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The Writing Front: Working on a Story Bible
I started work on a story bible for The Limb Knitter universe today. I suspect this is not the first time I’ve started on one but maybe this rearranging of the deck chairs will help on the writing front. Right now I am writing out the definitions and info for terms such as, what do you know, the Limb Knitter. As such, there are things in the story bible that have not hit the public and so I can’t share it.
Sort of like writing a story.
There is this one character who keeps coming back to me, a bitter sort of Christ figure (hmm, I sense a theme) and I suspect I probably need to tell his story first.
Maybe.
The Teaching Front
We’re still waiting to learn exactly what we’ll get for the Fall. That is fair since the cut session is floating around out there as well as late enrollments. I could get three to four courses if luck holds out, probably American History again. Preferably they’d all be American History II as, to be honest, I really do not enjoy American History I all that much. Oh, I can teach it and the lectures do need work, but I’d rather cover the second half.
If I could get the Civil War included in AH-II, I’d be a happy man but it wouldn’t work out. You have to lay the groundwork for the war which can take weeks.
I did mention to The Boss that I’d very much like to teach Western Civilization I. A senior adjunct peer has most of the availables sewn up (this is partly because I fucked up back in 2007 and passed an opportunity when it was available). Still, I’d like to spend a semester working my way from the dawn of Western Civilization through the Greeks and the Romans. I suspect I would not spend as much time on Egypt as some people would like (that would not make Trinity happy) but I’d enjoy myself.
Hell, it is what I trained for in the first place. And I’d like to get the experience.
Anyway, we should know in a few weeks.
Fitness Front
I’ve been to the gym three times in the last four days. My weight has dropped down to 195 pounds, which is a good thing if you ask me. I need to get back to the cardio (always with the cardio) but I never do it. How am I going to get a ripped body if I won’t do the cardio?
I’m getting older and the body is changing again so I suspect I need to do some research on workouts for forty year old men. Since I am signed up for body building this Fall, I should be able to try some of those new workout tips on for size and see what kind of luck I have.
I’d like to look better at forty than I did at twenty, which shouldn’t take too much effort given what I looked like at that age.
Student Front
Speaking of Fall classes, I have signed up for three hours of PT classes, Body Building, Fencing and Karate. Why not get credit for time I spend in the gym anyway?
The Fencing might run over a possible teaching opportunity so I may have to replace it with something. We’ll see how that goes.
Finally, I’m signed up for Terri’s Online Creative Writing course. This will be a first and all of these courses should free me from being present in a classroom. Terri’s class, hopefully, will spur me to get some writing done.
Other Fronts
Not much else to report. Made blueberry pancakes for the Woman I Love this morning. She dragged me out of bed at Oh My God Thirty to do it (somedays, God help me, she is a morning person and I, my friends, am NEVER a morning person).
So it goes.
Political
Oh, by the way. What’s this shit about making it mandatory for everyone to buy health insurance? I thought that (numerous expletives considered and deleted out of fear of losing the teaching job) of ours said he wasn’t in favor of that during the primaries but now his party is going to cornhole me with another fucking bill I can’t afford to pay.
To the folks on the Blue Team, quit trying to help me out. You want to help? Throw $65K at my student loans. Get the VA fixed so it isn’t a festering cesspool full of morons. But chucking another god damned fucking bill onto my plate IS NOT HELP!
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
The Teaching Front
We covered FDR’s New Deal today and moved toward the Rise of Japan, which is one of my favorite lectures to give. FDR is not my favorite topic to cover but I got through it, dragging the students along.
In my 1300 hours class we will be moving into Carnegie and Capitalism. Which is another one of my favorite lectures. Both the Rise of Japan and Carnegie were lectures I received high marks on for my evals. They’ve been modified to a certain degree since I first gave them but I feel like they are the gold standard for how all of my lectures should look.
So it goes on that front.
Fencing Front
Fencing without glasses, which I tried last time, has one serious drawback.
I can’t judge the range to my opponent well enough to strike them reliably. Also, I am beating their steel more in an effort to find it than to execute an attack strategy. So after my first match I put the glasses back on.
I lost both matches last night but they felt smoother, cleaner. Attacks went as planned more often than not. I used economy of force as opposed to simply poking and hacking away. Finally, I used counter parries to greater effect with some counterattacks coming off as planned.
I need to spend more time on this.
Research Project Number – 04
Two chapters in the hopper, both have been read once. I’ve got some detail work to hash out for both of them. I also have research to work up for two other chapters, about 6,000 words I suspect, on a specific setting for the project.
Yesterday I worked on the scene research. I needed the following ingredients:
-1 hospital (got it)
-1 meeting place (got it)
-1 airport (got it)
-railroad network (got that)
-housing (got it)
-1 set of floor plans (got that)
So it goes.
Getting Away for the Weekend
Trinity had shoulder surgery last week. Her former employer finally did the right thing (after the court system made them do the right thing) and got her shoulder fixed. She’s got some battle scars as a result and is dealing with pain and pain meds. The first batch of meds was . . . well, not effective. It’d make for a great scene out of He Died with a Felafel in his Hand. So we got new meds for her.
Hopefully we’ll see Trinity blogging more and visiting Cheeseburger Gothic (hopefully, I prod but Trinity doesn’t care for that).
In any case, we’ll be escaping to our undisclosed bed and breakfast for a weekend away from it all. We both need it and I suspect that once the semester ends, we’ll both be busy working summer jobs.
So this might be the last downtime we get.
On we go.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
Aboard the Battlestar Steven Francis Murphy BSG-71
Location: In the Field
Mission: The Usual
Mood: Frazzled and Irritable
Ever wonder what happened to your spare time? I wonder what happened to mine. There are days when I feel like I do not get any spare time at all. Zip, zilch, zero. None.
Sometimes you just need some space to breathe.
Or more to the point, sometimes you wish you could be someone else for a few days. Or maybe that person you used to be that had a lot of time to themselves without any demands from anyone at all.
If wishes were fishes.
Vehicles
For example, my parents are hot on my fucking ass about getting a vehicle inspected which will, in turn, be transferred over to me. Lock, stock and barrel. We’ve done this sort of thing before and it always ends badly.
By badly I mean that the vehicle almost ALWAYS has some sort of problem. My parents would argue otherwise but regardless the end result is a catastrophic mechanical failure which costs me time, money and endless aggravation to clear. I have an itching feeling this is about to happen again.
Yet my balls are in a vise because I’m still stuck where I was in 1995.
Car?
Or
Rent?
I do not make enough to cover both.
So I miss out on an opportunity to subistitute (a hundred bucks for an hour of work) in order to get this fucking car inspected for the big transfer which CAN NOT WAIT at least ONE GOD DAMNED FUCKING MONTH.
Can’t wait. MUST BE DONE RIGHT FUCKING NOW!
So, that is one thing that has me pissed completely the fuck off.
The Teaching Front
We moved to the end of the World War One in my 0800 American History II class. I have a test that needs to be prepped but I have to pull it out of my ass tomorrow before 1400 hours because the FUCKING CAR HAS TO BE INSPECTED RIGHT FUCKING NOW!
So there is four hours of my life shot down the fucking toilet again. After I shot another six down the shitter last week waiting on another place to pull their head out of their ass and get to it.
Can you tell that I am not happy about this car deal?
In any case, the test has to be prepped and to the copy center by Thursday or I’ll be hard pressed to run the test on Friday. Not that anyone gives a fuck about that.
In the Noon Substitute class we finished the French Indian war and are moving toward the Pre-Revolutionary Period. The upshot about this work is that it means my May Paycheck will be substantial.
The irritating part about that May Paycheck is that if only we were willing to wait ONE FUCKING GOD DAMNED MONTH I’d be able to get all of this crap with the FUCKING CAR under control. But my schedule be fucking damned because it has to be done RIGHT FUCKING NOW!
In the second eight week class we started American Reconstruction. They are suffering as much with that material as I am with this car so it is safe to say that while misery may love company, I do not feel any better knowing they are miserable along side me.
So it goes on that front.
The Writing Front: Rogue Knitter
There is no progress because I have all of this other stuff to do including the car which has to be dealt with RIGHT FUCKING NOW!
See a pattern? Historians are trained to see patterns. I see a god damned fucking pattern.
Research Project Number – 04
No progress here. See above. The same chapter is still sitting in my hopper and I can’t fucking get to it due to the car, people talking to me, people in my shit, people chewing up gobs of time, etc, etc, etc.
Work? Why should I do any god damned fucking work? Heaven forbid that I concentrate on the two fucking things that might move me into the fucking future. I’m tied down with all of this other crap that can’t wait and it has to be done RIGHT FUCKING NOW!
So, tell us how you really feel?
Like I can’t get a damned thing done. I guess I’m supposed to quit teaching and writing, shove my dreams up my ass and spend my time working at what my father calls “A real job” (like the one I have isn’t fucking real enough).
For the record, we would not be on this side trip off of the original course of my life if my father had been just a little bit more fucking supportive when I started college. I’d have my commission as an officer in the Army, be a Major right about now and well on my way toward a tolerable retirement.
And for the record, I’m getting tired of the following things.
1. Being told I’m an idiot with the money. If you hold this opinion, kindly shove it up your ass.
2. Being told I’m hard on the vehicles. The vehicles tend to be shit to start with. See point one.
3. Being told I’m selfish and self centered. Umm, I do have obligations that stretch beyond the fucking car that has to be inspected RIGHT FUCKING NOW and other issues.
4. Being called an Idiot in general (even if it is a joke, the joke is wearing mighty god damned thin).
5. General efforts to reduce my autonomy. If I want a loss of autonomy, I’ll join the Army (and yes, I can get around the medical issues so do not think for a fucking instant that I can’t).
The Fencing Front
Something good to report. I tried some advice, fencing without my glasses on. It seems like odd advice but most of my fights were without glasses and I won most of them. In my two bouts I won one with cleaner hits and no off target strikes. In my second bout I narrowly lost to my opponent (4/5) but I still did better than previously.
Good news on this front.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
Maybe something else someday if I can get some fucking time to work on it.
The Teaching Front
Today we covered the Philippine Insurrection and two pieces of literature from the time period. Most students have never heard of the Philippine Insurrection (our Nam before the Nam as I call it) nor do they know about the Anti-Imperialist argument against our involvement there. I spent time on that, telling them that the Philippines were not protected by the Teller Amendment (which prevented us from doing the same thing to Cuba) and we discussed the argument that the Philippines were not ready for self government.
Which, to my ears, sounds very much like the debate about whether or not you could get a Federal Republic established in Iraq. “They simply do not have the cultural experience,” and blah, blah, blah.
According to the research I did for my notes nearly two years ago, over 200,000 civilians were killed between 1898 and 1913. We lost 5,000 troops killed in action (that is more, at present, than we have lost in Iraq and Afghanistan) and far more than the 379 lost in combat during the Spanish American War. Granted, we lost 5,400 during the war but most of those were disease and medical mistreatment.
Finally, we discussed two pieces of literature. The first was Rudyard Kipling’s The White Man’s Burden, which is basically an open letter to the United States saying, “Welcome to the Imperialist Club.” Kipling is not often discussed these days because he is politically incorrect, fairly racist in his attitudes (racist insofar as we in the 21st Century judge him, no doubt in the 22nd Century we will be seen as just as racist in our own way) but I wanted to illustrate the Imperialist argument as it manifested itself in literature.
The second was a YouTube presentation of Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemens) The War Prayer, which presents the Anti Imperialist side. Now personally, I have very little use for Twain, as a writer or as a political commentator. I also find him to be a chicken shit of the first order. Two reasons for this, the first being that he ducked out of military service before the Civil War truly got started. The second pertains to this very story.
The War Prayer was not published until long after Twain’s death. He was told by his publishers that he was committing career suicide by trying to get this story published. Twain, preferring the comfort of his pocket book, trunked the story.
That I disagree with some of what Twain says in the story is not the main reason I have a problem with the man. The main reason is that he took the easy way, the comfortable way, he slipped away from the Fight just as surely as he did in Missouri back in 1861. If he had the depth of his convictions, he would have said, “Damn the Torpedoes.”
That said, I thought I’d share The War Prayer to you, the Readers of the Pondering Tree. It comes in two parts.
It was animated in 2007 if memory serves correctly, mainly for use as an Anti-Iraq War protest tool. In any event, it allows me to convey the Anti-Imperialist message with far more conviction than I could personally do on my own. I let Twain have his soapbox, even if I find his own conduct as a writer to be rather pathetic.
Photography
Some random shots, some of which will serve as new entry icons.
Yours truly playing a Fencer.
Some personal research shots in New York City.
For those looking for more after action briefs, I’ll try to get to those soon. I’ve been a bit busy with teaching, lecture prep and trying to work the tire off of my body.
Later.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
The Fencing Front
Back after two weeks, I got a private lesson with the Coach last night on feint deceive and thrust. The drill went better than normal though I missed on one thrust and got the Coach’s arm instead. I’ll buy him a beer on payday for the muff up.
Two bouts last night, one win, one loss, though that was not what I was focusing on. I am trying to use my time on the strip to be productive, to implement what I’ve been taught during the lessons and drills. I didn’t have much luck pulling off the feint deceive because I’m leery of getting too close to my opponent. My range estimation is off and part of that, I think, is due to some eye troubles I’m having. I’m overdue for a visit to the eye doc anyway so maybe I’ll get that fixed after pay day.
I’m definitely out of shape. I had to work pretty hard last night.
The Teaching Front
Finished the Spanish-American War today and we’re moving toward Imperialism in the Philippines. We’ll discuss Mark Twain’s The War Prayer and Kipling’s The White Man’s Burden in class. At our present rate of speed, we should arrive at our second exam on the Friday before spring break.
I’ve got to finish grading eight week exams here in a bit. Results there are less than admirable. We’re moving forward into the Washington Administration in a bit.
Other Fronts
There isn’t much to report really. I’ve got to block off some time to look over some research material for the Client and get to the gym.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
Those that done said stuff