Interviewed

Posted on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 (10:23 am) by gbr.
Categories: Parenting.

Apparently, being a stay-at-home dad is still something of an oddity.  A friend of mine put a freelance writer in touch with me.  It seems she was writing an article for a new magazine called Sharp.  The article was about stay-at-home dads, how they handled the transition, what people thought about them, that sort of stuff.

Well, a couple of weeks ago she interviewed me for about a half an hour, and yesterday I got an email from the editor of the magazine asking for a family photo to run with my segment.  Cool.

I’m not sure if Sharp is available on newstands or not, but the June issue will have a bit of me in it.

[edited; 11-May-08 Link for Sharp was wrong]

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Catchup

Posted on Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 (5:00 am) by gbr.
Categories: Writing.

The blog has, once again, been quiet.  I thought I’d post some updates on whats been happening.

Last year, I closed down an incorporated company I ran since 2000.  The company took a nose dive because of 9/11, and wasn’t able to recover.  I kept it limping along until 2007, and made the decision.  Apparently, I was a bit hasty.  After a few years of being a stay-at-home dad, I got a software contract, and some money started coming in again.  So, I resurrected Majentis.  This time as a sole proprietership rather than a corporation.  The books are a bit easier and its less hassle for me in the long run.

The contract has kept me busy, on average, 8 hours a day.  That, on top of still being a stay-at-home dad and all the work that entails, has made me a fairly busy guy.  It was obvious that things had to be dropped, and they were.  The house isn’t as clean as I normally keep it, the writing stopped completely, and my normally short fuse got a bit shorter.  I’ll deal with it.

As part of ‘dealing with it’, I’ve decided that, although the income is nice to have, its not going to take over every waking moment.  So, I’m back at the laptop weekday mornings from 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM, working on the latest novel (Working title: The Courier).  Its in the revision stage right now, and you can see how the revision is going in the sidebar to the right.

I’m finding revisions on this one a bit tougher than normal.  It may be simply because the last few months of no writing have made me rusty.  I’m hoping that’s the case, since it means the flow will come back as I progress.  My goal is to have first pass revisions done by the end of May, second pass by middle/end of June, and the novel out to my beta readers by end of June.  We’ll see how well I do.

What else is new… the contract work has made me miss some of the kids school events.  I had to skip out on three co-teaching days.  Co-teaching is basically what it says, a parent comes into the classroom and helps out the teacher.  Its a great way to see where your child is in relation to the rest of the class, and how he or she interacts with the other kids.  I really enjoy doing them.   I won’t be missing anymore, no matter what pressure I get on this current contract.  The kids are, obviously, more important.

Other than a few colds, the family is healthy.  The kids are happy, the adults no so much.  Marnie is working more than I am, and has been doing so for a few months.  It’s beginning to take its toll.  But, the workload will get lighter for both of us, and the world continues to spin.

Cya next time.

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Rock Climbing in 1938

Posted on Sunday, April 20th, 2008 (8:01 am) by gbr.
Categories: Climbing.

A friend of mine that blogs, Robert L. Peters, posted some pictures and a link to a video showing rock climbing on Mt. Baldy in 1938. Definitely worth a look see.

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Sometimes you just gotta have fun…

Posted on Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 (6:07 am) by gbr.
Categories: Parenting, misc.

25

0 comments.

Arthur C. Clarke

Posted on Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 (6:22 pm) by gbr.
Categories: Writing.

Arthur C. Clarke died today at 1:30 AM, after suffering breathing problems.  He was 90 years old.  He was one of the greats.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23697230/

0 comments.

A common Thread on blog updates?

Posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 (4:24 pm) by gbr.
Categories: Writing, blog, misc.

It seems that late winter/early spring is a bad time for the blog. Last year at this time, I commented on how things were slowing down here. I wonder if it has anything to do with the ‘long winter blues’?

I do have excuses… of course. I mean, who doesn’t. The laptop fritzed out and I had to re-install the OS. Unfortunately, the install disc is so old that trying to upgrade from the install to something more recent turned into a fiasco. I ended up installing from scratch about 4 times before I figured out what I could and could not upgrade. That’s one of the pains of Gentoo/Sabayon. Oh well.

I’ve also received some contract work in the last month or so, and it took a chunk of time.

So, there ya go. Two pretty good excuses, and I didn’t have to think too hard about it!

I’ve pulled my Nano novel out of the drawer and started revisions on it. I’m keep track on a page by page basis. When my revisions are all typed in (I revise on paper), I’ll update my word count, and start revision 2.

0 comments.

Happy Chinese New Year

Posted on Thursday, February 7th, 2008 (9:13 pm) by gbr.
Categories: misc.

This year is the year of the Rat

The Rat year is a year of plenty, bringing opportunity and good prospects. It will be marked by speculation and fluctuations in the prices of commodities and the stock market; the world economy in general will boom. Business will be on the upswing, fortunes can be made and it will be an easy time to accumulate wealth. However, this is also the time to make long-term investment plans as the bonanza the year of the Rat brings will serve to see us through the bleak years that may follow. All ventures begun at this time will be successful if one prepares well. But do not take chances or unnecessary risks: the year of the Rat is still ruled by the cold of winter and the darkness of night. Those who speculate indiscriminately and overextend themselves will come to a sad reckoning.On the whole, this will be a happier year than most: free from explosive events and wars and with far less catastrophes than, say, the years of the Tiger or the Dragon.

Nonetheless, it will be spicy. It promises a lot of bickering, bargaining and petty arguments that will do little harm. A congenial time that will find most of us socializing and enjoying ourselves. [from http://www.theholidayspot.com/chinese_new_year/more_zodiacs/rat.htm]

0 comments.

Patry Francis - The Liar’s Diary Blog day

Posted on Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 (7:56 am) by gbr.
Categories: Writing, blog.

Patry’s novel is being released in paperback today. Unfortunately, she has been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and is receiving treatments. Because of this, she is unable to promote her books trade paperback release, and a number of Bloggers are banding together to do it for her.

What would you do if your best friend was murdered—and your teenaged son was accused of the crime? How far would you go to protect him? How many lies would you tell? Would you dare to admit the darkest truths—even to yourself?Jeanne Cross is an ordinary suburban wife and mother with a seemingly “perfect” life when Ali Mather arrives on the scene, breaking all the rules and breaking hearts. Almost against her will, Jeanne is drawn to this powerfully seductive woman, a fascination that soon begins to infect Jeanne’s husband as well as their teenaged son, Jamie.

Though their friendship seems unlikely and even dangerous to their mutual acquaintances, Ali and Jeanne are connected by deep emotional needs, vulnerabilities and long-held secrets that Ali has been privately recording in her diary.

The diary also holds the key to something darker. Though she can’t prove it, Ali is convinced someone has been entering her house when she is not at home-and not with the usual intentions. What this burglar wants is nothing less than a piece of Ali’s soul.

When Ali is found murdered, there are many suspects; but the evidence against Jamie Cross is overwhelming. Jeanne’s personal probing leads her to the question none of us would ever want to face. What comes first: our loyalty to family—or the truth?”

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Where has the month gone?

Posted on Friday, January 18th, 2008 (8:57 pm) by gbr.
Categories: Computers, Writing, blog.

Here it is, well into the month already, and I’m not sure where the time went.

Let’s see what I did:

  1. A lot of work on WordSlinger. I broke it adding folders to the draft/scene area, but it’s almost working now.
  2. Tore apart our bathroom and started rebuilding it. The previous owners of the house glued linoleum 4 feet up the walls, and trying to take it down destroyed the plaster and lathe walls. Doh. I also found rotten wood and some mold. Not nice.

Well, that’s it. Two items. Granted, both took a fair amount of work, and neither are finished, but still… Time to get back to a regular schedule.

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Web Pages Move

Posted on Sunday, January 6th, 2008 (1:39 pm) by gbr.
Categories: Computers, blog.

I’ve moved this web site from a Gentoo based/Apache 2 install to a new Ubuntu Server/LiteSpeed install. We are experiencing some difficulties with the transfer. If you see anything wierd not already mentioned in the comments, please leave a new comment with the particulars.

I’m still running on a virtual system, but response times should increase dramatically.

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WordSlinger 0.1.0

Posted on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008 (7:15 am) by gbr.
Categories: Computers, Writing.

Well, after a few mishaps and backtracks (yes, 2 years of being a stay at home Dad can effect ones software development skills), I've decided that my latest application is ready for Beta testing.  It took a bit longer than I thought to get to this point, but that's the way it is.

I'm now moving my current WIP into it, and we'll see how it goes.  I really wanted to get snapshots into it, but that can wait a bit. 

Watch the Video: wordslinger-010.htm

 

 Images:

 

 
 

 

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‘Tis the Season

Posted on Thursday, December 27th, 2007 (10:21 am) by gbr.
Categories: misc.

I'd like to say, now that my 'Holiday Season' is over, that I hope everyone enjoyed the absolute best of the season.  And I wish only the best to you and yours in the New Year.

0 comments.

What a Month

Posted on Sunday, December 23rd, 2007 (8:58 am) by gbr.
Categories: Computers, Writing.

December has turned into one of the busiest months I've had in a long time.  With all the Christmas stuff happening, include school concerts, shopping, etc, it was tough.  On top of that, I stopped writing novels and wrote some software instead. 

My previous post showed a screen shot, and things were actually working pretty good at that point.  But, the devil is in the details.  I now have something to send to Linux beta testers, but the Mac and the Windows version have a bug or two.  One of them may be related, but I have a Mac bug I'm not sure what I can do about.  At this point, I'm dieing to get back to writing, so progress on the code will slow down.  

Still, the Linux version is in a state I can use it, and that's why I wrote it.  I'll use it to outline and write my next novel.  I'm also thinking of moving my current WIP (work in progress) into it, and see how I can use it for revision.  Hmmm, I'll have to add snapshots…

Anyway, that's taken a lot of my time as well.  Oh, and my wife noticed that when I code, I tend to get very snappish and angry, which bleeds over into regular life.   When I write, that doesn't happen.  Cool. 

0 comments.

Post Nano Update

Posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 (10:17 am) by gbr.
Categories: Computers, Writing.

When NaNoWriMo was over (for me), I didn't know what to do.  I'd been in 'the groove' for so long, my days felt empty.  I had a lot of normal work to catch up on, but once I did…

So, I decided it was time to write some software.  I wrote what I consider an Integrated Development Environment for writers.  Previously I looked at Scrivener, Writer's Cafe and yWriter.  All of which looked good, especially Scrivener.   Still, I wanted my own thing, it's what I do.  I also use Linux for my day-to-day work, and none of these products run on Linux (except Writer's Cafe).

I now have a basic application that is character/scene oriented.  Here's a screenshot: (click for larger image)

screenshot-wordslinger-3.png

The user basically enters characters and their related information.  You can also enter locations where your scenes take place.  Once a user is entered, they get a 'timeline' on the corkboard.  As a scene is added and given a characters POV, they are given an index card on the corkboard.  Each card has information related to the scene associated with it, including the text of the scene itself.  Also, each card can be moved to anywhere on the timeline, and even to another character.  The entire novel can be rearranged at will.

When editing a scene, the text editor can be made full screen, with no outside distractions.  I used Q10 for this during Nano, and I loved it. 

All information is stored in standard files, so if a user decides not to use the software, no data is lost.  Also, the entire novel can be exported as a whole, for import into a word processor.

It's not done yet, but it's getting usable!  All this runs under Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.

 

0 comments.

What does it look like?

Posted on Monday, November 26th, 2007 (5:04 pm) by gbr.
Categories: Writing.

Here it is, about 70,000 words in manuscript format:

 

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