Audio Blog - My Thoughts on Hugo Novel Finalists

Download as MP3.

This runs about four and a half minutes. Please, if you actually listen to it, feel free to leave feedback. Am I too quiet? Do I talk too fast? Do you like it, want more? Hate it, think I ought to stick to writing? I need some feedback like I need water. I'm parched.

Snooze Sings

I'm afraid this one demands some explanation. And I don't have much...

Snooze is a cat friend of mine who was unhappily living in an apartment for some time but recently moved into a house. Deep into the night, Snooze can now be heard singing happily while playing with a glitter ball in the spacious upstairs hallways. Snooze's pet humans secretly recorded the wonderful little cat song, and it amuses me so much that I'm now inflicting it on you.



By the way, you can see a picture of Snooze in this blog entry.

Free Comic Book Day!

I think you'll note that I find Free Comic Book Day to be "Excellent!"

AudioBlogging?

If this works, you should be able to see a little flash audio player above this note, and you should be able to click on the play option to play a little clip of me talking at you. The code used is the Standalone version of the WordPress Audio Player plugin, and I used Audiograbber to capture and encode my voice.

Whether or not you like this little experiment of mine, please let me know.

3-Day Blogging Camp Two - Finished

3-Day Blogging Camp Two

Transcript: "Well, here I am, evening of Day Two of the 3-Day. I'm here at 'Camp Dusty' reporting in. [I'm] calling it Camp Dusty because, well, it's really really dusty around here, especially around the dining tent and all the services tents. The dust just gets right into your shoes and drives you nuts. Luckily the camp came at the end of the 3-Day, well, the end of the day, rather than at the beginning. Though that really doesn't bode well for tomorrow, now, does it?

"It's been an interesting day. It was perfect weather for walking this morning, slightly overcast, nice nice temperature. It got warmer and warmer as the day finished, and a lot of people are really tired and really grumpy and really hot.

"I didn't finish myself, I got swept again. [I'm] not happy about that, but I figure I'd rather enjoy it* than end up not being able to sleep at night because I'm in too much pain.

"Speaking of pain, I've discovered that I have not one, not two, but three blisters on the bottom of my left foot, one of them between two toes so it's really hard to bandage it.

"Still, I'm gonna try to finish the 3-Day tomorrow. At the very least I'm gonna walk the beginning and the end. If I have to skip the middle, I have to, but I'm going to try to do the whole thing.

"This is a lot harder than I thought it would be**. I mean, I knew it would be hard, but this is even harder than hard. This is... this is really next to impossible. The route they picked for us today was... well, let me put it this way. We had a Walker from the East Coast who said, as she was climbing one of our little hills, 'where we come from, these are called mountains!' and we all chorused 'welcome to Seattle!'

"I guess a lot of the East Coast folks were not expecting hills to be, well, hills. Steep inclines, ten-fifteen percent***, climbing way up, climbing way down. It was a really bad day for hills. They claim that tomorrow will be better, but you know, even better isn't... well... easy.

"Anyway. Very tired, very grumpy. It's been a long day. Disappointing day. I think if I ever do the 3-Day again it'll be as Crew, not as a Walker. 'Cause I just can't imagine doing the walking, but at least the Crew aren't doing one single thing the entire time. I mean, they're on their feet a long time too, but they get chances to sit down and rest****. There aren't really chances for the Walkers unless you're swept.

"I'm happy to report however that most of my team made the walk. Another team member had a knee problem... she's out. She may not be able to come back. And someone else twisted an ankle.

"Earlier this morning someone, not from my team, ran into a fire hydrant while talking to somebody and apparently there was enough blood they called 911. But once they got her patched up it wasn't nearly as bad as they thought. From what I heard she may be walking tomorrow.

"There's been a few cases of heatstroke. Blisters by the billions. I mean, that first day with the heavy rainstorms... everybody's got blisters. Wet socks... and you know, that just doesn't do much for anybody*****.

"Anyway. I think it's time for me to go back to my tent and see if it's cooled down a little. [The sun is shining] directly on all the tents, and they're turning into little oven boxes. It's quite impressive, really, how hot it is in the tents. I'd rather sit out in the sunlight.

"Hopefully I won't get burned. I suppose I should reapply...******"

* "it" being the 3-Day.
** I have newfound and deep respect for Eric for having managed it.
*** I pulled this number out of the air. I'm not really sure how steep the steepest hill we climbed was.
**** It's important to note that the Crew also have two extra days of work, setting up and cleaning up, and they get up WAY earlier than the Walkers. Crew would not be easy either, but I might be more suited to it.
***** What I'm trying to say here is that people's feet got wet, and they didn't have dry back-up socks, and wet feet cause blisters, so there were a LOT of blisters on the 3-Day.
****** I got cut off. I didn't think I was talking that long, but I guess I did. All those pauses and "um"s really add up. I finished my thought in the next blog entry, which isn't worth transcribing, so I won't.

3-Day Blogging Camp One

Transcript: "Well, it's time to blog again. I'm here in beautiful Marymoor Park where we've set up camp. Well, actually the boy scouts apparently set up camp and we're just sleeping in the tents that they set up.

"I got here around 4 pm, not under my own power unfortunately. I got swept with about a mile and half left to go. My left foot cramped up and I just couldn't go any further. I suspect it's because the shoes I was wearing were not the shoes I was using for most of my training, and I just didn't anticipate the problem*. Anyway... I'm probably gonna hit the medical tent first thing in the morning, before I even get out on the trail.

"I don't know where the trail's going tomorrow, but I suspect we're gonna go up the Sammamish River/Burke-Gilman trail for a few miles at least, until we get out of town**. I don't know though, we're going to end up in Shoreline tomorrow. It'll be interesting.

"I've now had the wonderful experience of showering in a truck. Except for the fact that there was no space, it was wonderful. But then, after walking 16 miles I guess having a nice hot shower is a good thing.

"Dinner was spaghetti, which is actually what Eric made for me yesterday. And it was ok***.

"Um, what else? Hmm...

"Did I mention the sea of little blue tents that the boy scouts set up for us? I mean, there are a lot of tents. Sometimes I don't realize just how many people there are in this. But, three thousand women is an awful lot.

"Anyway. Everyone's drying out. It was very very wet this morning and now it's sunny and hot and wonderful and it's supposed to be sunny and hot and wonderful tomorrow and the next day.

"Oh my... I'm so tired. In fact, I'm so tired I think I'm going to stop now and go to bed. So, thanks for listening, good-bye."

* I actually thought the second pair of shoes would help prevent blisters, but they may well have caused the more serious problem in my left foot.
** I was wrong. We only went up the trail a mile before we left it for the mean streets of Redmond.
*** Eric's spaghetti is much, much better.

3-Day Blogging Friday Lunch

Transcript: "Ok, well, here I am. We're at Interlake High School, this is the lunch stop. We're 9 and a half miles in... nine and half? Wait, 10 and a half miles in, and we've got a good seven or eight more miles left* before we get to camp at Marymoor Park.

"We got here** this morning and it was drizzly and rainy and cold, and it got worse. As I pointed out to one Walker who was very dismayed at the thunder, it was Mother Nature herself giving us a nice cheer.

"It's been inspiring, lots and lots of people. I mean, the Walk itself is just walking but people keep honking and saying hello and waving. And I've got this T-shirt on, the Bouncing Betties T-shirt***, that makes people comment to me as they're passing, so that's pretty cool.

"And at the first cheering station my mom was there, which I wasn't expecting. I'm very happy to see her. In fact I gave her my really really really wet T-shirt that wasn't the dry-wick T-shirt I'm wearing now***.

"Long way to go, I guess. I think I can make it. Seven or eight miles, that's not bad. And I've been to the first aid tent a few times for blister prevention, but I don't think any of them have actually formed yet. Which is a good thing.

"Oh sigh well, quite inspiring. I think I'm gonna take off now, leaving the lunch area. And I'll blog again tonight. Bye!"

* It was seven miles left, for a total of 17.5 for the day.
** By "here" I meant Lake Sammamish State Park, where the Walk started.
*** I have three Bouncing Betties Dry-Wick T-shirts, one for each day. I wore one under my 3-Day shirt for the opening ceremonies, which actually managed to keep me a little more dry than I otherwise would have been.

Sunday Audioblog

11:00 am: Transcript Coming Soon

12:34 pm: Transcript Coming Soon

1:41 pm: Transcript Coming Soon

Sunday Audioblog

Transcript: "This is your Sunday Training Walk Audioblog. That's right, I'm on my training walk... I'm actually at mile seven, well, a little bit past, I'm at Wilmot Gateway Park in Woodinville and I have walked from Marymoor Park in Redmond. It's raining, pretty hard now. Lots of people on the trail today, though... I mean, I saw everything... I saw canoes and kayaks, I saw bicyclists: recumbent, tandem, even a three-wheeler, I saw runners, joggers, and walkers like myself. I saw skaters... I even saw roller skates, you know the old fashioned roller skates, not the rollerblades. I've seen a couple of rabbits and a snake... I didn't get a picture of the snake but I did get a picture of one of the rabbits. Um, ducks... geese... seagulls... and just people. Tons and tons of people are out here. And um, that's about it. Still doing my training walk, I've got three miles to go. It'll be a total of ten miles when I'm done. Not a big deal, I did twelve last week so this isn't a hard one at all. And, uh, I guess that's all I've got to say! Thanks! *beep*"

* It started raining about the 6th milepost, and started to really come down once I hit the 6 1/2 milepost.

* These were not on the trail, they were in the Sammamish River, which run next to the trail for the entire distance I walked. When I got to Wilmot Gateway, one of the groups had just arrived there and were pulling their boats out of the water. While I audioblogged I watched them strap the boats onto their cars, and they drove off just before I left the park.

* I saw the first rabbit somewhere between the first and second mileposts. It crossed the path in front of me, and was unmistakably a rabbit. I didn't expect to get a picture because I thought it went into the heavy undergrowth next to the trail (between the trail and the river at that point). But it was there, munching on some grass, so I snapped a picture.

The second rabbit I spotted at the five and a half milepost, and a couple of kids saw it too and chased it into the bushes. The snake was closer to the fourth milepost, and it looked like your standard garden snake. I briefly thought of trying to catch it but a) I didn't want to go into the brambles after it and b) I wouldn't have had anything to do with it if I did catch it. It moved too fast for me to get my camera out and take a picture.

Sunday Audioblog

Transcript: "Hello, this is your Sunday Training Walk audioblog from Laura Gjovaag, I'm at the fourteenth milepost on the Burke-Gilman trail, a bit past Lake Forest Park. I've walked five miles on the trail to get here, and to warm up I did two miles on the treadmill. So it's another five miles back home, I'm going to turn around now, get my ten-mile walk in. Though I guess it'll be twelve miles if you count the treadmill stuff. On the trail today just tons of people, bikes, joggers, walkers (I saw some more 3-Day walkers), and uh, those folks on the skates that lurch at you all the time. I also saw a bicyclist just wipe out right in front of me. He was going a little too fast around the corner. Not much else to say. Heading back now, really tired. Kind of excited though, I've done seven miles without too much difficulty and no pain. So, good sign. Twenty miles won't be so hard, hey? Alright, that's it. *blip*"

* When I started today's walk, I intended to go to the thirteenth milepost, making it a total of ten miles when I counted in the two miles on the treadmill. As I got to the thirteenth milepost, I was feeling really good, so I continued on to the fourteenth. That gave me an extra two miles, but also a couple of other problems...

* I actually saw a bunch of 3-Day walkers on the way back, including the group I spotted on the way out. I also had a cyclist come up behind me and say, "Are you doing the 3-Day?" and when I said "Yes" she responded that she was doing crew on the 3-Day.

* It's a credit to the quality of skaters that I generally meet on the trail that none of them have actually hit me yet, but they've come mighty close and it always makes me nervous to have some huge guy lurching at me, even if the movement is required for him to just keep going forward.

* I heard it even more than I saw it, the slide of bicycle and gears across the trail and into the bushes, and the brief yelp of pain as the guy went down. I asked him if he was ok, and like a typical guy he got up, wiped the blood off his knee and hand and said he was fine. Then he got on his bike and attempted to ride off, but only got a few feet before getting off the bike and walking it. Luckily his car was just up the hill and he had a buddy, laughing at him the entire time, to help him.

* I was fine at the time I audioblogged, but was sore by the time I got home. In particular, my right leg had some severe muscle cramping. Worse, though, was the gigantic blister that I didn't realize had formed and didn't notice until I took my shoes and socks off. It's on my left heel, and it's long and thin so it's going to be annoyingly difficult to cover and protect for tomorrow's walk. However, those are the only two problems, and I feel pretty good otherwise.

Another funny thing that happened... as I was passing Wayne Golf Course, a golf ball came flying out to the trail, and bounced right in front of me. I was startled, and looked around, but nobody else noticed it. I picked it up, walked over to the fence and called, but nobody responded. I eventually put the thing in my bag, I'm not sure why, and walked on. I still have it.

Sunday Audioblog

Yeah, it's still working!

This one is about plumbing, property taxes, and walking. Oh so very exciting, I'm sure.

Sunday Audioblog

Very odd sound in the background of this one. I kept it really short. Yes, I will be reviewing the new Doctor Who at some point. I've just been busy lately, that's all.

And, since Jack asked last week in the comments, I'll repeat my answer here. No, I don't think audioblogs are the wave of the future, but it's a nice thing to compliment a regular blog. I think some of us, myself included, just don't have the kind of voice for an audio-only medium. I have a voice that's perfect for the written word. So... fun for a once a week thing, or for blogging when I have no access to my computer, but not something I'd want as a full blog.

Sunday Audioblog

Whadya know? It worked...

Filler Audioblog

Transcript: Hello! This is Laura Gjovaag. I'm posting a filler audioblog to make up for the last two Sunday audioblogs that were lost. Audioblogger apparently lost my password to my regular blog, so I had to reset that. Um, it didn't indicate that it had lost the password, it just lost it. And that was why it didn't post the last two posts, I guess.

Anyway, those are toast as far as I can tell, I'm not going to be able to get them back. But, um, I remember what I said, sorta.

The first one was, um, two weeks ago Sunday, and it was about the weather we were having, beautiful beautiful sunny weather. I was at the in-law's, I was sitting on -on the deck and I was looking at Mount Rainier and I was just looking at the -the gorgeous weather. The sunshine, the -it was almost 70 degrees, I could swear. Ehm, I'm sure it wasn't quite that hot, but it sure felt like it. I was looking at the trees, the beautiful colors, Seattle was just in bloom two weeks ago. And I was thinking about all the posts I've been seeing from people back East, like Elayne and so on, and about the snow and the ice and the cold back East and I was thinking "Wow, this is quite a contrast."

Anyway. Um, my second post, last week's, was actually about the rain. I was driving in the car, well actually Eric was driving, I was riding in the car with Eric and uh, he actually had a nice little cameo, he said "Hello." Just talking about the rain. It was interesting, uh, when it rained some people in Seattle seemed to think that was gonna -that meant that there won't be a drought. But, uh, they don't seem to realize, y'know, it's the snowpack. It has nothing to do with the rain in Seattle. And the snowpack, there just is no snow now. It's -it's snowless. Snowless in Seattle? It's pretty sad. And without the snowpack there's gonna be a drought, so we're all expecting a drought, and we're already starting our water conservation efforts here. Um, I've stopped washing my van completely, we never water our lawn so that wasn't a problem. I'm timing my showers and making them shorter, and uh, just generally trying to use less water. It will take an effort of a lot more people than just me, but at least I know I'm doing my part.

So, let's see... still working on getting my leg all healed. Um. It hurts right now. It hurts a lot. But hopefully I'll be fixed up in time to do the 3-Day, and actually to train for the 3-Day. Got eighteen weeks left. Uh... checking out lots of graphic novels from the library, tons of stuff. I'm just reading so much. It means I haven't been reading the regular comics, I still haven't read all of last week's, and this week's I can just forget about it. But um, yeah. Lots of graphic novels, lots of fun.

And uh, I think that's just about it that I wanted to say, so, I'd better close this if I can remember what button to push... *beep*

Sunday Audioblog

No transcript will be available for this audioblog, as it's how to pronounce my last name.

Update 2010: Fixed dead link.

Sunday Audioblog

No transcript will be available for this audioblog, as it's how to pronounce my name.

Update 2010: Changed dead link to archived version of file.

Audioblog - Bloggin' From The Comic Shop

Not much to say about this entry. It's short, stupid and serves its purpose, which was to test the audio blogging. I could see audioblogging becoming extremely addictive, and terribly boring to anyone who would rather read than listen.

Transcript: "Ok, here I am, typical nerd, blogging from the comic shop! What other place should I do a test of my audio blogging software from? Um... not much to say. It's a comic shop, I'm in it. I just got my comics, you know, it's Wednesday - everyone knows comics come in on Wednesday. And... uh... well, not much- it's sunny outside. uh... Gotta go to work soon. uh... Whatever. Ok, that's it. *bleep!*" Note that you can also hear comic shop employee Carol yelling at the computer in the background.

It's amazing how much I sound like my little sister. When I listen to it, I hear her, not me.

Update 2010: Changed the old dead Audioblogger links to new links to saved files.