Sparrowchild's blog

Ex-gay? No way!

The post the other day about the Anglicans putting 'ex-gay' ads on the buses made me react when I saw this news item this morning.

Turns out that the, um, individual that wrote a key article supporting ex-gay therapy is now admitting he was wrong. Not in so many words, but it's a step back in the correct direction.

Funny how these so-called 'objective experts' find them selves tied up in knots trying to justify their own bigotry.

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Request for thoughts

I am working on a story that is set in Denise's QT Diaries universe. It is the back story for a couple of characters that will appear in her next story release (Ep. V).

This involves an extremely rare case of twin QTs. The two are not originally even related, but are genetically 'merged' in the transformation.

One of the gained characteristics is 'twin speak', the non-verbal communication that twins use. I am thinking of portraying it as a limited form of telepathy, but am open to suggestions.

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"Officially" retired

It's perhaps a bit early, but I just received confirmation from Social Security that I will be receiving retirement benefits starting next month. Actually, this month, but they won't actually pay me until April.

It's kind of a bittersweet situation. Those with whom I've shared know that I have been out of work and looking for about three years now. It's frustrating for someone with my experience to be passed over. My resume (CV) is impressive, perhaps too much so.

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Gmail account hacked

Some time early Sunday morning someone managed to get into my Gmail account and spam everybody in my (somewhat extensive) contacts list. If you got one, please delete it.

I discovered it this morning when I could not get into my account. They had changed the password. I went through the password recovery and got control of the account back.

When I was able to get back into the account there was a message from Google that the account had been accessed from China and if it wasn't me that I should change my password.

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This may be a bit off topic, but...

I couldn't let the opportunity pass to comment on the Skin Horse comic for Sunday 3/13. It is a wonderful homage to a great comic artist, Walt Kelly. Some of you will remember the Pogo comic strip in the papers.

Those who are not familiar with this true gem should find what you can and read it carefully. One of the other classic Pogo quotes is, "We have seen the enemy, and he is us."

Who could add to that?

Janet

ps: here's a link to the image: http://www.skin-horse.com/images/swamp_1600x1200_sample.jpg

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BC Manual of style???

With the advent of the first BC V-1 a thought occurs. Recently, I have been working with an author on a re-write and an issue arose regarding comma use.

I had recommended the grammatical use of the comma in a specific application. The author used the comma as a pause indicator in dialog. When I responded to the author, I brought out the issue, but left the final decision on usage to him.

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"Forced" Transformation Stories

I tend to like stories that have some sort of transformation in them. Seeing how people cope and adapt in unusual or changing situations is very interesting.

One thing that bothers me about this sort of story is that usually the changed character comes to terms with their changes. This is a wonderful thing, but it leaves me with a problem... I couldn't do it.

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How I felt -- How I feel

Over the past few days, I have been giving a lot of thought to the recent unpleasantness. Usually, I send my comments to authors privately. I have said before and maintain that I don't like to post comments that might be seen as negative in a public space.

I have somewhat of an issue with that, though, because a free exchange of ideas in a public forum is one of the tools that can help our community grow. It is paradoxical that we are unable to offer positive criticism without risking censure of our own.

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A huge mistake

I have been conflicted for a long time about the appropriateness of commenting on authors' works for whom I don't 'work'. There is no question that I have a particular style and set of standards and it may not be compatible with every author.

Yet, I also want to help others grow in the craft and that can not happen without constructive criticism.

It seems, though, that some may have misunderstood my goals and intentions. I truly regret that.

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Origin of Tracy Hide

I thought it might be a good time to tell you the background for my handle/id.

I have been a life long fan of animation. In my extensive collection I have examples ranging from the 1920s to the latest CG stuff.

Uncertain origins

I see that my description of my pup's origins have garnered a lot of comment.

I really don't know what his pedigree is, though there has been a lot of speculation. He is definitely part chihuahua. He is petite and has the typical coloration (colouration for those who read English.)

Happy New Year

Well, the clock has now passed midnight and the Valley of the Sun has welcomed the New Year.

It's been a quiet evening for me, watching movies with my 'boyfriend' (Skipper, the 3-year-old Saluki-Chihuahua mix I adopted from a rescue shelter in October), and finishing up proofing of another story from one of our premier authors.

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Hello, I guess

While I have been around for a while in one guise or another, I thought I might actually get active.

Those who read authors' credits and pay attention to such things might recognize me as one of the volunteer proof readers for some of the authors who post here.

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