The projects

I have several projects in my head, far too many to be realized in a short time.
I decided to list them here, for public view, to make me a little more accountable.

• Writing Project 1 ("Wish", short story): Finish the draft for a short story already written. Right now I am writing the second draft.
• Writing Project 2 (Novel): Start writing the draft of a novel. I already have everything planned.
• Writing Project 2 (Short YA Novel): I just have the idea. We'll see how it moves forward.
• Research Project: This one is massive, will require years to complete. I think it will be very interesting, at least for geeks like me.
• Physical fitness: recently I gained weight. I want to train often, keep a clean, non vegan non vegetarian, diet.
• Study Public Administration. Due to the field I work in, I want to study Public Administration.
• Eerie Worlds. As I announced, eerieworlds will change. It will take some time as it is an important change. However, I will start be a little more personal on this blog; in other words I won't publish only reviews.

Strategically, I will work on only one writing project at a time, while keeping notes for whatever idea applies to the other projects.

A lot of stuff, so little time. 

I finally did it!

I finally did it! I wrote and finished my first short story. Let me be clear; it is absolutely NOT ready for publication. However, for the first time,and after many tries I have a first draft manuscript of a story complete head to toe.

It wasn't easy as it required a change in methodology. I used to think about the plot, scribble down a few notes and proclaim "this story shall be about 5,000 words. I will write 200 words a night."
I changed the first part of the sentence. I decided to stop thinking about the word count goal. I told myself to write down the story. If it is ten words long, good. If it is one million words long, good. I only had one goal this time, which is to write the full story. (FYI, it came out as a 1700 supershort story).

After reading the first draft I believe the story is crappy, but I don't care. I got something down and for the next few days/weeks/month I will revise, re-revise and re-re-revise ad infinitum until I have something decent in my hands as it is a very useful exercise.

Yay!!

what....

My reading queue is slightly growing. You know, new work equals new schedule and I haven't adapted yet.
I already received the four Dell Magazines (EQMM, AHMM, Asimov's, Analog) and I have yet to finish The Shining.
I better become a Zen master, stop worrying about the schedule and begin reading.

My reading queue.

Announcement

Eerie Worlds is going to change. Big time. Things are going to be much different for me and you all.

Further information in the near future.

Review: EQMM - Mar/Apr 2014

This is a late and short review due to a few events.
First, I found a job! I am very happy about it as I hope it will bring me success in the future.
Second, baseball. I went went to a few college games and I started working on the 2014 season with the help of Baseball America's books and Who's who in Baseball.

March/April 2014 double issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine is average, and I don't mean in a dispregiative way. No story in this issue is outstanding as no story is dull. Simply put, is a more than decent reading, full of mysteries and interesting plots.
It is definitely an issue worthy of the cover price.

The cover reminded me of "Pan's Labyrinth"

Book hangover

On American folklore

I admit my ignorance on American folklore. Neil Gaiman's American Gods is an amazing attempt to answer to some mythological questions, but strictly speaking it doesn't really touch folklore. Since I have no serious knowledge on local lore, I checked out this book:

2014 - Reading List

- Stephen King, "The Shining", currently reading
- L. Sprague de Camp, "Dark Valley Destiny - The life of Robert E. Howard", currently reading
- Analog - April 2014, read, February 2014
- Asimov's - March 2014, read, February 2014
- Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine - Mar/Apr 2014, read, February 2014
- Stephen King, "Carrie", read, February 2014
- Stephen King, 'salem's Lot, read, February 2014

- Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, April 2014, read, January 2014
- Asimov's - February 2014, read, January 2014

- Clarkesworld, Jan 2014, Issue 88, read, January 2014

- Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine - Jan/Feb 2014 - Volume 126 No. 1&2, read, January 2014
- H.P. Lovecraft, "A Means to Freedom - Letters to Robert E. Howard", read, January 2014
- H.P. Lovecraft, "Essential Solitude - Letters to August Derleth", read, January 2014

- H.P. Lovecraft, "Letters from New York", read, January 2014

KEY: Author/Magazine,[ "Title",] [Issue,] status, finish date.

Antisocial social.

Social interactions are fascinating. Thus, the idea that they are quickly disappearing disturbs me profoundly. 
A few days ago I was having lunch with my family at the bar section of a Mexican restaurant (On the Border, if you really want to know). Surrounded by people, fajitas and cervezas, I noticed the presence of five television sets. No one, was looking at them. However, the place was awfully quiet for a packed bar. A family of four next to me was completely absorbed by iPhones (not sure which model). The three kids and their mom were blankly staring at each own’s device. It took them at least a minute to acknowledge that the waitress brought them the free nachos. 


A group of four girlfriends walked in and started talking - one complaining to the manager about the location of my kids, facing the spirits - until two of them began chatting on their smartphone. The two girls without the phone kept looking at their friend's virtual chat, actually dividing the four-people group into a de facto two two-people groups. They kept being silent - chuckling once in a while - with the two furiously thumb-writing on their phones for at least fifteen minutes. A nice couple - two young loving birds? - kept glancing at each other’s eyes every minute or so while continuing playing a game on a smartphone. 
During that lunch, kids were sitting at the table with their mind elsewhere. Parents were simply paying the check. I wonder if they are not interested in what lives their kids are living. Friendship was substituted by the idea that being friends simply means sitting at the same table.
In the past couple of years I noticed that this anti-social trend is getting more intrusive. Less sociality in favor of virtuality. Reflecting on what I saw I believe that I am the sad witness of moments that are gone forever.

Reading EQMM...