So now that I’m one quarter year past The Great Short Story Experiment, I’ve had enough time to observe any aftereffects. And there have been some. Not as far as any of these getting published or buffing my resume, that’s a ways off still. But it did something to me. Not sure what, but it did something. Something that improved my writing (IMO, for all I know I’m going the other way). I don’t know what it is, but it’s like it did something to my brain. Now when I revise the drafts of my novels that have been sitting for the past year, I can see a way to…
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My First Foray Into Miniatures
Apparently I have too much free time on my hands, so in addition to writing, crocheting, watching TV & movies, boating, exercising, and raising a family, I decided to start a new hobby–painting miniatures. I’ve always been a little bit curious about it. I seem to gravitate toward crafts that involve fine motor skills. But there were a few obstacles that stopped me from getting involved. One is cost, which is part of any new thing. Miniatures are relatively cheap. More expensive than yarn and a hook but less than robotics or cosplay. Another is that it looks really hard. I don’t have a steady hand, and I’ve never been…
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Analyzing the Marvel Cinematic Universe Villains: Sabretooth (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Sabretooth Real Identity: Victor Creed X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) The primary antagonist in this movie is Stryker, but I already did him in X-Men 2. So we’re going to go with Sabretooth, even though he’s more of a henchman. But he has a close relationship with Logan and has just as much screen time. Characteristics and Powers: Sabretooth’s primary form of attack is the “fingernails of a bag lady,” similar to Logan’s bone claws but more like a cat’s with the curve and shape. Accompanying that is feline-like agility, as he’s always jumping from thing to thing. He also has the same healing factor as Logan, which contributes to his…
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The Books I Read: January – February 2025
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Essentially, the pitch for this book is “What if The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was a scientist?” or “What if Bones was Betty Crocker?”. It’s a fun and clever romp, but it’s so trapped in antiquated tropes it’s like reading history. I read to discover the new and different. I want what’s innovative and creative, not what’s already been tread on. The fact that this takes place in the 1950s is bad enough, but it contains all the old pastiches, especially regarding women in the workplace (e.g. sexual assault by a boss, women not being able to break the glass ceiling, being fired for being…
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An Epidemic of Student Apathy
One of the biggest problems my wife, a middle school teacher at a private Catholic school, faces these days is kids who simply don’t care. You might think this is less of an issue at a non-public school, but in those cases, the parents are the ones who care enough to pay extra for their child’s education. The child’s motivation, however, is a separate subject. And this isn’t a matter of “school sucks, I’m going to be a singer/entrepreneur/flight attendant/dental hygienist”. This is “these kids are failing every class and will not be allowed to graduate high school.” (At least, they shouldn’t be allowed to graduate. I never knew anyone…
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Some Thoughts About AI
You can’t go on a single web page without AI getting in your face, either it or something about it and how it’s going to doom us all, stocks are tanking, jobs are disappearing. But the thing is, the only people who care about AI are the ones shoveling it into everything. The CEOs and corporate executives who are investing so much into it because they took a pass on crypto and don’t want to miss the boat a second time. Who’s going to be the 800-lb. gorilla first? Who’s going to go under because of it? How will you be able to tell what’s AI-generated and what’s not? When’s…
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Analyzing the Marvel Cinematic Universe Villains: Abomination (The Incredible Hulk)
Abomination Real Identity: Emil Blonsky The Incredible Hulk (2008) Characteristics and Powers: Emil Blonsky doesn’t get much backstory. He’s a career marine with skills in firearms and combat. He has no ambition to be a leader because “he’s a fighter”. But he’s getting older. General Ross thinks he’s 45, but he’s actually 39. And he’s feeling it, especially when it comes to Hulk. After the first encounter in Brazil, he realizes he’s outmatched. And he needs an edge. Ross responds by offering Blonsky a variation of the super-soldier serum (something that won’t have an introduction for five more movies–I wonder if they knew they were doing Captain America when they…
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Are Alien Xenomorphs the Perfect Monster?
So I’ve been watching all the Alien movies in anticipation of Alien: Romulus. Some I haven’t seen yet, some I’ve seen a few times. But watching them all together, I’m noticing a pattern or motif that keeps coming up. The “company” (Weyland-Yutani) really wants this creature. They knew about it before anyone else in the universe did. They know where it is. They keep sending people out to get one and bring it back discretely (by which I mean setting them up to become infected). Why do they want it so bad? Well, it’s not clear, but one thing they keep saying is that it’s perfect. So my question is,…
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Analyzing the Marvel Cinematic Universe Villains: Iron Monger (Iron Man)
Iron Monger Real Identity: Obadiah Stane Iron Man (2008) Characteristics and Powers: Stane is a large bald man, about fifty years old, with a long CV of business, business, business. He worked on the arc reactor prototype and directed the company into weapon-manufacturing, which led it to becoming the powerhouse it is today. Stane is a duplicitous, two-faced old sod. He can glad hand the press one day, then stab you in the back the next–not unusual for businessmen. Profit is his Achilles heel. So much that he gets reckless trying to duplicate Tony’s success with the Iron Man suit. Speaking of which, let’s talk about the suit. Stolen from…
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The Year of Short Stories: Final Edition
The great experiment is done. I spent all of 2024 not working on novels, but short stories. Some revising, but mostly composing. My goal was to produce one per week–52 new short stories to send to publications and editors to augment my CV. Did I do it? Yes I did. I made 52 new short stories… if you put your thumb on the scale, or smudge the bottom line, sure, it’s 52, it’s a 52-like number. Fifty-two-ish. My plan is to take the top half, the ones I think have the best chance of being sold, and submit them for critiques. Then revisions and submissions. I’m optimistic that this will…
