So I just got a part-time day job with Monsanto, here in the Des Moines area. My brother-in-law works as a scientist there, so he was able to connect me with the right people. It’s basically a warehouse job, handling all the shipping and receiving as well as the inventory. The hours are perfect, the job… Continue reading New day job, new routine
Tag: family
A fascinating journey of discovery
I had a really fascinating experience last year that has turned into something of a journey of discovery. It’s still ongoing, and I’m sure it will affect my writing in years to come. It started with family history. Long time readers of this blog will know that I’ve been interested in family history for some time.… Continue reading A fascinating journey of discovery
The Decline and Fall of Fandom and the Hugo Awards
Lately, I’ve taken a serious interest in family history. A huge amount of records have gone online in the past decade, making it far easier to trace your ancestors. Before that, my father was able to trace the Vasicek line to the Czech lands (places with cool names like Frenštát, Vratimov, Trojanovice, Staříč, etc), but… Continue reading The Decline and Fall of Fandom and the Hugo Awards
The Self-Sufficient Writer: How I Got Started
One of the best things my father ever did for me was tell me that when I graduated from college, I was on my own. No more rent money or financial support from my parents—I had to become financially independent, and I had to do it soon. I had a rather unusual college experience. I… Continue reading The Self-Sufficient Writer: How I Got Started
A cast iron birthday!
So my 30th birthday is this month, and my parents gave me what may quite possibly prove to be the best birthday present ever: the family’s old cast iron skillet! These things are AWESOME for cooking–they heat evenly, hold warmth for a long time, have a better non-stick surface than teflon (if you care for… Continue reading A cast iron birthday!
Short Blitz #7: Starchild
Title: Starchild Genre: Space Opera Word Count: 3,000 Writing Time: about two weeks I haven’t trimmed or polished this story yet, but I’m calling it at 3,000 words. If I were stricter about following Heinlein’s rules, I would only give it a proofreading pass, but with shorts I’ve heard that it’s best to cut out… Continue reading Short Blitz #7: Starchild
Trope Tuesday: Foolish sibling, responsible sibling
Whenever you’ve got two characters who interact with each other a lot, chances are that one is a foil of the other. There are a lot of reasons for this, but the big reason is that it helps to highlight certain character traits by providing contrast. Because the contrast is the important thing, the relationship… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Foolish sibling, responsible sibling
Back in Provo!
Wow, do pageviews drop off sharply if you don’t blog for a while. So after spending the last couple of weeks visiting family across the country–literally across the country, from Massachusetts to Iowa–I’m back here in good old Provo, Utah, surrounded by the mountains once again (I can just hear my grandma … “what’s so… Continue reading Back in Provo!
And now for a little Minecraft…
I call it Teotihuacan. The temples each have a base of 31×31 blocks and a height of 13 blocks, with the topmost level a 7×7 square. They are spaced kitty corner five blocks diagonally, in a sort of equilateral quadrangle. The biome is actually a swamp; I added the jungle trees later for effect. The… Continue reading And now for a little Minecraft…
Oh hey! Happy Thanksgiving!
Funny how holidays creep up on you when you’re in a foreign country. We have Friday off here in Georgia, due to an Orthodox religious holiday. I’ll probably head east and check out the Stalin museum, maybe Mtskheta and Qazbegi depending on the weather. A friend of mine in Tbilisi said she’d get me a… Continue reading Oh hey! Happy Thanksgiving!