Change, Comments and Completion

The word of the week is transience.

Dec 30 - Finished early!

Today was a good day.

I submitted my piece for the Dark Crystal AuthorQuest contest today, a day before the deadline and just as I'd hoped: as complete and as polished as I could make it. I think it's some of my best work, despite the usual writer's nagging thoughts that nothing is ever finished and nothing is ever quite good enough unless you spend even more time writing it revising it . However, I know that would've just frayed the threads of my submission, so I had the sense to let it go once it felt… right. I've a few months to wait to see if I made the cut:

 

Late in the evening, I was finishing up the small additional writeups needed to enter on the submission page along with my 9500 word piece. One of the fields I had to fill in was 'What does The Dark Crystal Mean To Me?' - which is obviously a very personal question, to be answered in 50 words or less. Here's what I wrote:

Since first glimpsing The Dark Crystal on the screen as a boy of nine, the wondrous vision that Jim Henson, Brian Froud and so many others brought to life has stayed close to my heart. The film helped shape a mind that's never lost the love of a good tale. It taught me that we can tell stories of the human condition, without using humans, and still convey the deepest of meaning. I fall in love again each time I see the film... and feel like I'm visiting again with old friends, who've been waiting for me there all along.

After I put those words on the screen, I read them out loud to my sister… or at least, I tried to. Halfway through, I choked up and it took me a little while to be able to finish. Meaning that that the words that had come so easily were from my heart... and thus the truest I could have written.

Knowing that I'd submitted my best work, I went to bed happy and content.

Dec 31 - Naught for New Year's

It's been at least six years since I've been out for New Year's Eve.

That discovery surprised me tonight, as I was at home for the evening - as usual, as it turns out. Going back over my blog entries, I discovered that I had not once been out for New Year's Eve since arriving in BC.

Thinking back, I can't recall the last time that I was actually out to celebrate the change of the year. I can recall a few memorable New Year's Eve parties that I have attended over the years, but none of them seem like the most recent to my mind and quite honestly, I'm not sure that matters to me now. Honestly, I'd rather be at home then drowning in a sea of screaming people madly flushing away the night  - and the past year - with alcohol and regrets.

Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart ringing in 2014 in style!

For me, New Year's eve is the changing of the old in preparation for the new. It's when what's done is done and you shouldn't be dwelling on the past but instead be thinking about the future.

Which really is what New Year's is all about, right?

Jan 1, 2014 - Better

This should be a good year.

To be brief: I'm employed, my finances are on a( very slow )upswing and I'm looking to finish the third draft of my novel - finally. That last bit I know I've said before, but as we all know, life has a way of getting in the way of our plans. My focus this year is going to be my book, with a side of making my writing my primary income: freelancing seems to be the way to go and we'll see where that takes me. Certainly it'll be better than working for someone else being paid a pittance for my finite time on this planet.

I'm not much of one for making New Year's resolutions, as I believe that one should be doing things all year long, instead of leaping year to year, trying to stay ahead of what wasn't accomplished previously.

My wishes this year are for everyone to make it the best that you can, as it only comes by once.

Jan 2 - Pinball Revivial?

I loved arcades as a kid.

The blinking, beeping chaos of dozens of machines waiting to be played, the joy of discovery of a new game and even the incipient competition with one's friends all combined into a heady experience that I still recall with deep fondness.

But while the quarter-eating heydays of the local arcade have passed, they're not entirely dead. Many movie theatres, themselves 'relics' in the age of Netflix and Youtube, still have arcades tucked off to the side to entertain kids and adults alike while they're out at the movies.

Yet those arcades are diversions, not experiences, places where people fiddle away time rather than choose as a destination. True devoted fans of the arcade will travel far to find places where they can feel like they're spending time( and quarters ) and a worthwhile way.

One such a place is the Seattle Pinball Museum, where rolling silver balls slam around under blinking lights to rack up high scores and delightful smiles of players from all over. 

While I'll admit that I'm not a pinball aficionado, I do like to play pinball on my portable devices in preference to many other types of games and one of my all-time favorite video games was Devil's Crush on the TurboGrafx 16. For the time, the graphics were brilliant and colourful, the music was compelling and the gameplay was amazing close to arcade pinball physics. I never quite made it to a billion points, to battle with the final boss...

Great games never die nor fade away, but beep forevermore in the hearts of fans.

Jan 3 - My Doctor is Tom

Just a little here about Doctor Who from me to you.

Growing up, there is only one Doctor Who for me: Tom Baker, the man with the brilliant smile and the long colorful scarf. Plus a pocketful of Jelly Babies, amazing Companions and a robot dog as a pet.

Watching the series on TV Ontario( it was billed as educational TV !!! )as a boy in the 1970's and 80's, I built up a lot of my love of science fiction and rarely missed an episode. The fact that the effects were cheesy and the plots thin didn't matter to me; the scary villains being defeated by the brilliant Doctor time after time kept me coming back for more. I picked up more than a bit of his character's irreverent sense of humour and his whimsical dealings with danger:

Having seen the recent TV special 'The Day Of The Doctor' marking the 50th anniversary of the series, I was thrilled no end to see that Tom Baker had a cameo role as a mysterious figure who might even be a retired Doctor Who - if such a person could exist. Just recently I discovered that the actor has a lovely blog he keeps for his fans and I'm going to be checking in now and then I think, just to enjoy myself. He wrote a great year-end entry here.

Whoever he is and wherever he shows up, Tom Baker will always be the Doctor Who in my mind.

Jan 4 - Calling Digitally

Half my day was spent out with my parents, getting them into the modern era.

Of cell phones, that is. I headed out to Telus to get them a pair of HTC One phones, as slick and modern a smartphone as you could like these days, all for Zero Dollars on a new 2-year contract. Which is fine, as we've all been with Telus for donkey's years and aren't leaving yet.

The reason I mention this today is that like the new laptop, the cell phones are an unknown quantity to my parents. While they don't abhor technology, they see it differently than someone my age: everything has to be done in steps that are carefully written down. Whereas for those who have grown up with such things, tech tools and toys are to be fiddled with, played with and explored based on an understanding that goes deeper than pressing buttons.

I'm glad I know as much about technology as I do, but I'll admit I'm not riding the curve as much as I used to. The focus of my life is shifting away from the shiny silicon bleeding-edge that used to be all-consuming in its fascination for me. Still is, from time to time, but my mind's got other things to contend with than remembering which out of the latest crop of CPU's is the fastest / best bang-for-the buck.

Hear that ringing sound? It's the future calling - and it's not going anywhere. 

 

Jan 5 - Knotted

Usually I'm able to shrug off imposed stress, but not today, it seemed. By day's end, my concentration was shattered, my calm was crazed and I had a tension-stress lump the size of a grapefruit between my shoulders. I went home, had some dinner, listened to some music and just let everything release in the slow wave that an hour later had me feeling normal again. Which surprised me but then again, I keep reminding myself that no matter how bad a day I may have, it's still better than what I thought was a good day at my last job.

On a positive note, a brief Fbook comment I made today was replied to by one of the B5 stars that I admire greatly. They had posted an image, asking their fans what they were all doing for 2014, which I always like to see as I'm usually thinking ahead instead of looking over my shoulder like I used to. My comment was:

'Publish my first novel, be thankful and keep watching B5'

I made it while thinking about the new year ahead. To my delight, the star replied briefly, saying they were writing a novel this year too - how lovely! It really picked up my day and turned it around from the tensefest that I'd spent the last eight hours enduring. Which goes to show that you should never underestimate the power that a few kind words have to make a difference in someone's day, moreso than any shortsighted or unkind ones might.

I'll leave you with a little creativity, something I found this evening that brightened my mood and harken back to days that were somehow simpler and filled with fun:

The first five days of 2014 have been somewhat rocky. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year being a somewhat smoother ride, with some interesting bumps along the way to challenge me and keep me grounded. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

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.