tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post5491639769361223529..comments2023-05-14T21:11:23.699-04:00Comments on CHEESEBURGER BROWN: Story Wallah: The Secret Mathematic - Chapter SeventeenCheeseburger Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01384136287767500794noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-48275428466438909152008-04-06T08:21:00.000-04:002008-04-06T08:21:00.000-04:00I had a similar one a couple of months back, I hav...I had a similar one a couple of months back, I have two identical servers, a live one and an offline backup. I rsync between them every so often to keep the backup currentish. One day I was playing cards while rsync was whirring past in a console window and out of the corner of my eye I spotted a bunch of new files in /home/guest fly past. A little digging showed up that my machine was running an IRC botnet server, I was not a happy camper.Tolomeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16384928311920896699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-20075509021765566312008-04-06T03:09:00.000-04:002008-04-06T03:09:00.000-04:00too funny... I just started to install drupal on a...too funny... I just started to install drupal on a lark and realized that an account on my server had been compromised. Looks like everything was unsuccessful with their root kit, since it left logs of everything it had tried.<BR/>time to reinstall... whee... well.. if you want a drupal install to play with, lemme know.fooburgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00598732577922981025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-56565957799639352532008-04-05T08:51:00.000-04:002008-04-05T08:51:00.000-04:00Dear Teddy,I never refuse radio interviews. Set m...Dear Teddy,<BR/><BR/>I never refuse radio interviews. Set me up: I'll do it any way you care for. When it comes to promotions my legs are wide open (um, so to speak).<BR/><BR/>Dear all,<BR/><BR/>As usual, thanks for your wonderfully supportive comments!<BR/><BR/>Dear Paul,<BR/><BR/>No worries. For those of you who don't know, Paul posts a new slice of original fiction every stinkin' day <A HREF="http://dailytale.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">on his blog</A>. Well worth dipping into.<BR/><BR/>Dear fooburger,<BR/><BR/>I'm leaning toward Drupal right now. I'm investigating dedicated Drupal hosting so I won't have to worry about the jiggery-pokery with my current host (may not be strictly necessary, but I'm trying to cut down my potential headaches to as few as possible).<BR/><BR/>The upshot if I go the Drupal route is that we'll all get usernames and passwords (leading to more features available to registered users), and it will be a snap to put THE IMPOSSIBLE RAILROAD (the upcoming novel) behind closed doors.<BR/><BR/>Also, check this out:<BR/><BR/>http://www.birdmanofsteel.com/?p=16<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/>Cheeseburger BrownCheeseburger Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384136287767500794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-23747226909003005962008-04-04T22:10:00.000-04:002008-04-04T22:10:00.000-04:00Here's another vote for pulling a CMS system.I'm n...Here's another vote for pulling a CMS system.<BR/>I'm not sure what you're doing now underneath... hopefully it's not static html pages you've written.<BR/>But if it is.. well...<BR/><BR/>Thing is.. with *extremely* static content like what you've got.. there are a lot of very easy ways to do it yourself. While that's tempting, and while CMS stuff may be a bit overkill for a 1-person operation, it's probably still worth it.<BR/><BR/>I use a lot of CSS and more so XSLT.fooburgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00598732577922981025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-66244310617050052122008-04-04T20:16:00.000-04:002008-04-04T20:16:00.000-04:00Good stuff. Nice blog. Thanks for the kind comment...Good stuff. Nice blog. Thanks for the kind comments on mine.Paul Bernard Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08661133303797402251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-42976739508766990482008-04-04T12:48:00.000-04:002008-04-04T12:48:00.000-04:00Dan, I sympathize. While I only have three kid...Dan,<BR/><BR/> I sympathize. While I only have three kids, my commute is far too long and my employer seems to think I should be willing to work even more than I'm doing now (gotta be a team player, you know). My five-year-old summed this up quite nicely after I said goodbye on the way out at 6AM or so; at breakfast later she excitedly announced "Mommy! I saw Daddy this morning!"<BR/><BR/> The only question is where to go from here...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-82781840616368699862008-04-04T11:48:00.000-04:002008-04-04T11:48:00.000-04:00CBB- I remember making a fort underneath my bed an...CBB- I remember making a fort underneath my bed and reading books way to late in the night, and getting up late for school with not enough time to comb my hair and looking a mess. Those stories got me through some rough times as a kid.<BR/><BR/>I don't know crap about web design, I can barely log on to email, but I commend you on what you are doing here, your stories give me something to look forward too. I check every day for new stories and comments.<BR/><BR/>I suggest Vodka and Tang, although I don't drink anymore but it may help you with watching theatre, I am a theatre actor and have a hard time watching unless I am involved.<BR/><BR/>I am starting a career in Film, and hope to produce one day. I hope to hit you up for a script and make us billions of dollars, but that is a ways off, but I will keep dreaming.Big thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03728437300843445339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-4910930569534280482008-04-04T10:10:00.000-04:002008-04-04T10:10:00.000-04:00CBB,I hear and understand your vanishing time. Wi...CBB,<BR/><BR/>I hear and understand your vanishing time. With seven kids and a 45 minute commute to work, I never have enough time for the family. Therefore, in an effort to support your family commitment, I am going to stop reading so you won't feel obligated to produce so much work.<BR/><BR/>Not. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I didn't have your world to escape in for a little while each week. I am about to venture into unknown waters career wise. I've been asked to hitch on to a start up company that is already landed a couple defense contracts and they don't even have any official employees yet. There is an expected buyout of this company for several million dollars in a few years. I boast all of this because I don't deserve it. But, if all comes to fruition, CBB, I will pay your salary for a year so you can devote all your time to getting this writing thing going properly, and letting your genious support you family.<BR/><BR/>THE DanimalDanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01657614872089173887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-39833560504212537412008-04-04T09:25:00.000-04:002008-04-04T09:25:00.000-04:00Mark,I'm looking into some CMS solutions now, desp...Mark,<BR/><BR/>I'm looking into some CMS solutions now, despite the fact that it sort of runs against the grain of how I normally like to do things (i.e., build it myself). The fact is that a CMS solution might be the right balance of look-versus-time invested.<BR/><BR/>Sheik,<BR/><BR/>That's a good idea. While discussion lists have often annoyed me in the past, I can't deny I've also been helped.<BR/><BR/>Orick,<BR/><BR/>Googling drupal now...<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/>CBBCheeseburger Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384136287767500794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-71565687745300877612008-04-04T09:20:00.000-04:002008-04-04T09:20:00.000-04:00I use drupal for CMS and find it pretty easy. I he...I use drupal for CMS and find it pretty easy. I hear Joomla is good too but never got into it.Orick of Torontohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07151258407218493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-19089875491170091052008-04-04T09:18:00.000-04:002008-04-04T09:18:00.000-04:00CBB, that's quite a load. It's hard to balance li...CBB, that's quite a load. It's hard to balance life, work, and dreams (especially when they each demand at least 50% of your time).<BR/><BR/>As for webbing, I'm more of a back-end programmer, but I have a good handle on how most of that stuff works (so feel free to ask a question if you have one). Just don't let your perspective be completely shaped by the elitist "standards" people who think we live in some sort of ideal universe.<BR/><BR/>Also, you might consider joining a CSS design list or other web-development forum, since all the creative/techie types hang out there, and you'll get a lot more eyes on your work (which also might net you more readers once they get curious enough to look at your content).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-58739356771517602282008-04-04T01:05:00.000-04:002008-04-04T01:05:00.000-04:00Well if I was a drinking man, I would toast to you...Well if I was a drinking man, I would toast to you CBB - the very image of a struggling artist. As always, sorry to hear the pains you go through each day in the mundane world. I am sure you are meant for something greater.<BR/><BR/>If I had a million dollars... I would publish your book, and make movies of them, with really good special effects and believable actors! And you can have every penny of the profit so you can have all the free time in the world to creat.<BR/><BR/>Well enough dreaming. I am up at 1 am, trying to balance my cash for this month and figuring out how to pay tax, visa bill and mortage all in one go and still have money for food and gas. <BR/><BR/>But hey, at least this weekend will be gloriously sunny. Good night.Orick of Torontohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07151258407218493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-27883137030608160392008-04-04T00:04:00.000-04:002008-04-04T00:04:00.000-04:00Wow...That's rough.A local radio station (it's col...Wow...That's rough.<BR/><BR/>A local radio station (it's college radio out of Thief River Falls) has taken me on as a volunteer. I'm going to be on the radio, and I'm hoping to do a science-type reporting show. Episodes on local science stuff (Cirrus, the aircraft maker is nearby, as is a company making the blades for the new windmills), explorations into science history, discussions about science fiction...<BR/><BR/>which brings me to this little place. Upshot is, it'd be pretty cool to get a published science fiction author on the show to discuss his/her work, a phone-call interview or something similar. Take maybe a half-hour, and it'd be free advertising your newly published book.<BR/><BR/>Just thought I'd put it out there.<BR/><BR/>TRHTeddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06429915965397673079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-85536179029185356712008-04-04T00:02:00.000-04:002008-04-04T00:02:00.000-04:00Simon - I didn't want to spoil The Man From Earth ...Simon - I didn't want to spoil The Man From Earth for those who haven't seen it. Also, nobody research it too much if you're planning to see it. Although it doesn't rely solely on a surprise, it has a pretty good one.<BR/><BR/>CBB - Dayum, brotha. You said it all.<BR/><BR/>The sad thing to me is that there are people far less talented than you who <EM>do</EM> have the money and time to crank out novels at a rapid pace.<BR/><BR/>As far as separating your content from your styling and going XML compliant, you could choose a content management system already available for free. I love Wordpress and there are themes for it that do not require a bunch of Javascript. I hear of others that are very good, too, and maybe even better than WP for CMS vs. just blogging, but I'll be gawl-danged if I can remember their names right now.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08722639974320971726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-40554744963265119622008-04-03T20:58:00.000-04:002008-04-03T20:58:00.000-04:00Simon and anyone who's bothering to check comments...Simon and anyone who's bothering to check comments,<BR/><BR/>I'll tell you this much: cleaning up code may be no fun, but it's mindless enough that I can do it even with children climbing on me.<BR/><BR/>They've gone to bed now. And, somehow, thankfully, it's been an easy bedtime. No resets.<BR/><BR/>Which is good, because now I can relax a bit and have a drink. H'mm...actually, on an empty stomach, this drink is going pretty far. I find myself a tad shuffly on my feet.<BR/><BR/>What a week!<BR/><BR/>To earn some extra scratch, I'm been writing articles about Scotland and doing illustrations for a book that takes place in a parallel-history American dystopia.<BR/><BR/>So far I have completed 3 out of 17 Scottish tourism essays and 11 out of 12 full-colour illustrations. Colouring is hard. No wonder they send that shit to Korea. My hand hurts.<BR/><BR/>(Also, it doesn't help things that I've never even been to Scotland. WTF?)<BR/><BR/>My daughter has a concussion. She fell off the couch, wrestling with her brother. You know that shit about not letting people with a concussion fall asleep? It's malarkey. My wife looked it up. You're supposed to let them sleep as much as they can, so that's another reason I'm glad I detect no thumping from the upper floor of this old schoolhouse.<BR/><BR/>Chapter 18 has been started, but it's tough to get through a paragraph without somebody at work bugging me to earn my keep, especially because several of my colleagues are away on shows or, in the case of the Web Designer, at home collecting unemployment cheques.<BR/><BR/>I'm hardly getting a moment's peace at the office these days, what with the <I>design this, will you?</I> and the <I>animate that, won't you?</I> and the <I>how do we translate 'amortized prioritization corporate healthiness strategy' into proper French?</I><BR/><BR/>Jeeze Louise.<BR/><BR/>I'm also trying to gussy up my house so it can appraised at a nice, juicy price so I can refinance the mortgage against the new value and so in one fell swoop pay off all my worst debts. This is a difficult process because we live in a sea of children's clothes, toys and animals, and neither my wife or I seem to be capable of making it a realistic priority to arrange it all. Digging through the clutter in order to even assess needed repairs is onerous, and time consuming. And kind of depressing.<BR/><BR/>The local theatre group called. My wife's the stage manager. They wanted be to design and illustrate the posters and playbill. I said, "No."<BR/><BR/>"Why not?" asked my wife.<BR/><BR/>"Because it's not price competitive with Scottish tourism profiles, and has none of the allure of disappearing myself into the Secret Math. I can't afford the time."<BR/><BR/>I think she thinks I'm a jerk, but it's true -- I support local theatre and all (I pay to see the terrible shows, tell the amateur actors they were wonderful), but there's only so much CBB to go around. I want to say yes, but I know I'll regret it. I don't need yet one more thing to wake up in the middle of the night, fretting about its unfinishnedness.<BR/><BR/>I rant, I rant.<BR/><BR/>Another drink? Sure, why not? Hit me.<BR/><BR/>(I'm mixing vodka with Kool-aid, like all the classiest people do.)<BR/><BR/>I hate feeling like my website is broken. Like most things I peck at, I keep in mind how what I'm building will weather once I'm dead. Thus, the idea of employing deprecated code threatens my immortality, since everyone knows I'll never get rich off all this output until I'm gone.<BR/><BR/>(It might be a car crash, but it will probably be cancer. In either event it will come soonier than I'd hoped.)<BR/><BR/>The whole Semantic Web concept of separting styling from content and then marking up that content in a meaningful way so that it might be processed by artificial intelligences now and in the future holds great appeal to me. I don't want to keep dickering with my Web formatting -- I want the content once rendered to rest. Because, like I said, I won't always be around to maintain it.<BR/><BR/>In this one way, retooling my website is more fun than tedious.<BR/><BR/>Lulu will disappear one day, which is pretty much my only motivation for continuing to search for a more solid publishing avenue. I want to be assured that this world I'm assembling will be a maze that people can get lost in after I'm gone. I spent so much time as a boy getting lost in other people's invented universes -- I've always wanted to be able to give back to that experience, to put something out into the world of comparable immersive potential. So that someone else can lose themselves there, by a small lamp at night, in bed with a snack.<BR/><BR/>I wish I had the money and luxury to just get it all out now, to pass every day for a year writing until every story stored in memory is told, and I could move on to something fresh, secure in my knowledge that I've successfully exported a world for future use.<BR/><BR/>Time is passing too quickly. I have so many other obligations.<BR/><BR/>In the past few years I've aged. I look at myself in the mirror and say, "Holy crap!" The purple bags under my eyes, like Mr. Mississauga's, have become permanent. Cue Krusty the Clown: <I>"This ain't make-up!"</I><BR/><BR/>How can I work this hard and still be struggling to pay my bills? It seems cruel. How fast am I supposed to run, world? Is <I>this</I> what it takes to provide for a family?<BR/><BR/>Mercy.<BR/><BR/>Then again, I suppose all of that would be easier if I wasn't always trying to write novels. Looking after my children wouldn't be as hard as I weren't balancing a laptop on my knee, and my workload at the office wouldn't be so crushing if I weren't prying in the minutes to advance the plot. My breakfast would pass more peacefully if I didn't cram in food with one hand while I furiously draw with the other.<BR/><BR/>Is it, ultimately speaking, very selfish for me to make these sacrifices to write silly stoies?<BR/><BR/>I wonder. It troubles me.<BR/><BR/>(But what am I for, if not for this?)<BR/><BR/>One day, all of this will be a memory. I'll laugh, and make it into an amusing anecdote with a giggle-worthy punchline. I'll refer to it as, "paying my dues." I'll give younger people a half-genuine squeeze of the arm and say, "You'll get through it, champ. One day your bills will pay themselves, and your stage name will echo through the halls of culture."<BR/><BR/>This is what my wife thinks. She's the one who squeeze my arm and whispers, "You're a good man."<BR/><BR/>(She's wrong, bless her heart, but I love her for believing it.)<BR/><BR/>Imagine what I could do if I could write every day, all day! I could paint a symphony of stories, a wriggling puzzle of interconnected adventures in a season! I could write three novels a year!<BR/><BR/>Those of you who follow my blatherings know that I've made some films and, terrible as they are, I loved making them because filmmaking is the closest medium to replicating what is inside my head. But it takes too much damn time and too much damn money, which is why I settled on exporting everything via text -- but even so I'd positively <I>swoon</I> at the prospect of being free enough to pump it out <B>faster!</B><BR/><BR/>But...real life.<BR/><BR/>I have to go to bed soon, because I've got to be into the office early tomorrow to prepare master show DVDs for an event going live on Saturday. I have to make the menus idiot proof, because I'm not familiar with the operator who'll be running it. People are so creative in their ability to fuck up, so I have to have an escape button to cover every contingency.<BR/><BR/>Oh...and I guess I should write another Scotland article before I go to bed. Damn. Forgot about that. I'm behind quota.<BR/><BR/>On the bright side, my car works. I'm so happy to have it back. Nothing puts you in a good mood faster than blasting down the highway on a warming spring day with thaw and loud music in the air in a sunshine yellow car. Zoooooooom!<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/>Cheeseburger BrownCheeseburger Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384136287767500794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-16552232127253418782008-04-03T20:10:00.000-04:002008-04-03T20:10:00.000-04:00While I am not a professional web designer, I got ...While I am not a professional web designer, I got stuck with designing/maintaining/writing code to generate my meta-guild's website. I will be happy to answer questions as best I can, and I may be helpful from the perspective of having to get myself up to speed on it. I don't claim to be an expert, but I'm pretty sure I know how it all fits together.<BR/><BR/>Let me also point you to this site:<BR/><A HREF="http://www.w3schools.com/" REL="nofollow">http://www.w3schools.com/</A><BR/><BR/>I found it to have excellent (if not terribly complete) Tutorials, and a very nice set of HTML and CSS references. I use it almost exclusively.SaintPeterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02064605142705446251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-74128865023363419162008-04-03T20:04:00.000-04:002008-04-03T20:04:00.000-04:00I dunno, CBB.I kinda thought that "Designer is... ...I dunno, CBB.<BR/><BR/>I kinda thought that "Designer is... me" was a wonderfully esoteric intro to a rant-ish comment.<BR/><BR/>And to let you know, I'll be no help at all. I don't know how to do anything beyond hitting "Publish" on my own Typepad blog.<BR/><BR/>Best of luck!!Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06946639624660520997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-65342877743355231152008-04-03T19:27:00.000-04:002008-04-03T19:27:00.000-04:00What the -- ?First half of my comment was cut off....What the -- ?<BR/><BR/>First half of my comment was cut off.<BR/><BR/>To make a long story short, they fired the Web Designer at work and now I'm obliged to learn his job because no one else seems able or willing.<BR/><BR/>CBBCheeseburger Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384136287767500794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-90506816475754096622008-04-03T19:26:00.000-04:002008-04-03T19:26:00.000-04:00Designer is...me.Which sucks.As a consequence, I h...Designer is...me.<BR/><BR/>Which sucks.<BR/><BR/>As a consequence, I have been pursuing a crash course in becoming more literate with the ways of the Web's jiggery-pokery, and doing more technical reading than my eyeballs (or brain) would ideally care for, so that when people ask me stuff at work I don't look like a fool.<BR/><BR/>The only reason this becomes relevant in the Cheeseburger Brown sphere is because all of my reading has educated me to the fact that the <A HREF="http://cheeseburgerbrown.com" REL="nofollow">CheeseburgerBrown.com Website</A> is a total bloody mess.<BR/><BR/>(Those of you in the know about such things are no doubt already aware of this fact. I never, ever claimed to be a Web Designer.)<BR/><BR/>If any of you have ever peeked at my code (and I can't imagine why you would), it's a dog's breakfast mishmash of deprecated tags, mixed standards, jury-rigged table-based formatting and a heavy reliance on JavaScript.<BR/><BR/>So I'm putting an end to that.<BR/><BR/>My new goals are these:<BR/><BR/>* To swear off WYSIWYG web formatting applications forever.<BR/><BR/>* To have perfect XHTML Strict validating code.<BR/><BR/>* To entirely separate content from styling, via linked Cascading Style Sheets.<BR/><BR/>Once redesigned with these goals in mind, the site will place a greater emphasis on making stories available in a variety of formats (eBook, HTML, PDF) to ease the spreading of the word.<BR/><BR/>I mention all of this because I'm hoping one of you readers out there actually <I>is</I> a Web professional, and wouldn't mind answering the odd question or two from me when I'm stuck. I like to do things myself, so I'm not asking for any free work from anyone -- just tips when I'm in a bind.<BR/><BR/>My first step, which I'll work on in the cracks over the next few weeks, is to strip all of the extraneous, broken or deprecated code out of story files, leaving them as naked and clean XHTML Strict Markup.<BR/><BR/>My next step will be to assign classes to each type of content (title, intro blurb, chapter listing, story body, etc.), and insert class tags into the files.<BR/><BR/>My third step will be to code a CSS design that arranges these elements in a way that pleases me. <B>This is the step where I will need help.</B> Online tutorials are great, but sometimes it's nice to know there's a human being who might be able to understand one's badly phrased question where a search engine just replies with gobbledigook.<BR/><BR/>Also, in general, this is an open solicitation for tips, advice or warnings. Honestly, <I>I don't know what I'm doing</I>, and I know it, so don't be afraid of I'd be offended at any tidbits offered. I am <I>not</I> under the illusion that I'm a good coder or a layout genius -- I usually work in video and animation...this stuff is well outside of my natural ken.<BR/><BR/>At any rate, wish me luck!<BR/><BR/>Come Hell or high water, my site will eventually render properly on every device under the sun!<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/>Cheeseburger BrownCheeseburger Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384136287767500794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-17915723849245360192008-04-03T10:09:00.000-04:002008-04-03T10:09:00.000-04:00Someone anonymous mentioned,I'd been under the imp...Someone anonymous mentioned,<BR/><BR/><I>I'd been under the impression that he had _risen_ from living in the bus to being the investigator who could demand helicopters and get them.</I><BR/><BR/>The key to grokking the timeline, such as it is, are the timemarkers in <I>Stubborn Town</I> and <I>The Extra Cars</I>.<BR/><BR/>In the first story, Mr. Miss is on contract with the Ministry of the Environment: he is a man whose expertise is valued. He describes the projected "Event Zero" as taking place at an unknown time in the future.<BR/><BR/>In the second story, Mr. Miss is effectively a well-equipped hobo, journeying around in his schoolbus with some unknown amount of support from an unnamed benefactor. He describes Event Zero as taking place approximately "fourteen months" in the future.<BR/><BR/>Between these two stories, Mr. Miss is employed by a branch of the Canadian Intelligence Service (CSIS) whose mandate is to investigate situations inexplicable via standard means of analysis. It is during this period that TSM's <A HREF="http://cheeseburgerbrown.com/stories/The_Secret_Mathematic/Chapter_14.html#fourteen" REL="nofollow">Chapter 14</A> takes place.<BR/><BR/>So the only Mr. Miss story that is not now in the past, from the point of view of the current chapter, is <I>The Extra Cars</I>, which we know occurs shortly before Event Zero itself.<BR/><BR/>The only other significant portion of Mr. Miss's life that we've skipped over entirely is the period in his twenties spent in Braj, India (as noted in <I>The Taste of Blue</I>). This, and more details of his adventures with the clandestine CSIS branch, are perhaps fodder for future short stories.<BR/><BR/>Orick said,<BR/><BR/><I>I am less bother by Mr. Miss's one night stand than by the nagging feeling that his 'date' seems to be a paid date.</I><BR/><BR/>I don't think I could supply a response to this that would be any better than what Simon has already said. I might add only this:<BR/><BR/>Mr. Miss has stated that he doesn't work with sidekicks. In <I>The Taste of Blue</I> he declined to further explore a friendship with Dr. Hollister, citing his dedication to "the case." In <I>Stubborn Town</I> he makes it clear to Aglakti that he would be loathe to drag anyone else down into his private world of torment and obsession, refusing to take her along. Again, in this chapter, he rebuffs Jack's request to accompany him.<BR/><BR/>His aversion isn't just to "sidekicks" -- it's an aversion to all relationships. In part, I think this is due to his childhood impression of feeling like a burden on people who care about him, first driving his mother away and then putting his father through such hardship in his efforts to deal with the boy's night terrors and other needs.<BR/><BR/>When Mr. Miss says, "I am not handicapped" what he's really saying is, <I>I don't want to need you</I>. Basically, it makes him feel like a heal to require assistance or to lean on someone.<BR/><BR/>Between the lines, however, it should be evident that Mr. Miss has mixed feelings about this guilt. He isn't heartless -- he's moved when people demonstrate genuine affection for him (Aglakti, Phat-so Kim), but he works to suppress the emotion.<BR/><BR/>So I suppose Mr. Miss isn't just paying for sex because it's his only option, or the most pragmatic option...he's also doing it to maintain a distance, and to compartmentalize his personal needs.<BR/><BR/>Mark asked,<BR/><BR/><I>Had you been waiting to insert a character who talks medieval-like? Or did this come to you as you wrote this chapter?</I><BR/><BR/>It came on the fly.<BR/><BR/>Writing Mr. Miss is an exercise in juxtapositions -- either Mr. Miss standing out in stark contrast to normal events and ambiance, or curiously banal situations as applied through the lens of Mr. Missness.<BR/><BR/>In this case, when it became apparent that Jack and Mr. Miss would have breakfast together I was plain and simple tickled by the idea of Mr. Miss in a waffle house. To me, this is not entirely dissimilar from Magneto in a hair-salon or Agent Smith at Best Buy.<BR/><BR/>Since that "joke" only exists briefly, when we are introduced to the change in setting, I decided it needed a little goosing in order to remain suitably off-kilter for the duration of the scene, and in my opinion there is little in this world sillier, or less dignified, than people pretending to be Mediaeval.<BR/><BR/>Also, on a purely mechanical note, the chapter had up until that point featured a fair shake of homoeroticism which I was concerned might alienate some readers. To balance the titillation, I decided that a mention of female cleavage would be an appropriate counter-touch.<BR/><BR/>About the movie: haven't seen, will investigate.<BR/><BR/>Again Anonymous:<BR/><BR/><I>I took a drive past Dundonald Park on the way home...</I><BR/><BR/>Nice. I do actually have some idea of the basic layout of the park, thanks to photographs posted on the Web and a satellite zoom-in from Google Maps. I detest writing about real-world locales if I don't have at least <I>a hint</I> of the true layout and feel of the place, which is why I often stick to sites I've actually spent some time at personally (Thunder Bay, Kingston, Montreal, Paris, etc.).<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/>Cheeseburger BrownCheeseburger Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384136287767500794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-12218079374061840832008-04-03T09:34:00.000-04:002008-04-03T09:34:00.000-04:00Mark,No, I haven't seen The Man From Earth. How d...Mark,<BR/><BR/>No, I haven't seen The Man From Earth. How does it relate here?<BR/><BR/>Orick (again),<BR/><BR/>I agree that Mr. Miss could likely get his rocks off without paying for it, but it's in character for him to remove the element of emotion or attachment from the act.Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06946639624660520997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-75824968928020114162008-04-03T09:18:00.000-04:002008-04-03T09:18:00.000-04:00I don't think paying for sex is immoral actually. ...I don't think paying for sex is immoral actually. There really isn't a victim so I don't think of it as a crime. It's a straight money exchange for service like paying for a massage.<BR/><BR/>What I was bothered about was the fact Mr. Miss would have to pay for sex. It shows a certain weakness in him. Although he isn't my favorite character. I do have respect for him and think he can get sex without having to pay for it despite his oddities. <BR/><BR/>Maybe I read it wrong.Orick of Torontohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07151258407218493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-55833019931823984692008-04-03T00:14:00.000-04:002008-04-03T00:14:00.000-04:00CBB you kinda creeped me out. This brought out a l...CBB you kinda creeped me out. This brought out a little more humanity to Mr. Miss. Some may disagree with homosexual love being a forbidden love and being lumped in with perversion. His paying for sex and was right in line with character. Olde English breakfast place sounds great, bet they serve spam.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for the insight on the Mr.Miss chapter writing, I feel that way writing comments here, some of these guys make some really good points. Sometimes they say what I want to, but can't comment till I get home, stupid work computer blocks out comment page, thank goodnes it doesn't block story.Big thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03728437300843445339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-7868744522528004052008-04-02T22:59:00.000-04:002008-04-02T22:59:00.000-04:00I took a drive past Dundonald Park on the way home...I took a drive past Dundonald Park on the way home. It's definitely not heavily forested like Stanley park (sounds like a great situation you were in by the way :p)... It's got trees around the outside, a playground at one end, and open space in the middle. There were some guys in the middle part - smoking, it looks like. I suppose it's possible they were waiting for some homosexual park sex, but I didn't get out of the car to ask them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-8351902622546930742008-04-02T22:53:00.000-04:002008-04-02T22:53:00.000-04:00CBB, have you seen "The Man from Earth" movie? It...CBB, have you seen "The Man from Earth" movie? It should be at least worth a look to you, the creator of Lallo.<BR/><BR/>Anybody else seen that one?Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08722639974320971726noreply@blogger.com