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Aboard the Battlestar Steven Francis Murphy BSG-71
Location: CIC
Mission: Damage Control and Assessment
I’m running on three hours of sleep after learning that my father is back in the hospital last night. He is having heart trouble, trouble breathing, etc, etc. So that was part of my evening last night on the eleven month anniversary of Trinity and I. Mom’s down with illness as well and I’m having a bitch of a time finding the time and energy to get enough lecture material scraped together for Western Civ.
The problem isn’t knowledge or material. That I have plenty of. No, I just need the time to write the lectures into something useable so I don’t stand there in class and babble on like an idiot. I call those lectures Falling Down the Stairs Lectures. I used to give a lot of them during my first two years of teaching and it is a horrible experience that ranks right up there with a dream where one is naked in public yet no one notices.
In other words, I hate not being fully prepared.
Worse, I hate not getting at least four hours of sleep. It is a wonder I didn’t stand there in class and drool all over myself. As it is, my military bearing and two years of experience allowed me to slug my way through both lectures this morning. I wouldn’t say it was a cheerful experience but my 0800 students seem to know that crossing me is unwise.
Apparently tales that I threw someone out at 0830 for tardiness have gotten ’round the campus (though they are somewhat inaccurate, the general gist is true). My 0930 class is a bit more spirited but that isn’t a bad thing. Some of them will get a wake up call here in a couple of weeks.
Of course the other problem is that running on three hours of sleep makes doing physical fitness training problematic. It is a great way to injury yourself and for those that aren’t following John Birmingham’s blog, be advised that he snapped his ulna in martial arts last week (probably not due to fatigue). I’ve already got some problem spots, notably along the upper right arm near the tricep, some elbow and some shoulder trouble. I don’t need to blow something out when I have a 145 pound stack of weights over my chest because I wasn’t focused.
On the other hand, I was able to get the iPods operational using a campus computer to download iTunes. The iPods are both synced and prepped. I didn’t load any music onto Trinity’s iPod as I only had one of my CDs with me. I’ll try to reload iTunes on my laptop and see if that will work. If that doesn’t work, I’ll load a few songs onto Trinity’s iPod on campus while she is at an extra credit lecture.
As for Dad, well, he’s terminal, kids. We’re all terminal but he is closer to it than most of us are. Estimates range from tomorrow to a year from now. That said, Aunt Margaret said over at my facebook that we Murphys tend to be a stubborn lot (all those bad genetics I guess). He may well outlast all of us, beat the lung cancer and come in under the five percent statistic on remission/cures.
Makes you wonder how long he’d live if he hadn’t gotten Agent Orange related crap.
YouTubeage Action: James Bond OSTs to listen to while writing
When I write some action scenes, I tend to draw upon movie sound tracks, notably those by John Barry but he is not the only one. Here are a couple of my favorites.
This is called “Space March” and it is from the You Only Live Twice soundtrack. It matches the opening scene where an American space capsule is captured by a mystery spacecraft. The scene, if you haven’t seen it, is akin to watching a snake unlock its’ jaw to consume its’ prey, slow but inevitable. The Americans, of course, blame the Russians for the incident, which gets the movie going.
In a similar vein is “007 and Counting” which is matched to the video you see now. A rocket is hijacked by our bad guys in Diamonds Are Forever. It happens to be carrying a diamond augmented laser satellite and you can see where this is going.
So it goes, kids. Repair operations continue. I’ve got to pick Trinity up later from her therapy where she is trying to get her ship back to 100% or at least as close to it as she can.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
The Teaching Front: Things Accomplished Today
In Western Civ One continued to work up the notes on Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. I’ve been switching back and forth, which helps keep the Egypt work bearable. In an ideal world, I’d start with the Mycenaens but this is a survey course so the Egyptians it is. I also started on study guide prep for the first exam. I suspect the essay question for the first exam will probably center on the Peloponnesian War but I don’t know yet.
In American History One I focused on revising the study guide and preparing a new exam for the first quarter. Since Western Civ will chew up a lot of my time, I figured it would be smart to get as much of the American History One work out the way as soon as possible. The only problem I forsee is that my notes still need revision and improvement. That said, I can roll with what I have if I have to.
At this rate, barring disaster, I should be ready for the first week of classes by Tuesday morning. I’ll take part of Monday night after Faculty In Service to review my notes.
Sacrifices
The downside to the prep is that it is hard on Trinity. I have to have the time but unfortunately this is work I do best alone, without distraction. It’d be a bit easier on her if she had her own vehicle (that should change here very soon). And I suspect once school starts for Trinity that her own course work will keep her busy.
Of course, ideally, she’d like to spend the remainder of our summer together. I’d like that too but the reality is that my summer ended the moment I received confirmed class assignments. We’ve had three months together for the most part.
Hopefully we’ll be able to hack some time out to see each other over the next sixteen weeks. We aren’t the first couple to go down this road.
So it goes.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
Ten Months
Ten months ago I met the woman I love on our first date. We are in our third month of living together, roughly, so today we’ve got plans to head to the pool while the weather holds. Money is tight so nothing else particularly special is planned though I do believe Trinity wants to have a picnic.
Best part? I got breakfast in bed this morning.
The Writing Front
I can’t seem to settle on a project. One moment I am in The Limb Knitter universe working on something that will probably grow into a novel. The next minute I’m at various places in the Tearing Down Tuesday universe, either working on something that will, again, grow into a novel or maybe a short story. And if that isn’t enough, ever so often Maternal Soldier comes to tug at my leg saying, “Pay attention to me.”
So today I did some work on what might be a short story. I’ve reached a point where I putter with pen to paper merely to get something out. Since I tell myself, “The First Draft is Crap,” I have a certain level of freedom that other writers do not have. In fact, I tell my students to say to themselves three times, “The First Draft is Crap,” in order to get them past the, “It’s got to be perfect the first time,” nonsense.
Actually, since I was told I can’t cuss in the classroom anymore, I now have to say, “The First Draft is Crud,” instead. Delicate ears you know.
So I carved out a small bit of time to scribble out a page and a half this morning. I got another page out yesterday afternoon after a search to find a place where I could write without braying adults and screaming, unattended children.
I am convinced that I am not parent material. I love kids but I have very little patience as it is and they consume such massive gouts of time. When Sandra Cisneros came to town last spring, she warned that kids would pretty much kill a writing career.
I believe her.
Anyway, I got some writing done over the weekend. But here are the problems I face.
1. I need a writing space. One free of distraction, quiet with some sunlight. It probably doesn’t need internet. These days I’m thinking I need to find a place where no one knows me which means every location within a ten mile radius of my home campus is probably out. No matter where I go on campus, someone always interupts me. They bother me in my cubicle. They bother me if I try to write in Campus Center. And they bother me if I go anywhere else on campus.
2. I need to carve out a consistent time to write. My strongest times are between 0700 to 1100 and 2000 to 0400 hours. I just need an hour or two in there, somewhere.
3. I need decompression time. I think some people do not understand this about introverts like myself but you just need time to stare at the walls and let all of the dust settle onto the floor. You need downtime to reflect. When I get some time to myself I find there is so much dust and flotsam twirling in a whirlwind in my brain that I can’t write at all.
4. I need to work out. I’ve been pretty good about this over the last few weeks, mainly going to the gym on campus while Trinity has been working. I wish I could get her to go with me after work but she is usually too tired to go. Working out helps clear the dust and chaos faster and it keeps me in halfway decent physical condition.
There is probably nothing worse than being distracted while trying to write. It is akin to nails on a chalkboard and to be honest, it is probably the easiest way to send me into a full on rage if I am not watching for the signs. I’ve thrown pens, flipped notebooks, slammed keyboards, tossed computer mice and the lot when interupted while writing. The end result is that I am the Asshole when I respond this way because the other person was, “Just trying to make conversation,” or “I’ve got a question,” or “Can you help me with this?”
My parents used to do this endlessly. No sooner would I sit down with the pen or pencil the above would start.
“Take the trash out, Steven.”
It happened in the Army, again in college and it used to happen during the Uniguard Era. Toward the end of the Uniguard Era, some officers were doing this shit on purpose once they learned I had sold my first story.
Birmingham and I even talked about it. He said, “You need to get people to understand that when you are writing, you are writing and that they shouldn’t bother you.”
Funny thing is, that is not what other people see when you are writing. I am convinced that what they see is someone who is fucking off that needs to be put to work.
So it goes.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
Aboard the Battlestar Steven Francis Murphy BSG-71
Location: Deployed in the Field
Status: Reserve Status
Secondary Taskings: As needed
Research Project Number – 04
I’m up to Chapter 30 with my client’s draft. That leaves some chapters that are laying around in various places plus a new one I received today. I want to print the revisions out and look over them (yes, I’ll fucking kill the god damned trees and you’ll fucking like it) one more time before sending the entire document back.
Sometimes I am surprised at where I can make contributions. One of the things I am supposed to be working on is details. Not just, “This weapon fires six hundred to eight hundred rounds a minute,” but descriptive narrative. I’ve had trouble with this and while it isn’t quite a problem on the short story side of the house, it is on the novel side of the house. One reason Convergence Point was shelved as due to the detail issue.
I’ve been able to provide some guidance on additional detal work, so this is good.
My client, conversely, is getting much better at the military side of things (my original reason for being as it were). They have at their disposal, among other things, a US Army Ranger handbook, which will tell you interesting things like how to call for fire, clear a room and the like. I was lucky in that I found my copy after the move (no, I was never a Ranger, nor did I want to be one) so I’ve been able to cross check. For the most part, things are good to go.
One problem, an ongoing one, is that my military knowledge is growing more and more dated. I’m going back to the manuals more and my fieldcraft is pretty much shot. I’d probably get it back pretty quick with a week or two of training but it is definitely rusty. But the hardest nut to crack has been radio call signs.
You’d think, being the commo expert, I’d know which call signs to dole out. But the problem is that call signs seem to have changed since I was in. Folks in Iraq are using things like, “Tomb Raider” and such as their call signs. Informal or proper? What are the parameters? Is it based on unit policy or something higher up at Fort Gordon Signal Center?
Don’t know. Don’t know who to ask either as I militantly scrubbed a lot of commo knowledge out of my head in order to avoid being the radioman when I became an Infantryman.
So I improvised. I made an educated guess. And when possible, I blurred a few details just enough that the material should pass muster.
So it goes.
The Job Hunt
I’m poking at this and put in a couple of aps. We’ll see how that goes. I’m hoping for more substitute work.
Trinity’s Good News
This, I suspect, I can blog about. Trinity received her financial aid information this weekend and was able to enroll in her pre-law classes. She is locked and cocked for the Fall Semester, something which makes the heads of some of her family members explode.
As for me, I get a fair amount of joy in seeing her overcome a lot of the crap and bullshit she has had to deal with. I remember overcoming similiar challenges myself in the face of things like, “Why bother?” and “You’ll never make it?” or better yet, “Why don’t you just accept what you have?”
The good news makes up for the bad news she got about her eldest son (see my previous entry on that individual).
You’d think it would be the Former Husband that would be the source of most of our woes. Well, near as I can tell, he isn’t.
It is her kids.
Writing Front
Nothing doing. I sent Maternal Soldier out and I may pack up Healing Hands of the Killer and send her out later this week. Otherwise, nothing new on my front.
Physical Fitness Front
I brought my workout bag to campus today. If I don’t end up teaching (I should know in twenty minutes or so) then I’ll go over to the Rec Center for a workout. Our memberships expired at the local community center which leaves Trinity out of the loop. I, on the other hand, still have benefits even when I am not teaching. Free Rec Center access is one of them.
So for my own sanity, I’m going to hit the gym today.
On we go.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
The Submissions Front: Maternal Soldier
I sent Maternal Soldier out to market this week. This is my Beggars in Spain, nearly accepted then shot down at the last minute by a change in editors. The market I sent the story off to is probably not the best fit but I wanted to get the story back out. If rejected at the current market target, I’ll start cycling through the last of the market list. I’ve got two or three possibles left before I expend all of my options.
The Writing Front: Recycle or Create a New One
I plan on sending something to the Shine Anthology but the problem is that much of my time is consumed by other taskings. I had puttered with a couple of new projects but they just aren’t holding my fire. Given that I have until July 1st to get something out the door and I can submit a story a week to the anthology, I think I’ll have to recycle old projects.
What this means is that I’ll pull the top tier of material and spend a week trying to slap it into shape. This is the sort of work I do for the client with Research Project Number – 04. I won’t have time for Beta Readers or a recreation of the E-Lite Readers Corps though. I’ll just have to snap them out, one a week until July 1st.
Here are the titles slated for deployment.
Healing Hands of the Killer.
Fishin’ Fer Tuesday.
Entangled.
I think those are the best bets. I have other projects around but they are in various states of disrepair. I think the best suited project is one which pertains to solving the land mine issue in the Korean DMZ. The tech is there and some of the rudiments of a story is there, but it is incredibly long and has serious problems. I suspect it would take me longer than a week to prep it.
That one is called Plowshares into Swords.
The upshot is this. If the stories get shot down, they’ll be available for other markets. I’ll shop them around the best I can. This will replenish the story stockpile for the coming academic year and blast some of the rust which is gathering on my writing gears.
Research Project Number – 04
I am reading through the master document of the first draft at this time. Out of the 30 plus chapters in my buffer, I’ve gotten up to Chapter 20. I’ll probably read the project three times, making notes as I go, then sit down with the hardcopy for a final run through the document.
I’ve got some additional ideas and concerns to pass onto the client. If anyone has ever attended a writing workshop, then you’d be familiar with this part. I’ll forward a working critique of the project so far, making note of various issues, characters which appear then disappear, opportunities for expanded storytelling, and that sort of thing. Memorable, strengths, weakenesses and suggestions, just as Terri Lowry sets it up in her creative writing classes (which, for those that are interested, are offered online these days).
I’ll try to get through more of the material today.
Other Fronts
Friday was grocery day so while I worked on RPN-04, Trinity went off to pick up the groceries. She says it went faster without my being there (I can believe it). While she went to physical therapy, I ran the groceries home, offloaded them and returned to pick her up. Then it was a lunch date at Five Guys and a Burger (potatoes from Idaho, for those wondering) before taking her down to UMKC for another appointment.
She’ll be enrolling in fall classes here before too long. Once financial aid drops, she’ll be set as a UMKC Roo. She’s a bit nervous about the big change but I think she’ll do well enough.
We went to the Italian Festival up at Zona Rosa and came away unimpressed. It was mainly an opportunity to eat a lot of carnival food. Crowded and very rowdy. Even Trinity, who enjoys crowds and people, didn’t care for the event. We probably should have gone to the Jazz Festival in Gladstone instead.
Live and learn.
So it goes.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
Paul Cole, the host of the Beam Me Up Podcast, dropped me another note this morning to let me know that the Beam Me Up Podcast was still in the number one category on the Arts and Entertainment Chart over at Podmatic. He also let me know that The Limb Knitter is still pulling downloads even as we speak.
To those of you who gave my story a listen, a tip of the beanie to ya, much appreciated. At some point I will install direct links to the podcast version on my blog.
At some point I’ll send Paul something else for his consideration. What exactly, I do not know. I have given some thought to some of the Bewildering Stories material from the early part of the decade. There is also the possibility that I might send him Maternal Soldier. I’ve not made a decision yet. More on short story ponderings and market woes in a bit.
In any case, check out some of Paul’s offerings. They are free, the sound effects are great and Paul’s sheer joy comes through in his readings.
Research Project Number – 04
The client sent me Version One of the Draft to date for safe keeping and second review. This makes life easier for me as I can print out the entire draft today for a going over. I’ve also learned that I read faster and more accurately when the material is in hardcopy.
I’ve got some tactical plotting to do for the client as well as some possible concept work. We’ll see how that goes.
It all ends, for the most part, at the end of May. I suspect there will be reviewing and proofreading work after the 31st, and I’ve mentioned something about giving some thought to the next book. I’m more or less clear for the next three months and could do a lot of leg work that might save some trouble later on.
One problem this time around was the sheer loss of time. I taught a full load during my substitute period (actually, if you count the hours, during various parts of the semester I expanded from 9 hours to 15 hours of instruction). When I wasn’t dealing with that, I was struggling to keep a relationship from imploding and my own family situation under some sort of control. There is still some backwash from the later to deal with (needless to say, things were said and done which I am none too happy about).
The end result is that it consumed massive gouts of time. Now that I’m out of Maternal Support Command, the time requirements have become far more manageable, especially given that Trinity is busy with summer work and her own summer classes starting next week.
None of this is the client’s fault, but I do recall a time during the Uniguard era where a chapter batch would experience a 24 to 48 hour turn around. We have just gotten back to that here in the last few days now that the semester has died off. But it seems to me that if I am teaching this fall (and all indications are that I should be teaching, barring disaster) that I should use the next three months to do the leg work for the next book.
In any case, I’ll do whatever the client wants. Besides, this stuff, in tandem with the teaching, were the only things that kept me sane over the last four months.
The Short Story Situation
I have gotten far more mileage out of Tearing Down Tuesday and The Limb Knitter than any writer has any right to expect. The thing is, I need to get something else out there. As such, I started a survey of the potential markets this last week.
From my point of view, the situation is grim. Apex Digest is on hiatus, concentrating on their book line, which is good for them yet bad for me. I had grown to rely on Apex as a viable market for my type of writing. Both TDT and TLK found homes there, in the case of TDT, a reprint home.
Asimov’s is out so long as the current editor is at the helm. I refuse to send that individual another comma until she retires (either out of her position or out of existence, I care not which comes first). The Market that Shall Not Be Named is a lost cause. I suspect Baen’s Universe is probably on submissions hold again (they are a very popular market with writers and I can understand why since they are not tight asses about what they’ll accept).
Interzone . . . I’d honestly like to think I could send them something. I take great pride in having published there for the first time in 2007. Thing is. . . well, there are things I can not discuss as they are confidential. Given the nature of that information, I suspect Interzone probably is not viable at the present time.
Most of the other known markets come with conditions. Must be positive, uplifting stories (someone may have noticed that I do not write those). Can not have graphic violence, child abuse or rape (that would bar Tearing Down Tuesday, which got pretty good accolades on both runthroughs).
There is Analog and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, the other two of the Big Three (Asimov’s being the third one). Maternal Soldier might be viable for either, I just don’t know. I probably couldn’t hurt to send the old girl back out and see.
Finally, there are the anthologies. I had a pretty good response on Federations, edited by John Joseph Adams, better than I expected. Jetse de Vries is accepting submissions for his anthology Shine but then we’re back to “positive and uplifting.” I want to revise and submit Healing Hands of the Killer to him but the question is whether or not I can get a story revised and ready in 30 days? My fastest turnaround time is four months.
Terri reminds me that I could move into mainstream fiction. I could do that. Birmo suggested that I could write something about my rent-a-donut days.
I could give up the short story front and concentrate on a novel. I know a few markets and maybe that experience would help. I already have some experience in working on Convergence Point last summer.
The fact of the matter is that I am not sure what I am going to do. I know that I do not like what I see in the field, in terms of market conditions or what is being published. I definitely do not care for the political situation in the market, this sort of lynch mob politically correct purism that harkens back to the worst parts of the 1990s.
I’ll have to ponder on it.
Life at The Pod
Here are some things I have noticed about life in the loft Trinity and I have named The Pod (she calls it The Pleasure Pod, which I shouldn’t do here because I teach).
First is that we do not eat out anywhere near as much as we used to. We cook for ourselves and have a nice sit down meal at a dining room table. Our money is lasting longer as a result. And of course, it is easier to cook for two than it is to cook for one. We’re still working on portion control though. Trinity is in the habit of cooking for five and I tend to cook for four. We’ve got to work on that.
Second is that Trinity has really taken to Northtown. She enjoys the walks through the main strip of Armour Road, walking to the Library and the Community Center. She also enjoys the Farmer’s Market that shows up every Friday morning.
Third is that our stress levels are way down. We’ve had to do what my parents once had to do, throw everyone out who was sabotaging the relationship. In most cases, this is temporary, but we need our space in any case.
Fourth is that I do get far more work done than I used to. I have quiet time again for the first time in months in a place that is truly our own. Working from the Pod, I was able to get through the backlog of chapters within two hours and send them back to the client.
Fifth, we seem to be happier.
Lastly, I am not spending anywhere near as much money as I used to hiding out at Panera’s or going somewhere to get away from everything. That can only be a good thing.
So it goes.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
We’re still settling in so this is a quick note from Panera’s to say that the movement took place earlier than scheduled. Trinity and I have moved in (no thanks to a fucking worthless shitbag of an older son who may be in the Marine Corps but is no fucking Marine in my book and for those wondering this Infantryman will cheerfully say it to his face PERSONALLY if he likes).
I know plenty of Marines and we do engage in the usual interservice rivalry but this particular Marine seems to get his rocks off treating his mother like shit. And he is hiding behind his combat deployment to justify being a drunken, surly little shit.
Anyway, any other Marine who is reading this blog, if you’d like to adjust this asshole’s headspace and timing, drop me a message. I’ll cheerfully give you his name, unit and commanding officer.
Which, folks, should be a sign of just how pissed off I am. I’m not mad about the failure to help. No, I’m mad about the complete lack of respect.
In fact, we moved in with zero help.
Frankly, Trinity is more bothered by it than I am. My life has always been configured for movement sans assistance. The only piece of furniture which gave me pause was a love seat but I was able to shift it on my own without any help. Trinity’s bum shoulder prevents any work of that type. But she helped with 90% of the gear that could be moved with one hand.
We’re quite a team.
And this entry is a bit longer than I planned. She is still at the Pod working over the laundry. I had to check e-mail to see if anything came in from the Client or if there were any last minute end of semester issues (there is on the later).
I suspect before too long the chapters will flow in hot and heavy from the Client. I am used to handling five chapters or more when there is nothing else distracting me. By Wednesday Trinity will be in her new job on campus so I’ll have time to get the work done.
So it goes.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
The Limb Knitter-Part Two is available at the Beam Me Up Podcast hosted by Paul Cole.
Aboard the Battlestar Steven Francis Murphy BSG-71
Location: In the Field
Mission One: Complete grading.
Mission Two: RPN-04.
Mission Three: Prep for final departure from Maternal Support Command
Missouri Four: Deal with ongoing crisis
When the people you love are hurt by their family
You know, it is a violation of a number of rules Trinity and I have set up about our relationship but I am going to do this anyway. I happen to know that her family members drop by here and I want them, and the rest of you, to know what I think.
The current crisis, which is now in the eight month, started as the result of a physical threat issued by one of her daughters against Trinity. I will not get into all of the details, but I do want this on the record.
No child has the right EVER to threaten the use of physical violence against their parent without just cause. And for those wondering, just cause in my book is that the parent is about to kill you or is going to cause bodily injury to someone you care about.
In all of my conflicts with my own parents, I have almost never resorted to this tactic. I know for a fact that I have never done this to my own mother and I also know that among many veterans and and currently serving members of the armed forces, such behavior is reprehensible in the extreme.
And yet, in a veteran heavy family, Trinity puts up with such shit on a regular basis.
The latest? Today she lost her health care coverage. Even better still is the list of bills that they have run up in her name. If anyone has read He Died with a Felafel in His Hand just imagine that instead of the people being your room mates in a share house, it is your own family.
Granted, they aren’t all bad. But most of them are. They treat her with complete and total lack of respect, they are abusive in the extreme and irresponsible.
They seem to get their rocks off on hurting the woman I love. And for now, boys and girls, they’ve got the upper hand on some fronts. I simply do not have the fiscal resources to cover all of the things which need coverage.
But I will grant you this. I do have the resources, the means and most important of all, the fucking willpower, to give Trinity the support she needs until she gets back up off the mat.
They’ve done one other thing they never should have done.
They’ve pissed me completely the fuck off. Which is fair enough. I am a very patient man.
Mea Culpas to my own mother
On my own front, sometimes I fall down on the job. Or I just plain miss the cues for dealing with the pople I love in my own life. My own mother, I think, had expectations for me yesterday.
I never know quite how to handle the special days. I’ve tried a number of things over the years. The Big Gift. The card. The dinner out. The treat the day as any other.
My own mother means a great deal to me and it always bothers me when she is hurt by anything I might have done, or failed to do. She has been there in my corner, supportive, standing alongside me as I struggled with one problem or another. She is the one who sent care packs to me during my time in the Persian Gulf and Korea. She is the one who called the Pentagon when a Sergeant in the Army was saying we would be extended for two years after we received mandatory retraining.
She said to one Sergeant before the Gulf War, “My son had better come back in one piece or I’m going to find you and stick a frag up your ass.”
She meant it.
My mom is the reason I am a published science fiction writer. Just this last Saturday night as we sat listening to Part One of The Limb Knitter at the Beam Me Up Podcast, she remarked on how much she liked that story.
Mom taught me a lot. Sometimes I just let her down.
SFSignal Blurbs Beam Me Up Podcast and The Limb Knitter
Just as the header says, the folks at SFSignal have blurbed my appearance in Paul Cole’s Beam Me Up Podcast. Tip of the hat to those folks. Much appreciated.
The Limb Knitter starts about thirty minutes into the podcast after the news and another short piece called Nemesis. I heartily recommend listening to the entire podcast for all of the sci-fi goodness.
Part Two of The Limb Knitter will broadcast next Saturday.
Research Project Number – 04
Well, I plan on creating a project binder for RPN – 04 this week. I review material better when it is in hard copy. By Wednesday, my time will open up completely.
I’ve sent three of the five chapters back though I should have tied 16 in with some continuity work for 17. I’ve also received Chapters 21/22 but someone else with specific expertise is working on that project.
I think that is a good thing, I might add. My knowledge only runs to certain areas and after that it starts to peter out. In this case, it is knowledge of a locale which I have not traveled to. However, I know the member of the Circle of Trust who is working on this and I suspect they’ll do a good job.
The Teaching Front
Today is the final for the eight week class. Here in a bit I’ll grade up the last of their papers and start logging grades. In fact, I’ll probably be logging grades on my laptop during the finals session. They will be turning in a take home final which covers Civil Rights and the Cold War.
I don’t know that I am expecting much out of this group. Those that perform well will continue to do so. Those that haven’t performed well probably will not improve at all.
Or they’ll get worse. I’ll have a lot of failing grades with this batch, I suspect.
On Wednesday I dole out the final to my 16 week morning class. I’m not sure what I’ll get out of my remaining twenty-six plus students. I started with thirty-nine for those that are wondering.
Yes, I weeded them down.
I did grade everyone’s extra credit over the weekend. They were to visit the Downtown KC Library during a session of Meet the Past (blogged about previously by myself and Trinity). For the most part, they performed tolerably.
After grades are punched in on Wednesday, I’m pretty much done for the semester. I won’t have any teaching, I suspect, until the Fall. There may be a substitute opportunity or two, but that’s about it.
The Student Front
I’ve got to get Terri Lowry’s paper done. It is looming over me, late and half assed. I’ve got no one to blame but myself and I should never have let this happen. It isn’t fair to Terri and it sets a shitty example to my students.
From my experiences both as a teacher and a student, I have learned that I need to reevaluate my own expectations in terms of how much writing I dole out in my own classes. Terri’s load is more than reasonable.
But I should be doing better. There is no excuse.
Battle Group Movement Imminent
Trinity and I will be moving on Friday morning. She continued to pick up gear and supplies needed for the Transition (nice WoC plug there) to The Pod. My mom packed a fair amount of my own gear to include a surplus of towels and blankets.
We’re looking forward to it.
And on that note, I have some grading to do.
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 by Paul Cole. Check it out.
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
Trinity has been talking about marriage.
Yes, the “M” word.
Folks, I’ve got to be honest. I do not understand the utility of the institution. Here is what marriage means to me.
Half. Should the marriage fail (fifty percent or more fail per year) then half what I own will no longer be my own anymore. The upshot is that I do not presently own much of anything or have any assets to take but if that ever changed, I can pretty much kiss it goodbye.
Money. Many marriages fail over money. I’ve seen significant fights develop over matters monetary. In one situtation I saw the marriage devolve into a physical confrontation where it was woman with tire iron versus man with Glock.
And if the cavalry had not arrived, the woman with the tire iron would have won that fight.
Thing is, near as I can tell, marriage as it exists in the 21st century bears very little resemblance to that story book variant of Happily Ever Afterland where it is a rainbow candy rock mountain of love and joy. We seem to have moved away from the religious significance of it as well and given that I am, at best, an apathetic agnostic who truly doesn’t understand or give a shit about religion I fail to see how it makes the relationship stronger.
Nor do I understand how getting married is an indicator of my commitment.
In fact, at the present time, I see little to recommend it and more to the point I lack the fiscal resources to make a marriage work properly. Given that I will not work certain jobs or do things which I virulently and violently disagree with (teach in public schools, teach in shithole schools is a blighted part of America, etc) I can’t see what it is that I have to offer.
Am I willing to change my mind? Possibly. It has been known to happen.
But the fact of the matter is that most marriages I have seen have either ended badly or worked badly.
I can’t see why anyone would do it to themselves. Most sensible people would not play Russian roulette with a revolver yet they’ll get married.
So Trinity isn’t happy with my lack of faith in human nature (I have faith in human nature, but mainly that it will shit all over me).
What do you think, Men and Women of the Pondering Tree? What say you?
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
Those that done said stuff