Small Spaces, Secret Projects and Sundays

The word of the week is pernicious.

July 1 - Happy Birthday, Canada!

Although I worked today, it was actually rather nice. Being a short shift of only five hours meant that I could not only start work later in the day due to the holiday hours but also head home in the early afternoon. Quite a good combo for being able to get outside and enjoy the incredible summer weather this week.

Canada Day today was particularly gorgeous. I spent a few hours outside on the patio down at Moka House just soaking in the sun and enjoying the uncommon novelty of having a Monday afternoon off early. Canada Day for me tends to be a low-key celebration, especially since I moved out Vancouver Island; I remember being at quite a few barbecues over the years but I haven't been to one yet on Canada Day since I arrived here in Victoria. Although it's probably healthier for me, I still miss them.

The Human Flag grows larger again this year!

In the late evening my sister and I headed down to the Inner Harbor to see the fireworks just after 10 PM. The usual crowds that gathered and for some reason this year there were a lot of rowdies running around yelling their heads off, despite a heavy police presence which included a searchlight equipped helicopter tooling around overhead. I don't recall from previous years there ever being a prominent drunken component to the celebrations here in Victoria and I hope I don't see it again. The family atmosphere and general good cheer was overshadowed at times by a lot of loudmouth idiots yelling expletives  at each other while avoiding the notice of nearby officers.

That nonsense faded once the fireworks went off and all eyes were on the sky. I recorded the sky flowers with my Flip Video, though I really shouldn't use my SIII phone to capture them in their full glory despite its lesser performance in the dark:

July 2 - Go East!

It's a new month, with new challenges.

The challenge right now is to get myself to Ontario in less than three week's time.

So far, things have come together rather unexpectedly and in a nice way towards that goal. Enough so that I am more than halfway towards the funds I need to assemble to get on a plane to wing eastward for the last week of July.

The plan is to spend a few days at the cottage with my group of very close childhood friends. We plan  to celebrate our 40th birthdays together, as we all turned( or will turn )40 this year. It's a wonderful idea and I'm doing everything I can to get myself eastward to see them, as it's been several years since I've traveled to Ontario and I feel that this is an extraordinary impetus to do so.

I wish my friends and I had thought to do this 20 years ago. It looks cool.

Ruminations and thoughts about being friends with someone for many decades also crosses my mind of late. I think it says something amazing about a group of people who can remain so close despite distance and differences, to grow from children to teens to adults and yet still maintain close contact. To be friends at such a level that no time seems to have passed since we last talked, though it may be an interval of months or even years. The essential core of the people we knew as children are still there inside and I believe that with friends like these, I will be just as close to them 40 years from now.

July 3 - Farewell, Hannalore

Growing up, I learned early that I loved books.

One of the places I loved to find books at was at Hannelore Hedley's bookstore downtown. It was a wonderful place: a house filled with books from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. I discovered it in my early teens and went back whenever I could afford to buy at least five or six books at a time. As of last year, she celebrated 40 years in business - a good number.

Inside those walls, books lived and breathed shoulder to shoulder on every available surface. Many of the books were quite rare or quite old or combination of the two. I of course was only interested in the fiction section, tucked around the corner by a staircase but fortunately right next to a bright window. I would dig through the stacks to find new books that I hadn't read yet and secretly cheer that the prices meant I could get a few more each time that I could anywhere else.

Hannelore herself was a wonderful lady, very proper and polite and always kind. During my university years, she generously donated many books to the annual English Club Book Sale, which always made a huge difference to the success of the club. In my later years, I didn't go by as often anymore but I did have the pleasure of running into Hannelore a few times over the years in various places. Again I was struck by what a gracious and gentle person she was and the news of her passing this week saddened me. I knew that we will not see her like again, nor shall her bookstore feel the same without her sitting behind her desk, in a place she had made herself all her own.

July 4 - Giant Monsters!

One week from today, Pacific Rim will open in theaters.

Lately, I haven't been seeing all that many films during their opening week, as I like to let the crowds thinned a little before I stuff myself into a theater with hundreds of people.

However, I may make the exception this week.

Any film with gigantic robots kicking the crap out of giant alien monsters and made by Guillermo del Toro of Pan's Labyrinth fame is one that I have to see soon as possible:

There have been any number of films of Japan with giant robots and giant alien monsters, but that John Wright is firmly fixed on the campy side of the fence. I will be hoping that this film will in essence jump the fence and take a solid if not quite serious look at the genre being capable of a lot more, beyond special effects. It is a subgenre of science fiction that I'd like to see more of, as I have a weakness for giant robots in general that are not directly out of Japan.

Plus, I'm off Thursday and Friday this week so I can not only wait in line but go to a late show for a midnight opening. The very thought is enticing and I may not sleep tonight.

July 5 - Lofty Goals

Small houses are really coming to the fore nowadays.

Vancouver seems to be leading the pack, with quite a few small – style developments in the works. The working term for small apartments looks right now to be calling them 'micro-lofts' even if they are not a loft style. Given the dense urbanization that Vancouver has undergone in the last decade, with a lot of infilling and high-rises going up, it only makes sense that things now are going microsized. Given that home ownership has risen far outside the reach of the average working couple, it's refreshing to see new ways emerge for people of modest incomes to still be able to own a home instead of only renting.

Fortunately, that means other nearby communities are taking notice of the trend, including Victoria. There's a micro-loft development now underway here in Victoria, right next to the old Johnson Street Bridge in the heart of downtown. With living spaces ranging up to 400 ft.², there's not a lot of room but for those who lived frugally and efficiently, it's all the space one or two people will need to live in.

Sure, the perspective is from a corner, but it's not a closet...

The major factor of course, is cost. With average-sized detached homes here in Victoria selling for a price well over half a million CAN dollars, home ownership is only a dream for many. However, the cost of the average micro-loft is only around $150,000, well within the reach of people with average paychecks and not too much debt. I for one would seriously like to look into this type of home ownership, not only for the fact that it looks like the market will likely be heating up and they will retain their resale value. The icing on the cake is that the building plans to have no restrictions on rentals, meaning homeowners can decide to rent the units should they prove to be a popular draw.

One has to get on the property ladder somehow if one wants to get ahead in that fashion and these seem like an excellent way to do so. Admittedly, the real estate market slump of the last five years makes me cautious but the thought of owning rather than renting has always been on my mind despite my inability to fund such a dream.

For the time being, that is.

July 6 - Secret Project???????????

Today I learned about something extraordinary.

So extraordinary, that I'm going to be spending the next few months working on it, in secret. Well, sort of secret - once again the ball rolling I'll let a few people know what I'm up to and see about getting some feedback. As you can guess, it's a writing project and it has me so excited that I can hardly write about it right in this very blog entry.

Suffice to say, it's playing for the big leagues. It's also something dear to me when I grew up and I'm going to give it my all to ensure that I have a shot at success in this endeavor.

More on this as it develops; stay tuned!

July 7 - Gaming Sunday!

After another short day at work, I headed home to get a few things done. Tidy up the apartment, get some snacks into place and clean myself up from the day's efforts. Why, do you ask?

Because I'm hosting the first-ever board game night at my place!

Five friends and I played a game of Zombies!!! starting around dinnertime, with the usual beer and pizza at the ready - not to mention a few potato chips for snacking in between either of those.

This game, like so many other good ones, is all about messing up your friends!

It was a really fun introduction to the game and I was extremely pleased with how much fun we all had. In fact, the game went on for so long that it was well past the four hour mark when things started to draw to a close. There was much laughter and gentle recrimination as we each tried to subvert the endgame by blocking other player's moves towards the finish - all in the spirit of the game, of course!

I'm hoping that tonight is but the first of many boardgame nights that I'll be hosting here. The wonderful part is, we have the sky lounge upstairs which can hold several dozen people if things grow larger and it's the perfect space for gaming. We'll see how the next few months ago as to how many people want to game; I for one really want to play a few games of Catan, which I've never played before and have heard so much about.

Who knows? We may end up playing a game of Axis&Allies one night!

That's all I've got. Work's been very tiring this week, so I'll catch you all next time - I need to catch UP on my sleep and get to bed now!

Listening, Lurkers and Life Lessons

The word of the week is   … quandary.

June 24 - More Challenges

Today my sister was let go by her boss: downsized, if you will.

It was a good day for him though: he's getting bought out of his own company, so now he gets to retire around age 40. Which apparently doesn't sit well with him, but I can't bring myself to empathize much. She'll still be doing some other side work, but not a whole lot yet.

Which leaves me with a low-paying( albeit full-time )job to keep things afloat for two people, in effect. Guess it's good that I'm used to this kind of thing by now, so much so that I'm viewing it as yet another challenge and not a giant wall that we have to find some way to climb, go around or tunnel under.

That's a good thing; life is full of unexpected obstacles and as the oft – used quote goes, you should see them as stepping stones instead of boulders in your path.

June 25 - Lurker's Guide to B5

Every few years in my blog, I'll mention the Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.

The Lurker's Guide has been around for close to 20 years, faithfully having recorded millions of words related to the show on episode by episode basis. It's an incredible resource for anyone who likes, or loves, Babylon 5.

What makes it unique and still a valuable resource today long after the show has gone off the air is the depth to which it dives into each and every episode. There are many resources on the site, but none are as revealing as to the episode analyses that were posted as each episode aired and updated as theories were made regarding what various meanings could be extracted from the newly – aired material.

Adding to the uniqueness was the fact that JMS's cryptic responses to fan questions posted on several Internet forms( an innovation that was the first of its kind at the time ) where interleaved into the material and added their own level of intrigue to the whole site. It was endlessly fascinating to read through as each episode aired, trying to create your own connections between all the dots and wondering what was coming next.

I'm so glad that the Lurker's Guide is still there to read through whenever I have the time these days. Even though I've seen the entire series from start to finish several times, there's so much contained within that I always find something new to wonder over and to add to the depth of the show.

June 26 - Benevolence

A month ago I spent my last day in Arizona at the Phoenix ComiCon.

I came back a changed person, one who had left the lot behind under the blazing heat of the desert sun. The balanced mindset that I returned with has faded somewhat, but the stress that I had taken with me has not returned for which I am glad. It means that whatever I face in the future will not be written by the misgivings and frustrations of my past but instead will be fresh challenges for me to learn from.

What I miss is that incredible feeling that nothing, absolutely nothing, was wrong with the world on that particular day. It's very hard to describe, which for me is saying a lot; it was a mix of euphoria, simple happiness, a certain feeling that the world was a wonderful place and that my place in it had been waiting all long for me to simply step into. I wrote in that blog entry that other people certainly notice my newly minted beneficence that I radiated and since returning home I've made every effort to maintain that outgoing positive attitude whenever interact with people and indeed whenever I'm just by myself.

Perhaps it was me placing my foot on the first step towards Enlightenment; I'm not sure as I don't have a lot of knowledge on that subject to say definitively. However I do know that it was one of the greatest experiences of my life and it's beneficial repercussions will be felt by me for another few decades at least.

June 27 - Zoom Zoom!

I hit my stride today at work.

When I'm not stressing out while working and I know what I'm doing, I tend to really enjoy myself. Today was a good example: it was busy from the word go and got crazy for a few solid hours in the afternoon. I was working with two other people and it was still difficult to keep up with all the customers and phone calls we were inundated with for some reason on this date. I ended up smiling and Rushing around to keep up with things, keeping the workflow going and letting my more experienced coworkers get various jobs completed while I handled the front end and the occasional small job.

By the end of the rush, I was full of energy and cracking jokes, which made my two coworkers give me odd looks. The one girl told me that I was "Far too bubbly for having been so busy" which I took as a huge compliment, as I've experienced this exact same exuberance only a few times during my previous job when all you could do was laugh at the absurdity of how busy it was.

In today's case, a single person was upset from having to wait or having to adjust in order due to a miscommunication; everything went off without a hitch despite the pressure. I went home elated at how it had all turned out for the best today and that I had dived in with both feet two, swimming strongly all the way through the initial massive stress to end up smiling as I left for the day.

June 28 - Skilled Listening

Have you ever noticed how some people listen to you only long enough to get in their own two cents?

It's an odd thing if you notice it during a conversation: people open and close their mouth, just waiting for the instant when they can dive in to have you listen to them, instead of you finishing talking.

Sure, it's the way that conversations usually work; people are always interrupting and changing the flow of their interaction depending on the subject matter at hand. However, a good listener will sit back and let someone fall the train of their own thoughts to its near – final destination and not interrupt with their own opinion only halfway through the journey.

I've discovered that I'm one of those long – term listeners, which is a good thing. I let people get on with their thoughts, to get them organized and out fully – formed instead of trying to get my own words in as soon as possible. I think it's the mark of a good listener when they only speak up to prompt the other person along and not interrupt otherwise until it's certain that the train has fully arrived.

Perhaps my writing has improved because I've learned listen, in addition to sharpening my observational skills. When someone's talking to me and there's no major distractions, I devote my full attention to their every word so that I can offer an informed response when needed or asked for. It's also meant that I feel disappointment when the situation is reversed and someone doesn't fully listen to what I'm saying and so misses so many conversational cues where they should try to open up the subject I'm flirting with but don't want to just drop onto the table like a lead weight.

Even a good listener needs to be listened to every once in a while.

June 29 - Party, Crashed?

This evening I went to a friend's birthday party - I need more of these, please!

It was held at his father's place, conveniently near where I work. So I biked over there just before dinnertime and found myself one of the first arrivals. Other friends arrived fairly quickly and by the time evening had turned to dusk, there were quite a few people crowding the back patio - most of whom I already knew, which was great. I had a great time chatting with folks outside, as most were quite g33ky and we batted a range of topics all over the place with abandon. The group and I have definitely gelled, as we share a lot of interests and just all get along on a terrific laid-back level.

Some fascinating conversations happened with the host's father as well, who it turns out restores classic cars: he has a full workshop in his basement and an attached garage that's half the size of the house itself! He had some wonderful stories to share about the hundreds of classic cars he's worked on over the years, turning out to be a real character and a delight to know. By the end of the night, he'd declared me 'part of the family' and I can't think of a higher compliment from someone I'd just met that day.

The evening ended on a solid note that could have been bad, as we had some party-crashers from a few doors down show up a little before midnight. They did so quietly through the side gate into the backyard and the first most of us knew of their arrival was when we stuck our head out the patio doors and didn't recognize most of the faces that had filled the chairs outside. Most of the new arrivals were very friendly and polite, however there was one who was not and with some delicate negotiation skills a few of us managed to move the whole lot of them out again without it becoming a big scene or bothering the neighbors overmuch. It was a big relief to look around when it was all said and done and to recognize every one of the faces that were left. I headed out on my bike soon after that, as I was tired and I needed to get to sleep before it got any later in the morning.

I left with a smile on my face and the happy knowledge that I'd be missed by those still at the party

June 30 - Summer's Here!

Holy Moly, it's hot outside!

Today was a day spent outside, worshiping the sun and trying not to get fried in the process.

A friend came over after lunch and we went for walk through Beacon Hill Park over to the Beacon Hill Drive-In for a small lunch and then some ice cream. It was a lovely walk through the park, with all the green grass not yet brown and the riot of colors bursting in their profusion from the many flowerbeds that are all over the park. The burgers were a bit of a disappointment, but the ice cream was wonderful; the Beacon had just won the best ice cream in Victoria award a few weeks ago and it's quite true. The heat made my root beer cone melts all too quickly however and it's lasted only as far as the stairs to the beach. We spent a little time on the rocks there, enjoying the cool breeze from the sea and the lulling susurration of the waves on the boulders below.

That it was time to head back to Cook Street Village, where we spent another hour on the patio at Moka House. I had to suggest we head out of the sun after that however, as it was simply too hot and I was so covered in sweat that it was pooling before it could evaporate, which I've had happened only a few times before - a sure sign that I was far too hot. We got some good training time in for our IT classes before the light started to fade and we caught the last light of a glorious sunset outside just as we were calling it a day.

A very good day in my opinion, one that I hope I'll repeat more often this summer.

It's already Canada Day as I write this blog and yes, it's a day late; it's a holiday weekend and I felt I needed a day off - so there. I imagine most people who will read this blog have spent today thoroughly enjoying themselves and they'll catch up on things tomorrow, just as I will. Have a great week! 

Performance, Parties and Postings

The word of the week is enthuse.

June 17 - What's Next?

How's everyone doing out there? Thanks for visiting.

The thing about blogging is, well, that it's singular.

Not solo, as you might have thought I'd say. No, what I mean is: this blog is my set of small signals to the world about what I'm up to, but it's a transmitter, not a receiver.

To tune into the lives of my friends and family from way out here in BC, I've had to turn to Fbook, for the most part. But as you may already know, that's a selective slice of life that people choose to share and some say very little, sadly. So it's hard to know what people are up to in any given week, let alone day, with the busy lives we all have. Especially since Fbook can take up so much TIME of a day for some!

Something else is going to emerge to replace Fbook.

What that is, or when it will arrive, is anyone's guess. If I had to speculate, I'd have to say it'd be some kind of automatic logger-app run on one's mobile device that would keep track of your day. Where you’d been, who'd you met, what you'd done, what photos you'd taken… all that and a lot more I can't think of right now. Said service would roll everything all into one easy-to-use package and present it to the world, or at least those people you'd want to share it with.

For now, for me, this blog serves such a role very well… and I wish more people I knew had time for one!

June 18 - Closing Copy

I've still got a lot to learn.

In Copy, that is. Internalizing the prices, products and production details of the job is proving VERY challenging. All I can do is put in the time and effort to learn them as I go along.

Tonight, I closed Copy solo, though I wasn't really on my own until the last hour and a half, as a Copy staffer kindly stayed later to ensure I wasn't overwhelmed with all the orders we'd taken in today. Thanks and whew!

Self-serve is funny and a time-sink both. I'm learning to be concise in a friendly way and to sum up answers simply for people. Which, if followed by even more questions and requests, will turn into "Well, if you want said copies done that way at that size, I'd be happy to set up a job order for you, which will be ready at X time." Cue disappointed / annoyed look, which doesn't faze me much, as I'm used to people trying to get a lot for a little in customer service. The phrases "It's only a few copies" or "Could you just help me adjust this?" are already very familiar to me as covers for "Can you do this copy job for me on the cheap, right now, while I stand back and watch?"

Overall, I know I did well, losing myself in the job details and not sweating that I was flying solo. The department is fairly well-organized and getting better with a new manager, so consistency is a wonderful thing when you're new to the job like I am.

Better yet, I'm starting to know what I'm talking about, which is the tipping point!

June 19 - IT Training

Let's talk tech training. Specifically, the CompTIA+ course online I'm taking with a friend right now.

So far, we've worked through the first of the three courses of modules. It's been educational for me and rather a stretch for them, as many of these terms are g33k-speak to them. However, I'm VERY proud of the efforts they've put in to focus and learn the tech language. We've both made a lot of progress learning together and I think I'm doing a decent job as a teacher-interpreter when needed, so that the online teacher's assumptions don't steamroller my friend under in a torrent of technobabble...

I'm hoping that by the end of the summer, we'll be finished the course and well into a second round of learning to become Microsoft Office Certified. With both that and the CompTIA+ certification, sending out resumes to the local IT industry should be a much more fruitful endeavor by the end of the year. From all accounts, the local IT scene is thriving and once we have these qualifications, we'll have taking a big step past many other job-seekers towards the front of the hiring line.

By then, I should know exactly where I'm heading at my day job.

June 20 - Motivation

It's hard right now for me, some days, to enthuse.

What I mean by that is I'm feeling a reciprocity from Phoenix: the joy of my release there has turned softly to a cushiony coasting that is going nowhere fast.

Staying positive and keeping perspective is something I'm reminding myself of daily right now.

Mainly, the day job is taking a lot of my energy, just getting through intact is draining. Like any job dealing with customers, said folks don't care if you're new or not: they just want their stuff Done Right, On Time. It's frustrating to be capable of so many things, yet the condescending and irritated looks I get all day from people expecting instant correct answers is wearing. I counter that with professionalism, a pleasant manner and patience when people throw their little fits and do the best I can, then a little bit more.

I can't tell them that I'd rather be writing my novel's third draft, or doing any of a dozen other things than smile when they reiterate how I'm delaying their Important Business by not Knowing My Job Perfectly… and a glance at my 'In Training' Badge doesn't reassure them.

But I do my job anyway, knowing that even if they don't care to care… then I do. And that's enough.

June 21 - Netflix

Old TV shows in bed are great!

That is, watching them on my ASUS tablet in bed is perfect before bedtime.

I'm not a binge-watcher, where you plow through an entire TV series in the course of a day or two. Sure, I'll watch a couple of episodes at a time, but I can't binge, it's just not in me to devote that much time all at once.

You should also remember that watching a bright moving TV image right before bed is a bad thing, as the light fools your brain into thinking it's NOT nearly time for bed. I've found an Android app called ScreenFilter that give you total control over your screen's brightness independently of the device, for no cost. I usually set it for a bout 40% bright, which is perfect.

Right now, I'm watching Red Dwarf, a sci-fi comedy series from the 1980's that I loved back then and I've found I still do now. The humour is sharp, the writing not so much… but the cast and concept lend themselves towards episodic entertainment where you simply have no idea what's going to happen next, OR how the crew of Red Dwarf is going to deal with it.

Much like life, I'd say, and laugh!

June 22 - Solo And Party

Today I closed Copy solo again, which was… interesting.

What I find most amusing is that 'Self-Serve' should really be renamed 'Assisted Copying' as every other person who ostensibly goes there to save time and money by ducking our wait times still asks for help.

Which, me being me, I give to the best of my ability, though at a cost to my job performance. 

Today, that meant I spent well over an hour over in Self Serve, assisting people in their copy tasks which, for a variety of reasons, they couldn't do themselves. Not understanding the technology is a big reason, as well as being budget-conscious( ie. cheap )or time conscious( they can't / won't wait hours behind people who booked copy jobs ahead of them )and yet they still expect instant service from Copy CSR's. Who should drop the jobs they HAVE to have ready for set times to rush over to assist people who wander randomly through the door late in the day.

Points for trying though. Tonight, I closed as best I could, thankfully with assistance from another CSR who saw how I had been constantly dragged away from my needful tasks. Thankfully, I didn't leave too much for the morning person to finish and was done my shift almost on-time, if a little breathless.

I had time to recover in the car though, on the way to a co-worker's birthday party in Sooke!

Not having been out to any parties recently, I was blown away by the amazing evening I had. 

The place was a lovely eclectic home on a tall hill, with a spectacular view of the water and the sunset from the back deck:

There were more than a few people from work there, as well as many others, including my ride who was a former MMart co-worker. I had a total blast while I was there, chatting up quite a few folks and seeing sides of people I work with now that I hadn't been sure were there. One and all, they're lovely and interesting people and I was tickled that so many of them said they were thrilled I was there tonight. Stuffed with food, ice-cream cake and a sense of triumph from winning a close bocee match, I rode home feeling quite relaxed despite my tiring workday… it was fantastic.

June 23 - Reflection Day

Sundays for me used to be about gaming.

When I was younger, in grade school and even high school, Sundays were quite often the day when I'd spend many hours at a friend's place. We'd play boardgames like Axis&Allies, or have a DnD session or, more rarely, play video games. In later years, during university, we'd switched over to playing Halo and DnD almost exclusively… and almost always on a Sunday, as we all had school or work or both. But eventually that tapered off from every other week to once a month, then eventually never. In my case, Sundays usually meant hours spent playing Neverwinter Nights online with my friends, at least until the last couple of years.

Now it seems that for me, Sundays are days for reflection: literally, a day of rest for the mind and body.

In a recent Fbook posting, I talked about my experiences in Phoenix last month. They were very moving for me and I shared them with my friends. Due to the vagaries of Fbook, I'm not sure how many have actually read it; they may have 'seen' the posting title, but not read the post itself.

A few people have commented on the post and their feedback has been extremely positive. I'm humbled that my words managed to move them, especially as the post has the power to move me if I re-read it; no surprise, as I was there to experience those emotions. Those powerful feelings flowed through me and out through my writing, something that I hope to experience again, for it was as though my Muse took my hand and penned each word entire. It was as close as I've ever felt to pure, truthful writing.

That's my reflection for today.

Another full week's ahead for me. Lots to do and we'll see if I can get it all done!

Fishbowls, Fine Feedback and Familiar Failures

The word of the week is karma.  

June 10 - 500 Words

My day today was VERY busy!

I packed in working a full shift early at 7:30AM, then sped home so I could write up a 500-word story for my writing group tonight… and after that, I was doing some IT training for a few hours.

Like I said: busy.

The story is what I want to mention here, however, as it's something I'm quite proud of.

Normally, stories don't take me all that long to write, initially at least. But the revision process takes at least twice as long as the writing, as I fiddle and poke at the words to make them better overall.

Today, that long process didn't happen. The story appeared in my head as I wrote it.

That's VERY significant, as it means my Muse was wide awake and ready to go when I needed it. The images, the words, all flowed naturally together as I thought about the story and the whole 500 words were on the page within about twenty minutes, which is INCREDIBLY fast when you think about it. Even moreso as I didn't do more than tweak a dozen words and correct my spelling - that was all the editing needed.

After I read the story to the group tonight, I received excellent feedback from the other writers, most of whom wanted to know more about the world I'd created that very afternoon in the story. It pleased me no end that something so fully-realized had sprung from my mind when I called for it and it makes my writer's heart patter in joy.

The comment I loved best? "It definitely has your voice." from one of the most critical members of the group. I couldn't ask for higher praise than that!

June 11 - Working Solo, Soon

One week from today, I'll be on my own.

That's when my Copy training will be complete, according to the folks I work for right now. While I'm not overly anxious about it, I'm still a little nervous that my 'solo shift' is coming up so quickly, as there's still a LOT I have to learn. Not to mention internalize, especially when dealing with customers.

I'll basically be alone for 3 hours to deal with people and produce orders, both of which I should be able to handle. Most orders will be done by the time I am on my own that evening, so all I'll have to worry about are new orders getting in for the next day; no big deal, really.

Mainly, I want to make people happy. Nothing new there!

June 12 - Honked Off

Sometimes riding a bike places has its disadvantages.

Apart from sharing the road with less-than-attentive drivers, other problems include the weather( most days, it's fine for me )and people.

Yes, people. Strangely put, you wonder?

I'm referring to people in the form of those who wander past your unattended bike, which it hopefully is locked up securely to something strong and solid. Mine always is, so it won't go wandering entirely.

The same can't be said for what's attached to it. Like my bike horn, which was stolen today. Now this isn't a complaint, as the horn was broken and I hadn't got around to removing it yet; a stranger did that today while my bike was locked up outside of work today. In broad daylight.

It's the feeling of being burgled that rankles me. I've had a few things taken from my bike over the years, including the seat, bells, reflectors( why? )and even had the tire's air let out. Every time, I just shrug and wonder at the pettiness of people who do such things; there's no monetary gain to most of it to speak of.

Really, what's happening is karma: these people are racking up some fairly negative values. In the case of the horn-taker today, they may have thought they were being clever in their theft, but really, all they ended up with was a pile of plastic tubing that does nothing useful any more.

And they reduced my faith in the goodness of human nature a tiny notch. Don't forget that part.

June 13 - Face-book Journaling?

One of the reasons I like Fbook is that it's like a life log, of sorts.

Think about it: you Like things you see, or post things you like, on daily( and for some, hourly )basis. Every day. Fbook records it all steadily, so that at any point you can go back and review what you've Liked as far back as you like, if you'll pardon the pun.

This can be useful, if you do it right.

Posting Life Events, for example, lets you record accomplishments and similar things accurately. No more wondering when you were at a party, or finished a book, or any such thing. It's rather useful, if you put the time into it.

It's similar to one of the reasons why I keep this blog weekly: to remind myself of where I've been, so I can better understand where I'm going. Simple, when you think about it.

Which is why I don't like an endless stream of things on Fbook, or spam-post images all the time. I choose what I post and Like with care, to craft a better picture of my tastes for myself and for others as well. It's not so odd when you think about it and the whole process has actually given me an idea for a story, if you can believe it. I'll work up some initial paragraphs and see where it goes from there soon.

Neat, eh?

June 14 - Cool Riders

It's been a cool spring here in Victoria, and summer's almost here.

Not that I've minded, really. Riding my bike around means I do sweat most days, so as you can imagine  riding in high temperatures isn't fun, especially if I'm on my way to work and have to cool down first before starting.

It's also not like I'm getting a lot of 'outside time' either, as I don't have a patio and I'm not into outdoor sports like a lot of people here are. Soccer fields and baseball diamonds hold little appeal for me come the spring; instead, I like a quiet spot under a shady tree, or a good view of the mountains to the south - preferably out of the cool wind. Most days in the last month or so have had 'highs' in the low twenties, with middling humidity; again, nothing to sweat about, which is good.

We'll see what July brings with it, if there's any temperature increase, I may break out my shorts!

June 15 - People

Well, today was an odd one, bracketed by… jerks?

On the way into work, I encountered a jerk on a skateboard, who blocked the bike lane and was rude about it. Which was stupid, as he saw me coming and still didn't move aside for faster traffic... but perhaps he was as short on courtesy as he was on brains.

The second jerk came at the end of the day at work. I won't go into details, but suffice to say if he HAD gone into detail, he wouldn't have left upset, with me upset for not being able to help him, which is what it's all about in the end.

What I'm illustrating here is that when people are short on courtesy towards one another, it will inevitably lead to hurt feelings on both sides. I go out of my way to empathize with people in order to understand their point of view, but some folks can't or won't even entertain the idea of doing the same. Blame is the name of the game and as long as it's the other person's fault, then they get to feel better about themselves, even if they're angry.

Damn strange. That's all I have to say about today: more enlightenment about the human condition.

June 16 - Summer Busy?

Summer's almost here, and with it a lack of time.

With the good weather inevitably comes a full schedule for most people. For me, work's filling up my days and I have to decide what's going to fill up the rest of my time for the next few months.

I've already set aside a few hours for IT training once or twice a week, which isn't all that much when you think about it. But it has to happen regularly for us to finish the course.

That leaves four to five evenings a week, plus two days off, to divvy up as I need to.

Writing has to be in there, first thing. My novel's been speaking to me of late; it's been a year this month since I really started writing it in earnest and I think that's been long enough for it to 'sit' while my critique group helps me revise. I need to get in there and get chapter revisions done so I can solidify that third draft... which means I can submit it to agents and get the ball rolling at last. 

Other things? Well, a social life would be great; I'm working on that locally and it's not bad, but it's definitely not a weekly thing, as yet. My businesses have fallen onto the back burners, in the main for lack of time and direction. There's also the many things that I wish I'd be able to make time for, including catching up on reading, but for now I really have to just narrow my focus towards improving my life situation instead of circling around the fishbowl. With what I'm earning right now, there's not a lot of elbow room in here.

June 17 - Writing and Father's Day

In the morning today, I attended a writing seminar - online.

It was hosted by StarshipSofa.com, with a pair of established authors from the SciFi genre: Mike Resnick and Paul Di Filippo. Each of the authors spoke for about an hour on the topic of writing, passing along their knowledge. Mike Resnick's talk was expecially useful, as he offered insights into the business side of writing coming from over fifty years of being in the business; lots there to note, you can imagine!

I was even able to ask a question of the two authors regarding my novel, which thrilled me. I posed to them a question thusly: in science fiction, is humanity or a recognizable human influence necessary to the story to make it relatable to the reader? To my delight, both authors acknowledged that it was a good question, as neither of them could recall very many stories where truly alien 'aliens' were the centre of the stories. Mike Resnick was quick to point out that relatability is the key to good writing, as any relatable traits of aliens really means there IS something human underneath. Which meant that I'm thinking along the right lines when I'm composing my stories… and that makes me VERY happy!

As to it being Father's Day today: my dad had to work, so though I saw him briefly in the morning, we're doing something nice tomorrow as we all have a Monday off for a change. Life's funny that way sometimes.

It's easing towards 1am and I'm done this week's blog; added some pictures and called it a day. Have a good week!