YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU ACCEPT IT...
So I'm in the market for new music, but because it's too damn easy to download stuff, and JBs makes hunting shelves an exercise in mundanity, I'm forced to hunt by theme rather than artist or style.
Today's mission: songs about; starring; titled after; or just damn well written by-- superheroes.
Any nominations?
Drop your ideas in the comments. If you're reading this via LJ feed, remember- if you comment via LJ, I won't get it, so you'll need to come to the blog page or email me.
Just to get you started, here's a few I have in my collection already--
That’s Really Super, Supergirl— XTC
Superman’s Big Sister— Ian Dury & The Blockheads
Spiderman— The Ramones
Kryptonite— Thee Doors Down
Superman— REM
Flash— Queen (Yeah, all right, not strictly a superhero. But, you know, it's my list!)
Plastic Man— The Kinks
Particle Man— They Might Be Giants
Superman— Dina Rae/Eminem
(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman— The Kinks
Pocket Full of Kryptonite— Spin Doctors
Superman (It’s Not Easy)— Five For Fighting
First person to mention The Spiderpig Song or Prince's Batman soundtrack wins a free bullet in the back of your head when you're least expecting it.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
WHAT A SURPRISE: SEAN WILLIAMS BEATS US ALL AGAIN.....
Over at Undead Backbrain, blog of erstwhile peer and pal Rob Hood, recent days have seen the kind of combat normally reserved for bad gladiator films and the type of wrestling federations that feature guys with names like "The Ax" and "Headsplitter". It's been feral, it's been unforgiving, it's been bloody.
It's been Rob's write-a-limerick-about-daikaiju competition, and surprise, surprise, Sean Williams won. Jess Nevins, too.
Check out the shortlist here. It's an absolute hoot, with some of the most wonderfully awful, and awfully wonderful, 5 line abominations to be seen. It's a lot of fun.
Over at Undead Backbrain, blog of erstwhile peer and pal Rob Hood, recent days have seen the kind of combat normally reserved for bad gladiator films and the type of wrestling federations that feature guys with names like "The Ax" and "Headsplitter". It's been feral, it's been unforgiving, it's been bloody.
It's been Rob's write-a-limerick-about-daikaiju competition, and surprise, surprise, Sean Williams won. Jess Nevins, too.
Check out the shortlist here. It's an absolute hoot, with some of the most wonderfully awful, and awfully wonderful, 5 line abominations to be seen. It's a lot of fun.
I AM A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT..... WITH GUITARS!
Every now and again, somebody comes to this blog via the weirdest of search terms: we all know the fondness for the repeated use of Billie Piper's Nipples in search enquiries (that should be good for another couple of new visitors...)
This morning, Darkcounter revealed to me that a recent visitor came here via the search term who is the girl on hayzee fantayzee shiny shiny. Well, being a belevolent, and somewhat-bored-this-morning, God, I can tell you that the girl in question is:
Kate Garner, an English singer and photographer, who has worked with the likes of Sinéad O'Connor (including photography for the The Lion and the Cobra album); Boy George; LL Cool J; Angelina Jolie; David Bowie; and PJ Harvey. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and a bunch of others. You can find some of her photography here and some of her current work can be seen here.
More can be learned from stealing large chunks of text from her Wikipedia entry, just like I did :)
So there you go. Don't say I never teach you anything...
Every now and again, somebody comes to this blog via the weirdest of search terms: we all know the fondness for the repeated use of Billie Piper's Nipples in search enquiries (that should be good for another couple of new visitors...)
This morning, Darkcounter revealed to me that a recent visitor came here via the search term who is the girl on hayzee fantayzee shiny shiny. Well, being a belevolent, and somewhat-bored-this-morning, God, I can tell you that the girl in question is:
Kate Garner, an English singer and photographer, who has worked with the likes of Sinéad O'Connor (including photography for the The Lion and the Cobra album); Boy George; LL Cool J; Angelina Jolie; David Bowie; and PJ Harvey. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and a bunch of others. You can find some of her photography here and some of her current work can be seen here.
More can be learned from stealing large chunks of text from her Wikipedia entry, just like I did :)
So there you go. Don't say I never teach you anything...
Sunday, August 19, 2007
SNAPSHOT
A couple of years back, Ben Peek interviewed me as part of a series of mini-interviews that came to be known as Snapshot 2005.
Over at ASiF, they've decided to do it again, and Tansy Rayner Roberts sent me a set of questions yeaterday, to be added to their list of interviewees, hopefully some time today as the whole thing's supposed to wind up before tomorrow.
Anyway, if you can't wait, or like me, need some content for this blog, here's the interview in its entirety. (Don't let that stop you going and reading the rest of them at the ASiF site)
You recently had a Doctor Who story published in the Australians-heavy Short Trips: Destination Prague. What was your Doctor-Companion pairing, and just how awesome was it to be writing in the Who universe? Would you do it again?
4 of us contributed to the book: Stephen Dedman, Rob Hood, and Sean Williams, along with myself. Not bad, from 21 stories. It was fun to write for the Doctor, and I was lucky enough to be allowed to write for the 2nd Doctor, who is pretty much my favourite. It was an... interesting... experience. Big Finish and the BBC have very definite rules and regulations surrounding the characters, and my story was heavily (and, I thought, badly) edited before it saw print. I was really unhappy with the end product of that editing: I felt a lot of the nuances were cut out without a lot of thought as to the resulting shape of the story. But that's the compromise you make when you play with someone else's toys, and you know, it's The Doctor! I'd do it again in a shot. It's just one of those childhood wishes come true. Short of being a companion...
I'm talking to an editor about writing for another anthology they're proposing, and trying to make some contacts of my own in the hope of pitching an anthology idea I want to edit. It's a purely selfish fun-- I'm a big fan of the first Doctor Who run, and I enjoyed Torchwood (much more than the current Doctor Who stuff), so it's a chance to contribute to something that gives me enjoyment.
What has changed for you since the 2005 Snapshot?
I'm less involved in the local genre scene than I was. I've fallen out of love with it a lttle bit, I think. In the last two years, a number of projects have been announced amidst fanfare and pomp, only to fall apart when it came time for the people behind it to make sure it was viable. I really became sick of working on something, only to find its intended home had disappeared. Stories take time and energy, and I don't just slap things together: it pisses me off to put my heart into something and then find that others can't be bothered getting their end of the deal sorted out.
I'm a bit more disillusioned than I was when the last Snapshot was put together. I've had some bad experiences, and being part of the Australian small press environment is much less important to me than it used to be. I'm much choosier about what I get involved in, and my out-of-writing life has changed to such an extent that I have to be very sure of a project when I commit my time to producing something for it. I can't afford to invest what has become very limited writing time to working on a story for a project just because someone I know (often only electronically) is helming it, only to see it fold, for whatever reason, somewhere down the line. I work full time now, which I didn't back then, I have a new house, and my kids are older. When I write now, I'm much more interested in using that piece to advance my credentials than I used to be, because I'm lucky if I have three or four hours a week, and I have to make them count.
I've become a lot more insular, as well. I've never been particularly popular, and these days, I have a very small circle of friends, and an only slightly wider circle of acquanitances with whom I share a mutual respect. Outside of my wife and kids, I really don't have any regular contact with people. Much of that is by choice, but it's a choice with which the world seems comfortable. I've never really fit in, no matter what community I've been a part of, and SF continues that pattern. I'm *of* the community, rather than *in* it. Much of the focus of the Australian SF small press is aimed towards local magazines, and that's not where my greatest interest lies at the moment, so I've fallen out of touch quite quickly.
What are you working on right now, and what does your writing future hold?
Most of my year has been taken up working on a film adaptation of Lyn's short story The Memory of Breathing, which has been optioned by production company Azure Productions. Thanks to the wonderful Karen Miller, I've been in touch with an agent in the States who's shown some interest in taking on my novel, which has also been an ongoing process. I've written and sent a few short stories, but nowhere near my usual pace. I have stories upcoming in Daikaiju III and Dreaming Down Under II, as well as Brimstone Press' Black Box anthology, and that's all the print I have in the near future. I've been recreating my catalogue from scratch, and that takes time.
I've also spent the last three months acting as a mentor for the AHWA, working with AHWA member Mark Smith-Briggs to improve his work. So I know the name of at least one person who wants to kill me :)
Much of this year has been about divesting myself of the past: I suffered a catastrophic computer meltdown at the start of the year and lost something like 80 stories I was working on, and quite literally had to start from scratch with new work. I took that as somewhat of an omen, and decided that my focus from now on would be about doing what I *want* to do, rather than what I feel duty bound to do in order to build a 'career', particularly as that career wasn't developing along lines that satisfied me on a personal level. The people I look up to, artistically, are the likes of Spike Milligan, David Hockney, David Bowie-- artists who were able to create a place for themselves across several forms of media. I'd like to build something similar. I don't want to be an SF writer. Not *just*, anyway. I'd like my wings to spread a little wider.
Do you read much in the Aus spec fic scene? What's the best thing you've read this year?
I don't read much local SF these days. I don't enjoy it: not the work, so much, but I fall too easily into the habit of comparing and contrasting people's work with my own. And, to be honest, I still don't feel like enough work pushes hard enough-- there's still too many people playing safe, producing middle-of-the-road work instead of reaching for something artistically challenging. I read a lot of non-fiction, partly beause it's grist for my mill, and partly because of my own, personal, obsessions. For the same reasons, my TV watching tends towards documentaries. I escape into history, archaeology, true crime, et al, rather than into fiction.
Undoubtedly the best book I've read this year is Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell. It's an absolutely stunning dissection of a truly evil and tyrannical man, and a revelatory work. Fiction-wise, The Portrait of Mrs Charbuque by Jeffrey Ford has been the highlight. Lyn read it, and raved about it, and I picked it up on her insistence. A bit contrived, and the ending is a letdown, but it's still a delightful and entrancing journey.
Finally, if you had the chance to get it on with the fictional character you fancy most, who would it be?
Ah, the obligatory wacky snapshot-ending question :)
Thanks for the offer, but, trite as it may sound to anyone who doesn't understand, I already have a real life wife who satisfies all my desires. I simply don't fancy anybody else.
So there you go.
A couple of years back, Ben Peek interviewed me as part of a series of mini-interviews that came to be known as Snapshot 2005.
Over at ASiF, they've decided to do it again, and Tansy Rayner Roberts sent me a set of questions yeaterday, to be added to their list of interviewees, hopefully some time today as the whole thing's supposed to wind up before tomorrow.
Anyway, if you can't wait, or like me, need some content for this blog, here's the interview in its entirety. (Don't let that stop you going and reading the rest of them at the ASiF site)
You recently had a Doctor Who story published in the Australians-heavy Short Trips: Destination Prague. What was your Doctor-Companion pairing, and just how awesome was it to be writing in the Who universe? Would you do it again?
4 of us contributed to the book: Stephen Dedman, Rob Hood, and Sean Williams, along with myself. Not bad, from 21 stories. It was fun to write for the Doctor, and I was lucky enough to be allowed to write for the 2nd Doctor, who is pretty much my favourite. It was an... interesting... experience. Big Finish and the BBC have very definite rules and regulations surrounding the characters, and my story was heavily (and, I thought, badly) edited before it saw print. I was really unhappy with the end product of that editing: I felt a lot of the nuances were cut out without a lot of thought as to the resulting shape of the story. But that's the compromise you make when you play with someone else's toys, and you know, it's The Doctor! I'd do it again in a shot. It's just one of those childhood wishes come true. Short of being a companion...
I'm talking to an editor about writing for another anthology they're proposing, and trying to make some contacts of my own in the hope of pitching an anthology idea I want to edit. It's a purely selfish fun-- I'm a big fan of the first Doctor Who run, and I enjoyed Torchwood (much more than the current Doctor Who stuff), so it's a chance to contribute to something that gives me enjoyment.
What has changed for you since the 2005 Snapshot?
I'm less involved in the local genre scene than I was. I've fallen out of love with it a lttle bit, I think. In the last two years, a number of projects have been announced amidst fanfare and pomp, only to fall apart when it came time for the people behind it to make sure it was viable. I really became sick of working on something, only to find its intended home had disappeared. Stories take time and energy, and I don't just slap things together: it pisses me off to put my heart into something and then find that others can't be bothered getting their end of the deal sorted out.
I'm a bit more disillusioned than I was when the last Snapshot was put together. I've had some bad experiences, and being part of the Australian small press environment is much less important to me than it used to be. I'm much choosier about what I get involved in, and my out-of-writing life has changed to such an extent that I have to be very sure of a project when I commit my time to producing something for it. I can't afford to invest what has become very limited writing time to working on a story for a project just because someone I know (often only electronically) is helming it, only to see it fold, for whatever reason, somewhere down the line. I work full time now, which I didn't back then, I have a new house, and my kids are older. When I write now, I'm much more interested in using that piece to advance my credentials than I used to be, because I'm lucky if I have three or four hours a week, and I have to make them count.
I've become a lot more insular, as well. I've never been particularly popular, and these days, I have a very small circle of friends, and an only slightly wider circle of acquanitances with whom I share a mutual respect. Outside of my wife and kids, I really don't have any regular contact with people. Much of that is by choice, but it's a choice with which the world seems comfortable. I've never really fit in, no matter what community I've been a part of, and SF continues that pattern. I'm *of* the community, rather than *in* it. Much of the focus of the Australian SF small press is aimed towards local magazines, and that's not where my greatest interest lies at the moment, so I've fallen out of touch quite quickly.
What are you working on right now, and what does your writing future hold?
Most of my year has been taken up working on a film adaptation of Lyn's short story The Memory of Breathing, which has been optioned by production company Azure Productions. Thanks to the wonderful Karen Miller, I've been in touch with an agent in the States who's shown some interest in taking on my novel, which has also been an ongoing process. I've written and sent a few short stories, but nowhere near my usual pace. I have stories upcoming in Daikaiju III and Dreaming Down Under II, as well as Brimstone Press' Black Box anthology, and that's all the print I have in the near future. I've been recreating my catalogue from scratch, and that takes time.
I've also spent the last three months acting as a mentor for the AHWA, working with AHWA member Mark Smith-Briggs to improve his work. So I know the name of at least one person who wants to kill me :)
Much of this year has been about divesting myself of the past: I suffered a catastrophic computer meltdown at the start of the year and lost something like 80 stories I was working on, and quite literally had to start from scratch with new work. I took that as somewhat of an omen, and decided that my focus from now on would be about doing what I *want* to do, rather than what I feel duty bound to do in order to build a 'career', particularly as that career wasn't developing along lines that satisfied me on a personal level. The people I look up to, artistically, are the likes of Spike Milligan, David Hockney, David Bowie-- artists who were able to create a place for themselves across several forms of media. I'd like to build something similar. I don't want to be an SF writer. Not *just*, anyway. I'd like my wings to spread a little wider.
Do you read much in the Aus spec fic scene? What's the best thing you've read this year?
I don't read much local SF these days. I don't enjoy it: not the work, so much, but I fall too easily into the habit of comparing and contrasting people's work with my own. And, to be honest, I still don't feel like enough work pushes hard enough-- there's still too many people playing safe, producing middle-of-the-road work instead of reaching for something artistically challenging. I read a lot of non-fiction, partly beause it's grist for my mill, and partly because of my own, personal, obsessions. For the same reasons, my TV watching tends towards documentaries. I escape into history, archaeology, true crime, et al, rather than into fiction.
Undoubtedly the best book I've read this year is Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell. It's an absolutely stunning dissection of a truly evil and tyrannical man, and a revelatory work. Fiction-wise, The Portrait of Mrs Charbuque by Jeffrey Ford has been the highlight. Lyn read it, and raved about it, and I picked it up on her insistence. A bit contrived, and the ending is a letdown, but it's still a delightful and entrancing journey.
Finally, if you had the chance to get it on with the fictional character you fancy most, who would it be?
Ah, the obligatory wacky snapshot-ending question :)
Thanks for the offer, but, trite as it may sound to anyone who doesn't understand, I already have a real life wife who satisfies all my desires. I simply don't fancy anybody else.
So there you go.
DECIDEDLY ODD AND INCOMPREHENSIBLE
It beats being boring, I suppose :)
Two reviews:
Rich Horton's take on Aurealis 37, in which he enthuses about the Father Muerte stories, calling them quite decidedly odd and meaning it as a good thing.
And a review of Dr Who: Destination Prague, in which Richard McGinlay not enthuses about The Time Eater, calling it almost incomprehensible and not meaning it as a good thing.
It beats being boring, I suppose :)
Two reviews:
Rich Horton's take on Aurealis 37, in which he enthuses about the Father Muerte stories, calling them quite decidedly odd and meaning it as a good thing.
And a review of Dr Who: Destination Prague, in which Richard McGinlay not enthuses about The Time Eater, calling it almost incomprehensible and not meaning it as a good thing.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
YOU KNOW WHAT OCCURS TO ME?
20 years ago, I was playing upwards of 5 sports a week, was well on my way to earning the 5th highest TEE score my high school had recorded, and couldn't make my mind up between going to Uni to be a paleontologist and applying to ADFA to beome an officer.
What a fat, useless, waste of gentic meterial I have beome.
20 years ago, I was playing upwards of 5 sports a week, was well on my way to earning the 5th highest TEE score my high school had recorded, and couldn't make my mind up between going to Uni to be a paleontologist and applying to ADFA to beome an officer.
What a fat, useless, waste of gentic meterial I have beome.
Monday, July 30, 2007
AUREALIS AWARDS
Well, it’s the season again: the Aurealis Awards have opened for nominations, and as usual, the arguments over the nomination process have begun.
I’ve played that game, and frankly, it bores me. What I’d rather do is draw your attention to this. Trent Jamieson is a subtle and talented writer, a major figure in the Australian SF short fiction scene, and one of the nicest and most graceful people going round. Let's be honest- the man is damned gentlemanly. Here he gives us, in the most articulate way possible, every reason why the AAs are a worthwhile endeavour, and why they deserve support and recognition. Go, read.
In point of fact, I like Trent’s approach so much, I’m going to blatantly copy it :)
So, for your edification and possible scorn:
A BLATANT LACING OF TJ’S SHOES
I’ve been nominated for the Aurealis Awards on several occasions, and won the award for Best Horror Short story in 2006.
What did it mean to me to win? Validation, in a way. A jury of my peers had decided that one of my works was the best they had seen that year. Many of the writers with whom I conversed on a regular basis, and whose works and careers I admired, owned that little glass crescent: Geoff Maloney, Stephen Dedman, Dave Luckett, Sean Williams. Now I could count myself amongst their number, and for the first time in my career, not feel that I was a squire in master’s robes.
I had been fortunate, in all the time I had been a part of the Australian SF scene, that writers of much greater experience and mastery of the form had treated me as an equal, without reservation, when they had every right to treat me like the neophyte I undoubtedly was. The perception, I’m certain, was entirely mine, but now I felt like I could look them in the eye. On very few things do I indulge my ego, but belief in myself as a writer is one of them. To have a group of my fellows judge my work against the warp and weft of Australian publications, and pin a blue ribbon on its chest, elevated me. It was one thing for me to believe in my work—I do, without question. That others believed in it, well, that was another thing altogether.
Attending the Award ceremony, which I’ve done for the last 3 years (alas, I shall miss out this year) has brought me face to face with any number of people with whom I’ve since established firm friendships, along with a whole swathe of others with whom I’d already conversed via email: Geoff Maloney, Paul Haines, Brendan Duffy; Rob Hoge, Kate Eltham, Jason Nahrung, Karen Miller, Rjurik Davidson, Trent Jamieson, Heather Gammage, Margo Lanagan, Robert Dobson, Stephen Thompson, Kirsten Bishop, entire busloads of Vision Writing Group members…... I’ve given my family an interstate holiday, been invited back to tutor at Clarion South and conduct workshops for the Queensland Writer’s Centre, eaten the best Italian food of my life, gone backwards down a roller coaster, fondled the leg of a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, been invited to contribute to anthologies, eaten the worst Lebanese food of my life, and may be on the verge of signing with an overseas agent… all because I had the chance to win an Aurealis Award.
Truth is, there are very few awards that have a directly beneficial effect on your career. That’s not why they’re important. Awards are important, at least to me, because they form a focal point for everything that’s going on around you at the time. They’re a nexus point, a way of underlining what came before, and what you aim for afterwards. And they give you a chance to frock up, clink glasses with your peers, and at least for one night of the year, pretend to yourself that what you do does matter a damn to the universe. It’s a good feeling.
Well, it’s the season again: the Aurealis Awards have opened for nominations, and as usual, the arguments over the nomination process have begun.
I’ve played that game, and frankly, it bores me. What I’d rather do is draw your attention to this. Trent Jamieson is a subtle and talented writer, a major figure in the Australian SF short fiction scene, and one of the nicest and most graceful people going round. Let's be honest- the man is damned gentlemanly. Here he gives us, in the most articulate way possible, every reason why the AAs are a worthwhile endeavour, and why they deserve support and recognition. Go, read.
In point of fact, I like Trent’s approach so much, I’m going to blatantly copy it :)
So, for your edification and possible scorn:
A BLATANT LACING OF TJ’S SHOES
I’ve been nominated for the Aurealis Awards on several occasions, and won the award for Best Horror Short story in 2006.
What did it mean to me to win? Validation, in a way. A jury of my peers had decided that one of my works was the best they had seen that year. Many of the writers with whom I conversed on a regular basis, and whose works and careers I admired, owned that little glass crescent: Geoff Maloney, Stephen Dedman, Dave Luckett, Sean Williams. Now I could count myself amongst their number, and for the first time in my career, not feel that I was a squire in master’s robes.
I had been fortunate, in all the time I had been a part of the Australian SF scene, that writers of much greater experience and mastery of the form had treated me as an equal, without reservation, when they had every right to treat me like the neophyte I undoubtedly was. The perception, I’m certain, was entirely mine, but now I felt like I could look them in the eye. On very few things do I indulge my ego, but belief in myself as a writer is one of them. To have a group of my fellows judge my work against the warp and weft of Australian publications, and pin a blue ribbon on its chest, elevated me. It was one thing for me to believe in my work—I do, without question. That others believed in it, well, that was another thing altogether.
Attending the Award ceremony, which I’ve done for the last 3 years (alas, I shall miss out this year) has brought me face to face with any number of people with whom I’ve since established firm friendships, along with a whole swathe of others with whom I’d already conversed via email: Geoff Maloney, Paul Haines, Brendan Duffy; Rob Hoge, Kate Eltham, Jason Nahrung, Karen Miller, Rjurik Davidson, Trent Jamieson, Heather Gammage, Margo Lanagan, Robert Dobson, Stephen Thompson, Kirsten Bishop, entire busloads of Vision Writing Group members…... I’ve given my family an interstate holiday, been invited back to tutor at Clarion South and conduct workshops for the Queensland Writer’s Centre, eaten the best Italian food of my life, gone backwards down a roller coaster, fondled the leg of a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, been invited to contribute to anthologies, eaten the worst Lebanese food of my life, and may be on the verge of signing with an overseas agent… all because I had the chance to win an Aurealis Award.
Truth is, there are very few awards that have a directly beneficial effect on your career. That’s not why they’re important. Awards are important, at least to me, because they form a focal point for everything that’s going on around you at the time. They’re a nexus point, a way of underlining what came before, and what you aim for afterwards. And they give you a chance to frock up, clink glasses with your peers, and at least for one night of the year, pretend to yourself that what you do does matter a damn to the universe. It’s a good feeling.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT 
In the absence of further content, a quick family gallery of the past month.
Ballerina Erin at Anna & Art's wedding
Birthdays mean allll the cake you want....
Boy in search of rest of boy band, with Mum.
Red Nose Day: another picture for the I can't wait until he gets a girlfriend collection
LINKS DU JOUR
New links from a couple of writing pals:
Mark Smith-Briggs, the newly re-badged and updated Mark Smith, with better handling and increased cornering speed.
And the strange creature known to man only as Jason Fischer: Clarionite, bon vivant, adorer of flesh-eating camels, and all round cool guy.
Go. Read. Link. Introduce yourself. Make sure your shots are up to date....
New links from a couple of writing pals:
Mark Smith-Briggs, the newly re-badged and updated Mark Smith, with better handling and increased cornering speed.
And the strange creature known to man only as Jason Fischer: Clarionite, bon vivant, adorer of flesh-eating camels, and all round cool guy.
Go. Read. Link. Introduce yourself. Make sure your shots are up to date....
Friday, July 06, 2007
SOME FAMOUS WRITER GUY STUFF
Writing has been demoted from the back seat to the space underneath the spare tyre at the bottom of the boot in recent weeks: I’m back at full time work, and have just been made permanent with a small promotion to boot, so the days have been filled with train travel, wondering what the hell I’m doing back in the Public Service, and paying bills. Not to mention that Foxtel’s IQ program-taping service is the tool of the Devil….
However, a few speccy bits and bobs have arrived to remind the Universe that I do, occasionally, raise my head above the edge of the rut:
101 Reasons To Stop Writing, the acerbic and oft-hilarious anti-writing blog run by my gooderest buddy Sean Lindsay has posted a round-the-table interview with myself, Simon Haynes, Tehani Croft and an anonymous mystery reader on the editing habits of the average ASIM slush reader. It's in three parts: here; here; and here. As an added bonus, he's also noted down my favourite slush reading horror story and reproduced it for posterity. Enjoy.
Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine, one my very favouritestest places to sell and read stories, has released no less than three 'Best Of' volumes in electronic format. The Best of SF volume contains Murderworld; you’ll find Through The Window Merrilee Dances and the poem Eight For Working within The Best of Fantasy; and Best of Horror will net you not only The Hobbyist but Lyn’s soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture-if-everything-turns-out-right The Memory of Breathing.
Apart from a serious case of Battersbys, you'll find work by the likes of Stephen Dedman; Dirk Flinthart; Dave Luckett; Tom Holt; Paul Haines; Martin Livings; Jeff Van Der Meer and Mikal Trimm.
Writing has been demoted from the back seat to the space underneath the spare tyre at the bottom of the boot in recent weeks: I’m back at full time work, and have just been made permanent with a small promotion to boot, so the days have been filled with train travel, wondering what the hell I’m doing back in the Public Service, and paying bills. Not to mention that Foxtel’s IQ program-taping service is the tool of the Devil….
However, a few speccy bits and bobs have arrived to remind the Universe that I do, occasionally, raise my head above the edge of the rut:
101 Reasons To Stop Writing, the acerbic and oft-hilarious anti-writing blog run by my gooderest buddy Sean Lindsay has posted a round-the-table interview with myself, Simon Haynes, Tehani Croft and an anonymous mystery reader on the editing habits of the average ASIM slush reader. It's in three parts: here; here; and here. As an added bonus, he's also noted down my favourite slush reading horror story and reproduced it for posterity. Enjoy.
Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine, one my very favouritestest places to sell and read stories, has released no less than three 'Best Of' volumes in electronic format. The Best of SF volume contains Murderworld; you’ll find Through The Window Merrilee Dances and the poem Eight For Working within The Best of Fantasy; and Best of Horror will net you not only The Hobbyist but Lyn’s soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture-if-everything-turns-out-right The Memory of Breathing.
Apart from a serious case of Battersbys, you'll find work by the likes of Stephen Dedman; Dirk Flinthart; Dave Luckett; Tom Holt; Paul Haines; Martin Livings; Jeff Van Der Meer and Mikal Trimm.
At something like 220 pages each for a miserly 10 bucks each, these books represent the best value read in the SF world right now. Go buy.
And Dr Who: Destination Prague supremo Steven Savile has negotiated a whole bunch of value-added goodies for purchasers of this fine volume (with no less than 4 Australian authors at no added cost!) from American Good Guy Mike's Comics .
In Steve's own words:
First, Michael has cut his advertised price on Destination Prague to $17.99. This is outstanding value to anyone, regardless of added bonuses. . . oh yes, keep listening for those. They'll keep this pricing at least until August 1, 2007.
Second, some additional incentives which will again last until around at least until August 1 as well. Michael's Comics will make available sets of the first four Dark Shadows audios for $39.00 to anyone who buys Destination Prague. (The Big Finish site has the Dark Shadows Season 1 at $68.00 purchased separately and $58.00 as a set.) If the customer is in the US and buys this package, we'll also offer *free* Media Mail shipping and handling on the combined order. In case it helps, we'll also offer Doctor Who monthly 2CDs #93-95 each at $14.99 with DP...suggested retail is $25.98 each.
Third, they are going to add a Short Trips subscription offer on their site soon, and will try to add an additional discount, which will be most likely unadvertised, if DP is the start of the subscription.
Fourth, if someone wants to catch up on earlier Short Trips books as well, and wants to buy a bunch (say 10 or more), until August 1, we'll come down to that same $17.99 price for each Short Trips HC if they're also picking up DP, and, again, for a package like this to a US customer we'd offer free Media Mail shipping and handling.
And as a little bonus for Michael's comics there will be three book plates, signed by various contributors to the book, included for the first 60 customers - one per customer, and no plate will contain every signature, but they will contain PLENTY, call it a random surprise... a little gift from us, to the readers.
So who's in this WHO? Sean Williams; James A. Moore; Keith R.A. DeCandido; Mike W. Barr; Paul Kupperberg; "Robert Hood; Brian Keene; Paul Crilley; Stephen Dedman; Paul Finch; Steve Lockley & Paul Lewis; Chris Roberson; Mary Robinette Kowal; Bev Vincent; James Swallow; Gary A. Braunbeck & Lucy A. Snyder; Kevin Killiany; Tim Waggoner; Todd McCaffrey; Stel Pavlou, and ME!
So, what are you waiying for? Go HERE and purchase, you mad, crazy Dr Who purchasing fools, you!
And Dr Who: Destination Prague supremo Steven Savile has negotiated a whole bunch of value-added goodies for purchasers of this fine volume (with no less than 4 Australian authors at no added cost!) from American Good Guy Mike's Comics .
In Steve's own words:
First, Michael has cut his advertised price on Destination Prague to $17.99. This is outstanding value to anyone, regardless of added bonuses. . . oh yes, keep listening for those. They'll keep this pricing at least until August 1, 2007.
Second, some additional incentives which will again last until around at least until August 1 as well. Michael's Comics will make available sets of the first four Dark Shadows audios for $39.00 to anyone who buys Destination Prague. (The Big Finish site has the Dark Shadows Season 1 at $68.00 purchased separately and $58.00 as a set.) If the customer is in the US and buys this package, we'll also offer *free* Media Mail shipping and handling on the combined order. In case it helps, we'll also offer Doctor Who monthly 2CDs #93-95 each at $14.99 with DP...suggested retail is $25.98 each.
Third, they are going to add a Short Trips subscription offer on their site soon, and will try to add an additional discount, which will be most likely unadvertised, if DP is the start of the subscription.
Fourth, if someone wants to catch up on earlier Short Trips books as well, and wants to buy a bunch (say 10 or more), until August 1, we'll come down to that same $17.99 price for each Short Trips HC if they're also picking up DP, and, again, for a package like this to a US customer we'd offer free Media Mail shipping and handling.
And as a little bonus for Michael's comics there will be three book plates, signed by various contributors to the book, included for the first 60 customers - one per customer, and no plate will contain every signature, but they will contain PLENTY, call it a random surprise... a little gift from us, to the readers.
So who's in this WHO? Sean Williams; James A. Moore; Keith R.A. DeCandido; Mike W. Barr; Paul Kupperberg; "Robert Hood; Brian Keene; Paul Crilley; Stephen Dedman; Paul Finch; Steve Lockley & Paul Lewis; Chris Roberson; Mary Robinette Kowal; Bev Vincent; James Swallow; Gary A. Braunbeck & Lucy A. Snyder; Kevin Killiany; Tim Waggoner; Todd McCaffrey; Stel Pavlou, and ME!
So, what are you waiying for? Go HERE and purchase, you mad, crazy Dr Who purchasing fools, you!
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
BATTERSBY FAMILY ONE SENTENCE REVIEWS FOR SHREK 3
It was good, it wasn’t funny, but it was good.
Erin Battersby, age 5.
It bit.
Aiden Triffitt, age 14
It was better than Shrek 2, which makes it only the 3rd worst movie ever made.
Blake Triffitt, age 13
(For the record, Blake considers Polar Express to be the worst. I’m not arguing….)
LYN'S BIRTHDAY
My darling wife turned 38 on the 24th of June. If I disappear in mysterious circumstances before we next meet, remember: she knows I told you her age.
Thanks to bills and off-pay weeks, the day of her birthday was a relatively low-key affair: just us and most of the kids (We’ve given up counting on Darth Barbie), but the Emily The Strange bag and purse were perfect gifts, and a bottle of her favourite perfume made my darling a happy Mummy indeed.
The following Sunday, some friends and family braved the conditions to join us for lunch and cake. Thanks to the weather, we were treated to a surprise indoors waterfall when the rain and wind managed to pop a seal on our patio door an hour before everyone arrived, and our oven shorted out to boot, so what had been, 61 minutes before veryone arrived, a perfectly orchestrated lunch date became a combination of panic, hilarity, and burnt-to-buggery baked fish. Thanks goodness for Lyn’s ability to cook apricot chicken, and Erin’s grandmother’s ability to cook a fabulous fried rice :)
A gaggle of high-spirited close ones, jet-propelled under-5s running from one end of the house to the other laughing insanely, some hilarious and pointed ex-husband conversation once the assembled women realised they’d all gone through the delightful experience of dealing with a broken marriage (I wasn’t going to stop them: I know almost all the men in question, and the women are right), handily-placed wine, bourbon, and cheesecake: it all turned out all right.
Many thanks to everyone who joined us for taking a miserable and wet day and turning it into a fun family occasion, and reinforcing our belief that family is a matter of choice.
MY WIFE MAKES ME PROUD
Lyn has decided that her 39th year on the planet is going to be one of achievements: specifically, she’s going to achieve one thing each month that she’s never before tried. July’s new experience: my darling is going to learn to fire a gun.
Cool, huh? Pictures will follow.
Of course, if August’s task will be to learn how to hide poison in food, I might be after a place to stay…..
It was good, it wasn’t funny, but it was good.
Erin Battersby, age 5.
It bit.
Aiden Triffitt, age 14
It was better than Shrek 2, which makes it only the 3rd worst movie ever made.
Blake Triffitt, age 13
(For the record, Blake considers Polar Express to be the worst. I’m not arguing….)
LYN'S BIRTHDAY
My darling wife turned 38 on the 24th of June. If I disappear in mysterious circumstances before we next meet, remember: she knows I told you her age.
Thanks to bills and off-pay weeks, the day of her birthday was a relatively low-key affair: just us and most of the kids (We’ve given up counting on Darth Barbie), but the Emily The Strange bag and purse were perfect gifts, and a bottle of her favourite perfume made my darling a happy Mummy indeed.
The following Sunday, some friends and family braved the conditions to join us for lunch and cake. Thanks to the weather, we were treated to a surprise indoors waterfall when the rain and wind managed to pop a seal on our patio door an hour before everyone arrived, and our oven shorted out to boot, so what had been, 61 minutes before veryone arrived, a perfectly orchestrated lunch date became a combination of panic, hilarity, and burnt-to-buggery baked fish. Thanks goodness for Lyn’s ability to cook apricot chicken, and Erin’s grandmother’s ability to cook a fabulous fried rice :)
A gaggle of high-spirited close ones, jet-propelled under-5s running from one end of the house to the other laughing insanely, some hilarious and pointed ex-husband conversation once the assembled women realised they’d all gone through the delightful experience of dealing with a broken marriage (I wasn’t going to stop them: I know almost all the men in question, and the women are right), handily-placed wine, bourbon, and cheesecake: it all turned out all right.
Many thanks to everyone who joined us for taking a miserable and wet day and turning it into a fun family occasion, and reinforcing our belief that family is a matter of choice.
MY WIFE MAKES ME PROUD
Lyn has decided that her 39th year on the planet is going to be one of achievements: specifically, she’s going to achieve one thing each month that she’s never before tried. July’s new experience: my darling is going to learn to fire a gun.
Cool, huh? Pictures will follow.
Of course, if August’s task will be to learn how to hide poison in food, I might be after a place to stay…..
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
PRIDE
It’s no secret that I think I’m married to an astonishing woman.
One of the things that makes me most proud is the way that Lyn strives to extend her boundaries. She sets goals, opens herself up to new possibilities, and never accepts the idea that, just because she’s a mother and a woman and a housewife, she should confine herself to the roles that others expect of her. Over the last month, I’ve seen this quality in abundance.
RUN, MOTHER, RUN
On Mother’s Day, rather than take the breakfast-in-bed and foot rub option, Lyn decided she wanted to enter the Mother’s Day Classic, a 3 ½ kilometre run around Lake Monger that involved working out for weeks beforehand, getting up at the crack of aaagh, and sweating her ass off whilst spotty 15 year olds jogged past her with their rock and roll and their new permissiveness and their long hair and… where was I?
I’ve waffled on, every now and again, about my attempts at weight loss. Lyn’s been just as dedicated in her own efforts, as I have in mine, and she viewed this as a great way to gauge her progress: run for as long as she could, walk for a while, then run again; and so on around the track. That was the plan, anyway. Apart from doing something to benefit a worthy cause (Breast cancer research) and feeling good about her solidarity with other women, she’d have a real-world benchmark for her fitness efforts.
So, given that it was Mother’s Day, and what she wants, she gets, we all piled into the Battmobile and headed off to watch her (Well, the kids headed off to play on the bouncy castle and get their faces painted, and run around on the grass, and play on the bouncy castle again. I watched.) We taped her iPod earphones in, pinned her competitor’s number plate to her back, and waved as the starter got the runners under way and she disappeared around the first bend.
THE GRADUATE
Long ago, when the world was young and Dinosaur Junior roamed the Earth, I graduated university with a postgraduate diploma that I intend to turn into an MA any day now.
At the same time, Lyn was about to give birth to Cassie, the first of three children she would have with her first husband. For reasons to tedious to go into here, she was never able to complete a course of tertiary study, and it’s been a need that has gnawed away at her over the years.
Last year, you will recall, she made good on it, and graduated with a Certificate of Relaxation Massage from the Australian Institute. And last month, we glammed up and attended her graduation ceremony.
The meal was brilliant, the entertainment was hilarious in the way that only people you know happily making complete knob-ends of themselves can be; and Lyn looked stunning beyond words. And when she was presented her graduation portfolio, it was the culmination of something long-held and deeply important, and I was both proud and humbled to be there to see it.
THE WRITER
Over the last few years, Lyn has slowly been trying to establish herself as a writer. She’s sold a dozen or so short stories, and edited for a couple of magazines, and developed a growing reputation within the Australian SF community. However, she’s come to a point where selling one or two stories a year isn’t going to develop her career in any significant way. At the start of the year, when we sat down to work out our goals for 2007, she set herself a target of 12 submissions. That would represent a significant increase in productivity, and hopefully, she might see a better return than in previous years.
As of the end of May, 5/12ths of the way through the year, she’s reached 13 submissions, and sold 4 stories. Both numbers exceed my own efforts, and given that being prolific is part of my charm, I think she’s finally set for a period where her bibliography matches her astounding talent.
People constantly underestimate Lyn: she’s small, and gently spoken, and long years of religious belief have given her a forgiving and well-wishing nature. But she has greater strength and potential than she knows, and I am constantly amazed at just what she can achieve when given the opportunity to do so. For most of her adult life, my darling wife has struggled to create a sense of self because the social institutions of which she was a part demanded that she stifle her potential in order to fit their notions of what she should be. She is a woman of unlimited potential.
And I am the proudest of husbands.
It’s no secret that I think I’m married to an astonishing woman.
One of the things that makes me most proud is the way that Lyn strives to extend her boundaries. She sets goals, opens herself up to new possibilities, and never accepts the idea that, just because she’s a mother and a woman and a housewife, she should confine herself to the roles that others expect of her. Over the last month, I’ve seen this quality in abundance.
RUN, MOTHER, RUN
On Mother’s Day, rather than take the breakfast-in-bed and foot rub option, Lyn decided she wanted to enter the Mother’s Day Classic, a 3 ½ kilometre run around Lake Monger that involved working out for weeks beforehand, getting up at the crack of aaagh, and sweating her ass off whilst spotty 15 year olds jogged past her with their rock and roll and their new permissiveness and their long hair and… where was I?
I’ve waffled on, every now and again, about my attempts at weight loss. Lyn’s been just as dedicated in her own efforts, as I have in mine, and she viewed this as a great way to gauge her progress: run for as long as she could, walk for a while, then run again; and so on around the track. That was the plan, anyway. Apart from doing something to benefit a worthy cause (Breast cancer research) and feeling good about her solidarity with other women, she’d have a real-world benchmark for her fitness efforts.
So, given that it was Mother’s Day, and what she wants, she gets, we all piled into the Battmobile and headed off to watch her (Well, the kids headed off to play on the bouncy castle and get their faces painted, and run around on the grass, and play on the bouncy castle again. I watched.) We taped her iPod earphones in, pinned her competitor’s number plate to her back, and waved as the starter got the runners under way and she disappeared around the first bend.
I am not a number! I am a free... oh, wait...
Victory isn't just about coming first.
THE GRADUATE
Long ago, when the world was young and Dinosaur Junior roamed the Earth, I graduated university with a postgraduate diploma that I intend to turn into an MA any day now.
At the same time, Lyn was about to give birth to Cassie, the first of three children she would have with her first husband. For reasons to tedious to go into here, she was never able to complete a course of tertiary study, and it’s been a need that has gnawed away at her over the years.
Last year, you will recall, she made good on it, and graduated with a Certificate of Relaxation Massage from the Australian Institute. And last month, we glammed up and attended her graduation ceremony.
The meal was brilliant, the entertainment was hilarious in the way that only people you know happily making complete knob-ends of themselves can be; and Lyn looked stunning beyond words. And when she was presented her graduation portfolio, it was the culmination of something long-held and deeply important, and I was both proud and humbled to be there to see it.
Yeah, baby!
THE WRITER
Over the last few years, Lyn has slowly been trying to establish herself as a writer. She’s sold a dozen or so short stories, and edited for a couple of magazines, and developed a growing reputation within the Australian SF community. However, she’s come to a point where selling one or two stories a year isn’t going to develop her career in any significant way. At the start of the year, when we sat down to work out our goals for 2007, she set herself a target of 12 submissions. That would represent a significant increase in productivity, and hopefully, she might see a better return than in previous years.
As of the end of May, 5/12ths of the way through the year, she’s reached 13 submissions, and sold 4 stories. Both numbers exceed my own efforts, and given that being prolific is part of my charm, I think she’s finally set for a period where her bibliography matches her astounding talent.
People constantly underestimate Lyn: she’s small, and gently spoken, and long years of religious belief have given her a forgiving and well-wishing nature. But she has greater strength and potential than she knows, and I am constantly amazed at just what she can achieve when given the opportunity to do so. For most of her adult life, my darling wife has struggled to create a sense of self because the social institutions of which she was a part demanded that she stifle her potential in order to fit their notions of what she should be. She is a woman of unlimited potential.
And I am the proudest of husbands.
The woman I love
PROUD DADDY TIME NUMBER ONE
Because the internet does not have bumper stickers so I can swan about being all smug in front of strangers, consider this a replacement:
That would be my daughter holding up her first honour certificate, for ‘making a terrific effort to bring a positive attitude to all she does
Whose 2 ½ year old son sat his Mummy down and counted to eleven for her the other day? And then took her hand, held her thumb and said “Mummy”, then held her index finger and said “Connor”, and followed with a finger for each member of his family in turn? (I got the pinkie)
That, also, would be mine :)
Because the internet does not have bumper stickers so I can swan about being all smug in front of strangers, consider this a replacement:
That would be my daughter holding up her first honour certificate, for ‘making a terrific effort to bring a positive attitude to all she does
PROUD DADDY TIME NUMBER TWO
Whose 2 ½ year old son sat his Mummy down and counted to eleven for her the other day? And then took her hand, held her thumb and said “Mummy”, then held her index finger and said “Connor”, and followed with a finger for each member of his family in turn? (I got the pinkie)
That, also, would be mine :)
Eleven fingers? Doesn't everyone?
WRITING UPDATE
Fresh words have been a bit thin on the ground in recent days. I’ve been caught up in rewrites and business matters with Big Finish for Destination Prague, and in the last couple of weeks, have been happily engaged in the first round of flogging poor old Mark “What the hell have I gotten myself into?” Smith as we embark on our AHWA mentorship together. Poor guy: he wasn’t expecting homework :)
I’m thoroughly enjoying my work with Mark, all jokes aside. He’s a humble and hard-working guy who’s determined to make the most of the process, and has already rewritten one story under my bumbling tutelage. It’s both refreshing and energising to be working so closely with someone who just wants to be involved, and writing, and whose only goals are to become a better writer and sell his stories. It throws my own decisions of the recent past into clearer focus, and makes me pleased about the path I’ve chosen— to cofine myself to work for work’s sake, and turn my back on the off-putting and damaging distractions. Mark’s a good guy, fun to work with, and I’m going to be taking credit for every success he ever has from now on…
I’ve a collection of half a dozen stories that I’ve managed to line edit over the last month, and I’m looking forward to getting through them and putting them out into the world. I set myself a target of 12 new sub missions this year, and if I can finish these in reasonable time, it’ll take my tally for the year to 15, so I’ll be a happy writer-boy at that point. Having received 4 rejections in a single day this week (owowowowowowowowwwwwwww) it's fair to day that I'm definitely back in the harness as far as being a prolific writerboy goes.
And I’m pleased to report that, amongst all that lot, I’ve laid down the first words of a new novel, The Death of Vaz Tey. I’ll be discussing it more as the writing continues, but so far, I’ve discovered that it concerns the world’s oldest immortal man, the plot to kill him, and a secret buried on the Mongolian Steppes. I’m letting this one flow organically, rather than trying to plot out every step of the story, so it’ll be a journey of discovery for me as much as it is for the characters involved. It’s much more fun that way.
Fresh words have been a bit thin on the ground in recent days. I’ve been caught up in rewrites and business matters with Big Finish for Destination Prague, and in the last couple of weeks, have been happily engaged in the first round of flogging poor old Mark “What the hell have I gotten myself into?” Smith as we embark on our AHWA mentorship together. Poor guy: he wasn’t expecting homework :)
I’m thoroughly enjoying my work with Mark, all jokes aside. He’s a humble and hard-working guy who’s determined to make the most of the process, and has already rewritten one story under my bumbling tutelage. It’s both refreshing and energising to be working so closely with someone who just wants to be involved, and writing, and whose only goals are to become a better writer and sell his stories. It throws my own decisions of the recent past into clearer focus, and makes me pleased about the path I’ve chosen— to cofine myself to work for work’s sake, and turn my back on the off-putting and damaging distractions. Mark’s a good guy, fun to work with, and I’m going to be taking credit for every success he ever has from now on…
I’ve a collection of half a dozen stories that I’ve managed to line edit over the last month, and I’m looking forward to getting through them and putting them out into the world. I set myself a target of 12 new sub missions this year, and if I can finish these in reasonable time, it’ll take my tally for the year to 15, so I’ll be a happy writer-boy at that point. Having received 4 rejections in a single day this week (owowowowowowowowwwwwwww) it's fair to day that I'm definitely back in the harness as far as being a prolific writerboy goes.
And I’m pleased to report that, amongst all that lot, I’ve laid down the first words of a new novel, The Death of Vaz Tey. I’ll be discussing it more as the writing continues, but so far, I’ve discovered that it concerns the world’s oldest immortal man, the plot to kill him, and a secret buried on the Mongolian Steppes. I’m letting this one flow organically, rather than trying to plot out every step of the story, so it’ll be a journey of discovery for me as much as it is for the characters involved. It’s much more fun that way.
WEIGHT UPDATE
After some big losses over previous months, my weight has plateaued recently. Try as I might, I’m stuck between 93 and 95 kilograms, and I’m finding it impossible to break that barrier and push towards my get-me-a-new-wardrobe weight of 90kg.
It’s prompted me to examine the way I’m fitting weight-loss into my day, and to see what changes I can make to help me drop these recalcitrant kilos.
The first thing that has become apparent is how difficult it has been to maintain my program of not eating carbs after 4pm. To this end, Lyn and I are keeping much closer track of what we eat, and when: our eating habits become lax quite easily, as we’re both snackers by nature, and love our pasta, our rice, our bread (and, let’s be honest, our sweeties, our chocolate, our Chinese takeaway). I’m also making a concerted attempt to eat six smaller meals a day rather than three big ones, and to control the type of food I eat at particular times.
I’ve also noticed that much of my incidental exercise has dropped off since I’ve started attending the gym. I’ve fallen back into using the lifts at work instead of the stairs, and am catching the bus right to my destination, instead of getting off a stop away as before, or walking home from the train station, as I did on a number of occasions. With the wet weather has come a reduction in my gardening time, too, which has meant less digging, less chopping with the axe, less carting about of paving slabs and broken tree trunks. So it’s back to the stairs, and a concentration upon finding exercises I can do at home and in the in-between times.
And whilst I’m hitting the gym three times a week, and usually working at a pretty high intensity, I’m prone to muscle strains and pulls. Part of that, of course, is down to years of inactivity. But it results in a loss of intensity, and a willingness to give in perhaps a little too easily when the ‘wall’ approaches. From this week, I’ll be gymming it up an extra day per week, 4 visits instead of 3, and setting myself a higher calorie-loss total per visit, concentrating on a rotation of exercises to maintain my interest and provide a balance between strength, toning, endurance and ‘burst’ exercising.
I’ve also recognised the need for regular intervention. The Biggest Loser was great for that: a nightly example of other overweight people working hard and seeing the benefits. Now that it’s over, I’ve been on the lookout for some sort of replacement. Lyn bought me a copy of Men’s Health magazine a month ago, and I picked up this month’s issue during the week. With recipes, exercises, and factoids dotted in amongst the adverts for deodorant and hair products, there are a welter of inspirational moments for me to draw upon as I progress.
The goal is this: my birthday falls on the second day of the Night’s Edge SF convention here in Perth. The night of the 10th, I’ll be throwing a birthday party in our room. Some time during that party, I’ll be pulling out the scales and weighing myself.
I will be down to 85 kilograms by that moment.
After some big losses over previous months, my weight has plateaued recently. Try as I might, I’m stuck between 93 and 95 kilograms, and I’m finding it impossible to break that barrier and push towards my get-me-a-new-wardrobe weight of 90kg.
It’s prompted me to examine the way I’m fitting weight-loss into my day, and to see what changes I can make to help me drop these recalcitrant kilos.
The first thing that has become apparent is how difficult it has been to maintain my program of not eating carbs after 4pm. To this end, Lyn and I are keeping much closer track of what we eat, and when: our eating habits become lax quite easily, as we’re both snackers by nature, and love our pasta, our rice, our bread (and, let’s be honest, our sweeties, our chocolate, our Chinese takeaway). I’m also making a concerted attempt to eat six smaller meals a day rather than three big ones, and to control the type of food I eat at particular times.
I’ve also noticed that much of my incidental exercise has dropped off since I’ve started attending the gym. I’ve fallen back into using the lifts at work instead of the stairs, and am catching the bus right to my destination, instead of getting off a stop away as before, or walking home from the train station, as I did on a number of occasions. With the wet weather has come a reduction in my gardening time, too, which has meant less digging, less chopping with the axe, less carting about of paving slabs and broken tree trunks. So it’s back to the stairs, and a concentration upon finding exercises I can do at home and in the in-between times.
And whilst I’m hitting the gym three times a week, and usually working at a pretty high intensity, I’m prone to muscle strains and pulls. Part of that, of course, is down to years of inactivity. But it results in a loss of intensity, and a willingness to give in perhaps a little too easily when the ‘wall’ approaches. From this week, I’ll be gymming it up an extra day per week, 4 visits instead of 3, and setting myself a higher calorie-loss total per visit, concentrating on a rotation of exercises to maintain my interest and provide a balance between strength, toning, endurance and ‘burst’ exercising.
I’ve also recognised the need for regular intervention. The Biggest Loser was great for that: a nightly example of other overweight people working hard and seeing the benefits. Now that it’s over, I’ve been on the lookout for some sort of replacement. Lyn bought me a copy of Men’s Health magazine a month ago, and I picked up this month’s issue during the week. With recipes, exercises, and factoids dotted in amongst the adverts for deodorant and hair products, there are a welter of inspirational moments for me to draw upon as I progress.
The goal is this: my birthday falls on the second day of the Night’s Edge SF convention here in Perth. The night of the 10th, I’ll be throwing a birthday party in our room. Some time during that party, I’ll be pulling out the scales and weighing myself.
I will be down to 85 kilograms by that moment.
WHEN WIVES ATTACK….
All I want is a Whopper, a block of chocolate, a bottle of wine, and an Uzi.
She got the Whopper, the chocolate, and the wine :)
PICTURE A MAN LAUGHING HIS ASS OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET
There are times when my bonus-Son absolutely floors us with the quickness of his humour. Last week, we were walking through West Perth when Aiden casually pointed at a wheelie bin sitting outside a restaurant and remarked, “Wow. Exclusive restaurant or what?”
It took me a moment to work out, but when I did, I was in tears:
Do you 'ave a reservation?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
FEEL THE BOOKLUST
Oh, you want it, baby, you know you do. Lyn's in it, baby, oh yeah, uh huh, that's right. Oh, you want it now, baby. You want it so baadddd.......
(Ahem). You should probably contact Agog and order a copy, or go to Convergence and attend the launch.....
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
AHWA THE LAD!
Much excitement in this corner of the Battland at the news that Mark Smith has chosen to spend the next 3 months under my tender tutelage as part of the Australian Horror Writer's Association Mentorship scheme. From now until the end of August we’ll be working together to improve Mark’s writing, deepen his knowledge of the industry, and bring him up to date on all the decent gossip about who’s sleeping with whom, what it cost them, and how much ointment they have to buy as a result.
I’ll be reading a selection of Mark’s work, commenting upon it, and clueing him into the way I write and edit; as well as answering any questions he may have regarding the stories, the marketplace, or writing in general; I'll also be on hand to provide advice and guidance and just generally being up at all hours of the day and night to respond to his bidding. I don’t do windows…
Mark’s crossed my path on a couple of occasions previously, including a review of Through Soft Air which he penned for the Australian Horror site Horrorscope, so I’m really looking forward to working closely with him and seeing where the next 13 weeks takes us. It should be a heck of a lot of fun. AHWA severed-head honcho Marty Young tells me that the association is keen to run the Mentorship scheme as an annual benefit for members, so if you haven’t considered joining, you can add it to your list of reasons to shell out the 25 clams and join up. (I am not a number, I am a free… oh, no, wait, here I am, member number 30)
A THING OF BEAUTY
Non-sleeping readers will remember that, recently, I promised a decko at Adam Duncan’s illustration for Father Muerte & The Joy of Warfare, my story in Aurealis Issue 37, out now buybuybuybuybuy, proclaiming it as a thing of great beauty and wondrousness.
Thanks to the fab and groovy Adam Browne, I was able to get in touch with Adam D, and thanks to his generosity and all round nice-guyness, I’m able to reproduce the illustration here for your viewing happiness.
Much excitement in this corner of the Battland at the news that Mark Smith has chosen to spend the next 3 months under my tender tutelage as part of the Australian Horror Writer's Association Mentorship scheme. From now until the end of August we’ll be working together to improve Mark’s writing, deepen his knowledge of the industry, and bring him up to date on all the decent gossip about who’s sleeping with whom, what it cost them, and how much ointment they have to buy as a result.
I’ll be reading a selection of Mark’s work, commenting upon it, and clueing him into the way I write and edit; as well as answering any questions he may have regarding the stories, the marketplace, or writing in general; I'll also be on hand to provide advice and guidance and just generally being up at all hours of the day and night to respond to his bidding. I don’t do windows…
Mark’s crossed my path on a couple of occasions previously, including a review of Through Soft Air which he penned for the Australian Horror site Horrorscope, so I’m really looking forward to working closely with him and seeing where the next 13 weeks takes us. It should be a heck of a lot of fun. AHWA severed-head honcho Marty Young tells me that the association is keen to run the Mentorship scheme as an annual benefit for members, so if you haven’t considered joining, you can add it to your list of reasons to shell out the 25 clams and join up. (I am not a number, I am a free… oh, no, wait, here I am, member number 30)
A THING OF BEAUTY
Non-sleeping readers will remember that, recently, I promised a decko at Adam Duncan’s illustration for Father Muerte & The Joy of Warfare, my story in Aurealis Issue 37, out now buybuybuybuybuy, proclaiming it as a thing of great beauty and wondrousness.
Thanks to the fab and groovy Adam Browne, I was able to get in touch with Adam D, and thanks to his generosity and all round nice-guyness, I’m able to reproduce the illustration here for your viewing happiness.
As far as I’m concerned, this is how a story illustration should be: Adam's image defines so many of the central ideas with the tale, and yet does so without giving anything away. It’s beautiful to look at, and once you’ve read the story, you can revisit it and gain a whole new level of resonance. I’m utterly taken with it, and can't wait to see more of Adam's work.
I’ve not found a website for Adam, but I have his name permanent-markered onto my mental drywall for use when I next have a chance to recommend an illustrator.
NEW PAGES
Skip on over to The Batthome. We've done the place up a bit, and added a new wing or two, includign a few snippets of upcomign work for your reading pleasure. I'll be adding more bits and bobs in the coming weeks, and I'll let you know when they arrive.
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