And Then It Was Just Yada, Dada, Yada

In my literary blog, The T. H. Weingarten Miscellany, I am nearing the end of the first, rough  draft of my book.  Technically, I have reached the climax, and I have started to resolve all the problems that have developed over the course of the story.  It has taken over a year to get to this point, at least in writing it.  I have had the main gist of the story bubbling up ever since college.  Over that length of time, many things have changed.  From the beginning, the story was all about how a man, 'Chris,' had to become the guardian of the half-brother he never knew, 'Sam.'  I didn't come up with those names until I started writing the blog.  Even now, they could just be placeholders.  Chris was originally going to be a few years younger, or older.  Twenty-seven seemed to be the right spot, but there is a little leeway.  I didn't know what job Chris would have.  The publishing spot just popped up.  Originally, he didn't really have a job, beyond owning the apartment building where he lived.  He had mad great investments in college, as opposed to having all this money just falling onto his lap.  Strangely enough, most of the tenants wouldn't have known he was the owner.  Not even the few he considered his gaming friends.  That part of Chris has remained constant.  When he first got notified about Sam, he had known just who he was, as opposed to the slight doubt that Sam was claiming to be his son in the current version.  Chris just didn't know what to do.  Sam also was different.  He was now a thirteen year old who was just starting to go through puberty, as opposed to the raging mass of hormones he would turn out to be at fourteen.  He was still very quiet, although it was going to be more out of shock than vocal problems.  Apparent vocal problems, but you'll have to wait another chapter to find that part out.  Chris also knew more about his father in the early version, although he still hadn't had contact with him in years.  It was more of a clean divorce, rather than the borderline criminal activities his mother went through to hide them.  Chris's attitude towards his mother was better, too.  Very little antagonism.  In fact, his mother was much better off as well.  I think I had her as an up-and-coming politico of some sort.  I changed the dynamic, mostly to make Chris more sympathetic.  He was coming off as smug and irresponsible, so I had to play him off of someone even worse.  The first day the two spend together was also much shorter.  Sam didn't need a whole new set of clothes, so they went straight to the apartment.  One detail that was changed was that Chris found more about his father online, particularly a clip of one of his films.  He actually had seen parts of it, before he got to New York.  This would become a critical change, but I'll bring it up when I get to reviewing that section.  A road trip was always a part of the plan, although the medical reason came later.  I don't remember why they had to drive to New York, but there were two reasons why I wanted them to do so.  First, there would have been a scene where Chris visited his mother before heading on to NYC.  While Sam was napping, Chris would take a sudden detour and drive on it for about twenty minutes, on the sudden urge to ask his mother directly about some of the reasons for the divorce.  However, he accidentally kills a chipmunk on the road.  Chris takes the as an omen, and he turns around to get back on his way, an hour late.  The second reason was I wanted to pay homage to another book, Divine Right's Trip, by featuring a similar scene mentioned ion that book, the letters "D" and "R" being sky written.  It my version, it was part of the cause for the traffic jam that would delay the pair even longer.  The current version just has the letters as part of a partially obscured sign, seen near a horrible accident.  In both cases, the message would read "Drive Safely," the irony not lost to the reader.  In both instances, this led to the need to stay at a hotel for a night, and also the first scene where Chris catches his younger brother in an act.  Very embarrassing to both, but I needed some levity at that time.  It would also foreshadow the later scene with the art film.  Again, you'll have to wait for that tidbit, in next week's installment.  While this draft of the book isn't that long, there are still major differences that occur between the versions.  One last thing this week, though.  The current draft is averaging about eight pages, double-spaced, per chapter.  This will lead to a page count of under two hundred, making this more of a novella than a novel.  I am planning to revise, mostly by fleshing out some minor characters and adding some missing details.  This should push me to the two hundred to two hundred fifty level, if not higher.  As the next installments will show, more than just one scene was cut.

What Type of Country (Music) Is This

Billboard has just announced that "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus will spend its twelfth week at the top of its "Hot 100" chart.  While it is not a bad song, there has been some controversy surrounding it.  The main point of contention is what type of genre it is.  When it was first debuting on the charts, the magazine allowed it to appear on the Country charts (This was the original version, not the remix with Cyrus.). However, this decision was quickly changed, and the song would no longer appear there.  It still isn't showing up on the main chart.  Some people claimed that is was country enough and should be appearing there.  I'ver heard the original version and can honestly say, no.  That version was not county.  Don't get me wrong.  It is not a bad song.  It does feature tropes common in country music.  Yes, it is basically sung in rap, but that is not a problem with me.  Rap and country can blend, and quite nicely I do say.  The problem is that the song is more of a rap/hip-hop parody of a country music song.  Again, comedy can work with country music, too.  Just look at artists from Ray Stevens to Cletus T. Judd.  The problem is when you mix everything together.  The sum of its parts take it away from country music just enough that Billboard was correct in removing it from those charts.  Now, when the remixed version came out, the new portion with Cyrus is more traditionally country, albeit with tinges of rock.  This portion has a feel of "Life's Been Good to Me So Far."  Yet, it is still more country than the original portion, even if it has fewer tropes found in the genre.  The song is also doing well on the Rap charts.   Personally, I kind of like the song.  The added portion helps to add both length and gravitas to an otherwise slight song.  Honestly, country music is not my favorite.  While I don't actively hate the genre, I usually don't listen to it.  Sure, I sometimes like a crossover smash, but I rarely listen to pure country music, when I have a choice or a chance.  This is especially true since it is now the frontrunner for the number one song of the year.  As of right now, only Adrianna Grande's two smash number ones, "Thank U, Next" and "7 Rings," have any chance of upending it.  Other songs could wind up being better, but those chances are slim.  Trust me, as I have been analyzing these charts for decades.  I can see the patterns forming. Now, let's see what the follow up is.

Is It Supposed to Act Like This?

I admit that I really didn't know all that much about modern computing when I got my Mac a year ago.  I had barely used any computer for anything in over twenty-five years!  At most, I was using public library computers for internet searches and the occasional download/print job.  I only had a 'personal' email account for about a year, maybe two.   I was on Facebook, had my blogs, and even fixed up a website for my store, Booknotes, and all without a computer.  I was barely online four hours a week, total.  Now, I can't see how I was able to manage all I did with so little time.  That is the main reason why all my early blog posts were so short.  Even now, I try to maintain the same length of time.  My biggest problem now is trying to be sure I am not making huge mistakes.  In just the past few days, my Mac started to act up a little.  Nothing major, and maybe not its fault, but it is concerning.  Just yesterday I had to start up my Mac twice because the first time didn't really take.  I get afraid that I accidentally downloaded something I shouldn't have or I set something up wrong.  I don't think I have done anything too bad, but the dread is still our there.  Maybe I did the last upgrade for Mojave wrong.  Maybe I downloaded something that only pretended to be an upgrade.  Maybe I am just playing too many games for to long a time.  Hey, I have very little to now with school out, a failing store, and no real social life.  If the wifi at the store wasn't so iffy, I might have been playing even more than I do now.  I have digital copies of multiple books, as well as some of my better school projects.  I deleted most of them for room.  Sure, I should upload some of this to the cloud, if I could ever figure it out.  Then again, I like being able to do things such as this at a moments notice.  Although that line up above is disconcerting, even if it did just fade away.  Text wrapping is also an issue, but that is more with Blogger than with me.  I'm only including this pic so it will show up as a 'faux' icon on social media.  It still won't work with the Blogger interface, but I think I can find a work around.  Now, can anybody tell me what is going on with this thing?

My Year of Living Digitally

Almost a year ago, I finally got a computer, a MacBook Pro.  Since then, I have done so much more with my life than I could imagine.  However, I still feel that I haven't gotten the best out of it yet.  For starters, let's take the apps.  I have barely touched the surface in using most of them.  Finder, the default app, is used only to access some files that I could easily do elsewhere, if I knew how.  I mainly use it to send things to the Trash.  I have never used Siri. I just feel better doing things on my own, rather than using that.  Of course, Safari is my main search engine, even if I have to use another one for certain other web sites for better functionality.  Still not sure of every function on it, but I'm getting there.  Launchpad helps me access the secondary apps, a few that I will mention later.  I don't really use Mail, going straight to my main outlet instead.  I don't have any Contacts to mention.  Barley use Calendar or Reminders, mostly to keep tract of school assignments and when to check books back in.  I don't remember ever using Notes.  Maps hasn't been used too much.  Photos has been used rather infrequently, mostly involving uploading images for the store. (It hurts not having a smart phone, but that could change by the end of the year.). I have never used Messages or FaceTime, as I don't have anyone to connect with.  I am not sure I have even activated them correctly yet. I have gotten the most use out of Pages.  I use it for all of my assignments; I just have to convert them first before turning them in.  Not enough people use Mac formats, I guess.  Don't use Numbers (spreadsheets) or Keynote (slide presentations) as I don't need therefor anything.  News is so new, I keep forgetting to read it.  iTunes still hasn't been used, which is good because when Apple upgrades to Catalina this fall, I might get more for my free trail.  I did get a free instruction manual through Books, but that has been all, since the service is technically still my competition for a little longer, at least.  I have gotten a few games through the App Store, but I only play one of them frequently.  Of course, I use System Preferences, even if I don't understand all of them.  I guess I use Photo Booth the most of the secondary apps, again for the ability to upload images/movies for the store.  (It hurts not having a disk reader yet.). iMovies and GarageBand have been played with, but barely.  I have used the Dictionary, mostly when a site said I spelled something wrong, even when I know I'm right.  I played Chess a bit, but it really isn't my thing anymore.  A few apps, such as Preview, get some play when needed, but mostly I don't have much use for the others, until I really understand them.  I mentioned News earlier, which is one of the new apps that got added when I upgraded to High Sierra.  Most of the others haven't been touched, such as Home and Voice Memos.  I have used Snapshot though, mostly so I can add an icon to my blogs.  Unfortunately, they keep being rejected because they are one pixel off from being "square," even when the are.  I need an art or icon creation app, but I have yet to find a free one that I like.  I keep asking for suggestions, but so far I haven't gotten any.  Until then,  I will have to add the image to a post every few weeks.  Next time, as I have tweaked my design and I don't have the pic available today.  My biggest problem is that the wifi at work is terrible.  It can takes minutes for a site to download.  Many games won't finish downloading to the point where I can play them.  I have to go elsewhere and use a different computer just to play.  At hope, I get so distracted that I sometimes forget to do things.  Ah well, I am still new to all of this.  It should get easier.  Until the next download and upgrades, then all bets are off.

I Just Don't Have the Words, and Neither Did They

It's that time of year again, time for the National Spelling Bee.  I usually try and catch it every year, but this year I forgot all about it.  I remembered a week beforehand.  I remembered it the day before.  I even remembered it that morning, but I forgot it by the time it was actually airing.  In any case, I am kind of glad I missed it this year, especially considering that it didn't end until after midnight.  Keeping junior high students up that late is not really all that acceptable.  Furthermore, the competition ended in an eight-way tie.  When there are that many in a tie, it is not longer a competition.  While some recent bees ended with co-champions, having eight tied for first is not fun.  That had to be a better way to end this than just having all eight 'win.'  How can any of them say they won it all, when seven others can say the same thing?  At least the words were somewhat better this year, but not by much.  I could only find two of the eight winning words in my store's main dictionary:  erysipelas, a bacterial skin infection; and bougainvillea, a tropical woody vine.  [Note:  My Mac's spell check feature caught both words.] I found two more on my computer's dictionary:  aiguillette, the braiding found on military-style uniforms; and pendeloque, a type of faceting used on certain gemstones, particularly diamonds. [Note:  My Mac recognized the first, but not the second.]  I had to search for three more words on the internet:  auslaut, the consonant sound at the end of a syllable; palama, the webbing between the toes of aquatic fowl; and cernunous, droopy when pertaining to plants.  [Note:  My Mac didn't recognize any of these words.]. While I did look it up, I already kind of knew the eighth and final word, probably from my love of CCGs and/or RPGs.  That word is odylic.  It pertains to the vibrant life force found in some individuals, that is sometimes strong enough to bend others to their will.  Strangely enough, it is archaic and somewhat obsolete, but it was the only one I knew.  My computer didn't know it either, possibly because of the possible other spellings of the word when used in different situations other than the one used in the Bee.  I am not sure how to work many of these words into everyday conversations.  I am pretty sure it would be impossible to work more than two into any regular one, and even that could be awkward.  The best I can come up with would be "The duck's palama got caught in the cernunous vines of the bougainvillea while it was chasing me due to the odylic attraction from the aiguillettes on my jacket."  Well, I tried and it doesn't sound too weird.  I mean, it theoretically could make sense.  Barely could happen, but it could.  Maybe the duck thought they were food?  Hey, the Bee is known for wild example sentences.  It could almost be a dream job of mine to come up with similar sentences.  Almost every competitor asks for one, even when one isn't necessary.  Those sentences are the only reason why I am sad I missed out.

Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, . . . Eighteen?!?

As many of you know, I also have a literary blog, The T. H. Weingarten Miscellany.  Almost from the start, I would post weekly installments of a book I had been thinking about for a long time.  In fact, I may have been near the age of the protagonist when I came up with the idea, if not younger.  Every few installments would make up a chapter.  Each one was basically a rough draft.  Originally, I thought I would revise them on the go, but that has yet to be the case.  For the last month or so, I haven't been posting new installments to the book.  Many weeks, I would have no installments.  Other times, I have posted my assignments from my graduate school fiction workshop class.  Technically, I had been writing the next chapter, seventeen; I just didn't post any installments.  Here's the thing.  One night, many years ago, I had this weird dream.  I was in a movie theater, which I never do in real life.  It was so hot and the movie was so dull, that I fell asleep.  Yes, I dreamed I was sleeping.  When I woke up, in the dream, I noticed that the audience was acting strangely.  Although the movie was fairly tame, the audience was treating it as 'adult.'  And the men and women were acting in a way many people would while watching such 'adult' material.  I was so disgusted, I stood up and said something that included the phrase 'getting your jollies off.'  I knew I had to include it in the book.  A major part of the plot would involve the main character's father having made movies, especially at home.  This dream would be perfect in establishing that fact.  It also meant I had to remove a scene where the main character would go on a date with a woman he just meets when getting to New York.  It wasn't working, especially after I gave him a younger brother to take care of. I just had to change one thing about the dream.  Instead of being a completely tame movie, I made it slightly risqué instead.  In doing so, I needed to include some sophomoric language, well-known to anyone who had ever been a teenage boy.  I was afraid to post the installments because of the language.  I hadn't even used the real words, just the first letter followed by an underscore the same length as the rest of the real word.  So instead of including the real chapter seventeen on the blog, Just posted a short synopsis of the movie's plot and the audience's reactions to it, including those of the main character.  Even that seemed somewhat mature, at least more mature than what I feel most others would think I write.  Still, it sets up many further plot points, as well as the climax.    Of course, the final product will include the full chapter.  I am just conflicted about showing it now.  I want people to see it, but maybe not just yet.  It is so graphic in what happens.  Not fully so, but more PG-13 than R, if barely.

And Here I Thought I Was a Pepper, Too

In the post few months, the major soft drink makers have com out with a bevy of new flavors.  First was Coke.  It came out with a blueberry-açai flavored version of Diet Coke.  I usually don't drink Coke, but since I love blueberries, I tried it.  Didn't really like it, and I am not sure if it was the flavoring or the Coke part.  (They also came out with a strawberry-guava flavor as well, but I didn't want to try that one.). Coke quickly followed that up with an orange-vanilla variety across all of their regular lines.  This time, I almost liked it.  I was always somewhat partial to that flavor combination, but I didn't like it enough to have it again.  Next, while walking through the store one day, I found berry flavored Pepsi, along with lime and mango varieties.  What sets Pepsi off from the new Coke products is the inclusion of actual fruit juice into the mix.  Unlike the Coke experiments, I actually got a case of the Pepsi berry, only because of the inclusion of blueberry juice.  Well, it does have a berry flavor, raspberry.  It is especially prominent when I take my first sips, but the blueberry comes out more as you drink it.  I am not sure if I would get another case.  I first heard about both the Coke and Pepsi drinks though the news.  This past weekend, while shopping, I though I saw a bottle of Dr. Pepper with a purple/dark bluish label in a dispenser.  I didn't get a close look at it, for I was running behind schedule, so I didn't check to see what was going on.  I thought it might have just been a special promotion or a trick of the colored light upon it.  Yet, something still irked me.  I checked online as soon as I got home.  The official Dr. Pepper site didn't list anything, but I did find something when I did a search.  It turns out that there is a special limited-edition flavor tied to the new Spider-Man movie.  It is called dark berry.  It is a mix of blackberry, black cherry, and black currant flavors.  I love the first two, but I am not sure I have ever tried the third.  (It is supposedly a favorite in Europe.) I have yet to find any more of it, but I can't wait to try it.  I would never have ever thought to search for it, if it wasn't for that unusual label.  I don't even think that is that actual label they will be using.  Strange enough, the movie has a tie in with Doritos, which is part of the large Pepsi corporation, so I don't see why they chose Dr. Pepper as a tie-in for a new drink.  This is the first new flavor from Dr. Pepper since the limited edition vanilla float from a few years ago.  I tried it a few times the summer it was out.  I would even mix it with some cans of regular cherry Dr. Pepper to get a hint of my all-time favorite cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper back.  Still being made, but not sold locally.  The easiest way for me to get that flavor is to go to a Dairy Queen and mix it straight from their soda dispenser.  It's not the same, but it's close.  I'm somewhat apprehensive about this new flavor.  I know I will get it, but I'm not sure how I will like it, especially with these other new flavors about.  Now, all I have to do is find it again.  Be the Pepper!