David T. List's Blog, page 7
October 1, 2020
October 2020 News
Here comes a brief one!
WritingEdits are progressing! I'm not going off counting words and listing stats right now but yeah!
Hades, on Steam! It's cool! I love rogue-likes, permadeaths, unique runs! And yes, I'm absolutely taking notes for Schala!
I just finished Dune and I give it 4/5 stars! I love when an old scifi book predicts the future and examines human nature! Head-hopping 3rd person ...
September 2, 2020
September 2020 News
Fall is coming and I couldn't be happier. My season-preferences shift sometimes. There are phases. Usually summer is my favorite. Right now I'm hellafied sick of hot hot muggy rainy garbage. I'm ready for it to chill out and dry off. There are several outside projects in stasis around my house that I just can't find the energy for. You have to chug a litre of water to make up for the sweat lost by just opening the front door. Sick of it I tell ya.
WritingQuick rundown on the state of V&V:
Ausgan ...
August 1, 2020
August 2020 News
WritingEdits are going smoothly for Ausgan. Not the quickest but they're moving so I can't complain. Last month the word count of editing notes was around 13,750. Through consideration and application of changes, that's down to around 8,000. It's weird to edit two books before submitting either one, but the nature of the story is such that I have to. It's this or splice the two books into one and I'm not even leaning toward that, however much the idea lingers as a possibility. It will take some ...
July 1, 2020
July 2020 News
Happy Summer to you. Today's mood = Muted. There's lots to do. No room for frivolity. Not here anyway. Not today.
WatchingWife and I have now consumed 2+ seasons of Alone and it's been occupying a good bit of my brain cycles, as the robots say. If you're unfamiliar, it's a reality show wherein they abandon 10 individuals in the woods and see who can stay isolated the longest. You get pulled if you begin to starve or tap out. At present, although I've managed to enjoy all I've seen, I can only rec...
WatchingWife and I have now consumed 2+ seasons of Alone and it's been occupying a good bit of my brain cycles, as the robots say. If you're unfamiliar, it's a reality show wherein they abandon 10 individuals in the woods and see who can stay isolated the longest. You get pulled if you begin to starve or tap out. At present, although I've managed to enjoy all I've seen, I can only rec...
June 1, 2020
June 2020 News
Happy Summer time to you North Hemispherians.
This will be less captivating than USA's news at this moment which includes, but is not limited to, public executions, riots, commercial space flight, and a pandemic. But if you're into gritty, character-focused fairy tales set in fantasy settings and flavored with despair and black humor, then you may be interested to know...
[let me interrupt myself to say, thank the wizard Felix Ortiz for the following concept images. I hired him for cover design a...
This will be less captivating than USA's news at this moment which includes, but is not limited to, public executions, riots, commercial space flight, and a pandemic. But if you're into gritty, character-focused fairy tales set in fantasy settings and flavored with despair and black humor, then you may be interested to know...
[let me interrupt myself to say, thank the wizard Felix Ortiz for the following concept images. I hired him for cover design a...
May 1, 2020
May 2020 News
Happy May
I hope you're healthy and fortunate.
WritingI'm touching up the final two scenes in Ausgan, which is book 1 or 2 of V&V. After these, edits will commence on Fohrvylda, which is book 2 or 1. May go ahead and reach out to the hybrid publisher I've been stalking. That is not a process I look forward to.
After that,
Smoll Project
Next project is a video to put on YouTube. It's a compilation of a bunch of zen-tasting video game music. There are about 50 songs I've laid out (~ 3 hours) it's just ...
I hope you're healthy and fortunate.
WritingI'm touching up the final two scenes in Ausgan, which is book 1 or 2 of V&V. After these, edits will commence on Fohrvylda, which is book 2 or 1. May go ahead and reach out to the hybrid publisher I've been stalking. That is not a process I look forward to.
After that,
Smoll Project
Next project is a video to put on YouTube. It's a compilation of a bunch of zen-tasting video game music. There are about 50 songs I've laid out (~ 3 hours) it's just ...
February 1, 2020
February 2020 News aka Still Smashing Edits
Hey guys
Been a while, I know. That's because this blog doesn't presently serve any practical purpose. I don't have time to conversate here so it's sorta in a purgatorial state, like space dust just hovering and awaiting the press of gravity to squeeze it down into a fat juicy orang-HEY! One day is upon us!
~
I ran updates on plug-ins for http://Silexare.com/ and managed to break it.
see?
No, Edge is not my preferred browser.
Since I have as much interest in web dev as I do in studying the Ptolemaic system (which is freaking RIGHT by the way) the illustrious Regarding Silexare will take center-stage and present this month's news. On that note, don't click half of the links up there. They're broken, too lol.
Until right now, I believe I've only missed one monthly news posting since 2015. Maybe 2013. This includes the months after my daughter died. But am I reeling after Silexare.com's untimely misstep? Not even kind of. I was sick of it. It had become increasingly clunky and had terminal issues not limited to the Modelovirus which is killing the sobriety of hundreds of hundreds, even as we habla. If nothing more, it served as time capsule for my personal comings and goings, but in the grand scheme even that didn't amount to much. I'll see about reviving it eventually.
WRITINGMy last post here was in July of 2019 and it mentioned I was beginning to puzzle out the editing process. I'm deep in it now and almost done with book 1-or-2 of 2. I'm on scene 25 of 31. January has been quite productive for edits. After I finish editing book 1-or-2, I'm either sending it to a beta fish reader or jumping ahead and pitching to my target hybrid publisher. I'll simultaneously start edits on book 2-or-1 (also of 2).
I toyed with the idea of giving you specifics on the scene I'm working on but I chose not to. If you're interested, by all means hit me up in the comments. You might convince me to expound on it in a future post. I'm just becoming more conscious of my time. There is too much ground to cover for me to spend it doing anything besides progressing directly forward.
But David, you're here writing this.
Eat a spotted dick.
READING
I just finished DARK AGE, by Pierce Brown. It's taken me two months, and not just because it's a thousand pages long. I have mixed feelings. First of all, holy hell. The whole story is on an EPIC scale. It takes itself exactly as seriously as Red Rising. 5/5 stars on complexity and world-building alone. I never would have thought while reading Red Rising that this story would become so in depth. So broad. So convoluted.
There are one frdxillion characters and families and bloodlines and races and traditions and weapons and cities and planets and systems and armies and names and names and names. Throughout reading Dark Age I topped out at 80% comprehension of what was going on. I went back and read a good bit of the book twice and still was never fully confident I knew who was what or where or why. It's been less than a year since I read the previous novel, IRON GOLD. I should not have been this lost.
Oh that's normal, I was lost too hahaha! Hail Reaper!
Sure, except certain massive plot points including the last paragraph of the book lost all punch, leaving me looking much like
"... cool?"Even with that said, it's a 5/5 book. There are deep thoughts and quotes throughout. The absolute coolest scifi fights and battles and wars ever. Prose is relentless, clever, and concise. I was inspired throughout and embarrassed by the pitiful stakes of my own stupid idiot book for morons.
Thanks Pierce.
WATCHING
How about another joke, Murray?(This gets spoilery)
I finally watched this a couple weeks ago. When it was over I watched it again. The next day I watched it again. I probably watched it yet again after that. I could honestly turn it on and watch it again right now.
What about it drew me in so much? Yes, I like the character of Joker. Maybe more than any other DC character. Maybe even more than any Marvel character, too. But this is no action-packed superhero/villain flick. It's a depressing downward-spiral documentary close-up character piece of a mentally unstable grown man who losses all support, abandons his meds, and experiences the final tragic events that tip him over the edge of insanity, wherein he becomes a fully unapologetic sociopathic murderer, utterly disconnected from societal expectations or concern for consequences. The protagonist of the film becomes an "active shooter."
I can never truly know what this film did for or against that tragic trend. Maybe nothing. But I choose to believe that maybe a person heading down a similar violent path will experience a showing of Joker, catch a bit of Joaquin's depiction of the deranged Arthur Fleck, and then maybe, instead of arming themselves with the tools to murder innocent masses, they'll say, "Wait. I'm not alone?" And then, just maybe, they'll choose to do something else.
NEXT MONTHMaybe I'll have revived Silexare.com. Maybe not. I hope I'll have finished editing book 1-or-2 because there is a lot to do.
dtl
Gosh, usually i just go like [signoff] and Silexare.com would make a thing talking about where to find me elsewhere online. Sorry. Figure it oot.
Been a while, I know. That's because this blog doesn't presently serve any practical purpose. I don't have time to conversate here so it's sorta in a purgatorial state, like space dust just hovering and awaiting the press of gravity to squeeze it down into a fat juicy orang-HEY! One day is upon us!
~
I ran updates on plug-ins for http://Silexare.com/ and managed to break it.
see?No, Edge is not my preferred browser.
Since I have as much interest in web dev as I do in studying the Ptolemaic system (which is freaking RIGHT by the way) the illustrious Regarding Silexare will take center-stage and present this month's news. On that note, don't click half of the links up there. They're broken, too lol.
Until right now, I believe I've only missed one monthly news posting since 2015. Maybe 2013. This includes the months after my daughter died. But am I reeling after Silexare.com's untimely misstep? Not even kind of. I was sick of it. It had become increasingly clunky and had terminal issues not limited to the Modelovirus which is killing the sobriety of hundreds of hundreds, even as we habla. If nothing more, it served as time capsule for my personal comings and goings, but in the grand scheme even that didn't amount to much. I'll see about reviving it eventually.
WRITINGMy last post here was in July of 2019 and it mentioned I was beginning to puzzle out the editing process. I'm deep in it now and almost done with book 1-or-2 of 2. I'm on scene 25 of 31. January has been quite productive for edits. After I finish editing book 1-or-2, I'm either sending it to a beta fish reader or jumping ahead and pitching to my target hybrid publisher. I'll simultaneously start edits on book 2-or-1 (also of 2).
I toyed with the idea of giving you specifics on the scene I'm working on but I chose not to. If you're interested, by all means hit me up in the comments. You might convince me to expound on it in a future post. I'm just becoming more conscious of my time. There is too much ground to cover for me to spend it doing anything besides progressing directly forward.
But David, you're here writing this.
Eat a spotted dick.
READING
I just finished DARK AGE, by Pierce Brown. It's taken me two months, and not just because it's a thousand pages long. I have mixed feelings. First of all, holy hell. The whole story is on an EPIC scale. It takes itself exactly as seriously as Red Rising. 5/5 stars on complexity and world-building alone. I never would have thought while reading Red Rising that this story would become so in depth. So broad. So convoluted.
There are one frdxillion characters and families and bloodlines and races and traditions and weapons and cities and planets and systems and armies and names and names and names. Throughout reading Dark Age I topped out at 80% comprehension of what was going on. I went back and read a good bit of the book twice and still was never fully confident I knew who was what or where or why. It's been less than a year since I read the previous novel, IRON GOLD. I should not have been this lost.
Oh that's normal, I was lost too hahaha! Hail Reaper!
Sure, except certain massive plot points including the last paragraph of the book lost all punch, leaving me looking much like
"... cool?"Even with that said, it's a 5/5 book. There are deep thoughts and quotes throughout. The absolute coolest scifi fights and battles and wars ever. Prose is relentless, clever, and concise. I was inspired throughout and embarrassed by the pitiful stakes of my own stupid idiot book for morons. Thanks Pierce.
WATCHING
How about another joke, Murray?(This gets spoilery)I finally watched this a couple weeks ago. When it was over I watched it again. The next day I watched it again. I probably watched it yet again after that. I could honestly turn it on and watch it again right now.
What about it drew me in so much? Yes, I like the character of Joker. Maybe more than any other DC character. Maybe even more than any Marvel character, too. But this is no action-packed superhero/villain flick. It's a depressing downward-spiral documentary close-up character piece of a mentally unstable grown man who losses all support, abandons his meds, and experiences the final tragic events that tip him over the edge of insanity, wherein he becomes a fully unapologetic sociopathic murderer, utterly disconnected from societal expectations or concern for consequences. The protagonist of the film becomes an "active shooter."
I can never truly know what this film did for or against that tragic trend. Maybe nothing. But I choose to believe that maybe a person heading down a similar violent path will experience a showing of Joker, catch a bit of Joaquin's depiction of the deranged Arthur Fleck, and then maybe, instead of arming themselves with the tools to murder innocent masses, they'll say, "Wait. I'm not alone?" And then, just maybe, they'll choose to do something else.
NEXT MONTHMaybe I'll have revived Silexare.com. Maybe not. I hope I'll have finished editing book 1-or-2 because there is a lot to do.
dtl
Gosh, usually i just go like [signoff] and Silexare.com would make a thing talking about where to find me elsewhere online. Sorry. Figure it oot.
June 28, 2019
Editing? More like Dreaditing!
I've trademarked the above joke so don't even think about it.
Y'know? Judging by the infrequency of my blogly posting, you'd think I have nothing to say. Ask my wife if that's true. Aha! ha! I'm just full of gold today aren't I? Full o' something, surely.
~
I wrote Ausgan (one of Turesia Trilogy's first two books). It's complete at around 90,000 words - a little longer than Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I set it aside and wrote Fohrvylda (the other of Turesia Trilogy's first two books). It's complete at around 165,000 words - a little shorter than Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I finished that and set it aside to edit Ausgan. Once Ausgan is edited I'll edit Fohrvylda.
me, nearly nude
Until this point I figured that drafting's toughest because you're carving a new path, and everything going forward is just be retreading comfy ground. Maybe for some people that's the case. It's not for me. My editing technique is in dire need of an overhaul. Or perhaps just a haul, since it's sorta shambles at the moment.
Here's my current technique, and I'm open to suggestions on improving it:
first objective (I'm here at present)
- Gather all my feedback and notes
The entire trilogy is split into individual scenes in Scrivener. In every scene there may be notes up front, at the end, or stuffed throughout and delineated with a _ or a [] or a *.
There's also a collection of 7,000+ words of unorganized notes and feedback.
There is also the notepad on my phone that is stuffed with garbage that needs sorting.
My first objective is to round up all these little bastards and lay them out straight.
secundo objective
- Compress the notes / Make a plan
So in this step... Hell, I don't f*king know. Honestly, I'm just hoping I can convince myself that most of the notes aren't important. I imagine that I think I'll come across lots of a good deal of mucho redundancy that repeats itself or says the same thing more than once or, worst of all and by far the least preferable, wastes words. Either way, I'm splitting the notes up based on if they can be resolved in one scene or require more than one.
tredje mål
- Apply the fixes
Start at scene 1 and go from there. After scene fixes are done and I've re-familiarized myself with the story I'll look into the overarching issues.
If the issues are small (determine Culder's actual name) I can knock them out quickly. His name is now Anthony. Anthony Fantano. Boom, next.
If they're large (determine Culder's actual arc) then ... ugh. I'm hemorrhaging cranially just thinking about that.
четвертая цель
Once that's cracked, I'm sending Ausgan to beta readers and moving on to edit Fohrvylda.
Rinse, bleach, repeat.
I probably won't keep you updated here. But if you find yourself desperately wanting my words in your eyes between now and the next post, I'll be kicking around elsewhere online unless I die to death, which I eventually plan to do.
dtl
Y'know? Judging by the infrequency of my blogly posting, you'd think I have nothing to say. Ask my wife if that's true. Aha! ha! I'm just full of gold today aren't I? Full o' something, surely.
~
I wrote Ausgan (one of Turesia Trilogy's first two books). It's complete at around 90,000 words - a little longer than Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I set it aside and wrote Fohrvylda (the other of Turesia Trilogy's first two books). It's complete at around 165,000 words - a little shorter than Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I finished that and set it aside to edit Ausgan. Once Ausgan is edited I'll edit Fohrvylda.
me, nearly nudeUntil this point I figured that drafting's toughest because you're carving a new path, and everything going forward is just be retreading comfy ground. Maybe for some people that's the case. It's not for me. My editing technique is in dire need of an overhaul. Or perhaps just a haul, since it's sorta shambles at the moment.
Here's my current technique, and I'm open to suggestions on improving it:
first objective (I'm here at present)
- Gather all my feedback and notes
The entire trilogy is split into individual scenes in Scrivener. In every scene there may be notes up front, at the end, or stuffed throughout and delineated with a _ or a [] or a *.
There's also a collection of 7,000+ words of unorganized notes and feedback.
There is also the notepad on my phone that is stuffed with garbage that needs sorting.
My first objective is to round up all these little bastards and lay them out straight.
secundo objective
- Compress the notes / Make a plan
So in this step... Hell, I don't f*king know. Honestly, I'm just hoping I can convince myself that most of the notes aren't important. I imagine that I think I'll come across lots of a good deal of mucho redundancy that repeats itself or says the same thing more than once or, worst of all and by far the least preferable, wastes words. Either way, I'm splitting the notes up based on if they can be resolved in one scene or require more than one.
tredje mål
- Apply the fixes
Start at scene 1 and go from there. After scene fixes are done and I've re-familiarized myself with the story I'll look into the overarching issues.
If the issues are small (determine Culder's actual name) I can knock them out quickly. His name is now Anthony. Anthony Fantano. Boom, next.
If they're large (determine Culder's actual arc) then ... ugh. I'm hemorrhaging cranially just thinking about that.
четвертая цель
Once that's cracked, I'm sending Ausgan to beta readers and moving on to edit Fohrvylda.
Rinse, bleach, repeat.
I probably won't keep you updated here. But if you find yourself desperately wanting my words in your eyes between now and the next post, I'll be kicking around elsewhere online unless I die to death, which I eventually plan to do.
dtl
February 28, 2019
Jax the dog. Nov 09 - Feb 19
Oh hi, punching-blog.
Been a while since I ripped your heart out so let's do that for funsy's. Not like I'm finishing this book anytime soon. You know, the one that will rip out the entire world's heart.
~~~
That time Jax helped me fix my computer
Last week Jax barfed on the carpet. That's not too uncommon. His motto is "Have carpet, will barf." But he got pickier about food around that time, too. He grew progressively more lethargic and showed less and less appetite. Saturday it became obvious he was somehow growing skinnier and fatter at the same time. I figured parasites were munching down on the nutrients meant for him and a good purging would set him straight. So Sunday I took him to the emergency vet. I expected them to scold me for going unprotected from gut worms for so long, then send me on my way with some pills to shove down his throat. Instead she quietly explained he's riddled with cancer and has less than a week to live.
Wild Jax MacGillacuddy
Tough blow, that.
I love that doggle. He's 9 years and 3 months old, and apparently it's common for labs to arrive at this dismal destination, even if they're 1/4 pit bull like my boy.
It wasn't until I told the vet that I had a hard talk with my 7-year old ahead of me that her eyes grew shiny, at which point so did mine.
Boyo loved Jax from day 1*
(* except maybe on the days when Jax's excited tail swung like a tree limb,
bashing him across the bridge of his nose and laying him flat)
Simon took the news well enough I suppose. He's got some experience with death already (more than his share if you ask me) having lost his grandy, his distant uncle Steve, his uncouth uncle Craig, and his baby sister Evie.
Guard doggle & Simon with his accessories
Simon unloading his day's burdens on the best listener I've ever known
... also the best snuggler.
I told Simon Jax is old and has slowed down, you know, like old people do. And unfortunately it turns out doggy-rog doesn't have much longer to live. Simon was quiet, thoughtful, unhappy. I apologized for delivering such hard news, explaining that I just wanted him to get some snugs in while he could. I gave the boyo a hug and he whispered, "Don't apologize."
We took Jax to his aunt Mandi's house on Monday and Tuesday. She served him whatever food he wanted, paid him constant attention, and even gave him some solid make-out sessions (it's legal in Ga). We all knew he'd not live out the week, or even half of it. He was getting weaker daily. Cancer, that impatient c*#t, was ready to have my baby doggy. So my wife and I told cancer f$%# you and we scheduled a home visit from our local animal hospital's angel of death.
Yesterday morning Dr. Death and her technician arrived to kill my dog before cancer could do its work. Jax had been snoring with his massive head on my wife's lap. We held his face and comforted him while the doctors performed their magic with tenderness and love. They made Jax's belly stop hurting and helped him finally get comfortable again.
When they'd finished, and the vet removed her stethoscope and set it aside, we held him a moment longer. Then we wrapped him in one of his favorite blankets. The vet and her tech helped us carry my big boy out to the backyard, to the hole I dug Tuesday night. They left. I covered Jax's face. My wife and I buried him.
Jax had a full, adventurous life. And when his prime abandoned him and his condition promised to only terminally worsen, we gave him graceful passage. There is solace to be found knowing this is not something my wife and I could have feasibly prevented.
Doesn't make it easier.
~~
So who was Jax?
short answer: Jax the dog set an impossible standard and ruined me for any future pet doggo.
...But you're not here for a short answer. You're here because you love it when I talk too much.
~~
Jax has always loved adventuring. When we hiked in the woods he wore nothing. No collar, no leash, and we never took trails. Always straight wilderness. The loster the better. He always led the way and was always one whistle away, even if you couldn't see or hear him. If you turned around or changed course, he'd know it and would appear in front of you, scouting, always scouting.
Me, Jax, Donavon (Firstborne)
As much as Jax loved the river he hated kayaking. HATED it.
I took him twice. He cried the whole time, for every mile of both trips.
If there was a turtle in the woods,
Jax would find it and alert you know by barking at it point-blank until you made him stop.
And if there was mud to be found, he'd dress himself in it.
He didn't share a human's cowardly hesitation to plop down in whatever kind of filth crossed his path.
At Jax's first house, he learned his name. We learned the phrase "severe separation anxiety" since he would wail at the top of his baby doggy lungs if you left his direct line of sight.
That silver bowl right there served him the duration of his life.
He liked standing on me when he was little.
Campy McDoggo
Don't judge. You'd sleep there too if you could fit.
Born with the bluest eyes.
At Jax's second house we had a large yard. Here he'd run and run and run and play with the neighbor dogs (whether they liked it or not). He'd catch tennis balls, baseballs, sticks, rabbits, possums... one time a skunk.
Jax was a straight beast at catching balls...
And if you think that doesn't sound right then get your mind out of the gutter, David.
Life hack: A cold nose is more effective than any alarm clock.
... but if that doesn't work, Jax had no problem mercilessly crushing your throat with his enormous head
Our most recent house had a puny yard, but was walking distance from the lake.
Have I mentioned Jax is part fish?
Classic joke, David. Good one.
Hey thanks.
He fished.
His success rate was nothing to brag on perhaps but I wanna see you try his technique and come up chewing fish!
Just rocking out.
*David excuses himself*
Look at that murky beast clambering out of the water to eat your guts!
"You best wipe that deer smirk off your stupid leaf-chewing face or I'll come wipe it off for you!"
"I'm sorry! It was a joke! Where's your sense of humor you rabid ungulate!"
It was the same weekend that we moved into our new house that Jax was diagnosed. He never got the chance to track mud all over it, or have an accident behind the couch or chair or shelf. He would have loved the yard, though. And that is where he now rests.
When we get around to finding another wee little soul to join us for too few years, he will have large paw prints to fill.
Doggle, Firstborne, Boyo
Love you, Jax. You're a good boy.
Been a while since I ripped your heart out so let's do that for funsy's. Not like I'm finishing this book anytime soon. You know, the one that will rip out the entire world's heart.
~~~
That time Jax helped me fix my computerLast week Jax barfed on the carpet. That's not too uncommon. His motto is "Have carpet, will barf." But he got pickier about food around that time, too. He grew progressively more lethargic and showed less and less appetite. Saturday it became obvious he was somehow growing skinnier and fatter at the same time. I figured parasites were munching down on the nutrients meant for him and a good purging would set him straight. So Sunday I took him to the emergency vet. I expected them to scold me for going unprotected from gut worms for so long, then send me on my way with some pills to shove down his throat. Instead she quietly explained he's riddled with cancer and has less than a week to live.
Wild Jax MacGillacuddyTough blow, that.
I love that doggle. He's 9 years and 3 months old, and apparently it's common for labs to arrive at this dismal destination, even if they're 1/4 pit bull like my boy.
It wasn't until I told the vet that I had a hard talk with my 7-year old ahead of me that her eyes grew shiny, at which point so did mine.
Boyo loved Jax from day 1*(* except maybe on the days when Jax's excited tail swung like a tree limb,
bashing him across the bridge of his nose and laying him flat)
Simon took the news well enough I suppose. He's got some experience with death already (more than his share if you ask me) having lost his grandy, his distant uncle Steve, his uncouth uncle Craig, and his baby sister Evie.
Guard doggle & Simon with his accessories
Simon unloading his day's burdens on the best listener I've ever known
... also the best snuggler.I told Simon Jax is old and has slowed down, you know, like old people do. And unfortunately it turns out doggy-rog doesn't have much longer to live. Simon was quiet, thoughtful, unhappy. I apologized for delivering such hard news, explaining that I just wanted him to get some snugs in while he could. I gave the boyo a hug and he whispered, "Don't apologize."
We took Jax to his aunt Mandi's house on Monday and Tuesday. She served him whatever food he wanted, paid him constant attention, and even gave him some solid make-out sessions (it's legal in Ga). We all knew he'd not live out the week, or even half of it. He was getting weaker daily. Cancer, that impatient c*#t, was ready to have my baby doggy. So my wife and I told cancer f$%# you and we scheduled a home visit from our local animal hospital's angel of death.
Yesterday morning Dr. Death and her technician arrived to kill my dog before cancer could do its work. Jax had been snoring with his massive head on my wife's lap. We held his face and comforted him while the doctors performed their magic with tenderness and love. They made Jax's belly stop hurting and helped him finally get comfortable again.
When they'd finished, and the vet removed her stethoscope and set it aside, we held him a moment longer. Then we wrapped him in one of his favorite blankets. The vet and her tech helped us carry my big boy out to the backyard, to the hole I dug Tuesday night. They left. I covered Jax's face. My wife and I buried him.
Jax had a full, adventurous life. And when his prime abandoned him and his condition promised to only terminally worsen, we gave him graceful passage. There is solace to be found knowing this is not something my wife and I could have feasibly prevented.
Doesn't make it easier.
~~
So who was Jax?
short answer: Jax the dog set an impossible standard and ruined me for any future pet doggo.
...But you're not here for a short answer. You're here because you love it when I talk too much.
~~
Jax has always loved adventuring. When we hiked in the woods he wore nothing. No collar, no leash, and we never took trails. Always straight wilderness. The loster the better. He always led the way and was always one whistle away, even if you couldn't see or hear him. If you turned around or changed course, he'd know it and would appear in front of you, scouting, always scouting.
Me, Jax, Donavon (Firstborne)As much as Jax loved the river he hated kayaking. HATED it.
I took him twice. He cried the whole time, for every mile of both trips.
If there was a turtle in the woods, Jax would find it and alert you know by barking at it point-blank until you made him stop.
And if there was mud to be found, he'd dress himself in it.
He didn't share a human's cowardly hesitation to plop down in whatever kind of filth crossed his path.At Jax's first house, he learned his name. We learned the phrase "severe separation anxiety" since he would wail at the top of his baby doggy lungs if you left his direct line of sight.
That silver bowl right there served him the duration of his life.
He liked standing on me when he was little.
Campy McDoggo
Don't judge. You'd sleep there too if you could fit.
Born with the bluest eyes.At Jax's second house we had a large yard. Here he'd run and run and run and play with the neighbor dogs (whether they liked it or not). He'd catch tennis balls, baseballs, sticks, rabbits, possums... one time a skunk.
Jax was a straight beast at catching balls...And if you think that doesn't sound right then get your mind out of the gutter, David.
Life hack: A cold nose is more effective than any alarm clock.
... but if that doesn't work, Jax had no problem mercilessly crushing your throat with his enormous headOur most recent house had a puny yard, but was walking distance from the lake.
Have I mentioned Jax is part fish?
Classic joke, David. Good one.
Hey thanks.
He fished. His success rate was nothing to brag on perhaps but I wanna see you try his technique and come up chewing fish!
Just rocking out.*David excuses himself*
Look at that murky beast clambering out of the water to eat your guts!
"You best wipe that deer smirk off your stupid leaf-chewing face or I'll come wipe it off for you!"
"I'm sorry! It was a joke! Where's your sense of humor you rabid ungulate!"It was the same weekend that we moved into our new house that Jax was diagnosed. He never got the chance to track mud all over it, or have an accident behind the couch or chair or shelf. He would have loved the yard, though. And that is where he now rests.
When we get around to finding another wee little soul to join us for too few years, he will have large paw prints to fill.
Doggle, Firstborne, BoyoLove you, Jax. You're a good boy.
February 7, 2019
Research Record - February 2019
Time for one of these beauties. Strap in because it's a long one! And thick!!
David. Are these research records simultaneously a resuscitation attempt for this desolation that your blog has become and also a means of procrastinating versus writing Turesia?
Yes. Wait, No. Wait, what was the question? Hey look a bird!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I had to wade through a lot of shite to narrow this list down to the pertinent and sensational (the two most common words used to describe Research Record). My Google activity is all muddied since I've been DIY finishing building a house and bogged down in the IT work that pays me and also raising a little red one.
You're freaking welcome.
Looks like with the death of G+ or Google + or whatever it's called my blog might be affected. Maybe if I came here more often than twice every billion years I'd be more concerned. Not to disrespect my loyal audience. The 1.5 of you frequenters (and that's on a BUSY week) mean the whole world to me, which is why I'm here now. But I'm just more active elsewhere online lately. (and by elsewhere I mean nowhere)
Google Searches of Note
Pay an influencer to promote your novel
What can I say? I binged both Hulu and Netflix's documentaries on the Fyre Festival. And if there's one thing that shitshow did right, it was the initial advertising.
Final Fantasy concept art
Yoshitaka Amano is brilliant and I want his art hung all over my house.
Final Fantasy VI art - Yoshitaka Amano
Caribbean Monk Seal
Because I have to rename my Orcanes. :( The monk seal shows up if you google wolf seal. Those names lack the punch I'm after.
Size difference between Ancalagon the Black and Smaug
"ankal3gon" has been a screen name of mine for some time. Not long ago I got in an Ancalagon versus Smaug conversation. You know, like ya do. Well let me tell ya! *huh huh huh huh* It didn't go so well for the Smaug enthusiast!!!!!!!!!
*pushes glasses up nose while catching stray saliva dribbling down chin and wonders what getting laid is like*
Is RAM hot-swappable?
Heh heh heh. Of course it is.
Urban jungle located in Taipei, Taiwan
I. am. obsessed. I get inspired by every shot I see of this locale and the now defunct,
Kowloon Walled City
Look up pictures of these places. Get familiar if you find yourself intrigued. They are amazing and unbelievable.
Taipei, Taiwan. Credit to photographer Andreas Mass.
panoramic of Kowloon Walled City
(or "inspiration for every over-crowded dystopian city ever")
"There is nothing new under the sun"
Is a line from my favorite book in the Bible, Ecclesiastes. Quite a nihilistic book, if you ask me. That search led me to Pseudepigrapha (down under Wikipedia)
'ino'ino
It's Hawaiian for damaged.
[story time] After reading Kings of Paradise by Richard Nell I realized I had to rename Kale. "Ino" is one of the options... and it's sorta sticking. Interestingly, it means wild boar in Japanese. Kale (Ino) fights one of those in my story. Well, not exactly a wild boar, more like a daeodon.
*also considered Borecole and Arugula for alt names. Neither fit.
How much does the avg poop weigh?
During my first adventure with magnesium citrate (shit-right) I weighed myself before and after the big event. That's as much of that as probably ever needs to be uttered anywhere.
What's worth watching on Showtime?
spoiler: nuffin.
Wikipedia
Krampus - Not sure why I gave this ol' boy my attention recently. Probably had to do with Christmas. Or Binding of Isaac. Or some pithy quip on Facebuk.
Baritsu (or Bartitsu) - A 'Bruce Lee fighting style' search ended up here. Essentially if you're wearing a coat and have a cane and a mustache, this fighting style is for you.
Pseudepigrapha - "Deutorocanonical works produced 300BC-300AD, perhaps attributed to authors falsely" or something like that. Included in this classification is the Book of Enoch (Enoch = Noah's grandpa) which has lots of interesting things to say about angels falling from heaven and demons and giants.
The format of these posts doesn't exactly lend itself to being tidily concluded, rather the end.
David. Are these research records simultaneously a resuscitation attempt for this desolation that your blog has become and also a means of procrastinating versus writing Turesia?
Yes. Wait, No. Wait, what was the question? Hey look a bird!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I had to wade through a lot of shite to narrow this list down to the pertinent and sensational (the two most common words used to describe Research Record). My Google activity is all muddied since I've been DIY finishing building a house and bogged down in the IT work that pays me and also raising a little red one.
You're freaking welcome.
Looks like with the death of G+ or Google + or whatever it's called my blog might be affected. Maybe if I came here more often than twice every billion years I'd be more concerned. Not to disrespect my loyal audience. The 1.5 of you frequenters (and that's on a BUSY week) mean the whole world to me, which is why I'm here now. But I'm just more active elsewhere online lately. (and by elsewhere I mean nowhere)
Google Searches of Note
Pay an influencer to promote your novel
What can I say? I binged both Hulu and Netflix's documentaries on the Fyre Festival. And if there's one thing that shitshow did right, it was the initial advertising.
Final Fantasy concept art
Yoshitaka Amano is brilliant and I want his art hung all over my house.
Final Fantasy VI art - Yoshitaka AmanoCaribbean Monk Seal
Because I have to rename my Orcanes. :( The monk seal shows up if you google wolf seal. Those names lack the punch I'm after.
Size difference between Ancalagon the Black and Smaug
"ankal3gon" has been a screen name of mine for some time. Not long ago I got in an Ancalagon versus Smaug conversation. You know, like ya do. Well let me tell ya! *huh huh huh huh* It didn't go so well for the Smaug enthusiast!!!!!!!!!
*pushes glasses up nose while catching stray saliva dribbling down chin and wonders what getting laid is like*
Is RAM hot-swappable?
Heh heh heh. Of course it is.
Urban jungle located in Taipei, Taiwan
I. am. obsessed. I get inspired by every shot I see of this locale and the now defunct,
Kowloon Walled City
Look up pictures of these places. Get familiar if you find yourself intrigued. They are amazing and unbelievable.
Taipei, Taiwan. Credit to photographer Andreas Mass.
panoramic of Kowloon Walled City (or "inspiration for every over-crowded dystopian city ever")
"There is nothing new under the sun"
Is a line from my favorite book in the Bible, Ecclesiastes. Quite a nihilistic book, if you ask me. That search led me to Pseudepigrapha (down under Wikipedia)
'ino'ino
It's Hawaiian for damaged.
[story time] After reading Kings of Paradise by Richard Nell I realized I had to rename Kale. "Ino" is one of the options... and it's sorta sticking. Interestingly, it means wild boar in Japanese. Kale (Ino) fights one of those in my story. Well, not exactly a wild boar, more like a daeodon.
*also considered Borecole and Arugula for alt names. Neither fit.
How much does the avg poop weigh?
During my first adventure with magnesium citrate (shit-right) I weighed myself before and after the big event. That's as much of that as probably ever needs to be uttered anywhere.
What's worth watching on Showtime?
spoiler: nuffin.
Wikipedia
Krampus - Not sure why I gave this ol' boy my attention recently. Probably had to do with Christmas. Or Binding of Isaac. Or some pithy quip on Facebuk.
Baritsu (or Bartitsu) - A 'Bruce Lee fighting style' search ended up here. Essentially if you're wearing a coat and have a cane and a mustache, this fighting style is for you.
Pseudepigrapha - "Deutorocanonical works produced 300BC-300AD, perhaps attributed to authors falsely" or something like that. Included in this classification is the Book of Enoch (Enoch = Noah's grandpa) which has lots of interesting things to say about angels falling from heaven and demons and giants.
The format of these posts doesn't exactly lend itself to being tidily concluded, rather the end.
