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I aten't ded
Jan. 13th, 2014 12:55 pmFans of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series may recognize that phrase.
Granny Weatherwax, a powerful witch, has the ability to Borrow. She can move her consciousness into the body of an animal and see the world through its eyes, literally and figuratively. She hears what it hears, feels what it feels. She even once did this with a swarm of bees.
Borrowing, however, has its side effects. One fairly obvious one is that her conscious functions are out there soaring through the air or hunting for nuts, so when she Borrows the only things her body does are autonomous functions like breathing and heartbeat. She can't move, and I gather that her breathing is shallow enough that there's some question about whether she's still alive. So, the last thing she does when she gets ready to Borrow is to put a hand-lettered sign across her chest that reads I ATEN'T DED. Just in case anyone comes by and thinks otherwise.
Well, I aten't ded, but I haven't been around for a while. In fact it would be kind of hard for me to argue that I haven't dropped out of filk, even though I don't feel like I have. In 2012 I attended four or five filk and SF cons, including my Interfilk gig in San Diego. Last year? One. And I am in danger of not being able to go to that one this year.
The problem is simple. 2013 was a disastrous year for me financially. I only had work five months out of the year. I've had to strain my credit to the breaking point. So far I've managed to stay in my house, feed the family and pay the bills, and thanks to the ACA I have the medications I need to function properly. but it's a near thing and while the wolf isn't quite at the door yet, I can see him coming down the track. At this point conventions are a luxury I simply can't afford.
I do hope to get back to work soon. There's a market out there for people with my skill set, and I'm doing my best to create my own market. But it's tough. Think positive thoughts for me, and I hope to have better news soon.
Granny Weatherwax, a powerful witch, has the ability to Borrow. She can move her consciousness into the body of an animal and see the world through its eyes, literally and figuratively. She hears what it hears, feels what it feels. She even once did this with a swarm of bees.
Borrowing, however, has its side effects. One fairly obvious one is that her conscious functions are out there soaring through the air or hunting for nuts, so when she Borrows the only things her body does are autonomous functions like breathing and heartbeat. She can't move, and I gather that her breathing is shallow enough that there's some question about whether she's still alive. So, the last thing she does when she gets ready to Borrow is to put a hand-lettered sign across her chest that reads I ATEN'T DED. Just in case anyone comes by and thinks otherwise.
Well, I aten't ded, but I haven't been around for a while. In fact it would be kind of hard for me to argue that I haven't dropped out of filk, even though I don't feel like I have. In 2012 I attended four or five filk and SF cons, including my Interfilk gig in San Diego. Last year? One. And I am in danger of not being able to go to that one this year.
The problem is simple. 2013 was a disastrous year for me financially. I only had work five months out of the year. I've had to strain my credit to the breaking point. So far I've managed to stay in my house, feed the family and pay the bills, and thanks to the ACA I have the medications I need to function properly. but it's a near thing and while the wolf isn't quite at the door yet, I can see him coming down the track. At this point conventions are a luxury I simply can't afford.
I do hope to get back to work soon. There's a market out there for people with my skill set, and I'm doing my best to create my own market. But it's tough. Think positive thoughts for me, and I hope to have better news soon.
