Welcome Gentle Readers

This blog tends to wander from its main purpose -- updates on my fiction. I do have updates and excerpts of my work. But I also write about my obsessions -- food, friends and pop culture and my weird life in Los Angeles. Enjoy!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Spicy Cravings and Anti-Social Networking

Spicy Cravings

I have a hankering for chili with black beans today. Of course, the weather isn't cooperating. Earlier this week, it was unusually cool and raining like crazy. The justifiably freaked out weatherfolk deemed it The October Storm complete with scary graphics. Naturally, because it was LA in the rain, traffic ground to a halt. The 20 minute commute to the hospital stretched to nearly two hours one way. From the traffic, it should have been a blizzard. Unfortunately, I wasn't in the mood to cook chili earlier in the week. There were a lot of nap attacks. Actually, there are a lot of nap attacks. I've had two trying to write this blog. Now the weather is back to being warm though not the crazy hot of two Mondays ago. There isn't enough hyperbole in the language to talk about a 113 degree day. Being a dry heat did not help in the least. Still, it's a little toasty today to have a big pot of food simmering away. Still, I crave what I crave. And there is something soothing about the scent of cumin wafting through the room. I'll also be saved from making dinner tomorrow. But this isn't the weird part of the cravings. I really want some fresh baked apple pie, too. How strange is that? [No, I'm not expecting anything other than the nd of chemo in a month and a half. Life hasn't gotten that exciting]. I suppose that cinnamon has the same warm kind of scent as cumin. Some recipes for chili actually call for a touch of cinnamon. Perhaps those spices are on a similar flavor palate. I don't think I'll pull off the pie today. I'm looking at the pile of apple peeling that would be involved, and that's making me very tired. Throw in making the dough and it's officially an ordeal. The chili is far simpler. I wonder what I'll crave next.


Social Networking vs Actually Socializing

I wasn't going to say anything about this phenomena, because I didn't want to sound like an old fogey. But the more I thought about it, the more it became clear that something had to be said. The photo conundrum was not the only strangeness at the Carpica screening. The event was first announced on Twitter and Facebook, and it was heavily promoted on these social networks. The idea was to get the subject of Caprica trending so that new viewers will tune in and increase the chances that the show would be renewed. Since only 500 people could fit in the theater, tweeting during the event was encouraged. The large view screens throughout the room were carrying the tweets from the audience. The tweets were going out in a big, frenetic flurry. Some tweets were very helpful. That's how I found out about the cash bar and, more importantly, when Ron Moore was in the room. But what was very strange to me was that most of the audience preferred tweeting about Ron and the rest of the producers and cast being in the room rather than actually interacting with them. I mean, all the producers and three of the leads were standing just across the room waiting to interact with their fans while the fans were looking at their tweets go by. I know that I'm a little long in the tooth, but that seems a tad silly to me. The affable, nicely dressed guy next to us was reporting that we were talking to Ron Moore and Jane Espenson. I asked him if he had questions for them. He did and they were some good ones, but he wouldn't go over. I knew he wouldn't have gotten answers to some of them, but it's always entertaining listening to the way Ron doesn't answer questions. I have a Twitter account (mostly to promote the blog and chat with chefs) and had been kibitzing with Jane for some time, but given an opportunity, I'd rather actually talk to the person. I mean, wouldn't 'Just spoke to Ron Moore' make a more impressive tweet than 'just saw Ron Moore standing within feet of me'? Seriously! Everyone there seemed jazzed that their favorite actors from the show were present and mingling. Yet, there was very little mingling. Just a whole lot of tweeting. Call me a fogey, but I just don't get it.

Updates

There are none this week but I expect some big ones next week. The writing continues at a satisfactory pace. The film projects are still on track. I'll be blogging about more food fic and my view of chick lit next week if my energy holds up.

Stay tuned.

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