photograph by jagelado

commute

Ours is the century of enforced travel. . . of disappearances. The century of people helplessly seeing others, who were close to them, disappear over the horizon. (John Berger)

John Berger, obviously. Used when I’m going to be (a) checking in on the computer every now & then, but not that often, (b) on the public transit system for a while, (c) out of the house.

Chance of my being accessible via IM: 1%.

distract me!

Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment.

A Robert Benchley quotation. Used when I’m doing something and not too fond of the task.

Chance of my being accessible via IM: 95%. I may have forgotten to change the away message to a ‘no, really, working’ one, but likely not.

DVD

They call it a medium because nothing’s well done.

A Groucho Marx quotation, on television. Used when I’m watching a DVD or streaming media.

Chance of my being accessible via IM: 10%. I don’t multitask well, and I have enough trouble with most media without introducing further distraction (exception: when I’m watching something fannish and need either to snark or squee with someone.).

nonprofit

The test of a vocation is the love of the drudgery it involves.

A Logan Pearsall Smith quotation. Used when I’m doing honest-to-god paid work, especially the administrative nonsense that much of my job consists of.

Chance of my being accessible via IM: 3%. This is one of my ‘no, really, working’ messages, but if your inquiry is either urgent or simple (very few are both), I’m open to interruption.

otw

“You make the thing because you love the thing / and you love the thing because someone else loved it / enough to make you love it.” (Thomas Lux)

Thomas Lux, duh. From this poem, A Horatian Notion. Used when I’m in OTW meetings or writing OTW policy.

Chance of my being accessible via IM: either 95%, if you’re in OTW (especially if you’re on one of my committees or the Board) or 5% if you’re not. Same caveats as above.

writing: word count

Word count as of $time: # words. Next goal, $time+half-hour, # words.

Stolen from synecdochic; I keep meaning to either actually use this or take it out of rotation. I almost never have IM on when I’m writing—see above, multitasking, inability to.

Chance of my being accessible via IM: 50%. Be prepared for me to (a) abandon you mid-sentence for my own sentences, (b) copy-paste what I’m working on at you, and (c) be unable to talk about anything but writing, both in the small and large sense.

writing: drops of blood

Writing is the easiest thing in the world: just stare at a blank piece of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.

A many-attributed quotation! Used when I’m writing and it is not going well.

Chance of my being accessible via IM: 100% (oh god, get me away from this before I go mad) or 5% (endless slogging middles do not go away just because I want them to).

writing: narrative structure (revision)

“I question your narrative structure.”

“Well, I question your stupid face.”

From lim’s the move. Used when I’m revising fiction.

Chance of my being accessible via IM: 50%.

writing: romance at short notice

Romance at short notice was her specialty.

From a Saki short story. Used when I’m writing and it is going well.

Chance of my being accessible via IM: 0%. I love you, but when writing works, I want to grab on with both hands as long as the ride lasts.