Feedback, Films and Falcons

The word of the week is garrulous.

May 12 - Thanks!

Today was all about research.

Some of it was directed towards my escalating desire to find an agent for my novel, which is a minefield unto itself but definitely worth the tippy-toeing. There's lots to know and I am learning new things daily which will help me in understanding the business side of being a writer, which isn't glamorous but definitely something I consider absolutely necessary to becoming a success in the field.

The other research I did today was on smells and scents.

Tonight was another of my presentations for the local writing group that I co-run and the topic was 'Scents for Success' which covered the use of smell in writing. Like the other presentations I've done over the last few years, I gathered as much relevant material as I could and organized the best of it to present to my fellow writers. I spend a fair number of hours researching my topics when I do presentations and each time I do the work, I can feel my skills improving in sorting the gems from the dross. In addition, the presentations have allowed me to become comfortable with speaking in front of a group, albeit one of only several dozen people but that's still a lot more than I was used to even three years ago.

The best part is, I'm apparently doing a decent job of it.

I don't do things for validation( ie. to 'win' the approval of people )but instead I'm looking to help them as well as myself become better at what we do. All the same, it's extremely gratifying to know that I'm doing a good job and the feedback I received tonight had me glowing:

Thanks, Peter. As always, a marvellous presentation, meticulously researched (despite the dearth of information available on the subject) and thoroughly entertainingly presented. I always look forward to your presentations. You've given me some interesting things to pay more attention to. -Cl

 and:

I didn't think that tonight's topic would be all that interesting but I came anyway because I knew you were presenting. All I have to say is that I'll never look at the sense of smell in my work the same way again and I'm eager to get home to start incorporating it into my writing immediately. Thanks! -Ch

It's feedback like this that fuels me, as I'm sure anyone in any field feels the same: when you're doing a good job you like to know it and that keeps you going. Nobody likes to work in a vacuum and I feel extraordinarily lucky that I'm helping to run a writers group with such talented and wonderful people, who keep showing up every other week to help each other improve their craft.

What higher praise could I ask for? 

May 13 - Spiderman2

Not a bad day overall, with a movie at the end of it.

Some lovely weather to enjoy outside and lots of time to myself is always a good combination. It's shirtsleeve weather here now in Victoria and I wore shorts outside for the first time this year, which seems a little strange: since I usually bike to work there's a need for long pants due to wind chill, so shorts haven't been in the cards, until now.

In the evening, I caught the late show of Spiderman2.

Now, I have to say that I'm a lifelong Spiderman fan, despite not having collected the comics. I've always been able to identify with Spiderman as a character who has difficulties thrust upon him and has to deal with them as best he can while still trying to have a 'normal' life.

Unfortunately, the film treatment this time around was not as good as it could have been, in my opinion. Without spoiling anything, I thought that the story was uneven and that's being kind; RottenTomatoes panned the film. The director didn't manage to engage the audience - or at least me - in caring about many of the characters, including the titular hero, Peter Parker. I thought the romance was flat, the villains underdeveloped and the overall story forgettable, which is sad as Spiderman has a long and glorious comic book history.

The best part of the film however, was definitely the CGI. The studio definitely improved by leaps and bounds( web-swings? )from the first film and it shows. They even released a clip highlighting how much better Spiderman was animated in this film and it's truly amazing to watch:

May 14 - Visual Thinker?

Thinking visually seems to be my forte`.

The apparently-rare skill definitely helped me in writing my novel and I may have described the process to a few of you already, but in essence I see the scenes in my head and flesh them out with a description as an observer. Being able to imagine a fully-realized book in my head scene by scene isn't easy and requires a lot of imagination married with skill at words, both of which I admit I'm still refining as I go along.

The funny thing is, I've never really thought of myself as a 'visual thinker' mainly because I didn't know the term existed as a concept. Which I just stumbled across this week in this neat video below, courtesy of Twisted Sifter:

I possess many of the points mentioned in the video and so I can say with some conviction that I am indeed a visual thinker. It's actually been rather helpful to give me a perspective on how my creative process works and a little more confidence that I'm using a methodology that's a solid fit for my abilities.

Now if I could just find something that explains why I'm so terrible at math…

May 15 - Um, what did you just ask?

Seeing as I'll be working only one or two days a week in retail for the next long while, I've been thinking about the things I'll miss about the job. There's more than a few, the main ones being the people that I'm working with, plus the many times that I'm able to really help people expand their understanding of technology as well as get them exactly what they need.

What I won't miss are the dumb people, bless their cognitive eccentricities.

I think it goes without saying that I could write an entire book on the subject of Dumb Questions People Have Asked Me and barely scratch the surface of the topic. The sheer scale of ignorance of the Great Unwashed is actually rather scary, especially when you think about all the products out there with warning labels on them that seem, at least to me, to contain only common sense...

Yahoo!( they're still around )had an article this week bleakly entitled 38 Yahoo! Questions That Will Destroy Your Faith in Humanity, which actually is and all that bad and is very funny, I think. I won't spoil the list for you but I will say that my favorite one involves the Sun … and it's not what you think.

A retail environment is a never-ending source of amusement for the people who work in it.

My favorite recent story is the lady who came up to me and asked if we had any printers that were in boxes? I was a little puzzled until I realized that she had taken one of our display printers and put it in her shopping cart, along with her other items. It was rather difficult for me not to answer in a half choked laugh for a few seconds, as I had visions of her unpacking her groceries at home and wondering why so many of the fruits tasted horribly like wax. It did make me wonder how some people manage to make it through life without a lot of help or an incredible supply of luck. Darwin may have been able to shed some light on this, if he were still around.

Still, retail has given me a vast supply of stories to use of my writing, so there's that.

May 16 - Guess What I Gave You?

What kind of car would you like someone to give you as a birthday gift?

Would it even be a car? Perhaps a boat, or even a small aircraft?

How about the Millennium Falcon? That's exactly what the subject of this extremely geeky video below shows, fulfilling the dreams of many a Star Wars g33k in the process:

I think it's a wonderful little riff on how people's fantasies can be turned into reality with a little CGI magic. Which is all the more magical because people can now do it on their home computers in very little time with very little skill, although the time and skill put into this particular video are definitely well above beginner's skill levels. 

Did I mention I have a birthday coming up…? -hint- -hint-

May 17 - Simply Writing

Guess what software George R.R. Martin writes with?

Seriously, I couldn't believe it when I heard it today: the creator of Game Of Thrones( and many other fine works )uses Wordstar 4.0, a DOS word processor from the 80s to write with.

That's… brilliant.

The great-grandaddy of more modern 'simple' word processors, Wordstar is all about the writing: there's no other distractions on the screen, just the flow of words from the mind into reality. As a bonus, Martin doesn't have to worry about people hacking into his computer, as it's not connected to the Internet. Interestingly, one of the comments on the article at C|net pointed out that Neil Gaiman wrote his incredible story Stardust using only a pen and paper after noticing that his books had been getting thicker and thicker when they were written using an electronic. Sometimes simple is best.

And now: a little about Cosplay.

The growth of the cosplay movement continues to astound me, with all the g33ky talent poured into creating costumes that pay tribute to favorite characters from any media. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Facebook pages run by cosplayers, founded mostly on the desire to share their creations with other fans. Some of those cosplayers are actually making a living at it and naturally it's the most talented ones who have simply incredible skills when it comes to making costumes:

Me, I just need the spare time and money. And talent. And patience; you get the idea.

May 18 - 48 Hours

Two days until I start my new job.

I think it goes without saying that I'm both excited and nervous. I haven't had all that many jobs in my working life - less than a half-dozen all told - so I'm hoping this one will be a big step in many ways for me towards a better life.

Not the the kind of step that takes me away from my writing, however. Working five days a week on a set schedule means that I can thus right on a set schedule as well, at least five days a week and hopefully more. I'll certainly need to spend many hours a week crafting the initial draft of my second novel if I'm hoping to have it finished by the end of this year; there's only six months to go. Meaning, I have to write anywhere between 600-1,000 words every single day between now and the end of 2014 if I'm to come up with a novel-length first draft.

That means a lot of dedication, preparation and perspiration. All of which I'm ready for… in addition to starting a new job, searching for an agent, working on a few sidelines like voiceover training( more on that next week! ), finishing my IT certificate before my online course ticket runs out, reading a few good books each month, running my writing group, participating in my DnD group, getting out and socializing, enjoying the good weather, seeing my family and getting sleep / downtime somewhere in there when I can.

Did I already mention I'm going to have a busy year?

This particular blog entry took me a little over two hours to complete, with the occasional break for sanity sake and drink of water. Considering that I'll have to write one of these entries every other day for the next six months, it's a good thing that I'm used to my workflow and know how I'll have to go about it. I'm really looking forward to spending the time wisely and well to create my next book... so I can then get to work on the third and final volume in the trilogy. Wish me luck!

Moving Forward, Microwaves and Me

The word of the week is garrulous.

May 4 - The Force Of Friendship

Happy Star Wars Day and all that.

In all seriousness, I think today is a great day to celebrate, as Star Wars is a big part of my life… insomuch as I don't belong to any fan clubs, cosplay groups or sundry such things as bigger fans than I do in large numbers. Star Wars has always been a part of my life since an early age and it's one of the few films that, whenever I watch it, I get the same feelings of wonder and delight that I did when I saw it as a young boy.

It's these shared cultural experiences that help people bond with each other, allowing the g33ks of the world to form communities that transcend country, color and creed. As Simon Pegg so eloquently puts it:

When it comes to Star Wars, I'm pleased to say that it's one of the few things that I unabashedly geek out about. I may not have impressive numbers of collectible paraphernalia or costumes or many of the other things that many g33ks may boast of, but I do know that the inner child in me will never lose his love of Star Wars.

Update: Scroll down to the entry for May 9th to see the news about my job application!

May 5 - Me?

Here am in my 40's and my future is wide open, still.

It's also a blank slate, a gray curtain and a path winding through cloudy peaks far, far ahead.

What am I leading up to, I wonder? Will I be that Odd Writer Friend, the guy that most people like but can't be bothered to invite out save to the occasional birthday party? Will I be The Eccentric Recluse, who is always 'too busy writing' when asked to be social but really can't function anymore under the assumed pretense that I'll have a normal life living under others' expectations of what that means? Will I still be a good friend, despite knowing that for some of my friends I'm just That Nice Guy they like talking with every so often whenever our paths happen to cross?

I can't really tell you at this point. By now I should be married, have two kids and be looking forward to my retirement in 10 to 25 years, with a nice gold watch or customized iPad to go along with a well-attended office party to say goodbye and a few rounds of golf with my buddies on the local course...

25 years from now, I hope that I'll be close to retirement, insomuch that I won't be worrying  that my golden years will be spent trying to massage a threadbare pension budget to get me through each month with enough to eat and a place to sleep. I understand that's a worry that's far in the future, but you still have to think ahead and compound interest only works if you start early instead of late.

I do know that I'll still be writing, perhaps with a few people out there who will still want to read those words.

And in case you'd like a bit of a giggle about the choices people can make in their lives, here's Leonard Nimoy singing the Ballad of Bilbo Baggins. Personally, the g33k in me thinks it's fantastic:

May 6 - Crossovers

Mixing things up can be a lot of fun.

Some of my favorite kinds of fiction and fanart are those that mix various subjects. Those of you who follow blog know that I've previously posted about this sort of thing, such as crossovers involving Star Wars and Calvin and Hobbes.

This time it's a little different: Pacific Rim and Disney!

I particularly like this picture, that of Kida and Milo from Disney's 2001 film Atlantis, which was itself quite a departure for the studio from their norm - 'mixing it up' if you will. The artist has captured the essence of the film's characters and juxtapose them with Pacific Rim's futuristic realism to come up with a blend of the two that just works perfectly.

It's this sort of creative flexibility that I hope to bring to my own work. Being able to write means being able to take different ideas and combine them into something new that the reader may not have come across before, written in your own voice. It's been said that there's nothing new under the sun but as a writer, if your words make that sun seem new and fresh in the sky, then you're doing things right.

Just don't stare at the darn thing too long or you'll go blind.

May 7 - Cellular Crazy

My phone is driving me nuts.

To be blunt, it's slow and awkward to do anything with the phone, to the point where I don't bother much anymore. I'd rather haul around my laptop, which is a lot more responsive. Sure, I could format the thing and start over, but I'd still be working with old hardware and after setting up my parent's two phones( both have an HTC One M7 ) there's no comparison when it comes to the speed and ease-of-use comparing their phones and mine.

Trouble is, I'm stuck with a year to go in my contract with Telus and I don't feel like forking over several hundred dollars for the 'privilege' of signing another two-year contract to get a new phone. Plus, I don't have the budget for that either right now.

So I'm looking at the alternatives, mainly waiting to buy the HTC One M8 in a year when it's less costly or buying a less expensive phone in the near future. Either way means that I'm stuck with my current snail of an S3 for most of the rest of 2014, so I'll have to make the best of it and resist smacking around when it decides that I need to wait in order to do anything useful.

Then there's this, from Double Shield:

Personally, I find it hard to believe this video. Simple physics tells me that there has to be some catch to the demonstration, perhaps a rubber hammer? If this screen protector does work as advertised, I'd find it extremely therapeutic to put on my current phone.

Especially if it came with a little rubber hammer.

May 8 - Zap!

One of the things I've always wondered about is the warning not to put metal in the microwave.

I was told this as a child and ever since, I've been wary of anything metal making its way into the microwave. I've been less worried the last few years, not having a microwave oven, but still cognizant of this 'vital' fact. Especially since a certain sibling of mine did have a dish with a fork in it make its way into a microwave years ago... and the machine wasn't alive much longer after that.

Ummm... is this safe?

If you're curious about the whole deal, pop over and read this article on how you can safely put metal in the wonder over of our age. Apparently I've worried too much needlessly, but you still won't find me zapping foil anytime soon.

Speaking of food, I finally managed to see the documentary Food Inc. tonight, catching it on television of all places.

Click to zoom in on the Ten Tips...

While I'm a skeptic by nature, always asking for proof, I was admittedly disturbed by the information presented in this particular documentary. I'll admit that I am a bit squeamish: I don't like my food to look like it just stopped moving 10 minutes ago, with heads on the fish or piglets split open on the table.

Food Inc. went deeper than that, looking at how the ignorance of the public can be taken advantage of in yet another way when it comes to corporations making profits. I was aware of the slant that the filmmakers put on some of their subjects and parts of the film seemed unnecessarily shocking. Overall I came away from experience with a much better understanding of how our modern food system is controlled behind the scenes and how it's changed over the last two decades, not for the better either.

If you haven't seen it, I do recommend a watch of Food Inc, if only to train your eyes to open a bit wider as to what you're eating. Having simplified my own diet over the last few years, cutting out sugar and many other things that I took for granted in my food, I definitely think that a higher awareness of what you're eating is critical to a better lifestyle for everyone.

You are what you eat, after all. Don't eat garbage that's cheap to buy.

May 9 - THEY HIRED ME!

It's official as of this morning: I start my new job on May 20th!

I got a call yesterday afternoon, asking me to come by this morning to look over the paperwork and then finalize things with my signature - which I happily did. There are other details to take care of but I was done by early morning and floating on air by noon, with an odd sense of relief deep in my belly.

I'm now employed by the government, for wage that I don't have to apologize for in my head and hope to stretch to make ends meet week to week. It's not say that I can immediately go out to get a mortgage and a car and all the other things that people seem to think they need, but it certainly a wage higher than any I've earned before and hopefully the start of a solid uphill climb for me, financially speaking.

It's funny, but half the people I told about my new job this weekend congratulated me and then immediately added "It's great that you've got a real job now."

Seriously? Isn't any job a real job when it's providing you the money you need to shelter, clothes and feed yourself and/or your family members? I've struggled for two decades now, with some good years and some bad, to make some headway in this strange walk of life that we all find ourselves in. I've done well enough, I think, to keep my sanity in the face of the huge obstacles I've faced and overcome as well as maintaining my equilibrium while working on the problems that still remain in my life.

Will having a 'real job' supposedly will solve all this by simply throwing money at those problems?

I'll admit, not being in debt at all would be wonderful. At the same time I wonder how many people simply work to live and have few driving interests in their life, save paying their bills and getting in some quality family time. For me, I don't have immediate family responsibilities( kids or ailing relatives / spouses / parents / siblings ) so I don't see that as something affecting me. Nor do I yet have the wherewithal or time to volunteer in a meaningful way to local or national causes.

I do have stories inside me that I want to tell and things I want to do.

To date, the events of my life have necessitated my full attention to keep them from dragging me under and now I'm just beginning to see the shore after my long swim. I want to work for myself and write but seeing as my skill set and talents run mostly to writing, I don't want to wear myself thin trying to write on both sides of the paper: creatively and financially.

But, most importantly: I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!

May 10 - Movie and Party Night!

Yesterday I finally got around to seeing the new Captain America film: The Winter Soldier.

It wasn't bad, not by a long shot, though my favorite of the two is still The Avengers.

If I had to describe The Winter Soldier, I have to say it was a competent and solid film from start to finish, with a few slow spots and some excellent special effects. If you wanted me to elaborate, I would say they spent far too much money on things blowing up and not enough money on locations that weren't in an urban setting. Definitely worth my money though.

In the evening I attended a birthday party for a friend, a former coworker.

It was at a restaurant I've never been at, Earl's, which is a fancy steakhouse downtown. Not the sort of place I would just drop in and grab a bite to eat, as their menu is rather pricey. All the same, it was great to just sit down and enjoy myself, especially as I knew at least half of the people there and got to catch up with some old friends who were as glad to see me as I was them.

The shaggy blur on the far left is me... nice shirt, right?

Amazingly, one of my friends there had a Pebble Smartwatch and we talked shop about it for a few minutes. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say that I think smart watches are still the future, though they're definitely not the present. Current offerings are still well below what I consider a balanced bang for the buck and I definitely don't want to pay a premium for cutting-edge technology when it doesn't deliver on some of the major things I feel that a smartwatch should have in order to get my hard-earned dollars.

Needless to say, I'll be watching things closely over the next year.

May 11 - For The Good

It's been a pretty good weekend.

I worked both days and they were very pleasant, with no undue stress and everyone full of smiles with the great weather we're having here, even with the bit of rain we got yesterday. What really had me floored was how unperturbed my current employer was when I told them that I had another job that was full-time and that my availability had dropped essentially to the occasional Saturday as of next week.

Considering that until I saw next week's full-time schedule, I had only been getting a few days a week, I don't think they expected me to be around much longer and this probably is a relief to them in some ways. I am going to be staying on for at least the next few months for various reasons, in the main that I don't want my benefits to lapse during my initial probationary period at my new government job; that would be silly.

After work today, I removed about a dozen people from my blog's FBook group. I did so because they had never visited the group and were obviously not interested in following what I'm up to, which is fine, as I'm still friends with them. Yet I still wonder what that means sometimes when you're not keeping up at all with other people's lives.

That's not to say I'm not guilty of the same thing, when it comes down to it. I spend hours every week crafting my blog for a small audience of friends and family, numbering in the hundreds, of which perhaps a dozen drop by every week to see what I'm up to, for good or bad. I did mention a few weeks ago that for some reason the month of April saw my blog  receiving around 100 hits a day, which is unprecedented and to be honest I still don't know why exactly I was so popular. The numbers have dropped in half already, not even halfway through May, and I expect they'll be back to normal few hundred by June.

Still, it was rather neat to see the numbers jump and it's a bit of a mystery; I may never know why I had so many anonymous visitors.

Who knows why people are visiting my blog? Most of my visitors don't leave comments and I can only guess as to why they pass on through here. I don't have timely information about current topics, unique art or even a sort of nouveau-writing style, so your guess is as good as mine.

What I do hope is that they'll keep coming back.

Lots to do and little time over the next few months, see you all next week!