The Ever Blog

5 Golden Stories!

2011-12-21T16:05:00.005-05:00

Just in time for X-mas I managed to close out the 5th story in the second anthology, which means I'm roughly half-way through that book! It was another experimental piece, this one starring Honest, but I was quite happy with the outcome.

I've also managed to get the special Kindle edition of book 1 up. To be honest it's probably the definitive electronic version primarily because it maintains the existing formatting of the book rather than reformatting and changing the look of subtitles the way the Nook and Apple variations do.

I hope to release Kindle editions of Books II and III soon as I also work to get the anthologies completed and available.

Website Forthcoming

2011-12-03T11:23:00.002-05:00

After a long dry spell with no official site due to a crash in the ftp and some other tech issues I'm finally getting around to rebuilding a working site. It will be slow work over the next couple weeks, but I'm going to try and have something up the entire time.

I'm intending to keep it a rather simple design this time around and not push for the flash imagery like the last site, that was also an involved process to update. If all things go as planned then I'll have full content and function restored by the new year with the new design.

The Fourth Wall Falls

2011-10-28T16:34:00.002-04:00

Today I finished up the 4th short story in the second anthology. Ostensibly it was Julienna's tale, but more importantly it dealt with a detail I had wanted to reveal for some time. I'm not sure if finally finishing this story produces the fulfillment of an author's contract from the series, as I'm not entirely sure I ever made a promise on this conclusion, but I think it certainly captures a moment I wanted revealed.

Hopefully when people read this story they'll see it slides in a piece of the story that they hadn't even realized was missing until they read it. 114 pages in and I'm still feeling pretty good about how these stories are shaping up. I wonder which I'll tackle next?

>33% Done

2011-10-07T16:39:00.002-04:00

The 5th book (another short story anothology) has reached a critcal point, it's more than one third completed. Oddly enough the story I finished was the first short story I started from the series. It was originally going to be handled as a flashback in the third book but I felt like the storyline didn't further the overall story and was simply a unique adventure. It helps explain some of the details that appear in the third book without having to actually slow down that book with a tangent.

From the standpoint that you question when these anthologies end up in your grasping, clawing hands the answer is... I'm not yet sure. At first I was expecting I'd put out both books individually, but the more I work on them the more I see them as a complimentary pair so there is a strong chance they'll simplly end up getting released at the same time.

We'll see where my whimsy carries me as I continue to work on these stories and filling in some of the background that was previously removed to keep the pace up and keep the focus strong.

After the long Hiatus

2011-05-25T09:45:00.003-04:00

It has been quite a while since I've posted, but with good reason. I've been doing a considerable amount of writing for Itsgeektime and I've also been doing some behind the scenes work with these books. Not the least of which is working on getting the second anthology volume completed. My goal at this point is to have both the anthologies out by next year and have the first draft of the second anthology done by this year, but we'll see how well all of that goes. At this point I'm through two out of the ten stories and roughly one third of my expected page count.

Even with the end of the series written this anthology works as a sort of swan song for some of these characters and moments. I get one more chance for characters to surprise me and reveal secrets about the world. I also get to detail some of the minor events that are barely referenced in the series in a more complete fashion. Last night I completed Medic's section and while it was sad to say goodbye to another character I felt it was a good way to leave things off, because for me it's saying goodbye on a high note.

Well, back to work, but be aware that things are moving behind the scenes and hopefully I'll have some more news to post soon.

-D

Book Four is Completed

2010-11-03T09:47:00.003-04:00

Last night I was up until the wee hours of the morning completing the first short story anthology for the Ever War series. Because of the duration of the editing process I expect the book will be released in Q1 of 2011. This book details some of the events that are alluded to in the series that take place between The Bad Lands and Knights of The Realm. It will be released under the header "Echoes of the Ever War" as the stories contained within are additional information to the primary story line designed to improve the entirity of the reading experience.

In about a year I expect to complete the second anthology, in what I've called the "Chronicles" line as their working title during the writing process, and then return to long form fiction earlier in the Ever War timeline. Today I am basking in the glow of being one step closer to completing what I see as an entire cycle.

Keep watching this space for more updates.

Sincerely,
DWH

Is my anthology now possessed?

2010-09-28T14:30:00.002-04:00

It's 9/10 completed, and as we all know possession is 9/10 of the law.

Hideous puns aside I am incredibly happy to have gotten to this point. To have the book so close to completion and to have gotten to spend so much extra time expanding the scope of the story has been fulfilling to say the least.

The most difficult part, other than the little tidbits of research I've had to do for detail purposes, has been making sure I don't disrupt the continuity of the story as I go along. Sometimes this means I'm hunting through my own work to make sure I don't contradict myself (sometimes, Walt Whitman, I can't just shrug off contradicting myself).

Due to the editing process and the commission of covers for this book and the next anthology (the covers will be created at the same time) I'll probably be looking at an Early January release as opposed to a late release this year. Nonetheless, it is that much closer to completion and that much closer to release!

Another One Bites The Dust

2010-08-23T14:34:00.002-04:00

One more story has reached its conclusion and that brings me to the 80% completion rate for the anthology.

One thing I'm trying to do is expand on stories or situations alluded to in the primary books and really expand upon those. I think it will help refine the world for readers as they get access to situations that simply don't come up in the books. The way various cultures relate to one another at peace time, in the lead-up to war, and during war time are all different and were all things that deserved their time as part of the narrative.

I've tried, as much as possible, to make the stories a fresh and new experience for people who have read the full story and want additional time with characters they already know. At the same time I think any of the stories stands alone as a unique piece and could be read by a novice without needing to read the other stories.

The pace has slowed down with all the extra work I've been producing for It's Geek Time, but I'm not behind schedule and that 's what matters.

Things Are Progressing Nicely

2010-07-30T10:28:00.003-04:00

The next story is well on its way and I think I've been able to capture some of the tension breaking levity that doesn't often find its way into my work. One of the greatest priveldges of working on this project is to revisit characters who I feel I haven't spent enough time with or characters that had so much to offer beyond their limited interaction in the primary books (due to my habit of excising anything that I think doesn't forward the story). Sometimes there is a depth that seems lacking mainly for the sake of story progression.

One thing I have found is that in a quest to strengthen the reality of their world many Fantasy or Sci Fi authors will waste valuable story time for the sake of developing otherwise minor characters. I dislike the loss of momentum of these little dalliances cause. On the other hand I truly enjoy the additional, albeit unnecessary, indulgences of these stories forming a more complete perspective.

Essentially these two dissonant feelings are what spurred me to write these two short story collection books that, once separated from the main volumes, do not slow down the primary story arc, but they still provide additional information for people who want it adding depth to the world. An offer of compromise between the two versions of myself as a reader. As Whitman wrote, "if I contradict myself then I contradict myself."

Has It Been That Long?

2010-07-15T22:43:00.004-04:00

Wow. I can't believe I've gotten as much done as I have and haven't updated this. Well, another story was completed, one that I think captured some of the manic menace that is Thadius Bane, a character who I often have a lot of fun writing, which brings me to my next point... I've noticed as I went over these stories that I hadn't really tackled many moments of mirth to break the tension of the stories and I've been working to rectify that on the current story (which is half done, so I guess you could say I'm at the 75% mark). I'm probably another 60 pages from completing this book and to be honest I feel like I'm really drawing close to the finish line. I remember the days when writing an eight page paper felt like an exercise in futility and madness. Now it feels like an opening scene. It's odd how your perception can change to fit your project. It will be another three and a half books before I even hit the half way point for the entirety of this series, my magnum opus. I silently wonder if I can complete it before I'm 40. Roughly 8 more years to get 9 more books done after this one. It's a big challenge. Let's see if I'm up to it. Only time will tell.

The Ark Scenario

2010-06-21T23:44:00.004-04:00

I watched 2012 today and while I did not find it a particularly enjoyable movie it made me think about the Ark Scenario that they propose in the film, which was similar to the Ark Scenario included in Deep Impact (the difference being if there was a lottery to choose people to go on the Ark or if you could buy your way on).

The fact is an Ark scenario wherein people are chosen is probably the optimal solution from a purely Darwinian perspective. The problem is that most of the people that design and orchestrate such an operation would not actually be on the (in relation to total global population) short list of people who should be included.

What follows is a list of how an Ark Scenario would most optimally be designed in regards to survival of the species by importance of occupation and know how. The maximum age limit for people allowed to board the Ark is 40 or 45 in the case of Medical Doctors. With the exception of Medical Doctors no one that is knowingly infertile should be allowed to board the Ark (Exceptions can be made for Medical Doctors who have gone through menopause.

There is no minimum age for the Ark and there should be a large percentage of children allowed on board so they can learn the trades of the populace to ensure the future propagation of the species. People in ill health or drug addicts would also be barred from boarding the Ark. The population will have enough demands for long term care as it is, we cannot afford to spend resources on someone who has a pre-existing condition that would require constant maintenance. There will also need to be a larger female population than male.

1) Farmers: Farmers become the dominant hierarchical occupation, and as many different variations of farmers as possible meaning type of food, terrain, climate, and latitude. After the cataclysm we won’t be able to anticipate what type of terrain will survive or what type of climate it will reside in so we need as many options available as possible. As society is starting over they will have to provide food for an entire species.

2) Doctors: Medical Doctors become the second most dominant hierarchical occupation and even though specialization isn’t quite as important as it once was, experience is. The preferred experience level of doctors will be 10 – 15 years worth of practice outside of medical school. This allows for a period where a doctor will be familiar with myriad symptoms and their most likely causes, but will be able to practice for the longest duration possible and can keep the populace healthy. All doctors are also teaching doctors. In this case Medical Students are important as they will soon become Doctors, but they walk an odd line between student and contributing societal member, as such they don’t hold the distinction of being a Doctor nor all the protection of being a child.

3) Mechanics: Machinery will be the relics of the world that was and the people that can keep gears turning will be not just useful, but necessary in the new world.

4) Electricians and IT: Our last vestiges of technology will stop to work after a while, but the longer we can keep them functional means the longer we can preserve the essence and memory of our past culture.

5) Botanists: People with a wide knowledge of plant life will be well suited to survive in a future world where much of the terrain will be harsh, unwelcoming and possibly deadly.

6) Chemists: Medicine will dwindle quickly as a population is confined and the ability to create new medicine will be an important skill.

7) Veterinarians: If we want to learn to continue herding animals and using them as a source of meat and milk we’ll want Veterinarians to help us keep them alive as long as possible.

8) Engineers: The ability to design new technology to meet our needs, or to rediscover old technology that had been thought lost to us is paramount to rediscovering and re-conquering a new world.

9) Child Care Workers: With a population that is largely divulged of youth there should be a number of people who are trained to work with children, especially since many of the children will be orphaned after being chosen to survive without their parents.

10) Assorted Scientist scholars: Biologists, Physicists, Mathematicians, Economists etc. These are the lower end of the sciences which are to be preserved if only for the younger generations to use to help craft and guide the future civilization, but as they don’t directly affect our survival as a species they are essentially the bottom of the barrel in the new hierarchy. Unfortunately researchers and field experience isn't a pre-requisite for this area of expertise.

Once the maximum possible volume of survivors is determined a percentage of population should be decided for each vocation. A candidate list should be compiled from each vocation that only allows people that meet all qualifications. Once that list is compiled a lottery should be held for the open spots based on the percentage of total population that vocation allows.

No one should be allowed to buy their way on as the survival of the species requires we have a strict attachment to what is best for the entirety of humanity. It should also be expected that currency would change after the cataclysm.

There is a short list of jobs that will be allowed no spaces on the Ark as these occupations are self-sustaining. They will recreate themselves from among the survivors of the cataclysm. If your job is on this list, (hey, I’m on this list) please remember, it is not personal; it is the survival of the species.

1)Lawyers

2)Politicians

3)Artists

4)Teachers

5)Philosophers

6)Athletes

7)Soldiers

8)Customer Service Representative

9)Priests, gurus, shamans or theologians

10)Salesmen

Why Soccer will remain a 3rd world sport in the US' view

2010-06-19T09:20:00.002-04:00

Q: Will the US ever like Soccer?

A: No; a sport that allows mystery fouls to be called without explanation of what foul was committed or what player committed it (not only did the ref refuse to explain anything to the team or the crowd, but to the media afterwards as well) that results in a goal being taken away and affects not only a single win/loss, but also tounament standing (US should be the head of their group with Slovenia in second and England in third, but that goal ruling made Slovenia dominant favorites to move on with United States scrapping it out with England for the next spot) will not catch on here.

I'm sure the rest of the world is probably content with Double Secret Probation Fouls being issued, but we are not. Also, the World Cup officials have proven themselves a joke for being willing to fire that ref for the duration of the cup, but not overturning his phantom foul call. Weak Sauce. That should not work for any fan.

How long is it until the Super Bowl again?

60% complete

2010-06-10T20:04:00.004-04:00

Another short story has drawn to its conclusion and that leaves me with four more to complete before my fourth book can be compiled. I'm still enjoying the freedom of the narrative options that short stories allow compared to writing a straight forward novel. In order to properly celebrate I figured I would throw pen to paper and sketch a little bit of comedy, hence the two little sketches that look as if they were created by the rough and untrained scrawl of a child. No, they were created by me and to my knowledge no children were harmed in their creation.

Peter Jackson and Quentin Tarantino on the other hand may both be offended by this odd mish-mash. Never the less it amuses me and so I'm sharing it with you. In fact the thought that inspired it was finding out that Guillermo Del Toro will no longer be directing The Hobbit. I was imagining who I thought would be best to replace him and as my mind scanned directors it amusingly stumbled over the thought of Tarantino directing it. It is true that he has not yet thrown his hat in the ring to direct an epic sword and sorcery fantasy and I do hope that at some point he conjures something up, but I don't think his pop and patience directing style best suits the work. My hope is Del Toro's friend Alfonso Cuaron can be talked into stepping up and taking the helm.

Ok, back to real life and to figuring out which story I'm going to tackle next. In the mean time I'll leave you with this:

The Importance of THE END

2010-05-26T23:57:00.006-04:00

It is not often in pop culture that so many people are strongly in tune to the conclusion of a single event as they were this week with the end of LOST. While I continue to work on what has slowly become a larger and grander project I take some solace that I virtually started with the ending following in the wake of Tolkien whose Lord of the Rings series is simply the end point of what was a much larger mythology.

Stephen King's Magnum Opus The Dark Tower is by far one of my all time greatest inspirations and upon my first reading I failed to grasp the true power of the ending, the real ending that is. While there is an epilogue of sorts to comfort many readers the true ending is before that, and King says as much. He is of course paying homage to Browning's poem Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came (a title that is itself an homage to prior works) wherein the point of the poem is that the journey is more important than the destination and King honors the theme of the poem as the finale to this series that spanned the bulk of his career (so far).

Even Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, which is being finished posthumously, seems to be honoring the contract between author and reader with a three part ending that is in part written by Jordan himself and wonderfully completed by Brandon Sanderson.

The ending of LOST has been controversial in that it truly seems to have rent a rift among the followers of LOST with one camp being those who hated the ending (and or did not understand the ending) and those who for the most part enjoyed and appreciated it. I would fall into the later camp. For my part I felt it answered questions, found ways to surprise me, and made a bold choice in ending the series in a bittersweet repose and an epilogue that lasted either the last few minutes of the series, or for the final season depending on your point of view. I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it brilliant, but it was brave. I feel that LOST managed to capitalize on its ending in a way that BSG failed. I still feel that the more appropriate series end to BSG was at the halfway point through the last season. It was bleak and desolate and left some serious questions hanging and for my money is the perfect conclusion to a series that was so hard hitting. The rest of the final season was, in my mind, never really able to capitalize on the momentum of all the previous work outside of a few key moments (such as the surprise suicide). It seemed to suffer on the very current need to explain too much and give us a happily ever after that shows and movies have. I still think Cloverfield, a movie I quite enjoy, is a stronger movie if it ends about 5 minutes earlier (the copter crash), in a similar way that Spielberg's AI would have been stronger if it ended in ice at the bottom of the ocean (if it's not 20 minutes before the end it sure feels like it).

Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, however, deserves special mention because of its catastrophic breakdown of a conclusion. It's as if the writer's couldn't figure out where they wanted to go with it so they mashed together Saving Private Ryan, Return Of The King, The Patriot, and Peter Pan followed by scenes that feel completely arbitrarily tacked on and make no logical sense following the progression of everything before them summing up to an epic fail. The saddest part of the ending is that the rest of the movie is anywhere from fair to quite good and it destroys what would have been an otherwise very enjoyable film. It probably didn't have enough frivolity, as one would normally expect with Robin Hood, to be a classic, but it did have some provoking imagery (such as the orphans in the forest) and a magnetic villain (maybe charismatic would be a more appropriate word, lest people think Robin Hood was battling Magneto).

While not every story is wholly dependent on a strong finale in order to make the work as a whole stand out a catastrophe of an ending can ruin what would otherwise have been an enjoyable jaunt between storyteller and audience.

2010-02-24T23:57:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time coming, but I finally finished Lithender's tale for the next book. For all intents and purposes 5 stories are completed out of 10. While it feels good to once again be in the waning stages of a book I won't soon shake how difficult this particular story was. As someone who isn't inclined to going on boats often, to have a story that focuses so much on the nautical aspect of the elves in general, was a difficult transition for me to make. More so even than when I worked on Julienna's tale.

One should never take for granted the subtle influence that accurate details can sway over fiction. Or, at the very least, accurate as they are known in the present. I'm specifically thinking of H. P. Lovecraft who made a reference to Piltdown Man at a time when it was considered science fact and was not yet known to be a hoax. Now it's an almost comical addition to one of his best stories (The Rats in The Walls), but at the time it was a factual detail added to infuse the story with some gravitas.

For my part I chose to use less field terminology and more sensuality than I did in the case of the breach birth. Then again... I've never really liked boats so I may have been disinclined to stay long enough to really cement any of the information in my head.

Anyway, my first short story anthology is halfway complete, and I'm still targeting the second half of 2010 (very late in the second half I presume) for its release.

Books and Philanthropy

2010-01-21T22:08:00.002-05:00

With the earthquake and following tremors that ravaged Haiti we often wonder how we can help. What is it about our particular unique skills that give us a unique way to lend aid and assistance to those in distress? For many of us it is simply that we can use our skills in order to help build a monetary donation because our skill sets are not directly applicable to the situation. I am one such person. Luckily for me there I am a member of a masonic lodge and we as a group have set up a benefit dinner to collect money to donate to the relief of people of Haiti. One of the lodges under the domain of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut is primarily Haitian members, colloquially referred to as the "Haitian Lodge." To my understanding the money collected by many of the masonic bodies in Connecticut will be pooled and provided to the Haitian Lodge so that they might directly donate the sum of the collected funds. From the accounts I've received every masonic brother in that lodge has been directly affected and as such it only seems appropriate that we could help people and brothers directly affected by this tragedy to provide as much aid as possible to their friends and kin.

With the dinner planned I have to figure out how my particular skills could aid in the fund raising process. I will be donating a signed copy of pre-release pre-edit hard cover copy of my combined trilogy of books as an item for a raffle. Normally this type of raffle would be a 50/50 with half the proceeds going directly to the lodge, but in the case of an event like this the items are donated gifts and 100% of the money raised for the raffle goes to the donation funds. While I normally strive to limit release until I am satisfied with the work the need to help drive funds for such a worthy cause supersedes my personal dilemma and minimizes it. If someone would be willing to buy a raffle ticket in the hopes of getting a copy of my book, and the proceeds are going to help people in need... let's just say it has a way of diminishing any potential typo embarrassment.

In other news my next book is nearly halfway completed. I'm hoping to release it by the end of this year. It will be a short story collection that takes place spread throughout the time between books 1 and 2, and then I'll be directly to work on a second short story collection book that bridges the gap between books 2 and 3.

The joy of working with short stories, compared to a standard novel, is that I can focus on secondary or tertiary characters that I wanted to delve into a little more without slowing down the pace of the main books by derailing the tale with plot lines that don't forward the story. It also gives me the freedom to explore some parts of the world a little more thoroughly than the books allow for. The two books work almost like DVD extras, providing more depth for people who want to partake, but for people who do not the three primary books provide a story complete and whole without what are essentially the literary version of side quests.

Just like home... only different

2009-10-15T17:31:00.005-04:00

We started off our time in Hurstville doing a bit of “getting to know you” with our new host family. The next day we were run around and got to tour some of Sydney, followed by our largest Rotary meeting yet. There were four clubs all gathered for a single meeting… somewhere over 100 people were present. It also happened to be, in my mind, our best presentation to date. We really fed off the energy of the crowd and they laughed when we hoped they would laugh and stayed in rapt silence when we hoped they’d be retaining information.

The next day we visited Symbia Zoo, which is a cross between a petting zoo and a standard zoo. At this zoo we got to not only feed kangaroos, wallabies, emus and other animals, but we even got to pet a Koala. Most of the time we were there the Koalas slept, as they are apt to do, but when they were awake they seemed docile. However, we were careful around them as we were warned that they can get aggressive, especially if they feel provoked.

In addition to the Koala we got to see the Tasmanian Devil. They look nothing like the cartoon character. There is currently an illness that is quickly devastating the natural Tasmanian Devil population on Tasmania, it is forcing conservationists to try and create a breeding population in other areas in case the population becomes too thin to guarantee the survival for the species.

It is the same reason the zoo is trying to collect funds to build an add-on to their current set up that would add two Sumatran Tigers, in the hopes of starting a breeding group. According to the information they gave us there are only about 250 Sumatran tigers left worldwide.

After our time with the animals we spent more time driving around Sydney allowing us some spectacular views of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. These two structures epitomize the skyline of Sydney more than any two other structures. I can never look at the Sydney Opera house without being reminded of my mother. When I was young she often mentioned that it was one of her favorite buildings and that she loved the elegance of it. At the time I think she was secretly hoping I would go into architecture rather than writing.

I finally got some sunburn, on my left elbow where I apparently missed with my spray, and on the tops of my feet where the sand and water obviously wore down the sun block to the point where it could no longer do its job. But the burns aren’t bad, thanks to some heavy cloud cover giving me the assist. We also had a dinner tonight that allowed us to meet some new people, including one of the team members for the Australian team that will be coming to Connecticut.

Tomorrow is a vocational day and I’ll be flittering around the publishing industry here and then going to a Cancer Lodge (a medical in-house treatment center specializing in Cancer treatment and research). Hopefully I’ll have some new and interesting information to paste here this weekend. In the rare bouts of free time that I’ve had I’ve also been working on retooling “The Song of Ending” for the upcoming Ever War short story anthology. I expected my visit here to inspire a different story, but the fact that it inspired me to revisit and rework a different story first is a testament to the transitional effect this trip is having on me.

Saying Goodbye to Kiama

2009-10-12T03:41:00.003-04:00

On Saturday morning I got to see the marker for the “Cities Service Boston.” It was an American ship that had crashed on the rocks in the Kiama/Shell Harbour area and four Australian soldiers perished in the rescue mission, but none of the people on the ship died as a result of the crash and the heroic efforts of the Australian rescuers.

For the weekend we had a few free days. I completed roaming around Kiama while some of the others went on to various Vineyards for some wine tastings. While going around Kiama I saw the Terraces, which are small shops that are sort of like a strip mall with porches. They were originally housing for the miners that lived in Kiama, but since then they had been converted to shops. They were set to be torn down for a short time, but they were declared a historical landmark and were saved from destruction.

With a free day on Sunday I went with another team members to Woolongong while some of the others went hiking or refreshed themselves at the beach. Woolongong had a recent event of sadness wherein a sailing ship crashed and sadly there were some casualties. In the shopping area near the brewery and stadium there were some lovely fountains.

On the way back to Kiama from Woolongong the train ride was calm and most of the route was scenic and beautiful. Today we go to see our new host families as we move to St George and the suburbs of Sydney.

More time in Kiama

2009-10-09T08:25:00.006-04:00

Time has a funny way of running out on you when you least expect it, and as such my time in Kiama is coming to an end. While preparing to head to St George I'm also preparing for the possibility that it may be quite a while before I have access to wireless internet. Hopefully it won't be long at all and I can continue to keep everyone updated with what's going on with the trip.

Yesterday we started off at TripleCare. For lack of a more appropriate term it is a rehabilitation center, but more accurately it is a center that helps young people who have had issues with substance abuse or other destructive problems go and learn to overcome those issues and find the inner strength that's hidden within. They can then take that knowledge, coupled with the marketable skills they are taught at the center, to build on, as a foundation to a better life. Below is a view from the location, which is both serene and breathtaking.

After Triplecare we trekked to the Flywalk at Illawarra. It is roughly a giant walkway suspended over the trees on a mountain. The entire walkway is about 1.5 kilometers in length and very very very very very very tall in height. The first image is a shot from the top of the Knight's Tower pointed at the ground. The second shot is the view of Kiama from the top of the tower.

That evening I was a welcomed guest at Kiama Lodge. The lodge is older than the Commonwealth of Australia and I was happy to find that fellowship is the same around the world. The brothers made me feel welcome, and watching their ritual was certainly a learning experience.

Today we visited a woman affiliated with WIRE, a group that does wildlife rescue work in Australia. They help animals injured in car accidents and left on the side of the road, or animals that are the offspring of a parent killed by a car. I have attached two photos from this visit. The first is a pair of Kangaroos that were rescued, both of which were extremely young. The latter is a pair of Wombats. It was interesting to learn that they have giant bone plates on their rump and shoulders to protect them in case heavier animals collapse their Burroughs and step on them. Also, their pouch is backwards to a Kangaroo or a Koala's pouch so that they don't spread dirt into their pouch with their offspring when they dig through the dirt.

I also wanted to mention, that before our group left the animals we got to see a baby wallaby and two baby kangaroos. Whereas the other two Kangaroos where young they didn't quite match the big-eyed cuteness of the baby roos. They had their fidgety moments, but for the most part they just wanted to curl up in their blankets and be adored. We tried not to disappoint.

Somewhere down under the rainbow

2009-10-06T18:17:00.003-04:00

Dual rainbow action! Kiama welcomed us with open arms, and the weather has managed to split the rain and clouds at times for fierce sunshine and open skies. While walking with Pepsi we got to see some of the beach front views of Kiama including the beach below, which the surfer's called "Mystic Beach."
You can only get to the beach by trekking through the woods or swimming. There are no cars. It's not very populated. Since Sandra claimed a beach a few Kilometers away as her own, Alan and I decided to claim this as Alan and Dan's beach. While it's true that I'm not much of a beach person due to the lack of shade and volume of water the seclusion of this spot fits my needs for relaxation... plus with the trees so close I can hide in the shade and just watch the waves. It was walking in this area of Kiama that we got to see humpback whales playing in the water not far off.

We spent most of yesterday at the University of Woolongong. It's a beautiful campus, but also very young with its eyes set firmly on its future rather than its past. It is in the process of developing a medical health center and has a technology center that incorporates visionary technology with entrepaneurial ambition. While the collection of tech buildings make heavy use of green technology we found out some interesting things, like the fact that they are limiting the use of solar panels because in those same buildings they are working on the next generation of solar panels which will be cheaper and more efficient (and easier to produce). This is the view from the main building at the tech center where you can see why there is no short supply of inspiration for big ideas.

Days in Kiama

2009-10-05T01:54:00.003-04:00

This week we have moved into Kiama (pronounced Kai-ahm-uh, not Key-ahm-uh). I am staying with Pepsi who is allowing me to share his humble abode:

The rain continues to plague the East Coast and vacillates between non-existent and torrential downpour. I suppose we're lucky that this week it's not coming with the giant red dust clouds that festered upon the area just two weeks ago. Outside the home where I'm staying there are a group of birds called "laurelkeets" (that's more of a phonetic spelling and might not be completely accurate) that inhabit the trees. Despite their vivid colors they manage to blend in very well with the greenery.

Much of Kiama is beach-front property. Unlike back home, here the beaches are all open to the public. You do not need to pay the government for the right to access any beach. I believe this is a federal law.

As we got to meet and mingle with the members of the Kiama Rotary Club we learned that one of their members passed away in recent years and the last project he worked on has become a memorial park in his honor. I have attached a video of the park and the area most directly improved and worked upon by Rotary members.

More exploring and of course... More walking

2009-10-03T18:20:00.004-04:00

We finally got to see our first live kangaroo on Thursday. She was small for a Kangaroo and she was 18 years old. She was a rescue. We went to see a farm that rescued animals and raised birds and had a variety of fruit trees (down to 300 trees due to a recent fire, but previously over 1,000).

We also got to see a couple collections while visiting the farm. Afterwards we went on a bit of a historical lesson as we saw how people in Woolendilly lived at the end of the 18th century and later including a lesson on the local aboriginal culture.

Friday was another day of running around and jam packed with learning. We travelled all around the capital including parliament, the US Embassy, and the Australian War Memorial. Below is a picture of the Lone Piper playing "Flowers of the Forest" as is customary for Australian Military funerals. People familiar with The Dropkick Murphey's rendition of Green Fields of France will be familiar with this custom.

Here is a shot from the front of parliment that can see straight through the capital city:
Saturday was a trip to the Blue Mountains. Unfortunately for us there was quite a bit of rain and fog (a good thing for the area, though, which is in need of rain). A couple times the mist and the fog cleared so I could get some good shots.
The three sisters, located in the fog to the right in the picture below, were unfortunately not visible during our visit. However, we did get to do some exploring in the nearby rain forest and we got to take the steepest railcar in the world, which drops at 52 degrees.
Below is the first video I shot of our stop at the Blue Mountains. It details the fogginess and stands as proof of my indeterrable ability to bring rain with me whenever I travel.

A "Bushwalk" is more than just a "hike"

2009-09-30T08:00:00.004-04:00

Today we went on a Bushwalk. One thing that can be said about Australia is that only the toughest and hardiest of lifeforms can stay alive there. Today the Picton Rotary took us to a nearby national park and together we traversed some of the most inhospitable terrain I've ever had the privileged of stumbling through.

Very nearby to the spot where we parked there was a large gorge that housed The Mermaid Pool.

I was told that the reason it is called the Mermaid's Pool is because there is an Aboriginal tale about a mermaid that lived at the pool and would lure men to the water with her singing... and then she would drown them.

The temperature was in about the mid-80's (F), but I still ended up drinking about 2 1/2 liters of water, which did not prevent me from cramping up due to dehydration. The land was very unforgiving, making the pictures seem that much more valuable. We managed to traverse an area that most locals haven't tried to conquer.

To give you an idea of how difficult the terrain was... this was one of the easier parts of the trail as it was both less steep and more traveled than other sections:

From front to back this was Ellen, Adrianna, Heather, Sandra and Vlad. There were 14 of us all told.

Before heading back to the car site Alan and some of the team members decided to swim in the frigid (some would say numbingly cold) water. I was actually straddling the waterfall that Alan was swimming under in this picture:

While I have not yet seen a living kangaroo, I have seen an array of birds and this little fellow, which the locals call a "skink":

Amazingly after hike we went to King George's Pub, the oldest licensed pub in NSW. Their homebrew is known for being one of the best microbrews in Australia and I can attest for its tastiness. It's similar to a Sam Adams, though sweeter and more potent. I had a couple Scooners (larges) and half a minnow (small) of it and later in the day the team converged to do our GSE presentation, which went incredibly well for our first real overseas work. The audiance even got the baseball references.

Vocational Day and Meeting the District Governor

2009-09-29T16:38:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I took part in my first vocational day and was surprised by the extreme difference between the insurance industry here versus back home, despite having many of the same carriers, but I won't post the details here, which most people would find boring.

At the end of the day we visited the Narellan Rotary Club and we were present for a speech from their District Governor. Many of the points he made were similar to thoughts I've had about the Masonic Fraternity. While Masonry does not promote itself there is no reason that awareness of the organization cannot be increased (without depending upon the kindness of Third Party entities like Dan Brown or the National Treasure film series). More to the point, our notoriety has to be increased among younger people. Joint ventures with outside organizations should also be encouraged. A joint venture can allow smaller independent bodies to have a much larger impact. However, groups like Rotary and Masons working together does not solve the greatest threat to both groups... a disparity in the influx of youth.

To this end partnering with a college fraternity or sorority for fundraising efforts and charity events would provide a doorway to a more youthful face. However, the danger is that such a union would become an all too easily abused recruitment tool. Young men and women in college are often still trying to discover who they are and are not yet prepared for the kind of work that is involved with these organizations. As such partnering with a fraternity or sorority would have to be viewed purely as a way of increasing notoriety with a younger generation, so that when they are ready to make the kind of commitment these groups would need they are aware of them.

At the very least this has me thinking about things I'd like to bring up with my lodge upon my return.

Well, I need to get ready to head out on a Bushwalk. It should be interesting and I'm sure more pictures will follow.

Australia and The Longest Flight Ever

2009-09-27T21:41:00.007-04:00

Overall I would say that I'm expecting this trip to be amazing, even my packing was Fable approved. Above you can see him "helping". So far it has not disappointed. Our initial plan was to use a limo service to have a passenger van pick us up and schlep us to the airport. Unfortunately the vehicle was having battery issues so instead of the van they had to send us off in the vehicle below:

I must say that our driver, Joe, with Hy's Limo, was a lot of fun and he helped us circumvent a massive traffic jam in New Jersey. Sometimes, when I think about traffic in New Jersey I imagine that it's the highway Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett are really talking about in Good Omens.

It turns out you need Visas to go visit Australia... not a big deal, but it would have been nice if our itinerary printouts from the airline didn't say exactly the opposite (and it's not the only detail their electronic communications had wrong - I'm looking at you info about how many bags we could check!). If anyone is planning on traveling with United any time soon I'd strongly suggest you do yourself a favor and weigh your bag before you leave your house. If you're over 50lbs you get hit with a $150 charge... but if you top 70 lbs it jumps up over $300.

The flight to San Francisco was an hour and a half quicker than normal because there was virtually no headwind! This allowed us to take some time between flights and eat a meal at a Mexican restaurant at the airport (surprisingly reasonably priced too, and with quite tasty food). We then boarded our second plane for a flight that now dwarfs the duration of every flight I've ever been on. I can best describe it as flying to London from NYC, and when you get there instantly deciding not to land and instead... flying back to NYC. Because of the time difference we boarded the flight at about midnight EST. With the help of a couple of Dramamine I also got in a full 8 hours sleep. The problem with that is that I then had to spend the next 8 hours cramped next to a stranger just waiting to get out of the cramped confines of the cabin with its stale air and raucous engines.

Amazingly, after 26 hours of travel (including the limo ride) we arrived in Sydney and the ladies on my team still managed to look this good getting off the plane:

After arriving at my Host's house (for week 1) I found our Itinerary for this week. It stands as the following:

Monday: Jetlag Day. Landing in Australia and getting situated.
Tuesday: Vocational Day/Rotary Presentation.
Wednesday: National Park (Bushawalking is to be expected).
Thursday: Recreational Training Facility (A nature walk including local artifacts and culture).
Friday: Visiting Canberra and seeing the American Embassy.
Saturday: Visiting Camden and possibly going into the Blue Mountains.
Sunday: Swapping over to our next hosts.

When I'm not doing presentations, learning, or running about and exploring the locale I will be staying with my hosts Peter and Debbie for this week in their lovely home:

What struck a lot of us was how much this little neighborhood in Camden (Narellan) happened to remind us of houses in California. One thing I can say that does feel different is that since landing I don't think I've seen any clouds. The sky just seems to go on forever. Ok, enough settling in. Time for some exploring!