A. Peter Perdian's Blog, page 4

Biking and writing update

After my bike crash of 28 April, I realized I hadn't broken any bones, but I had either bruised or cracked a couple of ribs. As there's nothing doctors can do for ribs, I didn't bother going to one. Rather I took the next two weeks off any physical activity. And yes, the first week afterward it was very painful to move.

This weekend (12/13 May) I finally went out and did a short hike and bike ride. Though very sore afterward, overall I was pleased. I'm physically ready to begin riding again. At this point I'd guess my ribs were just badly bruised, not broken :-).

In the meantime my writing is coming along just fine. I'm on schedule. My fantasy novella should be ready to go to my editor on 1 June. I'm hoping I'll have it back from the editor and ready to publish on or about the 10th of June.

Bike riding

I went out bike riding (road bike) yesterday, but the way I normally go was blocked by flooding. So I went an alternative way.

After going up a pedestrian walkway over the freeway, I was coming down the other side, picking up speed. As I came to the end, there were two posts marking the end of the pathway, with a big bump in the middle where a third post used to be. I didn't see the bump—and I hit it hard and went flying, taking a very nasty fall.

For a few seconds as I lay on my back, I couldn't breathe. I then slowly got up and said that was enough riding for the day. I'd really banged up my right shoulder, and to a lessor extent, my right knee. Also, I picked up some painful skin abrasions through my clothing. Thankfully, I didn't break anything, however, my body is going to be very sore for the next week or so.

Oh, there is an upside to this (we always rationalize). I need to have my next story, a fantasy novella, ready to send to my editor by June 1st. Since I won't be doing any bike riding for the next couple of weeks, I'll have more writing time. :-)

Now I've been bike riding pretty intensively for the last ten or so years, and this is the worst accident I've had. Actually I've only had minor scrapes before, and nothing in the last six years. This just goes to show you that you can never let your guard down, even when you're riding in familiar territory.

Space Exploration: Humans only

Can you believe it? Here it is April 5th and there's about an inch of snow on the ground where I live. Winter's trying to hang on. I should move to a warmer climate as I really like heat :-).

Nevertheless, I've been able to get out a number of days each month through the winter and ride my bike (road bike), but when the temperature is hovering around 37 degrees (~2.7 Celsius), it's not all that fun, especially with the wind chill factor. Hopefully it won't be too long until we get some hot summer weather, and then I'll be doing long bike rides and hiking.

As I mention in my previous post, I'm a strong proponent of space exploration, both robotic and human. Now the author of the article below (see link) favors manned exploration, not robotic. He makes some good points for it.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology...

The Cosmos

Now I'm a firm believer in space exploration, both robotic and human.

As for robotic exploration, it's safer and less expensive. It allows us to accomplish a lot more in a faster period of time. Human exploration, however, is what allows our spirits to soar and gives birth to our imaginations. We need both approaches.

The problem is money, which seems to be in very short supply these days. Now I'm not an economist, but it seems to me that if we devoted a lot more resources to space exploration, we could rev up the economy and generate new jobs.

Spinoffs from the research and technology would spawn new industries that would benefit mankind in many different ways, generating even more jobs. The real upside is that there would be no end in sight for the foreseeable future.

Sadly, it probably won't happen—at least not in the near future. All our resources seem dedicated to the industries that enable us to fight wars. To wit, the political-military-industrial complex.

Anyway, I found this article on the cosmos interesting and thought others might also:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology...

Writing Update: Going Crazy (new story)

I've just released my latest e-book, a short story. It should be available for purchase on Amazon later today (March 23rd).

Here's the blurb that accompanies it.

Dying Minds is an 8,600 word short story.

D—Dementia
A—Alzheimer's

*** What if you were diagnosed with Alzheimer's? How would you react? How would it impact your life?

*** What if someone you love was diagnosed with Alzheimer's? How would it impact your life?

This is the tale of a man in the prime of life who receives a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's. The story deals with how he and his daughter respond to the devastating news—and how his life unravels as the disease progresses.

My next story, a fantasy novella, will be available around June 1st, give or take a week.

NOTE: Two of my e-books (Dying Minds, My Body, My Ashes) will not be listed on Goodreads, as they're written under A. P. Perdian and not under A. Peter Perdian. Because of the variation in names, Goodreads won't let me add them.

Women: 2nd class soldiers in the military

This is an excellent five-part-series on "Women In The Military." Sadly, it doesn't paint a pretty picture of the military's acceptance of women in its ranks. Sexual harassment, assault and rape are common.

Introduction: http://www.truth-out.org/battlefield-...

Part 1: http://www.truth-out.org/why-do-soldi...

Part 2:http://www.truth-out.org/military-sex...

Part 3: http://www.truthout.org/military-and-...

Part 4: http://www.truthout.org/picking-piece...

Part 5: http://www.truthout.org/reforming-rec...

A Nightmare's End

I just published my latest e-book, "A Nightmare's End." It can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This is a novelette set 87 years in the future. Most of the story takes place in North America.

In a broad sense, the story can be looked upon as a combination biological/medical/political thriller. But that's just the external package wrapped around the tale.

At the core, it deals with how three army friends respond to the increased militarism engulfing them after two of them undergo a top-secret biological experiment, an experiment that goes awry.

It's a character study in loyalty and relationships as the three are buffeted by external events--pitted against one another in a dangerous fashion.

If they expect to survive, they must come to terms with what they've become, as well as make peace with one another. But can they?