I Think It's Over...Please Be Over...

Yeah, my last post was a mistake.  Not two days after that, we had ANOTHER issue with email and I worked hard to get it resolved.  To say this has been a hellish couple of weeks is an understatement.  Last night I had to work until midnight writing a Root Cause Analysis document, knowing all the time that the true root cause is not one my management wants to admit to.  After all, it was truly their constraints on us as email administrators that put our agency in a position to fail.  The answer wasn't one they wanted to hear, so I spent 18 hours total trying to creatively word it in a manner they could accept (without lying of course).

Today however, is the first day I've been able to go to work and come home without being completely stressed about whether our email environment is going to fall to pieces.  It's not Gmail-status, mind you.  But at least it's stable for the moment.

I'm still enjoying my way through Elana's book Possession.  I can't seem to hear any other voice from the main character than Elana's.  I don't know if she intended that, but it is what it is.  I think Elana just has such a strong and unique style with her writing that it's impossible to read her book without hearing it in my mind.  Thankfully, I really enjoy her style so it's been a pleasurable read.

Shaun Hutchinson recently asked the blog chain to name three books we had refused to put down despite the fact that they started out slowly or didn't grab us from the get-go.  I had mentioned that there have been instances where I've definitely put a book down and Shaun wanted to know some examples.

The most recent example is when I tried to read Black Hills by Dan Simmons.  The premise sounded great.  It was supposed to be about this Native American who absorbed Custer's spirit accidentally.  The book skipped back and forth between this Native American's story (including a plan to blow up Mount Rushmore) and Custer's ghost reminiscing over his life before death.  Sounds great right?  Yeah, not really.

I have no idea whether it's true or fiction, but Dan Simmons was hell-bent on depicting Custer (and his wife) as an incredibly sexual person who's thoughts after death centered on all the ways he and his former spouse enjoyed each other.  And just as I was getting into the story about the Native American, Simmons would jolt me back to this psycho-sexual Custer world.  I'm not a prude, but it was just so idiotic (not to mention having no point in the context of the larger story) that it ruined the story before I could even get halfway through.  And believe me, I struggled to even get to that point.

A book I read all the way through (and then regretted reading once I got to the end) was Under The Dome by Stephen King.  The premise was awesome.  A town in MA gets surrounded by an invisible, impenetrable bubble.  This was one massive tome, and I loved every bit of the story...until I reached the end.  The bubble was put into place by the equivalent of technologically superior alien children who wanted to watch how the humans reacted, much like shaking an ant farm.  So how did the characters get the aliens to remove the barrier (moments before everyone died, no less)?  The used the magic word (aka please).  Really?  It was so implausible and stupid that I actually hate the fact that I wasted my time reading the damn thing.  And I REALLY like King.  Not on that day, however.

So there ya go, Shaun.  There's a couple examples of books I either put down or regretted picking up in the first place.  How about the rest of you?  Have you ever put down a book, for whatever reason?

Raising My Head To Look Around

Two days after my last post, we had a hard drive fill up on one of our email servers.  Although it was preventable through the careful use of mailbox limits, appropriate mail server usage, and limits on attachment sizes, our wonderful executive management doesn't believe in such silly notions.

Needless to say, after working 75 hours over the last two weeks, I can finally raise my head and say the crisis is over.  Yep, that's the life of an email administrator.  At one point I struggled my way through 32 hours straight, not even sure if we would ever fix things.

Where does that leave me?   Well, there's a few things we still have to clean up tomorrow morning, but now I get to catch up on all the rest of the work that piled up while I was firefighting.  As they say, that's why I get paid the big bucks.  Or something like that.

Anyway, I hope everyone's weekend is better than mine have been of late.  Oh, and I'm LOVING the book, Elana.  Possession is an awesome read.  What cracks me up though is how clearly I hear your voice telling the tale.  Since you're such a crack up anyway.

See ya'll next week.

Oops, I Did It Again

No, you don't have to watch a bad Britney Spears video.  But in case you're wondering why I've been absent so long, it's because I did what ever respectable IT guy does to their own laptop - I hosed it up so good that it wouldn't boot up.

I've been meaning to put Linux on my laptop for some time now since so many of the security tools I use in school rely on that operating system.  Unfortunately, when I had initially installed Windows 7, I used up all the hard drive space which left no room available for Linux.  No problem.  I attempted to shrink the partition that Windows 7 was installed on, which normally would work.  Unfortunately I shrunk the partition too much and bada boom bada bing - No Bootable Windows 7 laptop.

Many troubleshooting hours/days later, I decided to just start from scratch.  Luckily, none of my data is ever saved on my laptop (that's what I have a server for), so I didn't lose anything.  Many more hours/days later, I'm finally back up and running with a newly installed dual-boot Linux/Windows 7 laptop and learning all I can about Linux.  It's like being a newbie all over again.  I do have to admit I like the Linux operating system more than I thought I would.  It's definitely different, but useful nonetheless.

Now if I can just learn how to work it without totally screwing it all up again  :)

Being True To Oneself - Imperative

My oldest son is taking a creative writing class during his last year in high school and the teacher gave them an interesting assignment.  They were instructed to write a small snippet. a poem, or something similar that described who they are inside.  Sort of opening the window into their mind, letting their peers have a peek.  My son is more reclusive than most and he also has quite different interests than a lot of kids, so he decided he would just borrow lyrics from a song or something like that (which the teacher did allow, of course).  When I found out however, I put down my foot and made him write something of his own.

You see, he is really interested in dark, grim visuals and imagery.  He likes zombies, blood and guts, and all the things that make up great B horror movies.  He's all about the Grim Reaper, and don't let him see anything with skulls on it unless you're prepared to buy it.  He worries all the time that his thoughts are too dark, too weird for most people to accept.  He isn't into really hurting people of course (trust me, we had that conversation.  I had to make sure he wasn't into self-mutilation or something similar), but he does like some pretty dark things.

He tried to tell me that he's Goth.  This began a conversation on the evils of labeling and how none of us are single faceted like that.  What I ended up telling him is that there's no sense pretending to be something other than who he is.  We've had a number of conversations about embracing who he wants to be and being okay with whatever that is.

These continued conversations intrigue me because it's neat to observe my son discover who he is and where he fits in with the rest of the world.  I'm doing my best to guide him, but a part of me knows he has to figure this all out on his own.  Since I didn't have this kind of relationship with my own Dad, I'm ecstatic that I have managed to do a little better in this regard.  The other thing I notice is that observing both my boys makes me re-evaluate myself from time to time.  If I'm expecting them to know and accept themselves, I have to be prepared to do that myself.

Know Thyself.  Great advice.

On the writing front, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that I was lucky enough to win a copy of the talented Michelle Davidson Argyle's new book Monarch.  That is so awesome.  Having read her self-published title Cinders, I am really looking forward to this book as well.  Thank you Michelle.  I am so looking forward to receiving my copy.

As far as bad news, I am truly sad to say that tragedy has struck my copy of Elana Johnson's book Possession.  It wasn't my fault though (okay, not completely anyway LOL).  I left the book on my desk at work so I could read during my lunch.  I have a small fridge on my desk that works by cooling the interior 30 degrees below ambient temperature.  I've moved to a new office and unfortunately the ambient temperature at night (in that office anyway) must drop really low because the three Diet Cokes I had inside froze and exploded.  When I walked in the next morning, there was Diet Coke all over the desk.  Yes, it was all over half the pages of Possession too.  And though the pages are still legible of course, it's just not the same.  I will have to purchase a new copy because the one I have right now just breaks my heart.  It hasn't stopped me from reading it of course, but still.  

My most humble apologies, Elana.  I should have treated your book with more reverence.

Taking On Too Much

If anyone caught how many times I had to re-edit and re-post the last entry, you'll know what I mean when I say I'm taking on too much these days.  It's just a symptom of the problem, which is that I'm overburdened.  On my plate currently is two jobs (IT Support and article writing/editing), a Masters degree program, trying to become a proficient writer, and of course being a decent husband and father.  My wife has been ill for some time now, so takes a toll as well.  Oh, and putting up regular blog posts fits in there somewhere.

What I've finally admitted to myself is that I'm just taking on too much.  I had to sit down and think about my priorities because I recognize when I'm stressing out and that time is now.  Everything I'm involved in (the major things anyway) are all important.  They are all things I want to accomplish or be really good at.  But I'm a realist in some ways.  I can't do it all (at least right now).

I've decided to put my degree on hold and take a term break.  For me, the Masters degree is a means to an end;  I plan on using it to move on vocationally.  I do value what I'm learning and I'm proud of myself for working towards it, but when I think about what matters the most to me, the degree is at the bottom of the pile.  First and foremost, my family matters more than anything else.  I pride myself on the fact that I'm a damn good father and husband.  If I can say nothing else on my deathbed, I hope I'll always be able to say that.

Next in line is how well I do my job(s).  I'm good at what I do and since my paycheck has a lot to do with how we live, I have to keep being good at what I do.  I also take pride in doing a good job, and lately I haven't been too proud of the job I've been doing (particularly with regards to my editing job).  After my job, there's my writing in general.  I really haven't had the time (or appropriate mental stance) to write creatively for a long time now.  And it bothers me every day because I really do want to become a decent writer.

There are other less important things going on, but they all add up over time.  In the end, I've realized that something's gotta give and I've decided it's the degree program (for now).  I'm not quitting for good.  I'm just taking a breather so I can concentrate on what matters the most.  Keep your fingers crossed for me ;)

Race-Neutral Stories? No Thank You!

After commenting on two separate blogs, I realize that this issue is something that really bothers me.  What I'm referring to is when the race of a given character is altered in order to (I assume this is the purpose) show that all races are present at all echelons in society, no matter what time era is being depicted.

Two recent examples of this are the upcoming comic book movies The Avengers and Man Of Steel.  In both cases, white men in positions of power have been replaced by African American actors.  And I guess before I go any further, it needs to be stated that yes I am a white male and this is not a racist agenda for me.  It's more about accuracy and honesty, as well as maintaining the original story.  I'm a fan of leaving things alone, because a successful story is good for a reason and should be undisturbed.

In the case of The Avengers, I guess I'm just against it on principle.  I can see the argument that because the story is taking place in modern times, it's an acceptable change.  I don't know what was wrong with casting someone who fit the original character, but I guess I can deal with it.  With the Man Of Steel however, it's more of an problem with historical accuracy.  Given the time period the story of Superman was originally written about, it becomes more and more unlikely that an African American male would be the head of the largest newspaper in a city modeled after New York City.  I'm not saying it couldn't possibly happen during that time period, but it was less likely.

I'm going to tread through some dangerous water here (as if I haven't already), so I understand if you want to stop reading at this point.  Let's say for argument sake that the Chief is an African American.  Wouldn't this necessarily alter the dynamic between all the main characters around him?  While we might like to pretend we are completely blind to race and skin color, the truth is that the differences in race can often bring with it differences in how we interact with each other.  And an African American who has made it to the top of a major newspaper will undoubtedly have a distinctly different perspective on life than a white male taking that same journey.  That difference in background and experiences should also affect how they interact with everyone else, hence changing a crucial character in this story.

If you're going to do that, as far as I'm concerned you might as well create a new character with a new name and either alter the timeline of the story or alter the universe you're creating it in.  It's no longer the same story and it really shouldn't be.  If Perry White were a minor character that nobody interacted with, I could maybe understand.  But he is too central a character and has too great an effect on those around him.

I've used comic books as examples, but I've seen it happen in all sorts of things.  And while humanity has experienced countless moments of racial exclusion, trying to cover it up or ignore it only serves to bury the truth and doesn't teach us why that practice is wrong.  Changing the stories makes it easier for people to pretend that there wasn't a time when certain races were persecuted or excluded in the United States.  Before long, we're forgetting to teach our children that slavery did exist and that Whites Only was once culturally acceptable in certain parts of our country.

I've soap-boxed long enough.  I do apologize if anyone has been offended by this topic, but it's just something I had to talk about.  If you have an opinion (either for or against), I'd love to hear it.

Typing On A Galaxy Tab

This should be interesting, and hopefully it doesn't come out as too untelligible.  I'm sitting at lunch and typing out this post using my Father's Day gift, a Tmobile Galaxy Tab.  For those who don't know, it's a 7" tablet with a bluetooth keyboard I bought for it.  It doesn't seem to aggravate my hand as much, probably because I'm one finger typing on this little keyboard.  It's not too rough though (or won't be after I get used to it).   One irritation though - it tends to repeat letters easily if you hit the keys too hard or off center.  And they mislabeled the keys where the double quote and @ symbol are, swapping the two around.  Weird.

In other news, I received Davin's book in the mail and am enjoying the short stories between homework assignments.  I also am hoping to use this tablet for writing, since the physical footprint is so much smaller and convenient than my laptop.  Not sure about my typing speed on it, but anything that gets me to write is a good thing.  Lastly, I hope to see the doctor about my hand maybe tomorrow.  I'm hoping for just physical therapy to get me back into shape.

That's enough for now (I'll put a link in for Davin's book later).  Hope everyone has a great rest of your Monday.

Just A Quick Note

This is going to be a short post, but I wanted to put at least something up today.  Unfortunately, I'm still suffering from some pain in my right hand and forearm.   Typing is not comfortable at all, and working the mouse is really bothering me.  I plan on seeing the doc early next week because I really need to find out if this is just a strain or something more permanent.  I'm an IT guy (my day job), so not being able to work on a computer has some dire implications.  And since I can't write legibly with a pencil and paper, it has put a dent in my writing progress too.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend and I should be back in the swing of things next week.

My Absence Has Been Longer Than Expected...But I'm Back!

Okay, I was gone from Da Muse a bit longer than I had planned.  The vacation was nice though, there were ups and downs, and everyone in the family had a great time.  I even got to hang out with Tigger (kind of ironic that I'm wearing a California shirt while visiting Florida, huh?).  Mickey Mouse may be cool, but Tigger is one of a kind (his song even says so).

DisneyWorld is both good and bad.  It's a unique experience everyone should take at least once, but once you've been there, the shine (at least for me) tends to dull.  You start noticing how many shops there are, how many times the Disney machine tries to get your coin rather than providing you with entertainment, and you get really tired feet from walking everywhere.  To say Disney World is spread out is an understatement big time.

Epcot however, is a completely different story.  For one thing, it seemed like there were a lot less crowds.  The entertainment is also geared towards a more adult crowd, which appeals to me more as well.  Since I don't have little ones (mine are growing up faster than I want them to), all the cutesy little kid stuff isn't as much fun.  I could go back to Epcot multiple times, while I'd be fine with skipping all the other Disney theme parks ever again.

Since returning home, I've had to scramble to get back to work and back into the mode of doing homework (and it hasn't been easy).  Suffice it to say that after 2 weeks of vacation, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with "normal life".  And as for writing...well, I'm fitting it in wherever I can get a spare moment.

On the good side, I found an awesome deal for a motorcycle (a divorcee getting rid of her ex's bike that she doesn't ride), so now I'm riding again.  Check out this beautiful bike:

As part of celebrating Independence Day here in the Good Ole USA, I went on a nice motorcycle ride with the members of my wife's family who are also bikers.  In fact, my brother-in-law gave me some really nice saddle bags he had sitting in his garage, so now I don't have to buy those.  I don't have new pics of how the bike looks with them on, but trust me - it's B-E-A-UTIFUL!

For those of you in America, I hope your 4th of July celebrations are safe and full of fun.  I'm not a big fireworks person myself, mostly because I grew up in a household with a firefighter dad.  I like watching them though, so we may go outside this evening and see what we can see.  And for those of you who are military or related to them, thank you for continuing to honor and work for the ideals we're celebrating today.

Unintentional Isolation...And A Contest!

One thing I've noticed is that I have a really bad habit of withdrawing from the world and just existing within my own tiny sphere at home.  It's not that I don't enjoy all of you or that I don't value the friends I have made through this writing journey;  I am just more reclusive than I am social, to my own detriment.  And I've had to make apologies to friends, with promises to try to overcome my own bad habits.

My mom and I were discussing this trait we both share.  Although we can exist just fine in a crowded room, we're much happier by ourselves.  The problem is that I do actually enjoy the stimulating conversations and things I learn from friends.  Withdrawing into seclusion makes me miss out on all this fun stuff.  Needless to say, I am aware of the problem and am going to be taking steps to make sure I don't do this too often.

On another note, I am in possession of an extra copy of Beth Revis' awesome book Across The Universe.  How did this happen, you ask?  Well, I purchased a copy when it came out (because I was incredibly anxious to read it).  I also helped chat up Beth's book whenever I could help get the word out, and unexpectedly in the mail, I received a SIGNED copy of her book from Beth and/or the publisher.  This means I have opportunity to hold a contest and give my other copy away to some lucky recipient (sorry, I'm not giving away my signed copy.   I cherish it way too much).

And although it might be difficult to find someone out there who hasn't purchased this awesome book already, I'm willing to try.  If you have a copy already, enter the contest anyway and give this one away to someone else. Let's pass this awesome book on to as many people as we possibly can.

The contest is going to go like this.  I'll hold the contest for a week (ending on June 8th) and send the book out to a random winner.  Unfortunately, this is only for people in the US.  Sorry, but I can't afford to send this overseas.   But hey, if you're near Beth or find her near your town sometime, I'm sure she'll be more than happy to sign it for you.  She's cool like that.  You can also earn extra entries:

Comment here - +1
Long time follower - +2
New follower - +1
Post about the contest - +1
Facebook about the contest - +1
Tweet about the contest - +1
Tally the total for me - +1

Those who know me well might wonder why I'm adding in the Facebook and Twitter stuff, since I don't currently use those social tools.  I'm all about getting the word out and getting this book to a new loving owner though, so I'm embracing those tools too.  I'll depend on the honor system.  If you say you've done it, I'm just going to take you at your word.  I personally haven't seen any writers lie about something like that, so I feel pretty safe.

Lastly, do you ever feel isolated from things here on the Interwebs?  If this is just me, feel free to say so.  If not, what do you do to stay a part of these social connections (aside from FB or Twitter)?

Please Watch This Clip

Normally I don't do this type of thing, but because I'm a veteran, I feel bound to share this with all of you.  When you get a chance, please go to this link and watch an important video.  There's nothing to buy, no expenditure on your part other than your time.  But for those of us who are Americans (or know the type of people showcased in this video), I think you'll agree that the few minutes it takes is worth the effort.

Thank you and God bless.