note:

I just bought a book about the history of Cod. Awesome :D

Afternoon thoughts while doing homework.

Here I am excitedly waiting for Sumo wrestling to come on TV while I study about the facts of volcanic activity in the Earth and read intermittently. I got Nicholson Baker's "The Mezzanine" in the mail the other day. So far... it is... so micro aware... that I love it and hate it... etc.

I've also got a Gary Lutz book to read, though... who knows when I'll get to that. Eh.

I was in the yard doing some work earlier and there was a black snake cruising around the yard. The cats, from the screened-in porch, were fascinated. I wouldn't give the snake long against them... they're merciless playmates.

Well, alright, in the course of pecking away at this uninteresting blog entry, the Sumo has ended and Netherlands v. Russia is on the Tele... this has the makings of a great game. Better go watch.

Writers.

As I've met numbers of writers, I've been consistently interested in examining their individual points of views on writing, the ideas they have settled on to explain their process.

Frequently, these things are formulated as little mantras or memorable quotes, and... well, normally that stuff is pure cheddar, but in this case I think it's helpful for remembering principals important to the process of creating compelling fiction.

There is a science, in other words, to crafting stories, and... maybe the majorly interesting factor is the creative variables applied to the recycled topics we all tackle.

Lost for classic topics upon which I wanted to place my own observations, lately I've been tackling... not "current" topics, because those are loaded topics, always... but stories that deal with "familiar" people, modern thought processes, whatever term you want to use to describe them.

Everyone has a process, of course... and we're all speaking something like the same universal language... and each process ends up with the same style product........ but its those little nuances, little nodes, etc., that bring out the real "process brilliance."

In other news, Lesley wants to go to Switzerland once I finish at my current school, which just so happens to coincide with her birthday. Yeeeeee. That's a lot of money, but I would love to experience a country I've never been to... I always do.

Movies.

I just saw "Control," a film about Joy Division. It was fantastic. The story about Ian Curtis is by no means a happy one..... but the telling was excellent.

I highly recommend seeing it (it just came out on DVD, though I saw it in the local "art theatre").

Just to quickly relay a situation, though, we found ourselves in the theatre with some pretty rude folks. About... oh, say, 5/8ths (specific!) of the way through the film, a girl in the back started laughing. She didn't stop, both laughing and talking, for the rest of the film, giggling in outbursts as Ian Curtis' life was descending into chaos. I actually got up and walked back to ask them to stop being rude, but when I approached their table the guy sitting with the girl pulled her up against him as though I was coming to attack them or something, so I turned around and returned to my seat.

The Enzian is a dinner theater, so a certain amount of "conversation" is expected, but a larger amount of respect is sort of... expected, ya know? It isn't a dollar theater, they aren't showing "Baby Mama" that you are totally cool to talk through, and you expect people to talk through it as it speaks to the sort of people who know they are much more important than everyone else, and their giggling emotional conversation is necessary to have right then, in the theater, everyone else be damned.

I guess it is sort of elitist to think that there are certain places that the rude, inconsiderate and, well, ignorant don't go. Maybe it is just naive. I think definitely, though, that those that actually pay attention at the movie theater, in the classroom, in events where focus is directed on one task, those that can let the attention float away from us for a while, need to stand up for quiet.

So, people in the theater tonight - I'm sorry I didn't stand up and tell you to shut the hell up. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that you were being rude. I did you a disservice because I don't think you realized you were being obnoxious, I don't think you could comprehend that someone would actually want to be quiet for 90 minutes straight without even having a loud, giggling conversation. Next time I'll let you know - for your sake and mine.

I wish I didn't get this pissed off about stuff like this. I'm probably overreacting, but dammit, I wanted to pay attention to the movie!

Is that a fact?

Does a book really need to tell the story of a change coming about in a character?

I mean, really.......

Moderate to midrange.

Hello.

This evening I helped Lesley sneak a camera into Hard Rock Live and the Kids in the Hall live performance we were attending, this against the wishes of the establishment who instructed her that she was not allowed in the venue with a camera in her purse and would need to dispose of it or check it for $3.00. It wasn't to take pictures, this little fisheye camera with no film, more like an purse-normal oversight. So, I went in, walked down a partition, had her slip the camera over the wall into my jacket hood, and back in. As I walked by the security guard, he asked me to empty my pockets (again), and checked my jacket pockets. Not the hood.

I feel a little guilty, but they were being unreasonable. The camera didn't even have film in it. Ridiculous.

Last night I attended a reading at Infusion Tea in College park. Reading were the writers Lisa Pasold, Dottie Horn, and Illyse Kusnetz (a poet, professor, and friend).

I read, later, as part of the "open mic" section. People liked my stuff, I think. The organizer asked me to come back as a featured writer on June 4th, and I said yes, of course. I'll have 25 minutes to read my work in (as opposed to the 5 allotted for the open-mic readers).

Hopefully people can come out, though recently I have sensed a bit that my "writing" has worn a little on my friends. It is difficult to face that fact, but some folks just can't be supportive. Perhaps it isn't in their nature, and I'm okay with that because I have to be because that's just how it works.

Lesley's and my anniversary is coming up.

Congrats Man Utd on the double - prem and champions league - hell of a game!

merry mum's day

today is a fine day to thank your mom for giving birth to you. You were an awful rotten brat, after all. Call her now.

We went to an awful tourist trap called Dinosaur World. It featured giant dinosaur sculptures of questionable accuracy. It also featured a small staff that didn't pay attention to the visitors enough to notice that we were crossing the ropes and taking pictures with the dinosaurs (notably, me punching one). Maybe I'll post pictures later. It was silly, certainly. We also had dinner at Columbia restaurant in Ybor, this all for Lesley's birthday.

Tampa reminds me so much of a transplanted northern town. I fully expect to see highway signs directing me to Indianapolis, IN or Erie, PA instead of Ocala and Orlando and Miami. Why do I get this feeling? Maybe because of the way the highway is designed.

School is very taxing this semester and is causing me to evaluate how my time is being spent. I'd love to go to school full time and devote all of my efforts to learning. Just think what i could accomplish with that much time... Like two more things a day. Hehe.

Congratulations Manchester United, prem champs 07/08.

Teacher.

Today I have encountered the following awesomethings (yes, that's a word - I just made it up):

1.) Student's voting for the best student project - one student drew a... "John Thomas" and "Balls" as their score. I made an announcement that whoever drew the dick had clearly voted for their opinion not mattering, and the class thanks them for it.

2.) Student sent an email from an ambiguous AOL account asking "hey can you give me my grade? Thx" - no name, no id, no information about who they are. I noted that, yes, I could give them their grade... if I had any flippin' clue who they were. They could, perhaps, be a 70 year old woman in Miami who is very confused. They could be a Martian spy. They could be a student from my class. Also, they spelled "Wedding" wrong - "weding" - nice! I hope they manage to pop out a kid soon so their kid can be awesome, too.

3.) A student that just HAS to get a B in the class to be able to move on to the next degree program (by maintaining a decent GPA). As usual, I have to calculate his grade to 8 decimal places and determine what exactly he needs, and if he fails to achieve I get to be the one to be begged for makeup work (not 8 classes before me that he got D's and F's in, no, he begs for points from the teacher of the class he got a high C in simply because it's the last one!), and if he succeeds, I will never hear from him again because I'm like toilet paper that way. No thanks, just flush.

So, yes, as you can clearly see, I'm very satisfied with being a teacher at this particular institution at this particular moment. Go me.

Put a ribbon on it.

Spring Semester 08: Complete.

No, I'm not joylessly running through semester after semester, I'm getting down and doing my best to enjoy every moment, every class, every benefit each of them provides for me. Bingo. Anyway, no time to celebrate (much, I did go out for ice cream today, and as if in some sort of cosmically appropriate way, I did not experience any unruly stomach issues), since the summer semester begins in a matter of 5 days from now.

I've got some cool opportunities coming up. As with many of my opportunities, they won't be mentioned in detail as the physical manifestation of said opportunities is limited and they carry, by their very nature, no guarantees. If I tend them and they bear fruit, my dear blog, don't you know that you'll hear about them? Of course you do.

Memory: I was thinking about the last car accident I saw. The front of a VW Bug had propped up the end of a pick up truck. There were no injuries. The pickup was later found to be pregnant.

Blog!

Look at me, I'm blogging!

Hi folks, it has been a month and it is time for me to compulsorily (is that a word?) update my life-happenings.

As of this moment I'm on what I hope is the tail end of a ridiculous bout of Bronchitis. Simultaneously, this conniving little bastard of a bug has conspired with my spring-time allergies to create an impenetrable mess of my immune system that involves stuffiness, coughing, headaches, stiffness and a fluctuating temperature.

Am I writing despite all of this? Of course I am. What are you, crazy? Good stuff too, at least it seems good while I'm writing it and later when I read it to someone it sounds crazy and misguided and people look at me the way dogs look at someone who is playing a trombone.

"Hurrr?"

I also got into a nice camera for my weekly adventures and the documentation of said adventures and have been using it liberally. I'll throw a few shots in at the bottom from my Anthropology class that I am currently enrolled in.

Now, if I may muse, I've been thinking a lot recently about hobbies, specifically my own personal tendency to pick up and drop hobbies as though "having hobbies" was my hobby. Maybe the things other folks call hobbies, or devote hobbyist interest to just become assimilated into my world view so that I need no longer spend energy on their pursuit but simply enjoy the collection. Pens, for instance. I haven't bought a new Fountain Pen in months. That's fine, of course, I have TOO MANY as it is. Do I still use them? Of course I do, they're everywhere. Do I still nerd out on forums about them? Not really, simply because the need for more information about pens is no longer there for me. I have the ones I want, I'm content to simply use them and resupply when necessary. Isn't that how a hobby should be, after all? Shouldn't it have some end goal?

I often wonder if one can truly trust one's self, but the key to this riddle is likely to cultivate an understanding of the complex pathways that make up one's logical thought system. The fact is, tracing the reasoning behind every little thought or bias you have in your life is impossible, but understanding your general motivations out of the scope of your own knowledge is DEFINITELY possible. It just takes the time to get to know... you.

Wow, this post is sort of lackluster... lets see........

THE HAM SANDWICH IS THE SQUARE ROOT OF ALL THAT IS. THE FRUIT NEEDS TO SHOW YOU LOVE BACK LIKE A TRUE CANADIAN HERO.

You're welcome.

Pictures.

Drink Until You See Betty:


Fantastic.

Fantastic!

A few things.

1.) Work continues. I'm writing chapter after chapter and I don't know if it is momentum or just inevitable brain-spill, but I've lost steam and picked it back up and THAT is the business.

2.) Fantastic article about the Kerouac Festival readings by fellow Orlando area writer Robyn Weinbaum - Check out the Blogged version over at her site! Thanks, Robyn, for the mention!

3.) Lunch from a can.

Mourning instant photography... sort of.

The announcement by Polaroid of a few days ago saying that they will no longer be manufacturing instant film, combined with their discontinuing their instant cameras has me just a bit upset.

I enjoy the instant photography experience and not just because I'm an impatient bastard. It has a look, I'm afraid, that cannot be replicated digitally.

Also, I can point to a Polaroid taken of me at age 0 - will kiddies of today be able to yank out the photo album and peruse their baby pics? Or, will those be lost on Ma's "old computer," the HD of which is fried.

To mourn, today, on the way to work, I purchased one of 3 remaining Polaroid One600's on the shelf in the back of the photo section of the drug store on the corner (I would say "dry goods mercantile" since I'm being nostalgic, except my drugstore now has a digital cappuccino station built into the end-cap of one of the aisles, so somehow I don't feel the term applies). Someone will undoubtedly pick up the slack (and lets not forget, Fuji has made in the past and still does make instant film that is compatible with modern Polaroid cameras), but I want to remember. I had an old SX70, man.

Here's Engadget's take on the situation.



one of my more recent Polaroid photos.

Reading

I've got a reading coming up on February 23rd.

It's part of the Kerouac Festival at Valencia East Campus, and I'm reading a few of my short stories sometime during the student block (the student block goes from 1-2pm). Also featured will be former Poet Laureate (2001-2003) Billy Collins, who, in addition to doing a reading of his own work, will be signing books. There will also be other local poets and writers displaying their own work from 2-3:30.

Here's the info about the event on Valencia's site.

Here's the info about Billy Collins part in the event on Orlando Weekly's site.

This is completely free and is open to the public, so please, anyone who can come, I could use the support.

Hello Blog.

I didn't post at all in December. Whoops! Time slipped away. Since then I've finished yet another semester at school, one in which I felt like I did some pretty good writing and revising. I'm sure that stuff will lead to either:

1.) Fresh stacks of Rejection Letters (I'm running low!)
2.) Otherwise

So that's exciting.

Done studying Jack Kerouac now. I liked focusing on his work, but I must admit, the proportion of my enjoyment in reading "Dharma Bums" was inverse to my "enjoyment" in reading "The Subterraneans." I guess I'm just not as advanced as ol' Jack, what with liking sentence structure, plot layout, character development that doesn't happen in bursts of forward/backward idea spurting... or something.

Conversely, the "vignette collection" style writing of Irvine Welsh in the novel "Trainspotting" was nifty, and I enjoyed reading the book as difficult as the vernacular was at the beginning of the process (you get used to it after a few chapters).

Right now I'm reading Tim Powers' "Anubis Gates" (for a class, actually), and enjoying it quite a bit. Also on the docket for study this semester:

William Gibson
Jack McDevitt
Vernor Vinge

Sort of a "science fiction literature" class. Enjoyable, for me anyway.

Nothing else new to report, really... have done a bunch of writing, but I've been "refueling" more and scribbling down ideas while I've been working on other junk. There are some good ones, thus far.

I probably am doing a reading of my stuff for a festival at my school (The Kerouac Festival, still celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of "On The Road"), also... though the details about that are forthcoming still. I'll post them when I have them.

A case of the busy

No lies. I've been busy. BUSY. Writing, working, schooling (in general) and playing video games, sometimes. A number of things have happened, recently.

I've been focusing a bunch on writing shorts and workshopping them and editing them and re-writing them, and re-re-re-writing them and editing them again. I feel like a lot of them have really improved, gotten into shape, as a result. I've been avoiding submitting anything for a while, too. I need to focus on where I'm sending things, probably. I have a few stories I've been crafting for a few certain opportunities, but I have an overall plan in the works. It will take time, but it always takes time, doesn't it...

In gadget related nonsense, Amazon.com released a neat ePaper reader device called the Kindle. It's cool, has wireless access to Amazon's electronic book catalogue and has a dictionary and ability to search text via a keypad... things the Sony Reader doesn't have. Also, a new version of the Sony eBook reader has been released with fancy anodized aluminum exteriour. Nice. I still like mine, but nice.

Pens? I purchased a Waterman Phileas, which I like very well. Its VERY smooth, and not terribly expensive... certainly a fantastic value, if one were to be interested in nice pens.

Thats all for now. Sorry for the extended silence.

Snarling cur!

What on earth have I been up to?

- Beer Drinking - Oktoberfest was last weekend was oom-pa-tastic
- Pen Shopping - Christmas is coming, I know what I'm buying people who I buy presents for... cheap Japanese Fountain Pens! The gift that keeps on giving.
- School - more classes than usual this semester... 3... which is a lot for full time work and school simultaneously.
- Reading - Books for school, mostly. Studying Kerouac for one class, reading Lydia Davis between other things because I find it is pleasant to read in chunks (and pleasant to read in general!)

I was turned on to Book Mooch recently (bookmooch.com), a site for trading books. It is free, and you have to offer up your unwanted books in order to be able to get things traded to you. You pay for shipping when sending something out to someone who requests one of your books (media mail, usually), but other people pay for shipping to send stuff to you when you request it, so it balances out. It is cheaper than buying the books new, or even in a second hand store. It is a nice system. I have gotten rid of a stack of books I didn't want, and scored a few books I did. What I like most about it, probably, is having a productive and interesting way to get rid of unwanted books (ya know, other than boxing them up to send to the thrift store where they will sit around unwanted for a long time). So far I've scored a Helliconia book by Brian Aldiss, some Whitman, a Larry Niven book, and a collection of poetry in Old English.

Writing, for the past month, has been mostly wrapped up in school, and doing re-writes on stuff that one of my professors has been looking at and giving me notes on. I'll be honest: I've gotten two more rejection letters since the beginning of September, but I'm working through the material either way because that is how you have to plug, plug, plug.

It has been torture seeing advertisements for "The Darjeeling Limited" on television and not having one of the limited-release theater locations anywhere within reasonable driving distance. I am very much looking forward to seeing that particular piece of cinema.

I realized, the other day, that I haven't done anything serious with music in a number of months. I wonder if I'm just too busy, or if it is more that nothing is occurring to me where musical ideas are concerned... as though I've simply run through my creativity tank at the end of the day. That is, indeed, something to ponder.

New Story added to site

Well, I promised I'd add it to my site in its entirety if it was rejected again, and I have -

http://jchristophersilvia.com/work.html

"Office Supplies" is up there, now under "Work and Publications." Have a look.

One more story out right now, which still has some life in it... if it isn't accepted by the folks who have it, I'm pretty sure I'll be sending it over to the place that rejected "Office Supplies," since they didn't seem to have any particular problem with my writing. The story just did not have enough support within their staff to make it in. Thus ends the cycle for one story. At least you still get to read it.

It follows the wonderful Eric McBean on his adventures in the future, where Karaoke is a federal offense.

Enjoy.

Curry?

Jump back into the flow - thats the best way to deal with rejection.

Yell "Oh yeah?" to no one in particular, while you slap down your next marvelous words. This shocks the hell outta your cats, trust me.

Just nailed a submission out to another lit mag, going to get another story prepped fo' subbing too (the accepted, wait, n/m rejected one, this time to a different mag).

It doesn't matter, I write this shit for my own entertainment, mostly, and to get it out of my head. They are my little worlds and they only come out of my head to make room for other little worlds that want a turn. I can enjoy them just fine up there, but they get into fights with newer ideas.

What can you do?

bollocks.

Remember what I said about not counting eggs?

Just got an omelet... no chickens to be found there, had to cut me from the issue. I continue, though.

I just got a new desk, after all... that, right there, is reason enough to write...


...isn't it?

A day in the life.

Though I refuse to be the type of person to count any sort of egg-laying fowl before they hatch, I am talking to the editor of a cool magazine/literary zine thingamajig regarding one of my pieces. Exciting. I'll post more info/links to where when I have more info, dates and that sort of stuff.

I had a busy day, yesterday.

Russian Grocery:
Ya know, I never did bother to learn any Polish words from my grandpa, and I suppose I still could ask my mom what she remembers (the basics I remember... basics being anything that sounds vaguely like English, hehe, like how "Thank you" is Dzãkujã, which sounds sort of like "Jane-koo-ya"). Anyway, my apparent inability regarding all things Slavic was obvious today at the local Russian grocery store as I attempted to buy: Pirogies and Pumpernickel bread. I asked if they ever had Russian tea cups (they have a TON of tea at this place, and Samovars all over the place). I attempted to say "Podstakannik," which resulted in the lady at the counter calling over the other lady, them having a spirited discussion in Russian (the speech bubbles for which would look like this - "русский язык!!!!") which concluded with, eventually, one of them making a hand gesture to the other that looked like a tea cup, sort of, and then looking back at me and saying, "No, we don't have those." I snatched my debit card from her hands and bolted out the door, yelling "My peeps invented vodkaaaaaa!" as I jumped in my car and drove away (sort of).

The art supplies store:
Pearl Art Supplies (the nearest art supplies store to me) is a heaping pile of horse crap. You walk through there, and pick something up (often off of the floor) and think to yourself "ah, yes, I shall buy this!" and then remember that, despite the fact that you picked it up from the carpet, possibly dislodged it from between two racks, it will still cost its full retail price. I described the Pen/Calligraphy/Airbrush section to Lesley as feeling "like it should be having a 50% off sale, but isn't." Despite all this, their disorganization and sloppitude has lead to an interesting conundrum, for me. In the course of plowing through their bizarre collection of pens, I found a number of unexpected bits: J. Herbin ink (nice French fountain pen ink that I like a lot), and a Rotring pen that was discontinued about 2.5 years ago but has since become a hot ticket item. It's still new in the box. They haven't discovered this, yet, and the guy at the counter got it out of the back for me. Its still at its normal price. Of course, while I was there I didn't realize any of this, so I didn't buy it. I was hoping that, since its obviously been there for a really long time (I'm estimating 5 years), one day wouldn't make a difference. Its got a black hexagonal barrel with a smooth finish (that warms to your touch), its made of heavy steel and most people say it can survive nuclear attacks and possibly be used as a weapon in an emergency. As for me, I would call it "beefy." I can tell you that for sure because today, I returned and purchased it and even got a 10% off discount.


The movie theater:
So we braved the theater for a little Simpsons movie action. I enjoyed the film, yes. What I enjoyed even more, though, was a couple that walked into the theater. Understand, Les and I were literally the first people in there. We sat down, we waited. Just before the film started, a couple walked in with a stroller. The child in the stroller was already agitated in just the entry into the theater, so, of course, we had high hopes for shrieking and perhaps some "MOMMMMMYYYYYY"'s throughout the film. The lady... well, I'll just come out and say it... she was obese and not in a pleasant, friendly "Jolly" Santa way, no sirree, she was unpleasant. I don't really normally hate on folks who have the extra weight, but when they plunk down into the chair and whip out:

A.) Double Cheese Burger
B.) Onion Rings (with Ranch Dressing for increased health!)
C.) 44oz Cola

Well, I gotta say, I have little sympathy. OH, and she was feeding strips of the burger to her infant, forgot about that part. Ha ha! How did she and her gentleman manage to smuggle these items in to the theater? Granted, I wont criticize theater food smugglers... I descend from a long line of folks unwilling to pay for Butter-Lung inducing pop-shards and wickedly price pointed fruccy goodness. Today, we smuggled in two Ito-en teas and a package of "Panda" Licorice bites. Mmm. Not theater snacks. Even better Mmmm.

Anyway, returning to the burger people, when we left the theater, I glanced down at the floor where they had been sitting and the only thing that was left to indicate their presence in this place was: A single scrap of Bacon.

I saluted it like I salute the flag and sang as I left the theater...
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

A Book:
I purchased a book about writing, the other day. Normally I don't do this sort of thing, but I've noticed that I have been having a bit of trouble with my SF/Fantasy style stuff lately, for whatever reason, so I thought a bit of sage advice could help. Orson Scott Card's book on the topic looked interesting. And, so far it has been. I like that his advice is bluntly practical. I have a hearty amount of respect for him.