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Trinity and I went on a tour of a Kansas City icon, Boulevard Brewing Company, this past Sunday. Sadly, neither of us remembered to take pictures. Fortunately the internet provides an alternative.
I’ll let the videos speak for themselves.
Free samples of their wares await you at the end of the tour. That said, it was a real thrill to take the tour and see how a brewery works.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
Once upon a time when I was still a grad student, I wrote for the campus paper, the University News. They weren’t all that thrilled to have me because I am . . . well, I’m an unrepentant combat veteran who doesn’t hold the right views on many things. On the other hand, they were willing to let me write food reviews for the paper.
It was a hell of a gig. Maybe I would take a friend along and we’d eat at places like Jalepeno’s down in Brookside or Chubby’s, write up a review for the paper and get reimbursed for the meal. In addition to reimbursement for the food, I’d get paid for the article. Thirty bucks per article wasn’t much but frankly, writing them was pretty easy. I crapped the articles out in less than ten minutes most of the time.
So it is no secret that Trinity and I like to eat out. Perhaps we like it a bit too much. With this weekend being the last before school starts, we decided to go to a few places and sample the wares.
The Westport Flea Market
I’ve been here twice now, once early in the summer on a Sunday when the rain prevented us from doing anything else. The other time was yesterday around two in the afternoon when Trinity’s friend and one of my former students arrived to see what was what.
We both ordered the Mini Market Burger, five ounces of burger while Rodney went with the 10 ounce version. Simple and as American as you can get. Rumored to be the best burger in Kansas City according to many, I thought my burger was pretty good.
Was it the best?
Well, it was pretty good. Best? I think the jury is still out. Winstead’s often serves up a pretty mean burger, one recommended by Calvin Trillin no less.
Service was first class though I had to haggle about the onion rings I was supposed to get. That said the kitchen staff took the initiative and made sure I had the onion rings. If you’ve got time they have a flea market next door but Trinity’s recon report was not promising.
“Nothing I want.”
Well, that is the danger you run with a flea market.
Afterwards we sat around nursing full tummies and adult beverages while shooting the breeze. It is the sort of thing places like Westport Flea Market were meant for.
The Original Arthur Bryant’s
I always wanted to eat there at the original location near the Historic 18th and Vine Jazz District. We were driving by around five or so arguing about whether or not we should eat there.
“We can get it to go,” Trinity said.
“But are you hungry?” I asked. I couldn’t make up my mind, which isn’t a typical state for me. Usually I make a decision and that is it. Eventually I did meander my way to deciding that we could indeed get something to go.
While I like Gates BBQ I have to admit that the “HI, MAY I HELP YOU!?!” has always been a bit much for my ears. They are more restrained at Bryant’s, which was slammed with hungry people not more than a few minutes after we got in line.
“Perfect timing,” Trinity said.
What to get, what to get. I had the burnt ends at the Ameristar Casino Arthur Bryant’s but I just wasn’t in the mood for that. Trinity wanted pork ribs. The gentleman behind the window convinced us that a slab of pork ribs was cheaper and in this way I was convinced.
I had no idea what I was in for as we unwrapped our package at the Pod. Loading up my plate I expected a standard evening of dealing with chewy, difficult meat still stuck to the bone. But I was wrong. The first bite came straight off and kicked the living crap out of my tongue for being such a doubting Thomas. The rub and the sauce brought the full power of the pork forward before melting away any lingering second and third thoughts.
“Wow,” I whispered. “This is the most incredible rib I have ever tasted in my entire life.”
“Pretty good, huh?” Trinity replied.
The perfect beverage for the ribs was a Boulevard Pale Ale, which we had restocked on yesterday. Toss in the pickles and the bread and it was possible to cleanse your pallet completely before taking another bite. And you want to cleanse that pallet because you do not want to miss an ounce of that flavor. You want the rib meat to explode in your mouth again and again.
My only regret?
We didn’t get a second slab for later.
We B Smokin’ BBQ in Paola, Kansas
Yeah, this one isn’t in Kansas City and didn’t we have enough BBQ yesterday? Well it just so happens that we were not going for BBQ, we were going for breakfast. I had some pretty good intel from Terri Lowry that the breakfast at this joint was first class.
Located at the Paola Airport, it is part pilot’s lounge and part BBQ shack. Planes and pull up on the tarmac and disgorge hungry patrons who flew in specifically to eat there. Trinity went with a single pancake which arrived with a crane that lowered it to the table. Having her back, I helped her work over the pancake but at the end of the day, the remains of the pancake beat us out.
It was good, by the way. That pancake.
I had the We B Smokin Breakfast of three eggs over hard (no running on my plate, damn it), hash browns (not brown and crispy enough for me) and bacon.
Bacon. Australian writer John Birmingham was horrified to learn that Americans will eat an entire plate of bacon. I know I’d eat a plate of this bacon because it was infused with what seemed to be maple syrup and brown sugar. A close contender with the ribs for best meat of the weekend, the bacon made up for the hash browns.
Speedy service like a well oil flight line crew, we were back on the road by 1000 hours with a note in the log to try it again for dinner sometime.
Finally, to top it all off, lunch at the Pod. We had a french baguette from Bloom Bakery in the River Market in desperate need of attention. I sliced off a couple of pieces and added some Corrollo’s Italian Deli Genoa Salami to the mix. We have to buy that stuff a half pound at a time because if we buy more than that, we’ll eat it all before two days are out. It is that good.
So I’m sitting here with a belly the size of a tractor trailer tire while Trinity naps off the breakfast. The ceiling fan is going, the windows are open and the sun is shining. By tomorrow it will all be over.
The Fall Semester comes.
Summer 2010, so long and happy journey, my friend. Pass your ways onto your successor in 2011.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
Local
We have snow again. Sigh.
If you are a fan of John Birmingham’s work then chances are probable that you have read Without Warning. If you haven’t, go to the bookstore or library, buy a copy, read it and come back to see me. I’ll wait.
Back already?
There is a passage in the novel where a GlobalHawk drone is flying recon over the now deserted United States of America, notably the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Unlike many major metro areas, Kansas City did not erupt in a firestorm of failed power nets, running appliances and the like due to the weather in March 2003 per the alternate timeline. The reason is due to the “schizophrenic weather” of the region.
Which is what we are experiencing now. Technically today is supposed to be the first day of spring. Yesterday before three in the afternoon it was shirt sleeve warm and sunny, enough so that Trinity and I went for a walk around North Kansas City (you’ll notice a QuikTrip burning in the novel which is a stone’s throw from where we live today). By time we made it back home, the clouds had moved in and the temperature had fallen through the floor.
So another blanket of the white stuff for us. Just great.
The Writing Front: Projected Plans
I looked over two stories yesterday and I plan on getting moving on a third in the next day or so. If I play my cards right and get enough writing time in, I think I can have two of my stories ready for market in addition to the Joint Writing Project.
So my goal is pretty simple.
I want three new stories ready for market by May 18th of this year. In addition, I’ll pull Maternal Soldier out and send that story out to market again. That will make four stories with my name on it and a fifth as part of a dual header if you count JWP-02.
I had been working on a project in the second person. I don’t like this approach but I still like the story. So I’ll start over on that one.
Reading: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
I’m almost through with The Remains of the Day which follows the reflections of Mr. Stevens, a British Butler to the late Lord Darlington. Told entirely from the first person point of view, Ishiguro effectively establishes characterization and conflict within two pages of his introduction. It is the first book in years that I felt compelled to sit and read to completion in one sitting. Unfortunately my life is such that extended stretches of reading do not seem to be possible anymore.
I’ve already seen bits of the film and read reviews and summaries of the novel so I have already had it spoiled. Mr. Stevens is someone who is deeply invested in the concept of maintaining one’s dignity as one carries out their duties as a butler. In the pursuit of this dignity, an ever fleeting sense of total perfection which is unobtainable, he loses a bit of his humanity it seems. And he also misses his chance at true love with one of his peers, the housekeeper Miss Kenton, who eventually leaves the Household in search of happiness with another man.
Deluded, a bit defensive and certainly a little snobbish, Mr. Stevens is a quirky man who strives never to give overt offense. Unfortunately, he is so wedded to the avoidance of offense that sometimes he misses the point, which is what makes him human in spite of the fact that he has lost some of his own humanity. I found him to be refreshing to read, to explore his mind, though I suspect I would not care to have a drink with him.
I think I’ll check up on more of Ishiguro’s work to see what I can learn.
They say that writers read, especially the good ones. I agree, unfortunately, I am an incredibly picky reader. My patience for most of what passes as literature these days is slim at best. I dislike political novels intensely and style monkey stunts do not interest me either. What we have in The Remains of the Day is a solid, interesting and novel character study.
It would be nice to find more such work out there.
So it goes. It has my recommendation.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
Trinity’s Birthday Weekend
Well, Trinity is off gettin’ her hair did (she went to the beauty shop in town for those that don’t get redneck) so that leaves me with a bit of time to relax under the Pondering Tree.
We’re out here at Sunset Acres Bed and Breakfast, located not far south of Odessa, Missouri. Brenda and Bill, our hosts, always take good care of us. They’ll be hosting Trinity’s birthday party this weekend. It will have a Tuscan theme featuring meatballs, manicotti (never had that before) and some other goodies. Some of Trinity’s friends will be coming out along with some peers from work. It should make for a good time. Some of them will be staying over in the other two rooms.
There are three rooms out here, the Safari, the Egyptian and the Fleur de Lys (I’ve probably mangled that spelling). We always stay in the later, but all three rooms are very nice. There is a pool off the deck and a hot tub though oddly enough it always seems to be just a notch too cold to use the pool. We use it anyway.
The property features a fishing pond to the west of the house where ducks and geese make their home. Out back there are pens with peacocks, fainting goats and a field for three horses. Brenda and Bill like to ride when they have the time. Someday, if Trinity and I can get our money in line, we’ll see about having a horse riding weekend out here.
Right now I’m watching Bill loop down by the pond with all of the birds of the property trailing behind him.
It has been a pretty good week for Trinity overall. Her jitters about the first week of school at UMKC have finally passed. Her instructors already know her by name and think well of her. She is making friends and connections while settling into a four year school.
We both are from community colleges (I won’t name it her lest some asshole try to ruin my career) and we think highly of our given institution. The thing is, the campus doesn’t really feel like a college to most people. It feels more like high school, mainly because we are engaged in repair work on students who were not well served by the public system. That said, the attitude at UMKC is different. They expect you to stand up and be adults.
We expect that as well where I work but I will say that there is a sizeable contingent of people who seem to think we should be coddling students. Fortunately for me, my boss isn’t one of them.
In any case, Trinity says, “It feels like I’m at the Big Table.”
“You are,” I replied. “You most certainly are.”
So this weekend isn’t just about her birthday. This weekend is an opportunity to celebrate her past achievements and to celebrate the future.
Tech Front: dealing with an iPod nano
Trinity got me an iPod nano this weekend as a going back to school gift. I’m sitting here right now trying to figure out how to operate it. Turns out I had to charge it first (done) then download iTunes (in progress) in order to make any headway. After that, I think I can get material loaded onto the iPod and take it for a spin.
There is a reason why I have to figure my iPod out. More on that later.
The Karate Front
So if Dirk Flinthart is floating around he may enjoy this new addition to the blog. I started karate on campus yesterday. I missed the first meeting last week due to a scheduling fowl up but I was there at 1100 hours this week to try it on for size. I’ve had some limited martial arts training, notably two throws and two rolls taught in boot camp back in ’89 and a month of Tae Kwon Do back in ’93. The Instructor also counted my two years of Fencing as well, “You should have strong hips,” she said.
It is a two hour session and we started off with meditation and stretching. A lot of stretching, some of it painful. It is the sort of stretching I need to be doing anyway so I went through, trying to follow the language (Japanese, of course) as best I could.
Following that we formed up for blocks, low block and high block, followed by some punches. We tried some kicks on for size, which I was awful at, followed up by a run through a kata.
I was sweating by time it was all through. My punches I recalled from Tae Kwon Do as well as low block. High block seemed different with the palm out but I can’t be certain. There is an opportunity to come in on Wednesday nights for additional sessoins. Depending on lecture prep progress and Trinity’s transport needs, I may see about that.
Why karate? Well, Fencing wasn’t going to work schedule wise this semester. I wanted something that would continue to polish some of the skills I’ve been working on, namely control of my startle response. Also, I always wanted to take karate so that was another reason. Finally, I’m getting to the age where my instinctive method of fighting will get me hurt. If I have any more physical confrontations (hopefully those days are over but you never know) I want to have the means to end the confrontation as quickly and as painlessly (for me) as possible.
The Family Front
If you didn’t know already, my father is not well. He has three forms of cancer, multiple myeloma, prostate and now Stage 3 lung cancer. The first two cancers he has had since the mid 1990s and the docs think it is a miracle he is still live. The lung cancer was found at the start of this year. His heart isn’t the best either.
It is no secret that I do not think well of my father but I’ve got to admit, he has paid his penance account in full and then some with the latest bit of suffering. And who the fuck am I to judge the man anyway? I’ve expended a lot of anger on him and to be honest, what did it get me? Not much.
My mother is the primary care giver and she is wearing down as well. This weekend she is at home dealing with bronchitis. At some point I’ll need to head over and mow the lawn, clean the gutters and take care of a few other things.
So it goes.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
Tearing Down Tuesday Photography
I’ve got some more shots today. Perhaps I should start by saying that just about everything I used is a combination of two or more real world elements. With the exception of Ketchum Road, I almost never used something whole cloth from our own world in Tearing Down Tuesday. The town of Circeville, Missouri, to my knowledge, doesn’t exist. But the primary model for that town is Maysville, Missouri up in DeKalb County.
I suppose some folks will insist that this is a Mary Sue story. I don’t think it is but then you can’t control what others say. And frankly, so what if it is a Mary Sue story?
Ketchum Road
I had to edit this photograph to a degree due to under exposure. This is the road Kyle travels down at the start of the story. The sky would have been clear but roughly the same hue. Obviously the wind turbines, the razorbrush and the snagglethorn are missing, but otherwise, this shot pretty much shows the road I had in mind.
The Driveway
In the opening, Kyle makes his way down this driveway past the first two robots we encounter, Saturday and Sunday. They are working on a series of salvaged wind turbines. Obviously the turbines are absent, but the driveway is there.
Abandoned Tool Shed
This was another inspiration for The Tinkerin’ Woman’s Shop in Tearing Down Tuesday. Though it has fallen into disuse, it was the original tool shed when I was a kid. Much of the clutter you saw in a previous entry was present in this shed.
And it did have a beer fridge.
The Weatherby, Missouri Post Office
This is the post office in nearby Weatherby, Missouri. Circeville probably would have looked more like this image here, very worn down, tired and battered.
The Dry Hole Bar and Grill, Circeville, Missouri
The Dry Hole Bar and Grill
Andrew Leroy, Owner
Dry before Five and Wet until Last Call
Whenever that is.
This is half of the Dry Hole Bar and Grill, the Maysville Town Diner, which has changed names over the years. Since it was Sunday morning we weren’t able to go in and even if we did, it would not represent what the interior of the story’s Dry Hole Bar and Grill looked like.
The interior is actually inspired by The Quaff down off 10th and Broadway in Kansas City, Missouri.
Not everything came from the Country as it were.
Other Shots
Additional Photography can be viewed at my flickr link, http://www.flickr.com/photos/30730762@N04/ . Someday when I grow up, I’ll be able to hotlink it.
I’ve also got more photographs to add as time permits.
Perhaps it is a bit self indulgent to go through this exercise, or maybe a bit too self promotional. Well, I am a bit shameless in that respect and I have to admit that I wish I saw more material like what I am putting up. I’d like to see photographs and images of what inspired my favorite writers. What are they drawing upon when they create my favorite places and characters?
So it goes.
The Writing Front
I wonder if I am not building up for a return to the Tearing Down Tuesday universe? At the same time, The Limb Knitter universe continues to speak to me. I should take pictures of things which inspired TLK at some point.
I did work up some plot info on a possible project but it turns out as I work on it that I’ve probably got yet another novel length project on my hands.
Perhaps what I need to do is pick up at copy of The Year’s Best Science Fiction and read some of my favorites for inspiration. The 26th Edition is out and Al Reynolds has a story within so that would be worth the price of admission alone in my book.
The Teaching Front
I’ve got to work up my American History One notes over the next few days. I’ve got a gap where Andrew Jackson is at on the timeline and I still need to figure out exactly what I am going to cover.
Teaching assignments will probably arrive in the hopper shortly before classes start. I’m pretty sure I’ll get two classes at the minimum, hopefully three to four. I’m hoping for four classes.
So it goes. I’m chomping at the bit.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
Pondering Tearing Down Tuesday
I’ve got more pictures to post but I’ll do that sometime tomorrow. I thought I’d take a break from Fall Semester prep to do a little bit of pondering about the story.
Tearing Down Tuesday filled what I felt was a gap in the current science fiction inventory of recent short stories, namely a story set in the American Midwest that did not rely upon East and West Coast stereotypes of Midwesterners. From 2000 to the moment I sold TDT, I found my level of aggravation with the lack of such stories growing. When such a story did manifest itself, it usually took the cheap shots at the population which lives in the Midwest.
Who are those people? Well, in the case of DeKalb County, Missouri, they tend to be of European descent. In other words, they are white. If you look at the demographics, I believe the county population tends to run eighty percent plus on the white side. They are hardworking people who do their best to run their farms, keep their bills paid and support their families. They believe in taking care of their own problems for the most part without a lot of government help.
These days they grow corn, a lot of corn. In fact I remarked to Trinity that we didn’t see a single wheat field on our way to Maysville, Missouri and back. The main crops were corn for use in ethanol and soy. This is a contrast to the fields of golden wheat I remember from my childhood. They also maintain a certain amount of livestock, but not the massive herds that many might think.
In some instances, they’ve managed to adapt to changing conditions. One local example in nearby Clinton County, Missouri is the Shatto Milk Company, located on Highway 33 not far from Highway 36 in Northern Missouri. They produce local organic milk sans additives in an environment that looks to be healthy and easy on the animals. They also run a gift shop on the property which is where we met the owners. The story is that in the late 80s they realized that the major purchasers of milk were not paying anything close to prices that would sustain their business. They had to try something else.
So they took a leap and went local and organic. Others in the region went down the same path, raising heirloom livestock, growing organic produce and changing the way they do business.
However, for every success story, you can find a dozen deserted farms in Northern Missouri. The land has been sold or rented to the survivors.
The people in this region love to hunt deer, quail, turkey and ducks when the seasons permit. They fish with permits and subscribe to the Missouri Conservationist. More than a few of them, including one of my cousins, works for the Missouri Department of Conservation. They care about where they live and want to see it preserved. They are capable of adapting to changing conditions if pressed.
This goes against the usual depiction of the Midwestern Rural Resident. Inflexible, stubborn, unchanging, conservative and very religious.
I suppose the big dig against this environment is that it does not possess the same diversity which can be found in urban environments. Perhaps. However, given demographic trends in the country as a whole, I will make a prediction.
The Midwestern Rural Areas will, probably by the end of the century, be split between European and Latino populations. It is a bit of a failing on my part that I did not account for this in Tearing Down Tuesday. There simply should be more Latino characters in the region.
Another dig against the Midwest is that it is backward. No Starbucks. No bandwidth to speak of.
These are people who still take pleasure in their environment, enjoying a sky full of stars while the coyotes compete with the bullfrogs and the cycadas for one’s attention. They enjoy fishing on the lake under the moonlight, poker games and fish fries.
They have their flaws. The stereotypes would not exist without those flaws. They are the people I know, the land I know, the grist of my sunshine summers under brilliant blue skies. They are the people Robert Heinlein wrote about in his stories.
And yet, I suspect, there is not a lot of room for stories from this land in American Science Fiction today. I find it quite telling that Tearing Down Tuesday sold to a British Publication, Interzone, and not an American one. Now to be fair, TDT was never sent to an American market, but my gut tells me that outside of Apex Online Magazine, I’d have been hardpressed to sell that story anywhere else.
The other concern I have is, well, frankly, these people are the Enemy Personified to many in American Science Fiction. They are rednecks, white trash, probably inbred and most likely engaging in perverse acts with their livestock. There may not be any room for stories from Northern Missouri.
A writer is instructed from the start, write what you know. It is good advice.
However, the message I get from the American Science Fiction Community is also very clear to me.
Rednecks need not apply.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
Trinity and I have noticed a disturbing trend in our recent travels through the KC Metro Area (known as “The Black Hole of the Midwest” in Murphy parlance).
Dead cats. Not just one or two here and there, but a lot of dead cats. We find them on the roadsides and while Trinity jokes darkly about their need to see Jesus (hopefully she never feels a need to send me to see Jesus) I suspect something else is going on.
But what? Are the dead felines victims of an anti-freeze addiction? Did they drink the green stuff, which is supposed to be like rock candy to them, get disoriented and wander out into traffic? Or is it something else, like the whatever it was that was causing humans to off themselves in all sorts of horrifying ways in The Happening?
I’ve not seen The Happening, just for the record.
In any case, if anyone has any info, let us know.
Research Project Number – 04
Today is a heavy workday. Trinity is off at her new job, which frees up most of my day, lunch being the exception. One upside of having six chapters to look at is that I can examine the story arc while I edit and revise as opposed to spot checking and tweaking when I get single chapters. Tomorrow is also slated for heavy work as is Sunday.
One ongoing research issue pertains to weapons. We have a character who has a need for different weapons for different missions over the course of the novel. I keep swapping one weapon out for another and this seems to me to be a bit off. I need to find this character a weapon that will serve a number of requirements. It has to be in the inventory no later than March 2003 or something that can be picked up. It must meet the following requirements.
1. Serve as a sniper weapon.
2. Also serve as an assault rifle.
3. Have a round heavy enough to knock the target down and keep them down.
4. Be a reliable weapon.
I think the M-14 is probably the weapon I’m leaning toward for the character. I had pondered using the Stoner SR-25 but that didn’t hit the units until 2005, which is no good. I also thought about a Special Ops mod using a 6.8 mm round but those are still in the experimental stage even today. So that isn’t going to work.
I think a customized M-14 is probably the best bet. I’ll advise the client as time permits.
In my research I did find a very handy shotgun for breeching doors. I’ll have to pass that along as well.
Podcasting: The Limb Knitter at Beam Me Up Podcast
Both parts of The Limb Knitter are now available at the Beam Me Up Podcast, hosted by Paul Cole. I’ve got to say that I am impressed with Paul’s work in converting the story to an audio format. I will be sending him more work as time permits. There are some early works at Bewildering Stories that might well serve.
I think I may send some of my other stories out to podcast venues as well. Tearing Down Tuesday definitely needs to find a podcast home. I’m going to see what can be done in that regard. And some of my unsold material may find homes as well. I think my writing seems to be particularly suited for podcast conversion.
That, my friends, could well be a good thing given trend with regard to podcasting.
Other Fronts
Picked up a vac last night, which Trinity put to good use while I worked on RPN-04. Trinity, for some strange reason, LIKES to clean things. While I do not like living in a rat infested shit hole, I find the act of cleaning to be incredibly depressing, probably because cleaning ALWAYS equals punishment in my life.
We also looked at other things for The Pod. We have a dining room table at K-Mart which will fit the bill. Hardwood and affordable. I’ve got a line on a bookshelf that I am going to need for the office/library area. We are going to pool all of our books. At some point, once the place looks full presentable, I’ll post pics and I’ll show Trinity how to post on her blog as well.
One aggravating fly in the ointment which cropped up was the need for Trinity to have three credit hours as opposed to one in order to get her summer job. She switched over to a different class, which increased her fees a notch. Nothing we can’t handle.
As for myself, I plan on concentrating on RPN-04 until the end of the month. After that, I’ll take things as they come. Substitute work may crop up (in fact, I’m almost certain it will). As for summer jobs, I think I’ll worry about that sometime in June.
Hell, if nothing else, I’ll go work at Worlds of Fun for part of the summer. But Trinity said, and I quote, “Your job is to write this summer. So write!”
I hear, I obey.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
The Limb Knitter now available at the Beam Me Up Podcast, hosted by Paul Cole.
The Teaching Front
One final cleared, one more to go. Student performance was pretty much nominal to what I have experienced in the past. The take home final was far easier to grade in many ways. Personally, I’m inclined to give that some thought for the future. We’ll see.
My last final is tomorrow. They should do well enough.
Nothing is likely for the summer aside from substitute work. This is actually a blessing in disguise as I am only eligible for 24 course hours per academic year. The summer class would count against me. Substitute work would not.
As for Fall, all I know is that the intent is to bring me back this Fall. The schedule is always subject to change in any case and the ongoing economic downturn isn’t helping things. I’ve got feelers out at one of our sister campuses where I taught last fall. I suspect, if the class makes, that I stand a fairly good chance of picking that one up.
I need six hours to remain economically viable. Nine is optimal while twelve would be cake.
We’ll see. I also need to get to one of our other sister campuses where a Western Civ opportunity may be available for 2010.
The Student Front
I scraped out of Computers in Design One with a C for the semester. Now here is irony for you. I have taken the class before and earned a B. Given what I know of grading policy, the stronger grade will remain on the transcript. Thing is, I learned more in the class I took this semester (given that I only devoted a sliver of my time and attention to it) than I did back in 2005. I also have a stronger portfolio as a result. All of my assignments, when turned in on time, earned an A.
That said, I think what I need, if I am going to get anywhere on the graphic design front, is a dedicated Mac computer and the Adobe Programs for the course. Getting stuck in the lab isn’t helping me one bit.
On Terri’s front for American Lit II, the plan is to write four pages today and another four tomorrow. I’ll proof them, polish a bit and turn in the paper. Frankly, it is appalling that I have let this go as long as I did.
Fencing final is tonight as well, which for advanced students means we just show up and go out for a bite to eat. I missed the last three Tuesdays due to teaching and other issues.
I’m looking forward to a summer away from the student front. For Fall I have signed up for Terri’s Online Creative Writing Class (I need to keep myself in the writing saddle) and three phys ed classes designed to make sure I stay in the gym.
We’ll see how that goes.
Research Project Number – 04
I have four chapters in the hopper requiring my attention.
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 22
I’ve read over Chapters 21 and 22 (21 is slated for someone else to work on). For 22 I’ve got some ideas. In fact, since 16, 17, and 22 are all related chapters in the same story thread, it actually works out better this way.
I also have some research to do on a certain class of technology and prep a hardcopy for a second review. I will be looking at timeline issues and overall story structure.
So it goes.
Trinity Front
Trinity is still dealing with physical therapy, she has an appointment today to work on the left gun. The good news is that she still has health care. Apparently there was some sort of paperwork error and she was dropped by accident. That doesn’t condone some of the other behavior her family exhibits towards her but it goes some ways towards easing my temper.
Her new job will start next week on campus. I think she’ll be happy enough with the new position, which will keep her in good order until classes start for the pre-law program this Fall. She’ll be going to my old alma mater at UMKC so I’ll be sure to introduce her to The Gender Studies Professor (aka The Captain) and some other folks.
Knowing how Trinity is, she’ll make her own friends. Just ask Birmo about that.
In fact, here is one thing I like about Trinity. When we were in NYC with Birmo, Trinity would talk to Birmo about all sorts of things not related to the novels. At the end of the day, as I sat listening to those conversations with my good ear (as my sinuses were exploding within my skull) I felt like I had a better experience.
These days I find I let Trinity take the lead when it comes to conversation while I sit back and listen. As a writer, listening is what I should be doing anyway.
We also took care of a late fee issue which was holding up the works at UMKC. She already has her financial aid so she is in the pipeline.
The Pod Update
By Pod, I mean “The Pleasure Pod” aka the new home. I got a landline and power set up for the move in date.
We will be emptying the storage locker first using a U-Haul. That will probably take most of Friday. Sometime during the following week, I’ll move most of the heavy gear out of Maternal Support Command, to include the reserve computer, my books, her chest of drawers, two desks and so on and so forth. Clothing, blankets and additional gear will follow.
Then I’ll need to make a run to campus to clear out my cubicle. Chances are probable that I will be back but many of the things which are in my cubicle are there because A: I needed them to teach and B: because there was no place at MSC to put them. Once we’re in the Pod, B will go away.
We should be fully moved in by the middle of next week at the latest.
Other Fronts
Well, at some point I should get back into the fiction writing saddle. Trinity tells me that The Limb Knitter needs novel length treatment. Frankly, both TLK and TDT need novel length treatment. Still, I’m not sure which direction I’ll head. I’ll think on it once the semester is well and truly over.
Actually, what I may do is just spend a few days doing nothing but reading.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
The Limb Knitter-Part One is now available at the Beam Me Up Podcast with host Paul Cole.
Father in the Hospital
Mother probably wouldn’t approve but my dad is in the hospital. He has been undergoing treatment for his lung cancer (the third one they’ve found). In any case, I suspect he’ll be down at the VA medical center until tomorrow morning.
My younger brother is also having trouble and I’m not at liberty to discuss it. In any case, Trinity and I are manning the phones, keeping an eye on the approaches to Maternal Support Command and waiting for news.
Earlier that day
Trinity and I enjoyed our first day of unemployment together. Granted, I still have a paycheck or two inbound and I still have some work to do before it is all said and done. In any case, we spent the morning getting some government items dealt with for her. Then we made our way to Zona Rosa Shopping Mall for an early lunch at Noodles and More.
Noodles and More is a relatively inexpensive place to get some decent food. I got the chicken noodle soup with a side salad. She had some whole wheat pasta topped with broccoli and chicken, tuscan linguine (sp?). We sat out under one of Missouri’s brilliant blue springtime sky plotting our next move in our plan to dominate the local region.
We did some window shopping and walking around after that. We’ve decided on a landline phone for . . . ahem, Trinity is calling the new loft the “Pleasure Pod.” I’ll roll with it. The landline is the cheapest and most secure option, immune to the fickle nature of cellphone use. I believe it is important to have a line which will always be up so long as we are in the Pod.
We also went looking for kitchen tables. After a bit of effort, we stumbled across a very nice table at K-Mart of all places. I think we will pick that up when I get paid next.
The next stop was going to be the gym but that has been aborted due to the current emergency.
Trinity did get some additional good news. The campus bookstore has offered her a summer position, which should take care of her employment needs. She’ll head down to campus tomorrow to get that squared away.
Now I need to find something.
Research Project Number – 04
I now have Chapters 16 to 19 onboard with 19 awaiting conversion. 19 is also a military heavy chapter with a lot of local material. I’ll put some extra time into that chapter, probably tomorrow while Trinity is talking to the bookstore people.
So it goes.
We will be moving in less than seven days. When we get established in The Pod, I’ll post some pics.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
Wolverine
Trinity and I went to see the new X-Men film on Friday at the Screenland Theater on Armour Road in Northtown. Personally, I can take or leave the X-Men series but I did enjoy watching Hugh Jackman portray the growth of a confused young boy with bone claws into a tortured, conflicted man struggling with the bloodthirst of his own brother. Toss in a military conspiracy (isn’t there always one of these in films like this?) and you’ve got enough explodey goodness to keep most folks happy.
I enjoyed the film when I didn’t spend too much time thinking on it. I thought there were moments of violence (I won’t spoil it) that were just a bit excessive and cliched. Maybe it is what that one reviewer meant when they said that one of my stories was emotionally manipulative. Perhaps.
In any case, a good film worth seeing.
As for Screenland, I think I have talked about this theater before. It is North Kansas City’s historic one room theater which was recently expanded to two screens. I saw Indian Jones there when it reopened after the restoration last year. Beer, wine and bar food can be had for reasonable prices. Further, your student ID still gets you a discount, meaning that Trinity and I (who are both still students) got to see the film for $12.00 between the two of us as opposed to $20.00 at any given AMC theater.
When we return to Northtown on the 15th (can’t quite say where, given Trinity’s troubles) we will be making frequent trips to this theater.
The Big Saturday Out on Eight Months
Yesterday was a long day and one of those moments where I had to compromise. My maximum hang time with any human being, even the ones I love, is about six hours. The longer the time goes, the thinner my patience becomes. I can’t tell you why I am this way. Probably the nature of my family. In any case, a sizeable portion of the population isn’t this way. I’ve adapted to the alone time but Trinity, who got entirely too much of it from her ex-husband, can’t stand it.
So we spent yesterday together.
Breakfast was at Room 39 down on 39th Street (notice a pattern?). We’ve got pictures. Maybe at some point I’ll load them. Room 39 runs toward the organic side of the house with prices that are reasonable enough. I had the traditional Midwestern Breakfast, eggs hard, bacon (three strips, not a plate, Birmo), potatoes (which are sometimes hash browns but not this time) and toast. Trinity had a salami bagle with two egg yolks on it along with some fresh fruit.
The setting is small, intimate and tastefully kitted out with the work of local artists. For those who want a latte there is a coffee bar/counter or you can sit at the table. Neither of us know if the coffee would pass the standards as neither of us drink the stuff. But the tea was good.
Moving on from there, our next stop was a hair cut for me and a pedicure for Trinity. That provided for a bit of alone time as we went our respective ways. Your cunning blogger at the Pondering Tree found a place in Liberty where the two businesses are back to back. At SportsClips I got a haircut and massage worthy of a mob boss or real estate mogul. Trinity, in the meantime, got her toes done.
Pleased with that, we paid bills, reserved a U-Haul for move in day (we no longer have truck access) and made our way back to Maternal Support Command to drop off gear. Then it was a trip to the City Market.
We picked up fruit for the week, she found some bread she was happy with and tried to each lunch down there.
Tried because the first place we went to didn’t have anything she wanted. They had a very good lima bean humus though. I also picked up a beef kebab from a vender for next to nothing. She wanted a turkey leg, which consumed a goodly amount of time cooking. I don’t think I’d have been bothered by the lost time if it didn’t make me sick for being undercooked thirty minutes later.
From there we did some more shopping at this and that before making our way down to World Market, which is a shop that will be providing our kitchen ware. We are still having a debate over the kitchen table (ongoing, stay tuned) and over the practicality of purchasing items en mass now or waiting till we move in. I’ve been arguing for patience but in Trinity’s case, I think the purchase of the items is a tangible sign that the move out of Maternal Support Command is a very real thing and not some cruel joke.
We picked up a few things and moved on from there.
By now it is running around 1900 hours. Lunch had been a bit of a disaster so we were looking for dinner. I was trying to come up with a place that Trinity liked that I could eat at. Both of us are concerned about our weight. We eventually hit upon a solution at Noodles and More, which is a chain store selling pasta, asian noodles and most important of all, chicken noodle soup. We went up there and the dinner thing worked fine.
Lastly, we crossed the road to Barnes and Noble (where Birmingham’s book, Without Warning, is prominently displayed in the science fiction section). We found a teenage jazz band sponsored by a local church performing hits from the Swing Era in honor of veterans. Trinity watched most of it while I wandered the stacks, picking up books for skimming review and possible purchase. I didn’t purchase any books, but I did find a couple of viable ones and the band, it is worth pointing out, was quite good.
A long day. I slept pretty good last night.
Murph’s Alone Day
Now I’ve got an afternoon to myself. Trinity is off with her eldest son (no, I’ve not met him yet and I suspect I will not be popular with him) so this gives me time.
Research Project Number – 04
Three chapters in the hopper now, Chapters 14 to 16 from the client. Fourteen is almost complete. Fifteen and sixteen need conversion before I work on them. I’m going to try and get all three done today.
Other Fronts
Got my dad some gooseberry jam yesterday at World Market. Dad is going through chemo for his lung cancer and hasn’t been eating. The gooseberry jam on some waffles proved to be a hit with him this morning. He polished them off. Trinity and I are still trying to track down some gooseberry pie (our primary reason for going to City Market yesterday).
We also started food journals on May 1st. I grabbed the material for that while I was shopping on payday after waking up at 0300 in the morning. I also picked up binders for the Fall Semester lecture notes. Money will be tight come August so I thought I’d get the gear now. Hopefully later this evening we will get back into the gym.
Hopefully.
Later this week I need to run resumes to the other local campuses for the upcoming academic year. I have a possible opportunity which will give me twelve hours of courses if things play out right. There won’t be anything for the summer though, except perhaps for some substitute teaching but you never know. In any case, I’ll spend the summer looking over the new textbooks and spinning up for the fall.
Finally, I have to solve the summer job dilemma yet again. Full time or part time? How much am I willing to do? Where do I not want to work? So on and so forth. Trinity gets to deal with the same thing.
Joy.
Last but not least, I need a traveling keyboard for my laptop. The fact that the keys stick is driving me nuts. I think I may get an Apple keyboard. I’m impressed with the new design.
So it goes.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
Those that done said stuff