So I'm going to try an actual review of a book instead if simply saying I like it in a few throwaway sentences. You might be asking yourself "why should I care about your thoughts on a particular book? What makes you so special?" The answer is nothing, really. To be honest, for most books out there, you will find half of them praising the book and half hating it.
I do have one or two credentials, though. For one, I have read many books. I consume two novels a week or so. I have read westerns and sci fi and fantasy and crime and literary and pulp and suspense and horror and more. From Shakespeare to Chandler, Rowlings to McCarthy. I believe I can say I am an experienced reader without my nose growing an inch. I am also an English major, so I have some experience in close reading, in examining themes, style and more.
I must admit right now that I am probably a terrible critic. I think this is because I like things. I enjoy things. Even such things that are perhaps universally bad, I can usually find something to like, I can usually find a way to enjoy the experience. I try to never focus on the negative aspects of an experience I have. Why would you want to? It simply irritates you, makes you angry or sad. There's no point to it. I'd rather take whatever positives I can away from it and feel happy. Most critics focus on the bad, focus on critiquing and criticizing, or saying how it could have been better. So don't expect any scathing reviews about terrible books. The most you're likely to get is a "meh, it was okay, some things could have been better, I guess." I know I won't be writing reviews for any major magazines any time soon.
But enough of that, let's get on with the review!
Ender's Game is about smart kids. Really smart kids. Geniuses, essentially. One in particular, more than others. His name is Andrew, but everyone calls him by his nickname, Ender, which is highly appropriate as he is very good at 'ending' things, permanently. He's a smartie pants and also an outcast, a 'Third' child, sponsored by the government to be born. He passes the tests and is sent to Battle School (I may very well be getting various specific names of things wrong. Who cares?) to train to be a commander as there is an invasion of 'buggers' coming to kill everyone. That's enough about the plot. I don't want to talk about plot, or summarize the story. I will simply say the plot is fine, with questions, twists, and action aplenty. It works very well.
I guess the one great thing about Ender's Game is the one thing that all science fiction should strive to do. It's science-y enough to be believable to the reader but doesn't get bogged down with too much detail about how the sci-fi stuff works, which I really like. I don't need to hear all the technical specifics about this futuristic technology, I just want to know that it works and it's cool and get on with the story. That's one thing Orson Scott Card does really well in this novel.
Second thing, the characters are really great. They are believable not only as children but as really intelligent children. In ways they act like adults, thinking through problems and strategies, but in other ways, they are very much undeveloped children trying to act older than they are. I can see why so many kids read this book in high school and loved it. It's violent and portrays the realities of what children go through growing up, especially in the crazy Battle School where they are pitted against each other constantly.
Battle School is essentially recess, though instead of an open play field with various things to do, there is one single 'game' they play, team against team. The children are shaped by this game, are pushed and pressured and formed into the best they can be, most especially Ender, on who all the hopes of the human race are essentially placed. The teachers constantly push and dig at him, doing everything they can to break him down, forcing him to adapt and think, to literally be the best he can be.
It's very interesting, how doing these terrible things to these children form them into incredible beings, forcing them to achieve their highest potential. The teachers have this down almost to a science, and they do it. They throw everything they can at the kid, letting him fend for himself and he becomes all the better for it. Well, I guess you could argue whether he really becomes 'better' for it. He becomes smarter, though, stronger. He realizes his full potential. It's very interesting, in this day and age where so much emphasis is placed on the safety of children, where they rarely face danger or hardship. Are they fulfilling their potential? Are we keeping them too safe, to the point where they are not adapting or having to think, or react to any danger?
There is a cost, of course. Ender's childhood is not a happy one, and a couple kids die or break down from this 'perform or lose' mentality, this teaching method. It's tough, to toe the line between wanting a child to be happy, but also wanting them to experience some difficulties so they can learn and live and grow.
It's also very interesting that the war between the humans and the buggers is a simple result from miscommunication. The buggers and humans cannot communicate and because of this, along with assumptions made on both sides, a vicious war has broken out. Such a simple thing, a misunderstanding, and an entire race may be wiped out as a result. It's crazy, right?
So I've talked about this book some. Have I said enough? Have I gone over all the points? The plot: Good, The characters: Great, the style: Fine. I guess I didn't really say anything about the style. You follow the characters, see into their heads as they go along through the events of the plot. It is perfectly fine, no extraneous detail, no lack of action, it keeps you invested and interested all along the way.
I also love the title. Ender's Game. You might think it's referring to the game that all the boys play in Battle School but it also refers to Ender's life, to the 'game' he plays constantly in his life, against his brother, the other boys, and the teachers. It also references a twist at the end which is done very well. The book shows the game all children play as they grow up, learning to manipulate others and survive the various aspects of school, schoolmates and everything else. It is a perfect title.
I think it is a book anyone could enjoy, even those who prefer not to read science fiction.
So that's my review. Like it? Don't like it? Does it work/make sense? Does it make you want to read it? Should I do more like this? Let me know, somehow.
"With Ender, we have to strike a delicate balance. Isolate him enough that he remains creative--otherwise he'll adopt the systems here and we'll lose him. At the same time, we need to make sure he keeps a strong ability to lead."
- Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game, Ch. 4
Monday, March 12, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Why I Write (A Guest-Blog-Post)
Nate is a programmer (computer scientist?) working for Microsoft in Seattle and a long-time friend of mine. I've never known him to write very much, though he is a very clever, smart and creative person, so I was delightfully surprised to find out he was participating in Nanowrimo with me this year. We're both continuing to work on fantasy novels and continuing to write as much as we can be motivated to do so. I suggested a guest blogpost to spice things up a bit, and this is what he sent me. It is really quite good. Enjoy.
-Ben
-Ben
Hello, readers! It's time for a guest post. I'm Nate, the one who beat (trounced, even!) Ben in the February word writing race.
That story goes like this: We were neck and neck for the majority of the race. Due to unforeseen circumstances I couldn't participate in the last two days. On the final weekend I resolved to stock up on food, lock my doors, turn off my phone, disconnect the internet, and build up as much of a lead as possible before going dark. I managed to write 10,000 words. Ben was unable to catch up. The rest, as they say, is "Ben owes me a steak dinner."
But enough gloating. Today we will discuss the question of "why do you write?"
The flippant answer is "I write all the time. Most of it is computer code." I'm a computer scientist, you see, and I've been programming since roughly forever. You might think that I write as a creative outlet in response to my soul-crushingly corporate job where I sit in a chair and mash keyboards all day.
I'd like to dispel that notion on two grounds.
Firstly, "real" writing entails sitting in a chair and mashing a keyboard. Secondly, programming is my creative outlet. Or, at least, it has been for ages.
People who aren't familiar with programing (or mathematics, or other analytical fields) often think they aren't creative. Pop culture says that "math nerds" are "left brain", "analytical" people, while "creative", "right-brain" folks are the artsy type. That's the second notion I'd like to dispel. (It's wrong, by the way.)
Programming computers is like painting. At work, I paint houses. I apply white paint on the cold walls of an enormous corporate concrete jungle. At home, I paint landscapes, including intricate sunsets that follow my whim and fancy. Code, like paint, is a medium, and code, like paint, can span the entire spectrum from droll to artistic. Programming is no more (or less) creative than painting.
That said, my code is motivated by utility. I write code first and foremost for the sake of tools. After making something functional I spend a lot of time making it general, making it easy to use, documenting it, making it efficient, making it pretty, et cetera. All together, I spend far more time making cool tools than I save by using them. That's what I mean when I say that programming is my creative outlet: I'm driven by the need for tools, but I keep coding long after the tools are done. In that sense, I code for the sake of code. Because it's fun. Because I love finding elegant solutions to hard problems.
Perfecting and generalizing tools is my preferred form of escapism. Some people play video games. I write code.
My second favorite form of escapism is reading books.
Which brings us back to writing.
Why do I write? I already have a creative outlet, a (useful, lucrative) form of escapism. So why write?
I'm not really sure. I think that there are a lot of motivating factors.
I can remember the day that I first decided to (or, rather, realized that I could) write a fantasy story. I was fourteen years old. I found a story online, a webcomic told through pictures of legos with captions. It told a story about dragons. The lego dragons in it were really cool. I eventually learned that it was created by a fellow fourteen year old.
It was at that moment that I realized that I didn't just have to read stories, I could also tell my own. I always had ideas kicking around, but it wasn't until then that I thought maybe I should share them.
I wondered. "If I were to tell a story, what story would I tell?"
Eight years later, I'm finally beginning to find out.
But _why_ do I write? Just because I can? Just because I'm curious? There's more to it than that.
To me, deep down, stories are essential. Stories are intrinsic. Making stories with friends, hearing the stories of others, telling stories to family: I cant express quite what it is, but it's something like this. Life is all about the experience. In fact, life is the experience. It is no more, it is no less. Stories are a means of conveying experience.
They're something fundamental.
But it's more than that, too.
Writing is a direct window to the soul. Everything that I put into a character I must first find in myself. As a reader, you may simply think that I'm writing a good villain. You may be able to empathize with my character's unease. You may feel my character's fears. When you're reading my story, to you, none of that reflects on me. I'm just writing characters.
But to me, it's all intensely personal. I can't write a villain without finding the villain within. I can't write fears without exposing my own. Writing is, in essence, a confession: if not to my readers, then to myself.
And there is still more to it.
Writing is a clarifying process. In writing my ideas, they cease to be ideas and become a story. There's an vast ocean of difference between the two. The ideas in my head are vast and broad. They contain a multitude. They are a nebulous cloud of powerful moments and compelling characters. When I write the ideas, they become a story. One single story. One path through that nebulous cloud. The story becomes at once less, in that I can never express all the emotions in my head, and more, in that the story becomes real.
The ideas in my head aren't fleshed out. The details aren't there. Sometimes when I'm writing I find that my ideas are insufficient, contradictory, or unbelievable. The ideas are forced to change.
Yet they also grow considerably in the telling. Characters constantly outgrow the ideas that spawned them. Whole new worlds become available where details and ideas intersect.
We're getting closer to the reason that I write.
To you, the reader, writing is about the finished product. It's about the story you read, about the characters and the interactions and the emotions that the story makes you feel.
To me, it's about something else entirely. It's a means of expression. It's a process of discovery. Intense discovery, given that it's a confession through and through. It's about the difference between the story and the idea. It's about all the things that it could have been but wasn't. It's about all the things that fall to the wayside as I'm writing, and it's about all the things that spring up and surprise me along the way. It's about what my ideas became.
It's about the journey. It's about the experience.
Why do I write? Because I can. Because I've always wondered what story would come out. Because I grow whenever I look into myself. Because there's no feeling like seeing my ideas come to fruition, like seeing my story come together, like writing a moment that is just as powerful and emotional as I always imagined it.
I can't say exactly why I started writing. I can't pinpoint one specific reason. But I can tell you this: I like it, and I'm not going to stop.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
In case you didn't know, the title to this blog is a grammatically correct sentence in the English language. Don't believe me? Check wikipedia.( wiki:buffalo ) Cool, right? Don't ask me how it works. I don't know.
Anyways, it's super fun sunny-side up Sunday and instead of resting like I'm supposed to be doing, I'm writing. I figure I should probably try to make up for my super late last blogpost, so here I am, chugging coffee and watching Nicolas Cage on the television. (The Rock and National Treasure, if you're curious, both fantastic movies displaying Nic Cage's amazing acting talent.) Let's get to it.
I found some cool things on the internet. One of which is hitrecord.org. It is an Open Collaborative Production Company composed of writers, filmmakers, photographers, photo-shoppers, animators, artists, etc. The website is like a studio where you can put up your "RECords" and anyone else on the site can remix, illustrate, animate or do whatever with it. It was started by Joseph Gordonn-Levitt, whose been in films such as Inception, 500 Days of Summer, 50/50, and more. It is an incredibly cool idea, and one where people actually make money. If something you worked on becomes part of a collaboration which eventually makes money, then the proceeds are split 50/50 between the website and all of the contributors/creators. I cannot describe it anymore than that, really, it took me some time to understand it myself. All I can say is go there and watch the video on the home page. It's pretty much the coolest thing I have seen on the internet. It's a huge open collaborative space where many people work together on just about any artistic/creative project you can think of, with the influence and abilities of someone who has ties in the media industry and Hollywood. It blew my mind.
Know how I found it? Found Joseph Gordonn Levitt on twitter and clicked his website. Twitter has some cool stuff, you can follow people you're interested in. It's not as stupid and useless as it seems to be.
Anyways. I wrote stuff today! Woohoo!( Chasing a Bullet ) Check it out. Add a prequel or a sequel chapter, if you're feeling adventurous.
I've heard some folk like when I review stuff, like books and television and movies and such, so I'll try to do some more of that in the future.
So that's some stuff. Keep on keepin' on. Keep on truckin'. Truck on keepin'. That makes no sense.
I'll leave you on this note. Read, write, watch, listen and create. There's a whole lot of good stuff out there. Find some.
Anyways, it's super fun sunny-side up Sunday and instead of resting like I'm supposed to be doing, I'm writing. I figure I should probably try to make up for my super late last blogpost, so here I am, chugging coffee and watching Nicolas Cage on the television. (The Rock and National Treasure, if you're curious, both fantastic movies displaying Nic Cage's amazing acting talent.) Let's get to it.
I found some cool things on the internet. One of which is hitrecord.org. It is an Open Collaborative Production Company composed of writers, filmmakers, photographers, photo-shoppers, animators, artists, etc. The website is like a studio where you can put up your "RECords" and anyone else on the site can remix, illustrate, animate or do whatever with it. It was started by Joseph Gordonn-Levitt, whose been in films such as Inception, 500 Days of Summer, 50/50, and more. It is an incredibly cool idea, and one where people actually make money. If something you worked on becomes part of a collaboration which eventually makes money, then the proceeds are split 50/50 between the website and all of the contributors/creators. I cannot describe it anymore than that, really, it took me some time to understand it myself. All I can say is go there and watch the video on the home page. It's pretty much the coolest thing I have seen on the internet. It's a huge open collaborative space where many people work together on just about any artistic/creative project you can think of, with the influence and abilities of someone who has ties in the media industry and Hollywood. It blew my mind.
Know how I found it? Found Joseph Gordonn Levitt on twitter and clicked his website. Twitter has some cool stuff, you can follow people you're interested in. It's not as stupid and useless as it seems to be.
Anyways. I wrote stuff today! Woohoo!( Chasing a Bullet ) Check it out. Add a prequel or a sequel chapter, if you're feeling adventurous.
I've heard some folk like when I review stuff, like books and television and movies and such, so I'll try to do some more of that in the future.
So that's some stuff. Keep on keepin' on. Keep on truckin'. Truck on keepin'. That makes no sense.
I'll leave you on this note. Read, write, watch, listen and create. There's a whole lot of good stuff out there. Find some.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Bloggin' bloggin' bloggin'...
Keep those blog posts comin'...Blog pooooosts!
Yeah. So I'm late. Maybe I'm blognant. Get it! Haha! Bad joke. Yeah, it's going to be one of those blog posts.
I don't know what those blog posts are. Somethin' somethin' somethin'.
I don't think my blog will ever attract many followers. I've looked at the popular blogs. They have BIG HOW-TO TITLES and short paragraphs with punchy underlined sub-titles, telling you how to write or how to get your writing published or what to write or writing prompts or other such things, how to do this or that, how to find peace in your life, achieve happiness, make money, save money, that, this or the other thing.
Popular blogs are focused on single topics, writing, cooking, programming, etc, while mine is all over the place. One post is about writing, one's about cooking, hell, in half of them I talk about three or four things at the same time. It's too random, too loose, disorganized. I write about things that I'm doing and such like that, not what other people should do. I talk about stuff I watch and read and am doing. Brewing, cooking, writing, bouncing, teaching, and whatever else I care to write about that I find interesting. So I don't expect to gather a large following, but oh well, it's something I've accepted. This blog is not going to make me rich and famous. I realized it long ago, cried a little, and have moved on.
Onwards and upwards.
I wrote 48,824 words in February. It's quite an accomplishment, nearly 50k in 29 days. I'm pretty pleased with it though I did lose, quite handily I might add, by my friend Nate who wrote over 52k. He wrote 6k last Saturday, I mean what the heck? Anyways, it was great motivation as my fantasy novel is nearly completed to the point where I'm happy with the ending, rather than after Nano where I was simply finished because I was over 50k. Now, the novel is about 105,000 words or so, which is pretty awesome, as far as I'm concerned. Just a few more pages and then it's back to editing, that act I love so much. After some editing, I'll probably release the full novel to close friends and family for their thoughts, then even more editing and then maybe publishing, the intended goal in the vast horizon.
But it's nice to not have to write every day, to output that much creativity daily is exhausting so it is nice to recharge my mind batteries for a week or so. There are a number of things I'd like to do in March. 1. Start a serial that I write weekly and get it up on Tuesday Serial, 2. Write a chapter on Ficly.com, 3. Write a chapter on Storymash.com, 4. Participate in Friday Flash Friction, 5. Uhhh, I forget. I'm sure there were more, but at the moment I cannot get ahold of those thoughts. Ah well. Mainly, I want write some different shorter stuff rather than epic fantasy. I also want to get my name out there into the Writer Community...Whatever that is, exactly. I'm not sure. I think it's out there, somewhere, a vast multi-various formless mass of writers writing words and reading eachother's work and such like that. I will venture out in a spaceship of literature and see what I can find.
Anyways, who knows. I'll write some stuff. When I do, I will let you know. Also, I may not continue doing the Weekly Sunday Posts. It's up in the air at the moment. We'll see. I am out like an unlit candle.
Yeah. So I'm late. Maybe I'm blognant. Get it! Haha! Bad joke. Yeah, it's going to be one of those blog posts.
I don't know what those blog posts are. Somethin' somethin' somethin'.
I don't think my blog will ever attract many followers. I've looked at the popular blogs. They have BIG HOW-TO TITLES and short paragraphs with punchy underlined sub-titles, telling you how to write or how to get your writing published or what to write or writing prompts or other such things, how to do this or that, how to find peace in your life, achieve happiness, make money, save money, that, this or the other thing.
Popular blogs are focused on single topics, writing, cooking, programming, etc, while mine is all over the place. One post is about writing, one's about cooking, hell, in half of them I talk about three or four things at the same time. It's too random, too loose, disorganized. I write about things that I'm doing and such like that, not what other people should do. I talk about stuff I watch and read and am doing. Brewing, cooking, writing, bouncing, teaching, and whatever else I care to write about that I find interesting. So I don't expect to gather a large following, but oh well, it's something I've accepted. This blog is not going to make me rich and famous. I realized it long ago, cried a little, and have moved on.
Onwards and upwards.
I wrote 48,824 words in February. It's quite an accomplishment, nearly 50k in 29 days. I'm pretty pleased with it though I did lose, quite handily I might add, by my friend Nate who wrote over 52k. He wrote 6k last Saturday, I mean what the heck? Anyways, it was great motivation as my fantasy novel is nearly completed to the point where I'm happy with the ending, rather than after Nano where I was simply finished because I was over 50k. Now, the novel is about 105,000 words or so, which is pretty awesome, as far as I'm concerned. Just a few more pages and then it's back to editing, that act I love so much. After some editing, I'll probably release the full novel to close friends and family for their thoughts, then even more editing and then maybe publishing, the intended goal in the vast horizon.
But it's nice to not have to write every day, to output that much creativity daily is exhausting so it is nice to recharge my mind batteries for a week or so. There are a number of things I'd like to do in March. 1. Start a serial that I write weekly and get it up on Tuesday Serial, 2. Write a chapter on Ficly.com, 3. Write a chapter on Storymash.com, 4. Participate in Friday Flash Friction, 5. Uhhh, I forget. I'm sure there were more, but at the moment I cannot get ahold of those thoughts. Ah well. Mainly, I want write some different shorter stuff rather than epic fantasy. I also want to get my name out there into the Writer Community...Whatever that is, exactly. I'm not sure. I think it's out there, somewhere, a vast multi-various formless mass of writers writing words and reading eachother's work and such like that. I will venture out in a spaceship of literature and see what I can find.
Anyways, who knows. I'll write some stuff. When I do, I will let you know. Also, I may not continue doing the Weekly Sunday Posts. It's up in the air at the moment. We'll see. I am out like an unlit candle.
Monday, February 20, 2012
This Title Is Post-Modern
Do people not realize that other people exist? Do they not understand that those people who may have different ideological views are still people, just like them? They live and breath and probably enjoy freedom just as much as anybody else. I don't understand where all the hate comes from. People don't just dislike Obama or disagree with his views, they fucking hate his guts, think he's satan's spawn and is destroying the country. Republicans don't just disagree with liberals, they think of them as goddamn hippy tree-huggers who are ruining the country with their ideas of free give-aways and getting something for nothing. Liberals don't just disagree with republicans, they think they are old insane people who won't let go of their guns long enough to have a simple conversation. We don't see each other as similar Americans with a few different ideas, but different people altogether, crazy people with ridiculous ideas who should just shut up and let the smarter folk run the country, the ones who know better.
It's also as if people don't realize our government has a system of checks and balances. The president isn't god. He can't do everything he wants. He can't destroy the country in four years. Give it a break. Give it a rest. Give it something. Just calm the hell down already. Everyone's too extreme in their own opinions and unwilling to hear anything that might change their mind. They are as set about their opinions as a train and nothing less than an explosion is going to derail them. I just wish people were more open, more willing to listen, more willing to compromise, but compromises are never good enough, apparently. It always has to be all one way or the other.
I guess the biggest thing is I wish people didn't take everything they heard as fact. I wish people would take into account where they received their information from, who was their source? And just what is that sources' intentions? What does that source want you to think? There's no such thing as being unbiased and their never was. There's always a spin, and knowing what it is helps you determine just what the message is that somebody is trying to tell you. You might be able to separate the facts from the speculation, from the complete fiction. Take everything with a grain of salt, as they say. Hell, take everything with the entire salt shaker. Question everything.
I recently fired a rifle at a target for fun. I have to say it was quite enjoyable. It was also frightening. Guns are really scary things, powerful machines capable of killing. It made me think about things. One big issue between political parties is gun control and gun laws. There are reasonably good arguments for both sides. On the one hand, it does seem like guns find their way into certain hands too easily. I have no doubt that if guns were heavily restricted and regulated more so than they are now, that gun crime would probably go down. Of course, on the other hand, people argue that if guns are restricted then the only ones who have guns are criminals. This is also a pretty good argument. It's a fine line, how restrictive laws should be in regards to guns. They are incredibly powerful weapons. Imagine making one stupid mistake that cost someone their life. It is a very big deal. I must say that those I was with were very very conscious about safety. They know the power of guns and took the right precautions and it was very safe. Obviously many are unsafe and accidents happen. I think I come down somewhere in the middle on this issue. I do think Americans should be allowed to own guns, perhaps even carry them, but I also think they should be regulated. You should be found to not have mental problems or criminal history to own a gun, things like that. We should try as hard as we can to keep guns out of the hands of those who would do wrong with them. I don't think anyone would disagree with me on that point. Anyways, onwards.
I don't know why this post today is so political. I guess I've just been thinking about those sorts of things lately. I think this country is moderate and should continue to be moderate. Moderate is a compromise, is the middle between left and right, liberal and republican. It's the reason we have two major parties after all. You cannot get everything you want in this life, we all know that. It's not fair, blah blah blah. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Maybe you can have half a cake and smell it, if you compromise. I don't know. I think that's why I like Obama. Because he is moderate and has tried to see both sides, to form compromises. Of course, that just means he gets hated on by both sides. Republicans tried to stop everything, he tried to compromise and democrats hated him for compromising too much. Sounds like an impossible job, but I still think he's doing better than any of the republican candidates would. Mitt Romney's just a rich guy out of touch with the middle class, Gingrich is a terrible human being, and Santorum hates gays. That's quite a group you got there.
This post is very late. It is Monday evening but let's just say I had a busy day yesterday and leave it at that. It's becoming ruthless, trying to keep up with Nate and achieve 50k words by March 1st. I'm at about 30k right now, which means 20,000 words in about nine days. That's rough, but I'll keep pushing on.
I've been considering doing a serial after February. A serial is just a fictional story where the author continues it every week. There's a website called http://tuesdayserial.com/ which takes links to various author's serials and posts them up every week for readers who are interested. Could be a good way to get my name out there. Not sure what I'd do though. A story where you update once a week with a 1000 words or so would be pretty difficult, but it'd keep me writing and that's always a good thing. They also have a bunch of articles about serial fiction on that site which are very informative and interesting. I'm also thinking about participating in Friday Flash Fiction (http://fridayflashfiction.blogspot.com/2009/09/rules.html) because that sounds really cool and also another way to get writing and get my name out there.
That's it for today. Kind of lame, really, I know but like I said, 20k in 9 days ain't easy.
It's also as if people don't realize our government has a system of checks and balances. The president isn't god. He can't do everything he wants. He can't destroy the country in four years. Give it a break. Give it a rest. Give it something. Just calm the hell down already. Everyone's too extreme in their own opinions and unwilling to hear anything that might change their mind. They are as set about their opinions as a train and nothing less than an explosion is going to derail them. I just wish people were more open, more willing to listen, more willing to compromise, but compromises are never good enough, apparently. It always has to be all one way or the other.
I guess the biggest thing is I wish people didn't take everything they heard as fact. I wish people would take into account where they received their information from, who was their source? And just what is that sources' intentions? What does that source want you to think? There's no such thing as being unbiased and their never was. There's always a spin, and knowing what it is helps you determine just what the message is that somebody is trying to tell you. You might be able to separate the facts from the speculation, from the complete fiction. Take everything with a grain of salt, as they say. Hell, take everything with the entire salt shaker. Question everything.
I recently fired a rifle at a target for fun. I have to say it was quite enjoyable. It was also frightening. Guns are really scary things, powerful machines capable of killing. It made me think about things. One big issue between political parties is gun control and gun laws. There are reasonably good arguments for both sides. On the one hand, it does seem like guns find their way into certain hands too easily. I have no doubt that if guns were heavily restricted and regulated more so than they are now, that gun crime would probably go down. Of course, on the other hand, people argue that if guns are restricted then the only ones who have guns are criminals. This is also a pretty good argument. It's a fine line, how restrictive laws should be in regards to guns. They are incredibly powerful weapons. Imagine making one stupid mistake that cost someone their life. It is a very big deal. I must say that those I was with were very very conscious about safety. They know the power of guns and took the right precautions and it was very safe. Obviously many are unsafe and accidents happen. I think I come down somewhere in the middle on this issue. I do think Americans should be allowed to own guns, perhaps even carry them, but I also think they should be regulated. You should be found to not have mental problems or criminal history to own a gun, things like that. We should try as hard as we can to keep guns out of the hands of those who would do wrong with them. I don't think anyone would disagree with me on that point. Anyways, onwards.
I don't know why this post today is so political. I guess I've just been thinking about those sorts of things lately. I think this country is moderate and should continue to be moderate. Moderate is a compromise, is the middle between left and right, liberal and republican. It's the reason we have two major parties after all. You cannot get everything you want in this life, we all know that. It's not fair, blah blah blah. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Maybe you can have half a cake and smell it, if you compromise. I don't know. I think that's why I like Obama. Because he is moderate and has tried to see both sides, to form compromises. Of course, that just means he gets hated on by both sides. Republicans tried to stop everything, he tried to compromise and democrats hated him for compromising too much. Sounds like an impossible job, but I still think he's doing better than any of the republican candidates would. Mitt Romney's just a rich guy out of touch with the middle class, Gingrich is a terrible human being, and Santorum hates gays. That's quite a group you got there.
This post is very late. It is Monday evening but let's just say I had a busy day yesterday and leave it at that. It's becoming ruthless, trying to keep up with Nate and achieve 50k words by March 1st. I'm at about 30k right now, which means 20,000 words in about nine days. That's rough, but I'll keep pushing on.
I've been considering doing a serial after February. A serial is just a fictional story where the author continues it every week. There's a website called http://tuesdayserial.com/ which takes links to various author's serials and posts them up every week for readers who are interested. Could be a good way to get my name out there. Not sure what I'd do though. A story where you update once a week with a 1000 words or so would be pretty difficult, but it'd keep me writing and that's always a good thing. They also have a bunch of articles about serial fiction on that site which are very informative and interesting. I'm also thinking about participating in Friday Flash Fiction (http://fridayflashfiction.blogspot.com/2009/09/rules.html) because that sounds really cool and also another way to get writing and get my name out there.
That's it for today. Kind of lame, really, I know but like I said, 20k in 9 days ain't easy.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Blah Blah Blogpost
I literally hate bouncing. At least, I hate being at the top of the stairs, because no matter what, I feel like crap. Basically I either act like an asshole, which makes me feel like crap, or I'm nice and end up letting too many people downstairs, which means I'm doing a bad job, which also makes me feel like crap. I don't enjoy being an asshole but it seems like that's what you have to be and I'm just getting sick of it. It's an impossible job, especially with the type of people you have to deal with. Another bouncer told me a woman called me a "fucking asshole" after I asked them to leave because we were closing. I literally said "It's past 2 and we're closed so if you could please finish up and head towards the door as soon as possible, thanks." Then she called me a "fucking asshole" behind my back as I walked away. Seriously, what the fuck? I'm getting sick of dealing with these fucking people.
Last night sucked, but oh well. Onwards and upwards.
My beer is better than I thought. At first, it seemed a little sweet, no head, little carbonation and very light body. I think the problem was all the sugar didn't dissolve, and the temperature in the study fluxuated alot, so the yeast didn't do it's job very well, therefore not much carbonation or alcohol. After having a few more now, it seems to taste better. Maybe a little more aging or just some time in the fridge gives it a little more body, tastes more like a real beer, and is generally tasty. So I'm pleased with it.
The word race is frantic and close, with Nate pulling ahead so far. It's tough, pouring out so many words so fast but also fun. The fantasy novel is becoming bigger and (hopefully) better. I'm expanding the scope with more characters so you could say it's becoming more 'epic'. Gah, I do hate how often that word is used these days. It barely has any meaning anymore. That and 'fail'. Really, just stop using those words as if they make you sound cool or funny, because they don't.
I've been reading a large amount of Cormac McCarthy lately. I finished All The Pretty Horses, which is really good. I'm not sure how to describe his writing. It's eloquent, it flows, his descriptions are beautiful, his dialogue is authentic. All The Pretty Horses is a fantastic western. I've also reread Blood Meridian. It might be my favorite novel. The character of the Judge is terrifying, and the kid is the lone gunslinger. Again, the descriptions of the Old West are utterly beautiful and mesmerizing, meanwhile the kid witnesses utterly brutal violence beyond measure. It is definitely the most violent book I've read. What's also crazy is it is somewhat based on reality. McCarthy researched Glanton's band of indian scalpers thoroughly. What's true and what's fictional isn't clear but it doesn't matter. It all feels true. So true that it hurts, makes you wonder just how insane the old west was, how crazy people can be.
I'm almost done with No Country For Old Men, which is also good. It's easier to read than All The Pretty Horses or Blood Meridian, easier to follow. It's still McCarthy's style and is just as good if not better than the movie, and I really liked the movie. SPOILER: Many people didn't like how the main character dies 3/4 of the way through the movie, off-screen and with no hollywood flare. There was also the fact that Tommy Lee Jones has a moment where he could engage with the bad guy, and chooses instead to leave and retire. And then the bad guy goes and kills the girl and gets away. It is understandable many people reacted badly to this. I did at first, as well. I wanted Moss and Chigurgh to meet at the end in a bloody firefight, and being denied that makes you feel...betrayed, almost. After thinking about it though, I really do love that movie. How ballsy is it to kill the main character off-screen and 3/4 of the way through the film? It's completely unexpected and I like that. I enjoy when a movie surprises me, when it's not what you expect, when it doesn't follow the hollywood convention. Besides, it makes sense, especially in the book. This is no country for old men. Tommy chooses not to face the evil because he can't. It's too much and yeah that's disappointing but to me, it's much more interesting than the same old hero fights bad guy and wins. Hollywoods been pumping out the same stories constantly, it's nice to see ones that can surprise us, even if it infuriates us as well.
I sort of feel the same way about Drive. At first, I wasn't sure I liked it, because it is definitely not what you expect. At first it sort of feels like something you've seen before. Yeah, these are criminals, the main character is a driver for robberies, but they're also funny and friendly, not really bad guys at all, you know those characters. And the main guy meets a girl, but the girl has an abusive husband whose in a bad sort of trouble, so you can basically see what's going to happen. Then, it takes a dark turn, a very dark turn and keeps going. The main character, who just seemed like a loner with a dark past, turns out to be something quite different. Now, after thinking about it, I like it. It's a good movie, but one that is quite different then you will expect. I enjoy being surprised, seeing something new. I also really like Ryan Gosling, and the acting is quite good, as well as the soundtrack which is pretty crazy. You know, I like it when a movie makes me think afterwards, makes me really figure out whether I actually enjoyed it or not. There's always those movies where it's clear cut, bam it's good or it's not and that's the end of it. The ones that make you wonder, though, those are good simply because you're still thinking about them long after you finish the film. Hmm, after looking up Drive, apparently it was based on a crime novel of the same name. Interesting.
Anyways, I need to get working on my novel or else Nate's going to increase his lead even more.
"I don't know what to make of that. I sure don't. The crime you see now, it's hard to even take its measure. It's not that I'm afraid of it. I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job. But, I don't want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don't understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He'd have to say, "O.K., I'll be part of this world."
-Ed Tom Bell, No Country For Old Men
Last night sucked, but oh well. Onwards and upwards.
My beer is better than I thought. At first, it seemed a little sweet, no head, little carbonation and very light body. I think the problem was all the sugar didn't dissolve, and the temperature in the study fluxuated alot, so the yeast didn't do it's job very well, therefore not much carbonation or alcohol. After having a few more now, it seems to taste better. Maybe a little more aging or just some time in the fridge gives it a little more body, tastes more like a real beer, and is generally tasty. So I'm pleased with it.
The word race is frantic and close, with Nate pulling ahead so far. It's tough, pouring out so many words so fast but also fun. The fantasy novel is becoming bigger and (hopefully) better. I'm expanding the scope with more characters so you could say it's becoming more 'epic'. Gah, I do hate how often that word is used these days. It barely has any meaning anymore. That and 'fail'. Really, just stop using those words as if they make you sound cool or funny, because they don't.
I've been reading a large amount of Cormac McCarthy lately. I finished All The Pretty Horses, which is really good. I'm not sure how to describe his writing. It's eloquent, it flows, his descriptions are beautiful, his dialogue is authentic. All The Pretty Horses is a fantastic western. I've also reread Blood Meridian. It might be my favorite novel. The character of the Judge is terrifying, and the kid is the lone gunslinger. Again, the descriptions of the Old West are utterly beautiful and mesmerizing, meanwhile the kid witnesses utterly brutal violence beyond measure. It is definitely the most violent book I've read. What's also crazy is it is somewhat based on reality. McCarthy researched Glanton's band of indian scalpers thoroughly. What's true and what's fictional isn't clear but it doesn't matter. It all feels true. So true that it hurts, makes you wonder just how insane the old west was, how crazy people can be.
I'm almost done with No Country For Old Men, which is also good. It's easier to read than All The Pretty Horses or Blood Meridian, easier to follow. It's still McCarthy's style and is just as good if not better than the movie, and I really liked the movie. SPOILER: Many people didn't like how the main character dies 3/4 of the way through the movie, off-screen and with no hollywood flare. There was also the fact that Tommy Lee Jones has a moment where he could engage with the bad guy, and chooses instead to leave and retire. And then the bad guy goes and kills the girl and gets away. It is understandable many people reacted badly to this. I did at first, as well. I wanted Moss and Chigurgh to meet at the end in a bloody firefight, and being denied that makes you feel...betrayed, almost. After thinking about it though, I really do love that movie. How ballsy is it to kill the main character off-screen and 3/4 of the way through the film? It's completely unexpected and I like that. I enjoy when a movie surprises me, when it's not what you expect, when it doesn't follow the hollywood convention. Besides, it makes sense, especially in the book. This is no country for old men. Tommy chooses not to face the evil because he can't. It's too much and yeah that's disappointing but to me, it's much more interesting than the same old hero fights bad guy and wins. Hollywoods been pumping out the same stories constantly, it's nice to see ones that can surprise us, even if it infuriates us as well.
I sort of feel the same way about Drive. At first, I wasn't sure I liked it, because it is definitely not what you expect. At first it sort of feels like something you've seen before. Yeah, these are criminals, the main character is a driver for robberies, but they're also funny and friendly, not really bad guys at all, you know those characters. And the main guy meets a girl, but the girl has an abusive husband whose in a bad sort of trouble, so you can basically see what's going to happen. Then, it takes a dark turn, a very dark turn and keeps going. The main character, who just seemed like a loner with a dark past, turns out to be something quite different. Now, after thinking about it, I like it. It's a good movie, but one that is quite different then you will expect. I enjoy being surprised, seeing something new. I also really like Ryan Gosling, and the acting is quite good, as well as the soundtrack which is pretty crazy. You know, I like it when a movie makes me think afterwards, makes me really figure out whether I actually enjoyed it or not. There's always those movies where it's clear cut, bam it's good or it's not and that's the end of it. The ones that make you wonder, though, those are good simply because you're still thinking about them long after you finish the film. Hmm, after looking up Drive, apparently it was based on a crime novel of the same name. Interesting.
Anyways, I need to get working on my novel or else Nate's going to increase his lead even more.
"I don't know what to make of that. I sure don't. The crime you see now, it's hard to even take its measure. It's not that I'm afraid of it. I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job. But, I don't want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don't understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He'd have to say, "O.K., I'll be part of this world."
-Ed Tom Bell, No Country For Old Men
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Superbowl Sunday
It's Superbowl Sunday, a rematch of epic proportions between the New York Football Giants and the New England Tom Brady Patriots. It's looking to be a great game and I'm working during it. Yes, I'm bouncing during the superbowl. At least I'll be at a sports bar with entirely too many televisions, so I will be able to watch it, while also attempting to watch the packed masses of patriots and giants fans yelling and screaming and getting drunk. I'm rooting for the giants though I'm not looking forward to after the game if the patriots lose. Hopefully the pats fans don't do anything crazy, but we'll see.
Lately, when bouncing, my position has been at "the top of the stairs" which means I get to count people who go up and downstairs, and when we reach a certain number, I'm the one who gets to start a line. For some reason people really want to go down into the sweaty hot mess that is downstairs. It is simply a large dance floor with a dj booth and a bar. The upstairs is playing the same music, but everybody wants to go downstairs. It becomes incessantly hot and sweaty, with over a hundred people bumping and grinding with terrible dance(if you could call it that) moves. It takes awhile to get a drink and honestly I don't see the reason to want to go downstairs when it's packed, yet every weekend night, it fills up and a huge line forms. The funny part is, often upstairs will look slow and dead while the line is fucking packed. I mean, most times, if everyone in line simply merged into the open space upstairs and started dancing, it would be the same goddamn thing as downstairs. Yet there we go, everyone has to shove themselves downstairs, attempting to get by me with every trick in the book. Many people simply try not to catch my eye and walk past me. Then when I say "there's a line for downstairs, you gotta wait" they act all surprised "oh there's a line?" Yes there is a damn line, that's why these people are standing here, for god's sake. Every night there's at least two or three girls and guys whose 21st birthday it is, the dj apparently has about fifty girlfriends and friends, different ones each night of course, and then of course there's the go-to "all my friends are down thereeeeeee." Well maybe you should have come before 12:30 on a saturday goddamn night to a goddamn club in Boston. It is infuriating. Two guys friday night tried to tell me "the guy at the front said we were good, man". They didn't even know the bouncer's name. Then five minutes later they came back. "The guy back there said we could go." Their pathetic attempt made me laugh, I even asked them "where? what guy?" and they just pointed toward the back of the bar. "The guy over there." Needless to say I did not let them in.
The difficult part is making everyone happy because it's impossible. Letting people cut in line make the people in line pissed off, not letting people cut makes those people pissed off. You have to be kind of an asshole to be a door man, which I don't think I like being. It's not too bad though, I try to just remind myself I'm not really being a dick, I'm just trying to do my job and if these college kids get pissy then it's their own damn fault.
Substitution is going well, still getting many assignments. There are some classes though, where I wonder about their teachers...Classes where the kids don't listen, talk too much, and don't seem to take rules very seriously, like perhaps they haven't really had consequences for their actions. I can't really say whether that's on the teacher though, or if they simply think they can get away with it because I'm a substitute. I have been forced to write down a kid's name for the teacher and tell her that her class was acting up constantly. The kid asked if I had written down his name and I said yes. I told him "I told you if you kept talking off-task and not doing your work, I would write your name down." His response baffled me. "Yeah but I didn't think you actually would..." Some kids make me wonder about their parents in the same sense. Do those parents really enforce the rules or simply let them off easy every time? It's a wealthy area, and to be honest, many of the kids seem like they've been babied or spoiled. I see kids walking around in elementary school with ipods and smartphones. It seems strange to me to think "Back in my day we never would have..." I mean, I'm not old, and yet school seems very different.
It is essentially peculiar to deal with children. Teaching them is not like teaching your peers. There are simple concepts they cannot grasp easily and must be told often and in different ways. It's somewhat frightening in a way, because if you fuck up hardcore, then maybe you just messed some kid up in some way. If you say the wrong thing on accident, maybe you it affected him or her deeply. I don't really know how to explain it, it's just this strange feeling in the back of my mind, that I am truly changing what a person thinks and knows and may eventually turn out to be.
Anyways, I have a twitter. I am a twat, a twit, and I tweet occasionally. It is https://twitter.com/#!/ben_cheese if you care, which you probably don't. Twitter is not entirely crap, which is what I thought at first. It's a nice way to follow interesting people, celebs, comedians, and others, in various industries that you are interested in. It's a way to leave short thoughts you have, a way to plug your various projects and ideas. I like it because occasionally I think of something and I don't want to write a whole blogpost about, I just want to write a sentence. Or I'll see something I think is cool on the internet in regards to video games, tv, movies or just about anything and throw it up there, . Recently, I've been documenting my February Wordrace against my friend Nate, putting up our numbers and commenting back and forth. It's interesting. It's not just a place filled with facebook update statuses or constant updates about menial tasks throughout the day. Well okay, there is alot of that, especially if you follow certain people. In fact, the 'trends' are usually filled with boring and teeny-bopper romance crap just like facebook statuses from high-schoolers, but you can get by simply by not following those type of people.
Speaking of my February Wordrace, it is going well. It's been a pretty close race so far and we've also come up with a secondary challenge which is to write over 50k by the end of the month, because that is basically Nano only harder because we've only got 28 days. Errrr, 29 because it's leap-year, from what I hear. Anyways, 7,130 words so far. I've been pumping out content for my book and enjoying it for the most part. The winner receives a steak dinner from the loser along with the purchase of a drink/beer for every 1000 words the loser is beaten by. Should be close. Unfortunately, the weekend of the 18th I will be at a hunting camp without computer, internet, or phone service, so writing will be impossible. I will have to make up for it somehow.
Speaking of writing, I've gone and visited an old site I used to frequent, Storymash.com. It's a great site for free-writing. Essentially, you write a starting chapter and anyone who is registered as a writer for the site can add a chapter to yours. It is fantastic for collaboratively writing a story, and because of having different authors, the stories are incredibly creative. There is also a group of writers there who are quite good, who I have written stories with a few times and are great for commenting on what you've written and talking about writing itself. I'm glad I went back, because it's nice to just write something off the top of your head, to add a chapter to a crazy storyline you just found and not caring about whether the chapter is 'publishable' or has been perfectly editted.
OH YEAH! BEER!
Tomorrow marks the 4th week of my beer being bottled. OFFICIAL TASTING EVENT. Not really. I will be tasting it though. Hopefully it tastes decent. Hopefully it is carbonated. So I guess tomorrow I'll try one and stick a bunch in the fridge to get cold. I'm excited to try it and I hope it doesn't suck big time.
That's all, I gotta get some words in my novel before I go to work or else Nate's going to pass me!
Lately, when bouncing, my position has been at "the top of the stairs" which means I get to count people who go up and downstairs, and when we reach a certain number, I'm the one who gets to start a line. For some reason people really want to go down into the sweaty hot mess that is downstairs. It is simply a large dance floor with a dj booth and a bar. The upstairs is playing the same music, but everybody wants to go downstairs. It becomes incessantly hot and sweaty, with over a hundred people bumping and grinding with terrible dance(if you could call it that) moves. It takes awhile to get a drink and honestly I don't see the reason to want to go downstairs when it's packed, yet every weekend night, it fills up and a huge line forms. The funny part is, often upstairs will look slow and dead while the line is fucking packed. I mean, most times, if everyone in line simply merged into the open space upstairs and started dancing, it would be the same goddamn thing as downstairs. Yet there we go, everyone has to shove themselves downstairs, attempting to get by me with every trick in the book. Many people simply try not to catch my eye and walk past me. Then when I say "there's a line for downstairs, you gotta wait" they act all surprised "oh there's a line?" Yes there is a damn line, that's why these people are standing here, for god's sake. Every night there's at least two or three girls and guys whose 21st birthday it is, the dj apparently has about fifty girlfriends and friends, different ones each night of course, and then of course there's the go-to "all my friends are down thereeeeeee." Well maybe you should have come before 12:30 on a saturday goddamn night to a goddamn club in Boston. It is infuriating. Two guys friday night tried to tell me "the guy at the front said we were good, man". They didn't even know the bouncer's name. Then five minutes later they came back. "The guy back there said we could go." Their pathetic attempt made me laugh, I even asked them "where? what guy?" and they just pointed toward the back of the bar. "The guy over there." Needless to say I did not let them in.
The difficult part is making everyone happy because it's impossible. Letting people cut in line make the people in line pissed off, not letting people cut makes those people pissed off. You have to be kind of an asshole to be a door man, which I don't think I like being. It's not too bad though, I try to just remind myself I'm not really being a dick, I'm just trying to do my job and if these college kids get pissy then it's their own damn fault.
Substitution is going well, still getting many assignments. There are some classes though, where I wonder about their teachers...Classes where the kids don't listen, talk too much, and don't seem to take rules very seriously, like perhaps they haven't really had consequences for their actions. I can't really say whether that's on the teacher though, or if they simply think they can get away with it because I'm a substitute. I have been forced to write down a kid's name for the teacher and tell her that her class was acting up constantly. The kid asked if I had written down his name and I said yes. I told him "I told you if you kept talking off-task and not doing your work, I would write your name down." His response baffled me. "Yeah but I didn't think you actually would..." Some kids make me wonder about their parents in the same sense. Do those parents really enforce the rules or simply let them off easy every time? It's a wealthy area, and to be honest, many of the kids seem like they've been babied or spoiled. I see kids walking around in elementary school with ipods and smartphones. It seems strange to me to think "Back in my day we never would have..." I mean, I'm not old, and yet school seems very different.
It is essentially peculiar to deal with children. Teaching them is not like teaching your peers. There are simple concepts they cannot grasp easily and must be told often and in different ways. It's somewhat frightening in a way, because if you fuck up hardcore, then maybe you just messed some kid up in some way. If you say the wrong thing on accident, maybe you it affected him or her deeply. I don't really know how to explain it, it's just this strange feeling in the back of my mind, that I am truly changing what a person thinks and knows and may eventually turn out to be.
Anyways, I have a twitter. I am a twat, a twit, and I tweet occasionally. It is https://twitter.com/#!/ben_cheese if you care, which you probably don't. Twitter is not entirely crap, which is what I thought at first. It's a nice way to follow interesting people, celebs, comedians, and others, in various industries that you are interested in. It's a way to leave short thoughts you have, a way to plug your various projects and ideas. I like it because occasionally I think of something and I don't want to write a whole blogpost about, I just want to write a sentence. Or I'll see something I think is cool on the internet in regards to video games, tv, movies or just about anything and throw it up there, . Recently, I've been documenting my February Wordrace against my friend Nate, putting up our numbers and commenting back and forth. It's interesting. It's not just a place filled with facebook update statuses or constant updates about menial tasks throughout the day. Well okay, there is alot of that, especially if you follow certain people. In fact, the 'trends' are usually filled with boring and teeny-bopper romance crap just like facebook statuses from high-schoolers, but you can get by simply by not following those type of people.
Speaking of my February Wordrace, it is going well. It's been a pretty close race so far and we've also come up with a secondary challenge which is to write over 50k by the end of the month, because that is basically Nano only harder because we've only got 28 days. Errrr, 29 because it's leap-year, from what I hear. Anyways, 7,130 words so far. I've been pumping out content for my book and enjoying it for the most part. The winner receives a steak dinner from the loser along with the purchase of a drink/beer for every 1000 words the loser is beaten by. Should be close. Unfortunately, the weekend of the 18th I will be at a hunting camp without computer, internet, or phone service, so writing will be impossible. I will have to make up for it somehow.
Speaking of writing, I've gone and visited an old site I used to frequent, Storymash.com. It's a great site for free-writing. Essentially, you write a starting chapter and anyone who is registered as a writer for the site can add a chapter to yours. It is fantastic for collaboratively writing a story, and because of having different authors, the stories are incredibly creative. There is also a group of writers there who are quite good, who I have written stories with a few times and are great for commenting on what you've written and talking about writing itself. I'm glad I went back, because it's nice to just write something off the top of your head, to add a chapter to a crazy storyline you just found and not caring about whether the chapter is 'publishable' or has been perfectly editted.
OH YEAH! BEER!
Tomorrow marks the 4th week of my beer being bottled. OFFICIAL TASTING EVENT. Not really. I will be tasting it though. Hopefully it tastes decent. Hopefully it is carbonated. So I guess tomorrow I'll try one and stick a bunch in the fridge to get cold. I'm excited to try it and I hope it doesn't suck big time.
That's all, I gotta get some words in my novel before I go to work or else Nate's going to pass me!
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