Read the diaries of George Orwell
George Orwell was an English author of great talent. In addition to Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, his two most well-known works of fiction, he was a journalist and an essayist. His topics varied; he covered politics and philosophy, as well as the evolving nature of language. Nineteen Eighty-Four has had a profound affect on our culture, introducing phrases like “Big Brother” into the English language. I’m certain that Orwell would shudder to learn that a term from one of his novels has become the title of a reality TV show … but I don’t think he’d be all that surprised.
Beginning Saturday, August 9, The United Kingdom’s Orwell Prize will serialize Orwell’s diary online. Apparently this date is significant, as it marks 70 years since the day Orwell first began writing his diary. The website will publish one entry a day until 2012, 70 years after Orwell stopped writing his diary. Seventy years ago would be 1938, so this means we get to read the diary of a brilliant writer watching Europe descend into World War II.
I’ve already subscribed to the feed from the Orwell diaries blog.
No more red squiggles
At 96 pages, Word gave up. It decided that my novel had too many spelling errors for it to mark up anymore, and promptly advised me that I was an idiot and should use spell check. Those red squiggles that underline mispelt words then disappeared. How I miss them. 
I don’t actually spell many words wrong, but I do make up a lot of places and names. I’m just too lazy to add those words to Word’s dictionary. Darn Microsoft… .
Anyway, I’m now up to 100 pages and 57,128 words. And my computer should be back by the end of the week. I’m ecstatic! 
Hug me. 
