"Be normal and the crowd will accept you. Be deranged and they will make you their leader."
--Christopher Titus

I had a phenomenal time at Charlie Goodnight's Comedy Club last night, where Christopher Titus is doing shows all weekend. In case you've been living under a rock for the last couple of years, Titus had a sitcom on Fox named, oddly enough, Titus, based on his life and family. His act was just like it: raw, brutal, and funny as hell. He did a full two-hour set, beating down hecklers with wicked efficiency, and talking about everything from his childhood, to falling into a bonfire (which cured his alcoholism), to his mother killing his stepfather, to his new baby, to September 11. I laughed a lot. I got a tee-shirt and he signed it (the back of it contains the above quote). It was a fun night.

Went out to Quail Ridge today and got my copy of Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow that they were holding, and found a hardcover copy of Chemical Pink by Kate Arnoldi at Nice Price for only ten bucks. These are the first two books I've bought since Christmas, and I think I've shown remarkable restraint up until now, compared with my book-buying frenzy last year. (I'm going to be selling some soon because I just have too many for my shelf space now.)

"Snake Charm" was e-rejected from Nemonymous today, though it got past the first round last month. I got a very nice letter from Des Lewis saying that though it was a very fine story, it just didn't fit in with the rest of the ones that made it. So close this time. Ah well. I may send it to The Third Alternative next.

Started the novel outline on Thursday, and will work more on it today. I braved the cold and the icy roads yesterday and went in for a full day of work, and remembered why I hate taking days off. The people that managed to make it in on Thursday loaded up my desk with more stuff to do. Guh. At least I'm keeping busy, but man, I need a breather every once in a while. The temps here are in the 40s today, and much of the snow and ice has melted away. If my livelihood didn't depend on me being at the office, I'd enjoy snow days a lot more. Here's looking forward to the day that I can support myself on my writing and can work at home and sit in my underwear all day if I want.

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Now Reading:
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle

Stories Out to Publishers:
9

Novel Word Count:
18,400