Friday, October 24, 2014

7 Quick Takes vol. 41

Still hosted by the inestimable Conversion Diary.

1.     These past two weeks have been an up-and-down series of getting sick, getting depressed, and then apparently coming out of both only to plunge back in. The worst part is that my sickness has never been extreme enough to warrant taking off work (though I have considered it once or twice). 

2.     Speaking of work, my work computer died suddenly this week. Yes, the one I have complained about before. Surprisingly enough, it had been doing much better, with only a little sluggishness, right before it permanently kicked the bucket: sort of like how head-injury victims often feel perfectly fine and even get up and walk around right before dying.  I’m now working off a borrowed computer while they sort out what to do about replacing mine.

3.     In a fit of boredom, I started listening to my audio book version of Monster Hunter Alpha by the inimitable Larry Correia last weekend. Really, those books are horribly addictive: Alpha is a seventeen-hour audio book and I not only already finished it, I’m now about three-quarters of the way through the next one, Monster Hunter Legion (both of which, I might add, I’ve already listened to at least once). I like his Grimnoir Chronicles better (they’re in the rarified ‘books I have to resist the urge to re-read as soon as I finish them’ category), but the Monster Hunter books are a truckload of fun. The trouble is that whenever I read something while I’m writing, I start to panic when my stuff isn’t as good as the stuff I’m reading/listening to.

4.     Speaking of writing, Order of the Rattlesnake is proceeding torturously along. I’m now having to tackle some rather complicated and difficult action scenes, of which I only have a vague idea of how they’re supposed to play out, so it’s slow-going. At least I have one major action scene in a semi-presentable state, so that’s good news!

5.     I’ve been considering doing an overhaul/reboot of my blog. I’m finding the ‘Catholic Nerd’ image doesn’t fit my inclinations as well as it has in the past (though I am still proudly nerdy and Catholic), and I’d like to do something more personal. We’ll see. I don’t know.

6.     I’m also considering seeking a graduate degree that would allow me to teach at the college level. The problem there is that I currently have almost zero respect for most institutions of higher learning and doubt I’d have the patience to endure a constant stream of the kind of nonsense that spews from them. I’m planning to use my free time this weekend to work out some kind of life plan and settle on what to do about all that.

7.     And let’s end with another quote:
“We made a great mistake in the beginning of our struggle, and I fear, in spite of all we can do, it will prove to be a fatal mistake. We appointed all our worst generals to command our armies, and all our best generals to edit the newspapers.”
-Robert E. Lee


Vivat Christus Rex! 

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