tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82477120774993521022024-02-07T20:05:12.167-08:00Bricks Without Straw<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricks_without_straw">John S. Barker blogs about writing, science, programming, computing, space, philosophy, art, music, and life in general.</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-21135071906393976482016-02-10T12:20:00.000-08:002016-02-10T12:32:37.705-08:00Learning to BreatheMy life was abruptly altered. It started in June 2014, when, at the end of the month, my father died. roughly three and a half years after I had lost my brother to cancer. My sister and I hastily arranged both their funerals, with the greatly appreciated assistance of our cousin, a retired Anglican priest. My brother was only a bit older than I am now when he died. But my father was old - nearly 98 - and so, while unexpected, his passing was not unanticipated.<br />
<br />
My emotions around his death were conflicted. I had only visited occasionally in the last 15 years or so because my family and I lived about 3000 km from my parents, who never traveled. Work, budget, and selfish lack of interest on my part all contributed to reduced visits. We were not distant from each other, but we weren't close, either. We never had easy conversation. We never really "got" each other, even though we understood each other reasonably well.<br />
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My mother's passing, in 1998, had had a more direct impact on my life. I radically changed several aspects of my lifestyle. I began working as an independent consultant, was able to begin re-learning how to prioritize work and family, quit smoking a few months later. My father's passing affected little. I grieved, felt his loss, picked up, moved on.<br />
<br />
When my brother died, I felt some relief. I had not seen him much, either before his illness or after. But we <i>did</i> "get" each other, as brothers do. The good thing about his death was the end to the pain he had been in. His last words to me, over the phone the day he died, were "It's all about love."<br />
<br />
He was right.<br />
<br />
For some time prior to my father's death, at least since the early spring of that year, but possibly as long prior as a year before, my wife had been complaining of some unusual pain in her upper abdomen. For years following the removal of her gallbladder she had referred to this as "phantom gallbladder pain". It might have been just that, or it might have been something else.<br />
<br />
Whatever it was at the time, she ignored it. She ignored steadfastly any kind of intrusive medical technology. Her reasoning was simple: Should they find something, they will do invasive surgery, followed by long treatments and recovery, for which the end result will be the same.<br />
<br />
My argument was always: Catch something early, the end, while perhaps no different, will be delayed.<br />
<br />
But I couldn't persuade her to have it looked at. She hid it from her doctor, who perhaps should have known better.<br />
<br />
In about 2007 she was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, and said that was a death-sentence. Victims of Type II statistically live about 5 years following detection, mostly because they have had the disease so long, undetected, that irreversible damage has been done.<br />
<br />
She managed the diabetes beautifully - had extremely stable and healthy blood sugar levels once medication started, and each time her bloodwork was done, her numbers came back very good.<br />
<br />
In November of 2014, she began experiencing more peculiar upper-abdomen pain. By the end of the month, it was bad enough that I convinced her to go to the doctor. The doctor wanted to do an ultrasound, booked through regular channels. The waits for testing were long. On December 9, the pain was likely unbearable for anyone but her - she was amazingly stoic and believed in "fighting through the pain".<br />
<br />
It took a spontaneous phone call from her sister, despite my similar pleadings, to actually get her to the emergency room at the hospital. We were there several hours before she was seen. She was desperate in her desire to leave, to go home, to not do this. She was, I believe, terrified. I have rarely, if ever, seen her like that.<br />
<br />
Tests were ordered. Ultrasound (finally), and CT scan. She had a known allergy to the contrast media used for imaging, so the CT scan was foggy. But one thing was clear: There was tissue growing from her cecum to her liver. They knew it was cancer.<br />
<br />
She was admitted. Five days later, she was desperate to leave. Pain medications had been largely ineffective, so it didn't matter in her mind whether she was there or at home. It mattered to me, perhaps selfishly. A colonoscopy was ordered, and performed on December 14.<br />
<br />
There was a long wait afterward. I was pacing the halls. I hadn't seen her for two or three hours for what would normally be a 20 or 30 minute procedure. I had no idea what the delay was. Then I understood. They were waiting for other patients in the post-op area to be returned to their wards. I was escorted in to a mostly-empty room. She was on a gurney at the far end. It could have been a movie set.<br />
<br />
She told me herself, doctors and nurses standing by like a Greek chorus, that it was cancer, inoperable, and bad. She had at most a year to live.<br />
<br />
She was put on the list with the cancer agency for a consultation for palliative care. We expected an appointment to be set up sometime shortly following Christmas. The call never came. On January 2, 2015, I took her back to the ER. She was nearly incapacitated by the pain.<br />
<br />
She died on January 5, 2015. Her children, her mother, her sister and I were with her. Afterwards, I stayed with her, holding her hand, for close to two hours. I could have stayed days.<br />
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To say my life was shattered does not describe how I was changed by losing her. We had been together for over 30 years. Our relationship was solid, at times filled with childish rage, at others with amazing joy. We rode the roller coaster of life together. We desperately needed each other.<br />
<br />
Following that, I had to learn how to let go - of my own ego, of my hurt, of my fear, of the better part of me - while realizing that what she had brought me, devoted love, was something I probably had not reciprocated as best I could. So I committed to doing better in that regard, to appreciate, and love, in return, those who loved me. My only New Years resolution, ever.<br />
<br />
With my children, I arranged her funeral. I purchased a cemetery plot - two, in fact, one for myself, and my name is already on the marker. This is a reminder, daily, of my eventual end. So I will try to do better by those I love.<br />
<br />
For the past year, I have been struggling to redefine myself in her absence. For the past year, I have been completely unable to write. But now, this is beginning to change, and I can finally see that I might have a chance at being creative again.<br />
<br />
It's all about love.<br />
<br />
I am beginning to breathe again.<br />
<br />
<br />John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-68553437348344651792013-09-03T11:29:00.001-07:002013-09-03T12:25:05.086-07:00The Hunger and The ThirstAugust was a bit strange, winding up with vein surgery on the 30th. It was the first time I'd had a general anesthetic since I was eight, and I found that quite a fascinating experience, specifically because having your consciousness simply switched off is like nothing else you might experience. You experience - <i>nothing</i>.<br>
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<a href="https://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-hunger-and-thirst.html#more">Read more »</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-77446020707858454682013-07-16T10:14:00.000-07:002013-07-16T10:14:23.418-07:00The Opium EaterI'm really happy to report that my short story, <i>The Opium Eater</i>, has been accepted by <a href="http://grimcorps.com/" target="_blank">Grim Corps Magazine</a>, and should appear in Issue 2 later this year.<br />
<br />
I wrote <i>The Opium Eater</i> in 2008, shortly after completing <i>Trajectory</i>. I picked up a small volume of De Quincy's essays from my bookshelf that I had
purchased from a used bookstore in Toronto sometime around 1970. I read a good
portion of his essay <i>The Spanish Military Nun</i> and then wrote the story.<br />
<br />
I wanted to work in some historical family details as well. As an example, my great-grandmother, Agnes Blizard, founder of the YWCA in Canada, makes a brief appearance.<br />
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It's a dark, twisted tale with elements of horror and ghost stories in it.<br />
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<br />John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-51581228316904185282013-02-24T15:00:00.001-08:002013-02-24T15:00:26.853-08:00Visiting TimeI'm a bit late posting this, because I've been tremendously busy, working 50-60 hour weeks. A bit worn out now, with still a couple of weeks remaining in the contract. No rest for the wicked, as they say.<br />
<br />
Having said that, my short story, WHEN MAMMA COMES TO VISIT is in <a href="http://grimcorps.com/" target="_blank">Grim Corps Magazine</a>'s debut issue. It's available in both print and e-formats.<br />
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This was a lot of fun to write - a fairly traditional "return of a dead family member" story, but focusing on the strange relationship of a brother and sister long-grappling with what to about Mamma, who must be very wicked indeed.<br />
<br />
You can buy a copy <a href="http://grimcorps.com/magazine/issues/current.htm" target="_blank">here</a>, or on Amazon.<br />
<br />
Shortly after it came out, I became an affiliate member of the <a href="http://www.horror.org/" target="_blank">Horror Writers Association</a>, that fine organization of horror authors from around the world.<br />
<br />
Once the big work-push is over, I'll be taking off on a two-week spring break, where I plan to do not much other than read and eat.<br />
<br />John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-54068081951736097332013-01-01T11:18:00.002-08:002013-01-01T11:29:09.798-08:00Killing Him Not So SoftlyHappy New Year!<br />
<br />
I'm pleased to announce that Morpheus Tales #19 is now available. This issue contains my story <i>Killing Wallace Crawton</i>. You can buy it in a variety of formats.<br />
Check out the <a href="http://issuu.com/morpheustales/docs/mt19preview" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.5px;" target="_blank">free preview</a> on Issuu.com.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The ebook in various formats is available on <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/269205" target="_blank">Smashwords</a>, or at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Morpheus-Tales-Ebook-Magazine-ebook/dp/B00AUUDUCK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357067817&sr=8-1&keywords=morpheus+tales+%2319" target="_blank">Amazon</a> for the Kindle. The printed digest size edition is available <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/adam-bradley/morpheus-tales-19-digest-size-edition/paperback/product-20606287.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and the</span> printed Large Format Collector's Edition is available <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/adam-bradley/morpheus-tales-19-a4-collectors-edition/paperback/product-20606275.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">here</a> (both 10% off until 1st of February).
John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-60139405448665358482012-12-13T11:43:00.000-08:002012-12-13T11:43:15.978-08:00The Mayan Long Count and the End of the WorldI have two questions only, today.<br />
<br />
One: Why do people give credence to future predictions from ancient civilizations (if, in fact, those civilizations can be said to predict anything at all), but not science?<br />
<br />
Two: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayan_calendar_ending#2012_and_the_Long_Count" target="_blank">Why do people not understand that the end of one Mayan long count cycle is immediately followed by the start of another, much as December 31 is followed by January 1?</a><br />
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<br />John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-34992107175775859732012-12-07T12:22:00.000-08:002012-12-07T12:22:24.683-08:00Visiting TimeMy short story, <em>When Mamma Comes to Visit</em>, was just picked up by <a href="http://grimcorps.com/magazine" target="_blank">Grim Corps Magazine</a>, a new speculative/dark/horror fiction magazine (print and epub).<br />
<br />
<em>Mamma</em> is one of those classic tales of a very bad relationship with a very dead relative. I wrote it in January of this year, and went through a touch-up re-write after each rejection (seven altogether), taking the many editorial remarks to heart. <br />
<br />
It's also a story that continues the Mill Town world which is the focus of <em>Killing Wallace Crawton</em> (coming January 2013 from Morpheus Tales) and <em>The Downstairs Man</em>. Mill Town is a blend of the many places I've lived, but I don't think I've ever come across anyone like Allison and Stanley, the odd brother-sister pair who deal with their mother in very different ways.<br />
<br />
John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-83335839094906556302012-09-05T17:56:00.003-07:002012-09-05T17:56:48.030-07:00The Trajectory of ChaosOne of the premises of TRAJECTORY is that the CIA creates organizations within itself for special purposes. This is a common trope in espionage tales - because it is true.<br />
<br />
Doing research for TRAJECTORY, way back in 1979, I learned about Operation CHAOS: Americans spying on Americans.<br />
<br />
Launched by Richard Helms, the goal of the operation was to ascertain foreign influences active in the United States. But because of the fall-out from Watergate, CHAOS was shut down in 1973. Of course, in TRAJECTORY, CHAOS didn't really shut down. It simply transmuted into the Department of Foreign Influence Studies (DFIS).<br />
<br />
It is not a far reach, even for non-conspiracy-theorists, to imagine that the official position and the actual position of intelligence organizations are quite divergent. It requires only a very small lacuna to imagine that even something as repulsive as CHAOS was reformulated and allowed to continue.<br />
<br />
You can find a pretty descent overview of CHAOS on Wikipedia. And, of course, in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trajectory-ebook/dp/B0092G2UEW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1346071502&sr=8-3&keywords=trajectory+barker" target="_blank">TRAJECTORY</a>.<br />
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<br />John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-89112929381757479072012-08-31T10:03:00.001-07:002012-08-31T10:03:42.612-07:00TRAJECTORY Book PromoAnarchy Books is running a promo for TRAJECTORY, and fellow Anarchy author <a href="http://www.theresa-derwin.co.uk/" target="_blank">Theresa Derwin</a>'s book MONSTERS ANONYMOUS, starting September 1.<br />
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BOOKS<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">SIZZLING
SEPTEMBER SUMMER<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">PROMOTION<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In
association with<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">GEEK
SYNDICATE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.anarchy-books.com/" title="http://www.anarchy-books.com/">www.anarchy-books.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.geeksyndicate.wordpress.com/" title="http://www.geeksyndicate.wordpress.com/">www.geeksyndicate.wordpress.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In
celebration of our two September releases, </span><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">TRAJECTORY</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">
by John. S. Barker on 1<sup>st</sup> September, and </span><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">MONSTERS
ANONYMOUS</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">
by Theresa Derwin on 30<sup>th</sup> September, Anarchy Books is offering a FREE
EBOOK every single day of September.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">We’re
also running a competition with our very good friends, GEEK SYNDICATE, to win
Anarchy Books’ entire digital catalogue of ebooks and their associated specially
composed soundtracks, and our Geek Ninja Buddies will also give you exclusive
info on where to find some of the hidden links and free books available from
Anarchy this September.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">For
more information during every Sizzling September Promo Day, visit Anarchy Books
and Geek Syndicate… and remember to follow the White
Rabbit…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-63045146483426132382012-08-15T15:55:00.002-07:002012-08-15T15:56:03.586-07:00TRAJECTORY Book TrailerJust got a book trailer for TRAJECTORY up on YouTube. Check it out!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ShkM9Qr3SQQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-70015706949531658752012-08-13T12:17:00.000-07:002012-08-13T12:17:09.801-07:00TRAJECTORY Review Copies Available<span style="font-family: inherit;">I received the Advance Reading Copy files for TRAJECTORY today from <a href="http://www.anarchy-books.com/" target="_blank">Anarchy Books</a>, in EPUB, MOBI and PDF forms, and using Adobe Digital Editions, immediately put the epub on my Kobo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyone interested in receiving an ARC copy for review purposes should contact Anarchy Books directly at anarchy-books at hotmail dot co dot uk, or post a comment here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-75088841633564095892012-08-11T12:03:00.001-07:002012-08-11T12:03:58.983-07:00TRAJECTORY Review Copies Are ComingI just received word from my publisher that review copies of TRAJECTORY are going to be available in the next couple of days. About a hundred will be sent out. That thought is a bit scary, a bit like getting on a giant roller coaster after having downed a Big Gulp root beer. But, I'm in my seat and the bar is down. The wheels are clacking against the track as the coaster starts its climb.<br />
<br />
Okay. You get the picture.<br />
<br />
Partly to prepare myself for this electronic diaspora, I re-read the last 50 or so pages of the book today, which I haven't looked at for more than a year. So, fortunately, I still like what I wrote. I still think it asks some significant questions, and spins a good yarn. I think I have, as St. Paul wrote, "fought the good fight".<br />
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An interesting and embarrassing side-note, today, too: I complained to my publisher that I couldn't place the text appearing in the background of the cover art, that it didn't seem to be from the book. Well, it isn't "from the book" <i>per se</i>, but it was pointed out to me that it is Keats's poem <i>The Eve of St. Agnes</i>, which in fact does figure somewhat significantly in it (although, in my defense, I only quote a fragment of the poem, and also, I <i>hate</i> Keats's poetry almost entirely).<br />
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<br />John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-46631856389255053612012-08-09T09:45:00.000-07:002012-08-09T14:28:34.342-07:00End of Holidays, and TRAJECTORY Cover ArtI just returned from a little six-day holiday in Oregon, where moody grey days are offset by brilliant sunny ones and the constant breeze freshens your skin with salty air. It wasn't a perfect vacation - no matter where I go, work seems to haunt me like a zombie corpse - but I did manage to finish reading Peter Straub's <i>A Dark Matter</i> and then got well into Jo Nesbo's <i>Nemesis</i>. (I like a wide variety of reading material; what can I say?)<br>
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<a href="https://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2012/08/end-of-holidays-and-trajectory-cover-art.html#more">Read more »</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-9293068955702795832012-06-11T11:48:00.000-07:002012-06-11T11:48:51.149-07:00Into the BasementWith <i>Trajectory</i> on track for a September 1 publishing date, I started work on my next novel, a horror story entitled <i>The Downstairs Man</i>. I'd been working on the outline since October of last year, and finally felt ready to dive in a few weeks ago. I expect the first draft to be completed sometime around September or October.<br>
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In between working and writing, I try to get some reading done as well.<br>
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<a href="https://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2012/06/into-basement.html#more">Read more »</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-70125120987914020132012-05-11T11:29:00.000-07:002012-05-11T12:01:45.388-07:00TRAJECTORY Finally On TrackIt's been a very, very long time coming, but I've just signed the contract for TRAJECTORY, to be published by <a href="http://www.anarchy-books.com/" target="_blank">Anarchy Books</a> later this year.<br>
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<a href="https://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2012/05/trajectory-finally-on-track.html#more">Read more »</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-47041453640717216112012-04-21T14:52:00.001-07:002012-04-21T15:09:45.040-07:00Rejection RealityThere are few things as deflating as getting rejections. In the context of writing, it's a giant bash to the ego, when you've convinced yourself that what you've written is great.<br>
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Here's the truth: Maybe what you wrote <i>was</i> great. Maybe it <i>wasn't </i> so great. There is an enormous amount of written material that has been published, most of it not great, some of it great, but all of it published.<br>
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You want to be published? Follow the 3-P plan: Persistence, Patience, Practice.<br>
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<a href="https://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2012/04/rejection-reality.html#more">Read more »</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-25556510113374767402012-04-20T11:15:00.004-07:002012-04-20T16:47:59.930-07:00The Great Squirrel War of 2012For the past couple of months we've been battling a squirrel determined to nest in our attic. We've had birds in our soffit before, and, except for the mess, I'm pretty much happy to let nature take its course in that regard.<br>
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Squirrels, however, are another matter. The basic issues with them are, first, they are simply large rats with fluffy tales, and second, they can destroy wood in a matter of seconds and wiring in a matter of, well, seconds.<br>
<a href="https://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2012/04/great-squirrel-war-of-2012.html#more">Read more »</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-25976069497343969952012-03-05T15:50:00.001-08:002012-03-05T16:02:17.959-08:00Writing and the ManI am not a technology writer, and don't expect I will ever be. However, I was a <i>technical</i> writer for many years (about 10), and in my early days of trying to be a writer, I was torn between choosing a journalist's path toward a professional writing career, and choosing a technologist's path.<br>
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<a href="https://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2012/03/writing-and-man.html#more">Read more »</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-18207516137734164882012-03-01T12:16:00.003-08:002012-03-02T15:47:41.238-08:00Two Things That Bothered Me TodayAnother post in an on-going series of irritants...<br>
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<a href="https://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2012/03/two-things-that-bothered-me-today.html#more">Read more »</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-29627593241501094052012-02-25T11:25:00.000-08:002012-02-25T11:25:44.418-08:00Killing Wallace CrawtonThanks, Morpheus Tales, for picking up my story, KILLING WALLACE CRAWTON, which is tentatively scheduled to appear in e-book format in MT #19 (January 2013).<br />
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This is one of my favorite stories to-date, partly because I wrote it shortly after reading TRUE GRIT, and partly because it fills in some history for my fictional town, Mill Town, Ontario, which figures in several stories (both horror and literary).<br />
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You can read a bit about KILLING WALLACE CRAWTON <a href="http://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2011/05/zombies-what-zombies.html" target="_blank">here, in a post</a> I made just after writing it in May, 2011.John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-9321262999742617482012-02-20T12:52:00.004-08:002012-02-24T12:22:38.801-08:00February 20, 1959It was a somewhat cloudy, cold Friday. By mid-afternoon, temperatures in Toronto were hovering around -12 C. I remember the quality of light that afternoon, but not the temperature. I remember the confused worry on my mother's face when my father drove up in the family car - a green 1958 Mercury Meteor with foul-smelling vinyl upholstery that gave me headaches on hot summer days - hours before he was normally expected. I remember his downcast expression as he came up the front steps, a load of reference books under his arm.<br>
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<a href="https://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-20-1959.html#more">Read more »</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-56827992605954993072011-11-16T10:46:00.000-08:002011-11-16T10:46:31.441-08:00Have Yourself a Horrific Little ChristmasThe <i>free</i> Morpheus Tales Christmas Horror Special is out now, with a fine selection of Christmas-themed horror, including my own <i>Ye Merry Gentlemen</i>. <br />
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Read at <a href="http://issuu.com/morpheustales/docs/christmashorrorspecial">ISSUU</a> or download the <a href="http://www.morpheustales.com/christmashorrorspecialissue.pdf">PDF</a>!John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-79052331852440660002011-10-12T11:57:00.000-07:002011-10-12T11:57:07.954-07:00Reusing Old RoutersThis past weekend, after having received an Internet-enabled Blu-Ray player for my birthday, I decided to explore the possibility of using an old Wireless G router (Linksys WRT-54G) as a wireless bridge to connect the player to our Internet connection without having to run 40 feet of cable from where the Blu-Ray player is to where the current router is.<br>
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It actually went surprisingly well.<br>
<a href="https://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2011/10/reusing-old-routers.html#more">Read more »</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-40305527023910934862011-09-17T13:02:00.000-07:002011-10-12T11:17:37.049-07:00Two Things That Bothered Me Today<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">1) The weather: </span>I know, I know, there is nothing I can really do about the weather, and I know that global warming's main effect is to cause radical changes to weather pattens regionally, but it doesn't mean I can't be bothered by it, so today, I find it bothering me.<br>
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<a href="https://brickswithoutstraw.blogspot.com/2011/09/two-things-that-bothered-me-today.html#more">Read more »</a>John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247712077499352102.post-39426138607085000612011-08-25T14:43:00.000-07:002011-08-25T16:26:48.635-07:00This Craft is Minecraft. This Craft is Your Craft.After listening to the first episode of the "<a href="http://apixelcanvas.podbean.com/">A Pixel Canvas</a>" podcast, I decided to seek out and boldly go where few near-seniors have ever gone - straight to the <a href="http://www.minecraft.net/play.jsp">Minecraft</a> website. <br />
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It took me a few minutes to figure out how to navigate the landscape, dig, create blocks and then destroy them, but not long enough to frustrate those with low attention spans. <br />
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The problem with Minecraft is simply this: It is so incredibly addictive that you can easily lose yourself playing a game that is at its essence nothing more than a virtual building-block set similar to the wood-block sets many of us used as infants and young children. Perhaps this is why it is so incredibly <i>soothing</i>. The music, too, is soothing, so the entire experience - blue, lightly-clouded sky, verdant fields - is engaging because it becomes a meditative exercise in a pointless activity. It's a good way to get into your "Zen thing".<br />
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It is not so much a game as a creative play set, like Meccano toys, Lincoln Logs, or Lego. <br />
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What's not to like about that? <br />
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But be warned: just try to <span style="font-style: italic;">stop</span> playing it. John S. Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03987926448965135291noreply@blogger.com0