Nanowrimo: Day 15

So, I think I'll knock off for the evening now. My word count is up to 28,433, which isn't too shabby. About a 3,000 word increase over yesterday.

Today was one of the hardest for me. Food coma, distractions, and apathy certainly contributed, but the hardest part about today was this one section I was typing. It just would not come as easily as the other sections had -- things just weren't coming together, I wasn't sure where the story was going, etc.

But fortunately things turned around. The last section I worked on flowed more smoothly. I think I may have found my character's "voice" . . . too early to tell, but I feel good. Hey, I'll take what I can get. Oops, well the laptop's battery is getting low, so I'll shutdown now and charge it up.

Hope things are going well for all you Nano'ers out there. Hang in there, it's half over already. Hmmm. I just realized that some of you might not find that so comforting. If that's you, sorry. :)

Just keep plugging away, folks!

My Buddy, My Buddy ... the Kensington SlimBlade Trackball Mouse (Bluetooth edition)

Wouldn't you agree, Amazon SuperSaver Shipping can be a marvelous thing?

I just got the Bluetooth mouse I ordered for my MacBook about 4 days ahead of schedule. Sweet. And what a sweet Bluetooth mouse/trackball it is -- I think I've finally found the input device of my dreams.

For the longest time I've been looking for “Input Device Nirvana” . . . that sweet, elusive combination of portable convenience and functionality that I believed could only be found in a Bluetooth mouse. But the path to fulfillment was a harsh road fraught with trials and disappointment. (Sigh)

Why Bluetooth? Well, it was supposed to be the wireless standard for input devices -- the one interface from which many devices could conveniently and easily operate. Mice, trackballs, headsets, keyboards, etc. It was supposed to do for wireless input devices what USB did for wired devices, in theory anyway. But we all remember what a bumpy road USB was in the beginning, right? Well, Bluetooth has been even rockier.

The path to Bluetooth-ubiquity has been paved with sloppy execution and inconsistent implementation. Aside from Macs, how many OEMs of Windows laptops and desktops include Bluetooth? On top of that, how many different implementations / stacks are there? Have you tried to get Bluetooth to work properly in Win XP? Don't even get me started on the unholy mess that is Bluetooth on Vista. (Arghhh!) It's no wonder that peripheral manufacturers have turned to sundry, bespoke RF interfaces.

But, Macs have basically had Bluetooth since its inception and they've kept it. The only problem has been finding a good, portable Bluetooth mouse. Don't get me wrong, there are more than a handful of Bluetooth mice out there, but they have all been either too large (not portable enough), too small (not ergonomic enough), or too short-sighted in design (what? no way to turn off the mouse?) While hope sprang eternal, in the meantime I had to suffer with my Microsoft Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse, which was okay but not really perfect.

And then, I stumbled upon the Kensington SlimBlade Trackball Mouse, Bluetooth edition, and all was right in the universe. Finally, it looked like there was a mouse that: was Bluetooth-enabled; had an off switch; was neither too big, nor too small; and as a bonus, could operate as a mouse, or as a trackball. Sweet! I couldn't believe it. I did a little research online and then placed my order through Amazon. As I awaited delivery, thoughts of Bluetooth happiness danced through my head.

And now that I've been able to use it, what do I think? It is simply A.W.E.S.O.M.E! It is the best; this is what I've been waiting for. Perfect fit, very comfortable in the hand. Sleek design makes it nice and portable. Love the fact that I can turn it off, toss it into my laptop bag, and not worry about the battery draining down. Takes AA batteries, excellent.

And the trackball mode? I've got to say I was a bit concerned about the placement of the trackball, relative to the buttons, and how it would feel during use. But after using it for a while now, I find it is just right. (But keep in mind, I'm one of those people who absolutely love the feeling of the Logitech trackballs mice. So I might not be the most unbiased of folks.) I really think Kensington nailed it on the head with this one.

Now, keep in mind that I'm more of a keyboard user when it comes to computing. I like keyboard shortcuts and most of the time I spend on the computer is typing-related. Which is why I was really psyched about the trackball feature: device sits still, takes up little surface area, and you just move cursor here and there when needed with little fuss. I don't do a lot of activities that require pin-point, precision motion tracking. Having said that, the sensitivity and acceleration of the Kensington SlimBlade is seems more than adequate for the occasional photo touch-up or Sims 2 session.

And did I mention it was Bluetooth? No wires. None. And no stupid dongles to take up USB port space . . . goodness knows I need every one of the 2 ports the MacBook has. (Oh, and for those of you without Bluetooth, there is an RF version of the SlimBlade with USB dongle. Shudder.)

So, do I recommend the Kensington SlimBlade? You betcha . . . two thumbs up . . . it's all that and a bag o' chips, etc!

In search of . . . a good desktop blog editor [UPDATE]

So, I've been searching for a good Mac desktop blog editor, one that I can use to edit posts offline and then upload them, etc. While there are a number of choices available, nothing really stands out as a clear winner. In fact, of all the editors I have tried, there is always something wrong or missing about them.

MarsEdit looked like a good candidate -- good set of features, good looking, good integration. But for some reason, MarsEdit couldn't find the draft posts I had created through my blog's online editor and I couldn't find a way to alter the date and timestamp via the blog post editor.

Ecto found the draft posts without problem, but for some reason once it found it, it would never remove it from the list, even after I had deleted the post. It also refused to retitle an entry after I had renamed it. Granted it was a version 3 beta, but that was a deal killer as well. Also, I've got to say I'm not loving the interface or UI.

My hitherto favorite, the ScribeFire/Performancing extension/add-on to Firefox/Mozilla browsers was having troubles with my Blogger + custom domain + FeedBurner blog, such that it couldn't post entries. I think it was because it had replaced the Blogger feed automatically with the FeedBurner feed and was trying to use it that address for posting. I'll check back on it later to see if they've fixed the problem.

Right now, I'm trying out the Flock browser and its built-in blog editor features. I love the idea behind the Flock browser and I'm happy to see they've been tweaking and improving its feature set and interface. BUT (and this is a big, huge, fat caveat) I see they still haven't improved the blog editor -- all the things that annoyed me before, which resulted in me dropping Flock, still exist.

Flock's blog editor still doesn't have an intuitive or convenient method of pulling previously posted entries or drafts for editing. There should be at least a button on the toolbar, or how about having the blog button launch into a dialog window that lists all my blogs and then allows me to either select the blog I want to create an entry for or choose a previously posted entry / draft. Is that so hard?

(And to all you Flock evangelist out there trolling the blogs, "creating a post in Flock's blog editor, saving it as a local draft, and then opening it up to edit it" is not what I am talking about. That doesn't count. I want to pull any post from any of my blog easily and conveniently, whether they were created in Flock or not, and then edit them.)

Why hide the feature and make me go "choose Recent Blog Posts from the File menu" as Flock's help so kindly explains? (An option which, I might add, is actually missing from my version of the browser.)

Are these conscious decisions regarding the UI and feature set, or is blogging usability an afterthought in Flock's development roadmap? It makes me wonder if anyone there has ever actually used the blog editor, I mean REALLY used it, for day-to-day blogging . . . for more than just posting one-off, new entries or on more than just one blog.

And while I'm griping, where is the built-in spellchecker? If it's there as a feature for browsing, why isn't it in the blog editor, which is an arguably more important place for the feature? Also, why is there an annoying lag in the blog editor every 30 seconds or so? The whole herky-jerky typing thing gets old fast. Maybe all these things are in their release notes or on the bug list, but even so at a 1.0.1 version the usability issues should have been taken care of by now. It's a shame really, because Flock has a great number of compelling features that are well integrated for the most part. I love their media bar (for surfing photostreams,) integrated photo uploader, and their web clipboard features.

I dunno, maybe I just do things a little differently from everybody else. Sure I use a Mac now, but I switched after decades of using Windows and Linux, and there are still things just annoy me about the Mac UI and paradigm to computing. So maybe it's just me.

Wow, did I really write that much about Flock? Guess I had something to get off my chest. To be fair, for the price, Flock is a great application. I guess I just had high hopes that were not met, which just means even greater disappointment. Maybe in future versions, things will be sorted out. I hope so, but I really think they need to seriously reassess their blog editor.

[UPDATE]

Okay, after choosing to Publish this post, I am then presented with the option to "Publish as a new post" or "Replace existing post" -- so to clarify, you can "replace" an existing post with a newer post.

But I still see no way of selecting and editing a previously posted entry, rather than merely replace. To me, that is only half a blogging editor. (BTW, I had to use Blogger's online editor to edit this post. Natch.)

[UPDATE]

Oh, another clarification.

Flock does allow you to edit previously posted entries . . . sort of. The caveat here is, and it's a HUGE one, is that the so-called previous posts it allows you to edit, are in fact, only locally cached copies of prior entries created in, and then posted from, Flock.

This means that any changes you have made to the post, either through a blog's online editor, or via another desktop blog editor, will not appear in Flock. Nor is there any conceivable means of grabbing that updated entry via Flock's blogging features, save the inelegant but always available means of cut-and-paste. So if you ever only blog with and from Flock's editor, you're golden. But if you ever edit or post your entries by any other means, then you're out of luck.

If you're not convinced, then create an entry in Flock, post it, and then edit it via your blog's online editor and save. Then try to pull that updated entry for editing within Flock's blog editor. If you can figure it out, then let me know.

Otherwise, I suppose Flock might be useful for creating first drafts of entries, with final edits and polishes done through a blog's online editor.

What I've learned from Nanowrimo about the writing process

So, with all the writing I've been doing during Nanowrimo, I've given some thought into the nature of the creative process, or more specifically, the writing process.

If, as some people insist, there is no single “right” way to do things, that would mean that conversely there is no “wrong” way to do things either. Perhaps that's true, but I think it's safe to say that there are definitely less “efficient” ways of doing things.

For example, I've found it counter-productive to think you have to get it right the first time. And trying to create something that way, well it can be a horribly frustrating way to waste time. Which is why I think Nanowrimo is simply brilliant.

Writing a novel of 50,000 words in a single month's time is definitely doable, but not if you waste time. You have to step lively and not get bogged down in the details; just keep on rolling, don't over edit (better yet, don't edit at all) and don't over think. Bang out a novel as if it were a rough draft. Or even better, think of it as a stream-of-consciousness ramble-fest. Just get it down, and edit it later . . . much later.

After all, it's not as if writing is fundamentally different than other creative processes. We shouldn't expect the work to spring forth as a fully-formed, final draft from the writer's head, like Athena from Zeus' forehead. Right?

I mean, no one really thinks a painter simply sits down at a blank canvas and paints a masterpiece without doing some sketches or studies first, right? And we can't honestly think sculptors just plop themselves in front of a block of marble and chisel out a statue without a bit of planning and modeling in clay first, right? (Well, Bob “Happy Trees” Ross and Michelangelo aside.)

No, the best results often come from planning, experimenting, making mistakes, and making improvements incrementally over time. And that is a process -- meaning it takes time, patience, and many, many tiny steps before perfection, or something close enough, is achieved.

So, my approach to Nanowrimo and writing my novel is simply this: (i) write often and write a lot; (ii) then go back and write some more; (iii) until there is enough to start editing -- snipping a bit here, adding a bit more there, and moving stuff around until it seems right.

Somewhere along the way, I know I'll hit the 50,000 word count goal; of that I have no doubt. All I need to do for Nanowrimo sake, is to do it before the month is up. And that's all there is to that. :)

Nanowrimo: Day 11

Had a good dinner at Buffet Dynasty. Yummy! And of course, good food is always best with good company. I enjoyed chatting with fellow writing group member, Allen. Unfortunately, the other members couldn't make it for dinner, although one did drop by for a bit on the way to another obligation.

I must say that Nanowrimo is not so bad when you have company. When you have writing buddies with whom to encourage, and compete, the words just seem to fly by. The competing thing especially helps. I find that I check the "writing buddies" tab on my Nano profile a wee bit too much. Whatever works, right?

Anyway, while I might write a bit more before the evening is through, I'm gonna call tonight's word count at 18,638. Not too shabby, I must say. Almost an additional 2,000 words since last.

Nanowrimo: Day 09

So, I finally hit the 15k word mark today, which those of you mathematically-inclined (or with access to calculators) know means that I am 30% of the way to the Nanowrimo goal of 50k words. Not too shabby, eh? For those of you keeping count, my current word count is 15,619.

For all you fellow Nanowrimo-ers out there, good luck and keep it up!

Nanowrimo: Day 08

Not a very productive day in terms of additional word count -- zero for today -- so I'll just have to coast by on my gains from yesterday. That mean I'm currently at 12,310 words.

But I did have some thoughts and insights into enriching the story and possibly setting the ground work for future sequel and/or prequels. Can you say trilogy?

Nanowrimo: Day 05

Did some catching up today . . . or is that just less falling behind? My word count is at 5,698. Eh, no worries. I should have no problem catching up tomorrow.

A couple of things I've learned. First, don't put off writing into the evening, because there are way too many distraction. Dinner time, prime time, family time . . . you get the idea.

Second, don't get too focused on quantity versus quality. Sure, the point is to hit a 50k word count by the end of the month, but it does no good if you end up with nothing but gibberish. Then again, you don't want to take forever on what is inevitably going to be one of many drafts with plenty of future revisions. I guess the best course is to take some time to plan what to write and then try to stick to it, while executing it in a timely fashion.

Third, don't censor ideas and edit too much. Now this might seem counter to the last point about not just spewing for the sake of driving up the numbers, but there is actually another good reason. If you can't take a lot of time to sift through the chaff to find the wheat, then mill it into flour, then knead it into dough, then let it rise, and then bake it into a nice loaf of bread . . . then at least make sure you get as much wheat as you can. The idea is not to throw the baby out with the bath water -- just type and keep what you get. Everything. That way, you don't lose any diamonds in the rough which you can better find and polish up later. (Okay, enough with the hackneyed phrases.)

Oh, and fourth, don't forget the writing music. Music that is good for reading, is usually good for writing as well. While I have lots of good musics from various albums I've collected over the years, I decided to treat myself to a new CD for this year's Nanowrimo -- "for Book Lovers" by Decca. Cheesy title, yup. Cheesy cover, affirmative. Good music, most definitely.

Anyhoo, this entry was supposed to be short, but got a bit long-winded. Gee, if only I spent as much time typing my novel as I did my blog posts. Hmmm . . . .

Nanowrimo: Day 04

Well, as of today, the word count is at 4,355.

Unfortunately, I've fallen behind a bit thanks to a bout of food poisoning yesterday, which resulted in no typing whatsoever on Saturday, Day 03.

That's okay. Not much I can do about it now. I'm not really worried too much, since I had figured I would take at least one day off per week. It was just ahead of schedule, that's all. Anyway, I'm feeling fine now and I'm ready to go.

It's good to see that for the most part my writing buddies are doing well. In fact, I find myself playing catch up quite a bit. It's good motivation, such friendly competition.

Nanowrimo: Day 02

Okay, I've decided to knock off for this, the second day of Nanowrimo. My word count is now 3,489.

I got a lot done today; I made up some ground and I got caught up. Granted, my actual goal is to be typing around 2,000 words per day, for 25 days of typing. (I figure it's better to build in a buffer with a few days off, just in case.) Actually, truth be told, I should be to typing at least 3,000 words a day, if I want to write 75,000 words in 25 days.

Why 75,000 rather than 50,000? Well, I would like for the finished novel to be 300 pages in length. At an average of 250 words per page, that means a total of 75,000 words. But even if I just aim for 50k or 60k, the reality is that I'm more likely to add to, rather than take away from, the novel's total word count with the subsequent revisions . . . at least initially. So I suppose there's no point in going overboard now.

Anyway, in the end it's all rather arbitrary, since the novel will be whatever length it will be, and should be. No more, no less.

Testing desktop blogging apps

Surprising there aren't too many good desktop blogging apps out there. Most of the best ones (at least commercial ones) have been for the Windows platform. Most of the Mac ones are really not that good.

But perhaps I'm guilty of being too harsh, too hasty, or not thorough enough. I'm gonna make an active effort to find a decent desktop blogging app for my Mac. (Preferably the most full-featured, cheapest one available.)

And the sooner I find one the better, because I think we can all agree that Blogger's web-based posting editor sucks in a major way.

Let slip the hounds of typing!

So, today is the first day of Nanowrimo and I've done only 1,577 words (or 1,578 depending on which word processor I use.) A little off the pace I suppose, but at least I started. 

I'm pretty happy with the progress so far. I'm not really worried about hitting my word count goals. Nor am I worried about hitting the 50k total word mark. My big question is what how efficient will I be?

Should I just type like the wind and spew stuff down as quickly as possible? Or should I take a wee bit longer (and thus be a wee bit slower) and try to write it better, the first time around? 

I know there is a point at which I'll get diminishing returns and just waste too much time for Nanowrimo purposes, but I don't just want a novel out of this. I want a good novel, and I don't want to waste a lot of time. Or more precisely, I want to write this novel the right way. 

Perhaps Nanowrimo is not the best vehicle for producing my novel -- one I hope to have published someday soon. But I think I might be tempted to waste too much time otherwise, without the Nanowrimo induced timeframe. 

I guess we'll see. The truth is that I didn't really spend all that much actual time writing today -- and the beginning can be the hardest part -- so all in all, I'm pretty happy. Now all I have to do, is keep the momentum going. 

Mourn the orphans

One of the things which fascinates me about the writing process are the orphans -- all the little concepts, characters, phrases, plot lines, and drafts that are created and eventually discarded along the way.

The road of writer's journey is littered with them. Generally they go unmourned, hardly noticed. Long forgotten. Out of sight, out of mind.

But sometimes I wonder . . . what could they have become, if circumstance had been right?

Not quite a pup-in-a-blanket, but tasty nonetheless, no?

What in the world is this, and why am I posting it, you might ask?

To answer the former, just as it appears to the naked eye, it is quite literally a doggie bag. (Pun intended.) Both cute and disturbing at the same time.

To answer the latter, I saw this little gem down in San Diego at this year's Comic-Con on the way to lunch and immediately thought of Joseph Mallozzi who was to appear at the much anticipated (from my perspective) Stargate Atlantis panel and occasionally blogs about, and posts pictures of, four little dogs he and his wife own.

Writing alone, together

As some of you may know, my transition to becoming a writer has been a long time in coming. A long time, because I had been thinking about it and planning it for years before actually doing something about it. Planner, I am no more! A man of action, am I! This year I finally took steps toward creating a more "writerly" life.

I decided I needed to surround myself with all things literature and writing related. So, I joined my local library's mystery book club . . . which led to a desire to read science fiction, the genre of choice during my youth, as well as chat with others about it, too . . . which lead to finding a few like-minded library staffers and starting a science fiction / speculative fiction book club . . . which led to finding other stymied, writers-in-waiting . . . which led to form a writing group.

So, how's the writing coming, you might ask? Actually, pretty good! (Thanks for asking.)

The writing group has been the best thing for my writing. I can set goals from here to eternity, but there's nothing like a group of fellow writers, to whom I am accountable, to help keep me on track. And the fact that I am not only helping myself, but helping others along on their own writing journeys, is a great motivator. It helps that we keep things low-key and light. As an example, just check out the name of our writing group and its blog, Fifty Lashes with a Wet Noodle: The Writing Group, or Fifty Lashes, for short.

We're actually moving along quite nicely in our preparation for this year's NaNoWriMo. Our goal is to finish the first drafts of our novels via NaNo during the month of November. This will be the first NaNo for the majority of the group. (I've tried to do NaNo twice before, but never actually started writing anything. See, it's that whole not following through problem I was talking about.)

Anyway, I suggest you think about joining, or starting, a writing group if you're serious about becoming a writer. Sure, you could always do things yourself, alone. But it's so much more fun with company.

Hanging at the library

So, my local library is great. Nice new facilities, lots of good books and resources, and free Internet access via wifi. The only downside, besides the fact that the Internet access is a tad slow, is that my cell phone's signal is weak to non-existent inside.

It's not that I'm planning on taking calls and chatting loudly in the library. How rude would that be? I would step out to take calls, natch. It's just that there are times when you need continuous mobile communications, when every second counts . . . you know, family emergencies, agent calling, surfing on my Blackberry. That sort of stuff.

It's situations like these when it would be nice to have the Blackberry Curve 8320. With its UMA capabilities, the Curve would allow me to send and receive phone calls in poor cell reception areas via the Internet in areas that have an available wifi network. Of course it'll cost an additional $10 (or is it $20?) a month for T-Mobile's Hotspot @Home service, but improved indoor cell phone usage, plus unlimited calling while using wifi, would be worth it.

Now, if I could only just figure out how to deal with whole $250 price tag to upgrade.

Long time no see

Wow, has it really been over a month since I last wrote? Gee, I guess so.

Comic-Con was great, by the way. Lots of cool panels, a couple of cool finds, and lots of great memories. Is it just me, or is it getting more crowded every year? Nah, must be my imagination. ;)

Next year, I think I'll need to bring a sleeping bag and camp out in order to get into some of the more "Hollywood" panels. Hall H, where most of the big studio panels were, was absolutely packed and filled up really, really early. It's really getting to the point where you have to plan your entire day around panels . . . and possible forgo all the other day's events. And unless you're in Hall H, you need to tag-team it.

I was just lucky enough to make it into the "Heroes" panel. I have absolutely never, ever seen a line that long before -- it actually lapped the entire upper floor's east wing, and let me tell you those are really long halls.

As for my back, fortunately, it never acted up. By taking it easy and being extra careful, I had a fun and relatively pain-free trip. (Oh yeah, the medicine helped, too.)

I know it's a bit early, but I'm already looking forward to next year. The real big question for me is whether there'll even be a Stargate panel next year. My fingers are crossed.

On the road again . . .

So, it's that time of year once again! Comic-Con in San Diego! Woot!

I've been so looking forward to this for quite awhile now, you have no idea. But the last couple of weeks I have been especially anxious, because this is the first time in a long time that I will actually be staying in San Diego for nearly the whole convention. (Ah, to be in San Diego again. It's been too long.)

It's gonna be epic, it's gonna be . . . (wait for it) . . . legendary!

So it begins, and ends, tonight

Well, tonight is the night. At the stroke of midnight this evening as Friday, the 20th of July turns into the 21st, the seventh and final book of the Harry Potter series goes on sale. This is probably not news to anybody, as the approaching date and hour have been mentioned ad nauseum by all media outlets.

And where will I be at the appointed hour? I'll be waiting in line at my local Borders bookstore, as part of a worldwide mob of Muggles, eager to plunk down some coinage for our own little copies of history in the making.

It's not that I'm a Harry Potter fanatic like some others, really I'm not. (This isn't denial, by the way.) In fact I haven't even read a single one of the prior six books, not a one. Okay, so I listened to every one of the CD audio books from local public library. (In my opinion, Jim Dale is just perfect as the narrator, don't you agree?) And I have seen everyone of the movies made thus far, multiple times. And I do have the occasional Harry Potter desktop wallpaper here and there on my laptop. But that does not make a nutter.

What I am is a person who enjoys good stories and storytelling, and that is what the Harry Potter series is to me -- a cracking good tale full of adventure, emotions, and life lessons. J.K. Rowling has outdone herself with the wonderful characters and stories she has spun over the years.

It's been fun, I've had a great time, and I know I'm not alone. Millions of others across the globe have shared and enjoyed it too. Which is why unlike the previous times, I'm gonna take part in the frenzy and fun of a Harry Potter book release.

Even if you haven't reserved your own copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" for tonight's release, why not just head on down to your local bookstore and take part in the festivities? If this is going to be the last book, then why not have a blast? And why not share the experience with others? Collective experiences of this nature are rare enough as it is.

Years later, at least you can honestly say you were there too when history was made.

Down the rabbit hole . . .

So, I went to see the doctor today about my lower back. Had my first back adjustment done -- very interesting. A little disturbing having a full grown adult grapple you and wrench you this way and that all the while pressing down on you with their weight. Despite the unnerving sounds of various spinal joints cracking and popping, I felt fine afterward.

Actually, even before my appointment my back was a lot better than it was a couple of days ago. I've been resting and taking ibuprofen, and I've also been careful not to injure it again. This means I've been sitting or walking around as if I'm in charm school balancing a book on my head -- ramrod-straight upper body, bending only at the knees, and slowly pirouetting when I want to turn. Awkward, but effective.

Anyway, until the x-rays come back and indicate something more sinister, it looks like everything will be fine in about six weeks, which is the norm for back injuries. So just more taking it easy, and more drugs.

Ah, pharmacological candy . . . my enemy, my friend. The daily prescribed regimen includes ridiculous amounts of ibuprofen, a twice-daily muscle relaxant, and a short course of corticosteroids. Mmmmmm. Personally, I prefer avoiding medicine as much as possible. Small to moderate pain can be managed. But if it helps promote healing, and possibly prevents reinjury, then I'll grudging take the stuff.

Oh, well. Guess the best way to avoid the need for drugs, is to avoid the need for drugs. Genius!

Vancouver's finest dining, and wit

In case you didn't know (and how would you) . . . I'm into science fiction. Have been since I was a wee little lad. I've read my fair share of sci-fi novels and short stories, and seen more than my fair share of movies and television shows. In fact, one of my favorite channels is the Sci-Fi cable network which airs Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica, which are some of my favorite shows on TV.

So imagine my delight in stumbling upon the blog of Stargate writer and producer, Joseph Mallozzi, "Thoughts and Tirades, Rants and Ruminations" on Blogger. Now, while I have never met Mr. Mallozzi, I feel a special connection with him, as if we are kindred spirits . . . can I call him Joseph? Joe? Joey. See, not only do we both share a love of science fiction in general, and Stargate in particular, but we also share a common, heartfelt love of food -- I eat it at least once a day, if not more, just as he does.

(Now granted, I don't post blogs and photos about the gastronomical delights I consume on a near daily basis, but that may have more to do with not living in Vancouver, one of the most livable cities in the world and home to some of the best places to eat. But it is assuring to know that the next time I visit, I can use Joey's postings as a food guide. Yum-o!)

Lest you think the above mere coincidence, I assure you the eerie similarities continue. He currently lives in Vancouver, and for the longest time I have wished to live there myself. He loves chocolate, as do I. He seems witty, I enjoy his wit. I could go on, but I have given myself the chills.

I suggest you check out his blog, even if you aren't a Stargate fan or food gourmand. A regular feature of his postings is the fun he has responding to email scammers, which is always good for a few laughs. (Also check out his posting while on vacation last November in Hong Kong. Swedish massage anyone?)

Relax my back

For the past few days, I've been dealing with a bum back -- lower back to be precise. It doesn't hurt so long as I don't move the lower portion of my back. No leaning forward or backward, side to side seems okay if limited in range.

No one thing set it off, it was probably a combination of factors. The more I think about it, it was probably a long time in coming. There were warning signs. So now it's just rest, time, and a little tiny pill now and again (say every 4-6 hours as needed.)

While I can't unscramble the egg that is my back, at least I can prevent it from happening again. I'm gonna reevaluate the ergonomics of my life and daily routine. Maybe it's time I invested in a kneeling chair for the time I spend typing at the computer. Perhaps I'll have to rethink my wheels and chuck the sports car for something with more headroom and an easier entry and exit profile. I should definitely stop eating meals in front of the TV sitting on the floor at the tea table, definitely.

And may a little more yoga in my life would do me good. I used to be quite limber in my day, Gumby they used to call me. But alas, those days are past. Maybe I can reclaim them?

An Apple a day

So, I've made the switch recently to a MacBook as my primary computer, and thus far I'm really loving it.

Granted, there are a few quirks that keep the experience from being entirely smooth sailing -- different keyboard layout, unfamiliar keystroke combinations, and the intractable stupidity of the one-button trackpad. However, despite those inconveniences, the combination of hardware, design, and innovative OS and applications has made a believer out of me.

It's not that Macs are inherently better. They're just better now for what I need and want.

A journey of a thousand pages . . .

begins with a single word.

And so it goes with this blog, except for the really long gap between entries.

If it's Sunday, I must be blogging

So, I've been meaning to blog for awhile now. A very, very long while.

It's not that I haven't had the opportunity. I've had plenty of time. And there have been a lot of things about which I could have written. Also, this blog has been all set-up just waiting for an entry. In fact, this is probably the third or fourth iteration of this blog. (May each previous version rest in peace.)

Well, for whatever reason, I just haven't been writing. But that all stops today. Today I'm turning over the proverbial new leaf. I'll start blogging and I'll keep on writing.

Just wait and see.