» Fringe Blog – Writing on Film, Culture, and Things on the Fringe

The Thing About Colorado

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:39:11 +0000

What is it about Colorado that gets me all hot and bothered? Is it the lovely Rocky Mountains and their Alpine jealousy? Is it the squeaky clean John Elway (not to be confused with Elton John) and his once thriving Broncos of Denver? Is it Boulder real estate and the mounds upon mounds of hippie communes that drive housing prices through the roof?
No, it’s none of those, though I could easily say it is. The fact is, Colorado gets me hot and bothered because it’s the one state where you can’t imagine anyone doing anything except skiing. Name any other state, and you have at least gainful employment as a possibility. But Colorado is like the Death Valley of job markets, as evidenced by my friend Evil Rainey’s inability to get a job after being out there a month. He’s an engineer, people, with a degree! That’s gotta be worth some kind of get out of poverty free card. Instead, he’s looking at the upcoming ski season with nary a job in sight.
But somehow, I imagine he’ll find a way to rent a cabin and ski at least four times this winter. No doubt he’ll have a job by then. Though I’m not sure you can consider snow bunny a job. And while he may have the body for it, is it really what an engineer from Virginia Tech should be doing? Have some pride in yourself. Get a real job.
Go freelance.

Caliph

jelewis8 — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 15:51:26 +0000

The satisfaction of finishing a major project is always tempered with the knowledge that the job is never really done, just marked inactive until the need to revisit arises. I’m actually still in the last stage of putting up the single volume of The Cold Goodbye, but a 3rd and hopefully final edition of Book I, hereafter entitled Apophenia (it was always named that, but it was easier to refer to it as The Cold Goodbye–it’s a long and complicated history) and the 1st edition of Book II, entitled Caliph, have been posted on Lulu for sale.
Caliph begins immediately after the climactic (and frustratingly unresolved) ending of Apophenia, following the survivors of the disaster. The book takes a few dramatic turns, including a twist (though hopefully the clues I’ve left throughout the narrative will be sufficient enough to leave you surprised, but not cheated) that comes near the end. Overall, the books function together as what I hope will be a critique on our times. Science fiction, I’ve learned, mostly through writing this book, is almost always a critique on our non-science fiction existence. This is very much the case with The Cold Goodbye, which specifically comments on our push toward a technological existence whose logical end is the evolution of the species.
I think one of my failings as a writer, especially a science fiction writer, is the urge I feel to explain everything. Hence the long and rambling expository history of the city of Varosha in the first draft of Apophenia, or the discussion of the development of the ARC and the “biological computing revolution”. Many of the sins I committed in the first draft of the first book I was able to avoid in Caliph, and the writing is certainly more crisp, surehanded, and even. The plot actually doesn’t ramble as much. Some might even call it spare. I hope that’s to my advantage in the long run. I want to give people a good time, but I wanted to press an agenda too–there, I said it!
With that said, if you read Apophenia (formerly just titled The Cold Goodbye) and were itching to know what happens after the last frustrating page, you can click on the link to purchase Caliph for a mere $12.50 plus shipping. Or if you haven’t read Apophenia and can’t wait until the single volume version of both books comes out (next few days), you can buy it for $12. The books themselves are high quality printed works, 6.00″ x 9.00″, perfect binding, 60# cream interior paper, black and white interior ink , 100# exterior paper, full-color exterior ink. I can vouch for the superior quality of the product–you may not think much of the content inside, but the books themselves are engineered marvels.
The next day or two, depending on how well my brain works, will see the full volume edition of The Cold Goodbye, containing both Apophenia and Caliph. I’ve always intended the book to be one volume anyway, so separating them and selling them as distinct works is only slightly disingenuous. However, I do encourage you to check out the previews for each book, just to get a sense of the writing and maybe a little of the story.
This has been my plug. Now go forth and purchase liberally. Oh yeah, and have a nice weekend. I’ll see you Monday.
UPDATE: In case you were wondering, the 3rd edition of Apophenia is a significant text revision, including updated chapter headings, and not one, but two newly written sections! In addition, certain details left out originally were added so as to make Caliph accurate. If you’ve purchased an older version copy already, you can hold onto it and sell it on eBay later on when I’m rich and famous.

The Lost Weekend

jelewis8 — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 01:07:25 +0000

In the words of St. Ignatius Loyola, “Dude.”
It’s Friday, which means it’s the weekend, and somehow, I have very little to say. I had a consulting job today with the firm I did freelance work with last month. I was expecting a two, two and a half hour job. It turned into six. Not bad, and I’ll be going back for a couple hours next week sometime. It’s all paid, which is nice, but it plays hell with my “regular” schedule, which consists of irregular writing and work time somehow stuffed into about ten hours.
I’m into Season 2 of Lost now, which is like watching Coyote Ugly set on Gilligan’s Island, without the stupid chuckles. Michelle Rodriguez is the stupid neanderthal-thing with breasts and it goes without saying that the show would be better off without her. Reports of her diva-like behaviour on set are interesting. Imagine the scene:
DIRECTOR: Alright, set up for two, let’s get ready people!
MICHELLE: Where’s my forehead enhancing cream?
PA: We used it to grease the dolly tracks.
MICHELLE: You die first.
[She proceeds to eat everyone on the cast and crew.]
Still, I loved the Season opener, and the stories have grown progressively darker. One of the best activities during a Lost episode is to guess parts of the plot, little details that the writers set up in the beginning and use as plot devices to drive thematic material. Our little trio (Joe, John, and I) of Lost enthusiasts have gotten pretty good at guessing at outcomes, and with our combined powers, expect to solve the mystery of the island by the end of this season. No website spoilers for us, thank you. We’re using our miiinnnndddd.
I think I had an idea for this post, but it sank into the quagmire of an early weekend. I’ll see you all Monday.

Fashions and Industrialization

jelewis8 — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 03:08:01 +0000

Hey, it’s Virginia Madsen, who did such a wonderful job in Sideways. But first, let’s talk about your dress. Because that’s why we’re all here.
Cate Blanchett’s on. Classiest act thus far.
Scarlett Johansson’s trying to keep her lips clamped over her huge teeth. Awesome.
Less than nine minutes to go before the awards start.

Hey Funny, Get a Job!

jelewis8 — Wed, 22 Dec 2004 17:55:27 +0000

Piper’s got some words for comedians who have been complaining that New York clubs have been raking in all their cash. I happen to know a stand-up artist here in Blacksburg, though I’ve never been to one of his shows). From what I understand, he’d be doing a lot better with the cut if he didn’t try to piss off club owners every time he set foot inside their establishments. But that’s another story.
Greg remains adamant. Comics should stop complaining or get a ‘real job’ where they have license to complain. I have to say, I’m with him on this. If you’ve got the world’s cushiest job and you’re able to find fault with it, whether it’s the money, the hours, the management, or the work itself, you’re what is known in Britain as a “bleeding idiot”.
While we’re on the subject of jobs, Greg is looking for one since his Hill internship ran out a few days ago. If you’re looking for a self-confessed smart-ass writer or assistant, he’s you’re man.

Jobless Claims Down…Again

jelewis8 — Thu, 20 Nov 2003 18:22:44 +0000

It seems that the Bush slump is finally ending. The Clinton/Gore economy is back!

The Labor Department reported Thursday that for the week ending Nov. 15, new claims for jobless benefits declined by a seasonally adjusted 15,000 to 355,000. For seven straight weeks claims have been below the 400,000 mark, suggesting that the job market is turning a corner.

Thank God for that.