Another “Innie” Device Saturday, July 11, 2009
Posted by Christian in Miscellaneous, Personal.add a comment
I broke down and bought it.
Not sure yet if it’s a worthwhile purchase, as I was quite conflicted before deciding to take the plunge.
I shopped and shopped for over a year, placing it on my Amazon wish list, then removing it, then putting it on again. Finally, after reading all the pros and cons I could possibly find, I took the plunge.
I purchased a Kindle 2.
That was on a Monday. It arrived on Wednesday of the same week (thank you, UPS!). I was very very excited about it after I’d made the decision and could hardly wait the two whole days for it to get here, visions of sugarplums dancing through my head. Or perhaps it was the idea of being able to store 1000 Gb of reading on it, including .pdf files I could potentially transport to and from work. Whatever, it was exciting.
Sharply packaged, like my iPod was, it enticed me like a new electronic lover. (it’s absolutely no secret that I’m a techno-geek)
My initial reservations were losing the tactile experience of reading a hardcover novel, or trade paperback (my favorite!). I ventured into online discussion groups for which the Kindle pros and cons were the sole topic.
Setting aside those reservations, I plunked down the $359. The day after it arrived, Amazon announced that the Kindle price had dropped by $60.
Those bastards!
You can believe that I was on the phone faster’n a shopaholic at the Penney’s sale table. A starving man at a buffet. Choose your analogy.
I thought they’d make me return the one I’d bought and re-purchase it to get the new, lower price. They didn’t. They were very accommodating. They refunded the difference.
Spent the day Wednesday shopping for books. The first purchase was The Introvert Advantage: How To Thrive In An Extrovert World. I thought it ironic that I would choose that first, for reasons that may be obvious only to me. Unless you’re a fellow “innie,” of course.
So I didn’t mind at all the loss of tactile pleasure in reading on a screen as opposed to a page. In fact, because I get a lot of my books from a library first, I didn’t at all miss the smears of someone else’s foods on the page, their (incredibly annoying) notes in the margins, the highlighted passages (in a library book? Really people? Have some frackin’ respect!) and worst of all, the stench of a chain smoker’s habit soaked up by the paper. There have been times I couldn’t read a particular book because of the overwhelming smell. I will not miss these things.
Will my Kindle replace books? No. I will continue to buy books, and store those I want to read over and again in the device. With its groovy black leather (!) cover, the Kindle is a good investment for those of us who read a lot. After thirty-some years of reading books, I know I will be able to change. Hell, I was able to adapt to cordless phones, microwaves, VCR-turned-DVD players, pagers, cell phones, and doing so much of my work on a computer. The Kindle is a logical next step.
Great Blue Heron Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Posted by Christian in Miscellaneous.2 comments
This magnificent creature has chosen our area to call home, apparently.
It first scared the bejeezus out of me one full-moon morning this spring while out walking the dogs. I heard a tremendous ratcheting sound from the dark woods, and then this…thing…flew up, silhouetted for a brief, terrifying moment in front of the moon. My first thought was: pterodactyl. That’s exactly what it looked like (not that I have any firsthand experience with extinct beasties…but you get my drift). I felt like I’d stepped into Jurassic Park and didn’t know it. Creepy, with a light fog drifting between the bare-bone trees and then this animal rising up from the primordial mist to escape my dogs’ curiosity.
A few weeks later, I saw it again. This time at the dog park. It had landed at the pond’s edge and stood there in all its stately splendor…until one of the dogs spotted it and created a dog-stampede in its direction.
This thing is quite large, with a wing-span of easily four or five feet across.
There aren’t any wildlife refuges in the area that I’m aware of, and haven’t seen a bird like this since living in Michigan. Perhaps because it was such a startling sight to see it on the high plains of Colorado that made me gasp with awe. Even moreso than when I saw my first Bald Eagle a couple months ago.
Portrait of a Writing Session Saturday, July 4, 2009
Posted by Christian in Creativity, Personal, Writing.9 comments
The intent is to get to work early. Well, okay…early-ish. So I strive to eliminate all the chores that have cropped up in order to approach the writing session without the clamor of “you should be doing this, you should be doing that” in my head, like bats flapping and screeching at me.
4:30 a.m.
Return from walking dogs. Feed them. Answer emails. Leave email window open just in case the President suddenly decides he cannot survive another day without my input. Check Facebook to see if there are any comments to be left. Read through my blog list.
Oh, it’s time to take the pups outside again. While we’re walking, think about the day’s writing. That’s quickly driven from mind by the gorgeous sunrise.
5:30 a.m.
Return home. Breakfast. Egg whites and an “everything” bagel. Rinse dishes and put them in dishwasher.
6:00 a.m.
Time to shower. Can’t stand my own stench. Dogs hide in case I suddenly decide they need baths, too. Pretend I’m Ferris Beuller and make funny hair-dos. While standing under the warm flow of water, think about how to approach the next scene in the novel. Ow, holy crap! Soap in my eyes! Soap in my eyes!
6:30 a.m.
Answer emails. Check Facebook. Read more blogs. Aimlessly surf the web. All the while, an idea tickles at the back of my mind. Need to give it room to breathe, to flourish. Decide to nap.
8:15 a.m.
Answer emails. Check Facebook. Check Reuters for news. Get depressed, switch to comics. Open last document on computer in novel, read through previous days’ writing. Make some minor alterations and changes.
9:30 a.m.
Put load of laundry in the washing machine. Look around, decide I don’t feel like cleaning house. Pull out vacuum anyway to get up dog hair from carpet before it grows into a fourth dog. Sit down at computer again.
10:30 a.m.
Time for lunch. Salad with baked chicken, sunflower seeds, and non-fat ranch dressing. Iced tea. Dogs sit impatiently nearby, hoping a morsel falls from my mouth and dares to reach the floor, tails a-wag with anticipation. They scoot ever-closer, unable to control themselves until Yaz is resting her chin on my forearm.
11:00 a.m.
Look at clock. Holy crap, is it 11 o’clock already? Sit down at computer. Pull up word document. Re-read previous days’ writing. Return changed parts back to original. Open new document. Slip on headphones. Middle-eastern electronica. Very soothing and trance-inducing. World disappears.
3:00 p.m.
Yaz pokes me with cold nose, snapping me out of trance.
Look at page count. 20. I look again. No, 26. Wow! Read through it, expecting to find a giant pile of steaming crap on the page.
Am very surprised.
Did not expect that to come up today. Did not know that character would need to relive birth of her son in order to move on to the hanging scene. But it all makes perfect sense.
Read it a second time. And a third. Dogs remind me that they’re still alive, if only barely, having suffered through so long without my undivided attention.
Save document to hard drive. Back up to flash drive. Sigh contendly. Shut down computer.
Get dogs into car. Time for dog park.
5:30 p.m.
Return home. Feed dogs. Niggling plotline in my head. Turn computer back on. Check emails. Check Facebook. Re-open documents from earlier. Read through. They’re good. Maybe not perfect, but very good, and I’m quite pleased.
Make notes at end of chapter as to where the next scene will pick up and where it needs to lead.
Check emails. Shut down computer.
6:00 p.m.
Time for dinner. Non-fat cottage cheese, an apple, steamed broccoli with fresh tomatoes and a vinaigrette dip. Very tasty. Turn on television and surf the show guide. Interesting program on the Discovery channel. Watch for awhile. They’re talking about supernatural investigations. Fascinating, even if the program does pander to the lowest common denominator. Perk up when a factoid is presented that catches my writerly attention.
Hurry to desk and grab notepad and pen. Hurry back to television. Make copious notes. Realize that my next novel has just presented itself. Leave television on and continue writing. While making notes, figure out a concerning plot point for current novel. Make notes on that. More notes. Make sure to put notepad on desk so I will see it in the morning.
7:30 p.m.
Exhausted. Lie down to read someone else’s writing for a bit. Grow too tired to keep eyes open. Fall asleep. Have bizarre dreams which will require jotting down in the morning. Sleep deeply for eight hours.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
A Few Great (Dane) Reasons I Volunteer for the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue Friday, July 3, 2009
Posted by Christian in Dogs.add a comment
This is one of the most lovable, sweet, and intelligent of the giant dog breeds. Every home should have one!
Are You Pondering What I’m Pondering? V.7.2.2009 Thursday, July 2, 2009
Posted by Christian in AYPWIP?.2 comments
R.I.P. M.J. – Yes, it’s all we’ve heard about lately. His death caught me completely by surprise, though not because it was unexpected. Michael Jackson has always seemed like a tragic figure to me. Not just tragic in the way that his life was so deeply scrutinized, his feelings and his privacy marginalized. Because of talent. Yes, he was a genius when it came to pop music. He knew what worked, what didn’t. I liken him to James Dean. Marilyn Monroe. Elvis Presley. Anyone who was deitized in their lives, therefore eliminating any privacy they might have once hoped for. Being forced into the public eye is very difficult, as one is constantly judged and found wanting.
Jackson didn’t choose to be talented. He was talented. Perhaps talent chose him. We may never know. But we will always know that we the people are the ones who killed him. We used him up and then spat on his image when certain true or untrue information was made public. We dug beneath the surface of his public image and made a pariah of him. How many of us could live through such an ordeal? I couldn’t, I know. Because when it came right down to it, we never liked him as a human, but as an idea we placed on the highest pedestal, demanding ever more of him, never satisfied with what we were given. We have no one to blame but ourselves.
OZZIE SWIMS! – Ozzie has lived with me for just over six years. In all that time, we’ve visited many rivers, creeks,
lakes and ponds. He’s a wader. He’ll enter the water just up to mid-belly and walk along the shoreline like an ancient barge on the river Nile. He’s very stately. This year, he’s waded in until the water covers his back. I used to think he didn’t like the feel of water on his back, but apparently I was mistaken. Then yesterday, he waded in well past where I know his feet could touch bottom. I called him, in shock. He was swimming!!! In six and a half years, he’s never shown that he even knew how, in spite of the fact that he has webbed feet that he took from his black Lab half of his genetics.
As if he’d been doing it every day for years, he took his time getting to shore, and once there, shook himself off and sauntered off as if nothing had happened.
I was as proud as a dad when his baby takes its first steps, or speaks its first word. My respect for the Oz-monster grows every day. He truly does things in his own way, in his own time. There’s no hurrying him. What an awesome pup.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN GREAT DANE RESCUE – So I’ve immersed myself in my new responsibilities with the Rescue as Event Coordinator. The job suits me. Of course, I worked as a live music promoter for twenty years as a younger man, so the details are second nature. Setting up fundraisers and other events to gain exposure for such an awesome organization is deeply satisfying. Now that I have a good grasp on it, it’s flowing well and I’m liking it immensely. Yee haw!
HOLIDAY – Looking forward to the long weekend, even coming so closely on the heels of my stay-cation. Since my boss announced his imminent retirement for November 6th, it’s like the joy has gone of of my job…even though it’s not just working for him that brings me joy. What with the governor trying to fix the State’s budget shortfalls on the backs of his employees, it’s more like working in a coalmine than an enjoyable job. So this weekend will be spent decompressing and hanging out with my pups…and writing, of course. It’ll be a marathon! And I’m starting right now with a warm cup of homegrown spearmint tea. Mmmmmmmmm.
THE RAINS – It’s been extraordinarily wet this season here in Colorado. So much so, that the flowers I planted back in May are going crazy. My rosebush is so laden with blooms, it’s drooping.
Today’s task is to tie it up so the flowers aren’t forced to lay on the ground. There must be easily 75 flowers on it currently, with many more buds unopened.
I didn’t even know I could grow roses! Ironic that the season in which they’re most prolific is the same season I’m most allergic. However, I suffer the sneezing attacks gladly for a chance to garden.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T – I have a whole new respect for President Obama, in spite of the fact that he has not followed through on all of the promises made during his lengthy campaign. Why? Because I believe that he made the promises out of a certain sense of ignorance about how the process actually works. The same goes for those who are currently putting him down as a lame-horse president.
I work for the government, and have had my eyes opened to the astoundingly ponderous manner in which governments work. Perhaps Obama believed that once he was named leader of the free world, he could do as he pleased, but once he got into office, realized that no single issue was as simple as it appeared on the surface. Politicians know how to work the system, to slow down and kill bills and legislation that might make our lives better. Not out of a sense of mean-spiritedness, necessarily, but often because in order for Obama to get what he wants, he must kowtow to others who may want an entirely different outcome. So in order to get a bill through the Senate, he must first dress it up and make it attractive to special interest groups and senators who have a different agenda for their constituents.
It’s a matter of too many chefs. Or chiefs. Or whatever word you want to use. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, for this system of checks and balances is necessary for our country to operate. Otherwise it becomes a dictatorship. There will never be a President who gets his way in every instance. And perhaps that’s a good thing. Look what happened to Germany in during the War.
KINDLE ME THIS – I’ve been watching the reviews on Amazon’s Kindle e-reader since it was released in 2007. Even since Kindle 1 was released, I’ve been intrigued by it, as I’m a voracious reader. There are nearly 3,000 reviews, many pro, many against. I was reluctant to purchase the first-gen version of this product as I knew that it was more of a prototype than a long-lasting model. Now there are two heavily updated versions, one at the original price of $359, the other more than 30% more expensive.
I’m tempted to buy the Kindle 2, but am not sure I want to give up the paper versions of books just yet. Perhaps I could read them on paper and, if I like them enough, buy them for Kindle. There are some I would like to have as an e-book rather than hardcopy to save space if nothing else. “The Shining” comes to mind. One big downside is that graphic novels are not yet included in e-book format. And I wouldn’t want them to be, as they’re printed in full color, and Kindle can only be viewed in shades of gray. There are a few, but I’m not sure how I feel about reading them in that format.
Okay, must consider this further before spending the money.
The Struggle Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Posted by Christian in Personal.2 comments
Woke up this morning with a lot on my mind.
The Job, of course. Will I stay? Will I go? I don’t know yet. Don’t have all the information I need to make a good decision. I do know that the prospect of going in to the office every day is wearing me down.
Been quite a bit more exhausted than usual these last few days. Sleep doesn’t seem to help much. Not sure what to do about it. But I am pretty sure what’s causing it.
Allergies, for one. Wicked bad this season, most likely due to all the rain we’ve had. The pollen count is at record highs here. I’m allergic to tree pollen of all types. It’s a tough time of year for me when they start acting up. And the moisture has washed it all into the grass and weeds so that when it does warm up, the ground re-releases the pollen into the air. Have spent several weeks struggling to breathe and to see through eyes that swell up without warning. Claritin helps a bit, but hasn’t been the miracle that it has been in past years. Allergies make me nauseous all the time, as well, and feverish sometimes. It’s like have the flu for three months.
Stress. Got in deep and fast with the Great Dane Rescue, and have been recently named the primary Event Coordinator for the western states. Not sure yet what added responsibilities that will bring, but am trying to reconcile that with keeping a writing and work schedule. Might be a too-much-too-soon situation. Will monitor this over the next several weeks. Down side being that many of these events may require being outdoors more than usual. I’m NOT a summer person. May not elect to stay with this, but I’ll see. Also, see paragraph on allergies above.
The Evil Empire has reared its ugly head once again. This is a company that I once worked for and who do not have a shred of integrity when it comes to their business dealings. They train their employees to rip people off at every chance, and have stolen more money than can easily be tracked, not only from their customers, but from their employees, too. I spent many months battling false allegations in court with these idiots, and for some reason, they’ve decided to come at me once more. This time, however, I have retained a good attorney and plan on fighting their injustice with every resource available. Why they waited five years to try their unlawful antics again, I don’t know, but it does not bode well for them. At this point, my attorney and I are determining whether to file counter-litigation. These are the same people who fired one of their employees after twenty-nine years of service, just so they wouldn’t have to pay for his insurance which was due to kick in the following day. Sexual harrassment, thievery, underhanded business tactics…you name it, these people do it. They try to deny it, but there are far too many people in town who are willing to testify against them now. It’s time to smack these bastards down.
Had a brief flare-up with Evil-Bitch-Sister last week, which died down pretty quickly, and which completely reaffirmed my decision five years ago to distance myself from that whole morass of dysfunction. Something must be in my astrology to have these things all come up at once.
So you can see what’s been weighing on me. It threatens to become overwhelming, and I’m fighting it, successfully so far.
Danger, Will Robinson! Sunday, June 28, 2009
Posted by Christian in Creativity, Writing.5 comments
Other introverts will relate to this, I imagine.
Writers tend toward reclusiveness. Not because they’re eccentric (though some certainly are) or because they’re weird (though I’ve known a few), but because writing is a very introspective activity. It’s difficult to piece together a story when the world strives to intervene. That’s one of the reasons that writing (and writers) are usually seen as “loners.” Not in the serial killer way (though perhaps there are even a few of those. I’m not admitting to anything).
Sometimes, we become so immersed in our story world, that human relations fall by the wayside. Or we get so caught up in words that we tend to forget to use them in reality. Writing can be quite intense, even if on the outside it doesn’t look at all difficult. I’ve had non-writers wonder aloud how hard it can really be, sitting at a computer all day. Well, if we were merely sitting there doing nothing, that might be one thing. But all the work is going on in our minds. It’s not physically as strenuous as, say, lumberjacking, but it’s as exhausting.
I tend to require a nap after several hours of writing. Sometimes before. But I recognize the danger in removing myself from the world at large, for much of the information used in stories comes from the world around us. There are memories that are also cultivated for this purpose. Experiences. Others’ lives.
So it behooves us as writers to get out and at least socialize a little, lest we forget how to be human. Kind of like the character Jack Nicholson played in As Good As It Gets. I took that more as a cautionary tale for writers than a human drama.
It’s dangerous to become so mired in words and stories that reality is neglected. I believe that’s why I chose more social breeds of dogs as companions, because they force me out into the world and into interactions with others. And hell, many stories come from those relationships, too. Yes, sometimes it’s too much being “in the world.” I often find that I have to retreat from it all to regroup, decompress, and figure out my next strategy. But it’s worth it, too. Finding balance would be best, of course. But that’s not always as easy as it sounds.
This world often demands our attention, our participation. Do we answer the call, or continue in our introverted ways?
