L.G. Estrella's Blog, page 23

Well Damn

So apparently we traded Dejounte while I was asleep. I guess we’re going to be in full tank mode this season.

Yeah.

Not happy about only getting Galinari back, and that Charlotte pick being protected is worrying, but the other picks and pick swamps seem all right.

I get the feeling that despite the big offers the Spurs asked for, this was likely the best they could do. The Knicks only had protected picks to offer, I think although I could be wrong, and no other team could really offer two...

The Saga of the Delete Key is Over

Around a month ago, the delete key of my laptop died. I won’t go into the specifics, but I will say that it was still under warranty. Under the terms of that warranty, I was entitled to have it serviced free of charge on site. In other words, they would send someone out to my house to fix the delete key. If that sounds a bit ridiculous it is. I can remember when you could simply buy an individual key and easily replace it yourself. But, hey, if they’re willing to foot the bill, who am I to compl...

Another Draft

Well, another NBA Draft has gone by. As a San Antonio Spurs fan, I’m pretty happy with how the draft went. We’ve got a young team, plenty of potential, and I’m curious to see the new recruits in action soon, albeit only in Summer League.

Read Short Stories

The short story is a dying art, largely due to the decline of genre magazines. Back in the day (and I mean way back), you could get a short story published in one of many genre magazines. That is, if you had a horror short story, you could submit it to one of the many horror fiction magazines that used to exist that specialised in publishing short stories. Many of the greats of the genre got their start in such magazines.

Alas, the genre magazine is mostly dead. Those that remain are almost enti...

Snack (Flash Fiction Fridays #20)

This is really good. Spot hummed and nudged his companion gently with his snout. Where is it from?

Cuddles grinned and helped himself to some more of the snacks he’d poured into a large bowl for the two of them. “It’s from a planet named Earth. Pretty much every version of Earth has it. It’s called popcorn.”

Popcorn? Spot tilted his head to one side. Why do they call it that?

Cuddles gestured, and several pieces of popcorn floated into the air. They quivered for a moment before reverting to kern...

Defeat is Necessary

Something that I noticed while I was teaching at university is that people are coming up through the system without any understanding of how to deal with defeat. This worries me because defeat is a part of life. Nobody wins at everything they do. At some point, you are going to fail at something. When that happens, it can be a jarring experience. It is far better to experience that as a child than to wait until you’re adult.

Defeat also builds resiliency. Life is going to knock you down. You nee...

Is There a Doctor on the Plane?

One of the things that has always amused me is how insistent some people are on being referred to as ‘doctor’.

Now, for those who aren’t aware of it, the term ‘doctor’ applies not only to medical doctors but also anyone who has a doctorate. In other words, if you have a PhD in physics, arts, of any other discipline, then you are entitled to call yourself Dr [Insert Name].

Sometimes this results in a truly awesome title. I mean, being a medical doctor is cool, but you know what’s way cooler? Bein...

Cosmic Delivery Boy Coming To Audible

I’m pleased to announce that Cosmic Delivery Boy will be making its way to Audible on the 12th of July thanks to the fine folks at Podium Audio!

You can pre-order it here.

 

Slow Down

Progress is slower than expected over the past month or so. I’ve been battling computer issues, leg injuries, and the flu. That last one was a doozy. It wasn’t super bad or anything, but I was heavily congested and dealing with some level of head aches for a week a bit. It’s tapering off now, so I’m hoping I can get back into the swing of things. Still a bit congested, but my throat is fine.

As for the leg injury, I’m pretty sure I pulled a muscle badly enough that going up and down stairs was a...

Upgrading

My recent delete key crisis (still in the process of being solved) has finally motivated me to upgrade my writing equipment.

You would think that someone who writes for a living would have a proper set up. Nope. I write sitting on the edge of my bed with a laptop because when I first started writing that was all I could do. As you can imagine, that hasn’t been the most comfortable experience, and you might be asking yourself why I didn’t upgrade to using a proper desk, monitor, and keyboard e...