For far too long social media has killed my desire to blog–I mean, why repeat myself here when I’ve posted news elsewhere? It’s a problem, because news posted on Instagram and Facebook reaches lots more people than will ever stop by here. Or, will it?
In the spirit of blogging again, I’ve got a cup of hot English Breakfast tea, am sitting in my easy chair with my cat Dylan, and feel like expressing myself. (The design on the mug is from a poster I made that I call “The Odd Couple.”
I’ve got a two-week window to finish the first draft of Apex Killers, a novel that I’ve had to abandon for long periods of time due to other commitments. Today I’m going to re-familiarize myself with what I’ve already written, then come up with a gameplan to finish this sucker off. It needs to be finished, because it is my most daring, amoral, subversive, shocking book I’ve ever worked on. It has a lot of crossover potential, too.
I’ve been obsessed for months now with 3D art, and my tools of choice have been Daz3d and Blender, along the Facegen and a few other applications. While all this is very technical, I’ve come to see it as an extension of my art training, not a new thing. The learning curve on these things is very steep. I’ve come to see Blender as the most powerful digital too since Photoshop–there is nothing you cannot create within its framework. I’ve done the vast majority of my training with both these programs with free Youtube videos.
(Many of you are young enough that you don’t remember a pre-internet world. When I learned guitar, for example, the only way to learn more was self-discovery, jamming with other people, and occassional books you could find. Learning was a treasure hunt for knowledge, pure and simple. While I love the modern world and its almost instant access to learning, I also sort of miss the somewhat mysterious old , analog days.)
This week I’ve got a doctor appointment for my feet. Walking has been very painful for a while, now, and the pain of making it through the day has been exhausting. I’m not sure what is going to come of this appointment, but I can only hope that there is relief in sight. The pain has been day and night for a while, and walking hurts as badly as any broken bone I’ve ever had. Wish me luck.
I watched the Netflix show Altered Carbon, and now I’m halfway through reading the book it was based on. So, so good. Both of them. There are major differences, but overall both versions (tv adaptation, original novel) are magnetic. I’m going to have to look into the schools of thought on Transhumanism, because I think there is much more there than I expected.
A couple of weeks ago I lost my father-in-law, Clinton Crowder. He was only 75 years old, and I believe he would have very much enjoyed another couple of decades. He was an avid musician, very active on the Bluegrass and Americana scene, and his love of music and his grandchildren kept him motivated and happy. Even now, I have trouble saying what Clinton meant to me, because at times he was my mentor, father figure, friend, musical jam buddy, and example of how to be a man and husband. Obviously, most sympathy should go to his wife Cathy, his daughter Benita, and his son Clinton the 2nd, and his many grandchildren, but I guess you could say I’m also sorry for myself and my own personal loss. OK, I’ve said enough. None of this is meant to be maudlin or dramatic. I would much rather celebrate the well-spent life of a truly admirable man than cry.
I’m out of time for now, but sometime remind me to tell you the recent story of how Benita and I transported a live sheep in the back of her car across three states. You cannot make this kind of stuff up.