Tuesday, May 24, 2011—Long Beach, CA
Freedom has arrived. Or at least is arriving. I am finished with all my school work, with the exception of a tiny bit of paperwork. I’m also well on my way to finishing all the errands I need to complete before I head to Greece. Now begins the periods of melancholy, the intermittent rushes of doubt I always feel before embarking on a major journey (physical or elsewise). I know these doubts are silly, though—this trip is exactly what I should be doing with my life right now. These doubts will begin to vanish when I am truly free, when I have nothing to do other than travel, read, and write. Just a couple more days and that will be the case …
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Freedom Horizon, Crime Fiction
Friday, May 13, 2011—Long Beach, CA
Freedom nearing. For the first time in several months I have nothing I have to do for work. In other words, I can write and think and feel and dream guilt free. I’m not quite done with the semester; I still have finals next week. But everything else is done, which means it will be a quick slide home. By next Friday afternoon I should be totally finished and can finally concentrate on getting ready for Greece and all the other aspects of my life I’ve neglected (and have been forced to neglect) for so long …
Right now I’m just sitting around listening to the Angels’ game (they’re playing the Texas Rangers in a Texas), while sipping a Samuel Adams Imperial Stout (a dangerous, high alcohol butt-kicker of a beer that tastes oh so good). My plans for the evening (besides the Angels’ game)? Relaxation. I’m in the middle of the massive and massively ambitious Sci-Fi classic Stand on Zanzibar, by John Brunner, and I plan on working my way a bit more into it. Good old Star Trek comes on at ten. Man, I’m boring—and I love it! After being forced to stand up in front of people, being forced to be around people every day for months on end all I want to do is wallow in the universe of my little apartment. I just want to be Rob by myself for a while. Until Greece, where I hopefully will be meeting new people galore, people like me, who travel, who like do not and never will accept the damned work-a-day world …
Before then, though, I’ve got some things important things I’ve got to do. First off, I want to begin the process of finding an agent for the Backwaters books (I’ve got a line on one—more about that later). I also want to see if I can line up some freelance work. Specifically I want to see if I can find paying outlets for a few pieces on Greece. Besides being a nice way to make some extra money for the trip these pieces will give me a little foot in the door when it comes to travel writing, which could help me find a publisher for the Greece book I plan on writing.
Speaking of books, I’ve been doing a fair bit of reading lately. In addition to the Sci-Fi thing I mentioned earlier, I’ve continued my crime fiction survey with three books by Ross MacDonald: The Underground Man, The Instant Enemy, and The Blue Hammer. They’ve all been really good. MacDonald basically takes the Hammett/Chandler tradition and extends it into the 1970s. Reading these books right after reading so much Chandler has been really interesting. MacDonald’s Archer is a lot more world weary and accepting than Chandler’s Marlowe. He’s also calmer. Marlowe is an angry man, a very self-aware man at war with the world. This contrast is makes for a fascinating transition. Also, since both writers set their stories in Southern California it’s also interesting to compare the atmosphere the two writers create and the two periods they cover differ and converge.
OK, that’s enough for today. Starting around this time next week I can start hitting this diary seriously. For now I just want to enjoy my night off and dive into my lazy night of Sci-Fi happiness and high-alcohol beer. So Adios.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Just Checking In
Sunday, May 1, 2011- Long Beach, CA
Getting back to the diary after not touching it for a couple of weeks. I haven't been writing for all the same old boring reasons: I've been too busy with work, which means I don't have much time to write and little to write about except more about how I'm totally over this semester. So I decided to give it all a miss for a bit. In fact, I'm mostly still just giving it a miss - I just thought I'd write a bit just to check in, so to speak ...
Like I said, teaching has been crazier than usual. But it is rapidly coming to an end. Two classes finish in a week and a half and the week after that I lose three more. That leaves just one class to finish off. Then it's a mad dash to get some things done before I head off to Greece, head off to freedom ...
I have been doing some interesting reading, though. I just finished Raymond Chandler's The Little Sister, which was good. Marlowe's getting bitter and thoroughly disgusted with the world in this one (the story revolves around Hollywood film types, which explains a lot of his growing revulsion). Though I enjoyed it, I think this will be my last Chandler book for a while: I'm getting a bit burned out on his stuff. I went thru a big Sci-Fi phase a while back and I seem to be drifting back in that direction. Right now I'm about halfway thru Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein, which is a book I somehow missed growing up. I've also got Stand On Zanzibar, by John Brunner, on my to-read shelf. I haven't given up on the crime fiction, though. I think I'm going to start reading Ross MacDonald alongside the Sci-Fi stuff ...
Well, that's it. Like I said, I just thought I'd check in here a bit. In a few weeks things will begin opening up like crazy and then the diary will hopefully take off. Until then, I'll just keep moving forward thru the boredom an the stress ...
Getting back to the diary after not touching it for a couple of weeks. I haven't been writing for all the same old boring reasons: I've been too busy with work, which means I don't have much time to write and little to write about except more about how I'm totally over this semester. So I decided to give it all a miss for a bit. In fact, I'm mostly still just giving it a miss - I just thought I'd write a bit just to check in, so to speak ...
Like I said, teaching has been crazier than usual. But it is rapidly coming to an end. Two classes finish in a week and a half and the week after that I lose three more. That leaves just one class to finish off. Then it's a mad dash to get some things done before I head off to Greece, head off to freedom ...
I have been doing some interesting reading, though. I just finished Raymond Chandler's The Little Sister, which was good. Marlowe's getting bitter and thoroughly disgusted with the world in this one (the story revolves around Hollywood film types, which explains a lot of his growing revulsion). Though I enjoyed it, I think this will be my last Chandler book for a while: I'm getting a bit burned out on his stuff. I went thru a big Sci-Fi phase a while back and I seem to be drifting back in that direction. Right now I'm about halfway thru Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein, which is a book I somehow missed growing up. I've also got Stand On Zanzibar, by John Brunner, on my to-read shelf. I haven't given up on the crime fiction, though. I think I'm going to start reading Ross MacDonald alongside the Sci-Fi stuff ...
Well, that's it. Like I said, I just thought I'd check in here a bit. In a few weeks things will begin opening up like crazy and then the diary will hopefully take off. Until then, I'll just keep moving forward thru the boredom an the stress ...
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