(no subject)

[cleolinda]

Just checking in. Still working on paper for school and copyediting for book. Did manage to go out last night and see Star Wars--The Lovely Emily has permanently moved back to the Ham (yay!) and Brett the Vet is in town for a few days, so we went to Salvatore's and got pizza. Sad to say, I think this is the first time I've actually been out to do anything fun since... the last time Em was back in town. And I'm not even sure when that was. I haven't been reading my friends list at all for about six weeks now (due to the crush of trying to finish the book), so I was completely unaware that Em got a job at Cooking Light and the Vet is moving to North Carolina after having now spent like three weeks in EUROPE (ACK JEALOUSY HATE). Brought back some gorgeous pictures, though. I fell in love with travel, or what little I had experienced of it, after I spent a week in Havana for my senior interim in undergrad. And since then I have gone... nowhere. Well, Dauphin Island shortly after that, but that was just an awesome hanging-out-at-the-beach thing, and then that weekend in New Orleans y'all may remember from late last summer. And now I'm over here in the present day being like, "Please let me go to the grocery store with you. I MUST SEE THE FACES OF OTHER PEOPLE." Yeah. Class has been over for a few weeks now, and... I'm in more social withdrawal than I expected. Really, I know I was always sort of 1) shy and 2) a homebody, but I did actually used to have friends in town. Since they all moved away for grad school, though, it's been easy for me to make tons of new acquaintance-friends... just really hard to turn them into going-out-friends. And thus, I molder away in the house. Well, fortunately Em's back home, so maybe that'll get a little better.

Comments

[lostrocker.livejournal.com]

Aw, I hate being stuck in the house with work.

Actually, that's how it is right now. Stupid exams.

[newsong.livejournal.com]

I understand the whole loner thing...

[(Anonymous)]

Hopefully, you'll be able to get out and about now that the Emily is back. I know where you're coming from - today was the first time I've gone anywhere since my teachers realized how much curriculum work they haven't covered yet.

[tania.livejournal.com]

Biggest paragraph EVAR. ;)

[takekammuri.livejournal.com]

Heh. Cleolinda unplugged. Nice. I think you need something like a bubble bath.

[theonlykow.livejournal.com]

You know it'll all be worth it when you hold a brand new copy of your book in your hands. And then see it in a store. And then listen to your billion and one friends rave about how amazing it is. Because it will be.

[mybelle1975.livejournal.com]

First, I've never commented here before - I was drawn in some time ago from Mugglenet when they posted PoA in 15 Minutes there. One of the funnies things I'd ever read, so I friended you and the m15m community.

Second, congratulations on finishing the book! (aside from the editing and so on) I can't wait to get my hands on it.

I hope school isn't too much more of a hassle for you. I think we've all seen how stressed you've been from recent journal entries - I for one could not imagine being in school and doing all the work that goes with it, and writing a book on top of it. Treat yourself well, you deserve it!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Aww, bless. Actually, I just finished watching POA on HBO (alphabet soup ahoy!). I scaled back my class load a lot for the last semester of book-writing, but... yeah, I could stand to be done with this paper. : )

[lostrocker.livejournal.com]

Ya, treat yourself to a bubble bath or a chocolate feast or something relaxing.

Feel happy :)

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Really, I know I was always sort of 1) shy and 2) a homebody, but I did actually used to have friends in town. Since they all moved away for grad school, though, it's been easy for me to make tons of new acquaintance-friends... just really hard to turn them into going-out-friends.

In all honesty, this pretty much sums up my life since college, although not so much with the shy. My flavor of grad school involves having an office (for "office" read "desk") that I have to go work at on weekdays, so I see people there, but the work-people are mostly acquaintance-friends. Even worse, my one going-out-friend (to use the technical term) has turned into a secretive ego-maniac in the past year. He's so afraid that people are going to steal his ideas or, now that he's graduating, his future job, that conversing with him is like making a FOIA-request to Homeland Security. Even simple questions like "what are you working on these days" get replies with big black censor-marks followed by a rapid change of subject. I'm like, DUDE I AM NOT EVEN IN YOUR FIELD. CHILL.

My other choice of friends include a guy who's really nice, but married and therefore unable to go places and do things, and a guy who's okay to talk to, but has certain opinions which I find objectionable-verging-on-frightening, such as his quiet admiration for Hitler. (It's not that he approves of genocide, it's that he's overly impressed by powerful dictator-like persons. He's also more than a little contrarian in general.)

So, yeah, I'm feeling your pain.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Hehe! After six weeks away, your friends list must be longer than War and Peace.

Good luck with all your work. Hopefully, once it's done, you'll be able to reacquaint yourself with a little thing called "spare time" and another thing called "the internet". :)

[kassandra05.livejournal.com]

I'm in complete understanding about the acquaintance only friends. In my case though, it's because I moved away from all my college friends to live closer to my sisters. I suspect that my problem with making long lasting friends right now is that, in my mind, I have enough friends. They just live too far away for me to see them all the time. If I didn't talk to them online on a daily basis, I might be more motivated to make friends here.

Good luck with the editing and paper writing.

My last six weeks in fifteen seconds.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Went to Japan, was sick the entire time.

Returned to US, gave notice at my horrible apartment. Still sick.

Recovered just in time to fly to NYC for BEA (Book Expo America) to promote my book. Still in NYC. Having a wonderful time. Posters of my book and chocolate fondue fountain at publisher's party. Highly recommend that you attend BEA when your book comes out.

Re: My last six weeks in fifteen seconds.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yikes--feeling better?

(As I've said before: I'll go anywhere they want me to go. : )

Whoaaaa....

[bohotremere.livejournal.com]

Now that's freaky. Noticed some slang in your post that only locals use, so on a hunch, I looke at your user info...and find out that lo and behold...we both live in the Magic City!

Wow.

Read your "Phantom of the Opera in 15 minutes"...which is how I found my way to friending your LJ. (Loved the POTO in 15m, by the way...I'm now waiting to see if we'll see SW Episode III in 15m.)

Anyway...just wanted to say that my friends and I are great fans of your writing...and I'm tickled to see such great stuff coming out of...well, here.

Small world, huh?

Re: Whoaaaa....

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Aww, cool! I always like finding other Birmingham folks. : )

[sapphsmum.livejournal.com]

I too can agree with the lack of friends to go out with thing, as did others.

Although mine isn't from being holed away from writing a possibly best selling book! * smiling at the thought of you becoming a best selling writer*

Seems it's no fun to drag around someone who slows the group down, and who's conversations went from interesting customers, gorgeous movie gowns to show off in miniature, and news of magazines wanting to feature my work, to dull, boring trips to Mayo, and the old movies I have watched for the 100th time. I can't blame them though I'd be traveling and doing interesting things too if I could.

I didn't mean to make this about my woes just sharing a similar lifestyle problem under different circumstances. In the end we all share things in common and I guess thaat is what ties us together.

I'm very happy though that for you this will soon be over and you can get on with a more exciting lifestyle. I hope my life will turn around too, so I can contribute more to LJ and the rest of society.

I am so very happy for you!You truly deserve it!
Christina

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I've had a hard time answering all my comments/email what with the borrowed computer/sporadic internet and all, but if I can find it, there's something I need to forward to you. I didn't intend for the fundraising to fizzle out the way it did (woe) when I missed that big deadline in March, and I'm hoping that I can get things going again. After all, I do need to put the next choice of 15M to a reader vote anyway. ;)

[vladimirsever.livejournal.com]

Are the bestest kitty ever, and you know it, but I'm sayin it anyway.

Also, I have exactly the same problems with making really worthwhile friendships in real life. Although sometimes, like tonight, I meet people I used to be really friendly with, and we go out, and have a grand time, and reminisce about meeting Robert DeNiro while running into the Prime Minister and the entire political elite of the country (but that's a whole another post).

So sometimes it works out great. And you have the Lovely Emily around anymore! You can fight crime so much better than Sister Girl and Sluttany Friend of Sister Girl can! And it will be all right! And you'll be able to go to the movies and not perceive them as random plays of light and shadow on a huge white screen, unlike this time.

*hug*

P. S. This *was* your first time at the movies this year, right?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Wasnae, and you know it!

[pescivendolo.livejournal.com]

Aww. My husband kept wanting to meet you and take you out to dinner before we left Birmingham, but you were kinda book-crazy and we were kinda moving-crazy, so...

If you're ever in Florida, we'd love to meet up with you.

I understand about the homebodyness. Matt has to get out of the house at least once every day whereas I'm perfectly happy lying on the couch or sitting in front of the computer for about 72 hours. But every now and then when I'm unemployed or something I go crazy.

I have a solution for that, though. Go to Walmart. The one on Greensprings. Spend about 30 minutes there. You'll never want to leave your house again.

[anne-jumps.livejournal.com]

How did you like Star Wars?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, Vladimir claims I didn't give it a chance. I say I was really, really tired (I started praying for sleep and/or death about the time Anakin got sent to Mustafar, and it's not because the movie was actually boring per se). I thought there were a few really awesome moments in the movie. And then there was "Hold me like you did by the lake on Naboo." ... Yeah.

[mysticowl.livejournal.com]

Travelling, what's that? *sighs* My husband and I were planning to go to Japan this year, but we didn't even make it to Louisianna, so that's on the backburner. I miss Europe too.

But at least now I have your book to look forward to!

[ji-xiang.livejournal.com]

But on the plus side, after your book is published and you're famous you can travel for "research" reasons and have the publication company pay for everything, right?

[andromeda-77.livejournal.com]

I heard a rumor that Mission Impossible 3 might stop filming because of the way Tom Cruise is acting over Katie Holmes. Now...this sounds like pure speculation to me and a bit far-fetched. But being the sweet LJ person that I am I had to pass the news along and see if you heard the same thing.

All I can say is "GAH!" Tom needs drugs or something to straighten him out.

[vladimirsever.livejournal.com]

Don't be so hard on poor Tommy. He had only Penelope Cruz to keep him company ever since he parted ways with Nicole. Of course he's acting like he found Jesus now!

...Not that I believe it for a moment, though.

Happy Cleolinda Day!

[wumbawoman.livejournal.com]

I also have been lurking around your journal since mugglenet posted m15m POA. And with all you've gone through and accomplished, I wanted to be the first to proclaim Cleo Day. As we all say.... love you love you love your work.

Am also wondering if you can help me. Hubby and I have some sci fi books from the 50s that we would like to get appraised. Do you know of any internet sites that might be able to point us in the right direction. I've gone to abebooks.com and have found that they are worth some $$ but am wondering if we should have the damaged ones restored. Any help is appreciated and enjoy your day

[sialater.livejournal.com]

This just in! Breaking Lost News!

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,16698,00.html


Say it ain't so, Sayid!

[promise19.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I didn't see anything about Sayid (Naveen). It was all about Michelle Rodriguez joining the cast. Did they update it?

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

Don't molder! Heh. Don't you wish people would just comment all their important news to you when you don't have time to read everything? I feel so out of the loop recently.

Oh, and as for traveling - last fall my friend and I found these CHEAP ($250) round-trip tix to Paris, and we went for 3.5 days and it was amazing. You should look into traveling some places at a time like that where it isn't "bad" weather but it's not tourist season. The weather channel said it would rain all weekend but it only rained for 1/2 a day!

We are totally doing it again this fall! :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/lorien__/]

don't know if people noticed... and i'm a little late since my stupid connection doesn't work properly but...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOVIES IN 15 MINUTES

and thank you cleo for brinin so much laughter and joy to all of us ;)

L.
*silly idiot*

[ex-krazycat651.livejournal.com]

Hey Cleo, I saw something when I was on holiday in LA and well, I just had to take a picture for you.

You have your own street! (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/demonus/171-7189_IMG.jpg)
And you connect with Sleepy Hollow, apparantly (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/demonus/171-7190_IMG.jpg)

These were taken at Newport Beach in Orange County.