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July 19th, 2008
06:17 pm - free
Book readings and signings at the Barnes and Noble in Greensburg (on Route 30, just past Westmoreland Mall). If you want to meet the Alpha students before Confluence, here they'll be!
Tonight (Saturday, July 19) at 8:00 PM [Mike Arnzen, Alpha students and Timothy Zahn].
Wednesday (July 23) at 8:00 PM [David Barr Kirtley, Alpha students, Tamora Pierce].
Also, Tammy will be at Rachel's library on
Tuesday (July 22) at 7:00 PM
Brentwood Public Library, 3501 Brownsville Rd
Brentwood (Pittsburgh), PA
(412-882-5694)
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July 16th, 2008
09:14 pm - Safe
All the Alpha students made it to campus safely. This was the easiest year for pick-ups ever. Last year, a lady rear-ended my SUV on my way to the airport. Aside from all the accidents and the car on fire that John had to wait for near the Fort Pitt tunnel, we had smooth sailing. Everyone was in early, too! Amazing. Mike Arnzen is up tomorrow. I don't think they know what they're in for.
I'll try to post short workshop notes everyday.
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July 14th, 2008
09:56 pm - nine
The full Moon will occur at 3:59 AM Eastern Daylight Time on Friday morning. It'll be close to Jupiter Wednesday and Thursday nights.
I'm so pleased with the materials I picked up at the Campbell Conference. The theme this year was "How to Teach Science Fiction". The Chair of the English Department at St. Vincent asked me to put together a proposal for a science fiction literature class for next year. Nate Williams, Mary Rose-Schaefer, James Van Pelt, Chris McKitterick, Thomas Seay, Jim Gunn and others gave me just what I needed. Course outline, syllabus, list of materials including movies, day-by-day schedule, books to order, reasons for the school to offer the class, how it would meet PA state guidelines (okay, that's for HS classes)--I'm thrilled. Well worth the trip.
So, this year, I will be teaching astronomy at St. Vincent, Pitt (Main Campus), CMU and the Community College of Allegheny County. I still have my adjunct faculty position at Seton Hill University in the Writing Popular Fiction Program. That makes five, count 'em, five schools. Is that a record of some sort?
That'd probably be fine if I didn't have four other paying jobs. And volunteer work like Alpha, which will take up the next two weeks of my life 24/7. And four angelic children.
Life is good.
Current Music: Arctic Monkeys
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July 11th, 2008
05:52 pm - from Googleism
alpha is betta
alpha is released
alpha is ready
alpha is industry`s smallest multi
alpha is a suspended self
alpha is out
alpha is almost here
alpha is really good space game with
alpha is a professional agricultural sorority established
alpha is available
alpha is launched into the volume windows nt pc market with low
alpha is one of the uk?s largest
alpha is straight out of
alpha is just around
alpha is the oldest greek
alpha is an actin bundling
alpha is gone
alpha is self
alpha is effective in patients with hairy cell
alpha is just the beginning
alpha is one of these shoots
alpha is on alpha
alpha is down
alpha is everywhere
alpha is coming
alpha is being worked on as well
alpha is a light self
alpha is spoken the same in both russian and english
alpha is running loose on the net
alpha is functionally active and cleaves components of the basement membrane in vitro
alpha is going away
alpha is the leader in the field of coated fabrics and laminates
alpha is up to 150 mev
alpha is not catching on
alpha is for you
alpha is 24 note
alpha is also well
alpha is straight out of a fighter pilot recruiting video
alpha is broken
alpha is a supernaturally empowered
alpha is an awesome experience that i encourage others to try
alpha is a successful
alpha is a professional
alpha is an actin bundling protein
alpha is relationships
alpha is for everyone
alpha is the first letter of the greek alphabet
alpha is a place where no question is regarded as too simple or too hostile
alpha is a ten
Alpha, coming July 16th . . .
Current Music: NIN
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May 18th, 2008
11:46 pm - Is there life in the Universe?
Lectures:
Diane Turnshek will be giving two scientific lectures entitled "Life in the Universe" on Friday, June 20th and Saturday, June 21st at the Allegheny Observatory. Reception at 7:00, talk 7:30 to 8:30, tour of the historic building and observing afterwards. Free and open to the public, but reservations MUST be made this week by calling (412) 321-2400 (the sooner the better, since the Observatory article in the Focus section of the Trib last week).
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/search/s_565914.html
http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/events/ao_lectures.php
Artwork needed:
During the talks, alien-looking artwork will be on display, made by students at various schools around the area. PARSEC artists and friends are also encouraged to contribute alien art or alien artifacts. (Think: what do aliens use? Make it!) Tables and easels will be set up in the front hallway of the Observatory. Art must be picked up by Diane in the next few weeks and brought up to the Observatory. If possible, the next PARSEC meeting on the 14th of June would be a fine delivery place. If that's not possible, contact her at turnshek@yahoo.com. You do not have to attend the talks to have your art displayed. Prices may be listed along with the artist's contact information.
http://www.parsec-sff.org/
Some books referenced in the talks:
ﷲ Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life by David Grinspoon
ﷲ What does a Martian Look like? The Science of Extraterrestrial Life by Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart
ﷲ The Science of Aliens by Clifford Pickover
ﷲ Life Everywhere: The Maverick Science of Astrobiology by David Darling
ﷲ Aliens and Alien Societies by Stanley Schmidt
ﷲ World-Building by Stephen Gillett
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April 25th, 2008
12:16 pm - I forgot my phone.
I feel like a dummy.
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February 26th, 2008
08:45 am - Too much online networking?
Anyone have accounts at these sites? Want to link to me? I find myself increasingly involved with online networking. What next?
Here's a link to my Goodreads site:
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/515599
My Shelfari page:
http://www.shelfari.com/o1517746654
My Library Thing:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Turnshek
My Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Diane_Turnshek/653628022
My personal SFF.net forum:
http://webnews.sff.net/read?cmd=xover&group=sff.people.diane
LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=19833487
Join me? None of the profiles are at all complete--that would actually take time.
Diane
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January 27th, 2008
07:18 am - Workshops
The ALPHA SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers (ages 14-19) will be held at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg Campus July 16-25, 2008 in conjunction with Pittsburgh's science fiction convention, Confluence, July 25-27th. Twenty talented young writers will be selected to attend the workshop on the strength of their submission stories. Four guest authors and ten staff members will be present during the ten-day residency workshop to teach genre writing. Mike Arnzen, Timothy Zahn, Chris McKitterick and Tamora Pierce are our guest authors for 2008 (our seventh year). Workshop fee: $950.00 For more information, see: http://alpha.spellcaster.org/
The 2008 Context Writing Workshops are shaping up. Lots of my friends there. Don't think I'll be going, but you never know.
http://www.contextsf.org/workshop.htm
Write or Die is going strong. Looking forward to Bill Moran's novel coming this spring. We've been getting a steady stream of good work through the group and some sales. Rejection letters produced at meetings may win you a book on genre writing. Fun people. Open to all. http://word.pghfree.net/
Current Music: 105.9 FM radio, do you believe it?
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January 16th, 2008
08:55 am - from Jackie--you should go if you're in town. I'll be at the 3 PM Sunday show.
Hi there!
Kick off Pittsburgh’s 250th birthday year with the return of
Squonk Opera’s Pittsburgh: The Opera!
We’ve done:
Baltimore: The Opera
Albany: The Opera
St. Louis: The Operetta
College Park: The Opera
Columbia: The Opera
South Orange: The Opera
Chester County: The Opera
But we’re bringin’ it home with Pittsburgh: The Opera!
You’ll see Pittsburghers perform on stage with us:
NAKA Dancers choreographed by Malcolm Thompson
Dancing Friends from pghdance.com
You’ll hear lots of wonderful and funny stories told through videotaped interviews with Pittsburghers, including the amazing WQED documentarian Rick Sebak.
Dates and Times:
Thursday, January 17 at 8 pm
Friday, January 18 at 8 pm
Saturday, January 19 at 8 pm
Sunday, January 20 at 3 pm
Place:
Kelly-Strayhorn Theater
Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.kelly-strayhorn.org/
Tickets:
$12 in advance
$15 at door general admission
$8 students and seniors
$10 groups of 10 or more (all group sales must be in advance)
Available at the door or from ProArts
Tickets via telephone at 412.394.3353 or secure website http://www.proartstickets.org/
After Friday night's performance, Buzz Miller, our Fancy Pants Video Designer, will lead a Q&A about video and its emerging role in live performance. And you can chat with all the other Squonkers as well.
Squonk Media Alert:
Listen to WQED-FM 89.3 today at 5 pm!
Watch Pittsburgh Today Live on KDKA on Tuesday at 9 am!
Check out our website for video clips and photos from the show:
http://www.squonkopera.org/shows/hometown.html
Hear samples of the music at:
http://www.squonkopera.org/cd_samples.html
Happy New Year!
Hope to see you at the show!
Jackie and her Squonkers
"a healthy dose of civic celebration mingled with a friendly roast of hometown pride…uplifting and completely over-the-top"
-Times Union
"noisy, colorful, funny, outrageous"
-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"an abstract music video of the town"
-Philadelphia Inquirer
"The elements blend together onstage to create a show that is at once playful and polished. A group of six musicians take the stage in tracksuits, pretending to be Olympic athletes at an over-the-top welcome-home ceremony. Then they sit down and play stunning, sophisticated music."
-The Washington Post
"a quirky, playful, music- and image-driven piece of performance art that offers a nontraditional view of a place you thought you knew"
-Tribune-Review
Upcoming Hometown Operas:
Bloomington: The Opera at Indiana’s Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Newark: The Opera at the University of Delaware
Charleston: The Opera at West Virginia’s FestivALL Charleston
Charlotte: The Opera at North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
_______________________________________________
Squonkopera mailing list
Squonkopera@squonkopera.org
http://two.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/squonkopera
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December 18th, 2007
09:45 am - Basking
In Florida, visiting my dad.
Check out the Very Short List:
http://www.veryshortlist.com/home/
I'm looking into some geeky companies in Pittsburgh:
http://www.pghgeeks.org/bingo/bingo.php
I'm thinking of learning a programming language to get a job. Any suggestions?
Picked up Endless Blue by Wen Spencer. You should too.
http://www.amazon.com/Endless-Blue-Wen-Spencer/dp/1416573852/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197989525&sr=1-1
Would make a nice Christmas gift.
Did you know? The second meaning of the word "bravo" is a hired killer, an assassin, a desperado. Huh. Didn't know that."Trust your personal instincts, trust your feelings and don't'
be afraid to risk because you're going to die anyway. The one
risk that you don't want to take is that when you die you say,
'Oh, I wish I had done this and I wish I had done that.' Do it all
because that's what life is for. The things you're fired over when
you're young are the same things that they later give you lifetime
achievements awards for. So trust your intuition."
--Francis Ford Coppola, quoted in "Lighting Strikes Coppola Again" by Colin
Colvert, STAR-TRIBUNE, Sunday, December 16, 2007.
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December 3rd, 2007
12:34 am - December already? Wow.
Agentquery.com
Everything you need to know about agents. Wow.
I joined Shefari. You should, too. I stacked a few books on my virtual bookshelf and friended a couple of people.
New York Publishers Reception pictures are up in my lj gallery here.
Anthony and I were joined for dinner by Thomas Seay, Malina Suity, Rebecca McNulty, Gillian Conahan, Danielle Benneu and Sky Schneider.
At the reception, I talked with Jane Jewell, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Norman Spinrad, Tom Doherty, Gordon van Gelder, John Joseph Adams, Jaida Jones, Sarah Beth Durst, Greg Feeley, Betsy Mitchell, Ginger Clark (Curtis Brown, Ltd), Blaine Atkins, Ann Crispin, Michael Capobianco, Stanley Schmidt, Joshua A. Bilmes (Toby's agent), Bud and Jan Sparhawk, Gordon Linzer, Gay and Joe Haldeman, Danny Leiberman, Jim Freund, James Frenkel, Gardner Dozois, Marlene Barr, Shane Tourtellotte, Eleanor Wood, Richard Curtis, Donald Maass, many more people. Fun was had.
Done teaching on the 10th of December, then I'm going to go to FL and see my dad.
Current Music: New Found Glory cover CD
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October 23rd, 2007
06:56 am
Images of the California wildfires:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3
Affected SFWA authors (like Sheila Finch) check in at the sff newsgroups with beautifully-written first hand accounts. Amazing to watch it unfold. Best wishes for all in the area.
I'm going to a talk at the Irwin Library tonight at 7 pm. Stan Gordon. Yeah, that's right. UFOs. Bigfoot sightings. I've never met him before. Always on the lookout for possible PARSEC speakers. Looks like I'll have to miss Mike Arnzen's November PARSEC lecture on the second Saturday of the month (Nov 10) because Karen and Kevin are coming out to have a writing weekend at my house. I might get to see Mike next week at ZombieFest--a great line-up of horror authors and a HUGE zombie walk. I asked Matt if he wanted to go to the zombiewalk with me and he said, "Sure, but I want to go as a human and see what they all do . . . " They are shooting for 1000 zombies in Monroeville Mall to break their own Guinness Record. Fun?
Current Music: Saosin
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October 17th, 2007
05:26 pm - One down, a full list to go.
Netflix Book Model Draws Competitors by Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly.
"The seven-year-old Vienna, Va., book-rental Web site Booksfree.com is known as a "Netflix for books." People sign up for various plans and receive and return books by mail for a flat monthly fee. But Booksfree is no longer the only book rental site resembling Netflix. Last month, a similar company, BookSwim, in Monroe Township, N.J., launched its home page announcing, "Netflix has popularized online DVD Rental. We're doing it for books!"
Think this idea will fly?
Went to my high school reunion over the weekend and visited my two sisters. Lots of fun.
St. Vincent has been on Fall Break until tomorrow (yeah!).
Finished Gradisil by Adam Roberts. Writing up a review now.
Ann's having a costume party Saturday and I have no costume as yet . . . Phil Klass asked me to explain to him (when I see him at the party) what the hell has been going on in SFWA lately. Gee, wish I knew . . .
Mike Arnzen said yes, so he'll be onboard the 2008 Alpha workshop roster, just before Tammy and Tim Zahn. Fourth guest still needed. I want an editor or agent, but the ones we've had in the past, while good, were a bit above the level of the majority of the students. The best students were RIGHT THERE. The staff was appreciative. I should do nice things for the staff since they give up so much vacation time (and $$) to come. Pick a guest the staff and the best students will appreciate and let the others sleep in if they want? Hmmm . . .
And PARSEC, Alpha, Confluence and PARSEC Ink are now tax exempt literary organizations. Too sweet for words. Now I can ask Stephen King to give money for Alpha scholarships. :)
Going to the SFWA New York Publishers Reception Monday, November 19th at the Society of Illustrators. Just made the flights. My son Alex is joining me on the trip, since he wants to see some NYC colleges. Anyone else here? It's for SFWA members and guests, and agents, editors, publishers and some cover artists.
Peace and love.
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September 13th, 2007
07:59 am - How did you get your job?
Suggestions on finding jobs, please? This is harder than I thought. I've been going to the career center at St. Vincent and getting clues on how to write a resume, places to look for job postings and I even have a mock interview set up. I slid my spring Astronomy class into the night (6:30 to 10 PM, two nights a week), so I could take a full-time day job. I need to not have an interruption in benefits, what, with my health record.
What do I want to do? Pretty much anything that isn't a waste of my time--meaning I get paid enough to live. I don't want a job where I have to come home with homework and feel guilty all the time for not doing it 24/7. I have been known to work compulsively and not break for fun, and right now, in my life, I need to take time off for relaxing.
So, how did you get your job? Networking? An ad in the newspaper? Online listing? Job fair? Did you ace the interview? Did you take a lower paying job and then move up in the company? Do you keep your eyes open for new jobs, even though you have a job? Talk to me. Do you have any openings where you work?
~Di
Current Music: Janis Ian
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September 3rd, 2007
08:49 am - Slade
Slade's party pictures are up here:
http://pics.livejournal.com/_starlady_/gallery/000174e3
Fun was had. She has a wonderful family. Slade is leaving for Jordan Wednesday. I'm a bit panicked, but she's a capable person. Her lj name is luckfire, but she's moved to Blogger:
http://wanderingslade.blogspot.com/
Best wishes for a safe journey, love.
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August 30th, 2007
08:35 am - pictures
It was a happy birthday with my angels and lovely Kim.
The four boys.
And, because one Captain Jack is not enough--
one for Slade and one for me!
Current Music: Just Surrender
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August 28th, 2007
04:03 pm - Birthday
Hey, I should post cuz it's my birthday. Huh. Imagine that. I'm happy, so it must be a happy birthday.
Ren Faire was great. Besides my family, I saw Shaun and his family, Slade and her mom, Steve's roommate Mike, Alex Mizik, Mary Soon Lee and family (but I didn't get a chance to talk to her--wah), Bill Moran and Tracey. We shopped and ate and swordfought.
I finished Priviledge of the Sword by Ellen Kushner. Great book. Not what I expected, but great! I want to find time to review books, but I'm reduced to doing "Capsule Comments" for Sigma (just the buying information and a line about each book with a personal recommendation). Now, I want to get Ellen's other books.
I started teaching today (astronomy class and lab at St. Vincent, T/TH afternnoons). I have a job interview Friday with Squonk Opera. Talked to Diana today about it--she's got such a good head for these things--I need to catch her later this week, too.
Our big party will be Saturday, the 15th of September. Details will follow, like 2 PM to whatever, but mark the date, everyone.
Anyone see the lunar eclipse this morning? It was hazy on the horizon, so I missed it.
And, I'm interrupted--are you surprised?
Be well.
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August 14th, 2007
01:56 pm - Peace
Not able to post yet--still too busy. It's all fine, though. Not to worry.
Current Music: Black and White in the background
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August 6th, 2007
12:20 pm
Tom Reiland writes:
"Monday is the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower. If the skies are clear, find a good, dark location and relax on your sleeping bag or lounge chair and start counting. The best time will be just about midnight until dawn. If you're lucky you might see 50 to 100 meteors per hour."
An inspirational web page for writers:
http://www.writeattitude.net/
A writing contest (long lead time):
http://www.heinleinsociety.org/contest.html
My Alpha pictures are up:
http://pics.livejournal.com/_starlady_/gallery/00016zwy
Anyone want to let me know where their Alpha and Confluence pictures are?
Order info for Triangulation: End of Time
http://parsecink.org/triangulation/2007/
This is an "I'm alive" post. Too busy for anything else right now. But, not to worry, my friends. I'm fine. (The beauty of livejournal.)
Current Music: Arctic Monkeys
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August 2nd, 2007
03:58 am
"By the time we are women, fear is as familiar to us as air. It is our element. We live in it, we inhale it, we exhale it, and most of the time we do not even notice it. Instead of "I am afraid," we say, "I don't want to," or "I don't know how," or "I can't." --Andrea Dworkin (b. 1946), U.S. feminist critic.
From Laurie:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next year's Confluence will again be at the Doubletree in Moon Township. The weekend will be July 25-27 (that's two full weekends before Denvention, next year's Worldcon). Joe Haldeman will be our guest of honor.
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That puts the dates for Alpha at: July 16 - 25, 2008. The deadline for story submissions will be March 1 this time around.
Alpha was smooth and successful--a great crop of students this year. I'm thrilled it went so well. On, Friday, I mailed off twelve stories that were written at the workshop. (Good luck!) Karina and Cassie, our new staff additions, worked out swimmingly. Great seeing Thomas, even if I don't understand him. (By which I mean, if he sought my help in a matchmaking capacity, I'd draw a complete blank, despite having been his friend for years.) I barely started to put up Alpha pictures in my lj gallery here.
The Doubletree Inn for Confluence was lovely; room to breathe after the crowded Sheraton. Places to eat other than the one hotel restaurant. A great stage for big items and the play. Pool and hot tub (which I didn't get a chance to use, despite having packed three bathing suits). Sad to have missed DBK's reading, but I made not one program item at Confluence except those panels I was on. Didn't see the art show or get more than a few feet inside the dealer's room. Missed all the filking, even. I do believe that next year I'll skip being on program and just attend. Lovely seeing everyone, even if the conversations were necessarily brief.
Life is busy. Tomorrow is my last day of teaching summer school. So many plans afoot I can't keep track. One sweet thing: I'm going to see Neil Gaiman's Stardust with Mike and Rachel next week. But to get there, I have to get through this week first.
I can do it.
Current Music: Coldplay
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