Milestones!

I had a big birthday recently. One of those with a zero on the end. And for the first time ever, the numbers actually meant something to me.

Usually I agree that age is just a number. And I've never before given a second though to my age. But the lead up to this one was a little odd. It just felt weird, like I was actually passing some invisible barrier which would change things.

A couple of weeks after the event, and I'm OK with it, but the lead up was ... unsettling, to say the least.

My brother and his wife came to visit, and it was fabulous to see them. I managed to show them around all the sights of Lincoln. My brother loves his history as much as I do, so it was great to see his appreciation of Castles and Cathedrals, Romans and Normans.

We had a small family get-together for my bif day, and right on cue the Red Arrows flew over. It was kinda nice. I received some lovely and thoughtful gifts, and have already spent the book vouchers which were included.

It was great seeing my brother and his wife. But it was wonderful chatting to my brother. He gets my sense of humour, and shares a history.

Thanks for making the trip, guys. Truly appreciated.

Beer and Skittles?

It has been an interesting year so far. There have been some incredible positives, and some dreadful negatives. "Yin and yang, heads and tails, yes and no." (and bonus points if you recognise that quote)

It all balances out and counteracts each other.  What we have to do is learn to overcome the negatives and to focus on the positives.  Which, in my case, I have managed to do. And so I find myself in a really good place.

But things never go according to plan, do they?  I had set several goals for the first half of this year, and due to other things (life), they simply could not happen. But we need to be agile, to be flexible, to adapt and change and meet the challenges. And then we have to wonder where karma fits into it all.

And so here we are, almost 6 months into the year, and all is well.

No skittles around here, but there is beer. Pass me a pint!

C'mon, Pass the Tinfoil!

I was once accused of being a conspiracy theorist on the basis of a UFO sighting.

OK, so 'accused' is a pretty strong word, but it's how I felt at the time. Someone, who is a conspiracy theorist, heard that I had seen a UFO and had a ghostly experience, and said something along the lines of, "I didn't know you were part of the tinfoil hat brigade.  You're one of us."

At that time I had seen a UFO (since then I have seen several more), and had 5 or 6 ghostly encounters. I'd also had a bunch of other occurances I simply couldn't explain. But I never considered myself a tinfoil hat wearer. I mean, I know the earth is spheroid, I know we went to the moon, and I know Paul McCartney didn't die in an accident in 1966 only to be replaced by William Campbell.

So it was strange to be considered a conspiracy theorist.

I was recently called cynical in regards to a comment I made about a situation. Yup, I stand by that comment, and having worked in government departments for many years, and seeing a couple of managers with little integrity, I do believe that some things are manufactured.

Project Blue Beam? Not a chance. But I do believe governments know more about UFOs than they are letting on. In fact, there are conspiracies to manufacture events, there are conspiracies to keep information from us, and there are people in power who lie about things so they and their friends can profit from us.

I'm reminded of the old adage, "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not after you."

I'm off to listen to some Wings albums. Surely William Campbell couldn't have maintained that same high standard through the seventies.  Could he?

Converge Now!

For the Chinese New Year I wrote about how this was a year of change. And I mentioned how it certainly felt like it was. Little did I know that change was happening sooner than I expected - both positive and negative.

Some interesting times. A couple of most synchronicitous events all lining up, and my life has taken a drastic turn for the better, despite a couple of real disappointments in the past month.  Feelings of hurt and betrayal by people I trusted and respected. Or thought I did. (No, not you. I know it's not you if you're reading this!) And yet I've been able to shrug it off in ways I never could have in January.

I was speaking to a new-found friend a couple of days ago. Cause and conditions, he said - which is completely true. Much has converged at this point. And there are signs and wonders which lead me to believe more is on its way. Positive things. Fruitful things. Good things.

Do you believe in karma?

I recently had a message from someone who hurt me a few years ago. And now, here they were, asking for my help. I wasn't in a position to do so, so I couldn't. A few years ago I had a friend who went out of his way to help someone who had deeply hurt him. I asked him why he did so. He simply said, "Because it's the right thing to do."  Would I have been so gracious? I guess I'll never know.

So where is this all leading? Goodness knows.  But I can't help but thinking something positive is coming. Something wonderful. I hope it's real. I hope it's true. I hope it's not just a misplaced optimism.

Time will tell.

Converge away! Om Mani Padme Hum.

And That's A Big Nope From Me.

2022 was such a disappointing year for science fiction in film.

Now I realise someone is going to say, "Yeah,  but what about...?" And then they'll mention Everything, Everywhere All At Once, or Nope.  Sorry, but I didn't have much love for either of them. Nope was just terribly contrived, unoriginal, and not as clever as it thought it was. It reminded me,in a way, of the Abrams' directed Star Trek. He simply showed he wasn't a fan and thathe didn't really understand the Star Trek universe.

Nope showed that Jordan Peele simply wasn't familiar with SF as a genre. There was nothing new, a whole bunch of holes and poor plotting. Similar to Shyamalan's Signs. I loved Peel's other work, but this just showed he didn't get SF.

Everything Everywhere was simply a mess. Confused, pointless, and so full of plotholes you could drive an Enterprise through them. I actually got bored about three quarters of the way through.  The actors' performances were good.  And while I'm thrilled SF and the actors won so many awards at the Oscars, I'm really disappointed this was the vehicle.

Avatar 2 was simply what we expected. Beautifully shot, but ultimately dissatisfying and over-long.

The best SF film I saw in 2022 was Don't Worry Darling. Shades of Philip K. Dick and others. Great performances and direction, and a lot of fun. And that set design. Superb.

And if you enjoyed these other films, than I'm happy for you. But I thought they were well below average,

Here's hoping to a better year for SF in film.

The Leviathan Awakens

Oh wow! Excited here. It has been a while, after all.

 

Although I sold "The Leviathan Awakens" last year, it was only released yesterday. It's a wonderful feeling to finally see the cover art and my name on the front of The Martian Wave.

 

I really love this story. Thanks, Hiraeth Publishing.

And in case you couldn't guess, mine is the story which includes "a denizen of the deep ocean on a strange planet."

"The Martian Wave features stories of the exploration and settlement of other worlds. In here you will encounter a denizen of the deep ocean on a strange planet; a remote world where nothing much happens—until it does; hallucinations and other labor problems; a remodeling of future Earth; the arrival of not-so-benevolent aliens; and much more!"

Features
Indigo Reviewed by Gustavo Bondoni

Novelette
The Leviathan Awakens by Steve Cameron

Short Stories
Namug by Gustavo Bondoni
Night Patrol by Regina Clarke
Salvage World by David Castlewitz
To Lie with Spirit by Shaun Duke
Ares by Randall Andrews
They Came in Peace by John Darling

Flash Fiction
A Dream of the Universe by Christina Sng
Time Shards by Kathy Latusik

Poems
Cancer: Celestial Crustacean by Maureen Bowden
What Really Happened at Roswell by DJ Tyrer
At the Edge of the Universe by Christina Sng
A Messed-Up Mnemonic by Maureen Bowden
Footprints with Claws by Debby Feo
Space Zoo by Christina Sng

Everything In Its Right Place.

I've been organising.

Me, my things, my space, and my life.

I have catalogued my books and music, getting rid of things I no longer need, or want. And, of course, any duplicates. There always seems to be duplicates. Same with my music collection. All niceley catalogued on a database, and organised physically. It's a great feeling to know what I have, what I need, and getting rid of the things I no longer want.

I'm also going through my things - ticket stubs, concert programmes, badges - anything that doesn't fit elsewere. Now I know where they are. Exactly. I got rid of a bunch of things I'd kept, and wondered why they seemed important at the time.

I tidied my workspace the other day. Anything that didn't belong, went. It's not perfect yet. There's a bunch of letters, notes and bits in a bag that still need organising, but they're all together. The disorganised is now organised. And I will get to it, work my way through it, and the world will be a wondrous place once more.

It's good for my mind, my wellbeing, to have a space that is tidy. And that space is not only my relax space, but much of the time is my workspace too. It's more enjoyable to be in now it's all sorted out. A very pleasant environment indeed.

But I've been sorting my life too. I've cancelled a couple of magazine subscriptions that I realised were not as enjoyable as they once were. I noticed this because the unread issues were starting to pile up. I threw them out, and felt.... nothing. I continue with the couple of magazines where I am completely up to date. And I added a new one, which is cheaper than the ones I cancelled.

But I've also been working on organising my mind. I've started meditating, and I'm finding it extremely beneficial.

I've always wanted to be more organised, and it's finally happening. The time is now. It feels right.