I am playing with my new video iPod. Whee!!!!

Why yes, I *am* a geek. Shiny!

Things I discovered:
* there is freeware called Movies For My iPod, which converts .avi and .mpg files to iPod friendly format. I’ve already converted some of my favorite fan vids and the dS Blooper Reel, not to mention a copy of Frank’s Cock and Letters From Home.

* there are utilities to convert .wmv files to .avi so I can do the above.

* watching Desperate Housewives on the iPod while lounging in bed is really fun. The digital image is fantastic; the sound – equally so. (1)

* eeeeeeeeee emusic.com – saw an ad in the latest Macworld, so I checked it out. Subscription service, xx tunes per month, depending on your plan. I signed up for trial to see what I could get and to verify that I could import into iTunes. Oh yes, Fluffy – it’s awesome! I scored some wonderful Texas artists, including a great album, Women from Kerrville, which includes Dar Williams. There’s a ton of the lesser knowns here – the kind of stuff not as easily available on iTunes. Yippee!! (a big plus – their download manager works great with Tiger). And the tunes aren’t DRM’d. w00t! If anyone’s interested in checking it out, e-me, so I can get credits

* of the grrr-bloody-arrgh – My DVR is semi-cratering b/c I have too much stuff on it. (Mostly Da Vinci’s Inquest Season 2). I haven’t had time to watch and I’m afraid that it may lose all the files.

Do any of you all have DVI Season 2 backups that you could share with me? I checked to see, but only the first season is out on DVD (and I have that).

Barring that – does anyone know anything about hardware that I can connect to my digital cable box to record shows onto my computer backup drive? I figure if I can do that, I don’t have to worry about watching things as quickly. (the drive that comes with the Comcast box is fairly small, and TiVo isn’t an option right now.) Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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1: My new obsession with Wisteria Lane’s fantastically twisted characters has unearthed a fascinating number of Buffy alum.

Starting with S1 Episode 16, intros Ida Greenberg (char), who was once known as the Doublemeat Palace monster/a.k.a Old Lady (RL: Pat Crawford Brown)

In the very next episode, Nurse Ruth Ann, who smokes too much and isn’t that great of a caregiver harks back to Season 4 Buffy and Evil
roomies (RL: Dagney Kerr)

And last night, as I watched the season 2 premiere (thanks to MyPod), one of my favorite villians (BtVS, A:tS and Firefly) made an appearance as a good guy, playing Officer Romslo. (RL: Andy Umberger)

My world is a small and fannish place….not to mention geeky ::g::
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ETA: oops – almost forgot – if anyone’s interested in a nearly brand-new 60GB iPod with all accouterments and a great red leather case for only $300, e-me. It was barely used. My dad, alas, doesn’t want it. (long story…) (mylima @ gmail.com)

A very happy (if belated) birthday greeting to kelliem!

Hope you had a lovely lovely day and that you continue to celebrate.

So, like some other folks on my f’list, I seem to have caught the insomnia bug. Not really sure why – I even took a half-dose of Nyquil so i could rest…not so much with the resting. It obviously didn’t work, because it’s now 5:33 and my alarm is set to go off in 2 hours.

I tossed and turned until I realized that this was silly. I might as well get up and play online. I’ll be death warmed over at work, but at this point, at least I’ll feel accomplished.

Accomplished? How so young Padawan?

I got Things done. Things being the following:

* wrote my publisher a nice, but firm e-mail, asking for details on my not-yet-paid royalties from quarter 2. You see, my book debuted in May 2005. My publisher pays royalties in September for Quarter 2. Upon my first e-mail, he said that my check was below the minimum, and thus would be rolled into the December payment for Quarter 3. Okay, I bit. After some though, I knew something still seemed fishy. I *KNOW* how many books were at the various events I did in May and June. I also know (because my co-workers and boss are very wonderful people, that in my office alone, in those 2 months, I signed well over 25 books. This isn’t counting sales online that I don’t know about. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but i did the math and this is definitely more than the minimum. Sooo, I sent him an e-mail, asking for an explanation. Let’s see what happens. He’d sent out an e-mail earlier this week that said he and his wife were taking some vacation/travel days, so would be incommunicado for a while. Ah, the vagaries of small presses run by fanboyz. (Why did I think this was a good idea? ::facepalms::)

* I’ve been trying to figure out how to query agents to represent my book for additional rights sales (e.g., mass market, audio, foreign, etc.) – the appropriate wording finally came to me. I know have a standard template, and have already e-mailed 3 agencies that prefer e-mail queries. One of the agencies represents 3 of my close friends. Keeping fingers/toes crossed and hopes karma will be kind. I know the book will sell – it debuted as #1 at my publishing house and has been in the top ten YTD since then. I just need to get it moved over to a more active house – preferably one with fewer distribution issues. It’s available online, but takes a Miracle (cue horse) to get it ordered in chain bookstores. Oftentimes, my reliable indy stores that do so well by me practically have to drive to freakin’ West Virginia (where Quiet Storm is located) to get their orders. Fulfillment does *not* seem to be a priority with him. ARRGH. Dude STILL owes me contributor copies of the trade paperback of Chesapeake Crimes I, and the hardcover of Chesapeake Crimes II.

* I copied this week’s House ep for Donna A, who evidently forgot to set her DVR. Burned it to DVD, along with some other goodies (some fan vids, and pretty JPGs). I’ll get it out in the mail to her. She’s close, so may get it on Saturday.

I’ve got a couple more hours to kill, but my brain has hit freeze mode. Maybe I’ll just surf for a while and/or read.