It's frickin' hot and humid. Dog days of summer are looming. This summer's been kind of surreal, just in how quickly time is flying. The boys had a blast, and I got their room all sorted. I have them help me with it, but their library of books was a chaotic mess, and Exene sure as hell wasn't going to touch that, so I sorted through and organized it yesterday, and it looks great. I made it all functional -- activity books on the top, then nonfiction (divided between oversized books on one shelf and normal-sized books on the other), then a shelf of fiction for B1, and the bottom shelf being fiction books for B2. It looks great. I was very satisfied. It was cute, too -- while I was doing this, B2 came up and grabbed a dustrag and asked if he could help. He loves helping that way. It's terribly cute. I said "Sure, Buddy." and let him go, watched him very diligently clean the shelves with the dustrag. B2 is very much a joining-in type of guy, for all his impish pugnacity, he wants to help, so I encourage that when I see it. I think that'll work in a variety of settings, like food and chores -- like his desire to be in on "the action" (whatever it is at the moment) can have him playing ball almost despite himself. B1 is curious, because he is both more sensitive than B2 on some levels, and yet also more stubborn. I think that's a good thing, truly -- his stubbornness protects that sensitivity on some level.
My plan is to get B1 to eat a wider variety of foods by bringing B2 to the table to join in with me at dinner. I'd like the boys to eat more foods, not just their favorites. So, I'm going to try to bring them to the table by cooking good stuff and getting them to try some new foods.
Anyway, I didn't get as much written as I wanted, because I was busy with the boys, but the weather was nice, I got some reading done, and generally just enjoyed myself the way I usually do.
Monday, August 2, 2010
More Than Meets the Eye
The Decepticons are apparently still trashing downtown Chicago. I had thought Michael Bay's production had moved on in their filming of "Transformers 3" but they're hitting Van Buren and Canal now, which now looks like a cinematic disaster area. Damn those Decepticons! They've been riding roughshod over the city! I have to hand it to Bay -- he's made the sets look convincingly devastated!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
"Decker...Decker...Decker....DECKER!"
B1 LOVES "The Doomsday Machine" episode of STAR TREK. He just loves it, loves the cornucopia-shaped doomsday machine. The remastered version of it looks very good. Watching the episode for the umpteenth time, I realized that Commodore Decker made a fatal error in judgment on the front end -- the setup for the episode has him aboard his ruined (and empty) starship, the USS Constellation, with a clearly-traumatized Commodore Decker recounting his actions (the ship is crippled by the planet-killer, and he has his crew beamed down to the third planet of the system they're on, where the planet-killer destroys that planet, and his crew).
Now, it's clear (from Decker's testimony to Kirk) that Decker realized they were up against a planet-killer when they engaged it, so the fatal error in judgment was, of course, beaming his crew planetside. I mean, the context of the episode has him regretting that decision and being shellshocked by the loss of his command and his crew -- but on the front end of things, if you're up against a planet-killer, even with a crippled starship, the very LAST place you'd want to drop your crew would be on a planet, yes? At least on the starship you have a fighting chance (even on a crippled starship).
Just saying. It's good for Decker that he commits suicide near the end because if Starfleet got their hands on him, they'd be putting him in front of a court martial for gross incompetence for losing a starship and an entire crew. I can just imagine the board of inquiry about his decision-making...
"So, Commodore, you were facing a PLANET-KILLER, what you knew was a planet-killer, and yet you beamed your crew to one of the planets anyway, when it appeared that your vessel was damaged beyond repair?"
Dr. McCoy also screws up when he brings Decker to the bridge, instead of to Sick Bay, where he had been instructed to take Decker. By bringing him to the bridge (and Bones had no reason to be on the bridge), he precipitates a power struggle between Commodore Decker and Spock, which leads to Decker commandeering the Enterprise and nearly getting it destroyed.
Finally, it's telling that this episode has them using only phasers against the planet-killer, since the key way of destroying it is by feeding it the USS Constellation, which detonates (something like 97.835 megatons). But photon torpedoes are supposed to be around 90 megatons a pop, so, rather than sacrificing a starship to the planet-killer, Kirk could've fired a couple of photon torpedoes into the maw of the thing, giving them a yield of ~180 megatons, snuffing out the planet-killer without sacrificing a starship. I would imagine a review board making an inquiry over Kirk's decision to send the Constellation in instead of trying to fire a few photon torpedoes in there, first.
(the "Decker" reference in the header of this entry is from Airplane!")
Now, it's clear (from Decker's testimony to Kirk) that Decker realized they were up against a planet-killer when they engaged it, so the fatal error in judgment was, of course, beaming his crew planetside. I mean, the context of the episode has him regretting that decision and being shellshocked by the loss of his command and his crew -- but on the front end of things, if you're up against a planet-killer, even with a crippled starship, the very LAST place you'd want to drop your crew would be on a planet, yes? At least on the starship you have a fighting chance (even on a crippled starship).
Just saying. It's good for Decker that he commits suicide near the end because if Starfleet got their hands on him, they'd be putting him in front of a court martial for gross incompetence for losing a starship and an entire crew. I can just imagine the board of inquiry about his decision-making...
"So, Commodore, you were facing a PLANET-KILLER, what you knew was a planet-killer, and yet you beamed your crew to one of the planets anyway, when it appeared that your vessel was damaged beyond repair?"
Dr. McCoy also screws up when he brings Decker to the bridge, instead of to Sick Bay, where he had been instructed to take Decker. By bringing him to the bridge (and Bones had no reason to be on the bridge), he precipitates a power struggle between Commodore Decker and Spock, which leads to Decker commandeering the Enterprise and nearly getting it destroyed.
Finally, it's telling that this episode has them using only phasers against the planet-killer, since the key way of destroying it is by feeding it the USS Constellation, which detonates (something like 97.835 megatons). But photon torpedoes are supposed to be around 90 megatons a pop, so, rather than sacrificing a starship to the planet-killer, Kirk could've fired a couple of photon torpedoes into the maw of the thing, giving them a yield of ~180 megatons, snuffing out the planet-killer without sacrificing a starship. I would imagine a review board making an inquiry over Kirk's decision to send the Constellation in instead of trying to fire a few photon torpedoes in there, first.
(the "Decker" reference in the header of this entry is from Airplane!")
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Boys' Club
Whew. Busy day. I'm glad I came out swinging this morning with writing, getting as much done as I could, because Exene was gone almost the whole day, on various arcane things, so I had the boys all day. No problem, nothing I'm not used to, believe me.
Not sure what I'll do tomorrow. The boys and I'll figure something out.
B2 cuted me out while I was loading the dishwasher. Out of the blue, he asked me "Daddy, can I help you?" And so I had him help me load the dishwasher. He was very focused on it, eager to assist. Gold star for B2!
Not sure what I'll do tomorrow. The boys and I'll figure something out.
B2 cuted me out while I was loading the dishwasher. Out of the blue, he asked me "Daddy, can I help you?" And so I had him help me load the dishwasher. He was very focused on it, eager to assist. Gold star for B2!
China Syndrome
I was reading in Businessweek about how the US is screwing the pooch where alternative energies are concerned ("America Sits Out the Race," August 2-August 8, 2010). It's actually been something that keeps popping up in that magazine, one way or another. China has been racing ahead with it, with something like $35 billion invested in alternative energies in 2009. This easily more than double what the US has done. The most frustrating thing about it is that there is a vital market here just waiting to be tapped, and the US's captivity to Big Oil and Big Coal on energy policy is keeping us out of it. Now, maybe it'll be a "panic button" kind of thing ala Sputnik, where the US will be made acutely aware of how behind it is on this (and the likely $100+ barrels of oil will eventually help grease those wheels), and the US will suddenly get serious on this issue. Maybe. But meantime, China's marching steadily onward on it. Now, I'm not one of those scaredy-cats where China is concerned. Our media likes to demonize China, and I'm not that way. They are, however, making the right decisions where alternative energy is concerned, and our country simply isn't.
Bradbury on Writing
This clip of Ray Bradbury is enjoyable, although he grew up in the golden age of short speculative fiction, where there were plenty of venues for short stories of the type he writes/wrote. Not saying it can't be done, but it's a lot harder in genre fiction to find homes for your work, let alone paying gigs (where, paradoxically, more and more writers are competing in fewer and fewer venues with ever-diminishing readership/circulations, for less and less pay). The kind of Horatio Alger story Bradbury actually experienced is a much unlikelier tale these days.
I banged out 3000 words this morning on the new project -- I never call it a "book" when I first start it, because it's not a book until it's done. But it was nice to get that much down on the front end. I'm going to try to get back to my old turnout level of around 3000-6000 words a day. When Exene's out of my daily mix, I should be able to get even more words down.
I banged out 3000 words this morning on the new project -- I never call it a "book" when I first start it, because it's not a book until it's done. But it was nice to get that much down on the front end. I'm going to try to get back to my old turnout level of around 3000-6000 words a day. When Exene's out of my daily mix, I should be able to get even more words down.
Friday, July 30, 2010
BP ... Bernadette Peters!
Chicago
Was tickled to see Chicago on this list... (funny about the Gen Y thing -- I've noticed that on my commute. I'm like "Damn, Gen Y is taking over! D'oh!")
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/10-great-cities-for-young-adults.html
Cost-of-living index: 118
Median monthly rent: $861 (average is $819)
Average annual wage: $45,119
Unemployment rate: 10.3%
Percentage of Gen Y residents: 24.6%
Top employers: City, state and federal government, Chicago Public Schools, Wal-Mart Stores, Advocate Health Care, Walgreen, JP Morgan Chase, Abbott Laboratories, AT&T
Chicago is an exceptional value in big-city living, packing the cultural punch of Manhattan at nearly half the cost. Its lakefront district, with beaches, parks, a zoo and several museums, is a model for other waterfront cities. There are great sports teams, theater companies, and music festivals. And it's the home of the deep-dish pizza. The jobless rate is higher than the national average, but the Windy City's financial sector is thriving and promises more entry-level jobs in the future.
PROS: Low cost of living for a major city, cheap and widely available rentals, an efficient and user-friendly public transportation system, high-paying jobs in business and finance, great nightlife and entertainment venues
CONS: Extreme winter weather, high crime rate, and it's a long car drive to other major cities
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/10-great-cities-for-young-adults.html
Chicago, Ill.
Metro population: 9,580,567Cost-of-living index: 118
Median monthly rent: $861 (average is $819)
Average annual wage: $45,119
Unemployment rate: 10.3%
Percentage of Gen Y residents: 24.6%
Top employers: City, state and federal government, Chicago Public Schools, Wal-Mart Stores, Advocate Health Care, Walgreen, JP Morgan Chase, Abbott Laboratories, AT&T
Chicago is an exceptional value in big-city living, packing the cultural punch of Manhattan at nearly half the cost. Its lakefront district, with beaches, parks, a zoo and several museums, is a model for other waterfront cities. There are great sports teams, theater companies, and music festivals. And it's the home of the deep-dish pizza. The jobless rate is higher than the national average, but the Windy City's financial sector is thriving and promises more entry-level jobs in the future.
PROS: Low cost of living for a major city, cheap and widely available rentals, an efficient and user-friendly public transportation system, high-paying jobs in business and finance, great nightlife and entertainment venues
CONS: Extreme winter weather, high crime rate, and it's a long car drive to other major cities
Weekendish
Plans for the weekend? Do I ever really plan that far ahead? Nah. Weather permitting, I'll take the boys out, maybe hit the Zoo. I'm going to write (of course), hunt out some furniture, and clean up the boys' room, which is in need of it. I'll have the guys help, too, but I just want to get it cleaned up. I'd like to get some new dressers for the boys, too, if I can find any that are any good. Nothing much planned beyond that, but I think that's probably enough for a couple of days.
On the ride in this morning, this sort of odd gal sat next to me -- older woman, 50-something (?) in a navy blue summer dress. Done up, just kind of odd vibe from her. Of course, she sat next to me, primly sitting there with her bags on her lap, staring forward. Crowded bus, breaks of the game, but then when the bus emptied, she stayed in the spot next to me, which irks me. One of those mass transit-user etiquette things, like when the conveyance clears up, move over, give yourself and your fellow commuter more room. But no. She just stays there, staring forward, same blank expression on her face. Totally irksome. Then my stop comes, and I move to get up, and she still doesn't move. Just sits there, motionless. I push past her, glad to get off the bus. I glance back into the bus as I'm leaving, and she's still just staring ahead. She looks vaguely like Kate Pierson of the B-52s, although sans beehive. This picture looks a lot like her, like the eye makeup thing going on.
I think Michael Bay's film crew may still be around town here and there. I saw some film trucks on some of the side streets. Definitely filming on-location. He's been around for a few weeks, getting the shots.
I think Michael Bay's film crew may still be around town here and there. I saw some film trucks on some of the side streets. Definitely filming on-location. He's been around for a few weeks, getting the shots.
Parental Miseries?
http://www.tnr.com/blog/damon-linker/76603/the-misery-the-modern-parent
As ever, the New York whiners. I imagine the absence of accolades that generally accompanyg good parenting bother them. I never complain about parenting (my sole complaint being that I do nearly 70% of the parental load, to Exene's roughly 30% -- and this is borne out statistically, isn't just some arbitrary number I throw out). But in terms of the actual parental load, I don't have a problem with it. I work on my ME stuff when I can, but not to the exclusion of the boys (again, this differentiates me from Exene, who just runs off [literally] or in other ways just checks out).
I don't complain about parenting because it's the nature of parenting to be hard. It's like working in a coal mine and complaining about all the dust and dirt! It's just part of the deal. I guess that's what makes me a great dad. When I had the boys with my family in North Carolina on vacation, at one point, B2 was acting up, being a real pistol, and I just kept my cool, held to my parental line (he wasn't wanting to eat the food I'd set out for him), and eventually, without losing my head, B2 came around and ate his meal. No drama (and no mama -- haha). My mom, stepdad, and stepsister were all amazed that I hadn't lost my temper with B2, hadn't raised my voice. I just kept my cool.
Kids are kids. They're the ultimate egoists, and I think it's actually kinda charming about them. They're these young little universes, full of promise and potential, and it doesn't even occur to them that there are other universes out there, and that the reality beyond them doesn't care about them, or is even dangerous to them. Sure, it's a bliss borne of ignorance and naivete, but at the same time, it's charming. They want what they want when they want it. Over time, they learn (or should learn) the necessity of diplomacy and tact (and, again, amusingly, they learn Machiavellian intrigues so damned early). I think kids are great. Fatherhood is a true joy for me, because I think kids are wonderful. For them, everything is new and wonderful. That's precious, so I do my part to ensure that they get the best sampling of life that I can give them.
And it's still amusing to me what they pick up, what strikes their fancy -- B1 loves disasters of every stripe, black holes, volcanoes, earthquakes, avalanches, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, asteroids, comets, meteors, sharks, tanks, ships; B2 loves guns, cars, garbage trucks, guitars, music, performing, mischief, dogs, trains, jets, books.
This morning, the boys pretended that we were blasting off for Mars as I walked them to their sitter. I've played that game with them before, but this morning, the boys were mostly narrating it themselves, with B1 describing nebulae as we went on our way, interference with our radios and guidance systerms, while B2 was talking about being in a space capsule. I offered bits of input here and there, but it was a delight to see them playing together like that, crafting a fun narrative around an otherwise routine trip.
“Happiness is a superficial and fragile thing; joy is happiness that has been deepened and refined by tragedy. Joy is happiness with dimension. Joy is what you have that tells you that the burden is light, the yoke is freedom.”
There’s certainly truth in that. Though I fear that Rod is staying within the conceptual universe that leads so many parents—or rather, so many of the early twenty-first-century, upper-middle-class, professional, secular, American parents highlighted in the New York magazine article—to view parenting as such an unhappy burden.
As ever, the New York whiners. I imagine the absence of accolades that generally accompanyg good parenting bother them. I never complain about parenting (my sole complaint being that I do nearly 70% of the parental load, to Exene's roughly 30% -- and this is borne out statistically, isn't just some arbitrary number I throw out). But in terms of the actual parental load, I don't have a problem with it. I work on my ME stuff when I can, but not to the exclusion of the boys (again, this differentiates me from Exene, who just runs off [literally] or in other ways just checks out).
I don't complain about parenting because it's the nature of parenting to be hard. It's like working in a coal mine and complaining about all the dust and dirt! It's just part of the deal. I guess that's what makes me a great dad. When I had the boys with my family in North Carolina on vacation, at one point, B2 was acting up, being a real pistol, and I just kept my cool, held to my parental line (he wasn't wanting to eat the food I'd set out for him), and eventually, without losing my head, B2 came around and ate his meal. No drama (and no mama -- haha). My mom, stepdad, and stepsister were all amazed that I hadn't lost my temper with B2, hadn't raised my voice. I just kept my cool.
Kids are kids. They're the ultimate egoists, and I think it's actually kinda charming about them. They're these young little universes, full of promise and potential, and it doesn't even occur to them that there are other universes out there, and that the reality beyond them doesn't care about them, or is even dangerous to them. Sure, it's a bliss borne of ignorance and naivete, but at the same time, it's charming. They want what they want when they want it. Over time, they learn (or should learn) the necessity of diplomacy and tact (and, again, amusingly, they learn Machiavellian intrigues so damned early). I think kids are great. Fatherhood is a true joy for me, because I think kids are wonderful. For them, everything is new and wonderful. That's precious, so I do my part to ensure that they get the best sampling of life that I can give them.
And it's still amusing to me what they pick up, what strikes their fancy -- B1 loves disasters of every stripe, black holes, volcanoes, earthquakes, avalanches, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, asteroids, comets, meteors, sharks, tanks, ships; B2 loves guns, cars, garbage trucks, guitars, music, performing, mischief, dogs, trains, jets, books.
This morning, the boys pretended that we were blasting off for Mars as I walked them to their sitter. I've played that game with them before, but this morning, the boys were mostly narrating it themselves, with B1 describing nebulae as we went on our way, interference with our radios and guidance systerms, while B2 was talking about being in a space capsule. I offered bits of input here and there, but it was a delight to see them playing together like that, crafting a fun narrative around an otherwise routine trip.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Gods and Ghosts
The boys are watching "Hercules" tonight. They love that movie. It butchers the Greek myths, but for Disney fare, it's enjoyable enough.
I'm researching ghost towns for one of the projects I'm working on. Ghost towns fascinate me. It's funny -- ghosts, not so much, but ghost towns? Definitely.
Ever see the pictures of Chernobyl these days? This isn't the best-organized Web page, but the pictures are haunting. A lost place.
I'm researching ghost towns for one of the projects I'm working on. Ghost towns fascinate me. It's funny -- ghosts, not so much, but ghost towns? Definitely.
Ever see the pictures of Chernobyl these days? This isn't the best-organized Web page, but the pictures are haunting. A lost place.
Ill-Suited
I forgot to mention this morning, an amusing moment -- I got on the elevator with a Korean couple who had a golden retriever (Sweet dog. I asked its name, and it was "Polo"). Anyway, it was a friendly dog, as goldens usually are, and the elevator opened and this young guy in a very nice pinstriped suit stood there, and you could see him weighing it in his head, whether or not to get in the little elevator with that friendly dog, or whether to wait until the next elevator came. He decided to enter, and came in and hugged the wall. It really was a nice suit, no doubt, but the look on the guy's face was priceless, like "PLEASE, PLEASE let this dog stay the fuck away from me. Don't. Fuck. With. The. Suit." Polo the Wonder Dog didn't mess with him (I helped Pinstripe out by petting the dog, running interference, basically), and when we reached the lobby, everybody filed out, going their separate ways.
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