into storage, saving money, abandoning any long-term plans  – and I’ll start making long-term plans again in November of 2012 when I finish up my current dayjob contract.