journal fiction

(Today's Blathering is part of an On Display collaborative project, and inspired by Mary's Conversations Among The Ruins)

Two years ago, a 19-year-old girl named Kaycee started an online journal. She was dying of leukemia.


Despite her circumstances, Kaycee remained friendly and relatively optimistic; she responded to e-mails, and even talked to several of her journal readers on the phone. She went into remission but then experienced some sort of liver failure. She died the day after Mother's Day of an aneurysm. Her mother also kept a weblog during the whole experience.


The online journalling community united in its support of Kaycee and her mother. As Kaycee's mother sat by her bedside during her final days, Kaycee's P.O. box was flooded with letters of support, cards, and money.


Just recently, it was discovered that the whole thing was a hoax. There was never a Kaycee. Word on the street is that several men were behind the hoax, though there may have also been a woman involved (there must have been, if people reported actually having talked to Kaycee on the phone). Another rumour claims that the journal was created with benevolent intent, that Kaycee was created out of bits and pieces of real people who once existed, and that somewhere behind the whole mess, someone really did die of cancer.


The Kaycee hoax is being hotly debated in the journalling community right now. Merav pointed out that the incident is the lead story today on Suck.com. Many feel betrayed and angry. Some are attempting to take something positive out of the whole experience. I had never heard of Kaycee until the hoax was revealed, and can understand both types of reaction.


Whatever the underlying circumstances, this incident has certainly highlighted one of the wonderful and scary things about the Internet: the anonymity and ability to be almost anyone and anything, at least at first glance. A single individual can create a Web site that looks like a well-funded corporate site. An incredibly shy or agoraphobic individual can more easily find the courage to interact with other people online. Several men can masquerade as a dying 19-year-old girl and her mother.


Just before I heard about Kaycee, I had proposed a new collaborative project to my fellow On Display members, a journal by a fictitious woman named Alice. I figured it would be a fun writing project, developing Alice's life and personality, trying to maintain a consistent writing style throughout all the entries by various authors.


The Kaycee fiasco, however, reminded me of how easily something like this could end up making readers feel betrayed. You make a certain emotional and time investment when you start regularly checking someone's blog or journal, with certain expectations. To not be warned ahead of time that the person never really existed in the first place would be like those movies of television episodes where all kinds of interesting and exciting things happen to the protagonist during the story, only to find out it was all a dream or hallucination at the very end. I hate those kind of stories.


So after much discussion with the other OD members, I've decided to launch The Alice Project anyway, but with a clear indication of its nature. At the top of every page, there will be a "READ FIRST" link, which will explain the collaborative nature of the project, and emphasize that Alice is not a real person.


I've always been highly intrigued by the possibilities of interactive fiction writing, but also aware of its limitations (wandering plot, inconsistent writing styles, etc.). It will be interesting to see what kind of person Alice turns out to be. :-)





Today's Blatherpics:


- Header for The Alice Project.


- Watching the last episode of Star Trek: Voyager last night with Reid, Luisa, Bryan, Jeff, Ronnie, and Michael.


- Reid with Michael and Ronnie.

Feel free to suggest a daily poll question.


Today's Poll: (Courtesy Amanda Snyder)

Do you like your name?

woodpile philosophy

There's a mouse in the boathouse. We've gotten used to having him around, to tell you the truth. I can hear him rattling something in the walls, renovating his summer quarters, cleaning out the cobwebs, storing away sunflower seeds swiped from the birdfeeder outside our sleeping cabin. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him clamber down a chain on the wall and run across the floor. He's probably gotten used to me hanging around in the early morning, I'm sure.


Jeff and I are going home today. After Parki left, we spent a few hours doing some tidying up around the cottage. Jeff did some repairs and additions to the water system, and I restocked the woodpile. Jeff offered to help...I thanked him but said no. For me, this kind of activity is the equivalent of relaxing meditation. :-)


Firewood at the cottage goes through several phases. "Wood day" occurs every couple of years, and basically consists of ordering a face cord (pile of wood 8 feet long, 4 feet high, one piece of wood deep). The wood is delivered to the cottagers' dock in one big pile. It generally takes several boatloads across the lake, and then the wood is stacked in the "new wood" pile. There are three piles....one containing the newest wood, second pile nearer to the cottage (in above photo), and then a smaller pile of wood stacked up against the boathouse, just beside the door and beneath the roof overhang. The last pile is handy for winter visits since it doesn't get buried beneath four feet of snow. The reason for the other two piles is to separate wood from different wood days. Older wood burns better, so it makes sense to let firewood "age" for as long as possible.


During this trip, we went through a lot of wood. Since I felt mainly responsible (being up at 5 am pretty much every morning and always lighting a fire), I took on the task of restocking the second and third woodpiles by moving wood from the first pile, which is up the hill. It's a bit of a workout (my arm muscles still feel a bit wobbly as I type this), but I figured I've been slacking off for the past several days so needed the exercise. Plus for the therapeutic effect I mentioned in the first paragraph.





After my experience with the corporate dot-com world, restocking firewood is a hugely relaxing activity, mainly because it is so repetitive. My equivalent of knitting or cross-stitch, I suppose. :-) Minimal attention is required (only enough to make sure you don't trip over rocks and roots as you trudge up and down the hill), which leaves lots of room for reflection and daydreaming.


As I carried wood, I couldn't help but contrast the activity to what I was doing six months ago. Then I thought, what would be different if I was stacking firewood for a dot-com company?




firewoodstacking.com:

A Possible Scenario




SUPERVISOR: Hi, I'm Steve. What are you doing?


ME: Your company told me to stack firewood. I'm getting pretty tired, though. They said I could hire some help. When will I be able to do that?


SUPERVISOR: Hiring freeze right now, sorry. Anyway, you're not stacking the firewood properly. Here let me show you how. Here, why not try it like -this-?


ME: Um, doesn't it hurt when you do that?


SUPERVISOR: Hey, it's just a suggestion. Anyway, I need a report about how you think we can improve the whole process on my desk by tomorrow. And please hurry! We want a big a pile as possible as fast as possible! We -know- you can do it.


[Next day.]


SUPERVISOR: Hi, I'm Ted. What are you doing?


ME: Stacking firewood. Where's Steve?


SUPERVISOR: He's been transferred to Ops. I was hired yesterday. Anyway, you're stacking firewood in the wrong place. It should be over there.


ME: Okay. Uh, listen...I'm getting really tired here. Can I get some help?


SUPERVISOR: Sure, I'll see what I can do. And can you get a report to me about how you think we can improve the whole process?


ME: I gave a copy to Steve already.


SUPERVISOR: Oh. Well, I haven't seen it. I'd like an updated version on my desk by the end of the day, thanks.


[Several hours pass.]


SUPERVISOR: Hi, I'm Pete. Ted was transferred to another project. I was hired yesterday. Anyway, turns out we've run out of matches so we can't use the firewood yet anyway. Slow down on the firewood stacking until we find more matches, ok?


ME: Um, okay. I haven't had a break in a while, by the way. When do you think I can get some help?


SUPERVISOR: Soon, very soon. Anyway, you were stacking the wood in the wrong place. You should be stacking it over there instead.


ME: That's where I -was- stacking firewood, but Ted told me to stack it in the new place.


SUPERVISOR: Ted was wrong. You'll have to move the wood.


ME: Um, okay. But I have to warn you that I'm REALLY exhausted here.


SUPERVISOR: Ok, I'll see what I can do. And can you get a report to me about how you think we can improve the whole process?


ME: I already gave updated copies to Ted and Steve, but I'll print out a copy for you, too.


[Ten minutes pass.]


SUPERVISOR: Hi, I'm Lance. Pete's been promoted. Anyway, I know you're overworked, so we're going to hire some help for you. This is Gomer; he's here to apply for the job. Can you interview him and give us your feedback?


ME: Sure.


SUPERVISOR: And could you speed up the firewood stacking? Some potential investors from across the lake are going to be visiting, so we need as big a pile as possible as soon as possible. Oh...and I'd like you come up with some ideas on how to improve the whole process.


ME: I already gave copies to Steve, Ted, and Pete.


LANCE: But I never got one. Print out a dozen copies for the team, ok? We can discuss this in our next weekly Team Motivational Meeting.


[An hour later, after Gomer leaves.]


ME: I don't think you should hire Gomer. He doesn't know what firewood is. He also doesn't see the point of fireplaces, anyway.


LANCE: Thanks for your input. We definitely don't want to hire anyone you aren't comfortable working with. And can you get a report to me about how you think we can improve the whole process?


ME: I already gave you a copy.


LANCE: Are you sure? I don't remember. Anyway, print out out another copy for me.


[Next day]


LANCE: Great news! Gomer's been hired to help you.


ME: I'm confused. I had recommended he -not- be hired.


LANCE: Just give him a chance, okay? Anyway, here he is...


GOMER: Hi there! I'm really looking forward to working with you to move this project forward, going forward. I have all kinds of great ideas to help us think outside the box. Let me know what I can do to help you.


ME: Um, okay. You could start by helping carry some of this firewood.


GOMER: Sure, absolutely, no problemo. But first I have a two-hour lunch meeting with my buddy, Pete The Senior Manager Who Has Great Influence in This Company. We go back a long ways, you know, ha ha. By the way, Lance wants us to come up with a list of ways we can improve the process.


[Next week]


LANCE: So how's it going, guys?


GOMER: Just great. Lots of things are happening.


LANCE: Um. Why does the woodpile look smaller?


ME: Gomer accidentally set fire to the woodpile yesterday.


GOMER: That wasn't my fault. You should have -told- me not to pour gasoline on the wood and toss on a burning cigarette.


LANCE: Ah, that's okay, Gomer. If we need something to burn in the fireplace, we can use this stack of old papers I found in a bottom drawer my office desk the other day.


ME: Those are my Process Report docs.


LANCE: Great, even better!


Today's Blatherpics:


- Me and my woodpile.


- Fireplace this morning.

Feel free to suggest a daily poll question.


Today's Poll: (Courtesy Jeff)

Have you ever gone skinnydipping?

harp pine

LOTR updated

New LOTR comic




The long weekend is over, and the loud yabboes down the shore have gone home. Unfortunately Parki is also going home today. :-(


It's windy and raining outside, about 10 degrees Celsius. I've lit a fire, and am having a mug of chamomile and spiced apple tea (thanks, Lissa!). Jeff and Parki are still asleep, of course.


Yesterday, I was surprised to find an e-mail from one of my ex-supervisors from Philadelphia in my inbox, just asking how I was doing. Despite the fact that he and I had differences during my employment in Philly, he was the only senior manager type at the company who ever expressed any genuine regret (at least to me) about the company's shutdown of Inkspot. Granted, he had just been laid off at the time, but that gesture still scores some points in my book. Just a reminder, by the way, to make sure you aren't using my inkspot.com address when you send me e-mail. All inkspot e-mail is dead since the Inkspot server disk space filled up over a month ago.


It's been blustery and windy and rainy for the past few days, which has been a wonderful excuse for doing extra napping and reading and otherwise lazing about. However, I'm looking forward to going back to the city this week. And Andrea's coming to visit soon, woohoo!





I miss playing my harp more than I expected. I'm sure you other musician-types will understand. I've never felt as emotionally attached to a musical instrument before. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I was so much a part of GP's creation, helping to choose the wood, the artwork, receiving photos of GP in various stages of development. Plus I consider the harp almost a piece of art as well as having a practical function; I get pleasure out of just LOOKING at my harp, admiring the workmanship, the curve of the wood near the top of the soundboard. Add the sensation of actually playing the harp and you have a highly sensual experience. I'm sure the harpers out there are nodding enthusiastically while everyone else is thinking, "Geez, what's IN the water up at that cottage??" Though other musicians may feel similarly, especially if they did a lot of research and drooling over guitars or other instruments in the store before finally settling on one. :-)


Many thanks to Joel Polowin for sending me the music for the Friendly Giant theme...I'm really looking forward to going through that when I get back. I'm also hoping to get in another harp lesson or two to keep me on track.





I finished my "Dot Com Survivor" song yesterday. Many thanks to technonerdboys Jeff, Parki, Reid, Andy, Andrew, and Bryan for their contributions. :-)

---

Message from Karen Linsley






Details about the unveiling of Lloyd Landa's memorial: Sunday June 10, at 2:00 p.m. at Pardes Shalom Cemetery. My understanding is that it is about a mile and a half north of Major Mackenzie off of Dufferin. After the ceremony we go back to Lloyd's cousin Elaine's for refreshments. Her address is 27 Tyrrel, near St. Clair and Wychwood. For further directions her number is 416-651-2530. I'm hoping to see my friends there. This will be a difficult day for me.



---

Message from Andrea



(who recently updated her filk column, by the way)




Hey all,


I am writing a column for The Dandelion Report (http://electricpenguin.com/filking/) called "The Supporting Note." The column is written for new and beginning filkers. With that in mind, my next column will be about housefilks (to be published within the next two weeks).


I'd like to include a list of contacts for "open" housefilks that occur on a regular basis. By open, I mean that the housefilk can be attended by anyone who contacts the person on the contact list (see below) and asks . . . I'd like to include the following information:


1) name and email address of contact (it doesn't have to be the host, since that can change) . . .I'll list up to three contacts per housefilk . . .


2) how often the housefilk occurs (typically)

3) Location of the housefilk, or the cities (for example, in Mid-Ohio our housefilks can be in Dayton, OH; Columbus, OH; and Cincinnati, OH.


Note: I'd really like this list to include housefilks in the UK, Germany, Australia, where ever!! Please pass this message to anyone who could send me the above info . . .


Your help would be greatly appreciated :-) And Thanks!!


See ya!


Andrea

--

Andrea Dale

adale@merlynproductions.com



---

Today's Blatherpics:


- A sunrise last week. None of my sunrise photos are Photoshopped in any way, in case you're curious (a few have asked). If anything, the colours in the photos are not nearly as impressive as in real life.


- Jeff and Parki.


- Recording scratch vocals for Allison and Jodi. I rely on our ancient 4-track recorder to help me figure out if particular harmonies or counterpoint parts work together. Sometimes I ask Allison and Jodi to come up with harmonies etc., but sometimes I find it better to write out the parts, particularly if they're somewhat complex.


Today's Poll: (Courtesy Parki)

Have you ever bought anything on eBay?

working on the Studebaker

LOTR updated




I have to confess that I'm enjoying reading Lord of the Rings much more than I expected (sorry, Reid). Jeff is highly amused, since I expressed major skepticism before.


I enjoyed Parki's Guest Blathering yesterday so much that I've asked him to do another one later today. Stay tuned for that...


We've started using the phrase, "Think I'll go work on the Studebaker" as a euphemism for "Going to have a nap now". :-)


YAY, the noisy yobboes down the lake weren't up at 5 a.m. this morning. I got e-mail about the subject from a good friend of ours in Ireland which made me laugh out loud:



Why don't you oldsters lay off the party dudes at the other end of the lake? If you wrinklies can't handle a little bit of high-spirited good fun, maybe you should pack up your Bugattis and head back to Damp Squib Avenue, Boredom Heights. People like us, me and my party friends, are sick of being shut down by the man. You are a menace to our soul-groove.



:-D


Guest Blatherer: Brian Parkinson


Wind's kicking up Dorothy - get Toto inside.


Slept in this morning, as that strange slumbering second sight knew the day had a different pressure - it's cloudy here, and it looks like rain. This sort of weather is perfect, as what we really need around here is a day to slug about the cottage reading books etc. Which is to say that there will be no changes in behaviour from any other day, but it will feel different somehow. I rather like the rain, and I hope it's a huge great beater of a storm that rolls in - all boom and crack and torrent. That would be fine.


I just noticed over at EBay that a first edition set of Lord Of The Rings is currently bidding at $560.00 USD. Wow. I went a little EBay-crazy a while ago, and I still check it out every now and then - it's an amazing thing. If you collect anything obtuse, someone will be selling it. Jeff wondered the other day about an inverse EBay (where you post what you'd like to buy as opposed to sell) - this must be out there somewhere.


Yesterday after dinner we had a kitchen-chat after a great dinner (spagetti, with tomato and bocconchini cheese salad, and one-sided garlic bread). We re-grouped onto the couch, and Debbie valiantly tried to stay awake. Witnessing her brain unwire in the conflict between the inner pull for unconsciousness and the conscious desire to stay awake was amusing, to say the least. We barely made it past midnight. She doesn't remember all of what she said, and we're certainly not filling in the gaps.


"Nap time", Debbie just announced, followed by that door slam sound consistent with cottages everywhere. She's not just good at sleep, she's got TALENT.


Today I plan to do very little - I came here with three books, and true to schedule, two are down, with one to go. So, it's a reading day, interspersed with naps and food. Like any other day up here.


'Cept it might rain.









Today's Blatherpics:


- Watching the sunrise.


- My first LOTR comic! (posted on my LOTR page).


Today's Poll: (Courtesy Parki)

Are you happy in your job?

a small rant plus a Guest Blather

Parki's Blathering is up! See bottom of page!!






Got up at 5:15 a.m. this morning and went down to the dock to check out the sunrise. The lake was calm, brushed with mist, and the interesting reflection of the clouds in the water prompted me to take the photo above (though as usual, the picture doesn't do reality justice).


Ordinarily, I would have sat outside for a while, but this time the peace and solitude of the early morning were broken by noisy cottager neighbours down the shore. The lake has been busier this weekend as cottagers have started arriving. At first I figured someone else was up early watching the sunrise as well, but quickly realized that these people had been up all night, and were still partying. Their voices carried clearly across the quiet lake:


"F---, man, look at that f---ing bird! Stephanie, did you see that f---ing bird go by? Did you see it? Hey George, we're havin' a debate over here HAHAHA..."


Then they obviously spotted me.


"OH MY GOD, LOOK AT THAT GIRL OVER THERE! F---, here we are all passed out, and she's up at dawn. HAHAHA. What a f---ing picture..." Followed by uproarious laughter.


While I appreciate the fact that we all derive enjoyment in life differently, I have to question why people like this bother to come up to a place like this at all, a place with such breathtaking beauty and opportunity for quiet and reflection, away from the chaos of the city.


Okay, I'll stop fuming for now and move on to happier topics.


re: dehydrated milk in the hiking boot incident. Just to clarify on a previous entry (a few expressed genuine concern)...apologies for the misunderstanding: it wasn't that big a deal, really. :-) Jeff read the bit I wrote about the spilled milk in my Blatherings, as I knew he would (he reads them every morning), only minutes after I wrote it. I purposely waited on the couch while he was doing his morning Web browse so I could see his reaction when he read it.









Parki's here! We all spent yesterday lounging about, reading, napping, talking, listening to music. Jeff and Parki made a splendid dinner...steak with blue cheese sauce, rice, salad. I'm nearly finished my "Dot Com Survivor" song, with the help of Parki, Jeff, and some of my other technonerdboy friends. Late last night, we watched "Swimming With Sharks" on Jeff's laptop (are we geeks, or what?). Many thanks to Bryan Fullerton for lending us this DVD (he said that I would likely get extra enjoyment out of it because of my recent corporate experience). Kevin Spacey was amazing in this movie even if his character was a jerk.


Anyway, I've convinced Parki to do a Guest Blathering, but he's still sleeping. Stay tuned later today for a Blathering update!


Guest Blatherer: Brian Parkinson


The sun is shining, those damn teenagers next door have gone indoors after their all-nighter, good music is playing on the CD player, the fire is crackling, and all this at a shade after 9:00 in the morning! I'm awake (well, almost - mug of coffee at the left elbow) and ready to fulfill my duties as Guest Blatherer. It's the pressure of the assignment really, not so much the deadline. Another cup.


I've only been here for one day, and thus I don't have a necessarily consistent set of observations, but I think I know enough now to give you some idea of how Debbie spends her time up here - a bit of an insider report, if you will.


Debbie gets up at a shockingly early time, and begins the day by writing the Blathering entry that you have come to expect. One can see why she does this in the early hours, as it is absolutely beautiful here, but as well she has a responsibility to you, the reader, to have get Blatherings out in a timely fashion. This pressure is immense (as you might be able to imagine) and so it's likely that pretty soon she'll start charging money for Blatherings - big money, which only seems fair compensation.


After writing Blatherings, Debbie usually plays with Flash, but since I'm using her machine right now, she's out back riveting some body panels back into that Studebaker she's been lovingly restoring for some time now. It should be done by the end of this visit. Cool Deb!


Debbie is working on some music as well, and Jeff and I helped out a bit with lyrics yesterday. She needs a harmony voice to finish the one song off, so later today The Supremes are flying in for a brief recording stint. Diana Ross wasn't invited, apparently.


There are a lot of books around, and reading takes up a big portion of the day. For example, Debbie read the Lord of the Rings trilogy in one sitting a few weeks ago. She also took detailed notes at the same time, and has been releasing these observations on a related web site, a bit at a time. Debbie usually polishes off 8 or 9 novels a day - she is one of those rare people that can keep up with Steven King's output.


Food? Good food up here at Canoe Lake, for sure. Tonight's dinner promises to be really cool - who will win - Debbie or the Iron Chef?


There's always time for exercise up at Canoe Lake, and the routine seems to be either a brisk run to Huntsville, or to swim a few laps of the lake. This doesn't mean it's all non-stop activity here - there's plenty of room in the day for sleeping and lazing about as well. In the morning, Debbie usually finds time for an after-Blathering nap, a post-breakfast nap, and a brief pre-lunch nap. In the afternoon, there's the post-lunch nap, and then a rather long-ish pre-dinner sleep. After dinner, there's the slow slide into sleep, and then it's up early for another day!


It's always great to get up north, and what with the weather, sights, sounds and company up here, it's perfect - I couldn't think of a better place to spend the long weekend. It's time to sign off, and chill out on the dock.


Hope those damn teenagers keep it down tonight.




Today's Blatherpics:


- Sunrise this morning.


- Parki.


Today's Poll:

Do you own a PDA? (Visor, Palm, etc....if you don't know what a PDA is, choose "no")