Tag Archives: general

My poor neglected blog

Life has been so topsy turvy of late that I have failed to do any updates to my personal blog. So here’s a quick update of what’s been happening in my life.

Feb 2, Superbowl Sunday, I took a solo trip to Universal Studios Hollywood.This was a blast. Because it was Superbowl sunday the freeways were clear and attendance at the park was light. I never waited very long for shows or rides and I had a wonderful time. I bought a year long pass and plan two or three more trip during the next twelve months. Hopefully a few with friends.

Feb 3rd was the beginning of the crisis period. I woke with extremely bad stomach cramps and called in sick to work. But mid-morning I knew I was in serious trouble and through my wife arranged to see a doctor. (At this time I feared food poisoning.) The cramps did not go away and I was unable to eat. The doctor’s officer grew concerned and on Weds ordered me to an emergency room as they had been unable to get a diagnostic test approved. (see there are ALWAYS bureaucrats between you and your doctors, they just aren’t always government ones.)

I was scanned at the E.R. and admitted straight into the hospital for surgery the next day to remove my Gall Bladder; the third organ now removed from my original factory specs. (First being tonsils and second being my appendix.) Because I apparently had a nasty infection with the gallstones, I was on IV antibiotics for a day and half and spent both weds night and thursday night in the hospital. I was released Friday morning with holes in my torso, pain pills prescribed, and an order for a week of rest.

I’ve been watching a LOT of documentaries on Netflix, and Amazon Prime — god damn this is so much better than cable TV — and trying to daily cut down my use of pain meds. The dosage I am prescribed is 1-2 pills every four to six hours, what I have been maintaining is 1 pill every 4-5 hours and today I tried to go without, but I wasn’t ready for that.

Soon I’ll start posting mini reviews of the Documentaries I have been watching.

A busy busy week

The day job has been a real job all week long. Yesterday started out slow, and I even began composing an essay on the latest rewatch in my James Bond adventure (The Man With the Golden Gun,) but a sudden power failure, stole the piece and I have ventured to recreate it yet.

I have finished the first draft of my latest novel ‘Command and Control,” and I have even finished the revision pass, but I discovered that there were scenes needed that I had neglected to write. So I’m doing what they call in Hollywood, pick-ups. Writing those scenes, smoothing them out, and editing them into the piece so the story will flow properly. I expect to have that done by the middle of next week and then I’ll turn it over to my sweetiw-wife for her proofread pass. After that, Beta readers!

I had a really rough day today. Lots of work at the day job. People making the work harder than it needed to me. The bleeding air conditioning came on and by afternoon I was freezing with my toes colder that Captain America down for a nap. Luckiyl things turned for the better when I got home.

I sold a short story to an electronic online magazine, Encounters. My story, Proof of Principle, if all goes well, will appear in the next issue due out Feb 1. It was only a token payment, but as I really loved this story I am so very happy to share it with a real readership.

thats all for now.

Welcome to 2013 goodbye to 2012

Today was my first day job day back at the desk and so I can safely say that the new year has begun. Strangely New Year’s Day didn’t feel all that different to me yesterday. I stayed at home and relaxed, my sweetie-wife did some shopping and we played a couple of games. (Star Trek The Original Series: the Deck Building Game & Dominion, but fun games.)

I look back at 2012 and see that I achieved all my writing goals. Stories submitted to at least three pro-level publications, entered all four quarters of Writers of The Future, and completed the first draft of my latest novel. (That one was down to the wire with a Dec 28th final session.) Once the novel was completed in its first draft I relaxed and planned on no more writing for about a month.

My plan is to read the novels I have purchased, but have laid around on my Nook unread. In fact I have read two books already, Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress it is craft book on writing and it is very good. Also I finished reading last night, Zombie Movies by Glenn Kay and encyclopedia of zombie movies from the 1930’s through about 2004. For novels I am currently reading The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross, and after that I have Snuff by Terry Pratchett, A Summer of Night by Dan Simmons and Quantum Coin by E.C. Myers.

Somewhere in the middle of all that I will start writing again about Feb, working on my next entry for the Writers of the Future, and then start revising Command & Control.After all that? Well, write another book.

Welcome to post 1000

This is post number 1000, and being human I thought I’d celebrate this pointless achievement.

I’ve had this blog for just over 1200 days, starting it way back in May of ~~2007~~ 2009. So I am averaging a post every 1.24 days or so. The posts have generated 1040 comments, so I am averaging just north of a comment per post. Nearly all from three core commenters, and then a smattering from others.

129 posts have been marked with the ‘politics’ tags, so I don’t appear the be a one trick pony, though politics will always be an interest if mine.

Movies in general are tagged 197 and 95 tags for Sunday Night Movies.

There has been a whopping 91,926 attempts to post spam as comments. Given that this blog is really a low traffic sight, primarily read by family and friends, I found the amount of spam truly staggering. Luckily the plug0in Askimet handles the filtering duties with real effectiveness and power.

When I started this blog I had hopes of breaking into novel publishing, and while that did not occur as quickly as I would have wished, it remains a steadfast goal that I will achieve with the love of support of my sweetie-wife and close friends.

Here’s hope that the next three years will continue to see growth and publication.

My sister has a blog

I’ve added it to my blog roll like a good little brother. It just launched today so we’ll have to see where she goes with it.

http://thomjoy.us/musings/

Another General Posting

The frequent eye strain headaches have made the desire to sit and compose blog posts rather rare of late. After spending 8 hours at the computer for my day job I am disinclined to spend much more at home. Even bumping up the font only helps so much. However on Wednesday I had my annual eye exam, discovered that the axis of my astigmatism had shifted quite a bit. So while my visual acuity is about the same, I still require new lens. They have been ordered, 7-10 days which is like something from the last century, and when I get them I should be back to my old happy self.

Having just finished the Book of Job, I’m about halfway through my reading of the Old Testament. God has finished making he transition to a spirit above and encompassing the world, quite a change from the wrestling guy in Genesis or the dude who appeared, wrapped in smoke and flame like a Balrog, above magic boxes. I’m not sure if I will finish this read, it has been sucking up a lot of my time and I really shouldn’t waste too much.

Today, 5/25/12, the Dragon spacecraft docked with the International Space station, opening a new era for spaceflight. Space X is going where only governments have gone before, and while I cheer this achievement should we consider where other corporations might go if given the chance? Is this is herald of a bright off-world future or the sign that the cyberpunks might have been right?

Paging Dr. McCoy, your hypo is ready. Speaking as someone who despises the needle, I can’t even watch one on the movie screen, I truly cheer this invention.

The three day weekend is nearly upon us. I have plans, but hardly anything extravagant. Sadly I will not be going to BayCon this year. It was a choice between BayCon and WorldCon and in that contest WorldCon always wins. So tonight will be D&D, where I am a player. We’re in the middle of a fight, outnumber and fighting under hampered conditions. So far the gamemaster has been holding back, but we’ll see if this is the last game for my Arabic Paladin, Alladin. Tomorrow and Sunday will be board and card gaming with friends and my sweetie-wife, must resist buying the Game of Thrones board game, and on Monday I will be going toDisneyland. Sadly by myself, my dear friend who was going to go is under the weather health wise and that has caused quite a bit of financial stress. I already had paid for my ticket, so alone I go. I shall have fun in his honor.

A General catch up post

Sorry my blogging has been slight of late. The principal culprit has been the fact that my eyes are telling me it is time for a new set of glasses. Each year since I have turned 40, my eyes fade a little and I have to get new specs. This year appears to be no different. I have always been fairly susceptible to eye strain headaches and so after a full day working at the computer, my eyes are hurting and I often have a headache. This has kept me away from my computer at home and killed by writing output. I think it will likely be three weeks before I am back to normal with a new set of lens in an old frame.

Thanks to having a NOOK I can continue to read for pleasure by simply bumping up the font size, so my biblical reading has continued. I have now made it through Samuel 1 and I have just started Samuel 2, though it confuses me how any can take the text as inerrant. This is not mean as a slight or insult, but the simple contradictions would be tough for me to retcon away. I mean did Saul kill himself after his armor-bearer refused to, or did someone else kill him at his request only to later be executed by David for slaying a King? It really can’t be both.

I have sent my first story to a major magazine that doesn’t publish SF or fantasy or horror. My espionage thriller ‘The Escape’ has been sent to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. That puts me as having 4 short stories out of consideration and 1 novel. Tomorrow that will rise to 5 short stories as ‘Lady Jane’ will be sent to Asimov’s SF Magazine. Mayeb I can win by sheer volume!

A very difficult week

So, 4 out the last 5 days have been migraine dasy for me. Last night was migrain + toothache, so I dind’t get to sleep until after 12:30, and rose at my customary time of 5:30. (I think I surprised my sweetie-wife by going to work.)

I do hope this weekend is calm.

Re-reading the Christian Bible

So, along with my usual fare of SF, horror, and fantasy, one of the things I am doing with my NOOK is re-reading the Christian Bible. (I could just say Bible and I’m sure the vast majority of people would understand what I was referring to, but it is my nature to be pedantic in my precision.) Continue reading →

A different kind of Monday

So, Now that I am back from Vegas you would think that means I go back to work, but that is not the story.
Today I will be going downtown and doing Jury Duty.
Let’s see how that goes.

Robert Mitchell Evans

Literary Saboteur