Storyboards, Space and Degrees of Stubborness

The word of the week is degree.

June 25 - I'm now a Graduate!

It's been a long road, but as of today I'm officially a university graduate!

Over a decade ago, I gave up on completing my degree for a variety of reasons, in the main time and money - I'd tried several times to finish a stubborn language requirement( in both Italian and French )but life kept poking me hard in the eye. And the wallet. Years passed and things didn't change much, so it was shelved 'for sometime in the future' as I saw it - it's been a nagging shame of mine all these years that I'd never graduated. This spring, I spoke to several people, both at UVic and Brock, about completing my degree. Imagine my surprise when the Brock contact advised me that she thought 'I already had the requirements' to have a Bachelor's Degree issued to me! As it turns out, the university eliminated the language requirement for many degrees in 2011, so it turns out that my waiting was not in vain after all. Heck, I've waited so long that Brock completely changed their logo:

 

The call today confirmed that the Dean has authorized my degree to be granted according to the credits I've earned, which satisfy all current degree requirements. All that I had to do was apply for Graduation( which I did a few weeks ago! )and now with the Dean's approval, I'll have my degree issued for the Fall 2012 convocation. I'm extremely happy, moreso than I've been in years, as I'd never thought I'd complete my degree. Turns out I already had; I just had to wait longer than most!

June 26 - AT LAST! THE ZONE!

FINALLY, I've found a solution to enable me to write creatively and ignore distractions from the noises that constantly batter at the fragile bubble of my writing Zone! While earplugs or headphones have not been enough to date on their own to block out the thunder of feet above my head nor the noise of the street thirty feet from my window, combining BOTH has proved successful! With the blissful tunes of Enya playing at non-migraine levels inside my audio cocoon, I dived HEADLONG into my writing today and didn't come up for air for close to eight hours to give my wrists a rest. I also spoke to a good friend on the phone today to explain my ENTIRE novel, which they kindly listened to for close to an hour non-stop! After that, I was inspired AGAIN to revise and expand my Novel Synopsis, as so MANY points clarified in my head after that call… that saw the rest of the evening vanish as I wrote again almost non-stop. My arms were a pair of burning sticks attached to my elbows and I went to bed utterly spent… but with such a wide grin that I thought my dimples would fall out. That, my friends, is what the Zone is all about!

June 27 - Bookshelf chairs?

Yes, I do tend to go on about small / tiny home design sometimes, but with good reason: design and architecture only advance through innovation, and what's innovative about bloated homes that are all cut from the same mold? Small spaces require creative solutions; this is where designers have to think outside the box, though in this case it's INSIDE the box. Putting functional chairs and a table inside a set of bookshelves speaks to many space problems in a unique form of answer - plus it just LOOKS cool:

June 28 - Storyboard Day!

Two days ago, I put into words the totally summary of my novel… over five pages of densely-packed ideas that spell out the story from start to finish, sparing no major plot detail. Though my arms were not rested fully, I dove in again today to complete my 'Visual Guide' which has been languishing half-finished for three months now. What I've done to aid my muse for the novel is to gather images that come close to matching the pictures in my mind's eye of what many scenes or characters look like, then put them into a 'storyboard' in an Excel file. Today I totally nailed the story from start to finish, adding in many more pictures and making the novel into a visual storyboard with many specific details noted for each picture, just like they do with movies. It was an entire day of fantastic mental puzzle-fitting hour after hour, as solutions I've been musing over came together like magic hour after hour. Nauseatingly happy at the end of the day, that was me!

Ironically, there IS a writing program out there that uses this exact storyboard concept called Scrivener, but it IS a pay program. So I saved money by doing it for 'free' … but after checking out Scrivener, I may end up shelling out the bucks and copy / pasting my info into it to take advantage of the many useful novel-building features. For the price, it looks reasonable and comes recommended by several author friends.

June 29 - Space Nostalgia

I'm not sure where this fits into this week's blog, but it made me smile all the same. I've spoken a few times over the years about an old game called Earth and Beyond which was one of the first space MMO's. It had several firsts, including the ability to customize( some aspects )of your character AND your spaceship! The graphics at the time seem crude by today's standards, but I loved it. I also loved the community that was present for most of the game: there were a LOT of roleplayers, who could spin amazing tales when on a space station or the few other social hubs in the rather cozy universe. I was sad to see it go, as it was the first place I developed the character basics that would later become Nichneven - a futuristic warrior / monk with crimson hair and a deadly electronic bo-staff. I was in heaven… for a few short months playing the free beta. By the time the game went live I now had NWN to enjoy and I never went back - sadly the EaB game was cancelled in 2004 after only two brief years.

June30 - Wiped Out Brain And Body Day

The week's writing exercises took their toll on me: today I felt completely exhausted, as well as nauseous, possibly from something I'd eaten yesterday disagreeing with my twitchy digestion. Though it was a gorgeous day, I didn't have a speck of energy and took several shorter naps as the day wore on, getting out only for a short walk around the block before coming back home all too soon.

Since it was a day in, I ended up checking out the new MMO Dungeons and Dragons Online which is free-to-play. It looked gorgeous on my PC( and large HDTV )thanks to my new video card, running smoothly with no glitches. I played for a good part of the afternoon, with minimal use of my arms as it's a PC game not dependent on twitch-reflexes, for the most part. I found the game to be interesting but not overly so, as it's obviously designed for multiple players and to take up a LOT of time, along the lines of Worlds Of Warcraft… which is not my thing. Also, the chat system seems to be disabled at low levels, as I saw nobody speaking to each other; again, not my thing as that makes roleplaying a lost cause. All in all, it was a good way to pass a day when I was feeling like crap apart from sleeping, reading or watching movies… I always like to check out new things and DnD has always had a soft place in my heart. But I'll still stick to NWN.

July 1 - HAPPY CANADA DAY!

I thought today as part of the celebrations for our nation's 145th anniversary, I'd talk about tolerance. Not to put it in the form of complaints, but to illustrate a uniquely Canadian trait: to abide others poor behaviour( to a point )without getting in their face, which perhaps makes us the well-known diplomats we are to the world. I'll pull out the example of motorcycles: I dislike them for their noise. I think many are works of art, they're amazing mechanical marvels and a great mode of transportation. Yet the noise they generate is imposed on everyone within earshot… and that's a LOT of people for some of these ear-blowing street-rattlers. I know the noise is purely cosmetic; motorcycles can( and some do )run just fine without announcing their arrival minutes ahead of time. What it comes down to is rights: everyone has the right to enjoy a relatively  peaceful day, hence the term 'disturbing the peace' in the law books. I'll also argue that people have the right to enjoy fresh air in their home… but when the prevailing wind blows in the smoke from a neighbour's balcony constantly, who is infringing on whose rights, I ask? Do I not have the right to have my windows open on a nice day to enjoy the fresh air, as much as other people have the right to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day out on their balcony?

It comes down to tolerance, in some ways. How much intolerance will you tolerate, before something is done? As much as I'd like to wish otherwise, I doubt very much that if the balcony-goers were aware they were forcing their downwind neighbours to keep their windows closed, they would change their ways. On a related note, the partiers upstairs managed to shatter the doorway to the stairs here not long after dinnertime, prompting a mass exodus from the apartment before blame could be brought to bear. Idiots; no way to spend a Canada Day, dropping in on friends only to cause them trouble through ignorance and making a spectacle of things on the front lawn of the building as people urge others to jump from the second-storey balcony. Yet we're all Canadians and it's all 'in good fun' as long as nobody's hurt.

Right?

I went out Canada Day evening with a couple of neighbours( the friendly ones )to see the fireworks down at the Inner Harbour. It was a big but fun crowd, with quite a few people not dressed for the chillier night( down to 13C degrees ). The fireworks were wonderful, with a finale of brilliant red flares set off against white sparks that made the gigantic crowd go wild with applause. Afterwards, we went up( literally )to Vista18, a restaurant I didn't know existed until tonight. We caught the end of a jazz solo and enjoyed the night views of the city from the 18th floor over a few drinks; I'll be back to see what the city will look like from the day. All in all a good way to start July and to celebrate the country I love to live in; Happy Birthday, Canada!

Art, Animation and Adjustment

The word of the week is musing. No 'a' prefix necessary...

June 18 - Crystal Caves

You have to admit it, Superman had the coolest hangout pad at his Fortress Of Solitude, though it could have used some more fireplaces and throw-rugs for warmth. In a strange case of life imitating science fiction, the following is not: a cave in Mexico that is FILLED with giant crystals, just like in Superman! They even got the heating bit correct… actually no, they overdid it, as it's over a hundred degrees inside( Celsius!!!! )so you'd boil to death in less than thirty seconds unprotected. Go have a virtual look at this wonder of nature that surprised scientists when it was discovered only a few short years ago and dream of what it'd be like to visit the Fortress Of Solitude for real…

June 19 - Life without microwaves

Believe it or not, I don't have a microwave at my new place. This was a conscious decision, as we( my sister and I )both wanted to move towards eating healthier and not 'nuking' our foods. While I'm certain that a half-century of use has shown us that microwaves won't make your insides glow with regular use, I'm less certain that it's the best thing for my health. After getting our first electric bill, I was pleasantly surprised to see how LITTLE power using our stove has consumed to date. It's also rather easy to reheat things with just the stove, so eliminating a lot of 'nuke-and-serve' dinners from our repertoire will contribute towards making simpler, healthier meals.

June 20 - You want HOW much for that doll?

It's fortunate that I'm not a collector in any serious way, as I'd be so poor I'd have to house my collection in cardboard boxes in an alley next to me. I suppose if I was collecting toothpicks it'd be another story, but in the main I like anything to do with science fiction, fantasy or other things that are Just Really Cool. Things like this Black Widow 'statue' from The Avengers - yes, it's a posable doll, but I still prefer the term 'action figure' for coolness purposes. Take a wild guess how much it is… then double that figure to around what a well-tricked-out laptop would cost. Unbelievable… and there's LOTS of these kinds of collectables out there! I think they call them 'collectables' so they can charge more money, because I know that if it was ME I'd NEVER spend that kind of money on a mere new TOY that wasn't really rare and made me think of my childhood.

 But still: she looks damned cool all the same. So does the Iron Man poseable figure. Ah well.

June 21 - Victoria in Paintings

Living here in Victoria, I tend to take some of the views for granted like a lot of people do for the cities and places they live in. Heck, I was born near Niagara Falls and didn't go on the Maid Of The Mist until only a few years ago! Which is why we need artists: they view the world around them as art and try to bring our attention to it via their talents. Such is the case with Robert Amos, who has painted some lovely local visions of Victoria - check them out. I've always liked these kinds of paintings growing up, as they make 'mundane' aspects of the local area stand out for all their unique qualities - as art.

June 22 -  Pets are alien spies?

Yes, I do enjoy watching the animated show Kit Vs. Kat, in the main because it's just fun and not too serious. Which is a good thing in a show about cat-like aliens trying to invade earth. Which led me to an odd internet find: a site that purports that earth's pets are actually spying on us for their alien masters. It's obviously tongue-in-cheek, but the discussion on the site is lively and quite amusing at times. Also, now that the thought's in your head you'll never quite look at pets in quite the same way again, will you?

June 23 - TRON: Uprising

Today I tuned into a new animated show, thanks to the Disney XD channel - TRON: Uprising. And it's wow… I mean, incredible! The character design, the story, the graphics - all top-notch and it hooked me immediately. The music is stirring, the computer world of TRON is incredibly detailed and, well… ALIEN. As it should be. While my other favorite CGI animated series Reboot took a different path over a decade ago, TRON: Uprising has taken nods from our world but goes it's own way, yet still allows viewers to relate to what's going on. It's really just amazing to watch, minute by minute, to see how the story develops. I'll be there for the rest of the season as it comes out, for certain, not the least because the show has the voice talents of Elijah Wood, Lance Henriksen and Bruce Boxleitner - who was TRON in the original film!

June 24 - Inspiration through exercise!

Today was a good day for my novel; not in terms of actual words produced due to my left arm still being gimpy but in terms of IDEAS falling into place neatly. I went for a LONG walk today to the A&W waaaay north on Douglas, almost 5km distant. On the way there I cleared my mind as I listened to music( Enya )and thought about a few things as I ate. It was on the way BACK home that my Muse responded and popped out a dozen GREAT ideas that tied a lot of the story, characters, setting and more together. I think it was the semi-hypnotic state I was in, watching just the sidewalk move in front of me and paying attention only to staying safe at lights and roads. It was similar to the state I used to get into while reading in the car: I'd totally ignore the outside world passing by and just dive mentally into my books. Needless to say, I am excited about the ideas today and am working hard to integrate them in a meaningful way into the novel - also NOT to forget them, which is also a challenge as the mental state I was in when they came along is extremely important as well. I saw scenes and characters visually and  emotionally both listening to the music as I walked, which was fantastic; my Muse was really on today!

However, I have to be careful to be original and not fall into using an SF cliché ( like these )overmuch in my work, while NOT falling prey to the "Hey, that's been done before…" syndrome. Heck, look at the SIZE of that cliché list! I'm reading through it a few lines at a time so I don't poison my own work… sheesh.

 

It's coming into the last week of June now. I have a solid basis for my novel, a few chapters under my belt and no job at this time while EI figuratively breathes down my neck. All while my wrists continue to plague me and prevent me from digging very deep into my novel each day. I have an appointment with a sports injury specialist after seeing my doctor this week, but it's not until August. *sigh* It's a challenging time for me, to say the least… but I'm still FAR happier than I was this time a year ago; just check the blog to see. Until next week, I'll be adjusting to things as usual, so: adios!

Time, Tension and Takei

The word of the week is trepidation.

June 11 - Levity

June is looking to be another lean month; my sister hasn't been able to find steady work yet( and neither have I )so we're both relying on my generous EI - for now. Unfortunately, I was at a meeting last week( with a dozen other EI recipients )where I learned that EI will possibly audit me soon, in which they'll ask for tangible results from my search for jobs. So far, that's been pretty sparse: I do NOT want to go back into the financial world, nor do I want to work retail or in the food industry… which doesn't leave a lot for me to choose from. So this coming week I'm going to talk to one of the placement services here in town to see how they can help better direct my job search. To be honest, it's NOT something I want to do, as I desperately wanted the freedom to finish my novel over the next few months… but since my wrists have been making that dubious at best, I'll likely have to abandon the effort( at least as a primary chunk of each day )to focus instead on making ends meet for the rest of 2012.

That sucks.

June 12 - Jude Rocks!

With my wrists holding me back from my writing talents, I've been giving serious thought of late to voice acting: all I have to do is read my parts, not write them, so no wrist tendons are involved. I'm well-acquainted with the work of several dozen voice actors, having followed their careers from part to part with interest over the years. I've come to realize it's a serious business, like many other careers, and there's aspects to it that some might not find glamorous. But hey, if you can make a living from it, why not? I stumbled across a blog entry over at NT3R called "A Day In The Life" where the lucky writer gets to go in for a day at the studio with Christian Potenza, of 6Teen and Total Drama Island fame. It makes for some fascinating reading to get an inside look at the world of voice acting, where the emotional base of a character comes from for each episode of a show. Go Jude!



June 13 - Roll20

Well heck, I KNEW they'd come up with this eventually; I certainly didn't think it'd be as cool as it turned out to be. What am I talking about? Roll20, that's what: a simple bit of software to let ANY gamers playing ANY game do so online, with their pals, for FREE. Man, I wish I still had a gaming group to try this out with, but we've all moved on with things - no more Sundays At Simon's rolling dice and supping on salty snacks and beer. Though we did tend to play more Halo than DnD, as the years went by. Still, it would have been VERY easy for all of us to game, wherever we were, using this software… and I just love that it's FREE. Heck, that's always worth repeating!

June 14 - World Enough And Time

Incredible. Brilliant. Stunning. Those words and many more similar ones flew through my mind as I watched this fan-made episode of Star Trek; it was so well-done that I thought it was one of the OLD episodes that I'd somehow missed all these years! Seriously, it's really fantastic… AND it has George Takei in it PLUS his daughter! The acting in spots needs a little help and there's some MINOR plot twitches… but that's just me being picky. This episode ranks right up there with the best of the old Star Trek series, it's THAT good. The story alone had me taking notes; I'd LOVE to produce work of this caliber and see it make it to the screen intact! Bravo, Star Trek New Voyages - more, please!



June 15 - Novel Breakthroughs!

My writing was going nowhere all week, so today I had a brainstorm: why not try to set some scenes to music and see what happens? I have all these bits of scenes in my head, waiting to be blocked into place and written, but I'm having a VERY HARD time getting any sort of emotional attachment to the characters and the story in parts. So I went through my music collection today, listening to songs I knew and others I was less familiar with, trying to match songs with scenes… and succeeding! I came up with a few DOZEN songs to link to various scenes to play them properly in my head: I could visualize the action as I wanted to see it happen and so then was able to WRITE about it with the right emotional currents! At last, I have a handle on parts of the novel, far more than I had months ago. Getting a connection to the characters will be the next step as I keep fleshing out the plot points and working on their voices. Good news indeed!

 

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June 16 - Personal Space

Rainy, windy and cold: that's June in Victoria and today was a prime example. At the best of times today we had some back-lit clouds fighting the sun, on-again / off-again rain and general windy-blah-ness. I did get some good writing done up in the SkyLounge for a few hours, in the main trying to escape the pint-sized elephants that started trampling around 7am today and didn't stop all day - glad I have the SkyLounge to escape to! With some earplugs or music, it's VERY tranquil and relaxing up there. I'm alone with my thoughts with few distractions save some curious birds or the occasional siren or loud passing motorcycle. Definitely a blessing to be able to write up there, when my arms are co-operating.

A good portion of the evening was again spent fiddling with my computers. I installed quite a bit on my Linux box, which looks like it's going to co-operate to host most of my TV shows, movies and other media. I may even be able to get an old ATI wireless remote working, which would be sweet; there's a LOT you can do with a Linux box and I'm slowly going to add to it in the next few months. From what I can see, I can even add a TV tuner card to the thing( used / cheap, of course )and turn it into a PVR… but that presupposes that I have the time to WATCH the shows I record in the first place. As it is, I have hundreds of hours of shows on DVD that I have yet to convert to .mkv files for the 'Media Box' as I'm calling it - what's the sense of going to all that trouble if I'll never even watch 1/10th of the shows? Makes me wonder sometimes about what my brain wants to spend my time on…

June 17 - Thanks, Dad!

It was Father's Day today and we took my dad out to Venus Sophia here in town, an amazing place that can best be described as a boutique restaurant. It serves breakfast, lunch and tea sittings and is just the most elegantly relaxed place I can think of that doesn't feel pretentious or crazily expensive: both are right up my alley! It's also vegetarian and serves gluten-free foods, by staff who are quite obviously very happy and are very attentive to your needs; again, amazing for the prices they charge! It was a lovely relaxed lunch and my dad simply loves the place, which is located in Chinatown( but it's not Chinese, they have a rather multi-ethnic staff - very Canadian! )in the heart of downtown Victoria. After lunch we gave him a Father's Day gift: my sister's laptop, all freshened up and unloved now that she's latched onto the Blackberry Playbook I introduced her to a month ago, which is perfect for her needs and a LOT more portable than the laptop. Faster too, in many ways, but I digress. It was a lovely Father's Day, some of which we spent just sitting at Clover Point watching kite-surfers dodge whitecaps and seagulls making the wild winds look like child's play. The rest of the day was a blur of writing( novel and blog )topped off by watching Dodgeball with my sister AND the first episode of Arrested Development( she's never seen either before! )and that's about it. An early day tomorrow; maybe my alarm will wake me before the beasts above do.

 

Here's hoping.

I've a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning about my arms, to see what can be done to diagnose the continuing pain in my tendons. I can't go on like this, unable to lift more than a glass of water or to type a few dozen words pain-free. Crossing my fingers doesn't hurt, so that's what I'm doing tonight…