Birthdays, Breathing Room and Brad Pitt

The word of the week is anabasis.

July 14 -Fan-tastic!

The things some people do on their spare time - WOW!

Take a gander at this stunning 30-second 3D render that someone created as a tribute to Futurama, which is best viewed in full-screen in all its glory:

Futurama 3d (test shot) from seccovan on Vimeo.

Just incredible.

I mean, even going frame by frame, the level of detail is mind-boggling in its exactitude and variety. The perfect sense of depth conveyed pulls you right into the animated world of Fry, the Professor, Leela and all the others. The artist, Alexy Zakharov, put his own twist on the world of Futurama as well in his 'test shot' - if you look closely at the green Planet Express ship, you can see that it is not all sleek or shiny but rather battered-looking. I imagine this interpretation is due to the poor maintenance efforts of the Planet Express crew, which is justifiable I suppose.

Even in the future, somebody has to wash the ship and touch up the paint once in a while.

July 15 - Breathing Room

Already my new job has borne fruit, in the form of spare change.

Having a touch of positive cash flow again has been wonderful. Being able to purchase small things now and again has really helped lift my spirits daily. Case in point: I've been popping over to a small bakery near work on my morning break once or twice a week to purchase a fresh roll, of which they make new varieties daily. The fresh bread always perks up my day and I enjoy the interaction with the friendly staff, who are always glad to see me. Such are the little things of life, of being able to enjoy each day a little more and not limit oneself by the echoing emptiness of one's pocketbook, week to week.

Anyone else have one of these?

My more long-term goals are fluid, in that I've reduced my expenses to the minimums by not having a mortgage or a car or all the other things I've mentioned in this blog already that tend to bog down one's budget. Reducing debt and keeping myself free of the burdens of the material are my two major fiscal goals for the next few years, so that I can continue to enjoy the little things in life while not worrying about how I'll be able to afford the mid-sized or bigger things. I'll let those take care of themselves, as right now I don't need any of them.

Contest prizes and gifts from billionaires are excepted, of course!

July 16 - 41 Already?

Time really does fly, especially on a birthday!

My day got off to a wonderful start, having breakfast at Denny's with my father on a lovely morning with blue skies and bright sunshine. It also helped that my meal was free, as Denny's traditionally offers a Grand Slam breakfast( or something else of the same value ) free to anyone on their birthday. Sold!

When I got to work, I found this waiting for me at my desk; I love my coworkers!

I spent a very relaxed day at work, with no problems crossing my desk at all and thoroughly enjoying my time working on my birthday, for once. For that alone, I am grateful for my current job.

Getting home, I was soon out again for dinner down at Bubby's Kitchen with my parents and my sister. I was feeling better, as for some reason around noon today I felt lightheaded and nauseous, which I can only presume was a foretaste of some future senility visiting me in an odd moment of time travel. In another odd moment, I saw this at the table next to us:

Dinner next to 'Brangelina' would have made my day - again!

The last part of my evening was pretty quiet, when I got to read a little and just relax. It had actually been a rather tiring day due to my so-so constitution and I was glad to hit the hay somewhat early with a smile on my face at how many people had wished me well on my birthday. I was also very well outfitted, having received a substantial new wardrobe from my family to better outfit me for my office job:

So... much... style... and all mine!

No longer will I have to endure their loving comments that my pants no longer fit me and that my shirts were all at least 10 years out of style. Don't they know that being out of style IS my style?

Thanks, everyone - see you next year!

July 17 - Whose Life?

Well, this could have been dangerous for me to find: a B5 Roleplaying group.

At least, it would have if I'd found it years ago.

Instead, I hung out with a great small crowd in NWN online and never looked back. I was totally unaware that back in 2007, a bunch of people had got together in the VR game Second Life to create Babylon Roleplay, a world dedicated to recreating Babylon 5 in all it's glory - virtually.

Part of the Second Life universe, where literally almost ANYTHING can be created in 3D, the recreation of Babylon 5 was a massive undertaking. 3D models are, by their nature, complex beasts and the ones that were made for B5 Roleplaying in Second Life were just amazing. Have a look:

Unfortunately( or fortunately? )I never got into Second Life and at the moment, I am no curious enough to dedicate what would likely be a too-large portion of my time to finding out if the place still exists or not. While being able to virtually walk the halls of Babylon 5 would be a unique thrill for me, I have the feeling that such an experience might not be all that I expect. Part of any fictional world is its people and while B5 RP might have the sets, I am not sure that anyone's home any more.

It'd be a stellar irony if the B5 in Second Life vanished like all the other Babylon stations did…

July 18 - Volleyball!

It's been a while...

After work today, I joined several dozen of my coworkers( yes, there's a lot of us who like each other! )to relax in the sun, have a few drinks and play beach volleyball at The Rooftop Surf Club nearby.

Situated atop the expansive( and not too expensive )Sticky Wicket here in downtown Victoria, the Rooftop boasts not one but two beach volleyball courts along with a very high netting fence to catch stray volleyballs. We had control of one court and very quickly had a game going, with five people on each side doing their best to serve up defeat to their opponents:

We played with true grit - in our eyes!

I was right in there from the start, smashing and bashing smartly as I had in years past. Probably at least 10 years past, from what I recall and I was pleased to see that I hadn't lost my touch, though I had to be careful not to faceplant myself occasionally. Everyone was in great spirits and no one was inclined to bully, meaning that every game was just sheer fun for all the players on the court. I made myself quite a name as a superior server, placing the ball into the gaps between players almost every time. I also held up my end in returning and blocking balls, with some fantastic saves that scored big points with my teammates.

The high winds meant that players rotated out regularly to wash the grit from their eyes but most were still game when I called it quits about two hours into the evening. I had had several rests off-court and by then I knew my arms were not going to take any more, even with my careful attention not to overuse or abuse them in each game. I excused myself and left quite happy with my performance and the evening in general. Fun!

At home, I iced my arms for several hours on and off, as well as applying an anti-inflammatory cream a few times before bed. My careful attention worked, as I woke the next day with only the barest trace of fatigue in my arms and no pain whatsoever, for which I was incredibly relieved and grateful!

Having fun shouldn't hurt and today that proved very true in a most welcome way!

July 19 - Write!

A fantastic scene just about wrote itself this afternoon.

I say this because it's how my process works when I'm writing my novel. I know in general what the scene is to be beforehand, thanks to my detailed outline, but it's up to my Muse in my mind to work together to bring everything to life on the page.

Today that happened so smoothly that it was like I was simply quoting a book I'd already written. The scene unfolded in my mind and I dictated it as it happened, sentence after sentence flowing out from my lips to land in perfect sequences that sounded completely right to my ear.

After only two hours, over 1,000 words had appeared and I was extremely pleased with how the scene turned out. It was one that I wasn't sure about it at all going into was just my outline and what resulted was even better than I'd hoped, with characters revealing themselves exactly as I wanted them to from my mind.

Now, I've heard it said that 'beginning writers' see their works as 'films in their heads' wheras more seasoned writers build of their stories block by block like master masons do with stonework. From what I can tell, this is a disparaging view and one that I do not share, as the scenes in my head are vivid and I can build from them( with a fair effort on my part ) I complete story piece by piece as though I'm an observer - just as I've said previously in this very blog. I do wish though, that I had a Writing Retreat, kind of like this one:

I believe that whatever method a writer uses to connect with their Muse is correct. There's no one way of creating art. However an artist chooses to create, it is the results at the end that matter almost as much as the process and as long as the artist learns along the way from that process then Art is well-served.

So why aren't you creating something right now?

PS - I played DnD again for the second week in a row tonight and it was Very Good indeed - we found L00t!

July 20 - Zip, there goes the day!

It was my second consecutive weekend off today and I was very busy!

Along with finishing and edit of a story for my critique group tomorrow night, I worked on some marketing materials for my first novel. I created some cards to hand out to people, with the idea that they could be passed along and serve as bookmarks, to create good word-of-mouth before my book's eventual launch in the misty near future.

Here's a preview:

For security reasons, I've blurred part of the image, as I don't know what an Agent or Publisher might require in terms of contract obligations regarding the reveal of imagery or plot or other details regarding the books. At least online, I won't be giving out any details officially, though you can feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or just want to chat me up about my novel a bit - I love doing that!

Days like today can be tiring when you mix in catching up with one's week in terms of chores, obligations, bills, paperwork and all the other sundry things that chip away at one's time budget. Yet the sense of satisfaction that you get from finishing a solid days work and collapsing into bed at the end is something I can't quite describe. Perhaps this says it best:

That about sums it all up for me right now.

Amazingly enough, I wrote this week's blog in two hours flat, including pictures searches and formatting. That's a new record for me, given how busy I've been with a day job to pay the bills and an evening job writing my novel. I'm almost up to Chapter 5 of the second book which is really taking shape, though I have a lot of work left to do hammering out the specifics of the outline for the chapters to come. I better put my head down and get to it; have a good week, everyone!

Harry Potter, Hirsuteness and Hindsight

The word of the week is vibrissa.

July 7 - Random Repair

*sproing!**plink*

That was the sound of my glasses spontaneously failing today.

I was chatting with a friend after work outside, enjoying the sunshine when the frame of my glasses failed at the left temple due to metal fatigue. I managed to catch the lens as it dropped away from my face and so avoided having it hit the sidewalk, potentially scratching it and adding insult to injury.

I was not impressed; glasses are expensive and not in my budget or covered by my current health plan in any substantial way.

Making do with a thin strip of brown duct tape as a temporary repair measure for the evening, I coped as best I could while searching for a solution. Ironically, I'd already ordered a pair of computer glasses from Hong Kong last week at modest cost, rather than the princely sum they would have cost locally. At the time, I debated adding a pair of 'backup glasses' to my order but I decided not to, as the budget would've been rather tight.

This was pretty much my expression...

Then the *sproing* today happened and well, that's hindsight for you.

Luckily enough, a kind optician at Walmart told me that a local jewelers regularly offered eyeglass repair for a modest fee and for a wonder they were just around the corner from where I work downtown. I went in the very next day on my morning break and came back an hour later to find they had been perfectly repaired - I could barely see the join, even at close range:

Right above the screw - stupid camera phone...

Needless to say I was extremely relieved and had also learned my lesson, which again is ironic as I'm well-known for always having a backup plan for situation. I'll be ordering a pair of backup glasses as soon as I have the budget and the first pair of glasses that I ordered in-hand, to ensure they're up to snuff.

I can't see myself doing otherwise, as I'm no longer blind to the consequences of being unprepared.

July 8 - From Imagination to Reality

In last week's post, I mentioned how authors sometimes see their characters brought to life by cosplay which can be an illuminating experience. When reality meets fiction, great things happen, kind of like what Mass Effect fans get whenever this lady shows up to a convention:

For fans of the Harry Potter series, such an experience has just arrived as The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter opened today in Orlando, FL.

Now, I'm not a die-hard Harry Potter fan, though I admit I do like the series and enjoyed the films. I do feel that things like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter do much to expand people's imaginations. Similar to the now-defunct Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas, physical locations for fictional worlds allow people to literally step into the stories that their minds have pictured, to have real experiences. To touch, hear, taste, feel and see stories brought to life are why places like Disney World have always been popular to people of all ages who all share active imaginations.

I think it looks great - but why the snow?

In the case of Wizarding World, great care has been taken not to 'break' the experience for visitors. All of the buildings have been built high enough so that no other parts of the amusement park can be seen from any point in the Harry Potter area. This is important and I can relate a personal story along these lines, from when I visited Epcot in Florida many years ago. There was an underwater exhibit, built to simulate a deep-sea installation where visitors 'took' an elevator deep under the surface of the ocean to then browse around the 'station' on the ocean floor. Huge windows built into the set design all opened onto gigantic salt-water aquariums, surrounded by expensive sets designed to emulate an underwater station in every detail. It was a lovely experience and you really felt like you are underwater.

Right up until I turned a corner and saw that someone had propped open an exit door with a chair, letting in daylight from the access way outside - on the surface. It broke the illusion and I felt very disappointed.

For those who visit Wizarding World, I hope very much that no muggles manage to make their way into the park and that a beneficent spell will ensure that everyone's experience there is magical.

July 9 - Jedi Powers!

Three years ago, I had to stop playing video games.

This was due to the damage that had occurred to my wrists and I've barely played video games since, stubbornly refusing to admit it by degrees but eventually giving up due to the pain that holding a controller( or a PC mouse )for long periods of time causes me. Hope is eternal, however, and technology always advances.

Which is why I sat up straight when I read about the Myo.

As may have surmised from the name, the Myo( short for myoelectric )is an armband that translates electrical impulses from muscles into usable data that can be read by a computer very accurately.

Meaning that you can just move your arm, snap your fingers or make any gesture in any direction and the Myo will accurately read that action. Depending on what software and platform the Myo is hooked up to, you can do almost anything that you can with a keyboard and mouse, although I imagine accurate typing just by thinking about typing is quite a few years off. Still, the video is impressive:

However, back to my original point: I may be able to play video games again without actually using my hands. Believe it or not, that's a big thing to me, as there's a huge social aspect to it that I miss quite a lot( the fact that I miss quite a lot in the games is neither here nor there )and something that I'd like to get back into, even in a limited way.

I'm really excited to see what platforms( ie. the Xbox360 and PC! )will be supported by developers who have already got their hands( pun intended )on the Myo - we'll be seeing the first products that use this revolutionary device hit the market this fall... plenty of time for people to purchase one for Christmas.

Each grain of sand is an idea - look closely...

On a writing note: a great beginning was finished today!

I completed the full introductory chapter of Book 2, which was fairly difficult to conceptualize and write. I am very pleased with the rough draft of what I came up with, as it hits the right balance of tone, character and story introduction to bring readers into the book - both those familiar with my previous novel and new readers both. My experience in writing the first book means that I know this first draft has to be tidied up and likely expanded on, but again the rough work is solid and I can definitely build on it.

That’s a huge relief to me, knowing that my beginning has turned out exactly as I hoped it would. Now I just have to write another 39 chapters or so and the second novel's first draft will be done!

July 10 - Love a reader?

Apparently, readers make the best lovers.

Don't believe me? You can read all about it here in this article, or just look at this photo evidence:

Being grateful is also part of being a good reader and, by definition, a good writer.

Grateful for the wonderful stories that you've come across that have touched your life. Grateful for the opportunities to develop one's own writing and for the helpful feedback you have received along the way.

Grateful as well for established authors who help foster new talent, like Michael Stackpole, whom I met in Arizona last year and who played no small part in giving me the confidence I needed to complete my first book at a time of great instability in my life. When I met him, albeit briefly, I felt an immediate connection and later on I found out that my initial impressions were correct: he's one of the good ones. Mr. Stackpole's website, Stormwolf.com, is packed with information useful to new writers. In a interview that I came across about his involvement in the Second Life online virtual world, Mike very eloquently stated where his desire to help other writers stems from:

Q: You hold weekly office hours in SL and answer all kinds of questions from all levels of writers. Not many authors take the time to support the dreams and goals of other writers. Why do you think that is important?

MS: Two reasons. First, I was very lucky, when I started, to have writers like Manly Wade Wellman, Hugh B. Cave, Roger Zelazny and Fred Saberhagen offer advice and opportunities for me to get better and advance my career. Sharing what I learned from them is a way to honor the gift they gave me. Second, and this is selfish, but when I want to sit down and read, I like having good books to read. I hope, by helping young authors, I can guarantee a crop of books that I’ll enjoy.

Michael Stackpole, along with other writers of his caliber, are one of the main reasons why I hold out hope about making a living in the business. The enthusiasm and encouragement that he offers does make a difference and for people like myself who are just starting out, it's the difference between deciding to persevere and giving up before one really should.

I have a lot of stories to tell, so thank-you, Mike: You do good work.

July 11 - Happily Hirsute

Two compliments in one day!

It's been nine months since I birthed a mustache and decided to keep it, having grown rather attached to the concept. I like it for the easy maintenance compared to a full beard or even a goatee, both of which I've had in the past. If you're unfamiliar with some of the great mustaches of history, Esquire has a list of the Top 15 Best Moustaches of All Time, including how those various lovely 'staches came into being.

Today, two different strangers complimented me on my mustache, one of whom had a 'stache of his own. Needless to say, I was tickled and strutted about for some time afterwards, proudly showing off my lip fuzz that I've grown so fond of. Much like the men of the old West used to, as you might see here:

Seeing as I've joined the august ranks of such mustachioed men as Tom Selleck, Chris Hadfield, Alex Trebek, and even Einstein, it's hard not to enjoy my lip warmer. The first complement today was especially lovely, coming as it did from a young lady who shyly asked me if I knew that my mustache reminded her of Clark Gable's, one of the sexiest men in film history.

Let me tell you, that really put a smile on my face, as did this picture:

The Stewart 'stache - words fail me. So... awesome...

July 12 -Build Bridges, Don't Live Under 'Em

While browsing a few news articles this morning on the 'net, I stumbled across a troll.

An internet troll, in case you didn't know, is easily recognizable: 

I can't wait for the movie!

This particular troll was unusual, as he'd commented several times on different people's comments in the same article. Curious as to why he was so vocal, I followed up the link to see his other postings… and discovered that he had a LOT to say. From the brief glimpse I had of his( it was very likely a male from his avatar and general comment style )posting history, this individual LIVED to troll people on Yahoo, spending hours every day leaving brief, snarky and poorly-worded comments on practically every article posted of a day - no mean feat, if you'll pardon the pun. At first glance, he seemed like a total jerk.

Then I started to see other comments he'd made, ones not so snarky as much as they were simplistic and, as I read on, seemingly ignorant in general. The troll looked less like an opportunistic baiter and more like someone who couldn't see themselves for what they were really doing: being a total jerk instead of 'giving their opinion' on topics, especially on comments they didn't really comprehend.

When I first found the troll, I felt disgust and some anger, in that anyone could be so callous. Then, as I followed the comment trail to see the troll's history, my disgust shifted into  disbelief that any person could be so self-blind and finally, at the last, pity: that they have to live with themselves in that state and that they don't have anyone in their life who can tell them they're being a total waste of skin.

Trolls: the internet's full of them. If someone you know is a troll, tell them and help save a life.

On the personal side of things, I got a lot of house-chores done today when I wasn't relaxing for a spell here and there or ignoring trolls. My evening was spent way, way north of Victoria, past even Bear Mountain where used to live, deep in the twisting roads of the Western Highlands. The remote location was where our DnD game was being hosted for the evening, a lovely new home situated up one of the steepest and most winding concrete-paved driveways I've ever had the pleasure of driving up.

The game itself was a pleasure, for as I've mentioned the camaraderie amongst the players and the DM is simply fantastic. There's not an ego to be fought, so all the combat is saved for the creatures we encounter and even then, as tonight was an example, we don't necessarily stab first and forget to ask questions later. There was a lot of thinking involved and I managed to come up with the pivotal idea of the evening which had our group searching for clues rather than rifling pockets of monsters we'd chopped up. 

A good time was definitely had by all once again and it was a very interesting ride home in the dark on the winding, tree-lined roads which seem to turn in a new direction every 50 feet or so for at least 20 km continuously. I don't know how people can live that far off the main path without having the reflexes of a cat as well as an SUV in the winter, plus a lot of just plain old luck not to miss a sudden 90° curve.

Living on a main road here in Victoria seems fractionally better after tonight's drive, I must admit.

July 13 - Writing Shoes!

I now own a new pair of indoor writing shoes.

Yes, that's right: this pair of sneakers will never leave my house except in a box and never on my feet. Their sole( sorry ) use will be to let me pace in comfortable circles as I write. Picture them thusly:

Zoom in on the extravagant detail... they're well-red shoes.

As most of you know, I dictate my stories, walking around with a headset on as I speak: the words being transcribed for me into written form, mostly with human assistance. This frees me from the inherent distractions of the process, where a misspelled word or turn of phrase doesn't look right on the screen and I stopp to correct it - which interrupts the Flow. 

If you're not aware of what Flow is, then I highly recommend reading this article from the amazing BrainPickings.org website, which is told in the words of Tchaikovsky who was one of the first artists to recognize what Flow was and its importance to the creative process.

My own process is fairly simple to describe: the story's already there and I'm glimpsing it as it unfolds, piece by piece.

Which means I'm half-here sometimes, as my mind's eye opens up unto vistas others can't see and I have to write down what I envisage, before it vanishes again into the mists. The term 'scatter-brained' comes to mind, as has been used to describe some artists - writers included - who occupy that Other place more than they do our shared reality here.

The second evening of my weekend off was very pleasant, coming as it did on the heels of writing all afternoon to the sound of completing another chapter of my book - a very satisfying session overall, I have to say. During a break in the writing time, two friends texted me, asking if I'd like to join them both for dinner a little later on.

Seeing as I'm a writer who works a steady day job and and writes most every evening, it doesn't make for a lot of social time, so I happily agreed. We went out to 1550's, where we spent almost 2 hours on the patio in the perfect summer evening, chatting about many things including my book( but not too much on that! )as well as a fair amount of technobabble that I thoroughly enjoyed. I also thought the Monte Cristo sandwich I ordered was very well put together and tasty, being surprised as I was to find it as a regular item on a local menu. Perhaps it's a good thing that the restaurant isn't all that close to where I live, as my feet might lead me there too often than is healthy for my wallet or my constitution.

I know I said I'd be writing shorter blog post, but it seems that I have to work my way down to such. Today just happened to work out perfectly in terms of having the time I need in the evening, which I'm not sure will happen all that often in the future as I'm reserving Sundays entirely for working on my novel from sunup to sundown. I never know how my week's going to go in terms of energy levels, so I figure that even if I work all five weekdays as well as a Saturday, I'll still have Sunday to plug away at my book. Because it's all about getting the writing time in, whenever possible.