Comatose Spider Bait

I have been sleeping a lot lately. I had a good and busy Thursday at my volunteer position but since then I have been rather comatose. Now sleep is a good thing but I may be overdoing it a bit. I will have to find more things to do.

I have been dreaming. If dreaming was exercise I would be quite fit this week. One dream in particular would have caused me to lose some weight. In that dream I tried to dislodge a large Tarantula-like spider from my left hand. At first I tried coercion and tricks and then I attacked it with my right hand. My left hand was paralyzed and useless. As I began to win the fight I woke up and realized I had fallen asleep with my left hand under my head. The hand and my forearm were numb.

I guess the 'spider' was 'in my head' in more ways than one.

Just Say No To Viruses

Here I am checking my email while waiting for my dinner to cook and I find a suspicious piece of spam - again. For the third time this week I have received an email from "Microsoft" warning me to 'Apply This Patch Immediately'. I delete this virus launcher and check for a virus scan update - again. My files are current.

I am a little ticked off because this is my personal email address - which is only given to people who supposably know how to avoid viruses. Somebody, somewhere, screwed up and I get the spam. Many people have the latest 'dat files' because their virus scanner is on automatic update. However they haven't scheduled a scan time so their system never gets checked!

Maybe we need a computer competency test - something like a drivers licence test.

Giggles Galore

I woke up from a nap after a busy day and decided to do my usual computer rituals. There were 2 suspect emails in my Inbox so I deleted them, updated my virus files and did a scan. Everything was fine. I then checked the news and read my favourite blogs and diaries. That's when my mind went into gigglespace.

I won't rehash all the stories but I will say that I laughed several times when reading golfwidow, cabin-boy, and trance-jen. It is great to see people dealing with life with a sense of humor. Problems seem smaller when we can laugh at them.

I shared some gigglespace Thursday morning when I discovered Rate My Puppy. I emailed a link to one of the pictures to my bosses puppy.

The puppy may not understand but my boss will.

Gigglespace, the final frontier...

Upcheer And Cute Critters

I checked out Golfwidow's diary as I usually do and giggled at her upcheer for today. With pictures like this I tend to go "aaaaw cute kitty!".

Sometimes I will go to 'Shamanism Working With Animal Spirits' and look at the pictures or set one as my wallpaper for a few days. The opening screen is great if you have the sound turned on. For a really 'aaw gee' response turn to the section called 'Our Baby Book'.

Indians, Faeries, And Corpses

The last few days have been good for reading. In fact I finished two books in the last two days!

Yesterday I finished 'India: a History' by John Keay. I really liked this book and learned a lot from it. The last two chapters dealt with the growth of the independence movement, Independence and what has occurred since then. The information was interesting and heart rending at the same time. The partition of British India into India and Pakistan caused so much tragedy. Millions of people moved to one country or the other and many massacres took place. Neither country is satisfied with partition - especially relating to Kashmir - and this leads to fighting between them. Eventually they will have to learn to live with each other.

I wanted something light and fun to read next so I read 'Stardust' by Neil Gaiman. This delightful fairy tale about a man looking for a gift for his 'true love' kept me smiling and laughing. It is a fun book and it is easy to read. I will put a '+' beside it when I add it to my book list. I just finished it.

I was rooting around the first floor at Russells Books and I found 'Look At The Sky: Death In Cultures Around The World' by Shawn Haley. This morbid sounding book looks interesting. It will serve to feed my anthropological curiosity and provide useful ideas for my fiction writing. If all else fails I can read it again at Halloween.

Ring Around The Template

I am pleased with the changes to my template. The only unexpected change was adding the 'note' to my diaryrings page. I got frustrated because I got some dead links when I tried the 'random' buttons and the 'previous' buttons on both rings lead to people who didn't add the links to their diaries - i.e. they are dead ends. It seems selfish to join a ring so people can find you but not include links so people can be 'discovered' through you.

A person following the diaryring links may find some interesting diaries. More importantly, people may find my diary.

All of this work on the template makes me more comfortable writing here. I am making this 'my place' on the web. These additions will be useful if I go the 'vanity route' and submit my diary to Diary Reviews.

Links and Diaryrings

(May 2004 Note: This was my original links page. I decided not to include hyperlinks.)

Links

Journal Links

Golfwidow - is always fun to read.

hoshq.com - Andrew writes well and takes great pictures. He has travelled to some of the same places I have.

Umm ... would you go to bed with me? - The unusual title attracted me to Cheyne's blog. His writing and pictures have kept me returning ever since.

Book and Writing Links

Pieces of You - is a writing group I have joined.

The 100 Books Club - 100 Books? - I may reach that number by the end of this year.

The Book Review Blog - is another booklover's blog.

Diaryrings

Note: There are many broken links in these diaryrings. The random button does work. I have added these rings to show my affiliations and to provide another way for potential readers to find my diary.

Book Addict - previous - random - next
Nightwriters - previous - random - next
Writers - previous - random - next

Sunshine, Books, and Diaries

Sunshine

It was very sunny yesterday and I went for a walk after I got my shopping done. I walked around parts of James Bay and then went to the Inner Harbour. On the causeway a large crowd was gathered around a juggler. Smaller groups were gathered around other performers and artists. On the water the harbour ferries were making their runs.

I looked at a sailing ship called Concordia docked at Ships Point and then went to Orange Julius for a cold drink. After that I went prowling around the bookstores.

As I walked around I kept thinking how much I like this city. I may write an entry called 'Reasons I Like Victoria'.

Books

On Tuesday I went to Bolen Books in Hillside Mall. Because it is a big store I made sure I had lots of time to browse. There were a number of books that looked interesting but I managed to select two to buy. I got 'Understanding Dreams' by The Diagram Group and 'The Gutenberg Revolution' by John Man. The latter is about the invention of the printing press.

Bolen's will host Charles De Lint in September and I may go see him. I like his stories - especially the ones based in the fictional city of Newford. My only reservation is that I haven't read anything of his in a while. His books - as he has grown in popularity - seem to go from hardcover to trade paperbacks only. I hate paying $20 for a novel. I guess I could go to the library...

Yesterday I visited Munro's and Chapters. I didn't buy anything but rather confirmed some ideas for future purchases. I had a laugh when I realized the types of scientific/history titles that attracted my attention. My love of knowledge made me look at: 'Mosquito', 'Fly', 'Water', and 'Salt'. These titles remind me of encyclopedia articles I read as a boy. Once a nerd, always a nerd.

Links: Bolen Books, Chapters, Munro's Books

Diaries

I am adding some favourite diaries to my profile. Cabin-boy is fun to read. I got his diary from Golfwidow's. Picklebrains writes interesting stories. I kept an eye on his site and noticed that he is posting again. Laura-jane added me to her favourites. I checked out her diary and ended up reading quite a few months worth of entries.

Masks (A Little Bit About Me)

I really enjoy my privacy and usually don't like unexpected intrusions. This is my way of coping with living in a city full of distractions. Furthermore, I have had problems with people harassing me. I wasn't exactly stalked but the feelings on my part were the same. For these reasons I decided to use a pseudonym when I started this diary.

I thought that some information would be useful for a reader. Here is my 'about page'.

1. I have nearly died twice. Once by drowning in a river and once when I caught pneumonia.

2. I love dogs. I don't think anyone should own one unless they have the time and money to take care of it.

3. When I was a kid my favourite books to read were encyclopedias.

4. I keep hoping that my hairline is affected by the moon. I miss high tide!

5. Sometimes I write a lot of poetry. However, whenever I decide to get serious about it and buy a 'how to write poetry' book - my creativity dries up.

6. I have travelled more in Europe than I have in Canada.

7. The only trophy I have ever won was for sled dog racing.

8. I have a university degree.

9. When asked whether I believe in God I respond by asking:"Which one?". There are so many to choose from and so little time.

10. I love Victoria. I have lived here for over ten years.

11. Words fascinate me. I marvel at how people can communicate by speech and writing.

12. I think one of the greatest inventions ever was the latte.

13. I am male.

14. Except for medication and caffeine I don't use any narcotic - including television.

Book List

I have decided to keep a list of books I have read since I started this diary. This will be an interesting way to keep track of my reading habits. The books are listed under Fiction and Nonfiction and consist of five sets of information. The information consists of:

Title:
Author:
Genre: (for fiction only) e.g. science fiction (SF), horror, etc.
Date Completed: (for books read in July, and early August, 2003, just the month will be listed).
Comments: usually just (r) if I reread a book I read before, and/or (+) if I really liked the book and/or (-) if I didn't.

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Fiction

The Tommyknockers / Stephen King / Horror / July

Tribesmen Of Gor / John Norman / SF / July / r

Tarra Khash: Hrossak / Brian Lumley / Fantasy / July

Hegira / Greg Bear / SF / July

Midnight At The Well Of Souls / Jack L. Chalker / SF / July / r

Exiles At The Well Of Souls / Jack L. Chalker / SF / July

Quest For The Well Of Souls / Jack L. Chalker / SF / August

American Gods / Neil Gaiman / Fantasy / August 10 / +

Stardust / Neil Gaiman / Fantasy / August 25 / +

The Return Of Count Electric / William Browning Spencer / Dark Fantasy - Horror / August 30 / +

Resume With Monsters / William Browning Spencer / Dark Fantasy - Horror / September 6 / r / +

On / Adam Roberts / SF/ September 9 / +

Heart Of Darkness / Joseph Conrad /character study (?) / September 11

The Phantom Of the Opera / Gaston Leroux / Horror / September 13 / +

Frankenstein / Mary Shelley / SF - Horror / September 15 / r / +

Dracula / Bram Stoker / Horror / September 18 / r / +

Great Expectations / Charles Dickens / - / October 7

The Repentant / various / Horror Anthology / October 11

The Years Of Rice And Salt / Kim Stanley Robinson / SF / October 23

The Gunslinger / Stephen King / Fantasy / October 28

The Drawing Of The Three / Stephen King / Fantasy / November 1

The Waste Lands / Stephen King / Fantasy / November 6

Wizard And Glass / Stephen King / Fantasy / November 15

Night Shift / Stephen King / Horror / November 20

The Store / Bentley Little / Horror / November 24

Crossroads Of Twilight / Robert Jordan / Fantasy / December 3

The Thief Of Aways / Clive Barker / Fantasy / December 5

Doctor Jekyll And Mr Hyde (and other stories) / R. L. Stevenson / - / December 6

Fire Time / Poul Anderson / SF / December 12

The Hellbound Heart / Clive Barker / Horror / December 20

The Engines Of God / Jack McDevitt / SF / December 21 / +

Headhunter / Michael Slade / Horror / December 23

1632 / Eric Flint / SF / December 26 / +

1633 / Eric Flint – David Weber / SF / December 31

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Nonfiction

Editing Canadian English / Various Authors / August 8

India: A History / John Keay / August 24 / +

Look At The Sky / Shawn Haley / September 2

Understanding Dreams / The Diagram Group / September 13

The Gutenberg Revolution / John Man / December 15 / +

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This list continues with Book List 2004.

Repeat Offender/I Don't Like Mondays

Repeat Offender

After I wrote yesterday's entry I couldn't sleep so I played a game of 'Age Of Empires' and surfed the net. My computer locked up when I was viewing a website so I ran some security checks after I rebooted. I sat in my Lay-z-boy waiting for the tests to complete and fell asleep. I woke up around nine a.m. and went to bed.

Life is weird.

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I Don't Like Mondays

I don't like Mondays. For some reason I have gotten into the habit of catching up on sleep on Mondays whether the weekend has been eventful or not. Habits can be difficult to break - especially if you have no reason to break them. Since I am not working right now, and won't be for the foreseeable future, it doesn't matter if I waste the day away. I still feel a little guilty when I 'slum' on Mondays.

In the Halls Of Hypnos

I woke up to find myself on the Lay -z- boy. I guess I was a lot more tired than I thought.

My weekend consisted mainly of reading 'India: A History' by John Keay. I am really enjoying the book and I am learning a lot. For instance, I never knew that in ancient and medieval times there were small republics along the Ganges and that guilds were important patrons of Buddhist monasteries. Right now I am reading about the early Muslim incursions into India.

I bought 'Stardust' by Neil Gaiman at a used bookstore the other day but I haven't started it yet. I want to finish 'India: A History' first. Usually I can read nonfiction concurrently with fiction but in this case the book by Keay is so engaging that I don't feel like I want or need to.

Sunday morning some friends and I went out for dim sum and then later we had a visit. Sometimes firemind does visit with live people.

Well I think it is time to re-enter the temple of Hypnos and see if I can borrow some of his sleep dust. Maybe Morpheus (god of dreams) will take me on a wild ride to some exotic locale.

Good night.

Dream: The Wild Boy

I had a weird dream Saturday morning about a dreamer who has to fight his enemies in both the dream world and while he is awake. While awake the teen and his old black dog (Blacky) have to put up with his aunt Sarah who is a bitch. (She has strangely coiffured black hair.) In the dream world he is a hero and so is the dog.

In the dream world he is 'The Wild Boy' a naked youth accompanied by a sentient black dog (called Dog). They are respected fighters against 'Rasha the Medusa' and the 'stone dwarves' (who turn to stone in sunlight).

One of The Wild Boy's allies is 'The Keeper Of The Board'. The Keeper protects and interprets the signs on the magic map board. The 'board' is like a radar screen in that actions within a certain distance of the board can be seen as drawings on the board.

The war against the stone - dwarves goes well until Rasha sides with them. She can turn enemies to stone so the spirits of dead dwarves can possess them and infiltrate the allies armies. The allies begin to lose the war.

The Wild Boy learns that Rasha is Sarah. In the world of the awake he gets some mischievous young cousins to substitute hair remover for her hair tonic. Sarah is devastated/embarrassed and leaves town (making his life easier). In the dream world the newly bald Rasha is powerless to help the dwarves and they lose the war and retreat back under the earth.

---

This dream was fun and very detailed.

Music, Books and Geography

I was looking at music cds yesterday. I used to buy lots of New Age music years ago. This slowed down for a number of reasons. I listened to a lot of music to calm down after work. When I got laid off I didn't need as much stress relief. Another factor was that I no longer could afford to buy cds.

When I got my first computer I had another entertainment source so I never really got back into music. I listen to music now and again but rarely buy new cds.

Music soothes the Savage Beast. I guess I am not savage lately.

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I stopped in a bookstore yesterday but didn't buy anything. I was going out for dinner and didn't want to carry anything. I looked at a book on Ancient Egyptian Religion and set it back on the shelf. It was picked up by a young boy of eight or so. He opened the book to the map page and said, "Giza, I know about Giza!" His little brother asked, "What's Giza?" The older boy said, "That's where the 'Leaning Tower' is." I had to laugh. Giza sounds enough like Pisa. According to books like "Pullet Surprises" the boy is on par with the average high school or university student.

Browsing For Books

I was browsing the bookstores on Friday and found a number of titles that looked interesting. I initially checked Russell Books (a used bookstore) for the remaining Well World novels but I could only find the last one and not #4 which I needed. I checked Munro's and Coles and Chapters but they didn't have the book I wanted.

As I looked for the novels I also looked for nonfiction books in the fields of history, mythology, paganism, religion and writing. I found a number of titles that looked interesting. I will return to the bookstores this week and buy some of them. My mind is craving "anthropological themes" - it does from time to time.

I looked at cheap classics on sale at Chapters but I played it safe and decided on contemporary fiction. The book I eventually bought was American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I liked 'Neverwhere' but it wasn't a "classic" for me. What made American Gods stand out was that I knew there was a diaryring associated with it. It looked interesting and it was popular so I got it.

All this work paid off this weekend. I read, slept, ate, read, slept...you get the picture. I finished American Gods today and loved it. It was fantastic. The characters, and the themes really pulled me into the story. The writing kept me there. The book was 'the right novel' at the right time.

Browsing for books can be so satisfying. The results are wonderful.

Sunshine And Puppy Poop

Today was a little bizarre. I was at my volunteer location and noticed that my boss' dog needed to go outside. Since this little ball of fur is my friend I welcomed the chance to take her for a walk. The puppy pulled hard on the leash and we were off. We walked for a bit and then the dog decides to do her business. Luckily we were on public property because I forgot to bring a plastic bag.

Well puppy humps up and grunts and poops on her furry tail. She then goes spastic trying to dislodge the turd. Meanwhile I am trying to find something to help the dog while not getting any doggy doo on me. A handy pinecone did the job. Just then a woman's voice said, "Do you need a bag?" and I replied: "Oh yes please!"

I got the dog settled down and her tail reasonable clean. I then cleaned the mess and found a garbage can. We continued to walk but headed back to the office because it was so hot. When we got inside I cleaned her tail with paper towel.

Who says volunteer jobs aren't exciting.

Rip Van Winkle

I feel like Rip Van Winkle. All I have been doing since my last entry is sleep, eat, and play computer games. Of the three sleep has been the biggest waster of time. I did need some sleep but probably not that much. I am not worried about it; I just wonder if my body is saying it needs some excitement.

When I sleep for long periods I have complex and often lucid dreams. Sometimes I can feel myself trying to stay asleep to find out what happens next in the story. This last bout of sleep was a little like that but the dreams weren't anything special - at least what I can remember.

I am glad I am not like Rip in one sense however: I haven't slept through anything important. I volunteer today and I am looking forward to it. I only volunteer once a week. I can sleep anytime.

Alone In The Night

Here I sit wide - eyed in the wee hours of the morning looking for a way to quit brooding. The news about Axel put a damper on an already slow day. Other than read and play computer games I haven't accomplished much.

I have been having difficulty getting the latest issue of my newsletter done and sent out. Part of me wants to include a long article about my trip. Part of me says:" The trip was for me - not anyone else." Sometimes I try to work everything into the newsletter. Part of the problem is that I write almost all of the content. People have contributed in the past and some have offered articles but I seem reluctant to accept their help.

I had hoped that the holiday would give me energy to devote to the newsletter. When I got back I had ideas but no enthusiasm. After a year of editing I may be tired of the whole project. In the next couple of weeks I will think about what to do.

I am enthusiastic about one thing however - I like writing in this diary. It gives me a place to work with ideas and express them. I can take raw unformed thoughts and work them into something. The result may be fluff or it may be good. In either case it is an expression of my creativity.

I have always enjoyed writing. I would create fantasy or science fiction worlds by the dozen. I would create characters and tell their tales or place them in these worlds and discover what happened next. Essays on a wide variety of topics would fill pages in my journals. Poems would be penned on scraps of paper and transferred or taped into my journals. My pen was seldom out of my hand.

The best thing about this early writing was that it for me. I wrote what I wanted when I wanted. The subjects were as broad as needed. My newsletter has a narrow focus over all. Furthermore I am not only doing this for myself but for my readers. As my interest waxes and wanes I feel guilty for not "putting enough into it". I have to rediscover the fun part of my newsletter so that it feels right for me.

So I sit here alone in the night. I am working through problems the best way I know how - by writing about them.

© firemind

Goodbye Axel

Axel the service - dog had to be put to sleep. In the end he kept trying to do his job.

I am torn up inside.

Books, Links, Writing and Writer's Block

I am reading the 'Well World' series by Jack L. Chalker. I had read the first book years ago but never finished the series. This time I will read them all. Since I am doing all this reading I have decided to record what I read. I will make a 'Firemind's Book List' entry that can be linked to from the sidebar. I will update the page each time I read a book.

Both fiction and nonfiction will be listed in the book list. The first nonfiction listed may be "Editing Canadian English" which I bought yesterday. I needed a good book about Canadian English to help me when writing and editing. The book has many ideas that are interesting and it shows how to document sources such as Internet sites.

Other sidebar links I am thinking about include '© firemind' and 'Links'. The former would connect to the entry of the same name and the latter would connect to a Links page featuring non-diaryland weblogs.

All of these links will be integrated around the same time as I begin working on another diary. This diary may be called 'Firetales' and will contain my fiction writing. I got the idea after reading some of picklebrains stories. I won't include my old material from my paper diaries and workbooks. The old material isn't bad but I don't want to rehash any ideas. I want to write stories not edit them!

This entry has helped me deal with some of the writer's - block I was facing. I didn't get any work done on other projects but at least I don't feel frustrated. The periodic writer's - block in my work projects will have to be dealt with. For now, I will just note that it exists.