Thursday, May 26, 2011

Froggy Went A'Courtin…



So I was finally getting into the swing of things with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which means I was destined to get a head cold. Needless to say, things have been coming out somewhat garbled (garbled typing out as warbled, for instance). At least my voice came back a little bit today, so I was able to get some work done. I did wind up having to correct a few things… Okay, a lot of things, but it was worth it. However, thanks to this head cold and my need to speak a lot, I think I may peeing pure ginger ale now.

Ew.

Next week I'll be at the Lori Foster Reader Author Get-Together in Cincinnati, Ohio. For everyone who's registered to be there, I look forward to seeing you. Hopefully by then I'll sound a little less like someone who's looking for to the fruit fly bar and more like a human being.

Ribbit.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Dragon Speaking, Naturally



So it's been almost a month since I last posted, mostly due to an arthritis flare up that kept me from doing any writing, let alone a blog post, for more than two months. On Dusty's advice (and constant nagging— hey, he wants the stories is much as you guys do), I finally broke down and bit the bullet.

I bought Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

It's an interesting learning curve, trying to work out loud instead of just in my head.I can play my music on my headphones and it doesn't seem to interfere, which is good as I can't work without my music. But it's still weird to hear myself talking and watching it typed out on the screen. And it doesn't always get it right. For instance, every time I say the word shit it changes it to ship or shipped. And the F word winds up flocked and flopped.

I think I got the Disney version by accident.

And to write but the kids are home has been an exercise in patience. The little one keeps walking up to my microphone and yelling "HELLOOOO!" He keeps watching the screen hoping it will type that, and then I wind up yelling at him. What I'm yelling winds up typed out on the screen.

I never realized before how much I sound like my mother. Thank you for showing me that, Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

The good news is, I've had it for about a week and it seems to be catching on to how I talk,South Philly accent and all. Now all I have to do is figure out where I can write love scenes over the summer were my kids won't hear me. That should be a brand-new adventure.

Hopefully I won't be quite so quiet now that I've picked this up. After all, Italians love to talk. (I wonder if it can interpret hand gestures?)

Favorite Quotes

"I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the ability." Ron White

"So let me get this straight. You want me to kill the little guys, kill the big guys, crowd control those I can't, buff the team, debuff the boss, keep myself alive, AND keep you alive, all while waving a stick and dressed in a towel?" - Anonymous Role Playing Gamer

"I think that statue over there is a statement on modern life. The statement is, "Well, shit." - Varric, Dragon Age II

"Why is it all claws and guns? Can't we piss off a fuzzy planet? Still dangerous, but hey. Bunnies." - Joker, Mass Effect

"Last night, I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and thought to myself, "Where the heck is the ceiling?" - Dilbert


"Aim at the high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you'll hit the bull's-eye of success." - Annie Oakley

"It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly." - Flemeth, aka The Witch of the Wilds, Dragon Age 2

"The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, 'You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.'” - George Carlin

"I hear there's a wild bridge tournament down the street. And you know Bridge. It's a lot like sex. If you don't have a great partner, you'd better have a good hand." Barry Weiss, Storage Wars

"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe." - Marcus Cole, Babylon 5, "A Late Delivery From Avalon"

"I aim to misbehave." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." - Albert Einstein

“If you think you can or think you cannot, you are correct.” - Henry Ford
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