Sunday, October 26, 2008
Weekend-ly, I guess
Another blah day in the Middle East. It’s Sunday, and there’s nobody home in my brain. I have no news aside from what I’ve already shared. So, Saturday’s a wash. Consider this my free write for Sunday. And that’s all, folks.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Weekly?
It’s harder to do this daily than I suspected. Oh well, on with the show...
Monday: Well, not much to say on the family front. I’m not with my family right now, which sucks. I’m pretty sure I should be able to think of something to say, but I just can’t come up with any more than I just love them all and wish I was home.
Tuesday: I’ve become quite disenchanted at work these days. I’m thinking of leaving Oman. I’ve pretty much had it up to my eyebrows with the crap here. I’ve got feelers out back in Rock Springs where I started with Big Red, and I’m also looking at working for a division of the company called Special Services. If any of these options work out schedule-wise, I think I’ll politely ask these people over here to stick this job where the sun is dimmest. On the writing side of life, I’ve been lax for a few days, trying to get some thoughts straight and plan a few things out.
Wednesday: I don’t have much on my mind right now, so I don’t have any musings to reveal. About the only off-the-subject thing I have to say, I said on the Tuesday portion of this post.
Thursday: I’m reading these:
Monday: Well, not much to say on the family front. I’m not with my family right now, which sucks. I’m pretty sure I should be able to think of something to say, but I just can’t come up with any more than I just love them all and wish I was home.
Tuesday: I’ve become quite disenchanted at work these days. I’m thinking of leaving Oman. I’ve pretty much had it up to my eyebrows with the crap here. I’ve got feelers out back in Rock Springs where I started with Big Red, and I’m also looking at working for a division of the company called Special Services. If any of these options work out schedule-wise, I think I’ll politely ask these people over here to stick this job where the sun is dimmest. On the writing side of life, I’ve been lax for a few days, trying to get some thoughts straight and plan a few things out.
Wednesday: I don’t have much on my mind right now, so I don’t have any musings to reveal. About the only off-the-subject thing I have to say, I said on the Tuesday portion of this post.
Thursday: I’m reading these:
- The Gardens of Kyoto; Kate Walbert. Still working on this one. Have only read a few pages since last update.
- Warbreaker; Brandon Sanderson. Very good so far. Read it, you’ll like it.
- Blaze; Richard Bachman (Steven King). Finished, and it’s good. A bit vulgar, but Mr. King is not known for being altogether “family friendly.” It’s a good story though. I recommend it.
- In Search of the Swan Maiden: A Narrative on Folklore and Gender; Barbara Fass Leavy. I read a bit of this one. It’s pretty dry, but a wealth of information.
Friday: Here’s the progress report. I’ve finished the first encounter in my D&D adventure, and will get back to work on it as soon as my state of mind and the level of real what-I-get-paid for work allows. My new novel is taking a backseat to the D&D thing, but I’ve been ruminating on it and I believe it will go pretty fast once I get back to it.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Another Marathon
Since it’s Sunday, I guess I need to catch up some more...
Friday: Progress report. Ummm, actually, by Friday, I had a whole fist full of nothing accomplished. Today, I have about 4100 words of a 10000 word D&D adventure scenario written. I’m not even sure yet if Wizards of the Coast is going to buy it, but its fun as all get out to write, so I keep on. I should be working my day job, but...meh.
Saturday: Exciting news and Happenings. I’m in Oman. Nothing exciting ever happens here. “Today, it was hot. Forecast for tomorrow: Hot.” The most exciting thing I have going on right now is taking a long nap.
Today’s a free write. This is it: Meh.
Can you tell I have been in front of the keyboard all day working on my D&D thing?
Friday: Progress report. Ummm, actually, by Friday, I had a whole fist full of nothing accomplished. Today, I have about 4100 words of a 10000 word D&D adventure scenario written. I’m not even sure yet if Wizards of the Coast is going to buy it, but its fun as all get out to write, so I keep on. I should be working my day job, but...meh.
Saturday: Exciting news and Happenings. I’m in Oman. Nothing exciting ever happens here. “Today, it was hot. Forecast for tomorrow: Hot.” The most exciting thing I have going on right now is taking a long nap.
Today’s a free write. This is it: Meh.
Can you tell I have been in front of the keyboard all day working on my D&D thing?
Friday, October 17, 2008
Marathon
Today is Thursday, October 16, 2008. I’m going to do a long marathon entry covering all my assigned topics so I can get caught up according to my schedule.
Mondays are for family. Coincidentally, that’s the subject I’ve assigned myself for my Monday posts. I don’t know how many people read this, but I can easily hazard to say that it’s at least one. My lovely Anne. She’s my biggest (okay, so far my only) fan. And guess what? If she’s the only one who ever reads anything I write, I’ll be happy with that. She’s really the only person I want to impress. At any rate, if there are any more of you out there, I’ll tell a bit how I arrived at the Monday philosophy. I’m a Mormon. For those of you who don’t know, that’s the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or the LDS church. (Interested? Don’t Google Mormon. You’ll get a zillion cubic butt-tons of anti-Mormon stuff that tells about how we’re this cult that sacrifices non-LDS babies on pagan altars at our Temple or how we all have horns or whatever. It’s really frustrating and at the same time kinda entertaining. People are pretty bigoted toward us, and for no good reason other than that we believe differently. Prejudice, thy name is Man. If you really want to know what we’re about, go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.com (or is that a .org too...can’t recall...). Better yet, next time those two young people knock at your door (the ones who are not the Jehovah’s Witnesses, anyway), invite them in. They really were sent by God to deliver a message to you. Failing that, at least don’t buy into all the anti-hype about us. We’re really Christians, and very much not-a-cult. Random proselytizing: check.) In the LDS faith, a huge amount of emphasis is placed on your family and the relationships you forge with them. And since we live in this modern world where everyone moves so fast and schedules are in constant flux, the church designated a day for just the fam. If you look around in Utah, you’ll find lots of businesses that are open Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Ninety-nine out of a hundred of those are prolly LDS-owned. Simple reasoning, really; Sunday is the Lord’s Day and Monday is for the family. Well, as my long-suffering Anne can confirm, I’m not so great as the so-called spiritual leader of my family. We’re supposed to do this thing on Mondays called Family Home Evening, where we get together and do something that brings us closer together. It can be on a spiritual subject or not, but the goal is to strengthen those familial bonds. Well, we don’t do that as much as we should. I blame it on the fact that I grew up in an inactive family (called Jack-Mormons). But that’s just an excuse. It’s really because I’m a turd. I know what I need to do, I just don’t do it. Don’t misunderstand; we have a great family life. We’re close, but we need to be closer.
Well, the goal of this long diatribe is to put myself on notice. I’m going to be better. It’s not going to be easy to break the old habits that have been forming all my life, but I’m going to do it. I owe it to my family.
Tuesdays, I have decided, are to be devoted to discussing plans and projects. So, here goes. I have abandoned my fantasy novel. This is on the advice of Brandon Sanderson and his crew of creative misfits on their podcast site www.writingexcuses.com. In one of the episodes, they advise that you put aside pet projects and do something completely different for your first novel. I found the advice to be sound. I really hate the idea of stagnating on something, and I have felt that I was doing just that. I tend to get really excited about things then lose all my focus and wallow. Thanks, adult ADD. Anyway, my new project is quite a departure. I tend to write for a mature audience. My short stories are often not something I’d let my kids read. (I know, I know. I’m supposed to be this big scion of morality, what with being a Mormon and all. I have already decided to tone down my naughtiness. Otherwise, I might just flub up and get myself into some sort of trouble.) The new book, thought, is for a younger audience. And, the biggest jog in concept for me is that the hero of the tale is going to be a girl. I’ve never done anything from a female point of view before. It should be a challenge, but one that helps me grow as a writer. At least that’s the hope.
Other projects:
Mondays are for family. Coincidentally, that’s the subject I’ve assigned myself for my Monday posts. I don’t know how many people read this, but I can easily hazard to say that it’s at least one. My lovely Anne. She’s my biggest (okay, so far my only) fan. And guess what? If she’s the only one who ever reads anything I write, I’ll be happy with that. She’s really the only person I want to impress. At any rate, if there are any more of you out there, I’ll tell a bit how I arrived at the Monday philosophy. I’m a Mormon. For those of you who don’t know, that’s the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or the LDS church. (Interested? Don’t Google Mormon. You’ll get a zillion cubic butt-tons of anti-Mormon stuff that tells about how we’re this cult that sacrifices non-LDS babies on pagan altars at our Temple or how we all have horns or whatever. It’s really frustrating and at the same time kinda entertaining. People are pretty bigoted toward us, and for no good reason other than that we believe differently. Prejudice, thy name is Man. If you really want to know what we’re about, go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.com (or is that a .org too...can’t recall...). Better yet, next time those two young people knock at your door (the ones who are not the Jehovah’s Witnesses, anyway), invite them in. They really were sent by God to deliver a message to you. Failing that, at least don’t buy into all the anti-hype about us. We’re really Christians, and very much not-a-cult. Random proselytizing: check.) In the LDS faith, a huge amount of emphasis is placed on your family and the relationships you forge with them. And since we live in this modern world where everyone moves so fast and schedules are in constant flux, the church designated a day for just the fam. If you look around in Utah, you’ll find lots of businesses that are open Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Ninety-nine out of a hundred of those are prolly LDS-owned. Simple reasoning, really; Sunday is the Lord’s Day and Monday is for the family. Well, as my long-suffering Anne can confirm, I’m not so great as the so-called spiritual leader of my family. We’re supposed to do this thing on Mondays called Family Home Evening, where we get together and do something that brings us closer together. It can be on a spiritual subject or not, but the goal is to strengthen those familial bonds. Well, we don’t do that as much as we should. I blame it on the fact that I grew up in an inactive family (called Jack-Mormons). But that’s just an excuse. It’s really because I’m a turd. I know what I need to do, I just don’t do it. Don’t misunderstand; we have a great family life. We’re close, but we need to be closer.
Well, the goal of this long diatribe is to put myself on notice. I’m going to be better. It’s not going to be easy to break the old habits that have been forming all my life, but I’m going to do it. I owe it to my family.
Tuesdays, I have decided, are to be devoted to discussing plans and projects. So, here goes. I have abandoned my fantasy novel. This is on the advice of Brandon Sanderson and his crew of creative misfits on their podcast site www.writingexcuses.com. In one of the episodes, they advise that you put aside pet projects and do something completely different for your first novel. I found the advice to be sound. I really hate the idea of stagnating on something, and I have felt that I was doing just that. I tend to get really excited about things then lose all my focus and wallow. Thanks, adult ADD. Anyway, my new project is quite a departure. I tend to write for a mature audience. My short stories are often not something I’d let my kids read. (I know, I know. I’m supposed to be this big scion of morality, what with being a Mormon and all. I have already decided to tone down my naughtiness. Otherwise, I might just flub up and get myself into some sort of trouble.) The new book, thought, is for a younger audience. And, the biggest jog in concept for me is that the hero of the tale is going to be a girl. I’ve never done anything from a female point of view before. It should be a challenge, but one that helps me grow as a writer. At least that’s the hope.
Other projects:
- I’m working on a D&D campaign for my kids and their friends. It’s been heap-good fun so far. If you’re an old-school RPG nerd like me and you have lost touch with the whole scene because you don’t think you have the time, pick up the 4th Edition of D&D. It’s very much a changed-for-the-better game.
- In relation to that, I’ve also picked up miniature painting again. Back in the day, I had a pretty huge collection of fantasy minis that I bought from my bro-in-law. I kick myself every day for selling all that stuff on eBay. *shakes fist at sky* Curse you, Poverty!!!
- I continue to teach myself guitar. I decompress by singing and playing.
- Home and handyman-related stuff is ongoing. I have a little surprise in mind for my Sweetness, but can’t dish that here. It’s gonna be awesome! She hates, hates, hates surprises! It makes me giddy as a school girl to keep her in the dark about what I’m planning for her!
Wednesdays, I’ve decided to devote to off-the-writing-subject topics. This is a blog designed to follow my meteoric (irony, anyone?) rise from obscurity, but I do have opinions on many subjects.
Right now, I’m a bit freaked out about what’s happening to my country. To really understand why I feel that way, we have to discuss my upbringing. My dad, whom I love and respect to the nth degree, raised me to be a patriot. He always told me that it was my generation that would be called upon to defend, perhaps with our very lives, the ideals that have made America great. I believe that. I’m not keen to join any whacko militias and start stockpiling weapons, but I’m not afraid to fight for what I know to be right and true. I’m worried that the time for action is close at hand. I’m not ready. I just want to raise my kids to the best of my ability and live my life. But, I also think Barack Obama is the anti-Christ. That dude scares the crap out of me. If he gets elected, I’m sure that things are going to go from the-suck to the-unbearable-suck double-time quick. And don’t take this statement as a ringing endorsement of all things McCain, either. I am a registered Republican, but I’m less of a party-line kind of guy than I am a reason-and-common-sense kind of guy. And, I know in my core that all politicians, no matter which side of the Aisle they’re on, are professional liars and whores.
The economy is another thing that’s got me a bit off kilter. I’m not one given to panic, but if I were, I would be deep in panic-mode about now. While I don’t foresee the humanitarian cost associated with the Great Depression being extracted from us as a result of this downturn, I do see a vast river of trouble ahead. I’m hoping that the fact that I work outside the US will help me stay afloat while things work themselves out, as I know they will, but as a wise man once said, “Hard time’s a-comin’.”
And that brings us to today. Today’s topic is What I’m Reading.
- Heck: Where The Bad Kids Go; can’t remember the author’s name. I’m reading this one at home with my wife. As I’m on the other side of the planet, we won’t be reading this one much.
- Eldest; Christopher Paolini. Just finished. I’m a bit disappointed. It was a good book, but pretty dry throughout. Even the end battle scene was slow. Still, it was a fine exploration of the world Mr. Paolini created and we got to see more of what being a Rider means.
- Carpe Demon: The Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom; Julie Kenner. Another book recommended by my Sweet. Great fun, too. Finished it in about three days. Likeable characters, good story, fun twist at the end. Highly recommended if you want to look into the life of a Super Hero turned Super Mom.
- The Gardens of Kyoto; Kate Walbert. Still working on this one. Also recommended by Lovely Anne. I recommend it to anyone who wants to read some of the best prose I’ve ever come across.
- All kinds of Wizards of the Coast D&D stuff. Play RPGs! They’re more fun than a bucket of monkeys!
- Warbreaker; Brandon Sanderson. This is going to be a great book. I recommend you download it as soon as you can, then buy it when it releases. The ideas behind the magic system only get better as I get further into it. My hat’s off to you, Brandon.
- Blaze; Richard Bachman (Steven King). This one is next on my list, but I haven’t started it yet. I’ll let you know next Thursday.
- In Search of the Swan Maiden: A Narrative on Folklore and Gender; Barbara Fass Leavy. I know I said I was picking this one up for research before, but I never got to it. I’ll let you know next Thursday on this one too.
- Telecosm: How Infinite Bandwidth will Revolutionize Our World; George Gilder. This is another research-type book that I will report on next Thursday.
- The Wheel of Time; Robert Jordan. It's time to start through this series again. I’m excited to see the 12th book Brandon Sanderson is working on.
Free Write
Today is Sunday, October 12, 2008. According to my blog schedule, which is preliminary, Sundays are a free-write day. Let’s see where it goes, shall we?
The room I’m in is cold. They always are. I’m in a hotel in Oman, and I have to drive down into the desert tomorrow. It’s 5:AM, and I haven’t slept all night. I slept from about 3 yesterday afternoon until after 8, so I feel pretty rested. Anyway, it’s cold in here. I need to put my shoes on because my socks aren’t keeping my feet warm. There are also never any comfortable chairs in this particular hotel, so I’m sitting on a hard little table and my butt is killing me. Anyway, it’s always cold in my room because I always crank the cooler up. I like it cold, but acclimating to the Middle Eastern heat has made me more sensitive to it. My wife loves that. She’s always freezing, so the heat might be on in the middle of summer. I’m also starting to get hungry. Luckily it’s almost breakfast time. I’ll go get something soon. Back to the cold thing. I have written several poems to my wife about how it’s always cold without her. I think the reason is because I actively try to make myself uncomfortable when I’m not with her. It would explain why I’m always shivering but almost never turn up the heat.
Well, that’s all I care to say for now. Maybe I’ll do two posts for today. I’m writing in Word, then going to port everything to my blog when I get to my office tomorrow. Of course, the rumor is that I’ll be going down to a camp in the southern part of the country where there is no internet access, so maybe I’ll just have to post all of this stuff much later. I’m going to try to stick to the schedule so I can do my daily writing, though.
Talk to everyone later.
The room I’m in is cold. They always are. I’m in a hotel in Oman, and I have to drive down into the desert tomorrow. It’s 5:AM, and I haven’t slept all night. I slept from about 3 yesterday afternoon until after 8, so I feel pretty rested. Anyway, it’s cold in here. I need to put my shoes on because my socks aren’t keeping my feet warm. There are also never any comfortable chairs in this particular hotel, so I’m sitting on a hard little table and my butt is killing me. Anyway, it’s always cold in my room because I always crank the cooler up. I like it cold, but acclimating to the Middle Eastern heat has made me more sensitive to it. My wife loves that. She’s always freezing, so the heat might be on in the middle of summer. I’m also starting to get hungry. Luckily it’s almost breakfast time. I’ll go get something soon. Back to the cold thing. I have written several poems to my wife about how it’s always cold without her. I think the reason is because I actively try to make myself uncomfortable when I’m not with her. It would explain why I’m always shivering but almost never turn up the heat.
Well, that’s all I care to say for now. Maybe I’ll do two posts for today. I’m writing in Word, then going to port everything to my blog when I get to my office tomorrow. Of course, the rumor is that I’ll be going down to a camp in the southern part of the country where there is no internet access, so maybe I’ll just have to post all of this stuff much later. I’m going to try to stick to the schedule so I can do my daily writing, though.
Talk to everyone later.
Nothing Happening
Today is Saturday, October 11, 2008, and I am back in Oman. It was an uneventful trip, for the most part. I was able to trade my window seats for aisle seats on the trip, which is better for me considering that I’m such a large guy. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it here, but I’m a big dude; 374 pounds big the last time I weighed myself on a scale that doesn’t just shout for me to get my fat butt off of it when I climb on. I’ve been big for as long as I can remember, though, so no fat joke can bother me. In fact, as you can see, I’m the first to crack a fat joke because I long ago decided that I’m okay with the fact that I’m rotund.
Well, that’s actually not the case... I really hate being fat. With every ounce of me, I hate it. That’s a lot of hate. It used to bother me, but what’s the use of going through life with no sense of self-worth when you can just decide to get over it?
Anyway, I guess that’s my news. My Sweet and I attended a preliminary meeting to get me on the road to health. I’m going to have gastric bypass surgery sometime after the first of the year. I have to gather some medical info and get my insurance company to sign off, then I’m under the knife. Or laser. Or whatever...
That’s it for this post. More tomorrow, I hope.
Read something good for me.
Well, that’s actually not the case... I really hate being fat. With every ounce of me, I hate it. That’s a lot of hate. It used to bother me, but what’s the use of going through life with no sense of self-worth when you can just decide to get over it?
Anyway, I guess that’s my news. My Sweet and I attended a preliminary meeting to get me on the road to health. I’m going to have gastric bypass surgery sometime after the first of the year. I have to gather some medical info and get my insurance company to sign off, then I’m under the knife. Or laser. Or whatever...
That’s it for this post. More tomorrow, I hope.
Read something good for me.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
This is Daily?
Yeah, I know. I said daily, but sometimes life gets in the way.
At any rate, I went to a reading/signing down at my local library. It was Brandon Sanderson! My lovely wife went with me, and we had a nice time. He read from an unpublished work, called The Way of Kings I think. It was quite good. Gravity-based magic. Super cool. He talked about A Memory of Light and some of his other works, specifically the Alcatraz books. He was quite funny and personable. We bought hardcovers of the the 1st and 2nd Alcatraz books, with the second one being an early release, and numbered 11 of 50 as well (Brandon said he generally numbers the first 50 he signs).
The whole experience was fun and enlightening. We could tell that he's really busy these days. He was really pale and pretty stoop-shouldered. He also made me feel very inadequate. He says he generally writes three books a year. THREE!!! I struggle to get three chapters a year! Of course, I also see more than just a bit of sun...
Ah well, he's a full-time author-type guy, and I'm just a working stiff. I'll just keep plugging along.
More later...
CL
At any rate, I went to a reading/signing down at my local library. It was Brandon Sanderson! My lovely wife went with me, and we had a nice time. He read from an unpublished work, called The Way of Kings I think. It was quite good. Gravity-based magic. Super cool. He talked about A Memory of Light and some of his other works, specifically the Alcatraz books. He was quite funny and personable. We bought hardcovers of the the 1st and 2nd Alcatraz books, with the second one being an early release, and numbered 11 of 50 as well (Brandon said he generally numbers the first 50 he signs).
The whole experience was fun and enlightening. We could tell that he's really busy these days. He was really pale and pretty stoop-shouldered. He also made me feel very inadequate. He says he generally writes three books a year. THREE!!! I struggle to get three chapters a year! Of course, I also see more than just a bit of sun...
Ah well, he's a full-time author-type guy, and I'm just a working stiff. I'll just keep plugging along.
More later...
CL
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)