Mission Control is Dark, Wall Street has Fallen.

Umm...

"Mission Control is Dark. Wall Street has fallen.."

Last week I wrote about the loss of a long standing computer, Mission Control.

Unbeknown, my files for several financial matters had been backing up to the recovery disk of the computer, instead of the external drive.

"Houston, we have a problem."

The recent American taxes were completed but the Australian taxes may have to be paid late. Extract files, transfer to another storage - maybe more money than I I'm willing to invest to recover just a couple months difference from my US taxes.

Lesson learned form the last crash several years ago - all the writing is salvaged including the major project which is now back on the menu. 

Mission Control is Dark.

Umm...

Power outage must have happened today.

No problem, I'll just turn the computer back on.

Ut oh.

Huston, we have a problem.

"Mission Control" is dark.

Launched February 2003, loss of operating power April 2016.

Not bad for a Windows XP computer.

Chicken Soup for the Soul #Stand4Heroes

Chalk up another appearance within the Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise.

On 7 June 2016,  the next in their series of books will be released, titled Chicken Soul for the Soul: The Spirit of America.

My story, "Straight out of El Cajon" highlights the discussions I still  have, ten years after arriving in the "new country" The irony of an Australian writing about the Spirit of America, has not been lost.

Royalties form the book will benefit the Bob Woodruff Foundation's #Stand4Heroes program for veterans.

California Franchise Tax Board Needs 130 Days to Answer A Letter

  How long does a state department need to respond to a letter of inquiry?

  14 days?

  30 days?

  How about of 130 days for the California Franchise Tax Board.

   In November 2015, I inquired about assets not received, (for the third time) following the completion of the 2014 tax returns. The California Franchise Tax Board needed 4 months and 9 days to identify which department they intercepted funds on behalf of.

  I should consider myself lucky however. In March 2016, the California Franchise Tax Board requested $30 million in funding to enable them to meet service standards. The request was made based on their policy for the timely processing of correspondence within thirty (30) days, but they acknowledge that the average turn around time has been eight (8) months, (Page 14) with 70,000 items of correspondence unaddressed.  This is further complicated by the inability of consumers to speak to a representative when they telephone.

  Is it any wonder that businesses are leaving California for other states like Texas?

  I wonder how forgiving the State of California would be on April 15 if I delayed the filing of my tax return by 130 days? 



  

Recovering Passwords; A Writers Workshop

  Have you ever tried to log in on a device and not been able to remember your password?

  Have you ever tried recovering your password where all your emails are connected through your cell phone?

  Welcome to a Writers Workshop, Recovering Passwords. You could write a novel based on the password recovery process these days.

  Long gone are the "what is you mothers maiden name" insert the answer and welcome back to your account. Now, it's cell phone codes, what was the last password you remember, send an email to your recovery email account (assuming you can remember the password to that account - which I didn't) answer the Captcha symbol where certain numbers always look like a letter but the Google images makes me think that my own street address numbers will eventually show up, reset your password, would you like to add another email account in case you can't back in like you just have (no thank you), confirm your new password, add a safety image so that when you do log back in the image you have selected will identify that you are not at a phishing site, reconfirm, please log out to ensure that the changes are made, log back in on the cell phone - laptop - tablet - desktop - the work computer - the work laptop, answer all the "your password was changed on another device notification and did you authorize such password change" question on each of the devices, and reload the web page.

  I forgot why I was going into the email anyway.

  Got my 30 minutes writing completed for today.

 

All Is Good

  The major project - back on the query trail.

  Another anthology book has accepted one of my stories.

  The local newspaper is looking at my articles again.

  All is good within the writing world.

Peering In On My Life.

  I have been a resident of the United States just on 11 years. I am an accomplished writer, published in a number of magazines and books.

  I never expected that my writing would take on such admiration from those whom have no contact with me. I'm not talking about distant fans, I'm referring to those whom once were part of my life, who's own choice was to have nothing to do with my life, who apparently seem unable to let me continue on with my own life, without them peering in.

  Stalker? Crazed fan? Or just crazy?

  Recently I discovered that my professional life has drawn the attention of someone, who's last conversation with me about seven years ago included the words "We need to have better communication." I haven't heard from them since, and they have gone on to omit notifications, that they would have expected from me.

  The internet leaves a digital trail everywhere you go. If you're going to peer in on my life, and want to remain anonymous, you probably shouldn't do it while logged into your own profile.

You Let It Be

     There will come a time when"those" will look upon the actions of "them" and ask themselves, "How did we let it get to be this way?"

     And those in the know will turn to them and say "You did it to yourself."

     As the plans commence from the Day of Righteous,  it is not without notice that another Date of Infamy arrives. Had not the loss been, I would not be the writer that I am now.  Someday, that story may appear in a book, maybe in a Chicken Soup for the Soul publication. They will read and wonder "How did we let it get to be this way?"

     You let it be.

On The Day of Righteous

On the Day of Righteous,
Look over the fence back at the barren earth.
Feel the grass between your toes,
Smell the fresh cut green.
Be gracious -
Your work is done.

 - a discarded paragraph from The Book of Pioneer.

Protecting the Writing Time

     Nothing I like better on a Saturday night, my designated writing time, then tending to the necessities of the business week.

     I might write during the business week to make amends.

Parental Alienation

  To the First Fans: thank you for your wishes. Recovery is underway and I have returned to work.

 In Brisbane Australia, comes the story of a Family Law Court Judge who awarded custody to the father of three children, after finding that the mother engaged in parental alienation by coaching their children in lies. Not surprisingly,  the grandmother of the children was equally culpable in the lies and deceit.

  One father's work to remain in contact with his children, has not been in vain.

 

Merry Christmas from Chesterfield Inlet

Merry Christmas from Chesterfield Inlet, where this year a buddy joins me.

Sorry Adam, we did not decide this to be our Christmas home. One day our children will know how long we waited for this day.

Thank you Norad for keeping the skies safe for the man who brings joy, currently in Bogota.

The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Opening night.

The George Lucas Effect has taken over.

There Was Another

     In the United States, the last week of November signals the beginning of the "holiday" period. It starts with Thanksgiving, runs through Christmas and New Year, and finishes up somewhere around Superbowl Sunday.

  This year, the house was empty for the first real time, not a child to be had, not a potato mashed, not a turkey carved, not an arrival recieved.

  I could not have asked for a better window in which to complete two major articles that were approaching their deadline. By July 2016, you should be reading about an American Pioneer, but not the one whom you might think.

  It turns out, there was another.

The George Lucas Effect

  A strange thing happened after the original Star Wars trilogoy (New Hope, Empire and Jedi) were released. The protagonist may have been Luke Skywalker (and company) but it was Darth Vader's story. It was all about the Dark Lord's demise. George Lucas always had a vision for his project, from which he could not be swayed.  I wonder if he set out to write the trilogy as such, or whether it was the format of film that created it that way.

  About a month ago I wrote of the Monster That Haunts Me, the rewrite required of the major project.  The rewrite is about the ending, which requires a different composition of the minor characters in the early chapters. The protagonist remains the same, but to justify the ending, the supporting staff require names, and in one scene, foreshadowing.

  An unexpected element of the rewrite is that is has resulted in a different query for publishers. The same format of the project is still being used, however, it is now shown in greater perspective by the final scene, which does not have the protagonist. The final scene turns the project, back on itself.

  George Lucas originally named the Star Wars protagonist Luke Starkiller. Like Lucas, I must now go back and give names, identities, and credit, to those, whom are otherwise undeserved, but without which, there would be no major project. I have, unknowingly, replicated the George Lucas Effect.

  Would it not be prophetic if the major project blossomed like the George Lucas effect on science fiction.

The Commute

7 cities.

6 freeways.

3 hours.

1 smile.

Welcome to my commute.

Writer Distractions.

Dad.

Wedding.

Daughters.

Fantasy football.

Alcohol.

Unemployment.

New adventures.

The Commute.

Clutter on my desk.

Sunday mornings.

Time to return to the pencil.

The Monster That Haunts Me

   The major project has been sitting for the last few months, waiting. Lamenting. It needed an ending, a conflict, an unexpected cliffhanger. A sudden revelation to neatly tie off the principle of the book.

  Two weeks ago I found that ending, that startling revelation. It began when I read studied, author Thomas Larson's book The Memoir and the Memoirist.  Ironically, among his credits, Larson is also a Staff Writer for the San Diego Reader, the same magazine that I write for.

  Larson showed me how the neat bow, the conclusion to wrap up the story was missing. That one element which would make the memoir memorable, was absent. I had known it now for almost a year, and still could not come up with any appropriate ending. I was given a possible conclusion by one of my daughters when she announced her intention to wed, but I did not have an "ending". As much as I had written, without the ending, it would be, as Larson wrote, a memoir which was inauthentic.

  And from another daughter, the ending arrived about two weeks ago.

  The rewrite is on. The ending has compelled me to go back into the draft, and begin working more of the elements of the ending, into the backstory. And with the ending, comes the opportunity to finish out this "monster" which has haunted me.

Subsim Review: Navy Field 2

  Many thanks to the staff at the web's #1 submarine simulation site, Subsim, for carrying my review of the Navyfield 2 game.

It's All Right Chickybabe.

"Writing a novel is actually searching for victims. As I write I keep looking for casualties." - John Irving.

"I've found, in my own writing, that a little hatred, keenly directed, is a useful thing." - Alice Walker.

"It's all right Chickybabe, I understand." - A father.

Writing Through The Muddle - Part 2.

Writing through the muddle - part 2

Not all associates may be who they have always appeared to be.

Not all opportunities arrive as scheduled.

Not all writing assignments demand the same urgency.

Not all conversations result in the same contract.

Not all contracts need to be accepted. 

Sweet Home, Chicago.

Sweet home, Chicago.

Four days in the Windy City.

I could have done with five.