Blue Mesh

Mostly Fiction: recommended books by Dan Simmons

A Profile of Dan Simmons

Science Fiction Weekly Interview

I've been sick with a cold this past week. I went out drinking one Thursday, a week ago and ended up with Laryngitis. Not fun, which eventually turned into a hacking cough, double not fun. Although I've needed to look for work, I've been otherwise taking it easy.

I've read three books now this year. This week it was Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Purple lent me Wormwood and a boxed set of The Lord of the Rings, but I haven't begun either of them. I also plan to finish reading Teleny. Every time I talk to Jon Macy he says, read it! So I must eventually. Anyway, I'm not looking for anything new until I finish what I have. For some reason I think I will be reading more this year than any previous years, and I'm not sure why that is...the new millenia, perhaps...?

A week ago last Tuesday I was out and about, hanging with Jason Styles, who emailed me and expressed interest in hanging out on Capital Hill. I took him to Coffee Messiah where we encountered a couple of free form experimental music bands playing. It was quite interesting. Our friend John Pearce showed up later as an added treat. Later I took myself to the Vogue where Roxy was hosting a show (Vicious Dolls) with a couple of bands playing before hand. The bands were really good, but I can't say I could tell you what their names were. I may have to do a little research and then post the results here.

Anyway, I haven't been out since last Sunday and I'm probably not going out for a bit. I have a mandatory meeting at Worksource on Rainier Ave on Thursday, so I'm going to have to be a little better at waking up in the morning this week. *sigh* I suppose it is for the best...

Bella Sirena - Splash

The Stranger Classifieds

SeattleWeekly.com

You've probably all been wondering what I've been up to recently, since I haven't been posting online much. Mostly I've been looking for work and completing work I was contracted to do over the past two weeks. Although the graphics and the text are not my design, the structure, organization, and type setting for the general text blocks is. I have also set out my shingle, as my friend Carolyn likes to phrase it, by advertising with the Stranger and the Weekly. Who knows, I might be able to make the contract labor thing work. I dunno...but I won't be able to find out unless I try. So everyone please wish me good employment karma for the next couple of weeks.

In the next few weeks I hope to post more porfolio type items on my web site. Eventually I hope to include web pages of the people I enjoy spending time with, my gang, so to speak. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to write me about my site. I like to recieve email refering to what I am doing.

Mark Dacascos

Welcome to Cybertown - Civilization for the Virtual Age

Last night, I saw a movie with my brunch friends, "Brotherhood of the Wolf" was very fun and very French, subtitles no less. Lots of handsome people in period costume, there's even several scenes in a brothel that is very choice with all the "fetish" period wear. Unfortunately it all goes by so fast. And Mark Dacascos, the man who plays the Mohawk Indian, was quite fascinating to watch fighting, especially during the latter half of the movie when he goes "native" and wears nothing more than his loincloth despite being covered in tattoos. The actor has starred in the Crow television series and several movies featuring him showcasing his Kung Fu moves.

I've also been logging into Cybertown since reading "Snow Crash" and my friend Tweek suggested it as a similar interface. They give you virtual money and you are allowed to spend it on virtual objects to furnish a virtual home. So far, I've set up a home, but I've not really met too many people there: Volpane's Victorian

Jeni's Snow Crash Site

Just finished reading "Snow Crash" today by Neal Stephenson. I don't know why I waited so long to read it, although I could never find it used in paperback. I knew it was a good book and Stephenson has pretty much followed through on the promise of his talent with his other books such as "The Diamond Age" and "Cryptonomicon". "Snow Crash" is pure science fiction, no doubt, but so much of what he talks about is factual or has been realized scientifically that it does not resemble traditional science fiction. In fact, it is the personal relationships and social-political relationships in the novel that are fictional. Like many cyberpunk novelists, Stephenson manages to surf the crest of information technology and general knowledge to create a fast paced piece of eye candy, that resonates powerfully within the mainstream litergy.

Lady Blue

Happy New Year...sorry for being almost a week late with this, I've been busy.

SHOWTIME - Queer As Folk

Brunch was a little different Sunday because Jason Styles attended before he went to work at Virginia Mason. He's a friend of Carolyn's and Purple Mark's from Billings, MT. No one else showed up which is not always odd, just Carolyn, myself, Purple and Jason.

After brunch yesterday Purple and I visited with Alex, who is a hair dresser who also attends brunch on the rare occasion and sets wigs for Mark sometimes. We ended up watching some terrible kick boxing movie...not my taste usually, but seeing "buff dudes" punch each other out was oddly appealing. A friend of Alex's came over to use the phone, whom I believe I met briefly once at Alex's house, but I'm forgetting his name again...Ted, Travis some "t" name...sorry. After a bit Purple and I left and headed to our respective homes.

I made an attempt to pick up my apartment, respond to email and pick out an outfit for the Vogue that evening. Carolyn was hosting a get together first for viewing "Queer As Folk" on Showtime...this will probably be the most television I will watch all year. So I looked in my spare cabinet, as I could not bring anything really sweet or savory, and picked out an unopened box of Twinings Earl Grey, which I thought would be perfect, since I'd drunk all of her Earl Grey before and she'd not seen fit to replace it yet.

As it was, it was not a tea night. Carolyn had chocolate chip cookies, crackers, breadsticks guacamole and pesto. Ray brought wine, champagne and chicken wings: KFC hot 'n spicy and QFC teriyaki. Judy brought apricot oatmeal cookies. Nancy brought herself, contributed some finances to the feast and I brought the tea, which was not made, although I am sure it will come in handy when I come over again.

Attention, QAF spoilers follow...

The show followed through with what was set up on the finale of last season's show. Jason was recovering from a coma and in physical therapy, Brian was visiting him every night but only while he slept because he was too wracked with guilt to face him. Michael comes home because David tells him to leave Portland. Ted and Emmett escort Lindsay and Melanie to Lindsay's sister's third wedding. Naturally Melanie whines the whole way, Ted gets hit on by straight women and Emmett takes home the best man, but Lindsay really takes the cake when she asks Melanie to marry her while toasting the bride and groom. Lindsey's uptight relatives are beside themselves, but Melanie manages to resist an answer. Jason tracks down Brian and they start to put their friendship back together. Meanwhile, Debbie is organizing a protest around the court hearing of Jason's would-be gay basher. The judge is lenient. Brian gets back at the judge by gluing him to the seat of the john where he always takes a dump at noon everyday. Then Jason's Mom tells Brian he's too much of a bad influence and insists that he never see her son again.

Next week, Ted looses his job and Brian has to confront Jason with his mother's admonition.

I went to the Vogue for only a short time. Purple was pretty much done dancing. James and Alex (or "Walex", to distinguish him from the other Alex) were there, but I have to admit I wasn�t involved in their conversation. Purple said that Craig was home sick with the flu. I walked Purple home and then crawled home myself.

Unfortunately, today has been grey and uneventful.