Some reading and writing

Now that my second-to-last class is out of the way, I have a week with no school worries. I start my final full class next Monday. In the meantime, I would like to read a book, and finish writing a story.

I’m reading another Forgotten Realms novel by RA Salvatore. It’s a direct sequel to the last one I read. It’s pretty good so far. And now that I have some time, I’m hoping to be able to really dig into it over the next few days.

Yesterday, on a whim, I opened up one of my WIP stories. This one is the next in line of my Orc stories, and it deals with Pekra (introduced in her own story) and Bofdak the dwarf (introduced in The Orc Way). It’s a bit more light-hearted in some ways, but with plenty of action and some good characterization, if I do say so myself.

It was interesting because, as always, I didn’t plan the story out. I had a basic premise, and I knew some things that I wanted to happen. But some (major) details were still cloudy to me. And that’s why the thing has sat for months only partially finished. I just didn’t know how to proceed with the middle.

Then, when I opened it up yesterday, it hit me. I grabbed a scene from an old and long-dead story, and plopped it in from memory. And the whole thing just fell into place. I suspect that I could have it done in a day or two, if I manage to find the free time. All told it will probably land somewhere between 5-6k in length.

This morning I was ruminating about the story in my head, and I suddenly had the flash of inspiration for the next story in the cycle, with an inkling about the one after that. I think when I am all done with these characters, I will have about six or seven stories. And that just might make a decent book. With some minor edits and maybe some extra cut scenes and details, I could put it all together nicely.

So, that’s what I am going to work on.

Black Panther

In a huge announcement event last week, Marvel Studios let the fans know what to expect from the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The standards were all there; The Avengers, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc. And a couple of new items like Dr. Strange and Captain Marvel. But the one that got me the most excited at that moment was the announcement of Black Panther, both as a key character in Captain America 3 in 2016, and in his own movie in 2017.

Interestingly, I wasn’t introduced to the character through the comic books, but through the Marvel Superheroes Role-playing Game from TSR. Under the description of the Fighting ability, it listed the rank of Amazing as “The ultimate human fighting machine.” And as examples of this level of ability it listed Captain America, The Punisher, and Black Panther. With that, and seeing the little “headshot” of his mask, I was totally intrigued.

For those who may not know, Black Panther, whose real name is T’Challa, is the king of a fictitious central African nation called Wakanda. Wakanda is very isolationist, and for good reason. They have the world’s only deposits of Vibranium (see Captain America’s shield), and are more technologically advanced than any other nation on the planet. Wakanda is also a hereditary monarchy, with the ruler donning the guise of the Black Panther as a symbol and protector of the nation. As such, he is highly trained in combat skills, and, depending on the writer, there are often mystical elements involved as well.

Black Panther has made several appearances throughout the various Marvel cartoons, and has been featured in several of his own print titles, as well as guest-starring in just about every other title imaginable since his creation in 1966 (I think there was even a time where he took over being Daredevil). But this film marks his live-action debut.

For a long time I had championed Michael Jai White to play the character. With his looks, his awesome voice, his underappreciated acting ability, and most of all, his martial arts expertise (in six different styles, no less), he seemed to be born to play the role. And he might have been a major contender had they made these films 10-15 years ago. But alas, he’s in his late 40’s now. Still kicking ass, and in better shape than a lot of actors half his age, but a little long in the tooth for Marvel’s sensibilities. So, instead they went with Chadwick Boseman.

I had never heard of Chadwick, and still haven’t seen him in anything that I know of. But, based on his pictures, and his interviews, I am happy with him as a choice. So, here’s what I think should happen. To prepare for the role, Chadwick should be trained by Michael. And then, if the film calls for a flashback to his origin, Michael should play T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father, and the previous Black Panther. How cool would that be?

I’ll tell you how cool. It would be EPIC!!!

Goodbyes



Many years ago...

So, today my oldest daughter and her fiancé, who have been living in our house for the last year and a half while she attends school, are moving out. With the help of her mom, they purchased a used van (which I kind of envy), and have been saving up their money for the last month. This morning, I said my final goodbye to them, as they plan to hit the road just as soon as they can get packed up today.

I know it’s not forever. It never has been. And that’s the thing. Ever since my daughter was a little girl, and her mom decided I wasn’t the man she wanted to be married to anymore, I seem to have been saying goodbye to my daughter on a regular basis. Sometimes just for a couple of weeks, sometimes for a few months, and once for over an entire year.

Admittedly, this time it’s a bit different. She’s an adult now, with a promising future, and (I hope) the skills she needs to succeed in life. I’m proud to say that my wife and I had a large part in making sure she was prepared (ok, her mom had some part in it).

But, in the end, it’s just another in a long line of temporary goodbyes. I prefer to think of them more as “see ya laters.” Because we will see them again. After all, they are moving to San Diego. And that’s not such a bad place to go visit.

So, to my baby girl, see ya later. Daddy loves you. And I’m never more than a phone call, Skype call, or silly text about bodily functions away.



High School graduate (with the "daddy" eyebrows).



Beauty School graduate!

These kids are just potheads.



“Bowie is…”




That's my beautiful wife wearing her Bowie T-shirt,
and sporting her Bowie tattoo.

 

…my wife’s all-time favorite recording artist. It’s also the name of a travelling exhibit whose only North American stop is in Chicago right now. We went on Saturday, and it really opened my eyes (and ears) to an artist with whom I was familiar, but knew very little about.

If you know about David Bowie, his story, and his highly influential legacy in music, you’ll see everything you love about him, and maybe even learn a few new things. It’s a walk-through tour, and you wear a special little device with headphones that is connected to sensors placed over specific parts of the exhibit. As you enter a new area, the track changes to tell you about what you are looking at. All the while, there is relevant Bowie music playing like a soundtrack.

I was peripherally familiar with David Bowie. I knew he had been around the mainstream music scene since at least the 60’s. I knew he had been famous for flamboyant costumes and was a great performer. As child of the 80’s I knew about his popular hits from that decade. And finally, I knew he acted in movies like Labyrinth and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. But I had no idea that what I knew only scratched the surface.

Suffice it to say, I have a new appreciation for his music. Michele owns a lot of his CD’s, but they are out in storage right now, so I’m streaming YouTube compilations for now. He has a compilation CD set coming out next month, and I plan to buy that.

For now, here are my top five Bowie songs, in no particular order:

Space Oddity

Life on Mars

China Girl

Golden Years

Heroes

And there are tons more.

Recent reads and such

Let’s see if I can get into a blogging groove around here again.

In the last few months I have started and stopped a handful of books. Not that any of them were bad. For one reason or another, nothing grabbed me enough to continue past the first few pages, or sometimes chapters.

Then last month I made the conscious decision that I was going to step away from the older paperback books I have been amassing, and try to read something new and fresh. I had a few options that I really wanted to read, so I started looking around. Right now money is kinda tight, so shelling out $15-20 for a brand new hard back (or even $8-10 for a paperback) is not really an option. Which, of course, takes me to the public library.

What I settled on was Thrones and Bones: Frostborn, by Lou Anders. Lou is very active on Facebook, and a cool guy. This is his first novel (though he’s probably written more articles and short pieces than I have started), and it’s a YA Fantasy. He’s been doing a book tour specifically targeting younger readers, appearing at schools and such, and I’ve been following his progress with that with interest.

Anyways, the book is really good. It’s an exciting juvenile adventure without being condescending or overly “kiddy.” The characters are all pretty real, and the adventure they have keeps you guessing. The action is exciting, the dangers feel real. One thing I noted was that, even though some of the story elements were kind of predicable, that was not a bad thing. I found that when I knew something was going to happen, it made me more excited to see when and how it did. For a YA fantasy novel, I give it 5 stars, and eagerly await the next one.

After a few more false starts with books, I recently settled on yet another RA Salvatore novel set in the Forgotten Realms. I’m currently reading The Companions, the first book in a series called "The Sundering" (which I believe will be written by multiple authors). This book grabbed me right away because it picks up right after a couple of the short stories I listened to in The Legend of Drizzt audio book. I’m sure that was a marketing ploy, and you know what? It worked on me.

This book is interesting because it involves Drizzt’s companions that he adventured with in the early books (and throughout his long-running series), but at a time long after they have each passed away in the timeline of the story. How this is accomplished is pretty cool, and totally not what I expected when I started reading it. As always, Salvatore’s action and details are great, and the characters are very familiar, yet refreshed. You have to read the story to understand.

One thing this Drizzt book reminds me of is that I have a special place in my heart for RPG-based fiction. Admittedly, it’s not all good. But a lot of it certainly is. And it’s always interesting to see how the various authors work the tropes of the game into a fictitious narrative, without it sounding like gamer fanfiction. Salvatore has been doing it for years. And even though a couple of his outings have not been so good, overall, he has mastered the art of blending gaming and fiction.

Once I’m done with this one, I plan to tackle Jon Sprunk’s Shadow’s Son (the first in a trilogy). I wanted to read his latest, Blood and Iron, but the library didn’t have any copies available yet. Eventually, though.

That light sure sounds like a train

So, last night I got an email from my school advising me to apply for graduation now. I was a bit taken aback, as I am only halfway done with my current class, and will have to take one more class before I can even register for the Comprehensive Exam course. In essence, I won’t be eligible for graduation until sometime next summer.

And that assumes that I can pass the Exam. Which is the part that frightens me. Right now, the possibility of failing that exam, and then failing it again, thereby preventing me from being conferred a degree, frightens me more than a little. I’m sure I’ll be fine, but the idea that I might be on the verge of being done with school is a bit daunting.

And mainly, it’s the financial worries. After I stop going to school, some of my loans will come due, with the rest coming due later. Eventually I will need to consolidate them. But the fact that I will top off at somewhere around $70k in student debt worries me. That payment is going hit me in the gut, and probably make life extremely difficult for a long time.

Of course, I am always hopeful that I will get a good-paying job that will allow me to afford that. But really, what kind of jobs are there for History majors around here? I can’t really move because my wife is obligated to stay here in WI until her daughter is 18, which is still over six years away. So, I’m kind of stuck in Madison for the time-being. Not that that’s a bad thing. It’s just that pickins is slim for people with my (not so) unique set of skills.

Anyways, I still have some time to think and plan.

Always remember…

That’s the other part of “Never forget,” the American mantra on 9/11. That’s the part that a lot of people overlook. Yes, we should never forget the injustice done to us as a nation; never forget those who died needlessly in a cowardly attack (and if you think it wasn’t cowardly, you can go fuck yourself); never forget those who gave their lives to help those in need. There are many things that we should never forget.

Personally, I like also to always remember some things. Always remember how America came together as a nation, if for just a brief moment, and put aside our differences in the face of a cold enemy from beyond. Always remember the Muslim-Americans who came forward in spite of raw suspicion and ignorant hatred born of blind rage, and helped their fellow Americans. Always remember that, if you had family who survived that day, you were given a gift that so many were denied.

There are some who would like to forget that tragedy happened. Would like to forget the death, the sadness, the anger, and especially the aftermath. They would rather pull the blanket over their head and pretend the monsters aren’t there. Well, they are. And those monsters outside did more damage than a few planes could by revealing the monsters hidden in our own back yard.

Politicians who seized on the fears of the everyman to put into effect legislation that hurt us as a nation. Cabinet advisers who pressured an overwhelmed president into decisions he should not have made, for reasons no one can truly know. Not to mention hatemonger groups who were given a new face to hate, and a new tool on their belt to help them try to distort the truth, and mold America into their own, twisted version of reality.

We are still feeling the aftershocks of that day. America’s trust in the world was diminished. And in turn, the world’s trust in America was diminished. But it’s not over. At the risk of sounding like a Reagan-era Cliché, we’re Americans. We don’t lay down. We aren’t defeated. We will never give up the fight, even though the nature of the fight and the face of the enemy may change.

We will never forget, and we will always remember.