Friends, Family and Finding Time

The word of the week is normalcy.

Dec 23 - Time

It's the final phase of the holiday season... and I can't wait for it to be over.

But not for the reasons you think. This year has been a very interesting one, full of ups and downs, challenges and many other things that combine to make it memorable.

What I'm really looking forward to is having time to do what I want to, day-to-day. By that I mean if I'm working, I can write a little or a lot that day, depending on my energy levels - without a deadline looming over me. Except the self-imposed one of getting my novel's third draft finished by the end of 2014, which I think is much more sensible and achievable.

I think what I'd really like is just to be able to tidy up all the loose little odds and ends that have been accumulating in my day-to-day life over the last year. Little things that need doing but have fallen by the wayside for various reasons, but still needing to be done all the same. As well as those things I'd like to complete and be done with, which would be nice.

I think the first thing I'll do is catch up on my sleep.

Dec 24 - Journeys

When it comes to friends, I've been very lucky.

Some of my friends I've known my entire life, since as far back as I can remember, which is saying a fair bit. Most of my friends I've known since grade school and it's been fantastic to have them there along with me for my journey, good and bad, all this time.

Other folks are so lucky, and one only realizes this when you contrast the different paths we all take. One of my favorite authors, Joe Michael Straczynski, recently posted about this very subject. About how he's not had any friends carry along with him since his earliest days and he speaks about how this has affected his life. It's very interesting and goes to show that you should really think about the perspective that you are bringing to the world compared to that of others around you which you may not realize.

Or you could be Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, who have become best buddies late in life. I don't think it gets any better than this:

Dec 25 - Shhh, Santa!

Christmas Day was a nice quiet one for my family and I.

Since I had the day off, I spent a good portion of it relaxing and writing in equal parts. The relaxing was over with fairly quickly, as I had the usual household things to do and in between those I tried to fire my muse up - with limited success.

By late afternoon, my muse had FINALLY woken up and my writing stepped into full-on productivity-mode. I blazed away with a few breaks for my wrists( still not enough for my left arm, dang it )and wrapped things up with a VERY happy and VERY tired smile a little after midnight.

It was a very good Christmas.

Dec 26 - Lack Of Materials

Boxing Day's all about bargains - IF you want them.

Nobody NEEDs things, not really. Sure, I'll be the first to admit I'd LIKE newer tech, this or that, but I don't NEED anything right now. I've a TV, a computer, a good smartphone and lots of little doodads / gizmos I've picked up over the years that still work just fine. I've got past the 'shopping bug' that used to have me eagerly pore over tech sales to spot bargains, to the point where IF I'm looking for something, it's because I need it, not because I want it. Shopping for tech's fun, sure, but it's costly and sad to say, most tech dies within a few years, give or take, with some lovely exceptions. 

Such is its nature.

The big family purchase of the season was a new laptop for my parents, which I helped to source for them. And set up - that was a foregone conclusion. Happily, there will be no more complaints about a lack of speed and so forth. Though I suspect the 'help me with this' questions will continue apace. Good thing I love them so much.

Bonus: I found a WONDERFUL article covering almost every aspect of the computer buying process, in fairly simple terms. It was really useful to me to bring myself up to speed on what's out there in the current market, clarifying all the bits and pieces to help me make an informed choice; check it out.

With Black Friday, Christmas and Boxing Day all rolling together to assault consumer's wallets, something has to give. There's only so much money out there and in my opinion( based on observations )the 'extra pressure to buy' is forcing people to search even harder for bargains.

Dec 27 - Busybody

Having seen how it was at work yesterday, I thought today would be a little less busy.

Boy, was I wrong. Even more people were out and about shopping today than yesterday, which really died down in the afternoon once the massive crowds of early-morning bargain hunters had staggered back to bed after getting up at four or 5 AM to wait in line.

By the end of today, I was pretty darn tired, I tell you. Thankfully, so was everyone else on the Island and the last couple of hours was basically customer-free. Which meant we could actually tidy up and stock a few things before the store closed and we staggered off into the night to go home.

While giving thanks that we didn't have to work at the mall next door. THOSE folks are retail heroes!

Dec 28 - Words!

Today was a writing day only.

It is also day that saw me dragging myself around my apartment, fairly well exhausted from running around nonstop at my day job. Not a particularly good combination, but I had no choice but to make it work.

Which I did. By midafternoon I was plugging away solidly at my Dark Crystal submission, making changes according to feedback I've received as well is my own observations from editing my work. I took a few breaks here and there and as the clock rolled on towards midnight, I called it a day.

A very good day overall, I might add. I'm very pleased with what turned up on the page, especially as I took the extra step of reading it out loud in order to have my year catch anything that sounded awkward or even a few little errors that managed to slip past my beleaguered eyes.

One more round of editing, I think, then I'll send it in and let the waiting game begin.

Dec 29 -Sapping Strength

It's like Christmas all over again at work, in reverse.

Since the full-time technician is way, the tech office is filled to the brim with returned items that need to be cleaned up according to our company privacy policy. Dozens and dozens of boxes of all sizes and descriptions fill the room, along with the usual computer / techy work that still needs to be done.

Unfortunately, I keep getting pulled out of the office to help out on the floor and only get half as much done as I feel I should. Tomorrow I'm in be spending the entire day in the office, the matter what anybody says, managers included. I've had enough of continuously dropping whatever tech task I'm supposed to be doing in favor of running out to answer silly questions from people who have no intention of buying anything this soon after Boxing Day. 

It may be my tiredness speaking, but I truly feel that I need to put my foot down or I'm just going to end up playing yo-yo again.. And end up still having a ton of work left for the regular tech when he comes back on Tuesday.

Which wouldn't be a very nice Christmas present from me, I think.

Immediately after work today I went over to my parents place for a belated Christmas dinner. My sister had spent the afternoon cooking up a storm and presented an incredible spread that we all enjoyed, along with each other's company as we watched a few animated Christmas specials together. I'm very grateful that my family is all here to spend time with in BC and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them in the coming year.

Wheels, Winter Weather and Wallet Warriors - Plus Writing

The word of the week is absurdity.

Dec 16 -It's fast approaching...

Things are counting down now.

Only a few weeks to go until the end of the month and the deadline for the Dark Crystal  AuthorQuest submission. This week I've brought the word count up for my initial draft of the story to close to 9000 words, which is fantastic! It's felt good when I've been writing this piece and I've been thrilled that I've covered each section almost to the exact word count that I set for them in my outline, so I am confident that what's in my head is hitting the page just as it should.

 I've received some excellent and helpful feedback from several folks already, which has been very encouraging to me that I'm on the right track with the submission. Being a lifelong fan of The Dark Crystal, I want to ensure that my words are properly capturing the wonder and the complexity both of this amazing world that Jim Henson created to do it justice.

A few more rounds of edits and I should be good to go by the time of my next blog entry.

Dec 17 - A week until Christmas and…

Toy catalogues used to be my kryptonite.

As a kid, this time of year was my absolute favourite, because all the Christmas catalogues would be coming out with all the season's new toys. For me, that meant new Star Wars and GiJoe figures, vehicles and playsets. Since there was NO other means of finding out what was coming out that year, those photos( and price lists )were highly anticipated, even moreso than going into the toy sections of stores like Eatons or Sears to see if anything new had arrived. In the days before Toys R Us, it was a big thing, especially on trips to Hamilton or Toronto where new goodies could be found, like a mall-based voyage of discovery.

The image above is but one of the many pages I pored eagerly over as a lad at this time of year. That feeling of utter excitement, of wondering what new and cool toys were coming out, I can still remember today. Though it wore off gradually as I aged, I still enjoy seeing the new concepts( and old re-issues of classics )in various franchises now and then. While it'd be thrilling to own something like the new larger Millennium Falcon( see below )for a bit, it wouldn't have the same as when I was young, tossing spaceships into snowbanks and digging bases in my backyard or the nearby ravine. The toys I had( and I had quite a few )were all PLAYED with constantly… and I like to think that gave my imagination a huge boost that's still with me today, even if( most )of my playthings are gone now.

Also, the catalogues just don't hold the same interest any more in the age of the internet.

 

Dec 18 - Your Free Game costs WHAT??

I don't usually comment on video game prices, but this is absurd.

MechWarrior Online is a free-to-play game, once that I enjoy as a casual gamer. As with all free-to-play models( which are the majority of MMO games currently )you can haul out your wallet to 'skip' the need to earn credits grinding in the game as well as to purchase mechs, gear, etc. Nothing wrong with that... if it's not pricey.

However, MWO just set a NEW record for eye-popping amounts players in a free-to-play game can spend, making it a 'free-to-PAY' chart-topper. As image shows, you can spend up to $500 for a 'Limited Edition' mech pack:

Come on - are you serious? I'm admittedly on the cheap side and spending $75 for a PC game always made my wallet twinge... but $500? On what amounts to literally NO physical goods, just to get an edge or accumulate 'rare' goods inside a GAME?

I really hope this isn't where the online 'free-to-play' market is going, for various reasons. As a casual gamer, this turns me off totally.

I'd rather spend my money on more important things, like books. Or food.

Dec 19 - The Copenhagen Wheel

I really want an electric bike, but they're just too darn expensive.

I'd like to be able to arrange further around Victoria on my bicycle, without needing to rely on the bus system to cross the city in a reasonable time. I'd love to be able to take the Galloping Goose Trail out to Langford during the good weather to places like Thetis Lake Park, but that's quite a distance.

Most models that are worthwhile purchases cost several thousand dollars and I simply can't budget that. While I found a few places recently like ElectricBikeReport.com that do a good job of listing lower cost options, it' still a large investment that I can't really justify given the local justices I travel here in the city. As well, I would have to give up my current bicycle, which I happen to like quite a lot and is in excellent shape after over six years of regular use.

Enter the Copenhagen Wheel.

This is a project developed at MIT and has been turned into a international startup. It's an electric-assist motor that can be retrofitted to almost any bicycle and costs less than $1000. Those three elements are the key to its appeal to me: I can use my current bicycle, it's a motor that will assist my pedaling rather than take over from me completely( and so negate the benefits of exercise ) and of course the cost.

Have a look at the video below and see what you think. I'm rather impressed and at some point in the near future, once my other financials are in far better shape, I'm seriously considering getting one of these. Along with several more large locks to supplement the one party have keep my investment safe.

Dec 20 - Have A G33ky Christmas!

Christmas light displays are very cool, no matter where you are in the world.

Themed displays are even better, such as the 12 Days ofChristmas at the local Butchart Gardens or  several of the impressive homes here in parts of Victoria.

Some people go all out however and what better way to do that then with a tribute to Star Wars? The display shown below has been put on by the Mayor of Laguna Hills California for the last several years. It's just incredible how much planning and work have gone into the display, which entertains thousands of people each season. The only thing better I can think of offhand would be an overflight by the Millennium Falcon decked out in holiday lights and followed by Santa Claus in his sleigh.

Dec 21 - Star Trek in 3D!

Back in 90s, my PC was a gateway to other universes.

Well, it could simulate them, at any rate; it was fast and new and had decent graphics for the time. Which meant when the Star Trek: The Next Generation Interactive Technical Manual was released in 1994, I was in g33ky heaven. Using this advanced CD-ROM imbued with QuickTime VR technology, one was able to take a virtual 3D tour of the Enterprise-D, with many interactive features and narration provided by Jonathan Frakes.

It was fantastic.

Being able to 'walk' the halls to explore many of the decks and rooms of the iconic starship was amazing at the time. However, PC technology advanced so far so fast that the ST:TNG Interactive Tech Manual has been quickly left behind and won't even run on the now-venerable Windows XP.

Enter the modern game-modding community.

The capabilities of current computer systems mean that many talented fans of the show out there have been able to work wonders given the resources available on the Internet and their own skills. An example which is shown below, where a game modification has been made to Star Trek: Elite Force to create a total 3-D interactive model of much of the interior of the Enterprise-D. Unlike a game like Minecraft, which kludges together small objects to create a proxy nations of larger ones, this is about as accurate a re-creation of the interior of the famous starship as one will ever find outside of a studio graphics house. Have a peek at the video and you'll feel like you too are walking its halls as it flies through space:

Dec 22 - Best of Sci-Fi?

Less than a week to go until the crazy is done with.

Works been all right in that regard, which is surprised me. The last few days have been an extra ordinarily busy but not unmanageably so and the fact that almost everyone coming in the doors has been in a good mood has been such a wonderful thing. Of course there has been stress in performing my job day-to-day, but given my Dark Crystal-distracted mind I've been doing fairly well, I think. Admittedly, working five days a week isn't all that conducive towards getting my writing done but I'm making progress each day and not losing the thread of my writerly thoughts, so that's been great.

On a different note, right now there's a poll over atRanker.com that's aiming to have folks vote on the best science fiction television series of all time. Right now they're up to almost 100 shows and I'm tickled that Babylon 5 is listed at number five, with Firefly being number one - awesome! Pop on over and lock in your votes, up as well as your thumbs-down; Ranker.com is unique in that you can vote something up OR down the list, which I think is cool.

My thoughts go out to my friends and family out east, who are dealing with some severe winter weather this week including ice storms. Having been through it myself, I have nothing but sympathy for those who are stuck suffering under the thumb of winter. Where I am living now, I'm quite grateful for days of rain and chilly weather during the winter instead of fighting my way through treacherous frozen white conditions.

Inspiration, Invitations and Insight

The word of the week is ubiquitous.

Dec 9 - Soldiering On

December's definitely been a busy month for me so far.

Besides work and writing, I haven't done much of anything else, which was what I expected going into things. With Black Friday and Christmas( and Boxing Day! )all happening this month, it's been very busy at work and I'm definitely tired at the end of my shifts, though not exhausted as I was earlier this year. Things seem to be adjusting themselves for the better, for the most part.

Still, my left wrist seems to ache far more than my right these days and I'm really having to take it easy when it comes to lifting or twisting anything. My daily bike ride to work and back is an exercise in restraint, in that I have to ensure I don't strain against the bike grips while on the road or while carrying it up the flights of stairs at work to keep the bike safe from passing miscreants outside my store.

That pillow represents my month so far. The penguins? Guess.

Energy levels for me are definitely much better than they were even a month ago, which has really been critical when it comes to my creative levels for completing my Dark Crystal  submission. I'm falling asleep earlier and getting up earlier in the mornings, which definitely follows the old adage of healthy, wealthy and wise - cute, no?

I'm really looking forward to January, when I can get back to work in earnest on my novel's third draft. My characters have been patient with me and I feel that I owe them the effort to present the world they inhabit inside my novel the best I can.

Also, I owe it to myself, too.

Dec 10 - Festival Of Trees And Waking Dreams

I saw a lot of Christmas trees tonight.

My sister and I went to the Festival Of Trees at the Fairmont Empress, held every year inside that august institution. Dozens of trees are decorated by local groups and businesses to be put on display in the main hallways for the public to see and enjoy.

Click on the link below to see the WHOLE gallery, it's worth it!

Right here is a link to my gallery of all the pics I took. As you can see, quite a lot of effort went into these trees and many are very creatively done. Can you guess which one was my favourite?

In the afternoon today, I had one of those weird waking dreams, likely due to my being so tired of late. I was only supposed to be out like a light for a half hour or so, but I dreamed that I turned on the light( which I did )and tried to get out of bed... over and over again. For an hour. It was frustrating and weirded me out a bit, as it's definitely a crossing over between reality and dreamspace that makes you snap back awake with your heart pounding a little, asking yoursef "Am I really awake this time?" in the end.

Not a relaxing way to nap, really.

Dec 11 - Wanted: Wasteland2 BETA!

Christmas came early today for me!

An innocuous e-mail arrived in my PCs inbox announcing that the Wasteland2 Beta had begun and I was invited to participate! For those of you who don't know, the original Wasteland game was released way back in 1988. It was a post-apocalyptic game where one play the role of heroic Rangers battling a great evil that had arisen in the future on earth. It quickly became an instant classic and people have been waiting for a sequel ever since. Thanks to an uber-successful Kickstarter, this became possible and I was one of the many who contributed to this game going from a mere wish to reality, thus the e-mail arriving today that resulted in this:

Email image at the bottom, Steam install at the top = HUZZAH!

I downloaded the beta install over the course of a few hours and then played a few more hours quite happily. Understandably, the game is in an early stage and although it doesn't look mind blowing, it certainly looks quite good for a pre-release beta and is along the lines of the later Fallout games in overall feel. I'm really looking for to be able to play it some more in the coming year once it finally comes out.

Dec 12 - Vintage Cutaway

Cutaways are some of my favorite kind of technical art.

Usually spaceships and science fiction are topics that push my buttons, but I'm also a fan of historical cutaways and I found a lovely article from Popular Science today about battleships, of all things:

You think someone could have taken a sec to align these two scanned pages...

These outdated leviathans were the undisputed masters of the sea half a century ago and it's fascinating to see inside how they became the ultimate weapons of their day.

Dec 13 - WRITING

The words flowed again today!

I worked today again on my submission for the Dark Crystal  AuthorQuest contest, that's due in a few weeks. I dictated the words, just as I did last year for my novel and the method proved just as effective now as it was back then. I was able to picture in my mind's eye the scene I wanted and described it from the perspective I needed to convey all the details that I wanted to give the reader.

It was a fantastic feeling.

Being able to create something from my imagination with nothing but words on a page is incredible and today again showed me that I can do this wondrously weird thing called writing. Thousands of words flowed out of my mind and into being in the course of a few hours, not without sweat and not without effort but they flowed and that's the important thing.

For me, there isn't a blank page when I dictate my work so writer's block isn't a bugaboo. Instead, they're simply me, looking inward to find the window to the fantastic worlds I want to describe to the people of my own. It's that simple and I marvel that on days like this that I can do such a thing when I have the time and energy and assistance to make it happen.

Dec 14 - A Writer's Mind

I'm a little distracted these days - and that's good.

Today I gave an explanation of how my writer's mind works to a coworker who asked how my novel was going. Out of the blue, a full and complete explanation of how everything gels in my mind just tumbled out and I wanted to write it down here for those of you who've wondered how the process goes when creating something from nothing when it comes to the arts.

For me, it starts with an interest in the subject; I goes without saying, really. From there, I do some research to get a general idea of what I'll be writing about and to see if I need to broaden my reading to include knowledge any not already possess. This can take place over the course of weeks, months or even years depending on what I'm writing.

Then it's time to start writing, but not the work itself. To begin with, I set down my thoughts about all the things to do with the story that I think I might want to cover: characters, themes, location, history and all the other many aspects that have to do with world-building. I then expand each of these general topics as my mind comes up with answers to questions that I may have or think my readers may have.

After that, it's time to percolate. By that I mean that I let my subconscious juggle all the pieces that I've half-assembled in order to see which fits best with which. It's not something that I can describe or puts a time or period of completion to; it happens when it happens. The most difficult part is to know when things have started to gel in my head and at that point I start writing, hopefully getting things rolling so that I don't want to stop for much of anything.

From there on in, I am going to be distracted as a portion of my brain will always be mulling over things and putting those puzzle pieces together into better combinations endlessly until the piece is done. And there you have it: a general glimpse of how this particular writer's method and mind mesh to make magic.

Dec 15 - Settling In at Work

Five different departments.

That's how many areas I've been half-trained in since I started my job in February earlier this year. While it's been an exhilarating ride some days, it's definitely been wearing on me to know how much I don't really know that I could make my daily job much easier.

However, I do take comfort in the fact that everyone I work with knows that there's been( and never has been ) very little time for training people properly. We are far too busy a location to pair up people for hours every day to spend just teaching people something and it's usually the lulls in between waves of customers where one can most effectively learn a few things every shift.

Sometimes you have to let go of the handrail and walk on...

Says that's not the way I like to operate, it's definitely been an adjustment and I'm just happy that so many of the people I work with and the customers I deal with seem to think that I'm on top of things for the most part every time I work. Now that I'm spending a few shifts a week in the tech center, I truly am hoping that I can get some solid training in instead of what usually happens: I get pulled out onto the floor again and again until my day is done with only a few minutes instead of hours spent working in the tech center dealing with people's tech problems, which I really enjoy.

My nose to the grindstone, was just a few weeks to go for my AuthorQuest submission. There's not much else on my plate this month save working and being with my family for the holidays, which is really all I need at this point. All my friends are quite busy, as usual, and it's going to be a blur for the remainder of the year outside of my focus on my writing - including my blog, so thanks for dropping by to have a peek at this during the busy holiday season!