Happiness, Heroes and Hitchhikers

The word of the week is fortuitous.

Aug 25 - Work-whipped

Permanent postings were put up this week at work.

Meaning that it's official now: there are only a few spots available for full-time jobs in my department and I intend to apply for one. Theoretically, I can apply for similar positions government-wide; however, should I be successful in one of those other competitions, at the very least I'd have to travel further to another office and at worse, move to another city.

The pay's improved somewhat...

I like Victoria far too much for that to happen. So that means I have to buckle down and study like there's no tomorrow, to prepare for the Competition and the related interview that comes with it. Not having done anything like this before - competing for a permanent Government job - it's somewhat stressful. Though I'm confident of my ability to DO my current job, I want to make my absolute best-effort at getting the permanent position. The possibility of never having to work in retail or customer service ever again is more than enough incentive by itself to commit myself to my studies.

Wish me luck.

Tonight, as usual, I attended my writer's group meeting at the Atrium downtown. It was 'The Great Write-In' and I was hosting: anyone who showed up was 'expected' to write at least four lines on whatever they cared to work on... and socialize, of course. It was a wonderful evening and people commented afterwards that there was 'a great vibe' which meant a lot to me, being the nominal host running things.

The Classic Nine Muses

One subject that came up and I went into depth a bit about with a few people was the concept of the Muse. There's a fantastical amount of writing on the subject out there, but I related my own personal take on things, which I've found helpful to my own writing: in essence, I give my Muse permission to go off, do its thing and get back to me when needed. I picture my 'writing thoughts' as being personified, getting together in a quiet back part of my brain and hashing things out, until they have enough that's interesting that they want to get my attention. At which point a thought-concept appears in my head, I write it down and they get back to work again while I get about my day doing non-writerly things.

It's a mental framework I've found very productive and one that neatly sidesteps the problem of writer's block: I don't have to force my writing. If I don't have to sit down and MAKE words appear, I believe( and have proof so far of )that good work will find me when it's ready. This makes the process far less stressful, in that if something's not working, I give myself permission to 'let it percolate' a while longer and get back to it within a few days. One caveat though: I don't ignore my writing, as I still read over my previous work and notes, thinking about things regularly during the day so as to give my Muse material to digest.

That's a glimpse into my process. Now, back to writing!

Aug 26 - Meaning

How do we define meaning?

It's a hard question, one that has to be put into context for most people to understand before they can think about answering.

For me, it's a little simpler, though perhaps not this simple:

Meaning is what I bring from within. It's what I view the world with, the perspective I bring( and question )to each situation and dictates how I react. Meaning is what I take away, what memories I form from my reactions and feelings from every encounter, every thought that forms from every experience.

That's pretty complicated , I suppose, but then I'm not a simple person.

I suppose what it comes down to is self-reliance: do you rely on yourself for meaning, or on others and thereby the outside world? I'm no philosopher, though I do profess a basic understanding of the discipline, enough to inform my own experiences. Confidence is the constant companion of self-reliance and it's a current see that I've been gaining interest on for a few years now since leaving my soul-draining job of 12 years in early 2012. Part of learning from one's life is introspection: being able to look at each day, each experience and fitting parts of it into the overall tapestry to make a complete picture.

My own picture's been getting much clearer the last two years. While I can't see the future - nobody can with any accuracy - I can look back at my past and better understand how each piece has fit together to create the puzzle I currently hold in my hands. Understanding leads to confidence and that leads to better decisions, to placing each step with surety on the path towards what one needs.

Don't look back to go forward; just peek over your shoulder once in a while to see if anybody's following.

Aug 27 - Timing!

How about that? The G33k Gods heard my lament last week!

Mere days after I 'switched' over to Google Drive, DropBox dropped their prices - massively. For $11.00 a month, what used to get you 50gb now gets you 1,000gb( or 1tb as it's said )or 2ox's as much space, which is fantastic AND: no pre-payment needed!

Why wouldn't I switch? Well, there's no reason now, so I'm back to Dropbox; sorry, Google.

Mainly, it's a convenience thing: I'm already using DropBox and have it set up seven ways from Sunday on my devices, so call me a tad lazy but it's simple enough to just KEEP using it. Good thing I didn't pre-pay.

One thing to bear in mind though, is file storage: I may have 1,000 gigabytes of storage available in DropBox, but that doesn't mean instant access - a huge movie file still has to be downloaded, unless I want to keep it on my laptop( or my phone, which I don't ). Given that neither my phone OR my laptop have THAT much space to spare, I'll still have to access my files via wireless hotspots whenever possible, which is fine - I'm used to that.

Monthly prices: you can see why I chose Google...

What I -will- be doing with my new DropBox space is organizing my photos for access anywhere while also giving access to various folders to friends and family. It's always been a bugaboo of mine that people can't easily share photos without being subject to the convoluted User Agreements of sites like Picassa or Instagram which do things like reserve the right to sell your images in other countries; no thanks. Admittedly, I haven't looked into Flickr recently, but still: my images are my own, thanks for not having them appear as part of a toothpaste ad in Denmark...

Aug 28 - Planning

So far, my 2014 budget is looking good.

By this time next summer, I'll be able to consider taking a trip somewhere though I'm not sure where at the moment. Heading back east is always a possibility, though I think at this point my trips will be shorter ones of only a few days rather than a week in length; my home is in BC now and quite honestly there's not a whole lot for me to do anymore back in Ontario when I visit apart from seeing friends and family. Perhaps I'll take a shorter trip to somewhere like Banff or Calgary, just to see the sights and to enjoy the ride; maybe a train trip would be in the cards if the price and the timing is right?

More than likely, I be going alone, but with my laptop in tow I can definitely get some work done while the scenery passes by. I'd consider that more vacation than a work holiday, to be sure.

On a personal financial note, I at last paid off( and closed )one of my credit cards today, thanks to my new job.

It's a small victory, but important in that it shows my commitment to improving my life, bit by bit. Need, not want, is the driving force in my life right now: the need to make a living writing, the need to spend less than I make and not to mortgage my future for the frivolous material wants of the present.

Rather a nice summary, I think.

Some things, like my Parrot Ziks, are material needs I am happy to budget for. Collectables, movies and other things I already have in abundance and to be honest, I have neither the room or the time to enjoy them fully - it's a waste to spend another penny on anything remotely similar in the near future.

I'm grateful that I have very few commitments financially to burden me: no kids, no car, no house, nothing that I have to plan 50 paycheques ahead to budget for - just me. While I'm by no means footloose and fancy-free financially, in other senses I am: I have the freedom to focus on doing what I want to do outside of work to support my need for such frivolities as food and shelter or a working Internet connection, all of which are necessities to life in my opinion.

Necessities, not 'nice-to-have' - such a small difference in wording can make a huge difference when it comes to putting one's money where it's needed.

Aug 29 - Words Were Waiting

I've started reading again!

Not a whole lot, nor more than a few times a week, but I've definitely regain the ability to open up a book and do it justice rather than skim or read in tiny bites.

For now, I'm reading fantasy and avoiding sci-fi altogether so as not to cross-contaminate my creative process while I'm writing Book Two. I'm a little paranoid that way but I'm claiming Author's Prerogative in this case: I want my work to be completely original and if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes.

Not exactly as pictured

The exception to the rule this past month has been Douglas Adams. I was given The Complete Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy in hardcover form by friend of my sister's and I couldn't resist; it's too close to my sense of humor, quite honestly. As I read the book, I realized that it had likely been 20 years since I last picked up a book from the series and more shockingly, I had not read the third or fourth books in the series to my recollection. How that happened, I can't explain, but I can tell you the thrill of reading some of Douglas Adam's works for the very first time was impossible to describe saved in superlatives of joy and laughter and happiness that Adams was communicating to me directly across the years.

Such is the joy of good writing: no matter how large the gap of years between author and reader, the medium will bridge it if the words are well-written.

Aug 30 - Happiness and Halflings

I'm glad to be off today; I needed the rest.

Not that I'm lazing about on the couch, mind you; I kept busy today with the usual household chores, which never really go away. Having clean laundry and dishes means you have to trade some of your time for the privilege... which is a lot easier without kids, I have to say: mess and kids are always in the same sentence, it's the natural course of things. I saw a child eating an ice cream this week, thoroughly enjoying it... and wearing quite a bit of it. 

Strangely, their mother just sat there and waited for the mess to finish being made, rather than being proactive about keeping it from happening in the first place. Taking my own upbringing as a reference, I can't recall ever making such a mess in public OR private; my mom would never stand for that - she always taught my sister and I to clean up after ourselves or better yet, not to make a mess in the first place if it could be helped. Eventually, it stuck, though I admit that the luxury of being an adult has meant choosing when and where to exercise mess-prevention priorities.

Ice cream though: that kid was really, really enjoying their cone. I don't think I've ever seen a happier smile, framed as it was by several flavours of melted milk-mix and chocolate.

Messes and happiness go together too, you know...

Classic, with a modern take!

My evening again saw me game with my Pathfinder group.

By now, you may have got the idea that I'm enjoying myself; after a dozen sessions, I'm still having a blast and it's just getting better. Being able to joke around, make ponds and otherwise have a good time while still helping the game progress is just… well, you get the idea: it's something I've been without for a long time and I didn't know how much I missed gaming with friends until it was gone.

Much like many of the best things in life.

Little cost, small size, big sound

A highlight of the evening was using my new mini-bluetooth speaker to play selected sound effects at perfectly-timed opportune moments. It's a great little device, with its own battery and doubles as a speakerphone; if I could turn off the always-blinking LED's it'd be perfect, but considering only paid $25 for it direct from China, I can't really complain. It's far superior to trying to hear the sound played through my Galaxy S3's anemic speaker and makes all the difference in a social situation when sharing music or videos or just having excerpts from my writing read aloud by my phone.

That's pretty cool too; more on that in a later post. 

Aug 31 - So-Good Silence

I couldn't hear a thing at certain points today.

Sitting on the patio at Moka House for example, typing away on my laptop while the world whirled by around me in the perfect ambiance of the afternoon. Wearing my new headphones, I confidently typed away at creating more seen outlines for a few hours, completely unrattled by passing traffic, noisy patio patrons or other audio distractions. It was just me, my muse and my pot of tea.

Just to give you an idea of what kind of work I'm doing for Book 2, here's part of what I was researching this afternoon: a paper on microwave power transmission from orbit, necessary for part of the plot for the book. I can't tell you more, due to possible spoilers, but suffice to say it's just one facet of many that I have to research in order to have an authentic voice while I'm writing my story.

I've NO idea that super-team the five in the front are from...

I also found out today that a friend has joined the Superheroes of Victoria! This local group has blossomed in only a few short years from when I first heard of them, doing good work to raise money for local charities by having its members make appearances in costume at many events. Being a fan of cosplay myself, I was intrigued to find a group locally who embody an offshoot of cosplay outside of conventions and finding out my friend has joined has renewed my interest. As some of you may know, I used to belong to the SCA back in the day, whose costuming was limited to the less mundane world of medieval enactment. I had quite a few adventures with the group, made some good friends and enjoyed a good number of events but eventually my life moved on the another directions and I lost touch with the SCA.

What I liked about that time in my life was the ability to step aside from my more mundane reality and enter into a different world, much like when I gamed with my friends in DnD or to a lesser extent enjoyed immersive videogames. Escapism, as I've mentioned in previous blog posts, can be a powerful tool when needed, for life balance or simple entertainment.

Also: dressing up as a hero is good for the mind too.

That's all for this week, as we bid goodbye to August and let September in the door. Soon enough it will be time for jackets, raking leaves and wondering where the sun went...