Red as far as the eye could see.
Beautiful it was. But desolate.
Nothing growing. How could we eat?
Arcites and I walked onwards
On a path through the barren hills and cliffs
Avoiding deadends as best we could
Fretting about food
For we had walked for hours
And nothing green, nothing alive
Arcites said unto me let us work our way up higher
Through these hills
In cooler climes things may change to our advantage
Bleakly we continued. No sign of any life.
No sign of man, or creature. No tracks even.
Upwards we went.
From a high vantage we had a good view and finally found another human being
A young woman standing outside a cave far in the distance.
"Should we call to her?"
"She may frighten and run away. Let's sneak closer." said my companion.
"But that may truly scare her. For better or worse let us call to her now."
We did so. We called to her.
And she ran away.
We ran after. But soon she was lost to sight as our route to her had many obstacles.
We eventually reached to where she had been and then ran down a corridor between two cliffs the way she had gone. Sensing a trap I kept an eye above. "Look out! I shouted and Arcites narrowly avoided a rock the size of two fists from above.
On ahead we went, the path rising and then taking us to the top of the cliff. And there she sat.
""We mean you no harm!" I shouted.
She sat there and scowled.
"Then fuck off!"
Arcites spoke, "We are sorry dear lady. Please forgive us. It is so wonderful to see a pretty face after so long with my dour comrade here. Please let us speak with you. You have absolutely nothing to fear. Your apprehension is certainly understandable with the looks of my friend but truly we mean no harm. Certainly if my companion were to try anything I would defend you, though I think him better than that."
I interrupted his speech, "Lady where are we and where can we find some food?"
"Fuck off creep." she replied.
"Please be quiet Nicolas. You are bothering this beautiful lady."
I decided to let Nicolas do the talking. He was obviously smitten by her. To me she appeared to have a perpetual scowl and had already tried to kill us once. Perhaps she had had past bad experiences. I couldn't say. In speaking with Nicolas she divulged that she knew nothing of this world either and had been here only a little longer than us. She said she knew of no food. Her name was Sara. We were getting hungry. More important than food was water. With her we now continued our search.
Almost immediately we then came across mushrooms growing in perpetual shade between the cliffs and crags.
"Could be poisonous. What do you think fair lady?" said Arcites.
Sara shrugged.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Canterbury Tales
First one, the Knights Tale. Two guys are both taken prisoner. Can't remember now if they were brothers.... They see a woman from afar and both fall madly in love. The one is released and eventually comes back incognito just to be close to this woman. The second finally escapes. And then they want to fight each other to the death over her. And there's this big stupid battle. The one wins but then falls off his horse and eventually dies. Emily wails for days over it. And I'm still trying to finish this boring tale. Lots of stuff about the planet gods, Mars, Venus, Saturn.
And goes on and on even describing the damn funeral. Who cares? And he says he won't tell us about a ton of stuff and in so doing is telling us about it. On and on. Is this humor?
"In Chaucer's story there are two heroes, who are practically indistinguishable from each other, and a heroine, who is merely a name. In the Italian poem it is possible to feel the interest in hero and heroine which is necessary if one is to be moved by a story. . . . In Chaucer's version, on the other hand, . . . it is hard to believe that anyone can sympathize with either hero or care which one wins Emelye." Yes.
Ridiculously long and boring speech at the end.
I suppose love is usually exactly that stupid. I suppose kind of perfect actually. Makes about as much sense as my weird fascination with S, but part of that was like how I want to get the disabled pet from the animal shelter. Sadly same thing. And so I go after really crazy people. But a lot of it was her looks. Still the most attractive woman ever to me. Which is ridiculous. But just getting to be around her as a friend really kept me going in a way. And I suppose in a way the same is true of her sister though much less. Probably much less is a good thing. I guess. And they both managed to get themselves fired from where I work. They may not seem much alike but ultimately similar.
Anyway I was really hoping for something like the Telltale Lilac Bush. Hoping not all the stories are going on about Saturn and Mars and having big fights over women who barely get to even speak in the story. Except in this case to say she'd really rather not be with either. So there is that.
Tennis
Playing with Michael Chang OS graphite. stiffness rating 59 with NXT strung mains 47 crosses 43. Continuing to try to hit a Jack Sock forehand. Arm is OK so far.... Guess I had a lot of aces today against Qasim. Who can move well. Backhand is western/eastern backhand grip (heavy topspin backhand). Though I don't usually hit much topspin on it anyway. Will my arm stay OK?
Played 6'8" Drew last week. He won 7-5, 6-3. I could have played better no doubt. He played well though. Today against Qasim was first time I used Sock heavy topspin one hand forehand on ROS. Hit a lot of errors. Game was breaking down from being tired. Pulling away from ball, jerking/jumping. Meh. Despite extreme western grip.
Anyway though 2-6, 6-3 and won a tiebreak. One good thing is I'm moving decent thanks to 35 lb backpack on ellipitical.
First one, the Knights Tale. Two guys are both taken prisoner. Can't remember now if they were brothers.... They see a woman from afar and both fall madly in love. The one is released and eventually comes back incognito just to be close to this woman. The second finally escapes. And then they want to fight each other to the death over her. And there's this big stupid battle. The one wins but then falls off his horse and eventually dies. Emily wails for days over it. And I'm still trying to finish this boring tale. Lots of stuff about the planet gods, Mars, Venus, Saturn.
And goes on and on even describing the damn funeral. Who cares? And he says he won't tell us about a ton of stuff and in so doing is telling us about it. On and on. Is this humor?
"In Chaucer's story there are two heroes, who are practically indistinguishable from each other, and a heroine, who is merely a name. In the Italian poem it is possible to feel the interest in hero and heroine which is necessary if one is to be moved by a story. . . . In Chaucer's version, on the other hand, . . . it is hard to believe that anyone can sympathize with either hero or care which one wins Emelye." Yes.
Ridiculously long and boring speech at the end.
I suppose love is usually exactly that stupid. I suppose kind of perfect actually. Makes about as much sense as my weird fascination with S, but part of that was like how I want to get the disabled pet from the animal shelter. Sadly same thing. And so I go after really crazy people. But a lot of it was her looks. Still the most attractive woman ever to me. Which is ridiculous. But just getting to be around her as a friend really kept me going in a way. And I suppose in a way the same is true of her sister though much less. Probably much less is a good thing. I guess. And they both managed to get themselves fired from where I work. They may not seem much alike but ultimately similar.
Anyway I was really hoping for something like the Telltale Lilac Bush. Hoping not all the stories are going on about Saturn and Mars and having big fights over women who barely get to even speak in the story. Except in this case to say she'd really rather not be with either. So there is that.
Tennis
Playing with Michael Chang OS graphite. stiffness rating 59 with NXT strung mains 47 crosses 43. Continuing to try to hit a Jack Sock forehand. Arm is OK so far.... Guess I had a lot of aces today against Qasim. Who can move well. Backhand is western/eastern backhand grip (heavy topspin backhand). Though I don't usually hit much topspin on it anyway. Will my arm stay OK?
Played 6'8" Drew last week. He won 7-5, 6-3. I could have played better no doubt. He played well though. Today against Qasim was first time I used Sock heavy topspin one hand forehand on ROS. Hit a lot of errors. Game was breaking down from being tired. Pulling away from ball, jerking/jumping. Meh. Despite extreme western grip.
Anyway though 2-6, 6-3 and won a tiebreak. One good thing is I'm moving decent thanks to 35 lb backpack on ellipitical.
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Rereading The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance.
It's very unlikely I will ever write anything as good as this novella. And I would like to understand why. The villain is extremely 2D. Very stupid. One is inclined to think just not realistic at all. But, actually people in the real world are amazingly stupid. So much of the story is just this idiot's actions. And random war stuff. The dragons fighting each other and against the Basics. Vance's use of language. His style makes it work.
0
Joaz Banbeck is the same hero as in all his sci fi. He comes across distant. And stoic. We actually have little idea about him. He has children. It's not clear who the mother/s is. His love interest is stupid and doesn't seem much like a mom, if she even is one. Possibly they practice bigamy. No idea. There is virtually no interaction that is more than summarized between Joaz and anyone but Ervis Carcolo (the villain) and the sacerdotes and Basic envoy. The meeting between Joaz's grandfather and the Basic many decades previous might as well have been Joaz. Same damn character.
And an award winning story.
I think the thing, the most important thing, of this and I suppose just about all other enjoyable stories, is that it's a whitewashed version of the reality of the human condition. So this way that reality is warped that makes it enjoyable to read about. It has seemed like it makes it irrelevant escapism. And though I enjoy reading, somehow I can't quite be serious about writing it. And as I instead make it realistic and relevant, I recognize that it becomes something that in this day and age at least, no one is really going to have any interest in reading.
So, I need to learn to not feel silly with irrelevant escapism. And I have often told myself that it is still of use to us in this here world. I do think that evil people don't read fiction stories. As one reads they recognize when they're acting like some ridiculous 2D villain. And escapism in and of itself is also essential anyway.
It's very unlikely I will ever write anything as good as this novella. And I would like to understand why. The villain is extremely 2D. Very stupid. One is inclined to think just not realistic at all. But, actually people in the real world are amazingly stupid. So much of the story is just this idiot's actions. And random war stuff. The dragons fighting each other and against the Basics. Vance's use of language. His style makes it work.
0
Joaz Banbeck is the same hero as in all his sci fi. He comes across distant. And stoic. We actually have little idea about him. He has children. It's not clear who the mother/s is. His love interest is stupid and doesn't seem much like a mom, if she even is one. Possibly they practice bigamy. No idea. There is virtually no interaction that is more than summarized between Joaz and anyone but Ervis Carcolo (the villain) and the sacerdotes and Basic envoy. The meeting between Joaz's grandfather and the Basic many decades previous might as well have been Joaz. Same damn character.
And an award winning story.
I think the thing, the most important thing, of this and I suppose just about all other enjoyable stories, is that it's a whitewashed version of the reality of the human condition. So this way that reality is warped that makes it enjoyable to read about. It has seemed like it makes it irrelevant escapism. And though I enjoy reading, somehow I can't quite be serious about writing it. And as I instead make it realistic and relevant, I recognize that it becomes something that in this day and age at least, no one is really going to have any interest in reading.
So, I need to learn to not feel silly with irrelevant escapism. And I have often told myself that it is still of use to us in this here world. I do think that evil people don't read fiction stories. As one reads they recognize when they're acting like some ridiculous 2D villain. And escapism in and of itself is also essential anyway.
Monday, October 2, 2017
"This one looks almost ready!" The small red men gathered around the man hanging from the tree. His head was attached to a branch like an acorn would be. The branch sagged so that he was almost sitting. He was almost twice the size of the ten red men gathered all around. The one who spoke before started lightly slapping the sleeping man's face.
"Wake up. Hey, wake up!" he said. Gradually the hanging man opened his eyes and after a minute or two was finally able to focus.
"Do you remember where you came from?" The small red man asked.
"I.... I was in a hospital. What happened?"
"You died and went to heaven! Congratulations!" The red men laughed gleefully.
"I did? Is my wife here?"
"We probably ate her long ago." Said the leader of the red men as he stabbed his spear into the man's stomach. The man struggled frantically but he was still attached by the head. They held his arms and legs while they pried out his eyeballs.
"How do you like heaven?" Asked one of them with glee as the man screamed. They ate him alive, biting chunks off of him until he finally stopped struggling.
There was no one else ready to wake up today so they judged a few who might tomorrow and left them alone and then began cutting pieces off the less well formed ones. Then each by himself settled down to eat the raw flesh. There was nothing here to burn. They ate every little bit while they stared at each other.
A slightly larger one stared at the de facto leader as he chewed on a nose, a less savory morsel.
"What?" he said in challenge.
"Why you always tell them this heaven?"
"Cause it's fucking heaven, retard."
"I's wonder if not a joke, for real."
"Well, it's not hell. I didn't die and go to hell. I was as good as anyone else. Didn't do nothing anyone else didn't do. I had a right to be happy at least. That's all I did. For me this is heaven. Maybe not for him." he motioned at the morsel in his hand.
"It's a fucking joke." said another red man. "This isn't heaven. There is no killing in heaven."
"Speak for yourself pansy. Nothing wrong with eating meat. Can't eat meat without killing." said another man. "This world may not be heaven. But we can only do the best we can with what we got. Just like in the previous world, the strong survive. Kill or be killed."
"Wake up. Hey, wake up!" he said. Gradually the hanging man opened his eyes and after a minute or two was finally able to focus.
"Do you remember where you came from?" The small red man asked.
"I.... I was in a hospital. What happened?"
"You died and went to heaven! Congratulations!" The red men laughed gleefully.
"I did? Is my wife here?"
"We probably ate her long ago." Said the leader of the red men as he stabbed his spear into the man's stomach. The man struggled frantically but he was still attached by the head. They held his arms and legs while they pried out his eyeballs.
"How do you like heaven?" Asked one of them with glee as the man screamed. They ate him alive, biting chunks off of him until he finally stopped struggling.
There was no one else ready to wake up today so they judged a few who might tomorrow and left them alone and then began cutting pieces off the less well formed ones. Then each by himself settled down to eat the raw flesh. There was nothing here to burn. They ate every little bit while they stared at each other.
A slightly larger one stared at the de facto leader as he chewed on a nose, a less savory morsel.
"What?" he said in challenge.
"Why you always tell them this heaven?"
"Cause it's fucking heaven, retard."
"I's wonder if not a joke, for real."
"Well, it's not hell. I didn't die and go to hell. I was as good as anyone else. Didn't do nothing anyone else didn't do. I had a right to be happy at least. That's all I did. For me this is heaven. Maybe not for him." he motioned at the morsel in his hand.
"It's a fucking joke." said another red man. "This isn't heaven. There is no killing in heaven."
"Speak for yourself pansy. Nothing wrong with eating meat. Can't eat meat without killing." said another man. "This world may not be heaven. But we can only do the best we can with what we got. Just like in the previous world, the strong survive. Kill or be killed."
Was reading Little, Big by John Crowley. Well written but too lovey dovey for me. I wonder if Crowley is gay. Don't know that I'll finish it. Instead have been reading Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg. First book in Majipoor series. Not great. Silverberg was a prolific writer I've never gotten into. But I can just about tell when something is written by him. There is something about it. One thing I notice is that I keep expecting certain tropes and he keeps not doing them. There's a festival and everyone just has a good time. That's it. Nobody gets pickpocketed or murdered. And so on.
In other news my best friend outside of my wife got escorted from the building today. First her sister, my former close friend S, got fired many years ago. And now the same happens to her, B. I blame S. We are the people we associate with. She sent an ill advised text. It's the sort of thing S would do. She's trying to stay positive but it's really not a good thing. She had just gotten married and was trying to have a baby and was having fertility issues. Now she doesn't have health insurance to pay for the fertility issues. She's 38. Maybe this will mean she never has children. Also she has had nervous breakdowns before. Has been institutionalized before from manic episodes. I don't think that will happen now because I think having me and J as friends, plus now her husband will make a difference.
Ideally she wouldn't have been fired. This world continues to be this world though.
In other news my best friend outside of my wife got escorted from the building today. First her sister, my former close friend S, got fired many years ago. And now the same happens to her, B. I blame S. We are the people we associate with. She sent an ill advised text. It's the sort of thing S would do. She's trying to stay positive but it's really not a good thing. She had just gotten married and was trying to have a baby and was having fertility issues. Now she doesn't have health insurance to pay for the fertility issues. She's 38. Maybe this will mean she never has children. Also she has had nervous breakdowns before. Has been institutionalized before from manic episodes. I don't think that will happen now because I think having me and J as friends, plus now her husband will make a difference.
Ideally she wouldn't have been fired. This world continues to be this world though.
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