Roger B. Burt's Blog, page 41
April 25, 2016
Birth of a Lead Character
Is there a leading character in your life? (Other than yourself, naturally.)
In life we tend to know where our lead characters came from. But, did you ever wonder where the lead character of a novel comes from? I still wonder and it may be that there is no one answer or it may also be that the author often doesn’t know.
Avery Moved In
The lead character in the first book of the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy is a woman by the name of Avery. I have a strong attachment to her but do not know anyone e...
April 20, 2016
Life’s a Beach
Dreamstime #270122
What does the beach mean to you?
Allegories Abound
The term in the title is often made as a complaint about hardship or complications. But it also can be interpreted as an allegory. How we love the beach! Glorious in summer it offers us motion, change, ease and cools our days and nights with gentle breezes.
But the most prominent feature of the beach is the waves. They touch our hearts as the most prominent feature of our planet interacts with us. It also represents the v...
April 18, 2016
The New Millenials
Dreamstime #55449466
What is your age group called?
Making Noise
I’m from what is called the Silent Generation but it seems I can’t keep quiet. My commitment now is to an entirely different generation. They are called the Millenials. Once upon a time I was of that age and the cadre I traveled with was not so silent. So let me speak in behalf of the Millenials.
A common viewpoint is that age brings wisdom. Seriously? I am not impressed by the evidence to support that contention. Experience,...
April 13, 2016
Vitamin D and Health 2
sunset with boats Dreamstime 193168
What a Dreadful Oversight
There is a condition called nonceliac gluten intolerance. I have it. And it means I can’t uptake vitamin D effectively from food. I can only get the doses I need from ultraviolet exposure.
Now I know the medical advise was terrible. All of my life I sought to lie in the sun at every opportunity. And now I know why. I have a picture of me lying in front of a snow drift in the sun in January. I hoped for help but now know if your sh...
April 11, 2016
Vitamin D and Health – Part 1
Say What?
Dreamstime # 38543261
A Major Oversight
The warnings are everywhere, particularly in the summer. “Do not ever, ever go outside without putting on sunscreen!” (Obviously this warning serves the marketers of sunscreen.) Exposure to the sun puts you in danger of skin cancer and at minimum it may damage your skin, they say. There is some truth to this last statement.
BUT, there is another side. Before the year 2000 there was little in the way of research concerning the effects of vitam...
April 6, 2016
Nicolai Redux
I’ ve posted previously about my friend from graduate school, Nicolai Khoklov.
To review – One day at Duke University I was introduced to a new graduate student by the name of Nicolai. His heavy Russian accent was intriguing. Later it came out. He had been the head of the KGB for Eastern Europe and finally, after much soul searching, he defected.
In some ways the story is dramatic. Our intelligence service was to get his family and take them out of the country when he went on Radio Free Euro...
April 4, 2016
Mermaids and Mermen
Gaia’s Majesty: Discovery – An Unbearable Choice
(Book 1 of the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy)
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Dreamstime 1355233
Who do you think mermaids are?
Fundamental Myth
Some stories or concepts we call myths are more widespread than others. I’ve always been fascinated by the widespread stories about the sighting of mermaids. In one form or another they show up in an amazing array of cultures. Which leads me to ask why? If mermaids are real, why do they exist? And...
March 30, 2016
Life Wins Almost Every Time
What sudden shifts have you experienced in your life?
Clarity Versus Reality
We may maintain contradictory beliefs at the same time. We often “know” about our future and what we want one moment at a time. But life has a way of having other “thoughts” for us. A trip to Washington, D.C. and the halls of Congress is instructive.
A Political Environment is Almost a Life Form in Itself
There is a class of political beings clearly to be seen. Almost routinely they are clad in dark blue or black s...
March 28, 2016
Who We Are Versus Who We Think We Are
Gaia’s Majesty: Discovery – An Unbearable Choice
(Book 1 of the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy)
Available now at Amazon.com
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Who We Are, Versus Who We Think We Are
A Challenge for Each of Us
Our personal identity is a constant challenge for each of us at all levels. We have to assume an identity in order to function but, in fact, we may have a very different identity from that assumed by other people. On a day by day basis we can’t trouble ourselves with these matters. Why would w...
March 23, 2016
The Creation of Gaia’s Majesty – 2
Gaia’s Majesty: Discovery – An Unbearable Choice
(Book 1 of the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy)
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Creation with Design
How do you approach a creative endeavor?
The books of Gaia’s Majesty were not entirely designed. It felt more like they unfolded. The concept began to “occur” and then I did do construction and outlining.
My wife, Mala, and her writing partner Laura write screenplays. Some might say its not the same thing as fiction writing but they have a lo...
