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[Dec. 29th, 2009|11:55 pm] |
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| Happy 45th Birthday to the original Starship Enterprise! |
[Dec. 29th, 2009|08:34 pm] |
Thanks to a friend pointing me to a message board posting, I get to recognize this noteworthy anniversary before it slips past.
On December 29th, 1964 - forty-five years ago today - the original filming model of the U.S.S. Enterprise was delivered to the workshop of Richard C. Datin, Jr. Datin oversaw the efforts of craftsmen Mel Keys, Vernon Sion, and Volmer Jensen as they constructed the 11-foot "miniature" from a 1-foot prototype Datin himself built. After taking possession of the model, Datin would make a few minor adjustments prior to its use during the filming of the original Star Trek series' first pilot, "The Cage." He subsequently would make alterations to the model for the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," and again once the show sold to NBC and filming began on the series' first season.
CLICK TO ENLARGE (L-R: Richard C. Datin, Jr. Mel Keys, Vernon Sion)
As most folks know, the model has been on display off and on in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. It originally hung in one of the first-level galleries during the late 1970s and early-mid 1980s.
 
(Click to enlarge.)
After a major restoration it was displayed as part of a temporary Star Trek exhibit during the mid 1990s. These days, it can be found on display in the lower level of the museum's main gift store.
Given that physical model work for film and television is pretty much obsolete, it's hard for me to imagine that in twenty years I might enjoy anything for a computer-generated spaceship that rivals the nostalgia I feel for artifacts like the original Enterprise. It may not be the sexiest ride out there, but it'll always be my favorite.
Happy Birthday, Big E! |
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| Counterstrike page corrections...done! |
[Dec. 29th, 2009|08:46 am] |
Even with the holiday madness, I still managed to find time to read through the first-pass pages for Counterstrike. For those wondering, first-pass pages mean that the manuscript has been typeset, and it's printed 2-up on the page, looking pretty much what it will look like when it's printed up as a real, honest-to-goodness book.
Considering we're talking about just shy of 500 pages, the number of corrections I had were pretty small, and there was nothing in the way of crazy editing/changing/rewriting/etc. I guess I got all of that out of my system when I read the copyedited manuscript last month.
We're almost there, boys and girls! Barring one other piece of housekeeping with respect to some pages which will go in the front, the next time I see this thing, it'll be on the shelf at a local bookstore!
Now, if the planets would just align properly for the next month or so, I can turn and burn on Paths of Disharmony.
Yep. Probably just jinxed the whole damned thing. |
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| Tuesday Tuneup |
[Dec. 29th, 2009|07:57 am] |
* The biggest weakness in my novel so far is the lack of setting descriptions. I can see the scene in my head as I read back through the manuscript, but for the reader who has no idea what I'm referencing, it's going to be tough. I've been making notes that I need "more here" and "descriptions lack". That's not necessarily a bad thing as descriptions and setting the scenes are easy enough to go back and add in.
* I know where it comes from, too. It's my attempt at 'not writing the parts that readers skip over' as defined by Elmore Leonard. It's also my desire to draw as few lines as possible to define characters and settings to allow the reader to insert himself/herself into the story. It's a lot to ask a reader to suspend disbelief when she's reading, and it's more to ask her to identify with a particular character. That's my goal, though.
* So as I'm editing through this first pass, I have to draw enough of the scene and the character so that the reader can do this and then there won't be 'parts that readers skip over'. This is the learning curve. Until I'm getting more feedback from readers, I won't know if I'm doing it or not. Until I start sending out stories for publication consideration, anyway.
* To help me with this, I need to map out the floorplan of the house my main character lives in and then maybe five or six facts about it. Then I will struggle with whether or not I need to use character sheets. (Ugh.)
* Regardless, I need to get back to writing.
* In the comments, tell me how your favorite writer handles the 'parts you might skip when reading', the long descriptions that solidify the story's world. |
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[Dec. 28th, 2009|11:55 pm] |
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| Monday Musing |
[Dec. 28th, 2009|08:13 am] |
Down the home stretch to the end of the year, now. Here's a list of things on tap for the week:
* The Annual Sinus Infection is really winding down. I'm on the last day's worth of medication and while the cough isn't nearly as terrible as it was, I'll be glad when it's gone, too.
* I'm fifty pages into editing OverTime and there's not a lot of red changes yet. I don't expect that trend to continue, but it's nice so far. Actually about 25 pages or so more would begin the parts where I knew there would be issues with the story, and rather than actually deal with it now I was going to just set the book aside. I suppose I should stop complaining about it and just do the work.
* I'm really tired of shoveling snow. I wish the folks who are in charge of getting the snow removed from my parking lots would put the effort into actually clearing the parking places. Eight inches of snow is really hard to run your car into, so instead there are cars lining both sides of the now very narrow drive that takes us out to the street. I'm hoping that happens today. There's no excuse to not clear parking spaces. Especially since there are folks heading back to work today. I've actually cleared four spaces with help from our neighbors.
* The sun is out and that will help melt some of the snow. Still, we'll end up with what Mrs. Ajasont refers to as 'polar ice caps' in the parking lot until March now.
* I really want to see THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS when it comes here. I hope it comes here.
* Time now to de-clutter everything. The office, especially. Time to let a lot of things just GO. Comic books, books I won't be reading again, toys and stuff that have just accumulated.
* I need to buy the Grizzly Bear record that came out this year. It just sounds too cool and I need to figure out how to keep up with music since my buddies I once relied on are now blogging about other things.
* I see that I never published my resolutions for 2009. I wonder what caused me to not do that. Maybe it was actually just doing what I intended to do. I don't know that I need to talk about things like that here, but for sure what I want to do is write more, lose the weight and sell a short story. De-cluttering my workspaces is also high up on the list there.
* For what the world has in store in 2010, I'd like the American public to demand and actually appreciate Honesty. In the way stories are reported by the media, in the way that we react to that reporting, we do not appreciate Honesty. We need to focus on making honest money and not just the fast kind. The more we do this, the better off we are and the easier it is to hold our representatives accountable for what they do. So for America, Honesty is the word of the year. I should think so any way.
* I'll also stop the Day of the Week Alliterative Titles after December 31. I just wanted to get myself back into actually using the LiveJournal and that was how I could do it. Probably won't increase the blogging, but at least I'm back into typing things here. This is valuable as I go forward. I'll share what I'm working on, what I'm reading and the odd bit of what's stuck in my head, too. This may be politics, music or TV or film, but don't let that get to you. It won't be often.
* Reading the third Felix Castor book by Mike Carey, DEAD MEN'S BOOTS and finding it just as entertaining and inspiring as the first two, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW and VICIOUS CIRCLE. Carey is one of the best comic book writers out there and if you're going to the shop every week to get your funnybooks, you should be reading THE UNWRITTEN every month. Don't wait for the trade, read it monthly. Then go to your library and try his prose stuff. End of Mike Carey pimping.
* I don't know if I'll get back here before Friday, so Happy New Year everyone. 2009 was good for me creatively and personally and I hope that you see an improvement in 2010. More peace, more wine, more enjoyment and happiness certainly would make it a good one, wouldn't it? |
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[Dec. 27th, 2009|11:55 pm] |
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| Bucs 20 - Saints 17. |
[Dec. 27th, 2009|07:52 pm] |
"...I'd giggle like a little school girl if the Bucs could play the spoiler role next Sunday."
I said that last Sunday when writing about the Bucs-Seahawks game (which the Bucs won, 24-7).
Looks like Santa granted me a belated Christmas wish!
The Saints were heavily favored going into the game. Drew Brees is having a damned solid year, and the team had already locked up the NFC South Division. They were hunting for home-field advantage in the playoffs and a first-round bye, so there was no way they'd ease off the gas pedal, particularly with the wayward Bucs coming to town.
For a while, everything was proceeding exactly to that script, with the Saints rolling to an early 17-0 lead with scores on the their first three drives. Throw in a couple of picks by Bucs QB Josh Freeman, and it looks like a recipe for a typical Bucs game this season.
Then, shit changed.
Nothing happened, score-wise, in the 3rd quarter, thanks in large part to the Bucs defense stepping it up a notch yet again. Ever since head coach Raheem Morris took over defensive coordinator duties, the Tampa D has been showing signs of their former, formidable self. Throw in some special teams AwesomeSauce in the form of a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown, and we've got some stuff to jabber about. The Saints had a chance to ice the game late in regulation, but kicker Garrett Hartley shanked one wide -- way wide -- left to keep the Bucs in it. Overtime came and the Bucs won the coin toss, and proceeded to march right down the field on the opening drive, followed by their kicker, Connor Barth, booting one through the uprights from 47 yards out.
(There are folks out there who think the overtime rules should be changed to give both offenses a chance to score. Having watched the Bucs lose more than a couple of overtime games over the years, my thoughts on this remain simple: Want the ball? Your defense has to stop the other team's offense and force a punt or a turnover, just like they do the rest of the game. Suck it up, or go play golf. I hear there's an opening on the tournament circuit these days, with some sweet endorsement deals to go with it.)
So, the Bucs got to derail the Saints' playoff plans, perhaps only by a week but possibly for good, and they've won two in a row. Their last game is at home against Atlanta. It'd be nice to see them finish out the season on a winning streak, unlike last year when they imploded. |
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| My own twist on the "Year End Meme." |
[Dec. 27th, 2009|03:14 pm] |
As 2009 winds down and with The Year We Make Contact* waiting in the wings, I've been seeing folks across my friends list doing the "year end meme," where they post info on the first LJ entry they wrote for each month of the previous year.
Since a review of my 2009 archive shows the entries on the first of each month to be rather boring, I've opted to give my version of the meme my own twist: My "favorite" entry from each month:
January: "Spock's Brain," from the prematurely cancelled series Star Trek: The Facebook Voyages.
February: I fucking hate vampires.
March: A tie - Finally being able to announce Counterstrike, and my wife kicks ass.
April: Announcing the author line-up for the Space Grunts anthology.
May: Indoctrinating my youngest daughter to the ways of the Trek.
June: Fueled by Doug Drexler on his blog, I get all nostalgic for the original Enterprise filming model.
July: The landing of Apollo 11 on the moon, as relayed via Twitter on the occasion of its 40th anniversary.
August: Trying to make sense of the new Star Trek timeline(s).
September: Thoughts on the movie Taking Chance.
October: Ruminations on how to succeed as a freelance writer.
November: Addy gettin' her Nerd on.
December: 17 movies I watch over and over.
So, there you go, my 2009 LJ in Review.
* = C'mon, nerds. Show me whatchoo got. |
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| The Marine 2...really? |
[Dec. 27th, 2009|02:21 pm] |
I recall watching The Marine on DVD a couple of years ago, thanks to my wife borrowing it from one of her friends at work. Setting aside the obvious jokes about the film being a showcase for a WWE wrestler, I knew it was going to be one of those hilariously bad movies within the first two minutes, when "the Marine's" uniform was comprised of equal parts Marine and Army components.
It was all downhill from there.
And now I'm seeing ads for a straight-to-DVD sequel, subtly titled The Marine 2.
What the hell? Really?
First, the easy question: How bad does a movie have to be that John Cena passes on it? He was the title character in the original, but the sequel instead stars another WWE wrestler, Ted DiBiasi, Jr. According to Amazon.com's description (which makes it out to be a shameless Die Hard clone, swapping the Nakatomi Tower for a tropical resort), the two movies have no connection other than their titles, which is always a sure sign of quality comin' right at ya. From the ads I've seen, it's apparent that the people behind this epic yarn have taken a commitment to accuracy on the military side of things as seriously as those behind the original flick.
Sounds like something I'll watch if my wife borrows it from her friend (whom we miraculously didn't disown after borrowing the first flick from her), but only if I can come up with a drinking game to go with it.
(Edited to correct the spelling of Ted DiBiasi's name, just prior to disowning ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) defcons_treklit as a friend.... ;D) |
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[Dec. 26th, 2009|11:55 pm] |
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| "It's A World of Dread and Fear." |
[Dec. 26th, 2009|05:02 pm] |
I just got a heads-up from Jay Smith (aka dr_p_venkman) that the latest episode of his serial audio drama HG World, "It's A World of Dread and Fear," is now available! This is Part II of the "Season 0" finale, and is chock-full of the finest zombie goodness.
To quote from the "press release" accompanying the new episode:
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Seasons change as we look in on the people of HG World, the First Church of Wishwell and the United Nations Necroambulate Disposal Detail. A stand off between the U N and Happy Valley Militia is interrupted by the arrival of a common enemy. Tensions between the constables of HG World come to a head. Ronni finally learns the fate of her family. Members of the church begin to break down as Pastor Dawkins tries to keep them calm and organized in preparation for a long, cold winter.
Featured in the cast were Frank Bedene as DAD, Mark Zaricor as DAWKINS, Jules Ismail as DIRK and KIRK, Lee Sands as DOGBERRY, Tracy Hall as DOREEN, Steve Cox as FISHER, Michael L Stokes as GRANT, Audio Élan as Mrs. GREEN, Ryan Smith as HICKS, Glenn Bartram as HUGH, DT Kelly as JEB, Lance Shonberg as KRANTZ, Shane Harris as MAYOR, Ayoub Khote as McINNES, Dedrick Jensen-Woodard as OHLSON, Becca Rinas as RONNI, Gwendolyn Jensen-Woodard as JO, Kimberly Gianopoulos as SGT WAKE, Eric Avedissian as THOMAS, Keith R. A. DeCandido as TODD RAGE, Ron Runeborg as YING.
The episode was Written and Directed by Jay Smith. Edited and Engineered by Michael Stokes HG World is produced by Jay Smith & Michael L Stokes with production assistance by Martha Linbo-Terhaar and Carole Stokes. Production Logo and additional Art by Adrianna Linbo-Terhaar. This show was edited with Reaper Audio Editor with some Sound Effects from freesound.org. For a full list of Freesound contributors, please visit us at www.goodmorningsurvivors.com. Jonathan Coulton appears courtesy of the Creative Commons License. Visit jonathancoulton.com for music downloads and concert information.
***THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SCENES OF INTENSE VIOLENCE THAT MAY BE DISTRESSING TO SOME LISTENERS. LISTENER-DISCRETION IS ADVISED.***
HG World is a production of 3015 North Studios. www.goodmorningsurvivors.com
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You can catch all of the episodes along with several "extras" by visiting the HG World page at Pod0matic, and be sure to leave comments, feedback, and/or reviews.
And if you haven't listened yet....what the hell are you waiting for? |
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| More Craigslist fun. |
[Dec. 26th, 2009|12:04 pm] |
I always get amused when I read stuff like this. Posted as I found it:
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I am looking for a ghost writer. I will not say what a ghost writer is because the only people who hould bereplying to this job are those who know what it is and have been one in the past. THis is a great opportuniy to become very wealthy. I will not pay per hour or page or anything wlse. I want a good person who can get the job done and receive 5 % of the 25 % royalties that I will get from the published book. I have one book published already. MOst ghost writers get paid a certain amount and the are done and get nothing more. I beleive that a person should get paid for life for a job well done. If the ghost writer that I chose does a fantastic job then they willl be contracted fr the rest of the series and the other four books I need help with. This is a chance to be come very rich. The Ghost writer's anme will be in the credits of thebook so this person can have more jobs after me. If you feel that you gualify then give me a messag at the email above.
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I laughed at the whole "very wealthy" and "very rich" bits, myself, but my favorite is "The Ghost writer's anme will be in the credits of thebook so this person can have more jobs after me."
Hah. Hah, I say. |
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[Dec. 25th, 2009|11:55 pm] |
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| Snow, toys, and our first "Christmas letter." |
[Dec. 25th, 2009|08:16 am] |
Merry Christmas, everyone!
We started getting snow last night, and woke up this morning to somewhere between 6-9 inches on the ground. However, the wind was such that we have a couple of decent 2 or 3-foot snowdrifts around the house, including right up against the back door. The dog was none too pleased about having to go outside in that, and I'm pretty sure she set a record for doing her thing and high-tailin' it back into the house.
The opening of Christmas presents by the kids -- according to my watch -- took 4.7 minutes. We're holding back the bigger ticket items until relatives and friends can come over and enjoy the insanity, too. That, and they're bringing food, so it's a good trade.
I'm sure that you, like me, get those letters from various people every year, recapping the highlights since the previous year's Christmas card. I'd never felt comfortable writing one of those, but while talking about it at work, a friend suggested something another friend told him: "Write it like it was written by one of your kids."
Perfect.
So, without further ado, here's the first "Ward Christmas Family Catchup Letter," 2009 Edition:
( Christmas Letter ramblings behind the cut. ) |
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[Dec. 24th, 2009|11:55 pm] |
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| Thursday Thinks |
[Dec. 24th, 2009|08:42 pm] |
* The snow is coming down and blowing around outside and I'm glad I'm not out in it any more. Had Christmas with my family today and am toasty and warm and only have to contend with the cats for the evening. Tomorrow is Mrs. Ajasont's family's day and travel will be slow but fine, I'm sure.
* I'm very much improved as far as the sinus infection goes. All the events of today should have worn me to a frazzle, but they didn't. I'm feeling good, have a nasty-sounding but productive cough. No shivers or fevers today. Whew, I think I'm on the downhill side of it now.
* Jeremy Brett is Sherlock Holmes and no matter how good an actor Robert Downey Jr. may be, he'll never be Holmes like Brett.
* I've got more books to read, more movies to watch and gift cards to spend. I wish each of you the Merriest of Holidays (Christmas or otherwise) and that you have as much wonderful family as I do to love you and support you throughout the year. |
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