so i just found another one of my poems plagiarized. for the time being, stuff is going in storage until i can properly deal with this stuff.

I needed that hiatus.



Lately I've been working on grad school applications, looking for a decent telecommuting job, and basically pulling my life together. I became a pescetarian (think vegetarian, but with fish), started working out twice a week, reading more, writing more; all in all, it's been a good run. I'm aiming to keep it going.



In an effort to try and maintain my abilities as a peer editor, I'm starting a little project for myself called critique-a-week. It sounds exactly like it looks: note me pieces of writing, and every week I will randomly select one (or two, or more, depending on time), critique it, and highlight it. Every critique is a learning experience, after all, and it's something that many people can make use of. Fav or participate here: [link]



The new Porcupine Tree album is really good. So is the new Imogen Heap album. I suggest buying the deluxe version, which includes the instrumental version of every song. V. v. good.



So: everyone tell me one exciting thing that's happening on dA this week.

So: most people know I hit up a few furry cons every year. If you did not know that, there you go and get out your LOL FURRIES MURR internet references now before I continue.




One of the cons I hit up yearly is Fur Fright, a local con in Connecticut. Every year they pick a charity to donate to, have a charity auction and raffle where all proceeds go to the organization of their choosing. Last year, they raised $4000 for their charity -- I'm serious when tiny conventions of compassionate people can make a big difference. That's a serious chunk of change.



This year their charity is the US War Dog Association. To give you an idea of what this organization stands for, here's an excerpt from FF's community journal:

During the Viet Nam War the armed forces enlisted dogs and trained them to be soldiers. Donated by civilian families to help the war effort, the government promised the owners their animals would be returned after their tour of duty. The dogs were paired with young men (some no older than 17) and assigned to aid the troops in the dense jungles. To the soldiers who were taken away from their childhoods and families, these dogs became more than just tools of war, they became friends, brothers, and a source of companionship and sanity. The Army gave them numbers. The soldiers gave them names. When the soldiers were frightened and alone, these dogs stuck by their side and protected them. With senses far sharper than any human, the War Dogs detected enemy soldiers, mines, booby traps, ambushes, and snipers long before they could inflict harm. They were even known to attack the enemy in close quarters, and drag wounded soldiers to safety. It is estimated that they saved the lives of over 15,000 soldiers in the Viet Nam War alone.


When the war was over, and the troops shipped out, the War Dogs were left behind. The Army ordered them abandoned and destroyed as “surplus armaments”, the same as an unwanted piece of machinery. Their distraught handlers and fellow soldiers—those who had fought beside them and whose lives they’d saved—tried in vain to gain custody and bring them home. They went through every military channel possible, but all their requests were denied. Most all the War Dogs who had served so bravely were euthanized, and some were left behind to unknown fates. Of the approximately 4,900 dogs that served in Niet Nam from 1964 to 1975, only 204 were brought back to the US. None were returned to civilian life.


They were Heroes, and they were killed, abandoned, and forgotten. As the soldiers left their sides for the last time, the dogs must have wondered, Where are you going? Take me with you! We’re a team! Let me protect you! When the men were gone, the dogs waited faithfully for their return, guarding their patches of land. And when they didn’t come back, they must have missed them, worried about them. And as the days stretched on they must have wondered what they did wrong to be left behind. And when they died, they died alone.



Veteran dog handlers collected 100,000 signatures for a memorial postage stamp, but were turned down (Bugs Bunny made it—the war dogs did not). When the Smithsonian was renovated the National Museum of American History did not mention War Dogs in the new Armed Forces History Hall (they even removed the one mention of a War Dog that existed). And when the veteran dog handlers applied to plant a memorial tree at Arlington National Cemetery, they were denied.


Says John Burnam, the president of the Vietnam Dog Handlers Association (VDHA): “We wanted it to be a team memorial—for the War Dogs and the men who served with them. But they just won’t do it. The bias is simply ‘Humans Only.’


Their objectives are:


-- Education: Bringing the history of all U. S. Military War Dogs from all wars to the general public.

-- Raising funds to establish a U. S. War Dog Memorial.

-- K-9 Corps Commemorative Stamp Drive: Petitioning to have the Postal Service issue a commemorative stamp for all Military working dogs.

-- Through fund raising support service dog organizations such as Military War Dogs, Police Canine units and Search and Rescue units.

-- K-9 Adoption: Help find homes for retiring Military and Police canines.

I am calling out to deviants who wish to donate. You can donate art to the charity auction and raffle and just like last year, all proceeds will go to the charity. So if you can spare a print, or would like to donate an original piece of artwork, I'd really appreciate the effort. This is something I've always had very strong feelings on, and a community of animals and people who could use all the support they can get.



To donate to the auction or raffle, you can email auction2009@furfright.org. If you would prefer to donate anonymously, contact me on dA and I can speak with them and work something out.

since i won't be here on friday.





six more years and you'll be old enough to legally consent in most countries! they grow up so fast.




i'm working on my personal domain/portfolio right now. it's pretty spiff.

here's the dealie:


i remember when the first concepts of portfolio were in the rocks, and god damn it's gone a long way. but honestly, it makes me a little sad that i can't use it. this could be a huge resource for writers and has the potential to, but it's not there and i'm not sure if it's in the works.



writers need portfolios just as badly as artists. writers, especially freelance ones who work for journals, magazines, or creative industries, need portfolios to showcase their talents and abilities like any other freelance industry -- and if deviantART offered that accessibility, i would be fucking excited.



i am not, however, fucking excited. i'm like-- lukewarm coffee excited. which, admittedly, is still something, but not what i was hoping for.



just looking at the system itself, it's great -- i was pumped to try it out. but as soon as it gave me the error for trying to upload textual deviations, i threw up my white flag. i understand this is an art site, but i get frustrated when deviantART introduces new features that breeze over literature and consider it secondary. for an example, the sitback feature -- while awesome for artists -- does nothing for literature.



things i'd like to see in portfolio for literature:

an inline, scrollable text box for literature portfolio material

preview tabs for lit deviations. similar to how any art/photos show a thumbnail, a lit preview could offer the story title and synopsis and/or the first line or 'hook' for the story, to effectively catch potential employer's attentions

potentially, an ability to put employer/commissioner feedback as an add-on to buff someone's resume.



yeah. until then -- eh. i'll continue using my own writing portfolio site.



brief edit: lack of impending lit content verified. sad clown.