I had to capture a feral cat today and take the poor guy to the pound. I'm not sure how old this cat was, but I'm sure he wasn't more than three of four years old. I'd originally planned to grab him and take him to the vet for a checkup first. He has mats, which is to be expected for a long haired cat living outside. Also, one of his eyes was always squinting which gave him a Popeye look. I'm sure it was a battle scar of some sort.
When I grabbed him he tore the heck out of my arms, even though I'd taken the precaution of wearing leather gloves first. His teeth tore right through one of the fingers and grabbed me pretty good on my right hand. It was a struggle getting him into the carrying case, but I knew I'd only get one shot so kept at it. What a fight! He went in, and I went to examine the damage. Nothing too serious, but it's obvious that he really is a feral cat, or at least a cat who's been on his own long enough to go feral. There really isn't a chance to get a home for him. There's no way a vet could check him out to see if he's carrying anything either. I had hoped that a shave and some days of good food would make him presentable for homes, but it's not to be. He's a tough customer.
So I took him directly to the pound. It's sad and I'm bummed out. But there wasn't too much I could do about it. We have a neighbors cat who loves to sun himself on the patio, and the two of them would explore the yard together. I'm glad they get along, but it would only be a matter of time before the feral feline passed some disease on to the other cat. Grrr. There are many times I wish I could talk to cats more directly. I wish I could have explained to the feral guy the situation. Tell him to calm down and shape up!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Deadlines and More Deadlines
It appears that there's a catch to being a published author. With publication comes the understood acceptance of more deadlines. I've had a ton of them the past few weeks, which have kept me busy. I love writing, but the deadlines are going to take some getting used to.
What happens is that I'll check my email in the morning and see what projects the company are sending my way, and then have to plan my week around them. The priorities are constantly changing, which means that I'll have to stay on my toes. Also, it means that it's a bit harder to plan for the future than the typical 9-5 job. It's fine, just different. Right now I'm waiting for the next project. So I have a bit of down time to fill. I'm going to do a touch of painting over the weekend while I wait.
What happens is that I'll check my email in the morning and see what projects the company are sending my way, and then have to plan my week around them. The priorities are constantly changing, which means that I'll have to stay on my toes. Also, it means that it's a bit harder to plan for the future than the typical 9-5 job. It's fine, just different. Right now I'm waiting for the next project. So I have a bit of down time to fill. I'm going to do a touch of painting over the weekend while I wait.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
I'm a Published Author!
Hurray! Yep, I sold an article for cash. Real cash too! I made more than H.P. Lovecraft while he was alive. Not bad, not bad at all!
OK, so I made more than he did without factoring in inflation and other things. Still, it's pretty cool!
OK, so I made more than he did without factoring in inflation and other things. Still, it's pretty cool!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Borderlands Artwork
Oh yes! Lots of stuff to rip off the walls here. I took some shots of the vending machines and will be sketching them out in the days to come.
Borderlands Review
Ted Puffer Review = 4 Stars, oh yeah!
Game = Borderlands (and the three add on packs)
There is something attractive about a game which bills itself as having millions of guns in it, and Borderlands delivers the goods with this FPS. There are guns in the game, tons of them. After awhile they actually become the main form of currency in the game itself. No need to carry cash around to make a purchase, just trade in a few rifles and side arms for what you want and you're good to go. It may be overkill, but it's GOOD overkill!
Most impressive about the game, at least for me, was the look and feel of the world 2K created. It's a strange post-apocalyptic rotoscoped landscape that you find yourself in, and spend the game prowling around and shooting things. The colors are rich, but in a cartoon like way. Heavy black borders are the order of the day here. Although it does look cartoon like, for some reason its still fully immersive, which was unexpected. Normally it would make sense that to suspend disbelief in a game, you'd have to have photo-real environments to explore but Borderlands never even tries for that. The physics are close, although you can drop a heck of a distance without any damage which is unrealistic but a ton of fun. Overall, I was hooked and loved the experience. Great game!
Game = Borderlands (and the three add on packs)
There is something attractive about a game which bills itself as having millions of guns in it, and Borderlands delivers the goods with this FPS. There are guns in the game, tons of them. After awhile they actually become the main form of currency in the game itself. No need to carry cash around to make a purchase, just trade in a few rifles and side arms for what you want and you're good to go. It may be overkill, but it's GOOD overkill!
Most impressive about the game, at least for me, was the look and feel of the world 2K created. It's a strange post-apocalyptic rotoscoped landscape that you find yourself in, and spend the game prowling around and shooting things. The colors are rich, but in a cartoon like way. Heavy black borders are the order of the day here. Although it does look cartoon like, for some reason its still fully immersive, which was unexpected. Normally it would make sense that to suspend disbelief in a game, you'd have to have photo-real environments to explore but Borderlands never even tries for that. The physics are close, although you can drop a heck of a distance without any damage which is unrealistic but a ton of fun. Overall, I was hooked and loved the experience. Great game!
Day Away
The monastery in Vallerjmo hosts day and weekend retreats all the time, and I finally had a schedule free enough to make the drive over to spend a day with the monks. I'm sort of in awe that a monastery was built in such a strange place and wouldn't have thought it would be so ideal, but the desert provides a magical backdrop for a day of meditation and prayer.
The monks own the valley and have made it an oasis in the hills. The lands are quite large. I'm not sure how many acres the monastery stretches for, but the valley goes back quite a way into the surrounding hills and each part has been carefully tended. There are shady groves, an artifical pond and multiple outbuildings for housing and workshops.
I made an earlier trip here to check out the wildlife. No, not the monks. The greenery is a destinatino for migrating birds of all types, and I've hiked around the hills before looking for native species. They have woodpeckers, red-wing blackbirds, mockingbirds, hummingbirds, sparrows and ravens. Of course, this still is the high desert, so they have their share of snakes and lizards as well. I've seen lizards, but no snakes yet.
This day retreat got me hooked into the whole experience. They start out with a lesson and then the group has leave to walk around the grounds in meditation. A noon bell summons everyone to communion (Catholic, so I just watched), and then lunch. The food is fantastic. Monks know how to cook and eat very well. I'm sure the picturesque ideal is to have monks sup on simple fare of raw vegetables and hard bread but these guys know what they're doing. We had soup and sandwiches; but what soup! And what sandwiches!
After the meal, there is another lesson and then another walk around the hillside. I could have gone further up the paths to check out this cool "Stations of the Cross" trail, but essentially ran out of time. It's hard to imagine that so much of a day can be taken up by just walking around outside, but there is something very special about the monastery. It's a time for quiet reflection and recharging one's spiritual batteries.
The monks own the valley and have made it an oasis in the hills. The lands are quite large. I'm not sure how many acres the monastery stretches for, but the valley goes back quite a way into the surrounding hills and each part has been carefully tended. There are shady groves, an artifical pond and multiple outbuildings for housing and workshops.
I made an earlier trip here to check out the wildlife. No, not the monks. The greenery is a destinatino for migrating birds of all types, and I've hiked around the hills before looking for native species. They have woodpeckers, red-wing blackbirds, mockingbirds, hummingbirds, sparrows and ravens. Of course, this still is the high desert, so they have their share of snakes and lizards as well. I've seen lizards, but no snakes yet.
This day retreat got me hooked into the whole experience. They start out with a lesson and then the group has leave to walk around the grounds in meditation. A noon bell summons everyone to communion (Catholic, so I just watched), and then lunch. The food is fantastic. Monks know how to cook and eat very well. I'm sure the picturesque ideal is to have monks sup on simple fare of raw vegetables and hard bread but these guys know what they're doing. We had soup and sandwiches; but what soup! And what sandwiches!
After the meal, there is another lesson and then another walk around the hillside. I could have gone further up the paths to check out this cool "Stations of the Cross" trail, but essentially ran out of time. It's hard to imagine that so much of a day can be taken up by just walking around outside, but there is something very special about the monastery. It's a time for quiet reflection and recharging one's spiritual batteries.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Fleshing out Words
How do you make a character come alive on a page? It's all a matter of words. The maxim for the film industry is "Show, don't tell", which is well and good when you have a camera handy. If the only tools at your disposal are words, then it get a bit more tricky.
For example, I'm working on a story that has a doctor in it. I could easily have the guy say "I'm a doctor", but that makes him little more than a sock puppet. If the guy says he's a doctor, that doesn't mean anything. We form relationships by people, not by titles. This might seem like a broad statement to say, especially considering the pathetic state of society right now, but it's true.
So let's try that again. We could write "Joe Schmoe put on his stethoscope and walked out of his office at the hospital." Better. Not good, but not horrible either.
How about building on that with, ""Turn your head and cough, " Joe Schmoe said, shivering in his chilly office at Mercy Medical Center"
That's getting there. But the most effective method of making a character come alive is to suggest and insinuate. Let the reader gather all the pieces of the scene you're setting. Trust the reader to put it all together. In a sense, that's what we do in our daily lives. We don't wake up and get a synopsis of how the day is going, we gather little clues as we dress and brush our teeth. By the time we're ready to head out the door, we've got a pretty good idea about what's in store for us that day.
One more time. "Joe Schmoe draped the stethoscope over his shoulder as he locked his office in Mercy Medical Hospital. "When are patients going to learn that not all doctors are obsessed about health insurance," he wondered. "Most of us joined the profession to help people, not just to line our pockets," he muttered.
Something like that.
For example, I'm working on a story that has a doctor in it. I could easily have the guy say "I'm a doctor", but that makes him little more than a sock puppet. If the guy says he's a doctor, that doesn't mean anything. We form relationships by people, not by titles. This might seem like a broad statement to say, especially considering the pathetic state of society right now, but it's true.
So let's try that again. We could write "Joe Schmoe put on his stethoscope and walked out of his office at the hospital." Better. Not good, but not horrible either.
How about building on that with, ""Turn your head and cough, " Joe Schmoe said, shivering in his chilly office at Mercy Medical Center"
That's getting there. But the most effective method of making a character come alive is to suggest and insinuate. Let the reader gather all the pieces of the scene you're setting. Trust the reader to put it all together. In a sense, that's what we do in our daily lives. We don't wake up and get a synopsis of how the day is going, we gather little clues as we dress and brush our teeth. By the time we're ready to head out the door, we've got a pretty good idea about what's in store for us that day.
One more time. "Joe Schmoe draped the stethoscope over his shoulder as he locked his office in Mercy Medical Hospital. "When are patients going to learn that not all doctors are obsessed about health insurance," he wondered. "Most of us joined the profession to help people, not just to line our pockets," he muttered.
Something like that.
Translating French
Translating French
I'm currently working on a contract that requires me to translate a French story into English. This was one of those projects that I had a chance to take and decided to take for a simple reason. I'd never done a French translation before, and how hard could it actually be?
To tell the truth, it's not hard. It's weird, but not difficult.
My method is simple. I just copy a block of text and paste it into the Google translation engine. Then I take the fragmented, disordered, random words that the engine spits out and string them together into some order. If I'm lucky, there's something helpful to work with and I can just fill in the blanks. If the stars are alligned against me, the words might as well been pulled from someone's shopping list.
What is interesting is to see how language works. I used to think that tranlating would be a simple process. All you'd have to do is replace the word what one culture calls a thing with the same word in English. QED. If a Spanish story uses the word "Sappotos", I'd write "Shoes".
Of course, there's much more than that.
While individual words can be translated 1-to-1 (for the most part), the concepts behind the words have a tougher time. It really illustrates how communication works."
Take that last sentence for example. "It illustrates how communication works."
To translate word-for-word, we'd have:
It = that
really = very
illustrates = draw
how = what
communication = talking
works = does
So Google would likely give you something like "Very what talking does that drawing."
The cool part about translating is knowing that word order and even the words themselves aren't as important as the concept. If half the concept survives intact, your brain just fills in the rest. So using a little creativity, we might get:
"Concrete words are most effective."
OK, it's not perfect. But you understand what what I'm saying. Heh heh.
I'm currently working on a contract that requires me to translate a French story into English. This was one of those projects that I had a chance to take and decided to take for a simple reason. I'd never done a French translation before, and how hard could it actually be?
To tell the truth, it's not hard. It's weird, but not difficult.
My method is simple. I just copy a block of text and paste it into the Google translation engine. Then I take the fragmented, disordered, random words that the engine spits out and string them together into some order. If I'm lucky, there's something helpful to work with and I can just fill in the blanks. If the stars are alligned against me, the words might as well been pulled from someone's shopping list.
What is interesting is to see how language works. I used to think that tranlating would be a simple process. All you'd have to do is replace the word what one culture calls a thing with the same word in English. QED. If a Spanish story uses the word "Sappotos", I'd write "Shoes".
Of course, there's much more than that.
While individual words can be translated 1-to-1 (for the most part), the concepts behind the words have a tougher time. It really illustrates how communication works."
Take that last sentence for example. "It illustrates how communication works."
To translate word-for-word, we'd have:
It = that
really = very
illustrates = draw
how = what
communication = talking
works = does
So Google would likely give you something like "Very what talking does that drawing."
The cool part about translating is knowing that word order and even the words themselves aren't as important as the concept. If half the concept survives intact, your brain just fills in the rest. So using a little creativity, we might get:
"Concrete words are most effective."
OK, it's not perfect. But you understand what what I'm saying. Heh heh.
Stubborn Marigolds
Everyone has a good dish in them. Or at least they have the potential to make a good dish. I've known people who treat the kitchen like some sort of torture chamber. They'd do anything not to step foot on the tiled floor of a kitchen, and will tell you all about it.
And yet, these same people are able to make one dish, and make it very well. Usually they'll call it something like "My World Famous Potatos" or "Magic Roast". And it an extent, they're right. Not only can they put together a meal, but it comes out wonderfully.
But give them a recipe for anything else, and the magic is gone. You're just begging for either fire or food poisoning.
I think this wierd pecularity of human nature extends to plants. For example, Marigolds.
Not the basic marigold is an unassuming little plant. It appeals to everyone because it's pretty, and small. It won't take over a yard, and once you plant it the green guy will just stay there and do what it does best. Turn green, and blossom.
For everyone else, that is. Not for me.
I can't keep marigolds alive. I've tried, but they turn on me like rabid, suicidal lemmings. There's something about the relationship between me, the gardener, and the, the plant. It just doesn't work out well.
I'm trying again to see if I can break the curse, so we'll see how it goes. But if my experiment doesn't work and the plants turn from lush little shrubs to a pile of dry tinder, I'm not going to be too surprised. I'll just mark it up to fate.
It's generally understood that everyone is good and something. I take the longer view that everyone is horrifically bad at something, too. No one can be a complete master of their environment, and that's the way it should be. The secret is finding out exactly what it is, and living accordingly. My weakness is marigolds. Not too bad for an Achilles heel.
It could have been taxes. Or morning glories. Thankfully it's not either. I'd have been very put out without morning glories.
And yet, these same people are able to make one dish, and make it very well. Usually they'll call it something like "My World Famous Potatos" or "Magic Roast". And it an extent, they're right. Not only can they put together a meal, but it comes out wonderfully.
But give them a recipe for anything else, and the magic is gone. You're just begging for either fire or food poisoning.
I think this wierd pecularity of human nature extends to plants. For example, Marigolds.
Not the basic marigold is an unassuming little plant. It appeals to everyone because it's pretty, and small. It won't take over a yard, and once you plant it the green guy will just stay there and do what it does best. Turn green, and blossom.
For everyone else, that is. Not for me.
I can't keep marigolds alive. I've tried, but they turn on me like rabid, suicidal lemmings. There's something about the relationship between me, the gardener, and the, the plant. It just doesn't work out well.
I'm trying again to see if I can break the curse, so we'll see how it goes. But if my experiment doesn't work and the plants turn from lush little shrubs to a pile of dry tinder, I'm not going to be too surprised. I'll just mark it up to fate.
It's generally understood that everyone is good and something. I take the longer view that everyone is horrifically bad at something, too. No one can be a complete master of their environment, and that's the way it should be. The secret is finding out exactly what it is, and living accordingly. My weakness is marigolds. Not too bad for an Achilles heel.
It could have been taxes. Or morning glories. Thankfully it's not either. I'd have been very put out without morning glories.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
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