S. Evan Townsend's Blog, page 120

Huskies Beat Illinois

This is the first time in years the University of Washington Huskies have been in the AP Top 25 poll for more than one week.  In the past they beat some time they weren't expected to (such as USC when they were ranked #2), pop into the #25 position, and then then next week get blown out buy some team they should have been able to beat.  But the Huskies have been ranked since they beat then #19 Boise State.

The Dawgs had a bye last week (I tell you, two weeks is a long wait for a football game) and stayed in the poll (even moved up a bit) and then this week they traveled to Chicago to defeat the University of Illinois Illini.

The first half the Huskies were hurt by penalties that they should have been too smart to get and by two fumble/turnovers by the same player (I noticed he didn't get back in the game).  Still at the half the Huskies were ahead 10-3.  But the third quarter the Huskies dominated, making a touchdown in less than 2 minutes after kickoff.  Illinois was able to get a touchdown but the Huskies answered in kind and soon the score was 31-10.  But the Illini, to their credit, came back and tightened the score to 31-24 giving them the ability to tie the game with just one touchdown.

But a Husky interception (of an illegal 2nd forward pass in one play) shut down the Illini's hope, and the game ended 34-24.

And this morning, the Huskies are ranked #17.  Their third week in the top 25.

Next week the Huskies play Idaho State at home.  The Bengals are also 2-0 but they are an FCS team (unlike the two other universities in Idaho).

Movie Review: Star Trek into Darkness

I suppose I should explain my point of view before jumping into this movie review of Star Trek into Darkness .  And yes, this movie came out in May and I just watched it because I watch most movies via Netflix Blu-ray discs because I really don't want to pay to see most movies in the theater when I can't pause them for a bathroom break.

If you don't want to hear my explanation of how I approach Star Trek into Darkness, skip the next paragraph.

I've been a fan of "Star Trek" in its various configurations since seeing the original series (TOS in Trekker argot) in first run when I was seven and eight years old.  I didn't get to watch it much because no one else in the family liked it and being the youngest my opinion of what to watch was taken into consideration last.  In other words, if no one else was watching the single television in the house, I could watch "Star Trek."  I really didn't get into Star Trek heavily until we got a third commercial television channel in the early '70s and starting in about 1974 they started running Star Trek: TOS at 4:00 P.M. everyday which was not long after I got home from school.  I have, as far as I can determine, seen every episode of every Star Trek series except one of "Deep Space Nine" (in it's first run I was preparing a hellacious assignment for a Chemical Engineering class and somehow missed it in reruns).  I have seen every Star Trek movie from the good (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn), the bad (Star Trek The Motion Picture) and the ugly (Star Trek V: Where No Man Has Gone Before).  So I am a Star Trek fan.  Now I'm not crazy.  I have never been to a convention.  I have never dressed up like a crew member or an alien.  I have not bought every episode on DVD (I do have some favorites from TOP on VHS but . . . well, you know).  So I am an old-fashioned Star Trek fan.  My protagonist of Book of Death is also a fan. 

Now, the movie.  Star Trek into Darkness is well-written, visually interesting, well made, the direction is very good, and it is exciting and fun.  It's just not a Star Trek movie.  If I forgive the violence the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies do to the Star Trek universe, I can enjoy them.  J.J. Abrams knows how to fill the screen with exciting imagery.  I do enjoy the shout outs to old Star Trek memes (and being a fan, I recognize them).  If I was looking at these movies not from the perspective of a Star Trek fan, I would still have some quibbles (A spaceship is not going to do well underwater and those big heavy things in engineering wouldn't be in a spaceship where reduction of mass is all-important) but they are still good, entertaining movies.  It's sort as if they are fictional stories written by people who live in the Star Trek universe.  Like if Sulu decided to write a novel.  But he'd at least have his science right.

I gave Star Trek into Darkness four stars on Netflix which I think it earned simply on the value of its entertainment.  But it's not a  Star Trek movie.

Fell Into that Trap . . .

A bit ago I wrote on this blog about "Technology Traps."  That is, we get so reliant upon technology that if it is taken away, we're in trouble.

I had a bit of that happen to me on my recent vacation to Glacier National Park.  I have AT&T for my cell phone carrier and about 10 miles north of the town of Browning, Montana, my cell phone service went away (locals said Verizon or Sprint had coverage).  Then at the hotel there was supposed to be WiFi in the lobby.  But it died at about 6:00 P.M. on the first day there and never really came back reliably enough to use it.

I needed to go to Kalispell, Montana, and I knew approximately where it was but I didn't know how far away it was.  I was supposed to be there at 10:00 A.M. and needed to know what time I needed to leave.  I didn't have paper maps (who uses paper maps anymore?) so I had no idea how to figure this out.  Normally I'd pull up Goggle maps and go to town.

Luckily my car's navigation system still worked so I was able to use it to figure out that Kalispell was 130 miles away.  Then I figured how much time I should allot for the trip (I underestimated, not realize the last 40 or so miles were going to be in slow traffic).

After three days with basically no internet, I sat in Starbucks in Kalispell catching up on . . . everything.

Did I learn anything?  Will I take paper maps with me next time?  Probably not.  But I did learn that it's hard to live without the internet when you've grown to rely on it.

Mini-Vacation to Glacier National Park, Part Two

Yesterday I posted pictures from my trip to Glacier National Park.  I got almost through the first of three days, and the most picture-intensive day (because it was the day with the best weather).

Heading back east from Lake McDonald it wasn't raining and we saw things we missed going west due to rain and low clouds, such as this valley and mountain view:
Valley and MountainsThe sky what gray with clouds (looking white in this picture) and the air was hazy with the remainders of low clouds.

Near the top of the Going to the Sun Road (which is at Logan Pass and the Continental Divide), there is "the loop" where the road makes a hairpin turn.  We stopped to take this picture of a mountain and trees burned in a forest fire.  Again, the haze makes the distant mountain fuzzy.
Mountain and Fire DamageThen next morning we woke up to low clouds and rain.  This was the view out our hotel room's window.

Cloudy Rainy DayWe decided to head for Many Glacier (no typo) and we're glad we did as it sits on the Swiftcurrent Lake.

Swiftcurrent Lake and Many Glacier HotelThe Many Glacier Hotel was very pretty with a vintage look inside and out and what, with good weather, was most likely a very lovely view.
Many Glacier Hotel
Many Glacier Hotel Lobby We then spent that afternoon in the lobby trying to get the WiFi to work (it didn't).

The next day was our last day in Glacier Park but we woke to low clouds and rain.  We waited until afternoon when it seemed to be clearing some to go back up the Going to the Sun Road.  We did see some blue sky.
Blue SkyAnd we went back to the Wild Goose Island overlook.

 Wild Goose Island Last DayWhich looked different than from the first day.

And finally, one last view of St. Mary Lake before we headed back to the hotel for the night.
St. Mary Lake Last DayI'm already thinking about returning, perhaps earlier in the season to get better weather and better views.  Glacier National Park is an amazing spot hidden in Northern Montana.

Mini-Vacation to Glacier National Park Part One

I promised more pictures in my last blog post if the internet cooperated.  It didn't (I first tried posting that Thursday, ended up posting it Sunday night when I got home and had good internet).  So I guess I'll post some pictures now, more later. 

All these pictures were taken with an iPhone 5.  Also, the weather was not cooperative and we didn't see much blue sky.  Here is a selection of the best pictures of the approximately 80 pictures I took (thank heaven for digital).  As my friend Gavin Seim would point out, they are "snapshots" but even then I tried to take the best pictures I could.

We arrived later than planned due to road construction delays and me taking a wrong turn.  By the time we had dinner and got to our hotel parking lot, it was dark.  And we were greeted by this fellow: a coyote.  He didn't seem to want to come into the lighted parking lot so I snapped his picture but due to low light and zooming it, the picture is very poor quality.  I wondered at that point how much wildlife we'd encounter.  And actually, it wasn't much.

Parking Lot CoyoteThe next morning we drove into the park from the east side on the Going to the Sun Road and when we saw the scene below was when we first got a clue we were into something special.  We stopped by the road to take this picture of St. Mary Lake along with some of the mountains in Glacier National Park.
St. Mary Lake and MountainsAfter seeing that we stopped to take a picture of Wild Goose Island in St. Mary Lake and that picture is here. Glacier National Park was named so because of the abundance of glaciers on the mountains in the area.  This was the first glacier we saw that morning.  Glacier in Glacier National Park The mountains and valleys of Glacier Park are just breath-taking.  Verdant low-lands rise swiftly to rocky, craggy mountains, as in this picture:

Mountains and Valley in Glacier National ParkBecause of the low clouds, rain, and haze, it made the lighting in some spots interesting.  This picture seems to capture it best (taken at Logan Pass on the Continental Divide at the visitor center parking lot).

Logan Pass Visitor Center Parking LotThere are still more valleys to see as you descend west-bound from Logan Pass.  It started raining which added another dimension to our pictures' lighting.

Glacier National Park valleyIt rained until after lunch at the nearly west-end of the park and the Going to the Sun Road.  But then the sun came out and we actually saw some blue patches in the sky at the west end of Lake McDonald.
Lake McDonald at Apgar We turned around and headed east on the Going to the Sun Road, stopping at Lake McDonald Lodge to snap this picture.
Lake McDonald at Lake McDonald LodgeWhen I first thought of going to Glacier National Park I thought "Mountains, trees, lakes, hmph, a Jedi seeks not these things." No, what I thought was "Been there, done that." But what amazing mountains that seem to claw at the clouds with their jagged sides, what pretty trees (as the leaves were beginning to change on the aspen and the evergreens were everywhere) and what blue, calm, pristine lakes.

More pictures tomorrow from this amazing place.

Glacier National Park

Vacationing at Glacier National Park in northern Montana. Here's a picture I took Thursday.  More to come if Internet cooperates.

Free Peaches

I love fruit.  I really like oranges and peaches and pears (although it seems pears are hit-and-miss, they are perfectly ripe for about half an hour, otherwise they taste like wood or are much).  So when I had a chance to get some peaches right off the farm, I took it.

Last week I was driving south of where I live to interview a man for a freelance writing assignment.  I sort of took the back way (that was shorter) and on the way there I passed a sign pointing right that said "Peaches."  And I thought "Hmmmm, peaches."

So on the way back from the very successful interview (which turned into a great story), I saw the sign again, except this time pointing left (because I was going the opposite direction).  So I turned left and followed the road.

Now in that part of the county, the roads tend to be a) straight as an arrow and b) one mile apart.  So I kept going (west, incidentally, away from home) and passed one road (one mile) and then passed two roads (two miles) and kept wondering if I'd either missed it or it was a long ways down this road.  I was driving between row-crop fields and fruit orchards on this west-heading vector.

Finally (and looking at my gas gauge) I decided to give up and turn around.  I pulled to the side of the road and was about to turn when I saw a sign ahead that said . . . well, I couldn't read it.  I drove a bit closer and sure enough it said, "Peaches" and the arrow pointed right (or north).  "I must be getting close," I thought.  So I turned right and drove down that road maybe a half a mile.  I was just about to give up again (still nervously looking at my gas gauge that was hovering near empty) when I saw a sign saying the peaches were to the right, now.  I turned.  It was a gravel road with a warning sign: "Primitive Road: No Warnings."  But I kept going (albeit slowly to minimize rock chips on my car).  Went up a hill and behold, there was a sign: "Peaches" pointing into a farmstead.  So I pulled in, parked the car by the metal shop, and got out.  The door on the shop was open and a sign by the door said (you guessed it) "Peaches."

I walked toward the shop and this girl about 15 or 16 years old comes out.  Pretty little thing with long red hair with a slight curl to it.  She had braces on her teeth.  "You want some peaches?" she asked.

"You suckered me in for about five miles," I said, exaggerating sliglty, "so you'd better have peaches."

She didn't react but she said, "They're in here."  I followed her into the shop.  "They are $20 a box or 80 cents a pound," she said pointing to a large commercial refrigerator with glass doors.  Inside I could see boxes or peaches.

"I don't need a box," I said.

She picked up a flat box (like they put stuff in at Costco) and started putting peaches in it, inspecting each one and rejecting those she didn't think were up to snuff.  Then she asked if that was enough when the box was full.  I said it was so she weighed it on a huge industrial scale.  It came to 7 pounds (with the box).  So I was pulling out my wallet when she handed the box to me and said, "Take 'em."

I said, "What?"

She said "Take 'em.  It's not worth it and you didn't buy a whole box."

I said, "Are you sure?"

She replied, "Yes."

So I thanked her and said that that was defiantly worth getting sucked into from five miles away.

I put the peaches on the floor of the passenger side of my car, and drove home.  Did not run out of gas.

And the peaches are amazing.

Washington Huskies are Ranked!

I've been wanting to blog about the University of Washington Huskies' victory over the Boise State Broncos since Sunday morning (the game was late Saturday).  But I wanted to wait until the new AP poll came out to see if after beating the #19 Broncos the Huskies were ranked.  But because of Labor Day (apparently) the poll which normally comes out Sunday evening came out just this morning.

The game Saturday evening was held in the renovated Husky Stadium, the first game in the new stadium and the first game on campus since November 5, 2011 (home games were played at the Seahawks' venue, Century Link Field in the interim).  Going in the Huskies were considered a bit of an underdog since Boise has been a very powerful team and was ranked where the Huskies were not.  Also, in their last meeting, last year in the Las Vegas Bowl, Boise won 28-26.

On the first play of the game, Huskie quarterback Keith Price threw an interception.  But after that hiccup it was nearly all Huskies all evening.  A interception got the Dawgs the ball back and they marched it in for a touchdown.  They help the Broncos to two field goals (blocking one) and won the game 38-6.  The Huskies dominated both offense and defense against a seeming hapless BSU.

After celebrating the victory, I was wondering if beating a ranked team would get the Huskies in the top 25.  And this morning I found out it did.  The Huskies are now ranked #20 (which seems a bit low for beating a #19 team).

Nest the Huskies have a bye but then they travel to Chicago to play the Illinois Fighting Illini.  Then a home game against the Idaho State Bengals (an FCS team), then Arizona Wildcats also at home.  There's no reason to believe they can't win all three of those games.

Then their schedule gets tough: Stanford (currently #5) in Palo Alto then Oregon (now #2) at home.

It should be a fun season if the Huskies continue to play the way they did Saturday night.

Editing Tips

I love to write.  But I'm not so enamored with editing.  Writing is fun; editing is work.  I don't know any writers who really enjoy editing but it is a necessary part of writing.  The other problem is that while I'm an okay editor, I'm a lousy proofreader (yes, there's a difference).

I'm a whole-word reader.  I see a word and see the word I think it should be.  Now while technology helps, there's lots of things spell-checkers won't catch (for instance, "form" instead of from").  And my eye will see "form" as "from" if that's the word I think should be there.  That's why I'm a lousy proofreader.  If you're a regular reader of this blog, you've seen how I miss typos a lot since I'm the only one who proofreads/edits it.

On editing, however, I'm good with grammar and sentence construction.  I'm not great, but I'm good.

After you finish your first draft of anything you write, there are three things you need to do:
Re-writeProofreadEditYou can do those things somewhat simultaneously but they are slightly different things.  Here's my definitions of the terms:

Re-write means looking for things that need changing in the writing, things to cut, better words/descriptions to use, maybe a section needs better explanation.  It's improving the writing itself.  The actual writer needs to do this.

Proofread is to look for simple errors like spelling/typos.  This is the least technical aspect of manuscript improvement.  Anyone who is good at spotting errors can do this.  I'm not good at spotting errors.

Edit is to look for grammar mistakes, poor construction, wrong words, etc.  The editor needs some modicum of writing ability.  And it's best if at least one of the editors is not the writer.

Here are some editing/re-writing/proofreading tips I've learned over the years of writing:

After you write the first draft, let it sit and do not look at it for a while.  I have a friend who says she lets her novel manuscripts sit at least a month before she goes back and looks at them.   I call this process "festering" but really it's trying to look at it with fresh eyes.  I find if I'm writing something long that by the time I finish, I can start re-writing the beginning pretty quickly because it's been a while since I wrote it.  For short things, like my freelancing articles, I try to wait until at least overnight.Get everyone you can con into proofreading to proofread it.  Also beta reading is a great idea. Print it out.  Seeing it printed seems to fool the brain into this being something new.  Or change the font on the screen before editing/proofreading.Read it out loud.  This will make another part of your brain work and you'll see and hear things you didn't notice before.Have someone read it out loud to you.  This is a great way to hear poor construction or word repetitions.  Also they might spot some errors while reading.And let it sit some more.  The longer it is, the longer it needs to fester.Writing the first draft is just the first part of writing.  You may think (especially if you've done NaNoWriMo) that hammering out a 50,000-word manuscript is all you need to do.  But that's just the start.  Re-writing, proofreading, and editing complete the work.  Yes, your publisher will edit it, too, but you want to send them the best manuscript you can.  Editing costs them money so if you cost them less money, they'll be more likely to publish you again.

Freelancing Tips

I do a fair bit of freelance writing.  The hardest part was, at first, getting the jobs.  I actually kind of conned an editor into taking a chance with me and she liked my work.  I've been working with her ever since.  Then others read what I wrote for her and (with a bit of my prodding) also took a chance on me.  Now I have clippings to use to market myself to others.  But in all cases, so far, all the freelance work I've gotten through "networking" (meeting and knowing people).  My volunteer work in the community is a great way to meet and know people.

But today I want to talk about a few things I've learned about freelancing.  Often times you're interviewing someone (this is 99% of the freelance jobs I do) and then writing about them or something they are involved with.  Here's some tips:
Start calling early. You never know how long it's going to take to get them to agree to an interview or when they will be available for an interview.  The more time you have, the better.  Sure, your deadline is two weeks away and an interview takes an hour.  Start calling now!  You might need all of that two weeks to line up the interview and get the story written.Be persistent. Call them daily, or twice daily, or whatever it takes to get them to talk to you.  I had one subject who did not want to be interviewed and I just called twice a day every day (except Sunday) until he relented (he said, "You're persistent!").  A lot of subjects are flattered and want to be interviewed, but a few will not (I have had outright refusals).Give and get cell phone numbers. Give the subject your phone number in case they need to contact you.  Get their phone number in case you need to contact them (you should have their number but it might a land line and a cell phone is much more likely to be answered).Be prepared. Research your subject, know as much as you can going into the interview.  Even if you know some of the answers you want to ask them to either verify or say it in their own words.  One subject I was going to interview (whom I was told never does interviews) I found out somehow was a University of Washington Huskies fan.  I am too, so I wore a Huskies logo polo to the interview, which helped establish rapport.Write down your questions.  After you've done your research, write down your questions.  It's a lot easier to remember and think up questions beforehand.  I type them up and print them out.  You might want to look at questions you asked in earlier, similar interviews.  If you're interviewing more than one person you might want to ask them the some of the same questions.  Always write down your questions beforehand and take them with you.  But don't be afraid to ask spontaneous questions if something needs following up, clarification, or you think of something on the spot.Be doubly prepared.  Take at least 2 pens (pencils, whatever you write with) and plenty of paper (more than you think you'll need).  If you type into a laptop during the interview, better have pen and paper backup.  I've never used a tape recorder but if you do, have backup batteries, tapes, etc.Be early.  I pad my travel time by 15 minutes, minimum.  If you're on time . . . you're late.  Be early.  This also allows for getting lost, not finding the place, etc.  Yes, I have sat in my car because I ended getting there really early.Be agreeable.  If the subject is a hard core liberal and you're a conservative (or vise-versa) don't let your opinion of his politics come through.  I have found I can get great quotes out of people by agreeing with them or saying something I think they believe (with farmers, I say something about how tough it is to be a farmer).  All of the stories I've written so far are meant to be positive so there's no need to be confrontational.Thank them.  When it's all done, thank them, give them your business card (you have one, don't you?), and thank them again.  Let them know the expected publication date.Also, try to do the interview as far in advance of your deadline as possible.  This will give you time to write the story, let it sit, then rewrite/proofread.  Also, if the subject postpones you still have time to do the interview.  I did (I will admit) one interview the day of my deadline and got the story in that evening but that was because the subject was traveling and wouldn't be back until that day.

And then, write the best story you can.  Some subjects are great, great stories, great quotes.  Some subjects are boring.  No matter what, write the best dang story you can.